Jesuits launch online survey to help ‘rethink’ retreats

THE SOCIETY of Jesus in Britain has revealed plans to entice more people to go on retreat by offering online programmes, with personal spiritual direction via Skype.

This week it launched an online survey with the aim, according to Fr Simon Bishop, director of spirituality for the British Jesuits, of helping to rethink the way it offers retreats, and make them possible for people who have previously not thought of themselves as retreat-goers.

“We want to find out if there are new ways we can reach ­people, and one thing we’re ­looking at is the possibility of developing online retreats. They’re very popular in the US. They’re a different way of making a retreat: you’re given prayer material and you’re put in touch with a spiritual director whom you can communicate with either by email or on Skype,” said Fr Bishop.

“The idea is that you’re not alone, you’re accompanied, and there’s someone to support you. Of course going away to a beautiful place is often a wonderful part of a retreat, but it’s not essential to get away to have a retreat, and there are some people who could never manage to go away.”

Fr Bishop said the Jesuit retreat houses, especially St Beuno’s in North Wales, was always booked up well in advance and even had waiting lists.

“We could quite happily just carry on as we are – it’s certainly successful – but we’re aware that there may be groups of people out there whom we’re not catering for, and they’re the people we want to reach.”

The survey is at www.surveymonkey.com/s/myspirituallife