History
There are thirteen youth retreat centres in the UK. The centres grew up in the era immediately following the Second Vatican Council, reflecting a renewed interest in both ministry within the Church and in work with young people following the Albermarle Report in the 1960s. Not all of them would use the term retreat centre, but it is a useful catch-all. The oldest one is Soli House in Stratford-Upon-Avon, but it was St Cassian's Centre, Kintbury which pioneered the model of work in the field.
St Cassian's (known as Kintbury) was established by Damian Lundy in 1975 and pioneered a system based largely on having a volunteer team of young Catholics near to the ages of the young people they were working with. The system closely followed an Australian system Lundy had observed, a system which, in turn, was heavily based on an approach common in the US. It relied on these young Catholics sharing their stories. Peer ministry was always important to Lundy and narrative theology - the practice of ministry through sharing personal experiences and accounts - has always been an important facet of the De La Salle Brothers, the religious institute to which Lundy belonged. Many of the centres employ a programme based on the one brought by Lundy.
Eight of the centres are diocesan (i.e. run by dioceses) and five are run by religious institutes. Religious centres are able to supplement their spiritual side by drawing on the traditions and spirituality of the institute they represent. Diocesan centres, on the other hand often feel far more connected to the Church and therefore have a larger pool of resources and support to draw on and find recruitment to teams and finding clientele slightly easier.
Read more about this topic: Catholic Residential Youth Work
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