It is with a heavy heart that I update you on this year's Winter Retreat. As many of you by now know, Mount Calvary Retreat House was one of the many casualties of the fires in Santa Barbara. All of the brothers are safe although the structures and contents of the monastery were not as fortunate.
At this point in time it looks unlikely that we will be holding our retreat again this December. This is a result of a number of factors including the difficulty making arrangements for a new location with less than a month left before the retreat.
Another concern we have about holding a retreat this December is financial: many of you paid in advance for this year's retreat and would have to pay again for a retreat this December in a new location. We want to be sensitive to the fact that in today's precarious financial climate, it may be difficult for some of you who already paid to raise additional money for a retreat. I received an email from the Guest House manager at Mount Calvary who told me that they will very shortly be working with their insurance company to begin the task of reconstructing their financial records and attempting to reimburse people whose retreats have been cancelled due to the fires. I will keep you apprised of developments. Please keep in mind that it could be a time-consuming process.
This is not to say that there still isn't an outside chance that the retreat could go on this year, but that seems unlikely. What does seem likely is that we will need to find another location for our retreat and that may involve holding it on some weekend other than the second one in December. Rest assured that we will do everything we can to make sure that the tradition of an annual Sought Through Prayer & Meditation Retreat doesn't end. Again, I'll do my best to keep you up to date via this blog.
Many of you, like me, may have a strong and heart-filled connection to Mount Calvary and the Brothers and are wondering what you can do to help. I'm sure there will be many opportunities to assist in the future. Right now, we have set up a assistance fund to offer financial support to Mount Calvary. This money is being kept separate from money collected for retreat registration. If you'd like to make a donation, please mail it to: John Dawson, P.O. Box 7162, Long Beach, CA 90807.
As there is still an outside chance that we may be able to salvage this year's retreat, I urge you all to keep checking back here for more information. If you know anyone who was planning on going on this year's retreat, please make sure they, too, check this blog frequently.
I'm sure you'll all join me in keeping the Brothers and staff of Mount Calvary Monastery in your thoughts and prayers.
--Craig
