Skepticism Surrendered:  How My Malvern Retreat Moved Me

March 24, 2025

Skepticism Surrendered: How My Malvern Retreat Moved Me

Frankie Williams-Thanksgiving Weekend 2024

I was skeptical at first when my father, Andy Williams, mentioned he would like me to attend a Men’s Spiritual Retreat over Thanksgiving weekend. The mere thought of disconnecting from work and leaving my three kids at home for two nights gave me some anxiety and made me doubt that I could fully commit to this experience. Boy, was I wrong. From the very start of the program on Friday evening, I was greeted as if I were family and welcomed with open arms to the group I would be spending the next two days with. The agenda was neatly laid out, and I was told that several of the workshops were optional if I did not want to participate. My father and I were determined to experience it all, and we were rewarded for doing so, both spiritually and personally.

In the world we live in today, it is not easy to find two uninterrupted days to really be present with God and even our loved ones. For me personally, being able to have one-on-one time with my Lord and my father were things that I was desperately lacking, and this retreat gave me everything I was longing for, even if I wasn’t aware of that at the time. I learned so much about what is truly important in my life over the course of 48 hours through prayer, laughing with my dad and other retreatants, and the exceptional talks led by some of the most wonderful people I had ever met.

The weekend flew by, but I was truly able to reconnect with Jesus and my dad, and it really reshaped my perspective on what is important to me. I came to the retreat as an overworked, burned-out father and husband, who wasn’t setting aside time for the most important things in my life. I left the retreat with a sense of peace, camaraderie, and a newfound determination to share what I learned with my family, friends, and anyone who would listen to the experience I had. It truly was life-changing, and I am eagerly looking forward to the 2025 retreat. My goal is to invite people in my life that I know would benefit from the quiet, peace, and inspirational talks that the Men of Malvern retreat provides.

I am not trying to over sell my experience at all. I will always look back on my time spent at the retreat house as one that helped me find my true North again, and I am forever grateful that this program exists today. In a fast-paced world, we all can benefit from setting time aside to reconnect with our Lord, and the Malvern Retreat House is the perfect way to do so. Thank you to my fellow retreatants, my father for his persuasive nudge to get me to go, and to Jesus for showing me what I needed to see. Prosit!

Photo provided by Frankie Williams.