A Gift From the Sea

by Kathleen Corcoran
Alexandria, VA

It was the winter of our discontent. Humor was in short supply. Eggs were in short supply. The happiness index was decidedly down all over town.

Cherry Blossom season in DC can usually be counted on to pull us out of our collective winter funk; announcing Spring with miles and miles of pink blossoms kissing the sky. But cherry blossoms are a magnet for millions of tourists. What I wanted was an exit plan to a quiet place.

An island would be ideal. Like the island Anne Morrow Lindbergh lived on when she wrote her iconic book: A Gift From the Sea.

What I needed was an island retreat. I found one in Scotland, but preferred something that did not require a passport and jet leg. My friend Gail, a psychiatric nurse, had heard good things about St. Edmund’s Retreat Center on Enders Island, on the Long Island Sound. Gail is in the healing business and St. Edmund’s describes itself as a place of hope and healing.

On a Friday afternoon I booked a week at St. Edmund’s and I booked a train to Mystic CT. Who needs the indignities of air travel when the train is so civilized.

Sunday morning I boarded Amtrak in Alexandria VA just one stop south of Washington DC’s Union Station. The trip north was beautiful. It felt like an adventure, new people on an island. It felt exotic. And; yes, healing.

Upon arrival in Mystic, I was immediately captivated by a train station from another era. It was the start of my mystical time in Mystic CT and on its Island, Enders.

I disembarked from the train and hopped into a taxi for the continued adventure across the causeway to Enders Island.

Upon arrival I was besotted. Being surrounded by water was everything I imagined it would be. I felt a freedom I hadn’t felt in years. Like I was taking off a backpack filled with rocks. The air! Oh the air! Clean. Crisp. And best of all; sweater weather in May.

I was greeted by the head camp counselor, or as Carol Lee calls herself, Mother Superior. She appeared to be the Minister of Hospitality for the island. Carol Lee gave me a key and towels and pointed me to the dining room. She is a font of delight, good humor and Mother love. When she’s not supporting the guests, she’s making jam; all in all she keeps the trains running on time.

Upon arriving in the dining room, I met my classmates as I was attending a writers workshop. Women from across the US and two from Canada; who had driven four days: Calgary to Connecticut.

Among them: an artist, a nurse, a cop, a professional equestrian, a business owner. All in various stages as writers. Most of us on the Long arc of Middle Age.

Though St. Edmund’s Retreat Center is a Roman Catholic retreat, all are welcome. At our table sat an Episcopalian by way of Buddhism. Four Catholics, from conservative to progressive; and the Canadians: deeply prayerful women who are curious about all religious and spiritual traditions.

We were served dinner by young men who could be our grandsons or sons. Extremely polite and accommodating young men. They looked like members of a lacrosse team. The daughter of a former Governor of Rhode island, was certain these young men were seminarians.

In fact, they were not seminarians or a lacrosse or West Point Cadets. Though they could pass for all three, what with their discipline, robust health and preternatural politeness.

These men live on the island as part of a recovery program under the loving guidance of Father Thomas Hoar. Father Tom is president of St. Edmund’s Retreat. He is also the director of the men’s recovery program. Father Tom wears many hats: mentor to these young men, Navy chaplain, formerly worked on college campuses, tireless fundraiser, spiritual director and in my estimation, the Mayor of Enders Island. Tonight he was wearing his Chef hat, having given the island chef the weekend off.

He and his kitchen staff created gorgeous and tasty meals for a group with various food restrictions for health and ethical reasons. Father Tom accommodated each and every guest with the grace of a man blessed with the gift of hospitality. An affable man who will celebrate his 75th birthday this summer, Father Tom appears to have the energy of a man half his age.

As someone a few years behind him, I studied Fr Tom to learn about his graceful aging. Gratitude for certain. A love for people; particularly his guests on Enders Island. And a deep sense of mission.

The mission of Enders is “Hope and Healing”. That mission is manifested through the triumvirate of:

The Enders Island Sacred Arts Institute, offering classes from outdoor painting to stain glass making to sculpture. If as Dostoyevsky taught us, beauty will save the world, then this sacred arts institute plays a small role in that salvation narrative.

The Enders Island Recovery program hosts young men from across the country, who have completed medical recovery, but who are not quite ready to launch. Father Tom vets the men carefully; which is why they do not fit the stereotype of sullen, angry young men who have never seen the sun.

The men in recovery on Enders work around the island, building, cooking, fixing things. Fresh air and manual labor are part of the healing process. The success rate, measured by ongoing sobriety and the pursuit of health and wholeness, is staggeringly high. The men leave Enders and enter college, start businesses, get married, raise families. They are the dream: former drug addicts living full sober lives; productive members of society. While such a program is not inexpensive, scholarships are available. No person is turned away for financial reasons.

Last, but certainly not least, is the heart of St Edmunds: a religious retreat with the goal of spiritual formation. While rooted in Catholic tradition, people of good faith from all backgrounds are welcome. The courses and workshops focus on everything from prayer journaling to forgiveness to healing from addiction. They are taught by retreat leaders, spiritual directors; religious sisters and priests.

My week on Enders was a total transformation. I unplugged. Jettisoned my newsfeeds. Wrote more in 5 days than I’d written in 5 months. I attended daily mass in the arts and crafts chapel, with views of the sea from every window. I spoke to Chef Tim who had worked with Anthony Bourdain and in many great restaurants in the Northeast. Chef, as he asked us to call him, is clearly driven to deliver delicious food with perfect presentation. After dinner I’d wander to the island’s edge and watch the sun set.

So beautiful I could hear the angels weep.

Beauty indeed will save the world. These sunsets saved me.

“Father Tom, I had a miracle here”

“It’s an island of miracles,” said he.

_________________

For more information on how you can take a class on Enders Island or visit for a day, a few nights, or a week, please visit: endersisland.org

Be on the lookout for a follow-up article on the history of Enders Island. You will learn about fascinating people like Dr and Mrs Enders, the original benefactors. You will also read about celebrities like Walter Cronkite and Roger Mudd who often visited Enders to play tennis with the former retreat director.

Images courtesy Enders Island