The Problem and Its Background
The Problem and Its Background
Introduction
Retreats refreshes and revitalizes, it gives the opportunity for more time spent
in prayer and contemplation, and rekindles and deepens one’s relationship with God.
One may take this opportunity to more clearly hear God’s call and to seek God’s
healing grace and thereby attain a degree of spiritual renewal (Lichtman, 2005).
A retreat is a romantic term for setting aside time to think, plan, ponder, and
bond in a remote setting. Retreats are useful for individuals as a way to evaluate their
The first key to a successful retreat is to physically go to a place that you do not
frequently go. The basement of your church does not count. New surroundings aid in
greatly strengthens your community. Quality time is a function of quantity time, and a
The third key is programming. Programming can be as simple as free time with
a gathering for prayer in the morning and evening, or a full schedule of worship services
and seminars.
The last, and most important key is to make God an integral part of the process,
the program and the experience. Remember, Jesus went out in to the wilderness to
speak to His Father, and to prepare for the next step in His ministry.
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being human (Ellmann, 2005). A spiritual direction is helping people tell their sacred
stories everyday. It is an encounter between God, the directee, and the spiritual director,
for the purpose that the directee may grow in their relationship with God. It is often
who have most likely completed extensive formation for the ministry and service of
spiritual direction. A spiritual director (Norris, 2017) is a person whom a directee have
to challenge and, when necessary, engage them in fraternal correction along their way
of discipleship.
communities. Spiritual retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Buddhist, Christian
Retreats are also popular in Christian churches, and were established in today's
form by St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), in his Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius was
later to be made patron saint of spiritual retreats by Pope Pius XI in 1922. Many
Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians partake in and organize spiritual retreats
each year.
Islam. The Sufi teacher Ibn Arabi's book Journey to the Lord of Power (Risālat al-
Anwār) is a guide to the inner journey that was published over 700 years ago.
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retreats are held in silence, and on others there may be a great deal of conversation,
depending on the understanding and accepted practices of the host facility and/or the
participant(s). Retreats are often conducted at rural or remote locations, either privately,
or at a retreat center such as a monastery. Some retreats for advanced practitioners may
Spiritual retreats allow time for reflection, prayer, or meditation. They are
considered essential in Buddhism having been a common practice since the Vassa, or
rainy season retreat, was established by the founder of Buddhism, Gotama Buddha. In
Most retreats are held on weekends, because it is easier for people to attend, but
there is a significant advantage to retreats that last longer. Primarily, that you can teach
more, do more, bond more and experience more together. It takes at least 24 hours for
a group to really come together. After that, is when the real experience begins.
In the Philippines, the Holy Week calendar and Filipino tradition have decreed
this break as a non-working holiday, enough time for family bonding or a planned
vacation. Whether spending it on the beach, in the cool mountains, or in retreat gardens,
the Holy Week break provides Filipinos an occasion to pause in spiritual retreat
(Inquirer, 2011).
Spiritual retreats are an integral part not only of the Christian faith, but also of
Buddhist and Sufi Islamic groups. The religious, the secular, as well as the irreverent
can get as much rejuvenation from a frenzied vacation as the bliss one gets from coming
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out of a spiritual encounter – but minus the guilt. In this instance, the retreat becomes
simply a sacred act to clear the mind, open the heart and revitalize the spirit within the
to temporarily leave behind the usual distractions people face for a time long enough
to allow relaxation and for an inner change to occur: the ongoing conversion of heart
that is critical to deepening faith. Therefore, the major concern is to provide a facility
that would accommodate religious activities and to house workers from different
Most retreat centers are affiliated with a religion. Some requires people adhere
to their faith, others are open to all faiths. Some centers require to participate in services
channel for conversation between human soul and universal energy, the built
spiritually connected to the earth it occupies will then transfer the energy of the
universe into the soul of the occupant, and vice versa, creating spiritual wholeness,
which results in internal peace within their mind, body, and soul.
individual or by a team within a group. Ecumenical retreat center not only focusing on
spiritual growth but there are lots of other kinds of retreats that fit into our mission.
These include, but are not limited to kinds of Retreats Planning, Health, Leadership
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With the growing number of the youth in Region III, who suffer from stress and
depression, the need of a central place to hold retreat and other activities is needed, as
venue for the retreats is made magnified inspite of the presence of existing ones. This
proposed study attempts to build new and complete facilities for enlightenment both
nature that retreat centers only focus on spirituality and religion. Promoting an
Ecumenical retreat center is a challenging accomplish but as the time ventures other
religion are being introduce, there is no facilities that can accommodate spiritual and
other activities at the same time so an ecumenical retreat center had to be introduce to
The lack of facilities such as venue for retreats is made, attempting to build new
and complete facilities for the youth who need to be guided. Building a new place of
paradise, spiritual and recreational together in one place and reunite with the nature but
Retreats allow time for reflection, prayer, or meditation. The researcher decided
to pursue this study to enhance the spiritual and physical, and emotional aspect of
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youths as well. The need of a retreat center that will provide the development as part
of spiritual growth with respect to different religions and community that surrounds it.
This study is of having an ecumenical retreat center is a way not only helps the
spiritual needs of a human being it can help physical, emotional, and social needs of a
person just for example mental health experts in the Philippines have voiced alarm
about the number of young people committing suicide at least six individuals commit
suicide every day in the predominantly Catholic country of more than 100 million
people. While the numbers may appear small, if not insignificant, one life lost is
precious enough," said Carmelita Ericta, a former government statistician From 2012
to 2016, there were 237 suicide cases among children aged between 10 and 14,
according to Ericta Of 2,413 suicide cases recorded in 2016, more than 2,000 were
male and the rest female, according to the Department of Health if only people were
aware that there is a facility that can help them we can reduce the numbers of suicide
in our country.
within the province. However, the study focuses on development as part of spiritual
growth with respect to the church and community that surrounds it.
Definition of Terms
operationally defined.
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Webster Dictionary).
attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable
state (Wikipedia).
Free Dictionary).
Retreat Center. In this study, it can serve various purposes, where it can be a
place for quiet reflection and rejuvenation, an opportunity to regain good health, and/or
it can mean a time for spiritual reassessment and renewal, either alone, in silence or in
deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal
spirituality (Wikipedia).
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symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. Common examples
include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes (like lawyers' wigs or
military officers' spurs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as
greetings (Wikipedia).
Chapter 2
This chapter presents a review of reading materials related to the present study
that will provide background information, better insights and understanding about the
topics covered.
Related Literature
Retreat originates from a religious and spiritual pursuit practiced among various
traditions around the world as a way to deepen in one’s spiritual practice from
more. To understand and know oneself truthfully and to bring about transformation,
retreat has been traditionally understood and continues to be regarded to not only
benefit participants’ personal wellbeing, but also post retreat related to work,
community and family, thus extending benefits to society. These retreats can be solitary
religious and spiritual establishments. The root and original form of retreat continues
The concept and understanding of retreat is not a simple linear one, as the
meaning is subjective and has transformed and continues to shift, and reflect present
societal issues and needs as to how much and in which way one retreats. A basic and
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common understanding is that retreats convey “a sense of respite, refuge and rest”
(Kelly, 2010).
Taking time away from daily life and pulling back can look and mean
differently based on the individual; as a result there are various retreat offerings from
spiritual, lifestyle, holistic, eco, health and wellness, work, digital detox, weight loss,
with plenty of themes to address needs. An online Google search on “retreat” posts
159,000,000 results showing that people are seeking to retreat. With numerous guides
placing retreats in virtual platforms making them easier to access and find, organized
by location, date and type. Retreats Online classifies retreats as “yoga, spiritual-
Directory).
In the West, residential group retreats are the most common form of meditation
much of the day is spent with others. Meditation, meals, and some of the work
assignments are done in community. In retreat centers without single rooms, even
“Yoga retreats are like feeding yourself good food instead of junk food” (Sue
Wiederspahn, 2002) who has relied on the recharging energies of yoga retreats for
nearly five years. There are as many types of yoga retreats as there are styles of yoga.
Some retreats blend yoga with other activities (horseback riding, kayaking, etc.),
classes and personal-care treatments, so the actual yoga practice becomes just one part
of the overall experience. Other yoga retreats include modalities like meditation and
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chanting, which some people enjoy, but others may find disorienting (Jonathan Foust,
2002).
Spiritual retreats come in all varieties. Some are long, some are short. They can
be held just about anywhere; retreats in churches, retreat centers, a conference room, a
monastery, even a prison. Some have very few participants, some have many. Some
are highly structured, others loosely organized. No matter what the format, retreats can
be highly rewarding because they allow participants to focus on the goal of becoming
more spiritual (Retreat Day, 2015). Retreats can be solitary, or shared with family,
with spiritual and religious purposes both historically to the present day. Group spiritual
and religious retreats are also longstanding traditions that continue today among monks
and nuns. Spiritual group retreats have expanded to lay practitioners and to secular
people among the various traditions holding their own unique retreat evolution stories
(Kelly, 2012).
The personal retreat permits far more flexibility in scheduling the retreat date
and in pursuing relaxation, prayer, contemplation, and study in accordance with one’s
personal decision and to devote extra time for prayer for healing of oneself or others. A
retreat can help one recuperate from stressful events; we may turn to scripture for a
good example of this: Jesus, upon hearing of the death of John the Baptist “withdrew
presentation by a guest speaker, and have the advantage of providing guidance and
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structure for a portion of the retreat. Group retreats (RetreatFinder.com, 2002) often
focus on classes or events, and are therefore more suitable for groups of people. Some
retreat centers require that each person retreat as an individual; others allow couples
and groups to share accommodations; still others separate people based on gender.
Lama Thubten Yeshe (1983) suggested that a retreat center should be situated
in a very nice, isolated, tranquil location and any buildings constructed there should be
in harmony with the surroundings and the intent. In this way, the environment will
support the meditation and spiritual growth of anybody doing retreat there. In other
words, it’s important that the retreat center be peaceful, simple and clean so that it is
A retreat center can serve various purposes, where it can be a place for quiet
reflection and rejuvenation, an opportunity to regain good health, and/or it can mean a
time for spiritual reassessment and renewal, either alone, in silence or in a group
(Retreats Online, 2007)”. According to (Kelly (2010) explains how “some visitors may
choose to seek refuge, peace and rest; whilst others may seek learning, education or the
Synthesis
In the development of our research, different method were used to attain the
effective result. The proposed study will be a venue for retreats and spiritual activities
of all who will enter the facility. In our present time, going on a retreat or retreat camps
finding an enlightenment for our soul and body in union with nature combines to give
a powerful influence, relaxing and refreshing both the spiritual and physical aspect of
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one’s life. In this place of leisure and relaxation where local, tourist and visitors are