General Information on Retreats at Holy Hill Hermitage



Holy Hill Hermitage Retreat Booking Form

Name _________________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Phone(s) _________________________________________________________________

Email __________________________________________________________________

Name and phone number of reference person in case of emergency

______________________________________________________________________________

If you have particular needs, please specify ________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Would you like spiritual guidance? ____________________________________________

Date and time of arrival: _____________________________________________

Because of the monastery timetable, you are asked to arrive between 12 noon and 4pm, Tuesday -Saturday. Late arrival may be facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and we are always willing to meet the bus that arrives at 4:30 pm.

Date and time of departure: _____________________________________________

Please return this form by email to bookings@holyhill.ie or by surface mail to Retreat Bookings, Holy Hill Hermitage, Skreen, Dromard, Co Sligo . A booking deposit of €45 is also required. Cheques should be made payable to Holy Hill Hermitage. Thank you.

General Information on Retreats at Holy Hill Hermitage

Holy Hill Hermitage in Skreen, County Sligo, offers a unique environment for solitary, non-directed retreats. Run by The Carmelite Community of Apostolic Hermits, Holy Hill is located at the base of Ladies’ Brae in the Ox Mountains, four miles from the Atlantic Ocean.

We welcome men and women, young and old, married and single, clergy and lay people, practitioners of other spiritual traditions and those without any religious affiliation. We believe that each person has inner resources that often remain untapped. While silence and the Spirit will be your primary retreat guide at Holy Hill, spiritual direction will be provided upon request.

Each retreatant has his or her own self-contained hermitage on the grounds of Holy Hill or in the main buildings. Two hermitages are suitable for couples. Basic vegetarian foodstuffs are supplied.

You are welcome to use the library, which contains 6,000 volumes ranging from scripture and spirituality to poetry and literature. There is also a large selection of recorded talks and music.

A phone is available for emergency calls (071 91 66021 within Ireland or 00353719166021 from abroad). Wi Fi access is available to retreatants in the main house, but not in the hermitages.

For further information please see our website holyhill.ie

The Hermitage Schedule

Retreatants are encouraged to draw up a personal daily schedule for their stay at the hermitage, according to what they seek from this time apart.

Retreatants are also welcome to join in scheduled prayer times at Holy Hill, which are as follows:

Lauds or Morning Prayer at 8 am on Wed, Thurs and Fri, and Sat;

Vespers (or Mass when a priest is in residence) are at 5 pm on Wed, and Thurs; Mass or a communion service is on Fri at 5pm; and Compline and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament are on Saturdays at 7:30 pm.

There are no scheduled prayer times on Mondays and Tuesdays as the Holy Hill community observes solitude and silence on these days.

Sunday Eucharist is ordinarily celebrated at 11 am, either at Holy Hill or in Skreen Church. This is followed by a meal which retreatants are invited to share, if they so wish. On weekdays, when no priest is in residence, retreatants have the option of attending 10 am Mass in Skreen Church (two miles from Holy Hill) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and in Dromard Church (three miles away) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Getting to Holy Hill

If driving, Holy Hill is located in north-west Ireland at Skreen, about 16 miles south-west of Sligo, off N59 (the Sligo-Ballina road). Coming from the Sligo side, watch for the sign for Skreen ten miles past Ballisadare, and turn left 100 meters further on, at the Holy Hill Signpost. Coming from Ballina, watch for the Skreen sign, and a mile further on, Skreen Church on your right. Turn right 300 meters beyond the Church. A mile and a half up that road, you will see the Holy Hill sign on an old gateway to your left. The main entrance and car park is 100 meters further on.

If coming by public transport, take the train or bus to Sligo and transfer to the Sligo-Ballina bus and ask to be let off at the Skreen graveyard. The bus leaves Sligo each day at 12 noon and 3.45 pm. Please consult buseireann.ie and for full bus and train schedules. We will arrange to pick you up at Skreen. Those coming by air can travel to Sligo from Dublin by bus or train and from Knock Airport by bus.

Because of the monastery timetable, you are asked to arrive between 12 and 4 pm. Late arrival may be facilitated in exceptional circumstances.

Financial Contributions

Single hermitage:

Each night €70

Full week €400

Couple sharing one hermitage:

Each night €85

Full week €475

Sabbatical stay: €1,300 per month

Your contribution covers pick-up and drop-off at Skreen bus-stop, a private hermitage with bath/shower, bedding towels, and kitchen facilities stocked with fresh vegetables, fruit, bread, cheese, milk, canned goods.

Payment may be by cheque or cash, or by using the Paypal button on our website.

If you get spiritual guidance while at Holy Hill, the first session is free but please consider making an additional donation for further sessions.

We try to keep costs down for the sake of those who would not otherwise be able to come. Your contribution does not cover the full cost of running Holy Hill, especially in winter. As we are a completely self-supporting monastery, any additional contribution you may be able to make will be appreciated.

If you cannot afford the above suggested contributions, please ask about the possibility of exchanging part of your retreat fee for some hours of simple, quiet manual labour.

What to Bring

Warm clothes, rain gear, walking shoes, and swim wear if you want to go in the ocean, four miles away. There are scenic walks in the area. There are also some bicycles that retreatants are welcome to use.

Booking

Retreats begin on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Monday is our Desert Day.

Please fill out the attached booking form and send it with a non-refundable deposit of €50 to Retreat Bookings, Holy Hill Hermitage, Skreen, Dromard, Co Sligo. Make your cheque payable to Holy Hill Hermitage. Thank you.

The booking form may also be emailed to bookings@holyhill.ie followed by the down payment.

Your booking will be confirmed when your booking form and deposit have been received.

We look forward to meeting you at Holy Hill!

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