L'Abbaye Saint-Joseph de Clairval of Flavigny, France was the place for my annual retreat this year (16th-21st March). It was five full days of The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola preached by priests of the historic monastery of that quaint medieval town which overlooks the pastoral French countryside. We retreatants ate with the monks and joined in their gregorian chants of the office and Mass. In addition, the monks facilitated my daily Traditional Mass, with first class vestments in their relic chapel. It would be no exagerration to say that this was the best retreat of my life (at least one a year for the past 25 years) given it's depth, rhythm, personal direction, silence and liturgical beauty and piety.
The priests of Flavigny run dozens of retreats for men each year, in French and in English. However, none of the English retreats are at the monastery. I highly recommend that all men get in touch with these monks who are, in my estimation, the perfect implementation of what the Second Vatican Council actually said regarding the liturgy (e.g. the sung office in Latin, the promotion of gregorian chant, the permission to use the vernacular [the monks use the vernacular for the readings at their Novus Ordo masses]).
I came to know of the monastery through an excellent monthly newsletter (on the lives of holy modern Catholics) which they send worldwide and my parents and I have received in our home for decades.
For the full 2009 retreat schedule or to contact go to http://www.clairval.com/retraites.en.php
You will also find their newsletter through their home web-page.
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