Prayer retreats are meant for anyone who wants to get away from the haggling hustle and bustle of life to gain fresh perspective on the life they are leading and where it is headed. It is also an opportunity to make changes to your life if it falls short of the mark, and redefine yourself.
All religions preach the message of freedom from a mortal and inherently sinful life. The key to escape your mortal nature is to follow the righteous path set forth by God. In this context, prayer retreats are an avenue of freedom. At a retreat, you are free from your external life and able to ponder the health and strength of your spiritual self.
Instead of being viewed as an escape route, prayer retreats should be seen for what they actually are - a place where you can take careful stock of the reality you live in and how it is failing to meet your actual needs. As such, a prayer retreat is the perfect place to change your life around and begin anew, strong in the belief that you are about to start living in the presence of God. The main focus is on the importance of God in our lives.
Churches like Mission San Luis Rey http://www.sanluisrey.org/retreats/, Christian organizations, religious orders, etc. provide a vast array of retreats to their congregation. Not all prayer retreats are capable of meeting everyone’s needs. Thus, such retreats are usually organized based on theme and subject. Retreats are even designed to meet the needs of various groups of people, such as individual retreats, family retreats, couple retreats, etc.
Private retreat
Your private retreat is the simplest form of retreat that you can practice. You can devote an hour of your day to meditating on the word of God, making your praise and supplication known to him and praying for others. There is no need for an impromptu retreat either. There are various devotional guides that can help you in your search for spiritual health. There are books and online resources that provide a list of daily devotions.
Group retreats
Group prayer retreats are organized by Churches and religious organizations where the entire group goes to a secluded site for intense meditation, praise and worship sessions and lectures by spiritual leaders. In such retreats, there are prescribed times for group interaction and quiet, isolated meditation in the schedule. The purpose is to learn to spend time with God’s people in his presence and in isolation respectively.
Retreat of silence
A retreat of silence is nothing like the vow of silence sworn my nuns and priests. This is a personal retreat which can be anywhere where the individual abstains from speaking in order to be in close communion with God. Such prayer retreats are organized by groups too where they listen to a preacher during specific hours of the day but do not speak. The aim is to speak only to God and at most, listen to his word through the Holy Bible and his messengers.
All retreats mentioned above are available at California renowned retreat center – Old Mission San Luis Rey http://www.sanluisrey.org/ located at Oceanside, CA. Register online according to your preferences at http://www.sanluisrey.org/retreats/

Contact :
Contact Person: Maureen Sullivan
E-mail: [email protected]
Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
Address: 4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057-6402
Tel/Fax: (760) 757-3651
Website: http://www.sanluisrey.org/