St. Raphaela Center

Saint Raphaela Center is a wonderful SPIRITUAL RETREAT CENTER in a gorgeous parklike setting just outside of city center Philadelphia. It’s an interfaith «resort» for the soul and spirit, run by progressive Roman Catholic nuns who are are kind, welcoming, and very encouraging of people of all faiths converging on their peaceful, beautiful RESIDENTIAL facility in order to meditate, or pray, for the purpose of refreshing one’s spirit and calming one’s mind.
In May 2013 I attended a 2-​night silent «Insight/​Vipassana» meditation retreat idirected by Matthew Daniell (of the Cambridge Insight Meditation Society) who had in turn been invited to Haverford, PA by the Phildelphia Meditation Center. Note that non-​Catholic retreats are not likely to be listed directly on St. Raphaela’s retreat calendar — I suggest you google «meditation retreat + Saint Raphaela» to find a Buddhist-​/​meditation-​oriented retreat scheduled at St. Raphaela .
Depending on the retreat program you choose to attend you may be able to get a single room or a shared room. Accomodations are clean, bright and simple — NO frills, but cheerful, quiet and very comfortable. The nuns who run the retreat center are good cooks but don’t expect the Four Seasons (the retreat I attended was lacto-​ovo vegetarian). Desserts were REALLY yummy. ;)) The grounds are lovely and provide ample personal space for «retreatants» and lots of room for walking meditation.
In short, you can experience a truly serene and «life-​resetting» retreat experience here that is far less expensive that what you would pay at high price-​tag «trendy» places like OMEGA or KRIPALU. Easy to get to from ‘center city” Philadelphia by a quick commuter train ride plus a short taxi jaunt, or you can take a cab from the Philly city center all the way for about $ 45.