By Jeanni Ritchie
Our Lady of the Oaks Jesuit Retreat House in Grand Coteau is offering its 3rd annual Veterans Retreat, a three-day retreat for men and women of all faiths, to the public at no charge. This year’s theme is Stand Down.
Designed specifically for veterans, the May 23-26 weekend experience is designed as a place of healing, peace, and relaxation for the men and women who selflessly served our country.
This Louisiana gem has a simple mission: draw men and women closer to Jesus Christ and His Church through retreats following the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Ignatian spirituality, first approved by Pope Paul III in 1548, helps us find God in all things and was initially given to guide lay people in their everyday life. It is the cornerstone of Our Lady of the Oaks and it is here that I recently found myself recentered after a particularly difficult time.
The grounds were immaculate, its sacred places creating the solace our souls crave. The food was delicious, their taste even better when lovingly prepared and served to you as honored guests. While the veterans’ retreat is not silent, mine was, and I both enjoyed and struggled with the silence. I am a talker.
Prayers were recited, however, the pleas and praises to God reverberating throughout the chapel. There was one line in the prayer Anima Christi that especially caught my attention:
From the malignant enemy defend me…
I knew who the enemy was. The devil had been working overtime to destroy my relationships, my reputation, and my mind. But I’d never heard the word malignant as an adjective to describe him.
I have had many friends and family members with malignant cancer. Once it spreads throughout your body it can be difficult to eradicate, almost impossible without aggressive treatment. How had I missed the malignancy of allowing Satan in my life? One little vice, one bout of self-righteous anger, one worm of unforgiveness, and his power spreads within.
An Our Lady of the Oaks retreat can be a treatment center for the cancer of our mind. The patron-sponsored Veterans Retreat is designed to help those who suffered with such internal struggles, some of it through no fault of their own.
“Come all who have served and allow God to continue to create you in His image and likeness!” Retreat Director Albert S. Cain III (U.S.M.C.) shares.
I’ve never served in the military but I have experienced trauma-based PTSD that affected my sleep for decades. Learning to slumber without sleep aids has been a lifelong battle. Yet in the sanctity of the Oaks, I was lulled to sleep with a gentle breeze and sounds of the courtyard fountain wafting through the unlocked screen door. The decision to leave my bedroom door opened to the corridor was not made lightly but the rewards were heavily. I had the soundest sleep of my life.
The freedom in my soul upon awakening is indescribable. You must experience it for yourself!
The weekend retreat for veteran men and women has a $50 refundable upon arrival deposit to hold your spot. Vacancies remain.
Additional retreats are held throughout the year for men, ladies, and married couples. Retreat offerings vary; scholarships are available. All in need of spiritual recharging are welcome, regardless of ability to pay because of the generosity of others.
To register for a retreat or support their mission, visit ourladyoftheoaks.com or email executiveassistant@ourladyoftheoaks.org.
Jeanni Ritchie is a Louisiana journalist who finds spiritual retreats to be a great resource for effectively managing mental health.