"I listened to God's deep dream for me and felt a longing to respond."
Mary Ward
January 1585 - January 1645
"I love coming here, it feels like a second home. It's warm, inviting, & the sense of love is everywhere here, like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Thank you for providing this beautiful centre for relaxation, healing & regeneration."
~Guest comment from recent February 4-Day Silent Retreat
~Guest comment from recent February 4-Day Silent Retreat
2025 Retreats and Events
SILENT RETREATS:
Directed Silent Retreats
Take time for yourself in this beautiful sacred space on Lake Simcoe to rest, rejuvenate and receive the gifts of silence waiting for you, restoring and renewing your mind, body & spirit.
Private room, home-cooked meals, and spiritual direction are offered as part of these days.
Register for our retreats by emailing: [email protected]
3-Day Silent Retreats:
June 3-5
September 30-October 2
November 4-6
$395 pp, private room
Arrival Tuesday from 10am for Opening Gathering 11:30am - Departure Thursday 1pm after lunch
Includes home-cooked meals, spiritual direction
6-Day Silent Retreats:
July 8-13
July 17-22
October 21-26
Arrival from 3pm for Opening Gathering 5:30pm, Departure 1pm after lunch
$875 Ensuite, $800 Standard (private rooms)
*For a bedroom with ensuite washroom - add $75
Includes home-cooked meals, spiritual direction
8-Day Silent Retreat:
July 25-August 1
Arrival from 3pm for Opening Gathering 5:30pm, Departure 1pm after lunch
$1185 Ensuite, $1085 Standard (private rooms)
*For a bedroom with ensuite washroom - add $100
Includes home-cooked meals, spiritual direction
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THEMED RETREATS:
Themed (Guided) Retreats
A themed retreat may be one day, a weekend, or several days. A facilitator will present a particular theme, offer some content, and make suggestions for personal prayer and reflection. There will be periods of silence as well as time for shared conversation. Facilitators may offer to meet with retreatants individually to address insights that have arisen.
Register for our retreats by emailing: [email protected]
Writing as Spiritual Practice - Writing Retreat:
May 2-4
Arrival from 3pm for Opening Gathering 5:30pm, Departure 1pm after lunch
$495 private, $400 shared, $325 commuter
Includes home-cooked meals
Facilitator: Stephanie Romiti
“I just want to say thank you for the journaling sessions. I really enjoyed them and have a different perspective on journaling than I did before. I also found that much of the material had a connection to what [my spiritual director] and I are doing right now. Your work is much appreciated.”
***
“Stephanie. Thank you for the wonderful presentations you did for Journalling. The theme each evening was well and carefully crafted for a range of expression and understanding. The music was exceptional and fitting for each week. The questions were thought provoking and ones I had never considered. And you gave us plenty of time to thoughtfully respond. Your gentle, wise comments and instructions were so very helpful. Thank you for the time, energy and prayerful preparation you put into this course. I know it will continue to be relevant for many in the future.”
***
“I very much appreciated the Journaling Journey. It helps me refresh my Journaling habit - daily since 1993, for sure. Sometimes one gets in a rut and a fresh perspective/approach makes a world of difference.”
Treat yourself to a quiet weekend away on the beautiful shores of Lake Simcoe and immerse yourself in your very own writing time. Group sessions during this silent, guided retreat will offer approaches to the spiritual practice of journaling, consider its benefits, give you aids for navigating inevitable challenges, and offer a variety of writing exercises, with ample time for your own reflection and writing. You will take home resources to support your writing long after the retreat ends, whether for spiritual memoir or private journaling as a regular practice. Embrace writing as a sacred transformational tool for your own self care and spiritual journey.
Stephanie is a woman of faith with a passion for companioning others as they search for more meaning in their lives. She offers Spiritual Direction and other programs for people from various Christian backgrounds as well as those who have little or no prior religious or faith experience. She is a retired elementary school teacher and has a varsity of creative interests, including photography, music and crafting.
Bountiful Earth! A Harvest Retreat:
September 19-23
Arrival from 3pm for Opening Gathering 5:30pm, Departure 1pm after lunch
$685 private, $545 shared, $465 commuter
Includes home-cooked meals and workshop supplies
Facilitator: Yvonne Prowse
Autumn: abundant life comes forth from Earth; a feast of beautiful foods, while fall coloursadorn the trees. Some of us love Autumn for this fecundity and beauty; others find the waning light touches on loss. Humans have celebrated the harvest throughout time – giving thanks and also claiming hope in another Spring to come.
In this retreat we will actively contemplate the gifts of the Earth while we harvest apples fromour heritage trees and preserve them. We’ll take some guidance from the monastic rhythm, gently moving between prayer, reflection, time in the orchard and kitchen. And rest… lots of rest… all to steep ourselves in the beauty and wisdom of Earth. Our reflection will include teachings from spiritual traditions and science that enlighten the wisdom embedded in Creation. We will also turn to our own experience and consider our own personal journeys of relationship with nature, listening for what Autumn is offering each of us.
Silence will ground this retreat, with communication as needed for activities. With a contemplative stance, our chef will guide us in preserving the apples (…well, those we don’t eat along the way) using other local ingredients. Think apple cider vinegar, applesauce, cake, crisp…. Retreatants will go home with some of those treats, along with refreshed spirits and a renewed sense of gratitude for all the gifts Autumn bestows upon us.
Celtic Retreat:
October 30-November 2
Arrival from 3pm for Opening Gathering 5:30pm, Departure 1pm after lunch
$595 private, $495 shared, $395 commuter
Includes home-cooked meals
Writing Retreat:
November 18-20
Arrival from 3pm for Opening Gathering 5:30pm, Departure 1pm after lunch
$495 private, $400 shared, $325 commuter
Includes home-cooked meals
Advent Retreat:
December 5-7
Arrival from 3pm for Opening Gathering 5:30pm, Departure 1pm after lunch
$495 private, $400 shared, $325 commuter
Includes home-cooked meals
Facilitator: Yvonne Prowse
More retreats & events to be added to our website soon - stay tuned!
To register please email [email protected]
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Private Retreats
A private retreat, minimum 2 nights, may be booked throughout the year, depending on availability of accommodation. You are responsible for your own meals. You will set your agenda & schedule and maintain a posture of silence & prayer throughout your stay. If the experience of a private retreat is new for you, we suggest that you meet with a spiritual director at least once during your stay.
Register for private retreats by emailing: [email protected]
2025 Events________________
Calling all hands on deck for annual
Labyrinth Blessing and Turn-out*
Tuesday May 27
9:30-Noon
Rain date: Thursday May 29
Facilitator: Sr. Jane McDonell
Learn about the time-honoured sacred practice of labyrinth-walking… share stories of encounter with the Holy in the labyrinth… while preparing ours for a new season of retreats, a new season of seekers and friends of the Divine making retreat at Loretto Maryholme. It helps if you can bend, kneel or crouch for a spell, but there are no pre-requisites.
Suggestion: bring a water bottle and your favourite insect repellant. Light refreshments will be provided.
Registration not required, but welcome.
*Turn-out: a clearing out and cleaning; set straight; refresh; renew
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Maryholme’s labyrinth is a full mile-long winding path (in + out) nestled in the forest.
Cardinals and Blue Jays have been known to accompany pilgrims in the labyrinth.
It is fashioned after the famous labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral in France, matching the size and pattern.
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Two years to construct with the help of many volunteers, Maryholme’s labyrinth needs just a few hours each Spring to renew it after the winter’s storms… to set straight, if you will, our winding path.
Sr. Jane McDonell, Maryholme’s founder, will lead off with a blessing and brief walk into the labyrinth. She will share brief story-time about meaning and history of labyrinths. Our land team will provide tools and buckets for gathering fallen branches, weeds, etc. While working together, we’ll share experiences in labyrinths – which are often surprisingly breath-taking.
Labyrinth: a pathway… a journey… a pilgrimage… a physical manifestation of the interior workings.
Fashioned from field stone, mosaic tile, turf, canvas, paving stone, glass brick….
Found in almost every major religious tradition, including Judaism – Kabala or tree of life;
Native American – medicine wheel; Christianity – Chartres and other cathedrals;
Tibetan Buddhism – sand paintings/mandalas
Ultimately a journey of the heart and soul to discover and uncover that which lies hidden deep within.
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Garden Volunteers
Tuesday mornings from May 6 - September 23, 10am - noon
Volunteers play an important role in our many projects & special events. So many of our lovely gardens are the results of volunteer participation and are admired by our many guests. If you'd like to help, come Tuesday mornings from May - September and spend some time between 10am-noon. Please bring your own gloves, hat, water bottle, sunscreen & bug spray. Students needing community service hours are welcome. Call ahead if possible, or just come!
Sunset Tai Chi
Sunday Summer Evenings: July 6th - September 28th
In June/July: 8-9pm, In August: 7:30-8:30pm, In September: 7-8pm
Join Tony Lin as he leads free outdoor Tai Chi sessions on our west grounds on Sunday evenings throughout July, August & September, weather permitting. Tony currently leads free sessions in Georgina and has offered his services here for us. Come breathe the fresh air as you stretch under the silent setting summer sun…
No registration needed, please no pets.
Quiet is appreciated during the sessions and especially upon arrival/departure out of respect for guests here on retreat.
Check Tony Lin’s FB page for updates/cancellations.
Loretto Maryholme Spirituality Centre
CANCELLATION POLICY
If you need to cancel a booking, the following terms apply:
Individual Private Personal Retreats & Day Use Groups:
● Cancellations made one month or more before arrival:
● Full refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● Cancellations made less than one month before arrival:
● A credit (valid for 12 months), minus a $75 administration fee.
Overnight Groups:
● Cancellations made four months or more before arrival:
● Full deposit refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● Cancellations made less than four months before arrival:
● 50% deposit refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● If another group books your canceled date(s),
● we will gladly refund your deposit, minus a $75 administration fee.
Loretto Maryholme Retreat & Program Registrations:
● Cancellations made one month or more before arrival:
● Full refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● Cancellations made less than one month before arrival:
● A credit (valid for 12 months), minus the food portion of the registration fee (calculated per retreat) and a $75 administration fee.
Payment may be made by e-Transfer, Credit/Debit card or by Cheque
Individual Private Personal Retreats & Day Use Groups:
● Cancellations made one month or more before arrival:
● Full refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● Cancellations made less than one month before arrival:
● A credit (valid for 12 months), minus a $75 administration fee.
Overnight Groups:
● Cancellations made four months or more before arrival:
● Full deposit refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● Cancellations made less than four months before arrival:
● 50% deposit refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● If another group books your canceled date(s),
● we will gladly refund your deposit, minus a $75 administration fee.
Loretto Maryholme Retreat & Program Registrations:
● Cancellations made one month or more before arrival:
● Full refund, minus a $75 administration fee.
● Cancellations made less than one month before arrival:
● A credit (valid for 12 months), minus the food portion of the registration fee (calculated per retreat) and a $75 administration fee.
Payment may be made by e-Transfer, Credit/Debit card or by Cheque
