Rejuvenation for the Weary

A Redwood Retreat
Sara Hopkins-Powell

Sara Hopkins-Powell, provost of Southern Oregon University, finds time for quiet reflection elusive between September and June. So when she realized that Redwoods Monastery in Northern California had a retreat scheduled just after commencement, she signed up immediately.

As I made the long drive to the monastery, I had a growing sense of anticipation for the peace and quiet that was to come. The roads got smaller and smaller, leaving the world behind, until I came to a turnoff crossing a small river and leading into a large meadow. Following the instructions I had been sent, I drove through this meadow and into another where I got my first glimpse of the chapel and main buildings, simple concrete and redwood structures, surrounded by 300 acres of the giant trees.

Directed to the reception area, I was struck again by the simple aesthetic that prevailed. On a low bench was a vase with a single flower. The desk had nothing on it at all. I was offered mint tea by the "guest sister" Véronique, who answered questions and talked with the ten retreatants who would be with me during our visit. Véronique explained that the monastery had been established in the sixties by Cistercian nuns from Belgium. Today the community consists of six nuns (three of the original Belgian group), a ninety-year-old priest, and one brother.

Véronique showed me to the guest room containing a single bed, desk, and sink (you share a bath). The desk, placed to overlook the garden, held a vase with a rose in it, providing a point of beauty in the room. I had two hours before Eucharist, the first service of our visit, so I unpacked, and took out my journal and the two books that I had brought: Linda Hogan's Dwellings and Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies. I then had time to wonder what to do, and I chose to write.

Later, entering the chapel, I was struck yet again by its stunning simplicity. The altar was a solid block of wood, bare except during mass. A vase holding a spray of flowers was placed on the floor. Beyond the altar, a large, clear glass window framed the redwood trees reaching to the sky. Underneath the trees, rhododendrons bloomed. One morning during a service I watched deer munching in the glade.

The daily schedule varied slightly, but generally began at 5:45 with meditation, followed by morning praise and then breakfast in silence with the community. That was the only meal we ate with the nuns. The rest of our wonderful vegetarian meals were served in a guest dining room. After breakfast we were free to walk, go back to the chapel, work in the garden, read, or go back to sleep. There was noon prayer, followed by lunch. Later in the afternoon there was another meditation followed by Eucharist, supper and then evening praise or compline. We were not required to attend the services or eat the meals or do anything at all. The time was ours. I wrote in my journal, walked in a special grove of redwoods, and enjoyed the silence and the discipline of the round of services. Looking back on the week, I did very little --and in doing so I found myself again.

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Redwoods Monastery,18104 Briceland-Thorn Road Whitethorn, CA 95589
Or PHONE 707.986.7419
FAX 707.986.1176
Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to receive a schedule for the retreats. Four-day and week-long retreats are available.