St. Ignatius of Loyola realized that not everyone could absent themselves from their work or family for an extended time at a retreat center, so he offered a way for busy people to make a retreat in the midst of everyday life. Retreatants give a half hour a day to prayer and meet with their director once a week. 

Kathie Budesky, IHM, MA, director of Visitation North, is an associate in the Ignatian Training Program in Spiritual Direction and Retreat Ministry at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre at Guelph, ON, Canada.