A retreat is a separation for spiritual self-examination and spiritual practice. A suitable environment can be a monastery or a specially established retreat center. A retreat often offers the opportunity to meditate in a group with the help of a leader for a number of days.
By the late 20th century schools organized retreats for Catholics in the Netherlands and Flanders were very common. These retreats focus on the level of beliefs and experiences. During the last decades, retreats are also organized outside the framework of organized religions, in which the sense of existence or personal expectations in life is central. A special form is the so-called Ignatian retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of the Loyola's Holy Ignatius.
In the Army of Salvation, retirement age officers are retired. Also see
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