May 2, 2010

A gym for the spirit

The two-day prayer recollection that I went to earlier this week was held at the Loyola Retreat House in the town of Angono in Rizal Province, east of Metro Manila. It is run by the Society of Jesus and visitors and retreatants are greeted by a statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola holding his Spiritual Exercises, which was the basis of our recollection, though in a much shorter form.

driveway of the Loyola Retreat House in Angono, Rizal


Almost hidden among the trees at the back of the retreat house is a small shrine depicting one of the most important events in the life of Ignatius. He was a Basque soldier and after his conversion, he made a pilgrimage to the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain where he lay down his arms and armor in front of an image of the Virgin Mary.

a shrine at the Loyola Retreat House in Angono, Rizal


The Loyola Retreat House is nowhere near as gorgeous as last year's Caleruega. It is actually quite spartan in its furnishings and design, but since it is used strictly as a venue for spiritual retreats, I think it was a much better choice—it was completely quiet. The most extravagant adornments in the center are the beautiful stained glass windows in the small chapel. Again, St. Ignatius is depicted holding the book of the Spiritual Exercises in one of the four large windows behind the altar.

stained glass window depicting St. Ignatius of Loyola at the chapel of the Loyola Retreat House in Angono, Rizal


Urban or rural, natural or man-made, take a sightseeing tour of our world's diverse scenery!
Scenic Sunday

14 comments:

George said...

This does look like a marvelous place for a retreat.

Tussy said...

Beautiful stain glass work! Agreed with George too.

It looks so peaceful.

Theme Day ~ Statue

Verna Luga said...

mocca naman their lawn .... but a tranquil place to be ...

Spider On A Web

Gemma Wiseman said...

A fascinating place to enjoy a retreat! Lovely photos!

Gabby Malcuit said...

Great blog! I'm originally from Quezon City and now live in the US. I'm excited to read your past and future posts. My family went to Manila in 2008 after not having visited for 15 years! Now that I have my own family, I want my husband and my daughter to know about my culture.

Eden said...

What a beautiful place for a retreat! Great shots.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Parang maganda magmuni muni dyan..

Burn.. Relieve.. Enjoy

Louis la Vache said...

We all need to break away and contemplate.

On the peninsula south of San Francisco in Burlingame, the Sisters of Mercy have a retreat center.
On the first Friday of each month, a Taizé service is held there. «Louis» et Mme la Vache go occasionally.

Pour le 1er Mai, «Louis» vous donne un bouquet de Muguet.

arabesque said...

hi hilds, it's indeed a place to rekindle your spirit and forget all the hustle and bustle of our daily busy life. have a blessed sunday! ^0^

brattcat said...

What a wonderful place to spend some time getting back in touch with nature.

Halcyon said...

Looks like a great place for reflection and meditation. And love the title of your post today. It made me smile.

SH -ic said...

hi hilda just joined the group againn nice ..all best to ypu

Cezar and Léia said...

I would love to join people in this blessed place to pray as well.Wonderful pictures dear Hilda and that stained glass is outstanding!
Have a great week
Léia

Dina said...

Thanks for taking us in.
I would like to do a proper Ignatian retreat someday.