Themed Self-Guided Retreat Experiences
Find Your Own Path to Peace
Just as every path leads us somewhere different, every retreat offers a unique opportunity to pause, explore, and reconnect with what matters to us.
Our Themed Self-Guided Retreat Experiences invite you to explore different paths to reflection, healing, creativity, and personal growth. Each experience has its own focus, activities, and resources, but there's no set schedule or right way to follow them. You are always free to make the experience your own!
Take a look at the paths below and see which one speaks to you. Sometimes the journey we need most begins with simply choosing to take that first step.
And be sure to visit us again, as we're always exploring new ideas and adding more retreat experiences to our collection. Who knows? Your next visit might bring a whole new path to explore!
Available Retreat Experiences
Explore our growing collection of themed self-guided retreats, each offering a different way to pause, reflect, create, discover something new, or simply enjoy some time for yourself. Whether you're looking for rest, inspiration, personal reflection, or a meaningful way to explore something happening in your life, we hope you'll find an experience that speaks to you!
We're always looking for new ways to create meaningful retreats that respond to the different needs, interests, and experiences of those who visit the Center. Some may invite you to explore your creativity, others to reconnect with nature, reflect on life's challenges, or simply slow down and enjoy the present moment.
These experiences are currently available for reservation. Take a look and see which one might be right for you!
Art as Prayer: Personal Self-Guided Retreat
This experience invites you to engage art not as performance or technique, but as prayer — a way of listening, noticing, and responding through color, line, texture, and form.
Wind Phone: A Self-Guided Grief Retreat
Spend a few hours or a full day in quiet reflection through a self-guided Wind Phone Retreat created for those carrying loss, whether recent or long held.
As the days grow shorter and the weather gets colder, there's something wonderful about finding a warm, peaceful place to slow down and spend a little time with yourself.
This winter, we're introducing three new self-guided retreat experiences designed for those quieter, cozier days. Whether you're putting together a puzzle, writing words you've never had the chance to express, or taking a much-needed break from screens and distractions, each experience offers a different opportunity to pause, reflect, and enjoy some time away from everyday responsibilities.
Take a sneak peek at what's coming this winter! We can't wait to welcome you to these new experiences, where sometimes the simplest activities can become the most meaningful.
Coming Soon! Winter 2026
Letters Never Sent: Self-Guided Retreat
This experience invites you to put unspoken words on paper, reflect on what they mean and choose whether to keep your letter or gently release it as it dissolves in the water.
Peace By Piece: Self-Guided Retreat
This experience invites you to slow down, find peace through the simple act of putting a puzzle together, and reflect on patience, letting go, and enjoying the journey.
No Screens, Just Peace: Self-Guided Retreat
This experience invites you to unplug from screens, step away from everyday distractions, and rediscover the joy of slowing down, resting, and simply being present.
And as the days grow longer and nature begins to awaken, spring offers a wonderful opportunity to step outside, explore our beautiful grounds, and discover new ways to connect with ourselves and the world around us.
This spring, we're developing two new self-guided retreat experiences that invite you to slow down and look at the world from a different perspective. One will take you on a reflective journey through our Peace Prayer Labyrinth, while the other will invite you to learn about the Indigenous peoples of this land, explore our relationship with creation, and reflect on our shared responsibility to care for it.
We're excited to share these new experiences with you! Both will offer opportunities to enjoy the beauty of St. Mary-on-the-Lake while discovering something meaningful along the way.
Coming Soon! Spring 2027
The Labyrinth Journey Self-Guided Retreat
The path may be the same, but the journey is always your own. A labyrinth is a path that invites you to walk, pause, reflect, and discover what may be waiting for your attention.
Land, People & Peace: An Indigenous Peoples & Care for Creation Self-Guided Retreat
A pause to reflect on our land, the people who came before us, and our responsibility for its future.