A personal retreat at St. Francis Springs follows the rhythm of the house. Check-in is at 3:00 p.m. and dinner at 6:00 p.m. is your first meal. Monday to Saturday, breakfast is at 8:00 a.m., lunch at 12:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:00 p.m. Sundays change slightly: continental breakfast at 8:00 a.m., Mass at 10:00 a.m. in the indoor chapel, brunch at 10:45 a.m. and dinner at 6:00 p.m. If you arrive early you can use the grounds and facilities until your room is ready, and you can ask ahead to add lunch on your arrival day.

The main difference between this and a wellness retreat is that there's no programme you have to follow on a personal stay. Nobody is timetabling your morning. You choose how to spend the hours between meals: walking the labyrinth, praying in the glass chapel, taking a trail, sitting in the gardens or reading in your room. Silence matters here, and the centre lists it alongside hospitality, justice and contemplation as its core values.

The property has more to it than the lodge. There are hermitages and cottages for people who want more privacy, a Chartres-style labyrinth lined with memorial bricks, walking trails, gardens and grottos, a glass chapel, and a columbarium that was completed in November 2023 with 720 niches. The bookstore is big enough that the centre calls it every book lover's dream.

Over a dozen hosted events run each year, from silent retreats to marriage retreats. The calendar also includes a Black History Celebration, Juneteenth and World Peace Day. These reflect the centre's mission to link contemplation with justice and peace. Exact dates aren't listed on the main page, so check the programme calendar if you want to join one.

The centre also hosts more than 120 groups a year, ranging from 4 to 70 people, so it's common for church groups, parish teams or other organisations to share the grounds. Even so, the trails, gardens and labyrinth give individual guests plenty of space to stay apart.

There's no named lead teacher for personal stays. You bring your own reading, prayer or reflection, and the centre provides the room, the meals, the chapels and the land.

What's included

- Overnight room in the Main Lodge, a cottage or a hermitage - Private bathroom - Meals at set times (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Access to walking trails, gardens and grottos - Access to the Chartres-style labyrinth - Access to the glass chapel and indoor chapel - Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. - Use of grounds before check-in

What's not included

- Travel to Stoneville, North Carolina - Lunch on arrival day unless requested in advance - Bookstore purchases - Labyrinth memorial bricks and columbarium niches - Fees for hosted retreats and events (check individually) - Travel insurance - Personal expenses