About

Executive Leadership Retreats for men are invitational. They are conducted by priests of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church.

These silent retreats consist of daily Mass, spiritual meditations by the priest retreat master as an aid to prayer,  adoration/benediction, rosary, stations of the cross, opportunity for personal spiritual guidance and practical talks by laymen.  In addition, a unique feature of these invitation retreats is a social on Saturday evening with libations, tobacco, etc.   Longlea is outside of Culpeper Virginia.   The retreat house is situated on hundreds of acres of beautiful property on a bend in the Hazel river, allowing ample time and space for prayer and quiet relaxation.

Especially in these difficult times, when we are all under constant pressure from an increasingly hostile pagan culture, we need a retreat yearly to keep our moorings and recharge our batteries.

The following are some of the main features of the teachings of St. Josemaria and the spirit of Opus Dei:

Divine filiation. “Divine filiation is the foundation of the spirit of Opus Dei,” said its founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá. The Christian is a child of God by virtue of baptism. Thus the formation provided by the Prelature seeks to foster among the Christian faithful a deep awareness of their being children of God, and helps them act accordingly. It fosters confidence in divine providence, simplicity in their dialogue with God, a deep awareness of the dignity of each human being and of the need for fraternity among all people, a truly Christian love for the world and for all human realities created by God, and a sense of calm and optimism.

Ordinary life. “It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all mankind,” said St. Josemaría. The family, marriage, work – all of our activities – are opportunities for dealing with and imitating Jesus Christ, trying to practice charity, patience, humility, diligence, integrity, cheerfulness and all the other human and Christian virtues.

Sanctifying work. Sanctifying work means to work with the spirit of Jesus Christ, to work competently and ethically, with the aim of loving God and serving others, and thus to sanctify the world from within, making the Gospel present in all activities whether they be outstanding or humble and hidden. In the eyes of God what matters is the love that is put into work, not its human success.

Prayer and sacrifice. The formation given by Opus Dei encourages prayer and sacrifice in order to sustain the effort to sanctify one’s ordinary occupations. Thus members strive to incorporate into their lives certain practices of Christian piety, such as prayer, daily Mass, sacramental confession, and reading and meditating on the Gospel. Devotion to Our Lady occupies an important place in their hearts. Also, to imitate Jesus Christ, they try to acquire a spirit of penance offering sacrifices, particularly those that help them fulfill their duties faithfully and make life more pleasant for others, things like renouncing small pleasures, fasting, almsgiving, etc.

Unity of life. St Josemaría Escriva explained that Christians working in the world should not live “a kind of double life. On the one hand, an interior life, a life of union with God; and on the other, a separate and distinct professional, social and family life.” On the contrary: “There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God.”

Freedom. The members and Cooperators of Opus Dei are ordinary Catholic faithful who seek to carry out a Christian apostolate in the middle of secular society. In their professional, family, political, financial or cultural activities, they feel called to exert a friendly Christian influence, acting with personal initiative and responsibility, not involving the Church or Opus Dei in their decisions, nor presenting those decisions as the only Catholic solutions. This implies respecting the freedom and the opinions of others.

Charity. To meet Christ is to find a treasure that one cannot stop sharing. Christians are witnesses to Jesus Christ and spread his message of hope among their companions, with their example and their words. “Side by side with our colleagues, friends and relatives and sharing their interests, we can help them come closer to Christ,” wrote St. Josemaría. The wish to make others know Christ, which is a direct consequence of charity (that is, the love of God above all things and of one’s neighbor as oneself), cannot be separated from the desire to contribute to finding solutions to the material needs and social problems of one’s surroundings.