Ever thought of doing an online retreat? It seems this is now all the rage – a kind of spiritual spin-off from the rise of video conferencing in recent years. But how do you communicate a sense of the sacred online? This Church Times article reflects on some largely positive experiences, including their own.
The Church Times began offering half-day online retreats for Advent and Lent during COVID, and these draw up to 700 people. “It’s rich fare, and a lot to take in at one sitting,” the publisher at Church House Publishing, the Revd Christine Smith, who hosts these retreats, says, “but, from the comments posted in the chat bar, we know that the model works for many.”
But is it really possible to create a sacred space online? According to Fr Alex Ezechukwu, Carmelite Prior in Oxford and director of the Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality, it is, and in fact it makes sense. “In our tradition, which is a mystical, contemplative tradition, we speak of ‘the mystical space of Carmel’, which is not so much a physical location as a spiritual location……A sacred and empowering environment, a place of beauty, can very easily be created on online. A lot depends on the quality of our presence with the one who is there with us, and how we facilitate that, whether we use art and music and silence to create an ambience where, when they enter the virtual space, they can feel a welcoming presence, knowing what is going to happen there.”
Read the Church Times article here.