This five-day silent retreat focused on David Frenette's book Contemplative Attitudes with a Saturday Zoom meeting with David himself. The design of the retreat provided the opportunity for a deep dive into the Attitudes as David explored them: Consent and Giving God Consent to Act in You, Opening and Recognizing, Simplicity and Awakening in God, etc. Nancy and Phil conducted the sits and retreat sessions. As the silence increased through the days, Saturday the fourth day, created a transformational space that produced a Unitive Experience. It provided the opportunity, especially with David's Grace, for immersion in the Unitive state, beyond ego, beyond the duality of the separate self into Unity Consciousness. While temporary, the Unitive State was enlightening and established a clear direction for the future. I am grateful to Bethany and our retreat masters for providing this opportunity to expand horizons and get on with the Work. Thomas Keating reminds us it only takes a few Contemplatives to change the world.

Beautifully crafted retreat. A mix of sharing, silence, writing, and prayer. It was for all kinds of loss in the human experience. The retreat leader was excellent, compassionate, and helpful. I have been visiting Bethany Retreat since 2019. It’s beautiful and affordable. The accommodations and meals are great.

The retreat was wonderful. The facilitators were great. I enjoyed the discussions on contemplative attitudes , based on David Frenette’s book. The facilities were comfortable - small single rooms with shared bathrooms and separate men and women wings. The food was very good. The setting is beautiful and very quiet.

Well-organized retreat that was deeply meaningful. Beautiful grounds with several different meditative spaces. But best of all was the food, not only lovingly prepared with variety and sucor, but gluten free for me. Not only did the kitchen staff understand the needs of my celiac disease, they cheerfully kept my food (and others for vegetarian and no-lactose options) apart from cross-contamination. Sr. Suzanne often checked in with me to make sure I was not hungry and not ill, often finding special treats for me, too. The sisters and staff were the model of holy hospitality. I'll be back!

Another wonderful day at the Bethany Retreat Center! The day was delightful. I would recommend this retreat to anyone with an open mind.