PilgrimstaysAttappady is a small and beautiful hill-range, in Palakkad district of Kerala, India, blessed with a unique natural artistry consisting of many mountains, valleys and plains. A portion of the famous Silent Valley is indeed adding grace to this hill-range, from where the beautiful river, Bhavanipuzha originates. It is in the midst of this natural beauty, the Almighty has been gracious enough to choose and build His Banqueting House (Song of Solomon 2 : 4): The Sehion Retreat Centre Situated in this valley of calmness, in the divine lap of silence, by the river of Bhavanipuzha, exactly midway between Mannarkkad and Anakkatty, the Sehion Retreat Centre is the home of the Holy Spirit, and spreads consistent hope of blessings to many who travel from far and near. Sehion Retreat Centre is the official Retreat Center of Palakkad diocese. His Excellency Mar Jacob Manathodath, the Bishop of Palakkad diocese is the Patron of this Centre, under whose powerful guidance and paternal blessings, all activities of the various ministries are conducted by Sehion Retreat Centre. Rev Fr Xavier Khan Vattayil is the Founder Director of the Sehion Retreat Centre. He is supported by Rev Fr Binoy Karimaruthunkal, the Assistant Director, and Fr Antony Neumpurath, the Joint Director. During 2002 and 2003, Rev Fr Augustine Vattoly was the first assistant director of the Centre. Rev Fr Soji Olickal served as the second assistant director of the Centre in 2004 and 2005. Currently, along with Rev Fr Xavier Khan, the Retreat Centre activities and other ministries are serviced by Fr Reni Pullukalayil, Fr Soji Olickal, Fr Binoy Karimaruthungal and ably supported by Bro Sabu Kasarkode and Bro Francis Nilambur. The presence of God can be felt in the Retreat Centre, as the whole of the Centre echoes with prayers and chants of praise and worship, round the clock. Besides the services in the Centre, a dedicated team of priests and laymen conduct weekly retreats and conventions in several Parishes, Convents, Seminaries in major cities in Kerala and other states in India. The members of this team are graciously blessed by the Holy Spirit, and many miracles happen while they preach and spread the Word of God. A dedicated back-end team of counsellors, intercession groups and the Choir, not to mention the astonsihing scenic beauty make the Sehion Retreat Centre a truly unforgettable spiritual experience.
During 2002 and 2003, Rev Fr Augustine Vattoly was the first assistant director of the Centre
Besides the services in the Centre, a dedicated team of priests and laymen conduct weekly retreats and conventions in several Parishes, Convents, Seminaries in major cities in Kerala and other states in India
A dedicated back-end team of counsellors, intercession groups and the Choir, not to mention the astonsihing scenic beauty make the Sehion Retreat Centre a truly unforgettable spiritual experience
Attappady is a small and beautiful hill-range, in Palakkad district of Kerala, India, blessed with a unique natural artistry consisting of many mountains, valleys and plains
The retreat at Sehion is framed by the biblical imagery of the mountain of God — the place where God dwells, where the nations gather, where justice flows from, where living waters originate. The retreat experience is narrated as an ascent: the retreatant is invited to climb the mountain of the Lord and encounter the living God at its summit.
The emphasis on Psalm spirituality is one of Sehion's distinctive offerings. The retreat walks through specific Psalms — of ascent, of praise, of lament, of thanksgiving — as a way of connecting the retreatant's own emotional and spiritual experience to the full range of human prayer that the Psalms represent. The discovery that the Psalms already say what one has been feeling but has not found words for is one of the most common experiences at a Psalm-centred retreat.
The Palakkad Gap — the break in the Western Ghats through which both the road and rail lines pass between Kerala and Tamil Nadu — creates a distinctive landscape: the mountains rising on either side, the wind funnelling through the gap, the mist on the hills. The landscape resonates with the retreat's mountain-of-God imagery.
The Diocese of Palakkad includes the Attapady tribal region in the Western Ghats — home to the Irula, Muduga, and Kurumba tribal communities, some of whom have converted to Christianity. The Sehion Centre serves this diverse constituency alongside the urban Palakkad Catholic community.
The retreatants who gather at Sehion include people from both sides of the Palakkad Gap — Kerala and Tamil Nadu Catholics — united by the shared experience of ascent and encounter. The bilingual (Malayalam-Tamil border) character of the Palakkad area gives the retreat community a breadth of perspective.
The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) were sung by Jewish pilgrims making their way up to Jerusalem for the three great feasts. They sung about the mountain of the Lord, about going up to the city of God, about the joy of arrival at the house of the Lord. The Sehion Retreat Centre places itself in this ascending tradition. The retreat is the ascent. The Eucharist at the summit is the arrival. The return home is the descent with gifts that were not carried on the way up.
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →Attappady is a small and beautiful hill-range in Palakkad district of Kerala, blessed with a unique natural artistry consisting of many mountains, valleys and plains. A portion of the famous Silent Valley adds grace to this hill-range, from where the beautiful river Bhavanipuzha originates. It is in the midst of this natural beauty that the Almighty has been gracious enough to choose and build His Banqueting House (Song of Solomon 2:4): the Sehion Retreat Centre.
Situated in this valley of calmness, in the divine lap of silence, by the river Bhavanipuzha, exactly midway between Mannarkkad and Anakkatty, the Sehion Retreat Centre is the home of the Holy Spirit and spreads consistent hope of blessings to many who travel from far and near. It is the official Retreat Centre of Palakkad diocese. His Excellency Mar Jacob Manathodath, the Bishop of Palakkad diocese, is the Patron of this Centre, under whose powerful guidance and paternal blessings all activities of the various ministries are conducted.
Rev Fr Xavier Khan Vattayil is the Founder Director of the Sehion Retreat Centre. He is supported by Rev Fr Binoy Karimaruthunkal, the Assistant Director, and Fr Antony Neumpurath, the Joint Director. During 2002 and 2003, Rev Fr Augustine Vattoly was the first assistant director of the Centre. Rev Fr Soji Olickal served as the second assistant director in 2004 and 2005. Currently, along with Rev Fr Xavier Khan, the Retreat Centre activities and other ministries are serviced by Fr Reni Pullukalayil, Fr Soji Olickal and Fr Binoy Karimaruthungal, ably supported by Bro Sabu Kasarkode and Bro Francis Nilambur.
The presence of God can be felt in the Retreat Centre, as the whole of the Centre echoes with prayers and chants of praise and worship round the clock. Besides the services in the Centre, a dedicated team of priests and laymen conduct weekly retreats and conventions in several parishes, convents and seminaries in major cities in Kerala and other states in India. The members of this team are graciously blessed by the Holy Spirit, and many miracles happen while they preach and spread the Word of God. A dedicated back-end team of counsellors, intercession groups and the choir, not to mention the astonishing scenic beauty, make the Sehion Retreat Centre a truly unforgettable spiritual experience.
