Triduum Retreat
The Martyrdom of Love, Innocence, and Hope
Presented by Father William Skudlarek, O.S.B.
In March 1996, during a time of civil war in Algeria, the Trappist monk Christian de Chergé and six of his confreres were abducted from their monastery in Tibhirine. Two months later, they were killed. In 2018, they and twelve other Catholics martyred in Algeria were beatified.
Two years before his death, Father Christian preached on what he called the martyrdom of love (Holy Thursday), the martyrdom of innocence (Good Friday), and the martyrdom of hope (Easter Vigil).
The 2026 Triduum retreat will consist of prayerful reflection on these homilies—a communal lectio divina. Participants will also view the film Of Gods and Men, which portrays the monks’ decision to remain in their monastery, faithful to the bond of love that united them with their Muslim neighbors.
Reservation Information
The retreat begins with a conference at 4:00 p.m. on Holy Thursday and concludes after a Sunday morning conference and optional Easter Day Mass.
Cost: single-occupancy room, $375; double-occupancy room, $645; suite, $705, meals included.
To register for this retreat, contact the Spiritual Life Office at 320-363-3929, email us at spirlife@osb.org, or register online.
Father William Skudlarek, O.S.B.
Father William Skudlarek, O.S.B., is a Minnesota (Stearns County) native who entered Saint John’s Abbey in 1958. After teaching theology at SJU and homiletics in the School of Theology, he spent five years in Brazil as an associate of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll) and ten years at Saint John’s priory in Japan. He was Secretary General of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue from 2007 to 2024 and is now Executive Director of the North American Commission for Monastic Interreligious Dialogue and newly appointed editor of the Abbey Banner.