Send us a text In today's episode we hear from James, who at the time of recording this had just completed a monastic internship at Worth Abbey. Discover what life was like living with a community of Benedictine monks. For More information on Monastic Internships visit - Worth Abbey - Quarr Abbey Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.uk…

Send us a text Learning to Be Compassionate: A Story of Healing and Acceptance (followed by 20 mins of silent meditation) 🔔 This recording is from a recent online practice gathering. These happen every Saturday between 08:30-09:30 UK time and every Wednesday between 20:00-20:45 UK time. Sign up here to join us - it's free and everyone is welcome. w…

Robert Wing Sensei is the founder of the Mountain Warrior Institute, Warrior of the Heart seminars, and the director of Wise Actions. As an Aikido practitioner, Wing Sensei is a student of both Koichi Kashiwaya Sensei and Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan, and founder of the Aikido curriculum at Naropa University, where he continues as the senior teacher of its…

Send us a text I just wanted to share with you today a little update on recent developments here at Monastic retreats. Some of you may be aware that just before Easter we made the decision to close our social media accounts. I have been reading and listening to lots of research recently on the effect of social media on our minds and our society and…

Send us a text Prepare for Holy Week with the final talk of our Lent series, 'A Subversive Triumph' by Luke Macnamara OSB. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text Anne Lanigan, a PhD student at Saint Patrick's Pontifical University in Maynooth, presents a talk on 'Salvation's Unusual Contours: Jesus and the Criminals.' Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text Br Pádraig McIntyre OSB from Glenstal Abbey presents a talk - "The Lost Sons" - as part of our Lent series. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Rabbi Tirzah Firestone is a fellow student of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, an author and psychotherapist focusing on intergenerational trauma, and one of the senior rabbis of the Jewish Renewal movement. Tirzah is the author of Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma, The Receiving: Reclaiming Jewish Women’s Wisdom, and the n…

Send us a text Mark Patrick Hederman OSB delivers the third talk in our Lent series. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text Fr Brendan Coffey OSB delivers the second talk in our Lent series: 'Transfiguration.' Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text Fr Luke Macnamara OSB presents the first of our Lenten talks "Prayer in Testing Times (Luke 4:1-11) This was first released in 2022. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Rory McEntee is the the President and Executive Director of Charis Foundation for New Monasticism and Interspirituality, which he co-founded with Netanel Miles-Yépez and Adam Bucko. Rory holds a Ph.D. in Theological and Philosophical Studies in Religion from Drew University, has co-authored The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Conte…

Send us a text In today's episode Fr Gabriel from Ampleforth Abbey, reflects on Psalm 118:173 in this talk entitled 'let your hand be ready to help me'. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text Abbot Robert from Ampleforth Abbey explores one of the most profound questions in the Gospel of John: "Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:6) What does this question mean for us today? How do we respond to the invitation of healing, both physically and spiritually? Abbot Robert offers deep insights into Jesus’ compassionate challenge …

Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown is Professor Emeritx of Religious Studies at Naropa University, where she has been on the faculty since 1978. She has practiced Tibetan Buddhism for almost 50 years and is a direct student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. She serves on the steering committee of the American Academy of Religion’s Contemplative Studies Group, and …

Send us a text Starting from Psalm 118 verse 143 ‘Though anguish and distress have found me, your commands are my delight’, this home retreat will consider briefly the experience of Elijah, Jeremiah, the suffering servant, Job, Jonah, Tobit, the author of Psalm 87 and then focus particularly on the experience of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. S…

Sister Chua Xua was a social worker and left a long-term relationship to become ordained as a nun at Bát Nhã, a Plum Village monastery that closed due to harassment from the Vietnamese government. "I also have a dream. I have a wish that I can support the young Western people to take the monastic life. The life that when you open your eyes, you see…

Send us a text Everyone has hopes and dreams and these sometimes come to fulfilment sometimes not. Jesus said the mouth speaks of what fills the heart, so what fills your heart as we start 2025? How sound is your heart? What is it really looking for, something or someone? We will explore some of this together in this Home Retreat provided by our fr…

Ramon Parish, a returning guest, is associate professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Naropa University and works on climate justice initiatives with his wife Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish. In this episode, we discuss ‘radical futures’—novel ideas of how humanity will evolve into the future—looking at ethno-spiritual futurism (in particular, Afro-fu…

Brother Phap Hoi is a Vietnamese refugee and the most senior Brother at Deer Park Monastery. "Because the Sangha embrace all of the people, even you are high level or low level of good background or not. You all have the chance in the Sangha if you go in the right direction of practice." 3:16 Meeting Thay 8:20 Arriving at Plum Village 11:30 Visa Tr…

Send us a text Simon Sleeman OSB concludes a series of three talks from Advent 2023 with 'Advent: the 'Call Room' for Christmas.' Thank you to the monks of Glenstal Abbey for these wonderful reflections. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Sister Phu Nghiem is one of three nuns in her immediate blood family and is passionate about bringing mindfulness to children. "So I focus a lot more on my steps. On how I choose the food when I come to a meal. I learn to enjoy the meal and enjoy my siblings. And that has supported me a whole lot now that I'm here at Deer Park. I'm learning how to …

Send us a text In the second of three talks from Advent 2023, John O'Callaghan OSB from Glenstal Abbey urges us to "Prepare the Way for the Lord!" Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Brother Phap Luu, the eldest non-Vietnamese American monk in the Plum Village tradition, graduated from Dartmouth College and started meditating after going through a depression. "What is more satisfying in life than helping people to transform their suffering? I mean, who cares about money and all this other stuff? The biggest happiness I get is i…

Send us a text In the first of three talks by the monks of Glenstal Abbey (taken from Advent 2023), Columba McCann OSB speaks on the theme of 'Stay Awake, Stay Alive!' Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Sister Le Nghiem came to the practice after the death of her brother, and typically does solo retreat at the monastery for a few weeks a year. "So the practice gives me the greatest happiness. And this practice gives me being with others. Being with friends on retreat. Being with my siblings. Spending time each other. So when I practice it gives me…

Send us a text Today I am joined by Graham Stevens author of our 2024 Advent devotional. We discuss the spiritual practice of pilgrimage alongside explaining a little more about our devotional which is available now. Links British Pilgrimage Trust Journeys- An Advent Devotional Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.uk…

Sister Sr. Trung Chinh left Vietnam as a refugee and has been a nun for over fifty years. "The aspiration of a monk or a nun is that we have to arrive to the most peaceful place, the happiest place in ourselves. And there's only the daily practice. The daily practice only helps us to arrive to that place, that aspiration. It's the daily practice of…

Brother Minh Nhan, one of the only monastics in the Plum Village tradition of Mexican descent, is a monk of many interests: music, mushrooms, math, and more. "To join a community that maybe looks different, maybe don't see others like myself in it, let's say. Yeah, I mean, that's one way to look at it, but look at it as also, you're the one enterin…

Send us a text In today's episode I share an interview I recently did with Paul Hammond from UCB radio. In this episode we discuss the benefits of going on a retreat as well as talking about how Monastic Retreats came to be. I pray it is a blessing to you. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Sister Boi Nghiem studied nursing before being ordained, and works regularly as a nun with the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and teen communities. "I think I have a very healthy relationship with myself. Very healthy mental dialogue with myself. There were times I comforted myself. There were times I'm very firm with myself, tell myself to stop thinking that wa…

Brother Phap Dung is a Vietnamese refugee who worked as an architect in Los Angeles before finding the practice, healing his relationship with his father, and changing the course of his life. "Now you get to choose, and it's deliberate. That is a monk. I choose to be in this intimate way with the community, with this path. I choose not to be in a r…

Send us a text In today’s episode I am joined by Dave Ward to discuss the enneagram. The enneagram is a self understanding tool that can be used to give us insight into our gifts, vices and personality traits as well as giving us insight into how spiritual practices can help best to nourish our unique individual souls. - Dave's Instagram - The Esse…

In this episode, we have a roundtable discussion of spiritual issues with educator Carla Burns. In Part I, we talk about how to slow down and make the ’space’ to hold complexity in our society. In Part II, we discuss the film The Martian and what it has to say about humanity and humanity’s needs. And in Part III, we explore the idea of our planet’s…

Sister Kinh Nghiem, one of the funniest and most stylish nuns in the world, was ordained when she was only 14. "Get rid of all of your ideas of what monastic practice is. You know, you come here, I mean, the practice is wonderful. And it's for you to come and see for yourself. But if you start getting ideas of what you expect monastic life to be li…

Brother Minh Luong was raised in Laguna Beach, California, and went to NYU, where he read a book that changed his life. "I realized recently that there really is no separation between the practice and everything we do in our daily life. Either we're creating conditions for a practice space, like an internal practice space, or we're taking condition…

Send us a text Our podcast series on prayer concludes with this reflection by Father Martin on praying with the Psalms. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text Br Jarek speaks in this podcast about the importance and centrality of Lectio Divina - 'Divine Reading' - in the monastic life. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

In this episode, Netanel plays hooky, and Daniel is joined by Deepa Patel, a teacher of Inayati Sufism, partner of the Charis Foundation, and recurring guest, to share poems close to each of their hearts. In the course of reading and reflecting on the poems listed below, they explore coping with harrowing world events, honoring the preciousness of …

Send us a text Explore finding renewal through prayer in everyday life and on retreat through this personal reflection from Kemi Bamgbose. Kemi is the Project Lead for global, ecumenical prayer movement Thy Kingdom Come and is also a writer & journalist with a passion for retreats. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.uk…

Send us a text Today’s reflection explores how to find replenishment in God, living in a way that brings health to body, mind and spirit. Dr Roger Bretherton is Programme Director for the Professional Diploma in Positive Health in the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He conducts extensive training, co…

Send us a text This week is national retreat week and we are sharing some of their wonderful resources here on our podcast. Today Danny Curtin shares on ‘renewal of the church. For more information on renew all visit their website at www.renewall.org.uk Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

From Deer Park Monastery, it's Meet the Monastics. As monastics, the most common question asked of us is, you guessed it, why did you become a monastic? I'm Brother Minh-An, a Buddhist monk in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. And this podcast is for anyone who's ever wanted to ask that question. Each week, we'll bring you m…

Send us a text A reflection on renewal from Muyiwa Olarewaju OBE for National Retreat Week - renew:all. Find more reflections and retreat resources, places to retreat and more at www.renewall.org.uk. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text National Retreat Week - renew:all runs from the 21-28 Sept and is new initiative for individuals, churches and groups to promote contemplation, prayer and retreat in a variety of Christian traditions. National Retreat Week is managed and coordinated by the Royal Foundation of St Katharine in East London and supported by The Retreat A…

Send us a text Father Henry talks in this podcast about the link between communal and private prayer, highlighting devotions such as the Rosary, Stations of the Cross and Eucharistic Adoration. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text In this episode Fr William talks about how the cycle of prayer in the monastery gives shape and rhythm to our day, to our year, and to our lives. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

The Venerable Dr. Pannavati Bhikkuni is the founder of Heartwood Refuge, an intentional spiritual community in North Carolina, and abbess of Embracing Simplicity Hermitage, a 21st century trans-lineage Buddhist Order. A former Christian pastor, the Venerable Pannavati is often thought to be the only fully-ordained African-American woman in the Ther…

Send us a text In a noisy and busy world, times for at least some quiet in the day are essential. Br Justin talks here about the importance of silence in our lives. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats

Send us a text Praying isn't always easy. In this podcast, Father Columba from Glenstal Abbey continues our series on prayer by sharing about various difficulties we can encounter in prayer and he then offers some advice on how to overcome them. Support the show www.monasticretreats.co.ukMonastic Retreats