Top Books on Retreat are here for you to know and go buy. In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) founded the modern retreat, which is also common in Christian churches. In 1922, Pope Pius XI designated Ignatius as the patron saint of spiritual retreats. Every year, a large number of Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians participate in and plan spiritual retreats.
The simplest definition of a Christian retreat is a specific period of time (ranging from a few hours to a month) spent apart from one’s everyday life with the aim of reestablishing a connection with God, usually through prayer. While the act of withdrawing from daily life to establish a closer relationship with God, whether in a monastery or the desert (as was the case with the Desert Fathers), is almost as old as Christianity itself, the custom of setting aside a specific amount of time to spend with God is a more recent development, having its roots in the 1520s and St. Ignatius of Loyola’s writing of the Spiritual Exercises. The scriptural rationale for retreats is based on Jesus’ forty-day fast in the desert.
These books will be of help for you to have a time of retreat for yourself.
Below are Books on Retreat:
Journey with Jesus (Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius) – Larry Warner
Lift Up Your Heart (A 10-Day Personal Retreat with St. Francis De Sales) – John Burns
Retreats For Spiritual Progress – Zacharias Tanee Fomum
Soul Print (Discovering Your Divine Destiny) – Mark Batterson
The Way of the Heart (The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers) – Henri Nouwen
