A WELSH convent is opening its doors to millennials look­ing to take time off from social media and retreat into silence.

“Let’s get away from social media and listen to birdsong”

The retreat from 6-10 August, at the An­­glican community of the Society of the Sacred Cross at Ty Mawr, in the Wye Valley, is aimed specif­ically at people under 35 who want to escape from digital media.

Sister Joanna Hollins, 26, is the Society’s youngest novice sister. She said that the “speed and scale of the information pouring into our lives is almost beyond comprehension”, and that young people were partic­ularly pressured.

”As digital natives, used to pick­ing up new technology at a mo­­ment’s glance, the onslaught of sound and speech in our lives can seem normal: something we learn to tune out. But there are times when it becomes impossibly loud. How do we hear God, when there are so many voices talking at once — and so many trying to tell us what God is really saying?”

Those on retreat will have two guides who will meet them each day to help them rest and listen to God’s voice.

Church in WalesSister Joanna

Reverend Mother Katharine said that she had been inspired to organ­ise the retreat after noticing that many of the Buddhist groups who use the self-catering house at the con­­­­vent included young adults, while the convent’s own visitors were much older.

”We’ve chosen to offer this space to young people specifically this year because we understand how pres­­sured and complicated life can be for millennials. In a world where we’re increasingly time-poor, we invite you to come and spend a few days in God’s time, listening to the ‘still, small voice’ which is calling each of us.

”As a community we are blessed with beautiful grounds and an in­­her­­­­itance of silent prayer: this we can share with a new generation for whom these gifts are in short supply. Often it is through the natural world that people have their first ‘glimpses’ of the presence of God; and also there is such a wit­ness in the silence of the chapel.”

The £200 cost of the retreat has been subsidised.

tymawrconvent.org