January 29-31, 2027

A Taste of Silence: Weekend Silent Directed Retreat $400

 

Step out of your routine to enter sacred space in a spirit of silence for a weekend.


Register

 A Directed Retreat at Mercy by the Sea provides a peaceful atmosphere of solitude to enter more deeply into relationship with the Divine. This “Taste of Silence” is perfect for those new to directed retreats to start with a shorter experience and for those who may find it challenging to make a longer retreat during the year.  A daily meeting with a trained spiritual director provides space to recognize and respond to the sacred present in each moment.

 

The rest of the time is yours in this Thin Space, Sacred Ground:

  • Contemplate Creation by walking on the beach, exploring the nature path through the woodlands, and witnessing the abundant wildlife that share these grounds.
  • Explore opportunities for creative expression including journaling, painting, poetry, and art.
  • Spend time in prayer and reflection in the Lyons Chapel, Grant Living Room, Seaside Chapel or anywhere on these sacred grounds.

The retreat is unique for each person through the questions, hopes, and desires brought to the weekend, the rhythm of contemplation and action in each day, the accompaniment of the spiritual director, and ultimately the personal encounter with the Sacred.  A weekend is plenty of time for grace, peace, and transformation of heart.

After registering for the retreat you will receive a questionnaire that will help the team pair retreatants with one of the spiritual directors listed below at the start of the retreat. You can express preferences but  we cannot guarantee a particular director. Contact Megan Shepherd, Director of Spirituality and Retreats, with any questions. 

Laura Arvin, OP

Laura is a Dominican Sister of Amityville, NY and is currently serving as a Councilor on her congregational Leadership Team. Prior to this she ministered at Mount Saint Mary House of Prayer in Watchung, NJ for nearly 13 years serving as Executive Director for the last 6 years. She also worked in higher education at St. John’s University in Queens, NY for many years. She completed her spiritual direction training at Fordham University, retreat direction internship at Inisfada Jesuit Retreat House on Long Island, and directed the 30 day retreat at the Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth in Wernersville, PA and Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, MA. She guest directs in a number of retreat houses. Laura has a special interest in St. Catherine of Siena and the mystics. She also enjoys praying with poetry and music. 

Margaret Ellen Burke

 Margaret Ellen Burke, SC, a New York Sister of Charity, earned a Masters in Spirituality, Counseling and Biology and has been a spiritual director for more than 30 years. She has taught and supervised spiritual directors as a member of the faculty of Fordham University School of Religion & Religious Education, the Center of Spirituality & Justice and Mariandale Retreat & Conference Center. Her ministry of retreats, of every kind, has been in the US and Canada. Margaret Ellen was the co-founder and director of the Center of Renewal & Education (CORE), a mobile center in the rural areas of the Diocese of New York whose focus was the empowerment of the laity for ministry in Church and public life. She has often facilitated processes for the leadership of numerous religious communities of women and men. Margaret Ellen’s previous ministries include chaplaincy to the terminally ill at St Vincent’s Hospital in NYC and Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, and spiritual direction at the Jesuit Center of Religious Development in Cambridge, MA. She has always had a great passion for her ministry. A former hiker and camper, Margaret Ellen loves the outdoors and continues her daily walks no matter the weather. She is seldom seen without her camera.

Eileen Campbell, RSM 

Eileen is a Sister of Mercy currently living in Dallas, PA. Throughout her 60 years as a vowed religious, Eileen has been a teacher, principal, director of a residency for women and children experiencing homelessness, and director of a full time volunteer program. She served on the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Leadership Team and as director of new membership. Spirituality is dear to her heart, her wellspring, and her source of joy and peace. Accompanying people on their spiritual journey has been pure gift whether as spiritual director, retreat director, or more recently as co-facilitator of the Mercy by the Sea Sabbatical Program for women religious. The sacred grounds of Mercy by the Sea are a rich environment for her own spiritual journey. Eileen enjoys poetry and spiritual writings of Scripture, Rumi, Howard Thurman, Mary Oliver, David Whyte and others.

Rev. Stephanie Haskins

 Rev. Stephanie Haskins is ordained in the United Church of Christ (Protestant) and has pastored congregations in Massachusetts, Iowa and Connecticut. She is currently the Director of Religious & Spiritual Programs and College Chaplain at Connecticut College in New London, CT. She has served as a spiritual director and retreat leader for 10 years, and has an interest in contemplative spirituality and interspiritual formation.

Megan Shepherd

Megan serves as the Director of Spirituality and Retreats at Mercy by the Sea. A certified Spiritual Director in the Ignatian tradition for over eighteen years, she is a member of the College of Directors at Fairfield University’s Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality. Before moving to Connecticut in 2023, Megan spent fourteen years in South Bend, IN directing the Notre Dame Vision program for young people and those who serve them. Megan is grateful for the opportunity to share her gifts in creativity, spiritual direction, and ministry in service of all who seek to connect with the divine. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Megan has a heart for adopting senior dogs with special needs and currently lives in Madison, CT.

How to Register

Once a retreat has opened for registration, it will remain open until it is filled, and a waiting list will be generated. If possible, please use the Online Registration. Online registration will be available 24 hours per day. If you are unable to register online, please call (203) 245-0401 where staff will assist you between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Please be aware, we have limited staff available to process phone calls and these requests will be processed after all the online registrations are fully processed.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Register

  • Have your credit card available to process your payment. (You will be able to reserve your spot with a deposit of $150, or pay the balance in full.)
  • Click on the button for each retreat to learn more about the directors and to register.
  • To register, click on the button and follow the instructions.
  • If the retreat director is full, a waitlist form will appear. Fill in your name and contact info to be added to the waitlist.

Cancellation and Refund Policy for Mercy by the Sea

  • A non-refundable deposit of $150 is required at registration.
  • A cancellation made up to 14 days before the start of the retreat will result in a full refund minus the deposit.
  • The payment balance is due 14 days before a retreat.
  • A cancellation made fewer than 14 days before your scheduled arrival, you will receive a 50% refund of the total amount paid minus the deposit.
  • A full refund would be given in the unlikely event that MBTS would need to cancel the program.
  • Any payments made cannot be held by MBTS as "credit on account" toward a future date.