All the retreats held at Thornycroft Hall are directed by Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church, whose aim is to spread the search for sanctity in the midst of the world.

Similar retreats are organised in Wickenden Manor in Sussex and Hazelwood House in Glasgow.

The retreats are for ordinary lay people and secular clergy who would like to combine a busy working and family life with a deep spiritual life.

Retreats at Thornycroft Hall are directed by  Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. Opus Dei aims to help people of all walks of life to strive for holiness and to evangelise in a natural manner wherever they are, especially through their daily work.

Meditations and talks are given by the priest on the central themes of the Catholic faith. These are combined with times for private prayer and examination of conscience, and other devotional exercises such as the stations of the cross and the rosary.

Mass is celebrated daily. The retreat is undertaken in silence to facilitate personal prayer and reflection. Participants may also talk over their own situation with the priest or organiser to obtain advice which is appropriate to their specific circumstances.

The meditations and talks cover the following themes:

• The meaning of our life
• God’s designs for humanity
• Our life in the light of God’s revelation
• God and individual freedom
• Jesus Christ, true God and true man
• The passion of Christ and the mystery of redemption
• Eternal life
• Family and Christian life
• The vocations to marriage and celibacy
• Ordinary work and holiness
• Prayer and the sacraments in the life of the Christian
• The greatness of ordinary life
• The apostolate of the Christian
• Our Lady, model of sanctity