The Transformative Power of Story
2026-07-27 15:00 - 2026-07-31 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Saint Andrew’s Abbey, 31001 N. Valyermo Road, Valyermo, CA, 93563, United States
Our modern culture places a high value on non-fiction, deeming it to be the “reality” while largely minimizing or dismissing the rich source of meaning that can be found in fiction, myth, and parables. Through a psycho-spiritual lens, we will explore how the human psyche can experience significant growth through deep interaction with certain forms of fiction that reflect symbolic and archetypal realities; through a literary lens, we will explore the many activities that fall under the one term “reading” and their different effects on the mind and spirit, emphasizing, in particular, the role of the fiction novel on individuals and culture. Can a return to the primacy of fiction and its revelations of the transcendent return the culture to wholeness?
Everyone can benefit from this retreat, but it may be especially enriching for those interested in spiritual growth, spiritual direction, and/or literature and reading’s role in these areas.

Presenters: MARY KAUFFMAN, Obl. OSB, & MICHAEL MULLARD, Obl OSB; Ph.D

MARY KAUFFMAN is an oblate of Valyermo. She has an MA in English and has taught ESL, various levels of English and writing, and literature courses at several colleges in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. Now retired, she enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing through participation in different reading and literary groups, particularly those with an emphasis on discovering the transcendent and increasing our Christian awareness through exploration of the written word.
MICHAEL MULLARD is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, emphasizing depth psychology. He has been an Oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage since 2004 and has been hanging out with Benedictines since 1980. He lives in Southern California.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Retiro de Silencio
2026-07-31 15:00 - 2026-08-02 13:30
¿Añoras unos días de tranquilidad emocional y espiritual? ¿Buscas unos momentos de silencio en tu vida? ¿Sientes la necesidad de estar a solas con el Señor a través de la meditación y contemplación? Si así lo desea tu corazón, te invitamos a nuestro retiro de silencio que se llevará a cabo en el pequeño oasis que ofrece la Comunidad Benedictina de la Abadía de San Andrés, ubicada en Valyermo.
Recuerda que este retiro de silencio es la oportunidad de hacer un alto en el camino, con el fin de tomarse un tiempo para reflexionar, meditar e interiorizar verdades profundas que en medio del ruido y la cotidianidad no es posible contemplar con claridad.

Presentador: CARLOS OBANDO, Obl.OSB, nació en Costa Rica y vive en Los Estados Unidos desde 1966. Está casado, tiene tres hijos y tres nietos. En el año 2009 obtuvo una maestría de la Universidad de Loyola Marymount, Los Ángeles, en Teología Pastoral, es instructor en la Escuela de la Renovación Carismática en la Diócesis de Orange. Ha sido Director Espiritual por más de 25 años. Trabaja con la comunidad hispana desde 1979 en los condados de Los Ángeles y Orange en la formación de líderes y dando retiros a jóvenes, adultos y matrimonios. Actualmente coordina los Ejercicios Espirituales para los Aspirantes y sus Esposas a través de la Oficina del Diaconado, en la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles.

*Si el evento aparece como agotado, llámenos al 661-944-2178 para conocer la disponibilidad en tiempo real y la lista de espera.

EDITH STEIN: Her Journey from Darkness into Light
2026-08-07 15:00 - 2026-08-09 13:30
Join us as we reflect on the life and times of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a brilliant philosopher and poet, a mystic and searcher of the truth, and a Jew — a daughter of Israel. Her encounter with the cross in the life of a Christian friend sparked an inner transformation that led to her baptism into the Catholic faith. Her reading of the life of Teresa of Avila brought her to the door of the Cologne Carmel, where she began her contemplative journey as a Carmelite nun. Her Jewish identity and her Catholic faith collided with the oppressive Nazi regime and led to her martyrdom at Auschwitz.

Presenter: FR. JOSEPH BRENNAN, OSB, has been a monk of Valyermo since 1994 after having served as a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for over 20 years. He is a spiritual director at the Cardinal Manning House of Prayer for priests in Los Angeles as well as St. Andrew’s Sub-Prior.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

The Spirituality of Medieval Monks and Nuns
2026-08-14 15:00 - 2026-08-16 13:30
This retreat will introduce the spiritual vision of well-known medieval monks and nuns. Highlighted individuals will include the Cistercians Bernard of Clairvaux and William of St. Thierry, alongside the Benedictine Hildegaard of Bingen, the anchoress Julian of Norwich and the Augustinian Canon Thomas à Kempis. Though not all of these individuals are Benedictines, the retreat will show how they channel the monastic imagination of Benedict. In particular, attention will be paid to their theology of spiritual growth and divine union. Further, the retreat will show how their spiritual theology is applicable to all Christians desiring union with God.

Presenter: REV. DR. GREG PETERS, Obl. OSB, is an oblate of Valyermo, Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology at Biola University, La Mirada, CA, and the Servants of Christ Research Professor of Monastic Studies and Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin. As an Anglican priest, he serves as Vicar of the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, also in La Mirada. He is the author of Reforming the Monastery: Protestant Theologies of the Religious Life, The Story of Monasticism: Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality and The Monkhood of All Believers: The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

HEALING OUR WOUNDS: Forgiveness in the Spiritual Life
2026-08-24 15:00 - 2026-08-28 10:00
We give them, we suffer them, our bodies hold on to them for years: Wounds. We can imprison ourselves in them and wither emotionally far too long without the transforming power of forgiveness. It is Divine Love that liberates us from resentment, self-pity and isolation. The love that forgives opens a path to inner freedom, allowing us to begin to live again in hope and gratitude. When we ponder such experiences, we desire to enter more personally into the mystery for forgiveness toward others, to become reconcilers ourselves. When the whole person – body, mind, and soul – engages in this endeavor, we may become our truest self, the person God intends us to be.

Presenter: DR. NANCY WALLIS offers spiritual companionship to individuals and groups, and designs and leads contemplative spiritual retreats. Building on her corporate and academic careers as an organizational leadership scholar, Nancy brings a transformational and loving spirit to the sacred cultivating of richer inner lives. Following the completion of her M.Div. degree at the Claremont School of Theology, she undertook further study in the areas of spiritual direction and contemplative leadership at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

ANCIENT AND MODERN BENEDICTINE SPIRITUALITY: Contemplative Practices For Today (ZOOM Option)
2026-08-28 15:00 - 2026-08-30 13:30
In the Benedictine tradition the Sacred Scriptures have always been at the center. In the whole of the Bible, and especially while chanting the Book of Psalms, Benedictines daily encounter Jesus Christ in prayer. In this workshop we will consider the history and modern use of the ancient Christian practices of lectio divina (praying the Scriptures) , psalmody, and intentional community life.

Presenter: LUKE DYSINGER MD, DPhil, has been a monk of Saint Andrew’s Abbey since 1980. He studied medicine at the University of Southern California and theology at the University of Oxford. He is a professor of moral theology and church history at Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California and has published books and articles in the fields of bioethics, early Christian spirituality and patristics.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Purity of Heart through the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
2026-08-29 09:00 - 15:30
This retreat will look at what purity of heart is and how we may strive more perfectly toward it by looking at it
through the lens of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. We will look to our Lord and our Lady’s lives, words, and example
in their single-minded pursuit of God’s will in the Scriptures, through the devotions of the Sacred and Immaculate
Hearts, as well as some monastic perspectives on the matter.

Presenter: FR. ANGELUS ECHEVERRY, OSB, has been a monk of Valyermo since 2011. He has a Master’s degree in Classical Music Composition and is currently an Organist and Choirmaster. He has a deep love for what he calls “The four ‘M’s’ of my life”: Music, the Mystical life, the Holy Mystery that we call the Trinity and Mary, the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God. To listen to the Music of Fr. Angelus, visit: www.angelusecheverry.com

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Gonzaga Alumni Retreat September '26
2026-09-17 15:00 - 2026-09-20 13:30
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OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: Models of Spiritual Progress, Ancient and Modern (ZOOM Option)
2026-09-25 15:00 - 2026-09-27 13:30
In the early Church, and especially in the Christian monastic tradition, the result of deepening relationship with Christ was often described as “blessedness” (sometimes translated as “happiness”) or even “divinization.” In modern psychology and spirituality the term “flourishing” is often preferred. In this workshop we will reflect on our personal salvation history in light of similarities and differences between ancient monastic models of spiritual progress and modern approaches to “human flourishing.”

Presenter: LUKE DYSINGER MD, DPhil, has been a monk of Saint Andrew’s Abbey since 1980. He studied medicine at the University of Southern California and theology at the University of Oxford. He is a professor of moral theology and church history at Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California and has published books and articles in the fields of bioethics, early Christian spirituality and patristics.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Slowing Our Pace with Saint Benedict
2026-09-28 15:00 - 2026-09-30 10:00
The Rule of Saint Benedict asks us to go inward and to cultivate a gentle pace and slow rhythm, listening not to external sounds but to God’s presence with “the ear of our hearts.” In many ways, this is at odds with the understanding of progress that shapes American culture, and indeed the Western modern tradition. For us, progress is linear, committed to visible growth, and predicated on accelerating speed. This retreat will focus on the slow, rhythmic beauty of the Benedictine tradition as it calls us to slow our pace as we search for God and develop a new understanding of progress.

Focus will be on the topics of listening, rhythmic prayer, and slowing our pace, which contrasts with the contemporary emphasis on speed, growth, and constant acceleration. It will be grounded in the Rule of Saint Benedict and Sacred Scripture, while also examining how modernity in the West foregrounds and defines “progress”. The slow movement will be mentioned as it overlaps with the Benedictine tradition.

Presenter: MARY CAPUTI has been an oblate of Saint Andrew’s Abbey since 2007. She holds a Ph.D in political theory from Cornell University, a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and a Master’s in Italian Studies from California State University, Long Beach.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Pobreza de espíritu
2026-10-03 09:00 - 15:30
Basándonos en el libro del sacerdote y teólogo católico alemán Johann Metz, “Pobreza de espíritu”, este retiro
explorará el significado y la importancia de la «pobreza de espíritu». Analizaremos la relevancia de los temas de la
Encarnación, las diversas formas de pobreza y, en especial, lo que significa ser verdaderamente humanos como
esencia de la auténtica pobreza espiritual. Dios desea que seamos ricos, ¡pero esta riqueza espiritual solo se alcanza a
través de la pobreza de espíritu!

Presentador: P. ANGELUS ECHEVERRY OSB, es monje de Valyermo desde 2011. Tiene una Maestría en Composición de Música Clásica y actualmente es Organista y Maestro de Coro. Tiene un profundo amor por lo que llama “Las cuatro ‘Emes’ de mi vida”: la Música, la vida Mística, el Santo Misterio que llamamos Trinidad y María, la Santísima Virgen, Madre de Dios. Para escuchar al Música de P. Angelus, visite: www.angelusecheverry.com

*Si el evento figura como agotado, llámenos al 661-944-2178 para consultar la disponibilidad en tiempo real y una lista de espera.

STILL FULL OF SAP, STILL GREEN: A Spirituality of Aging
2026-10-12 15:00 - 2026-10-15 10:00
This retreat will be inspired by many writers’ reflections on spirituality for the “second half” of life, writers including Sister Joan Chittister (The Gift of Years) and Parker Palmer (On the Brink of Everything). Creative living within the season of wisdom, greater and ongoing maturation, and positive transformation of the inner life will be some of the meditations for a full life in the Spirit. Experiencing limitations during one’s aging process will be explored as opportunities for transcendence and spiritual fecundity that could not be profoundly realized in earlier seasons of growth.

Presenter: MARY SCHULTE is an oblate of Valyermo. She has a B.A. in history, with a minor in French, and a J.D. (law degree). She has served as Chairperson of the Ecumenical and Inter-religious Commission for the Diocese of Orange from 1999-2005. She loves proclaiming the word of God and has been a lector in her parish for over 25 years. In addition to her Benedictine spirituality, she participates in a Christian Life Community (CLC) with fellow legal professionals who completed the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. She is co-coordinator of the Orange County oblate group, and one of four oblate mentors for the Orange County area. She loves to write, and four of her articles have been published in the Abbey Chronicle. She is developing a blog called Ordinary Days with Mary, to share her photography, spiritual writings, musings, and her passion for baking.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Autumn Artists Retreat
2026-10-26 15:00 - 2026-10-30 10:00
This retreat is open to artists at all levels, including beginners. Photographers, sculptors, and writers are also welcome to come and experience the colors and beauty of the high desert in the setting of the monastery. Escape the stress of daily life while deepening a spiritual vision in your art.

Presenter: GREGORY MICHAEL HERNANDEZ is a landscape-based visual artist living in Pasadena, CA. His paintings, photography and sculptures explore the religious and political dimensions of land use. Growing up in Hesperia, CA, cemented his lifelong connection to the Mojave Desert. See his work at www.gmhstudio.com

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

PRIESTS' RETREAT: Speak, Lord, your Servants are Listening
2026-11-09 15:00 - 2026-11-13 10:00
St. Benedict begins the prologue to his rule with the admonition, “Open the ear of your heart”. At this moment in our journey together as Church, we are called more than ever to listen deeply to the Spirit – the quiet whisper of our God speaking within our hearts.
The centerpiece for this retreat will be Listening Together: Meditations on Synodality by Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.
*(Priest ONLY Retreat)

Presenter: FR. JOSEPH BRENNAN has been a monk of Valyermo since 1994 after having served as a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for over 20 years. He is a spiritual director at the Cardinal Manning House of Prayer for priests in Los Angeles as well as St. Andrew’s Sub-Prior.

**If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Thanksgiving at Valyermo
2026-11-25 03:00 - 2026-11-27 10:00
This non-directed retreat provides time to reflect on all God has given to us and to enjoy the festive celebration of Thanksgiving with the monastic community.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Advent Retreat
2026-11-27 15:00 - 2026-11-29 10:00
On this first weekend of Advent, we will offer a potpourri of monastic insights, enabling participants to experience the Advent season as a time rooted in scripture, history, art, music, and liturgy.

Presenters: Monks of Valyermo

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Retiro de Adviento
2026-11-28 09:00 - 15:30
“Adviento significa venida.” Es el tiempo en que los cristianos nos preparamos para la venida del Señor. Se dice que el Antiguo Testamento fue el gran tiempo de espera y después de esa espera de muchos siglos, Cristo se manifestó en toda su gloria dándonos la oportunidad de una nueva vida en el Espíritu. En nuestro caso, no tenemos que esperar siglos para su venida. Los que han ansiado la venida del Señor siempre han estado listos para el encuentro con el Amado. Durante este mini retiro y a través de oraciones y reflexiones, tendrás la oportunidad de un encuentro con Jesús donde Él pueda renovar y restaurar tu vida.

Presentador: CARLOS OBANDO, Obl.OSB, nació en Costa Rica y vive en Los Estados Unidos desde 1966. Está casado, tiene tres hijos y tres nietos. En el año 2009 obtuvo una maestría de la Universidad de Loyola Marymount, Los Ángeles, en Teología Pastoral, es instructor en la Escuela de la Renovación Carismática en la Diócesis de Orange. Ha sido Director Espiritual por más de 25 años. Trabaja con la comunidad hispana desde 1979 en los condados de Los Ángeles y Orange en la formación de líderes y dando retiros a jóvenes, adultos y matrimonios. Actualmente coordina los Ejercicios Espirituales para los Aspirantes y sus Esposas a través de la Oficina del Diaconado, en la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles.

*Si el evento aparece como agotado, llámenos al 661-944-2178 para consultar la disponibilidad en tiempo real y apuntarse a la lista de espera.

¿Tienes alegría?
2026-12-05 09:00 - 15:30
Dios quiere que seamos alegres! Tomando como punto de partida el libro del Dr. Peter Kreeft, «El misterio de la
alegría», exploraremos el don de la alegría que nos otorga el Espíritu Santo y cómo obtenerlo. También
analizaremos la alegría tal como se entiende en las Escrituras, así como lo que los santos tienen que decir al respecto.
Este retiro nos ayudará a comprender qué es la alegría y qué no lo es, para que podamos participar de este misterio
de una manera más profunda.

Presentador: P. ANGELUS ECHEVERRY OSB, es monje de Valyermo desde 2011. Tiene una Maestría en Composición de Música Clásica y actualmente es Organista y Maestro de Coro. Tiene un profundo amor por lo que llama “Las cuatro ‘Emes’ de mi vida”: la Música, la vida Mística, el Santo Misterio que llamamos Trinidad y María, la Santísima Virgen, Madre de Dios. Para escuchar al Música de P. Angelus, visite: www.angelusecheverry.com

*Si el evento figura como agotado, llámenos al 661-944-2178 para consultar la disponibilidad en tiempo real y una lista de espera.

Pilares Indispensables para que Tu MATRIMONIO Sea Una Aventura de Amor
2026-12-11 15:00 - 2026-12-13 13:30
El libro el Cantar de los Cantares en su capítulo 2 dice “Mi Amado es para mí, y yo para mi Amado”. El retiro está basado en esta premisa de que somos el uno para el otro unidos en solo corazón. El matrimonio es una alianza y no un acuerdo social. Es el lugar donde dos corazones se unen eternamente para vivir en totalidad su aventura de amor. El matrimonio constituye una comunidad de amor y lo sostienen varias columnas: la fidelidad, la confianza, la entrega del uno al otro, el perdón mutuo, y en un contexto espiritualmente sano.
Durante este retiro tendremos momentos de oración, reflexión, sanación interior y renovación de los votos matrimoniales. Te invitamos a que pases un fin de semana con tu ser amado donde ambos puedan descansar, orar y reflexionar acerca de tu matrimonio.

Presentador: CARLOS OBANDO nació en Costa Rica y vive en Los Estados Unidos desde 1966. Está casado, tiene tres hijos y tres nietos. En el año 2009 obtuvo una maestría de la Universidad de Loyola Marymount, Los Ángeles, en Teología Pastoral, es instructor en la Escuela de la Renovación Carismática en la Diócesis de Orange. Ha sido Director Espiritual por más de 25 años. Trabaja con la comunidad hispana desde 1979 en los condados de Los Ángeles y Orange en la formación de líderes y dando retiros a jóvenes, adultos y matrimonios. Actualmente coordina los Ejercicios Espirituales para los Aspirantes y sus Esposas a través de la Oficina del Diaconado, en la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

Christmas at Valyermo
2026-12-23 15:00 - 2026-12-26 13:30
On the Solemnity of Christmas, we first contemplate the mystery of the Word becoming Flesh. The liturgical celebration at the Abbey starts with First Vespers on Christmas Eve and ends with Night Prayer on Christmas Day.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.

NEW YEAR RETREAT - All Things New: The Mystical Theology of Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman, Doctor of the Church
2026-12-30 15:00 - 2027-01-02 13:30
In this workshop, we will invite Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman, the most recent Doctor of the Church, to be our guide for the coming year. We will reflect together on his spiritual journey and his understanding of Christian theosis as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and our union with Jesus Christ. Internet links to his writings and sermons will be provided both before and during the workshop.

Presenter: LUKE DYSINGER MD, DPhil, has been a monk of Saint Andrew’s Abbey since 1980. He studied medicine at the University of Southern California and theology at the University of Oxford. He is a professor of moral theology and church history at Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California, and has published books and articles in the fields of bioethics, early Christian spirituality, and patristics.

*If the event is listed as sold out, please call us at 661-944-2178 for real-time availability and a waiting list.
