Name: REGINA Retreat at Fontgombault Abbey: "The Evening Draws Nigh"
Start: 2024-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2024-05-27T00:00:00.000Z
Location: 36220 Fontgombault, France

Regina Trips

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3 reviews

May 21 - 27, 2024

Group size: 30 - 30

REGINA Retreat at Fontgombault Abbey: "The Evening Draws Nigh"

36220 Fontgombault, France

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Regina Trips

Email address verified

3 reviews

May 21 - 27, 2024

Group size: 30 - 30

Join REGINA Magazine (www.reginamagazine.org) for an exclusive retreat "Quoniam Advesperascit/The Evening Draws Nigh" at Fontgombault Abbey in central France.

Whether single, married, with friends or family join us for spiritual formation and fun in France.

Here you will experience a rare glimpse of life at a traditional Benedictine monastery located in the remote countryside that has existed for nearly one-thousand years in the heart of central France.

You will live and experience the best of monastic traditions and hospitality flourishing in this hidden place, positioned on the Creuse River and surrounded by forests and farmland.

You will be fully immersed in monastic life in the medieval footprint. This includes praying with the monks and hearing them sing Gregorian Chant for their daily sung Mass and Office.

The monastery and grounds will be your home for seven unforgettable days as we gather together on retreat May 21-27, after the annual Chartres Pilgrimage (May 18-20).

Daily Mass and the choral Office will be prayed and sung in Latin in the Classical Roman Rite.

Our good friend Fr. Ralph Oballo, FSSP will be our retreat master.

The title of the retreat is "Quoniam Advesperascit/The Evening Draws Nigh."

The synopsis is as the eve of our Blessed Lord's Passion draws nigh, He pines for and withdraws into His beloved town one last time. This is a retreat to comfort the suffering Lord, with reflections on the human heart of God the Son, and its longings for the solace of Bethany.

Sessions will be held five consecutive mornings, with guided meditations to help you explore the interior life and learn how to grow spiritually, aided by traditional Catholic spirituality.

The experience will include morning Mass at 7:00 am in the Abbey chapel and praying with the monks during the chanting of some of their public hours in the same chapel.

We will also have the opportunity to participate in a daily monastic activity known as "manual labor," a volunteer service in the afternoon after lunch. Guests participate in various light chores to assist the monastic community and to experience the rhythm of their life.

Fr. Oballo has taken great care to design a uniquely tailored monastic retreat that will give participants a once-in-a-lifetime experience of immersion in the stunning backdrop of the historic Abbey.

Our retreat sessions will be held each morning for five consecutive days from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm.

In addition, the poetry of the liturgical arts and the monastic rhythm of prayer will help invigorate your soul and feed your spiritual well-being.

As a bonus, during our stay we will learn about the unique and distinctive work of the monks and their life calling and mission -- living the fullness of the Roman Rite in the timeless Benedictine tradition. This will include hearing about certain practices and customs of the monks according to The Rule of St. Benedict, exploring monastic themes in the Benedictine tradition and seeing why this Abbey is flourishing in an age when others are not.

Following is the bio of our Retreat Master.

Fr. Oballo is a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter and currently serves as Assistant Pastor to the F.S.S.P. Apostolate in Calgary, Canada. Fr. Oballo is known for his desire to instill in others a great yearning for heaven. He has also always had a fondness for the Gospel accounts of Bethany and Our Lord's tangible human nature shown by His interactions therein and thus the basis for our retreat, "Quoniam Advesperascit: the Evening Draws Nigh."

Transfer to the Abbey
Private coach bus transfer from Chartres Cathedral to Fontgombault Abbey. Please note: the pick-up location is in Chartres (you will need to spend the previous night there).
Accommodations
Accommodations for seven days, and six nights. Please note: you are required to bring your own sleeping bag and bed sheets (a custom for guests at monasteries in France).
Food
Your meals are included for the full days of the retreat: May 22-26, and breakfast on May 27). Please note: participants are responsible for all other meals.
The Cost of the Retreat
All of the costs of the retreat are covered.
Transfer to the Airport
Private coach bus transfer to Charles de Gaulle (CDG) International Airport in France for evening return flights home.

REGINA Retreat 2024
REGINA Retreat 2024
Planned Tentative Itinerary
*This itinerary is tentative and is subject to change.

PLEASE NOTE: For this event, participants are required to arrange their own flights. Please be in touch with us for details. You will want to arrive at least a day in advance and arrange for an overnight in Chartres the night before our group meets in Chartres to depart for Fontgombault.

NOTA BENE: Our group will be accompanied by a member of the REGINA team, Natalie Sonnen.

The Abbey chapel is open daily to the public from 7:00 am until 12:50 pm and 1:50 pm until 7:25 pm. Times are subject to change.

There are three wonderful gift shops on the property that have different hours (one of them sells produce and other food items). Hours will be posted on their outside doors.

Meal times will be different for the men and women. In the itinerary are written tentative meal times for the women. Some of the meal times for the men will be determined ad hoc by the Guest Master.

Silence must be respected after the daily recitation of the Office of Compline at nightfall (only men staying at the Abbey may participate in this Office that begins at 8:20 pm).

For some of the day a monk is available for Confessions in English (the times are posted next to the confessional in the rear of the Abbey chapel). We will also arrange a time ad hoc for our chaplain to hear confessions for members of our group (time TBD by the Guest Master).

Some reading material in English is available for men in the second floor library of the guest wing (at the end of the hallway) and for women in the kitchen of St. Scholastica House and on the first floor of St. Marie House.

We will be assigned ad hoc a time and task each day for "manual labor," generally after the Office of None. Men and women will be separated for these tasks (time TBD by the Guest Master). Light refreshments will be served after by the monks for both the men and women.

Participants are not required to participate in the daily sung Mass and all the sung Offices in the Abbey chapel. Participants will have adequate time for leisure and outdoor walks (some may wish to hike to see where the original monks lived in caves on the other side of the river, accessible by a bridge downstream).

The monastery is a "school of the Lord's service" (cf. The Rule of St. Benedict). An atmosphere of reverence and filial piety must be fostered by all guests. This custom is in favor of the search for the "one Thing necessary" (God), because the world's agitation and noise can only trouble the soul's recollection.

DAY 1: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 – CHARTRES, TOURS, FONTGOMBAULT

We meet in front of Chartres Cathedral with our luggage at 8:00 am for morning Mass in the crypt chapel at 8:30 am. After Mass we will meet at 9:30 am in front of the Cathedral and walk with our luggage down the hill to the meeting point to board our bus (at the plaza known as the Place Châtelet - the bus will be waiting on the Rue Charles Brune at 10:00 am - pending final confirmation). We will stop for lunch in the town of Tours, where we will visit the Basilica of St. Martin and the Oratory of the Holy Face. We will make time for a stop at the grocery store before our arrival at Fontgombault Abbey for check-in and dinner. Overnight at Fontgombault. Meals on our own.

DAY 2: Wednesday, May 22, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

The Abbey chapel opens to the public at approximately 7:00 am. For male visitors staying in the Abbey guest house, the chapel opens at 5:15 am for Matins and Lauds. We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our daily retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) will begin at 11:00 am and conclude with the Angelus at 12:00 pm (the meeting point will be at the gate to the garden at the porter's lodge - we will either gather in the shade of the garden on outdoor chairs or inside the meeting lodge that abuts the garden). At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor (the time and task may change each day). At 6:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served for the ladies at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 3: Thursday, MAY 23, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

The Thursday schedule is slightly different at the Abbey (the Office of Vespers is at 3:45 pm). We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 3:45 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 4: Friday, MAY 24, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. Meals today will be meatless. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 6:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 5: Saturday, MAY 25, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 6:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 6: Sunday, MAY 26, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

The Sunday schedule is slightly different at the Abbey (the Office of None is at 3:00 pm and the Office of Vespers is at 5:00 pm). We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 3:00 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 5:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 7: Monday, MAY 27, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT, ORLEANS, PARIS

In the morning we tidy our rooms for departure. Following morning Mass and breakfast we receive a blessing from the Guest Master and offer one final prayer of thanksgiving in the Abbey chapel. Next we board the bus and depart at 9:00 am for our transfer to Paris Charles-De-Gaulle International Airport (CDG) for evening flights home. We will make a one-hour stop in Orleans for lunch and a brief visit to the Cathedral, where Joan of Arc frequently prayed. We aim to arrive at the airport by 6:00 pm for our evening flights home, while some participants may decide to stay on longer. B, Lunch and Dinner on our own

*The itinerary is subject to change.

B,L,D means breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Read more

REGINA Retreat 2024

Planned Tentative Itinerary

*This itinerary is tentative and is subject to change.

PLEASE NOTE: For this event, participants are required to arrange their own flights. Please be in touch with us for details. You will want to arrive at least a day in advance and arrange for an overnight in Chartres the night before our group meets in Chartres to depart for Fontgombault.

NOTA BENE: Our group will be accompanied by a member of the REGINA team, Natalie Sonnen.

The Abbey chapel is open daily to the public from 7:00 am until 12:50 pm and 1:50 pm until 7:25 pm. Times are subject to change.

There are three wonderful gift shops on the property that have different hours (one of them sells produce and other food items). Hours will be posted on their outside doors.

Meal times will be different for the men and women. In the itinerary are written tentative meal times for the women. Some of the meal times for the men will be determined ad hoc by the Guest Master.

Silence must be respected after the daily recitation of the Office of Compline at nightfall (only men staying at the Abbey may participate in this Office that begins at 8:20 pm).

For some of the day a monk is available for Confessions in English (the times are posted next to the confessional in the rear of the Abbey chapel). We will also arrange a time ad hoc for our chaplain to hear confessions for members of our group (time TBD by the Guest Master).

Some reading material in English is available for men in the second floor library of the guest wing (at the end of the hallway) and for women in the kitchen of St. Scholastica House and on the first floor of St. Marie House.

We will be assigned ad hoc a time and task each day for "manual labor," generally after the Office of None. Men and women will be separated for these tasks (time TBD by the Guest Master). Light refreshments will be served after by the monks for both the men and women.

Participants are not required to participate in the daily sung Mass and all the sung Offices in the Abbey chapel. Participants will have adequate time for leisure and outdoor walks (some may wish to hike to see where the original monks lived in caves on the other side of the river, accessible by a bridge downstream).

The monastery is a "school of the Lord's service" (cf. The Rule of St. Benedict). An atmosphere of reverence and filial piety must be fostered by all guests. This custom is in favor of the search for the "one Thing necessary" (God), because the world's agitation and noise can only trouble the soul's recollection.

DAY 1: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 – CHARTRES, TOURS, FONTGOMBAULT

We meet in front of Chartres Cathedral with our luggage at 8:00 am for morning Mass in the crypt chapel at 8:30 am. After Mass we will meet at 9:30 am in front of the Cathedral and walk with our luggage down the hill to the meeting point to board our bus (at the plaza known as the Place Châtelet - the bus will be waiting on the Rue Charles Brune at 10:00 am - pending final confirmation). We will stop for lunch in the town of Tours, where we will visit the Basilica of St. Martin and the Oratory of the Holy Face. We will make time for a stop at the grocery store before our arrival at Fontgombault Abbey for check-in and dinner. Overnight at Fontgombault. Meals on our own.

DAY 2: Wednesday, May 22, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

The Abbey chapel opens to the public at approximately 7:00 am. For male visitors staying in the Abbey guest house, the chapel opens at 5:15 am for Matins and Lauds. We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our daily retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) will begin at 11:00 am and conclude with the Angelus at 12:00 pm (the meeting point will be at the gate to the garden at the porter's lodge - we will either gather in the shade of the garden on outdoor chairs or inside the meeting lodge that abuts the garden). At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor (the time and task may change each day). At 6:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served for the ladies at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 3: Thursday, MAY 23, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

The Thursday schedule is slightly different at the Abbey (the Office of Vespers is at 3:45 pm). We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 3:45 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 4: Friday, MAY 24, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. Meals today will be meatless. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 6:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 5: Saturday, MAY 25, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 2:35 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 6:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 6: Sunday, MAY 26, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT

The Sunday schedule is slightly different at the Abbey (the Office of None is at 3:00 pm and the Office of Vespers is at 5:00 pm). We gather for morning Mass at 7:00 am at a side altar in the nave of the chapel. At 8:00 am we gather for breakfast. At 8:30 am there is the optional chanting of the Office of Prime with the monks. At 10:00 am Terce is chanted with the Conventual Sung Mass (optional). Our retreat reflection (Lectio Divina) is at 11:00 am and concludes with the Angelus at 12:00 pm. At 12:50 pm the Office of Sext is chanted and the church closes until 1:50 pm. Lunch is at 1:15 pm. At 3:00 pm the Office of None is chanted after which we will be assigned a time and task for manual labor. At 5:00 pm the Office of Vespers is chanted. The church closes at 7:25 pm. Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm. Overnight at Fontgombault. B, L, D

DAY 7: Monday, MAY 27, 2024 – FONTGOMBAULT, ORLEANS, PARIS

In the morning we tidy our rooms for departure. Following morning Mass and breakfast we receive a blessing from the Guest Master and offer one final prayer of thanksgiving in the Abbey chapel. Next we board the bus and depart at 9:00 am for our transfer to Paris Charles-De-Gaulle International Airport (CDG) for evening flights home. We will make a one-hour stop in Orleans for lunch and a brief visit to the Cathedral, where Joan of Arc frequently prayed. We aim to arrive at the airport by 6:00 pm for our evening flights home, while some participants may decide to stay on longer. B, Lunch and Dinner on our own

*The itinerary is subject to change.

B,L,D means breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Regina Trips

3 reviews

REGINA’S mission is to support research and education as to the history of cultures in different regions of the world, influenced by the Catholic Faith, including cultural development in the context of religious faith and societal standards. We are a nonprofit that produces a rare and exquisite magazine, along with providing other programs that include extraordinary trips, retreats, and conferences. REGINA offers incredible and authentic experiences in timeless places and climates of the past, that bring faith and history to life.

we have a great time and made new friends. Our experience for stayed 6 nights in Fontgombault Abbey were precious , especially for my husband (I thought he can not survive ,he need TV to make asleep). I told my friends to make retreat to Fontgombault Abbey one day and I personally like to go back again. The theme retreat that Father Oballo gives is really great , " How to do spiritual/mental prayer" And personally I like to Thanks John and Natalie Sonnen that being very helpful and patience with me from the beginning of all preparations ( accommodation , transportation, etc in Paris, Chartres, and Lourdes) , they are very kind and knowledgeable . Thank you very much again to you John & Natalie, God Bless you! Please stop by to Holy Family Church Vancouver when you visit Canada. Bless you all, Keep in touch, Sylvia & Julian Ng.

By Sylvia N for REGINA Retreat at Fontgombault Abbey: "The Evening Draws Nigh" on Jun 06, 2024

Very blessed time. Well organised and full support provided for anyone who struggled to walk or had to step out of the walk for any period of time. Everything was thought of to support & encourage everyone. The planning & preparation for this important pilgrimage was excellent including mass and meet up in Paris before the walk as well as all the information provided to help each of us come prepared with all we might need to gain the maximum benefit of our pilgrimage together.