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Assisi Retreat
October, 2020

Assisi Retreat

for individuals and couples

October 7-13, 2020

 

Joyce admiring the roses in front of the Basilica of Saint Francis (San Francesco)

 

We are blessed to be able to stay at a truly unique place where tourists are not allowed, a beautiful and comfortable monastery right across the street from the Basilica of St. Francis. We found the purity of spiritual vibration in this place to be absolutely amazing. As a group, we will deepen our connection to both our humanity and our divinity. We will again be visiting and tuning into the energy of the sacred sites of Assisi, including the Basilicas of Francesco (Francis) and Chiara (Clare), the churches of San Damiano, San Stefano, and the Carceri (the monastery and caves on Mount Subasio). You may also want to visit San Rufino, the Porziuncula (Santa Maria degli Angeli), and Rivo Torto (his earliest hermitage).

The powerful energy of all these places combined with the deep inner focus of the workshop, helped to facilitate profound inner growth in all of us who attended. We wish we could share this experience with each of you.

If you have any interest in this life-changing and empowering experience, please call and talk with me (Joyce) personally at 831 684 2130, or email me at [email protected]. We are only allowed 15 participants in the beautiful monastery where we hold the retreat, so early registration is advisable.  Some of the rooms have breathtaking views of the Umbrian Valley and the Basilica of St. Francis across the street. Those who sign up first will have priority to these rooms.

With love to each of you,

Joyce and Barry

Barry in front of San Stefano. Saint Francis often preached here and the church remains in its original condition. Our group often gets to be alone here to sing and pray.

 

Fall more deeply in love with life in a truly holy location. Beginning with our connection with Self and Source and extending to everyone in our lives, this workshop/retreat explores living from the heart and relationship. It is an opportunity for growth whether attending as a single or couple.

We invite you to join us for a week in Assisi, Italy, home of St. Francis and St. Clare, and universally celebrated as the City of Peace. While residing with us in a Franciscan convent, enjoy the beauty of the Umbrian countryside and sites of Assisi. Meet kindred spirits, practice powerful tools for opening your own heart, then re-enter your world with renewed appreciation and dedication.

This is not a religious retreat, but there will be universal spiritual songs and practices from many traditions. And the workshop will include a blending of psychological and spiritual tools for healing and growth, a balance of both inner and outer experiences. Included are deep processes to heal past hurts and open our hearts to more love.

Included in the tuition is a gourmet Italian feast lovingly prepared by a family at Locanda dell' Angelo near Assisi. Each year we tell participants that this is the best meal we have ever had. And each year, everyone agrees! Yes, Italy is also about the food!

 

A typical retreat day includes guided meditation and chanting/singing with Barry, workshop activities, creative exploration and singing, along with ample time some days after lunch for reflection, exploration and relaxation. Included throughout the week are visits to key sites from the lives of Francis and Clare.

 

Where you will stay:

A Franciscan convent in the heart of Assisi, Italy, overlooking the Basilica (burial place) of St. Francis and the hills of Perugia, provides a sanctuary and place for each of us to heal from our past and open to an even deeper freedom. Room accommodations are comfortable, each with their own bathroom. Private rooms may be available. Here's the address: Vicolo Sant'Andrea, 5, 06081 Assisi PG, Italy. Phone (only if you speak fluent Italian. the sisters speak no English. Or ask for "Suor Chiara (pronounced Swore Kee-ara)," who speaks English.) +39 075 812274

 

What past participants say about this retreat:

 

"For me, a week in the cradle of selfless, sacrificial love whence sprang San Francesco's and Santa Chiara's legends became a freeing, healing journey. In the company of supportive fellow retreat participants, under the loving, graceful guidance of a couple who literally wrote the book on love, clarity quickly came to me in my struggle with a particularly challenging life circumstance. The exploration of my greatest vulnerabilities coupled with the examination of childhood events that shaped my responses in relationships brought new awareness and release. And from that awareness came the strength to honor my relationship with myself and the ability to set healthy boundaries with others. All this is the enchanting embrace of Assisi. The whole experience truly allowed me to re-enter my world with renewed appreciation and dedication."  John Drew, Columbus, Georgia

 

"The Assisi retreat was for me a time I will remember and forever cherish. I can’t believe it or even explain it, but I feel a real miracle took place in my heart. I know it will stay with me. I hope Joyce and Barry know how incredibly blessed we were to have them with us - guiding and leading us so gently to the heart of our being. Assisi was the most beautiful setting for this retreat - and I have such beautiful memories of all the places we visited. Having a small group was extra special too." Sally Duigan, Limpopo, South Africa

 

"I feel free and alive and carry so much more joy, beauty and love with me since our week together! The progression that you orchestrated for us to get to know and share with each other daily through our large and small group activities made hearing, trusting and supporting each other a natural flow. And kudos to you for knowing to use music, movement and singing to open all our chakras, especially the heart, when we sang face to face! What a truly beautiful, honest, intimate, loving, supportive, encouraging and healing experience! I see all our lights shining brightly throughout the world! Thank you for bringing our hearts to renewed life!"  –Sharon, Portland, Oregon

 

 "In this Assisi retreat, there has been a gentle peeling away of what no longer serves me. I see no need to defend what is in my heart and thoughts as a way to explain my choices/actions to others. I feel wonderfully free, open hearted, and extremely vulnerable, as I embrace life and relate to others from this newly discovered place within me."  –Linda Kay, Moneta, Virginia 

 

"Over the years I have been in many workshops and retreats and this was by far the best ever. What made this so special is that in experiences like this, one tends to get “high” during the experience but very often it fades quickly once it’s over. For me, the “highs” of opening our hearts to each other in our sessions, combined with going out into the world, on the streets, sightseeing and spending time with each other in our free time, enabled me to carry those feelings out into ordinary life and so, when I returned home, it felt like the experiences were “fixed” in my being and so more easily and effortlessly transitioned into my life in general. Several friends told me I was softer, more loving and more present after my return. I am eternally grateful to you both for so masterfully creating and guiding this journey and to everyone in the group for being courageous enough to share yourselves and your hearts. You will all always have a special place in my heart and I hope to meet every single one of you again along the path."  –Auriel, Houston, Texas

 

"I come away with some beautiful and sweet memories of our time together. I had several breakthroughs at the workshop and it continued as we experienced Italy together. I am not the same person who came to Assisi. I felt myself opening up to all of you, resulting in some wonderful new friendships. Thank you Joyce and Barry for all you do. It was so beautiful to see the way you genuinely loved and cared for each one of us as we healed some of our deepest wounds.–Peggy Litts, Huddleston, Virginia

 

To Register:

• Tuition: $1095/person (includes workshop, taxi fares to San Damiano, the Carceri, and Locanda dell' Angelo, and the feast)

• Double occupancy & meals; 393 Euros/person for 6 days/6 nights
• Private room & meals; 423 Euros (as available)
• Lodging & meals paid on site in Euros
• Retreat begins with dinner on the first day at 7:30 pm.  We will meet before dinner at 5:30pm.
• Retreat ends with lunch on the last day

• $150 non-refundable deposit per person to hold a space in the retreat.
• Tuition balance due July 22

• $250 non-refundable per person after July 22

• Cancellation after September 15 forfeits full tuition and may require room charge
• Some scholarship reductions possible
• Air/ground transportation not included.
• Attendance limited; please respond ASAP
• Email to [email protected]

 

Early in the morning, gathered around the fountain before entering the Basilica of Santa Chiara (Saint Clare.)

 

Travel Information

 

Travel arrangements are the responsibility of participants.  Book your flight or train travel to Rome, Florence or another Italian city.  We advise you to do this as soon as possible to ensure options.

If Rome is your choice, we encourage you to take the train from Fiumicino Aeroporto (FCO) to Assisi, and from Assisi back to Rome, where you will likely need to spend one night in a hotel before flying out of Fiumicino Aeroporto (FCO) back to the U.S. or Canada. You can rent a car at Fiumicino Aeroporto, and drive up to Assisi, but once you arrive in Assisi, you won’t have much need for a car, and it will likely sit idle in a city lot for the better part of a week.

To get from FCO to Assisi by train requires one change of trains in Roma Termini (Rome’s train terminal). It’s possible to travel by motor coach rather than train from Fiumicino Aeroporto to Roma Termini, but who wants to go from a cramped airline seat to spending another hour in a cramped motor coach seat? It’s also possible to travel by taxi to Roma Termini, but it’s expensive and takes longer than the train. The train from Fiumicino Aeroport to Roma Termini takes only 32 minutes.

Unless you have plans to travel on to other Italian cities after the retreat or have other plans in Italy prior to the retreat, train travel is likely the most cost-effective, convenient and quickest way of getting to and from Assisi. Besides, there’s lovely scenery between Rome and Assisi.

When determining your arrival and departure time, allow approximately 2.5 hours for the train ride from Rome or Florence to Assisi; and, if you are coming from another time zone, allow at least one extra day for acclimating to the different time zone.

 

 

 

 

Basilica of San Francesco (St. Francis) at night. 5 minute walk from where you will stay.

 

Schedule:

After our first dinner, we will gather for a brief orientation and introduction. Our program schedule for the week will include both free and structured time. Days will include time together at the monastery and walks (or taxi rides) to specific sites for contemplation or group singing/chanting. These include the Basilica of Santa Chiara (Clare), the Basilica of San Francesco (Francis), the church and garden of San Damiano, the church of San Stefano, the Carceri Monastery, etc.  Assisi is rich with heritage and history, but also vibrating with a spirituality which is available to all who make the pilgrimage to this little Umbrian hill town.

 

The town is set on a hill, interwoven with numerous alleys, narrow streets, and walking paths. A fair amount of walking is involved in visiting the various sites. Bring good walking shoes. Taxi service is always available.

 

Food:

The meals at the monastery are simple but delicious, including vegetarian offerings, as well as meat for those who wish. If you enjoy Italian cooking, we trust you will be happy with the food! And then there's the feast (included in the tuition)...

 

Connecting:

There is now free Wifi at the monastery. We encourage participants to use this time for a real retreat from the ordinary, including communications back home. However, if necessary vital communications need to occur, the best solution is to obtain a cell phone which functions in Italy.

 

We look forward to sharing this time together!

 

 

Our happy 2018 group at Locanda della angeli.

 

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