Group Retreats at the Monastery
Offering Solitude, Silence & Reflection
Sponsored Retreats available for guests who have been fully vaccinated.
A monastery is a perfect place for solitude, silence, reflection, and spiritual renewal. We invite you to come walk the grounds around Queen of Angels, in Mt. Angel, Oregon. Come, seek peace, pray, be still, reflect on your life and your journey with God. Take time to read, pray in one of our lovely gardens. We look forward to welcoming you in the Benedictine tradition, that all guests are received as Christ. We welcome people of all faiths, seeking God and peace.
Group Retreats
Shalom at the Monastery Sponsored Retreats
The Benedictine Sisters sponsor a number of retreats throughout the year. Below is the calendar of all upcoming workshops and sponsored retreats.
Workshops & Classes
Monthly Book Talk
Free • 3rd Saturday • 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
The group currently meets in person. Contact Sr. Dorothy Jean to join. Click here for a complete book list with meeting dates.
May 17, 2025 @ 9:30 a.m. Dining Room
Dream Group: Language of the Soul
$20 • 3rd Saturday • 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Listening to dreams in a group can help us pay attention to God's presence in image and word in our awakened life. Presenter is Clara Jean Dawson.
May 17, 2025 @ 10:00 a.m. Chapter Room
Please Note
Vaccination and social distancing
required (Mask are optional). for all attending retreats and workshops in-person at Queen of Angels Monastery. We greatly appreciate your help and support in keeping the sisters and guests safe.
Prayer of the Heart
Free • 3rd Monday • 3:00 - 4:00 pm
All are welcome to join this contemplative prayer group. Meetings take place in the Chapel, located on the second floor of the Hospitality Center.
May 19, 2025 @ 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
The Creative-Spiritual Life Circle via Zoom
Free • 3rd Saturday • 1:15 - 2:30 pm • Zoom
A Benedictine-centered discussion group whose concept is simple: people who gather together on a regular to share, without interruptions, whatever is gratifying us or amazing us or troubling us or puzzling us about the intersection of creativity and spirituality. September through May.
Click here to learn more and to register.
May 17, 2025 @ 1:15 p.m. via Zoom
Ongoing Formation for Spiritual Companions
2nd Friday • 9:30 - 11:30 am
All spiritual directors are welcome to attend the monthly meetings for on-going formation and education featuring lively discussions of pertinent spirituality topics, prayer and skills of the ministry. Meetings taking place via Zoom.
May 9, 2025 @ 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Retreats & Events
June 21, 2025
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Chapter Room
$25
Snacks Provided
Jesus, The Living Water Retreat presented by Nancy Hendricks
Jesus desires to be our friend and guide as we journey through this river of life. We will look at ways He was a friend to others and how He can be a friend to us. His parables, sayings and actions are all ways He can be by our sides daily. He calmed the waters for the disciples in the boat and can do the same for us today.
Presenter: Nancy Hendricks, MA from University of Portland, Oblate of Queen of Angels Monastery, and retreat presenter is creating a 2-acre peace garden with her husband.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. Please include your email address.
July 12,
and November 22, 2025
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Chapter Room
$20 each
Prayer of the Seasons guided by Gay Gomez, PhD
The unfolding of a human life, from birth to death, is often compared to the flow of the year’s seasons. It is not surprising that a metaphor from nature is used, as we too are a part of the gift of creation that surrounds and sustains us. Accordingly, the world of nature has much to teach as we too flow through the months and years, especially if we can take time to carefully listen. This retreat series, which consists of the four seasons, offers participants an opportunity for guided nature observation and quiet reflection time on the monastery grounds. Each session will begin with a passage from Scripture and a brief reflection on the season. After the outdoor time, we will reconvene briefly to reflect on our experience. Please join us for one, several, or all our gatherings, which will be held rain or shine.
Presenter: Gay Gomez, Ph.D., is a retired professor of geography, an occasional retreat presenter and naturalist guide, and oblate inquirer of QAM. She enjoys gardening, nature observation, and learning about the land and life in the Pacific Northwest.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. Please include your email address.
July 12, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (7/12)
Chapter Room
$40 Suggested Donation For Both Workshops
Bring Your Own Lunch
Introductory Centering Prayer Workshop led by Alysa Hilton and presented in partnership with Contemplative Outreach of Portland
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer developed in 1981 by Trappist Monk, Father Thomas Keating, in which we experience God's presence within us; closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.
Led by Alysa Hilton, Oblate at Queen of Angels Monastery, is a commissioned presenter of Centering Prayer Introductory Workshops under the guidance of Contemplative Outreach. Alysa, a retired nurse practitioner, wife and grandmother, attends St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Milwaukie, OR.
July 12th is the follow up session to offer further support with your practice.
It is highly recommended that workshop participants purchase the book Open Mind, Open Heart by Father Thomas Keating (not required, but a good resource).
To register, call 503-845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St. Mt. Angel, OR 97362, 3 days prior to retreat.
August 2, 2025
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Chapter Room
$50
Beverages and snacks provided
Among God's Holy Women: Scholastica, Clare, and Us presented by Susan Black
Many people know of Saints Scholastica and Clare primarily because of their association with more prominent men: St. Benedict (Scholastica’s twin) and St. Francis of Assisi (Clare’s mentor). Yet these women were powerful and charismatic spiritual leaders in their own right. Both formed communities (still existing) of women religious organized around monastic guidelines: Scholastica in the early 6th century according to the Rule of Benedict and Clare in the 13th century according to the Rule of Life that she promulgated for the Order of Poor Ladies. Their influence can be seen and felt today, in the ripple effects of the lives and service of every Benedictine and Poor Clare/Franciscan nun, and all who follow their examples.
This retreat will be an opportunity meet and befriend Scholastica and Clare, and to share in their teachings about how to live the holy lives that our Baptism calls us to.
Presenter: Oblate Susan Black, leader of Shalom at the Monastery retreats and the Creative/Spiritual Life Circle discussion group. Susan is an artist and a writer. Check out www.BlackStarStudio.me to learn more about her.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. Bring your own lunch.
October 4, 2025
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Chapter Room
$45
Beverages and snacks provided
Meet Wisdom, the Feminine Genius of God,
through the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament presented by Susan Black
Seven books of the Old testament focus on the question: “How is life to be lived?” with answers ranging from the most practical to the most mystical and mysterious. Collectively, these books take their name from the trait that infuses them all -- Wisdom -- in a form that the USCCB calls “the strongest personification of the Bible ... Woman Wisdom.” Individually, each of the seven books -- Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, Sirach, as well as the Psalms and the Song of Songs -- offers a unique take on how the feminine genius of God plays out in every human circumstance.
Participants in this retreat will gain new knowledge about the Wisdom Books themselves, and also enhance their appreciation for the life-changing power of Wisdom as a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Presenter: Oblate Susan Black, leader of Shalom at the Monastery retreats and the Creative/Spiritual Life Circle discussion group. Susan is an artist and a writer. Check out www.BlackStarStudio.me to learn more about her.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. BYO lunch. Beverage and snacks provided.
November 1, 2025
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Chapter Room
$25
Snacks Provided
Humility for the 21st Century Retreat presented by Nancy Hendricks
Chapter 7 in the Rule of St. Benedict speaks about humility. We will explore ways, that it is possible to live with humility in the 21st century as it was in the 6th century. We can be in the world but not of the world, which can be selfish and loud. St. Benedict and others will teach us practical ways to live with the spirit of humility.
Presenter: Nancy Hendricks, MA from University of Portland, Oblate of Queen of Angels Monastery, and retreat presenter is creating a 2-acre peace garden with her husband.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. Please include your email address.
November 22, 2025
9:00 a.m. - Noon
Chapter Room
Free
Saint Benedict: Our lives ought to be a continuous Advent presented by Sr. Dorothy Jean Beyer and Susan Black
The Benedictine Sisters are offering this retreat as an Advent/Christmas gift.
According to Saint Benedict, “The life of a monastic ought to be a continuous Lent.” St Benedict never mentions Advent in his Rule for monks, at least not directly. However, if we look at his Rule in its totality, rather than a continuous Lent, what Benedict presents is monastic life as a continuous Advent. The monastic tradition incorporates the spirit of this holy season by training monastics to stay vigilant for the coming of the Lord.
Come spend a morning on retreat, preparing for a joyous Advent and a blessed Christmas, using the Rule of Saint Benedict. How will you prepare to welcome Christ and others into your heart, into your home this year? This is an opportunity to learn more about the Benedictine Rule, Advent and your observance of this upcoming season.
To register and/or more information, call 503 845-2556 or send a note to Sister Dorothy Jean Beyer, 840 S. Main St., Mount Angel, OR 97362, or email benedictinefoundation@gmail.com. Please register 3 days before the retreat.
December 6, 2025
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Chapter Room
$25
Snacks Provided
Can I Be a Saint? presented by Nancy Hendricks and Mary Blankenship
Let’s sit around an imaginary campfire, chat with the saints about their lives, and talk about what led to their sainthood. The retreat will help us discover ways in which we are saints in the making.
Presenters: Oblates Nancy Hendricks and Mary Blankenship, both Shalom at the Monastery retreat presenters.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. Please include your email address.
January 10, 2026
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Chapter Room
$45
Beverages & Snacks Provided
Living In-Between: Thriving Amid Personal and Global Uncertainty presented by Oblate Susan Black
Because we are Christians, our spiritual certainty rests in our redemption through Jesus Christ. That truth co-exists with another: the uncertainty of human life, with its abundance of personal and global challenges, from the trivial to the profound. Human life and all that comes with it is a gift from our generous and loving God. We are called to embrace life’s questions and possibilities, even if we do not understand them, even if they are unexpected, unwelcome or uncomfortable.
This retreat will help participants see that, just as joy/sorrow are two sides of the same coin, so too are certainty/uncertainty. We can learn how to proceed with curiosity and confidence through the unknown, walking in the light of all the many gifts of the Holy Spirit. We know the way, even when the path ahead is shrouded.
Presenter: Oblate Susan Black, leader of Shalom at the Monastery retreats and the Creative/Spiritual Life Circle discussion group. Susan is an artist and a writer. Check out www.BlackStarStudio.me to learn more about her.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. Bring your own lunch. Beverage and snacks provided.
March 14, 2026
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Chapter Room
$45
Beverages & Snacks Provided
Bring Your Own Lunch
Making Our Way with Jesus to the Cross presented by Oblate Susan Black
We invite you to freshly experience a traditional Lenten practice: following the “Way (the “Stations”) of the Cross.” Walk, reflect and pray with Jesus as He is condemned to death, as He makes His tortured way through Jerusalem to Golgotha, as He consoles His Mother, as He encounters the kindness of Veronica and the grief of the women of Jerusalem, as He weakens, stumbles and falls, as He is crucified, dies and is buried. Our faith tells us that death is not the end, that it is the necessary door to eternal life, that the Resurrection belongs to Jesus and to us. Facing the reality of Jesus’s death helps deepen our belief in this mystery.
Participants will be able to follow the Way using the Monastery’s own unique outdoor and indoor installations: reverently crafted many years ago by Sister Angela Meister. OSB. She walked in the footsteps of many artists who, over the centuries and to this day, have been inspired to convey the sufferings of Jesus. Examples of such creative interpretations will be presented as an additional prayerful approach to bringing of the Way of the Cross into our daily lives.
Presenter: Oblate Susan Black, leader of Shalom at the Monastery retreats and the Creative/Spiritual Life Circle discussion group. Susan is an artist and a writer. Check out www.BlackStarStudio.me to learn more about her.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat. Bring your own lunch. Beverages and snacks provided.
May 2, 2026
1:00pm
Outdoor Labyrinth, West End of Shalom Building
FREE
World Labyrinth Day: Take Steps Together for Peace
The Benedictine Sisters at Shalom at the Monastery invite you to walk with them their outdoor labyrinth on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 1 p.m. Please gather at the labyrinth at the west end of the Shalom building.
At 12:45 p.m., there will be a brief explanation of the Peace Walk on the labyrinth. We will then walk the 20-minute Silent Peace Walk, using the format of Benedictines For Peace. Following the walk, refreshments will be served in the Benedictine Sisters' dining room. All are welcome!
To register, call Sister Dorothy Jean Beyer, (503) 845-2556 or email her here.
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May 9, 2026
9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
$25
Aging: The Open Door to the Rest of Your Life presented by Oblate Susan Black
“The Lord opened a door of opportunity for me.”
2 Corinthians 2:12
“When one door closes, another opens;
but we often look so long and so regretfully
upon the closed door
that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
Alexander Graham Bell
Are you standing in the liminal space between the closed door of a known past and the open door to an unknown future?
This retreat is designed to help you see the opportunity presented by the open door of aging. If you regard aging as an integral part of God’s gift of life, you can be confident about stepping through that door. How can you support and sustain that confidence? By creating your own Credo of Aging -- a statement of beliefs and approaches that will help you flourish in a new and meaningful stage of life.
This retreat will be a time of personal discovery. Using a variety of creative and spiritual tools, you will review what has brought you to this time of transition. You will design your Credo, an approach to the future that is uniquely yours, because it will be based on your own history and your own aspirations.
Aging is an experience that is both universal and unique. As part of the mortal human community, we all take a journey from birth through life until death. As unique individuals, we take this journey in ways that no one else ever has, or ever will. And along the way, we encounter challenge and opportunity, success and failure, joy and sorrow, clarity and deep mystery. Doors close, doors open, paths unfurl ahead of us and detours and crossroads abound. Always -- if we are paying attention -- there are questions about the meaning of life, and how to fulfill it, how to honor what God has freely given us. Whenever these questions come upon us, that is the time to begin engaging with them. This retreat may be your time.
The retreat will be guided by Oblate Susan Black, leader of Shalom retreats and the Creative/Spiritual Life Circle discussion group. Susan is an artist and a writer; to learn more about her, go to the website www.BlackStarStudio.me.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check payable to Benedictine Sisters, Attn: Sister Dorothy Jean, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, three days before the retreat.
December 26, 2026
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Chapter Room
$40
Refreshing Our Advent Prayer Practices led by Sr. Dorothy Jean Beyer and Oblate Susan Black
A most beautiful season of the liturgical year, Advent can easily become lost in the hurly-burly of modern life, holiday observances and all the multiple demands we face. We can miss the spiritual gift of quietly waiting -- anticipating -- with Mary the birth of Jesus, the Word made Flesh, coming to dwell among us.
Come spend a day on retreat, preparing for a fruitful Advent and a holy Christmas. You will learn how to incorporate two traditional spiritual practices into your prayer life: the Advent wreath and its symbols of light, and the mandala, a contemplative form of art-making and prayer. All materials supplied.
To register, call 503 845-2556 or send a check to Benedictine Sisters, 840 S. Main St., Mt. Angel, OR 97362, or email benedictinefoundation@gmail.com Please register 3 days before the retreat. Bring your own lunch. Snacks and beverages provided.