Entirely by the grace of God, I have been planning a 14-week pilgrimage into eastern Europe this spring and summer. The overall intent is to allow the Holy Spirit to draw me closer to Him and to immerse myself in some of that peace and joy He so abundantly promises us. In addition to spending prayerful retreats in several monasteries, I will be visiting some towns and places where I have lived while teaching in eastern Europe in years past and which are very dear to my heart. During my travels, it is also, quite likely, I will indulge in some good Czech beers.
My pilgrimage begins with a six-day retreat at a new Benedictine monastery in central Slovakia. I then take a train into the Czech Republic where I will spend a week at a Trappist house and then a week at an ancient Norbertine monastery. Following a few “free” days, I travel into southern Germany where I will stay at two large Benedictine houses. I meet up with my wife and her sister in Stuttgart in late June, and we will pleasure travel in western Germany for two weeks. Then I fly to Lithuania where I spend time at a Benedictine monastery and a Carmelite convent, both, of which, I have made retreats at before. I end my trip with a final two weeks of peace, solitude, and silence doing a rural home-stay on an isolated lake in the far northeastern corner of Poland and then a final week of retreat at another Benedictine house in central Poland.
Richard Hansgen
