Overnight retreat at Sarum College

The structure of Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle provides us with an itinerary to look within, explore our potentiality, and engage deepening relationship with God in a way that transforms us and empowers us to invite others into life-changing partnership with others.

On this retreat we will take time to explore Teresa’s insights through conferences, exercises and quiet reflection. Participants will have an introductory afternoon conference and an evening conference on the first day, followed by a morning conference on the second day. We will be guided by exercises in the book Palace Within: Exploring Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle. The workbook can be ordered through any local bookstore, including Waterstone’s:

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vitality Cincinnati, Inc.
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 29, 2025
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 108 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1954688377
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1954688377

No previous experience with Teresa’s Interior Castle is expected; however, participants should purchase the workbook listed above and will be given preparatory materials and a bibliography for further reading.

with Gillian Ahlgren, Professor Emerita of Theology, is a recognised authority on the Christian mystical tradition. She is the author of eight books, including Teresa of Avila and the Politics of Sanctity and Entering Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle: A Reader’s Companion. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Ahlgren has spent over twenty years providing retreats and spiritual immersion experiences, integrated into her new workbook on the Interior Castle, Palace Within.