Manresa on the Mississippi

I recently had the good fortune of attending my annual silent retreat at Manresa on the Mississippi. For those of you who don't know it is run by the Catholic Jesuits. Participants are relegated to silence from Thursday evening to just after noon on Sunday. The only talking aloud by a participant is through private visitations with the retreat master or one of the staff Jesuit priest. Through a series of eleven instruction sessions and accompanying prayers , the retreat master takes the retreatants through four phases known as the Spiritual Exercises.

Above is view of the main building. As you can tell it is colonial style and built in the 1700's as Jefferson College.

Participants are encouraged to wonder around the vast campus and reflect on the exercises. As you can see from the above pictures, Manresa's beauty makes a perfect setting for silence.

How do 114 men eat without talking? Well you quickly learn to point to what you need on the table. Meals are placed on each table in platters. Each man serves himself and passes the plater on to the next. Lunch is served with beer and supper is served with wine. The above picture is known as the dining hall which in on the first floor. The second floor is where the Jesuits live.