Admont Abbey: Consoling the Heart of Jesus Retreat

This past weekend, I (Courtney) went on a retreat while Brian stayed home with the kids!  It was the first time I've done something like this and hopefully not the last :)

I went to Admont Abbey, a little over an hour from our home in Gaming.  Admont Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located on the Enns River, along the mountainous Gesause National Park, which is stunningly gorgeous (see the post from our previous visit to Gesause National Park here).  Admont comes from the Latin expression "ad montes" which means "at the mountains".

While on retreat, I read Fr. Michael Gaitley's Consoling the Heart of Jesus: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat.  It was absolutely amazing!!  I feel like it was life-changing... I guess we should give it a couple of weeks and then you can ask my family and friends if I seem any different ;)  Needless to say, I highly recommend making this 'retreat' (aka, reading this book).  You can do it over a weekend (he suggests what to read Friday night, on Saturday, and Sunday is your buffer day) or over a longer period of time from anywhere.  But being able to get away into this absolutely beautiful nature from God, stay at one of the oldest remaining monasteries in Styria (the southeast region of Austria), visit a nearby Marian pilgrimage church, and have Jesus in the room next to me was truly amazing.

Friday morning I nursed Isaac for the last time (he was 13 months and 10 days, not that I was counting ;) and then after lunch with the family drove myself (in the stick shift car) to Admont Abbey.  (Listening to the latest episode from Messy Parenting -- Brian and I love their podcast!)  I arrived at the Abbey and one of the monks showed me to my room.  He noticed a strange odor in my room and decided to move me down the hall, to the room next to Jesus!  The room next to me had a cross with the Blessed Sacrament inside a clear box (tabernacle) in the center.  I get nervous when Brian is out of town and not there to "protect" me as I sleep, so I was thrilled to have the best Protector next door!  (And knew He would be quiet in the night and not snore :)  I would spend many hours praying in that room, and also just stopping by every time I arrived at or left my room - just asking Jesus to guide my time.  He honored that request, as every moment of the retreat was blessed and seemed just perfect for me!

On Friday evening, I wandered around the gardens and took in the breathtaking beauty of it all.  I started the book and had dinner by myself at the monastery guest area.  I was a little nervous when the chef brought my meal out because it looked like eggs and cheese - so I quickly prayed to St. Margaret Mary who, like me - hated cheese - but (unlike me) would eat it.  I took a bite and it wasn't cheese - it was a sweet, peach filled crepe - it seemed like my meal was actually more of a dessert!  So the night was off to a very good start!  When I was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament that night there was one nun praying in there as well.  She invited me to come sit next to her and then spoke a little to me in German - I asked her if she spoke English - and she answered yes!  In fact, I would come to find out from eating meals with her later on the retreat, she is one of several nuns in her community currently taking an English class so she can speak better to patients she works with in a hospital so she was thrilled to speak with me in English (something I'm normally nervous about!)  So God was really in ALL the little details of the weekend.

On Saturday morning, I thought I would sleep in.  I knew 7am Mass was available in the side chapel but I decided not set my alarm and told Jesus He could wake me up if I should go.  Brian can I attest to how much I loooooove to sleep in, but wouldn't you know.  6:30am and I was WIDE awake, so off I went to Mass.  The reading were in German of course, but the monk who had shown me to my room was sitting next to me and passed me his phone with the readings translated in English.

After Mass, I had breakfast and then I drove up into the hills (the hills are truly alive here in Austria :) to Frauenberg - Pilgrimage Church.  In 1404, on the banks of the Enns River, the miraculous image of Mary with the Christ Child was found.  A church was constructed in her honor.  The church is called the "pearl of the Enns valley.  You have a panoramic view of the hills and mountains all around you from up there!  Outside there are many hiking trails, gardens, and a Rotunda with the three crosses from Jesus' Crucifixion (just perfect to meditate on during the retreat!)   

Inside the church is gorgeous as well.  I had the church pretty much to myself the entire time!  After visiting the miraculous image, I found a pew in the back where a couple of pillows had been left (a perfect spot for spiritual reading!).

During one special part of the retreat, I was reading about how the Lord just wants to be with us - individually.  At that moment I thought of a book I had seen inside the church a little while earlier - it had a picture of two little critters that had been carved in the tiles.  I wanted to see these little critters, but as the book was all written in German, and there were many, many tiles - I couldn't figure out where they were.  Oh well, I had thought, not meant to be for me to find them.  But now, at this point in the retreat, I thought if Jesus could just show me where those little critters are that would be so cool -- and then, right at that next moment, I turned my head to the right and there at the end of my pew were the critters!!  I stood up, smiling in almost dis-belief, but yet belief - because I believed, I knew, I felt that Jesus heard me, saw me, and even allowed me to see these little gifts that had been left behind!  If He heard even these littlest, silly desires of mine, of course, He heard / saw all of the desires of my heart!

I returned to the Abbey for lunch, visiting with the Sister who spoke English.  And then took time to go to the museums and library at the Abbey.  Admont Abbey has the largest monastic library in the world.  It is considered the "8th Wonder of the World"!  And apparently it is the one Disney's Beauty and the Beast is modeled after!  It is magical to see.  It has 60 windows, although 12 of them are not visible to the observer.  I watched as a tour guide pulled back what looked like a shelf of books, only to find they were fake books with a window behind it!  It was very amazing!  

Disney's Beauty & the Beast Libary

Then I headed back over to the Abbey, but this time went into the side chapel to pray and to continue my retreat.  I was reading about how it consoles Jesus' Heart to meditate (even if just for a brief moment) on His Death during the 3-4pm hour.  Well wouldn't you know, I looked at the time - 3:30pm.  So I was able to do the Stations of the Cross in the beautiful chapel, which once again I had all to myself.

Then I moved into the main church, which is normally bustling with tourists.  But it was basically empty the entire I was in there.  Such a blessing to have this gorgeous to pray!  For another special part of the retreat where you're asking to receive Jesus' Merciful Love, I was able to kneel before this huge crucifix - with Mary at the foot of the cross as well - and I was really able to feel the Lord's presence.  As I finished this particular part of the retreat, the church bells from the nearby parish church in town rang out - it was the most beautiful sound.

After my "dinner date" with Jesus at the Abbey's fancy restaurant (my one meal eating out versus eating in the guest area), I headed back to the monastery and finished a large part of the retreat in the room next to mine in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  I stayed up late that night reading and thought I would for sure sleep in the next morning.  But nope, Jesus woke me up and off I went to breakfast only to find my English-speaking nun friend was also just sitting down.  So we had a lovely breakfast, she gave me some blessed Miraculous Medals for my family, and then we said our good-byes.  I did some more reading before the Blessed Sacrament and then was nearly finished when it was time for 10am Mass in the church.  It was the Solemenity of the Nativity of John the Baptist.  All throughout the retreat I felt some of the saints had been really assisting me as I pondered some of their readings included in my text - St. Therese, St. Faustina, St. Margaret Mary.  So now I wondered, will John the Baptist have anything to do with this retreat I'm making?

After Mass in the beautiful church, I went back to the Blessed Sacrament next to my room and finished the retreat.  I could hardly believe my eye -- but yet I could believe -- that one of the final passages I read contained a part where Jesus was invoking the reader (ME) to be His prophet - just like John the Baptist!!

"You, my child, shall be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before me to prepare my way.  You shall give my people knowledge of my mercy and love, and you shall continually delight my Heart."

Right around noon I finished the retreat and was able to stay awhile longer and just pray in front of Jesus.  I could really feel the Holy Spirit.  I could feel Jesus' love, as I prayed He felt mine!  It was so, so, so good!

I loaded up the car, walked around a little bit more - soaking in the beauty, the quiet, the goodness of it all - and then headed home.  Home to my wonderful husband and sweet children, who I am so thankful God has blessed me with!

Ötscher Tropfsteinhöhle (Stalactite Cave)

Today we ventured out to the nearby nature park to explore a cave with our Kartause neighbors and friends!

In the gorgeous Otscher-Tormauer nature park we hiked up, up, up to the Otscher Tropfsteinhohle (Stalactite Cave).  Entering the cave was like entering a mystical land of stalagmites and stalactites, each with their own formation that looked like a bear claw, a flamingo, a pipe organ and so on!  The cave was huge - 575 m long and 54 m deep - we took a huge staircase down to then walk around, ducking as our helmets sometimes bumped against the rocks above us.  As we reached the bottom of the cave we saw light coming through the top -- June is the only month where the natural light shines to the bottom! 

It was such a great afternoon with friends and beauty all around us!!