Our Lady of the Oaks Jesuit Retreat House

Retreat Philosophy

'Silence is golden' at Our
Lady of the Oaks Retreat
House

The peace and quiet of this beautiful place provides an
atmosphere in which one can rest, relax and get in touch
with oneself and with God.

Our Lady of the Oaks is a facility that invites people to walk away from the world for a three-day weekend- to retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life - to come to a peaceful, restful place that will help them relax and pray and get in touch with themselves and with God.

The retreats at Our Lady of the Oaks are silent retreats; retreatants are encouraged to be silent and to listen to what God may have to say, rather than talking with one another. The booklet handed out at the start of the retreat addresses the subject:

"All important is total silence during the retreat. There is no way to make a good retreat unless you are recollected, and no way to be recollected without silence. It is the best way ' to listen to God and respond.' It is itself a great prayer: 'Be still and know that I am God.' (Psalm 46)."

The sounds one does hear are the chirping of birds, the chattering of squirrels, and the laughter of children at play on the adjacent school ground. Retreatants do pray aloud when they are attending Mass, saying the Rosary, or praying the Way of the Cross. They also talk to the priests privately during confessions and one-on-one consultations. A few times per day they hear the Jesuit retreat director giving brief talks and instructing them to read the Bible passages that relate to these talks. Otherwise, the only other sound is that of an old-fashioned bell ringing to wake them at 7 a.m., or pealing at noon as retreatants pray the Angelus.

"It's a good chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday living, to get away from it all, to pray and meditate. And, besides, the food is great!"
-Weston Broussard, A Justice of the Peace in Lafayette Parish, LA.

Fr. Frank Coco, one of our former Jesuit staff members, said, " Since September 11th, memories of the terrorist attacks are always in the subconscious. It often colors what you way. Sometimes we make explicit mention, or paraphrase the psalms, for example. I find the words of Psalm 27 particularly consoling; The Lord is my Light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? People want to find faith, or to strengthen their faith, to renew their lives. No one is too good or too bad to make a retreat. Goodwill is the only requisite." *

"It is a chance to pray without interruption. It is good to leave your regular routine and let God work with you. This isn't possible during the normal day's routine."
-Leslie Waguespack, retired petroleum engineer, Parish, LA.

Who ministers in the Retreats?
Since the Day Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House opened its doors, in October 1938, the retreats here have been directed almost exclusively by Jesuit priests.

But the times, they are a changing.

The decline in the number of men entering the priesthood nationwide means there will be fewer priests available for the retreat ministry in the future, so the laity will be counted on to do more than ever before-including serving as retreat directors. Toward this end, a new program has been instituted at Our Lady of the Oaks called the Internship in Spiritual Direction Program. It is designed to help sustain the retreat movement at Our Lady of the Oaks and elsewhere, and to make available a number of lay spiritual directors to do what heretofore has been done almost exclusively by priests. Eight to ten lay men and women are accepted into the two-year program after being screened. In the first year they concentrate on the study of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, and on Ignatius' life. In the second year their preparation continues with further study of the Spiritual Exercises, lectures, videos and other forms of study; it concludes with each student personally directing a retreat, under supervision. For more information on the program, call (337) 662-5410.

*Acadiana Profile Magazine, The Magazine of the Cajun Country, Vol. 21, No. 5, 2003, March/April, 2002.

The Jesuits

Jesuit priests first arrived in Grand Coteau, Louisiana in 1837 to minister to the fledgling Catholic population in the area. They tended to the spiritual needs of students and teachers at the nearby Academy of the Sacred Heart and founded St. Charles College as the first Jesuit-operated college in the South.