" Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ for He is going to say, ‘I came as a guest, and you received Me.’" RB:53

Spiritual Opportunities
We warmly welcome visitors and retreatants who want to share in our life of prayer, solitude, and silence. For those desiring to withdraw from the world, to seek the Father, to hear the Word, and to be taught by the Spirit, Marymount offers four hermitages and the prayerful support of the Hermit Sisters.

You may share in the prayer life of the community through daily Mass (when a priest-chaplain is available), Lauds, and Vespers in common. Our Father’s House (chapel) is open all day until late in the evening for Eucharistic adoration.

The chaplain is available for the sacrament of reconciliation. Informal spiritual sharing with one of the Hermit Sisters may be requested and arranged upon arrival. Retreats are intended to be essentially solitary, however, and there is no formal spiritual direction or conferences.

Accommodations
Retreatants may use the common house which serves as a parlor, as storage for food and household supplies and as a laundry. There is no clothes dryer, however. You are free to use the library and to check out books for spiritual reading and study while you are here.

Each hermitage is modern, fully furnished and secluded. You will be expected to cook your own meals in your hermitage with the staples used by the community for our own meatless yet nutritional meals. Meat or special diet requirements will be obtained for an additional fee, if requested. You are also free to bring your own food, if you prefer.

Two hermitages in the area reserved for the Hermit Sisters are for use by women, especially those discerning a possible call to our way of life. Two hermitages, located near the chapel, are for the use of priests, men and women religious, and lay people, Catholics and non-Catholics, who are serious about a time in prayerful seclusion.

All the buildings in the Hermitage are non-smoking.

Solitary manual work is available and recommended for retreats longer than 10 days. There are hiking opportunities and just the walking between buildings will provide exercise.

What to Bring
Idaho has a dry climate. Suitable clothing will make your stay here more comfortable. Casual, modest clothing is recommended for all seasons: slacks or jeans, warm sweater or jacket, head covering for high winds, and sturdy comfortable shoes.

March-May: Cool to warm, occasional wind and rain storms. Bring rain gear and mud boots or old shoes, if possible.

June-August: Warm to hot, but plan for occasional cool days. Bring cotton or lightweight clothing, wide brimmed hat and sunglasses. Shorts are not permitted.

September-October: Warm to chilly. Plan for temperature extremes.

November-February: Cold, though rarely below 0 degrees F. Warm, high snow boots are a necessity. Woolens and heavy coat with a hood are recommended. Plan for mud in November and bring mud boots or old shoes.

Other items to bring include a Bible, office book (Liturgy of the Hours), usual medical supplies, insect repellant, and lotion. Additional optional items include binoculars, camera, and work gloves.

Please do not bring a radio, television, or pets. We discourage the use of a tape recorder or CD player, cell phone or laptop computer for the sake of real silence both exterior and interior.

Reservations
Reservations in writing are necessary to use a hermitage at Marymount. All retreatants are asked to submit an application form and a non-refundable deposit must accompany it. Reservations for longer retreats (8-30 days) require two letters of recommendation. Please allow time for correspondence to be completed before your retreat is scheduled to begin.

Cost
The cost is $35.00 per day plus Idaho sales and room taxes. Special diet and transportation costs, if applicable, will be explained with confirmation of your reservation. Please go to the Contact section of our site and contact Sister M. Beverly, HSM, for a retreatant's application.

Transportation
Marymount Hermitage is located in Idaho, west of Highway 95 between Council and Cambridge, midway between mile markers #128 and #129, just north of the Mesa town site.

By Car: Arrive before sunset because there are no street lights in our rural area. Please notify us of hospitality needs if someone else is driving you here.

By Bus: Disembark at New Meadows, ID (1 hour north); Ontario, OR (1-1/2 hours south); or Boise ID (2-1/2 hours south).

By Plane: Boise, Idaho has the nearest airport, 125 miles away. You may rent a car at the airport or for $200 we will hire a neighbor to provide you with round-trip service from the terminal to the Hermitage and back.

The transportation fee from Ontario, OR is $150; from New Meadows. ID it is $100. Please have cash available to pay the driver upon arrival at the Hermitage, if you have requested this service.


Retreat Applications (Priests, see below)

Click for our 2-7 day retreat form.

Click for our 8 or more day retreat form.

Click for our transportation form.

Dear Priest Retreatants:
During those times when we do not have a resident priest as chaplain, we offer visiting priests complimentary accommodations in exchange for having Holy Mass offered in community. If you are sending a retreat application, please enclose the requested deposit. It will be returned to you when you arrive.

Click for the priest retreat form.

A Retreatant Writes...

Dear Hermit Sisters,

When I close my eyes and open my heart, I am once again back at the Hermitage. I am renewed with the flooding of grace received during my Holy Week in solitude.

You and I spoke very little, yet you were like friendly angels of light in the desert. Your gifts of prayer, discreet hospitality, song, and privacy washed love and peace upon the dry bones of my soul.

I came expecting nothing and was filled to overflowing. My beloved Lord made himself known in ways beyond my imagining. Incredible symbols of Life unfolding daily, blending me with Creation. Scripture burned like fire within. Deep quiet taught me to hear God's voice and sacred Language. All brought me to new life.

I now feel grounded, steady and at peace. I continue to receive reassurance and confirmation that the abundant spiritual gifts from Marymount are mine for the keeping. I am so deeply grateful. I want to come again some day. I will await my Lord's invitation!

Your sister in solitude,
Jackie Huetter

[Jackie's birthday was on Easter Sunday in 2001 and her retreat was a spiritual preparation for that double celebration of life.]