Come Away and Rest Awhile: A Six-Day Retreat This September

“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” — Mark 6:31

There are moments in life when we sense, beneath the noise and the busyness, a quiet invitation. Not urgent. Not demanding. Just a gentle pull towards something deeper — towards stillness, towards God, towards ourselves.

This September, Minsteracres Retreat Centre is offering just such an opportunity. From the 4th-11th September 2026, in partnership with the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Glasgow, we are hosting a 6-Day Individually Guided Retreat — a week of silence, prayer, and personal spiritual direction in the beautiful surroundings of County Durham.

What is an Individually Guided Retreat?

An Individually Guided Retreat, or IGR, is a silent retreat with a difference. Rather than attending talks or following a group programme, each retreatant meets privately with their own spiritual guide each day. The guide listens, reflects, and gently offers scripture, prayer, or other material to help deepen your encounter with God. The rest of the day is given entirely to you — to walk, to pray, to rest, to simply be.

It is, at its heart, a week dedicated to God’s company. As one returning retreatant puts it:

“There are invitations from God ‘to taste and see that the Lord is good’ and from Christ to come away with Him and rest awhile. God wants your company.”

The Gift of Silence

For many people, the word “silent” gives pause. We live in a world that rarely stops talking. The idea of a week without small talk, without screens, without the usual noise of daily life can feel daunting — even a little frightening.

And yet, again and again, those who have made the IGR at Minsteracres speak of the silence not as something to be endured, but as one of the retreat’s greatest gifts.

“The silence of the IGR allows time to yourself — a time to recharge mentally and spiritually, to think, or not think, of anything you wish. It allows you the space to concentrate on yourself and what is important. It is amazing how quickly each day passes.”

Another retreatant, reflecting on the difference between ordinary quiet and the deeper stillness of a retreat, wrote simply:

“Prolonged silence during a retreat heightens your awareness of God and deepens your relationship with Him.”

Set amid the grounds of Minsteracres — the birdsong, the open sky, the rhythm of the natural world — that silence becomes something rich and alive.

You Will Not Be Alone

One of the most common misconceptions about silent retreats is that they are lonely. In practice, retreatants often find the opposite to be true.

Each day brings a one-to-one meeting with a spiritual guide — experienced men and women from the Ignatian Spirituality Centre who bring warmth, patience, and attentive listening to each encounter. One first-time retreatant arrived with considerable trepidation:

“I feared I would be met by a stern, overly pious instructor — my first words were ‘I don’t know what I am doing here and I don’t do scripture!’ I could not have been more wrong. My guide was jolly, warm, good-humoured, patient and welcoming.”

The guides are skilled at meeting each person where they are — whether you come with a rich prayer life or no experience of formal spirituality at all. Everything shared is entirely confidential and non-judgemental.

Beyond the daily guide session, retreatants share the life of the house — the chapel, the dining room, the gardens — in companionable silence. As one retreatant described it: “Even though we did not speak, I felt very much part of a community.”

A Place Set Apart

Minsteracres itself plays no small part in the retreat’s impact. The centre is home to a resident community of Passionist priests, sisters, and lay people whose presence gives the house its distinctive spirit of prayer and welcome.

The food is wholesome and plentiful. The grounds offer space to walk and breathe. The chapel anchors each day in the rhythm of prayer. It is, in the words of one retreatant, something of a “bubble” — a place genuinely set apart from the pressures of ordinary life.

For Whom Is This Retreat?

This retreat is open to all — men and women, of any background, at any stage of their faith journey. You do not need experience of silent retreat. You do not need to consider yourself particularly “spiritual.” You need only be willing to come.

One retreatant, now booked for what will be his tenth IGR at Minsteracres, offers this simple encouragement:

“Go for it, jump in. You will be surprised how much you enjoy your time at Minsteracres. I have not met one person on the retreats I attended who did not say how much the experience meant to them.”

And his own experience? He describes it as a first step on a path that has led to “a new, rewarding and fruitful way of life.”

Practical Details

Dates: Friday 4 September (from 6.30pm) to Friday 11 September 2026 (to 10am)
Location: Minsteracres Retreat Centre, Nr Consett, County Durham, DH8 9RT
Guided by: Members of the Ignatian Spirituality Centre, Glasgow
Suggested donation: £735 (a deposit option is available)

To book, or to find out more, visit minsteracres.org or call 01434 673 248.

Places are limited. If you feel the invitation, we warmly encourage you not to wait.