c. 1998 Religion News Service

FLORENCE, Italy _ It’s early morning. Sunlight filters into the airy chapel of Suore Francescane dell’ Immacolata where 10 black-robed nuns kneel in prayer.

The sisters sing a cappella, softly chanting. Right after the priest enters, several sleepy latecomers _ lay people in street clothes _ slip into the service, signaling a new trend in monastic worship.

Most of the year, the convent functions as home for a small group of Franciscan nuns and as a residence for young women attending college or graduate school nearby. Located near Florence’s center, it is within walking distance of some of the city’s most famous sites.

But in recent years, its white-washed corridors have joined the picturesque halls of some 2,000 religious houses worldwide which now accept travelers and spiritual tourists for either brief stays or somewhat longer periods of retreat-like quiet reflection.

So many people are looking to incorporate these brief, spiritual retreats into their lives that some U.S. monasteries are now taking reservations a year in advance.

Some attribute the demand to the stresses of modern life, while others believe aging baby boomers, always a generation of seekers, are turning to monastic silence to grow closer to God.

Kathleen Norris, a poet and author of several bestsellers on spirituality, helped popularize the notion of finding soul space in monasteries with her own writing about her experiences at a monastery. But leading spiritual writers from the late Henri Nouwen to Thomas Keating have long advocated the value of contemplation.

What was once common practice only among priests and nuns is a growing trend among lay people of diverse denominations.

Indeed, interest is so strong that at least three recent guidebooks are devoted to such travel, listing and cataloguing the convents, monasteries, abbeys and retreat centers available to the short-term retreatant.

One of the most engaging was compiled by retired U.S. Col. James J. Hughes and his wife, the late Victoria. Hughes, 82, lives in Bloomfield, N.J., and is as enthusiastic about his self-published guidebook today as he was when its first edition appeared in 1990. His wife, nicknamed Lovey, died last year.”Oh, we found some wonderful places,”Hughes confided, rattling off a list that begins in Assisi, Italy, in the 16th century confines of St. Anthony’s Guest House. The book is an extension of his European travels, he said.

Hughes’ directory lists only addresses and telephone numbers; no details on types of accommodations or proximity to famous sites. The basic information was gleaned by Hughes directly, or acquired through friends and acquaintances.”It is not a travel guide with details about the houses and area sites to be visited,”Hughes tells readers in his introduction.”It is a simple listing of an extraordinary resource that may be unknown to you. Ours is a mobile society that goes in all directions. Some of these houses may be along your travel route.” Hughes’ book offers ample details for resourceful travelers whether they are journeying to Africa or Thailand. Titled”Overnight or Short Stay at Religious Houses Around the World”(Hugen Press), the book was a labor of love, an effort to give back the hospitality received at religious houses across Europe.

Until recently, the spartan pleasures of staying at a convent or abbey were a little known secret. Only religious insiders _ from Catholic lay leaders to Buddhist meditators _ could outline the pros and cons.

Hughes advises travelers to decide what they’re seeking before choosing a place to stay. Guest houses are best as”the base for a holiday,”he writes. Retreat houses are more suited to people seeking physical rest, mental review, emotional reflection and spiritual renewal.

His paperback directory has found company with”Sanctuaries, The Complete United States”(Harmony) by inveterate travelers Marcia and Jack Kelly.

An update of two previous regional guides, this book describes 127 monasteries, retreat centers, convents and abbeys the Kellys have visited. It also provides listings in all 50 states of 1,000 other places, including Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Sufi and religiously-unaffiliated havens.

Unlike the Hughes’ bare-bones guide, the Kellys offer details essential to novices on the retreat circuit. Each entry is an overview of types of lodgings, amenities, activities and proximity to points of interest.

Newcomers to this sort of travel need to do their homework. There is, for example, a difference between a house of prayer and a retreat center. The former is designed for silent, soulful reflecting with periods of silence _ or complete silence _ often required. Retreat centers cater more to groups and families, but are usually noisier. Guest houses, usually adjuncts to a monastery, are designed for shorter stays.

Nearly all see hospitality to guests as ministry. Spiritual counseling is available, but usually only if requested. Nonbelievers are generally welcomed. And if you simply seek quiet, fear not. No one will ask your religion if you call to reserve a room.

In general, amenities are simple: usually soap, towels and linens. Prepare for inclement weather if the setting is woodsy. Expect company as diverse as the sponsoring religious orders. You might meet a vacationing family, a soul-searching single or a married couple seeking a quiet weekend away.

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The settings will be as different as their geographies. In the United States, at the popular St. Andrew’s Abbey, located at Valyermo, Calif., in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, retreatants can ponder God or the state of their soul beneath a star-studded night sky. The abbey, famous in the region for its ceramic studio, also offers a fall festival that attracts thousands and a series of summer workshops on themes including personal development and sacred dance. Families are common at meals.

On the East Coast, autumn travelers can rest in the comfortable arms of the Old South at Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery along the Cooper River in South Carolina. It is built on property rich in ancient oaks draped in Spanish moss. Originally a rice plantation, the monastery was built after a parcel was donated to the local Catholic diocese by the Henry Luce family.

And there is always the unexpected: It is mid-afternoon, siesta time, at the Suore Francescane dell’ Immacolata house in Florence. A younger sister is answering the phone. Most days her older peers would be napping. But listening carefully, visitors hear odd noises down a darkened hallway.

Closer inspection reveals a small black-and-white portable TV in a side room. Clustered around it, their chins thrust forward in determination, are three older sisters.”Hurrah, Go, Go, Hurrah!”they cheer in rapidfire.

Italy is winning in a soccer match. The siestas will have to wait.

DEA END HOLMES