Silent retreats are offered throughout the year. Each retreatant has access to the spacious, comfortable great room overlooking the Vernon Marsh, exercise equipment and four acres of woods to explore (mosquitoes permitting). An outdoor Labyrinth, winding through the wood with a 16 foot tower on a hill as its center, is available all hours of the day or night.

There is private space for three people or shared space for six people. Delicious home cooked meals are prepared by the staff. Each retreatant is assigned an hour of manual labor each day. (Clearing paths in the woods, gathering/carrying/stocking firewood, housework, yard work, snow shoveling, etc.).

Strict silence is maintained from 8 p.m. on Friday until the end of the retreat. The retreat schedule generally includes morning prayer, the Sabbath vigil, Eucharist on Sunday, several periods of group meditation,* time to walk the Labyrinth and opportunity for individual spiritual direction.

This disciplined program is designed for spiritual athletes, but beginners need not be daunted. Every item on the schedule is optional except the daily hour of work and the rule of silence!

*Meditation as practiced in these retreats is an exercise in physical stillness in order to facilitate intense listening: to one's body, mind and, above all, to God.

Individuals and groups (up to 12 for day or 6 for overnight) are welcome to come for private retreats. Length of time is based on your need and Mary's Margin space availability. Call Mary's Margin to schedule the day(s).

The Sisters offer a program called Inner Peace Corps for students or people in transition for whom six to twelve months of manual work interwoven with prayer and labyrinthine contemplation would help them go forth into the world with more focus and joy. Inner Peace Corps would provide room, board and a small stipend in exchange for organic cooking, vigilant cleaning, gracious organic gardening or other tasks that fit the individual participant's talents. Medieval and renaissance men and women had the opportunity to indulge in seasons of manual work and spiritual luxury; why should people in this century be so bereft?

If you are interested in participating in the Inner Peace Corps program, the Sisters would welcome your inquiries.

The Transformation Game is a joyful way of understanding and transforming the way you play your life. It's about looking at your life and the kinds of experiences you create, seeing how you react to them and how you can use these insights for your own growth. Through the game you can become more aware of your personal strengths and learn important lessons that can deepen your understanding of how you operate. The game can also be used as a powerful interactive tool for solving problems and achieving desired goals. The Transformation Game triggers your creativity and lets you realize your full power and potential.

The Transformation Game was originated and developed by Joy Drake and Kathy Tyler while living at the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland. It is appropriate for players 16 years old and older. It can be played by two to four players. The game is a multi-purpose tool which can be experienced on many levels and has a variety of applications. It can be played just for fun or easily adapted by therapists, counselors and professional facilitators to promote more in-depth experiences.

Several Transformation Game retreat weekends are offered at Mary's Margin each year and the game is always available for individuals on their own retreats.

Lauren Artress writes "The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world. To walk a labyrinth is to rediscover a long-forgotten mystical tradition dating back to the time of the Crusades when it was no longer safe for ordinary Christians to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The mysterious path becomes a metaphor for one's own spiritual journey. It becomes a mirror reflecting the place where each stands in his or her life."

In the Labyrinth here at Mary's Margin, there are no walls, only a mile-long path winding, circling, weaving through wood and meadow. It leads to a 16 foot tower, the "center", which is on a hill overlooking the Fox River valley. There are no rules; each walker is free to explore a unique, individual experience at his or her own pace. Designed as another avenue for prayer and meditation, the labyrinth is open at all times of the day or night as part of a retreat, or by itself.

Drum Circles are celebrated quarterly around the outdoor fire circle (weather permitting, otherwise indoors) at Mary's Margin. We will sing, dance and make music - or at least a cheerful noise - and roast marshmallows. You can bring your own instrument/drum if you have one or use one of the few extras instruments at Mary's Margin.

In "The Sayings of the Desert Father", Benedicta Ward writes, "It was said of him [Abba Arsenius, 360-440 A.D.] that on Saturday evenings, he would turn his back on the sun and stretch out his hands in prayer towards the heavens, 'till once again the sun shown on his face.' Then he would sit down."

Inspired by such stories from the early desert tradition and by the Great Vigil of Easter, the Sisters have developed a two-hour Vigil Service during which several periods of silent meditation and one of psalms and a reading are punctuated by simple danced prayers set to Taize-style music.

When our chaplain is present, the vigil also includes the Eucharist with a dialogue "sermon." The service lasts for 3 hours followed by a meal.