Christian Spiritual Days in Sicily, near Taormina

A whole day of prayer, nature and Christian friendship, near Taormina. It is not a course, not a tour package and not a stay: it is an invitation to share a day of life with me, as Abraham shared his tent with the three pilgrims by the oaks of Mamre. We pray together, prepare the meal and eat it at the same table, walk in the countryside discovering an ancient and spiritual Sicily, and take time simply to be together. In the evening everyone goes back to their own home, taking with them what they have lived.

A one-day spiritual retreat in Sicily

Many people look for a spiritual retreat in Sicily but do not have weeks to spare, or feel the need for something simpler and truer than an organised facility. One day is enough to stop, breathe, pray, listen to silence and go home changed. It is a day of retreat in the oldest sense: we withdraw from the noise to find God, others and ourselves again.

The days are meant for those who are searching, for anyone going through a time of weariness or questions, for those who want to rediscover their faith after years away, and for anyone who simply wants to live a Christian day in company. Individuals, couples, friends and families are welcome, as long as they are Catholic or Orthodox Christians.

What we do during the day

• We pray together. We open and close the day in prayer: psalms, readings, silence, a song. I also write about it on the page about Christian asceticism.
• We prepare the meal together. We choose the ingredients, knead, cook and set the table side by side; then we bless the food and eat it at the same table, indoors or outdoors, under a tree or in a meadow.
• We walk in nature. Unhurried walks in the countryside to contemplate creation, described on the page about spiritual walks in nature.
• We discover the Sicily of the saints. Along the way we talk about the great saints of Christian and Byzantine Sicily and the places they passed through.
• We take time to be together. We play, laugh, tell our stories, listen to music. Joy is a Christian virtue.
• We leave room for silence. Anyone who needs it can be alone, read, reflect.

In the footsteps of the Italo-Greek saints

Eastern Sicily is a land where the Christian East and West met for centuries. Saints venerated by both Catholics and Orthodox prayed here, were born here or passed through. During the days we talk about them and, when possible, we go to places linked to their memory:

• Saint Hilarion the Great in Sicily, the great hermit who, according to Saint Jerome, landed at the promontory of Pachino;
• Saint Methodios of Syracuse, born in Syracuse and later Patriarch of Constantinople, who led the return of the icons in 843;
• Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, the Sicilian who wrote many of the hymns still sung in the Byzantine liturgy;
• Saint Elias the Younger of Enna, a monk born in Enna who met his disciple Daniel in Taormina itself;
• Saint Agatha of Catania and Saint Lucy of Syracuse, the two young martyrs loved by the whole of Christendom;
• Saint Pancras of Taormina, remembered by tradition as the city's first bishop.

The historical background is on the page Byzantine Sicily and the Italo-Greek saints, and nearby holy places are in Spiritual Taormina: saints and churches.

Prayer of the heart, meditation and places of silence

For those who wish to go deeper, the day leaves room for the prayer of the heart, the great tradition of hesychasm and the Philokalia, and for Christian meditation in nature. The places we can choose as destinations are gathered in Places to meditate near Taormina and Messina and Places to meditate in Sicily. If you know the international terms, such as day retreat, silent retreat or prayer walk, you will find how they correspond on the page Day retreat, silent retreat and pilgrimage.

If you are planning a spiritual trip to Sicily

Many guests come during a trip. To help you plan it I have gathered some guides: Spiritual tourism in Sicily, walking routes, Holy Week and Easter, the calendar of religious festivals, Orthodox pilgrimage and spiritual Nordic walking and ski walking, for those who love walking with poles.

The spirit: the hospitality of Abraham

At the root of everything is Abrahamic hospitality, which the Eastern tradition calls Philoxenia, "love of the stranger". Abraham does not offer a service: he opens his tent and prepares the best he has. The Letter to the Hebrews recalls that some, by showing hospitality, "have entertained angels unawares" (Heb 13:2). I explain it on the page Philoxenia: Abraham's hospitality.

For those who are searching

You do not need a perfect faith, nor to know already what you are looking for. Many arrive with a question, a sorrow, a desire to start again. The day offers no recipes: it offers time, a place, a prayer and companionship. I write about it on the page about spiritual search and finding yourself.

How to take part

The days take place near Taormina, in Sicily. The places to visit are agreed together each time. There is no overnight stay: we share one day, and in the evening everyone returns to their own home. Hospitality has no price and does not depend on any offering: whoever comes is welcomed for who they are. Everyone contributes as they can: anyone who cannot leave anything is welcomed like everyone else, and takes part by giving a little of their time.

The days are reserved for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, because they are lived in shared prayer. To ask for a date, simply write to me on WhatsApp. The spirit of the days is told in the manifesto of hospitality.

If you would like to know what makes this mission possible, read The circle of love.

Guests as friends. Whoever comes is welcomed as a friend, not as a customer: there is no service and no commercial relationship. For this reason everyone takes part freely and on their own responsibility, taking care of themselves, their health and their belongings. During walks and activities each person judges for themselves what they can do, follows directions with prudence and mentions any health problems, allergies or limitations. Minors take part under the responsibility of those accompanying them. Ilarion, who welcomes guests out of friendship and without any organised structure, is not liable for accidents, damage or loss of any kind, within the limits permitted by law.

What I ask of guests

• to live the day as a family, taking part as much as they feel able;
• to respect prayer, silence and people;
• to lend a hand with the small things;
• to bring an open heart.

Explore the other pages

The days: The Philoxenia of Abraham · Spiritual search and finding yourself · Day retreat, silent retreat and pilgrimage: the international names

Spiritual travel in Sicily: Spiritual tourism in Sicily: the guide · Pilgrimage walking routes in Sicily · Holy Week and Easter in Sicily · Religious festivals in Sicily: the calendar · Orthodox pilgrimage in Sicily · Spiritual Nordic walking and ski walking in Sicily

Nature and places: Spiritual Taormina · Spiritual walks in nature · Christian meditation in nature in Sicily · Places to meditate near Taormina and Messina · Places to meditate in Sicily

Prayer: Christian asceticism: the spiritual struggle · The prayer of the heart or Jesus Prayer · Hesychasm: the prayer of stillness · The Philokalia: the Neptic Fathers

The saints of Sicily: Byzantine Sicily and the Italo-Greek saints · Saint Hilarion the Great in Sicily · Saint Methodios of Syracuse · Saint Joseph the Hymnographer · Saint Elias the Younger of Enna · Saint Agatha of Catania · Saint Lucy of Syracuse · Saint Pancras of Taormina

Sources

• Genesis 18:1-15 (Bible Gateway, RSV)
• Hebrews 13:2 (Bible Gateway, RSV)
• Saint Jerome, Life of Saint Hilarion, ch. 35-39 (New Advent)
• Catholic Encyclopedia – Methodius I (New Advent)
• Wikipedia – Elias of Enna (with bibliography)