Dear Friends
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been here long enough to have celebrated our one-year anniversary on October 1st. Thank you for the many greetings that we’ve received over the last couple of weeks – they’ve been so encouraging and have made us smile. It was a joy to mark this milestone with our guests, extended household, community, volunteers and local friends by holding our first Harvest Supper: a wonderful celebration of God’s goodness to us in so many ways.
Over the past couple of months we’ve welcomed guests on personal retreats and holidays, with others joining us for our Walking Week, a Bank Holiday Celebration, an Individually Guided Retreat and a Quiet Week.
Bookings are already open for individual holidays and retreats in 2022 (both catered and self-catered) but we’re excited to share some of the led retreats/events we’ve planned for the first half of the year…
Bread Retreat:Friday 25th – Sunday 27th February
Time to reflect, bake bread & eat in the company of others…what’s not to love?!
Individually Guided Retreat: Monday 14th – Friday 18th March
A silent retreat with the opportunity to meet daily with a Spiritual Director.
Gardening Retreat: Monday 25th – Friday 29th April
A combination of daily reflections and some ‘hands on’ gardening.
St. Hilda’s Pilgrimage: Monday 9th – Sunday 15th May:
40 miles of walking spread over 4 days, using St Oswald’s as a base. You’ll need a certain level of fitness for this one!
If you’d like to book for any of these events, or indeed for a break outside of these times, please email us at office@stoswalds.community or phone us on 01947 810496 (please leave a message if we don’t answer – we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!)
We’ve been really encouraged to hear that many of our guests have felt that St Oswald’s is a safe and welcoming space to begin unpacking the questions and challenges of the last 19 months. We value your support; practically, financially and most importantly in prayer, that enables us to continue offering this homely place to those who come through our doors.
We continue to look for additional community members: either long or short term. We need someone who’s not afraid of hard physical work and who understands that hospitality is central to all we do. If you know of anyone who may be suited to the excitement and challenge of community life and might want to explore this possibility further, please tell them about us!
We look forward to seeing you soon!
With love and blessings,
Michyla, Jackie and Paul
