Welcome to the Association for Promoting Retreats!

Are you looking for somewhere to go on retreat?

We can help!

On the interactive map above you will find all the APR member retreat houses, with contact details and a link to their website; we also have a member house in South Africa. We support the work of several retreat leaders across the UK, many of whom can offer you an online retreat.

Promoting Christian Spirituality Through Retreats

The Association for Promoting Retreats exists to encourage more people to go on retreat and to support the ministry of our member retreat houses and retreat leaders. We also organise a biannual conference for Church of England diocesan spirituality advisers, and administer a bursary fund to enable individuals to go on retreat when cost is an obstacle.

Retreat Calendar

Calendar of Events

M Mon

T Tue

W Wed

T Thu

F Fri

S Sat

S Sun

8 events,

Autumn Sabbatical course at St Mary’s Monastery Kinnoull

Wisdom Years retreat at the Coach House Kilmuir

IGR at Penhurst Retreat Centre

-

Quiet Day with Christian Retreats

-

Quiet Day at Holland House

10 events,

Advent retreat at St Katharine’s Parmoor

IGR at the House of Prayer

10 events,

Craft Week at Hilfield Friary

-

Evening meditation at The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay

9 events,

-

Quiet Garden Day at St Michael’s Convent

12 events,

Advent retreat at Launde Abbey

Richard Rohr retreat at Holland House

17 events,

10 events,

6 events,

5 events,

-

Quiet Day at Shallowford House

-

Evening meditation at The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay

5 events,

7 events,

Advent Retreat at the Royal Foundation of St Katharine

Advent retreat at the House of Prayer

Pre-Advent clergy retreat at Mirfield

9 events,

5 events,

-

Advent Quiet Day at Penhurst Retreat Centre

5 events,

-

Advent Quiet Day at Penhurst Retreat Centre

3 events,

-

Evening meditation at The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay

2 events,

-

Advent Quiet Day at Penhurst Retreat Centre

4 events,

Advent Retreat at Holland House

6 events,

-

Quiet Day at Whalley Abbey

0 events,

1 event,

1 event,

-

Evening meditation at The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay

0 events,

0 events,

1 event,

0 events,

6 events,

Christmas at Hilfield Friary

8 events,

Christmas at Wydale Hall

9 events,

-

Evening meditation at The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay

9 events,

-

Quiet Garden Day at St Michael’s Convent

2 events,

2 events,

4 events,

New Year at Penhurst Retreat Centre

5 events,

-

Evening meditation at The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay

2 events,

2 events,

- Event Series

Online meditation with the School of Contemplative Life

At the APR we aim to:

  • promote the value of retreats and the work of retreat houses and retreat leaders 
  • support the provision of opportunities for quiet and reflection within the context of everyday life
  • encourage training in retreat leadership and spiritual direction
  • facilitate renewal and growth in spirituality
  • enable the exploration of different expressions of Christian spirituality

As a membership organisation, we rely on subscriptions to enable our work. If you are not already a member, please do consider joining APR, so that we can do even more to promote retreats.

Announcements

Bookings are now open for our Spring Retreat 2025, to be held at Sheldon Retreat Centre from 7-9 March, and co-led by poet Helen Evans and Demelza Henderson. Find out more by clicking here.

There are many Individually Guided Retreats (IGRs) listed in our online calendar – simply type ‘IGR’ into the search function to find the right one for you!

The Minutes of our recent AGM are available to read online here, or you can access our Autumn Newsletter here.

This week we are praying for...

Each week we pray for one of our member retreat houses. This week we are praying for Bryan Weir (Warden), and all who seek refreshment at A Dip into Serenity in Fife.

Are you looking for a new challenge?

There are vacancies for staff at the following APR Member Retreat Houses: Operations Manager at the Greenhouse at Barnes Close
Administrator at the Sheldon Community
Centre Manager at the Othona Community (Essex)
4 x Housekeeping and General Assistants at Rydal Hall
Spiritual Direction Tutor and 2 x Hospitality roles at Sarum College
Resident Team Member at the Othona Community (Essex)
Finance Manager at Holy Rood House
Housekeeper and Assistant Cook at St Katharine’s Parmoor
2 x Hospitality roles at Launde Abbey
Housekeeper and part-time cook at the Retreat House Pleshey
Community member at the Sheldon Community

Membership

Please consider joining APR, and help us support retreat houses and extend the benefit of retreats to more people. See the membership page for more information.

Bursaries

Our Bursary Scheme is there to help our retreat house members enable more people to benefit from retreats, especially where cost might be an obstacle. See the Bursary page for details.

Resources

We regularly post articles and information on topics related to retreats, prayer, and Christian spirituality. We hope you will find something of interest; see the Resources Pages here.

Support the work of APR

As a membership organisation, we rely on subscriptions to enable our work. If you are not already a member, please do consider joining APR, so that we can do even more to promote retreats.

If you are a UK taxpayer, please consider Gift Aiding your donation. We are able to claim an additional 25% from HMRC on top of your donation, at no extra cost to you. All you need do is complete our online Gift Aid declaration form and we’ll take care of the rest.

How to Donate

If you would like to make a donation to support the work of APR, or specifically to the Bursary Fund, you can do so by means of the online donation button below.