Solitude, Silence, and Prayer - Lessons from the Desert Fathers and Modern Contemplatives

After the early Church was legalized and emerged from persecution, but as the Roman Empire began to collapse, some faithful Christians felt unease living in the societies that surrounded them.  They felt a call to more fully emulate the apostolic charisms and abandon everything to follow Jesus.  Living in solitude, they deeply pondered existential questions: Who and What God is, who and what we are, what the world is, how to serve God in this world.  They strived to truly live interior lives.  Their lessons from the desert still speak to us today, as our modern cultures and societies are just as challenging to the spiritual life.  Those lessons of solitude, silence and contemplation continue to be themes presented to us by modern spiritual masters such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and Jacques Philippe.  The values of the desert experience are still applicable and available to us.

Participants in this event will get an understanding of the spirituality of the desert fathers and how their spirituality speaks to us.  They will be challenged to consider their own interior life – what the values solitude, silence and contemplation have for them.  There will be advice from some modern spiritual masters, along with some practical considerations for our modern world.  The hope is that the Holy Spirit will move among those who participate to more fully embrace solitude, silence and contemplation in their lives going forward.

Tim Meaut is a Deacon for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, ordained in 2018.  He ministers at St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Metairie, and works with the formation of Deacon Aspirants and Candidates.  Tim is a Spiritual Director, having completed the Internship for Spiritual Directors in 2023.  He is on staff at the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center.  Tim has an interest in discernment, vocational spirituality, and spirituality of the interior life.

Date: April 25, 2026

Time: 9am-Noon

Location: Archdiocese Spirituality Center, 

1005 Airline Park Blvd, Metairie, LA 70003

Cost: $35