Retreat to close the year: Contemplating the dignity of every person

The encyclical Magnifica Humanitas by Leo XIV is devoted to the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. Faced with the current transformation of the world of work, driven largely by the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Pope refuses both naive enthusiasm and sterile fear: he calls for discernment grounded in the dignity of the person, the common good, solidarity, justice, and care for the most vulnerable.

Leo XIV places us before a decisive choice offered to humanity: to build a new Tower of Babel, or to build the city where God and humanity dwell together. Christmas is precisely God's answer to this choice: at Bethlehem, he does not dominate, he humbles himself; he does not replace humanity, he gives himself to all through the fragility of the newborn child.

"To build in goodness means accepting the limits and fragility of humanity without seeing them as an error to be corrected" (no. 12). During this retreat, we will allow the contemplation of the Son of God made man to illuminate how God reveals to us the greatness, the beauty, and the dignity of every person, and how concretely we are called to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence (cf. no. 9) — perhaps the other path taken by the Magi.

Throughout 2026 and 2027, we are offering 3 independent retreats based on the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas by Leo XIV:

• Mon. December 28 - Fri. January 1, 2026: Contemplating the dignity of every person

• Sat. March 13, 2027: Welcoming salvation in a renewed heart

• Sat. April 24 - Sun. April 25, 2027: Living our activities as a spiritual journey

• Each day is shaped by communal prayer with the Benedictine sisters

• The day begins with a brief teaching connected to the theme of the retreat.

• In the morning and late afternoon, a biblical text, introduced with a few guiding points, is offered for personal meditation, followed by a time of personal silence.

• In the early afternoon, there is a time of sharing on the theme of the retreat, with an emphasis on how it applies to the concrete realities of our lives.

• On December 31, a prayer vigil is offered in the evening, open to all, with the celebration of the Eucharist at 11:30 PM to entrust the new year to the Lord.

Practical details

• The retreat begins on Monday, December 28 at 6:00 PM, but it is possible to arrive later, on Tuesday or Wednesday.

• A dedicated time with each retreatant who arrives mid-retreat is planned to help ease them into the retreat.

• The retreat ends on Friday, January 1 at 2:00 PM.

• Each retreatant has an individual room.

• The evening meal is taken in silence. There is also the option to take the midday meal in silence.

• Those who have a Bible are welcome to bring it. Bibles are also available on site.

Suggested offering

• Accommodation: €200 for the full retreat, adjustable according to each person's means

• Program facilitation: €50