Our Gatherings
The Itinerary
Not everything at Makom is scheduled. Not everything scheduled is mandatory. Here is how a typical gathering moves and how the space between the moments makes it work.
We have 3 categories of activities:
Expected
The communal heartbeat of the gathering. This is shared meals, the Sunday worship service, the worship night, the farewell banquet, the blessing jar reading. Not mandatory, but the gathering is shaped around them and you will want to be there.
Encouraged
The core programme to have the full experience. This is morning teaching, guided movement, small group discussion, vespers, the chef's demo evenings. Most guests attend most of these. They are where the depth of the week is built.
Optional
Everything else. Enjoy the spa, spiritual direction, fishing, horse riding, excursions, the letter writing station, the dawn prayer walk, the conservatory, the puzzle table, the courtyard fire, and several surprises along the way. Available always, required never.
Saturday
Welcoming Day
2:00 PM
2PM-6PM
5:30 PM
7:00 PM
7:30 PM
9:00 PM
Private transfers from Dublin Airport all morning and afternoon.
Arrival, check-in, and explore the grounds. (Expected)
Sunset canal walk with history of Lyons (Encouraged)
Welcome talk. Opening blessings, vision, rhythm, and permissions. (Expected)
Plated 6-course welcome dinner. (Expected)
Bar open, courtyard fire, get acquainted. (Encouraged)
Sunday
The Lord's Day
6:30 AM
8:30 AM
10:30 AM
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
6:30 PM
7:30 PM
Dawn prayer walk along the Grand Canal. (Optional)
Contemplative breakfast. (Expected)
Morning worship service, liturgy, communion, homily. (Expected)
Sunday lunch. (Expected)
Free afternoon -- The spa, reading room, the grounds, games, rest. (Encouraged)
Vespers under the sunset. (Encouraged)
Plated 4-course dinner with expert sommelier and nonalcoholic pairings. (Expected)
Monday
Rooting & Depth
7:30 AM
8:30 AM
10:00 AM
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:30 PM
Evening
Morning movement session or holy yoga session. (Optional)
Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
Session One -- On Place. (Expected)
Small group lunch to discuss the session. (Expected)
Free afternoon -- 1:1 guidance sessions available. (Encouraged)
Time of musical worship in the Chapel. (Encouraged)
Dinner -- Chef demonstration of Hospitality as Ministry. (Expected)
Fire pit and community. (Encouraged)
Tuesday
Wonder & Wilderness
7:30 AM
8:30 AM
10:00 AM
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
6:30 PM
8:00 PM
Evening
Lectio divina contemplative morning bible groups. (Optional)
Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
Session Two -- On Wondering. (Expected)
Packed lunch with journaling workshops around the estate. (Expected)
Excursions to Glendalough or Newgrange. Or explore on your own. (Optional)
Family-style classic Irish dinner. Whiskey tasting optional. (Expected)
Rend Collective worship set at the Chapel. (Expected)
Fire pit and community. (Encouraged)
Wednesday
Connection & Forgiveness
7:30 AM
8:30 AM
10:00 AM
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
6:30 PM
8:00 PM
Evening
Morning movement session or holy yoga session. (Encouraged)
Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
Session Three -- On People.(Expected)
Small group lunch to discuss the session.(Expected)
Free afternoon -- Letter writing for gratitudes, blessings, and forgiveness. (Optional)
Afternoon tea with Irish poetry and Celtic song. (Optional)
Dinner -- Chef demonstration of The Table as a Gift. (Expected)
Guest Talent Night -- Instruments available, poetry readings, the unknown.(Expected)
Fire pit and community. (Encouraged)
Thursday
Joy & Celebration
7:30 AM
8:30 AM
10:00 AM
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
5:30 PM
6:30 PM
9:00 PM
Evening
Morning movement session or holy yoga session. (Encouraged)
Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
Session Four -- On Joy.(Expected)
Family-style lunch with a reading of the Blessing Jar. (Expected)
Free afternoon -- Yard games and the treasure hunt. (Optional)
Traditional Irish Céilí Dancing. (Encouraged)
Farewell banquet dinner of the chef's finest. (Expected)
Sending prayer and commissioning.(Expected)
Final fire pit under the stars with unhurried farewells. (Encouraged)
Friday
Sending Day
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
12:00 PM
Final breakfast enjoyed at your leisure. (Encouraged)
Sending Ceremony -- Our leaders will pray over reach person upon departure.
Private transfers to Dublin Airport.
The estate closes
A note on unscheduled hours:
The most significant moments of the gathering often happen in the gaps. A conversation after dinner that nobody planned, an afternoon in the conservatory that turned into something else, a dawn walk where the silence said more than anything the speaker offered. While we provide many ways to use your free time, we want to honor the gaps, not simply fill them.
A note on our table and expressions:
We set a generous table. All of our food is prepared by a renowned local chef who will share history, story, and flavor that can only be experienced in this way from whole ingredients sourced as locally, organically, and regeneratively as possible. Often the food is grown on the land where we stay. We never allow seed oils or artificial ingredients of any kind, and will gather dietary restrictions from each guest prior to arrival and accommodate those needs as fully as possible.
Wine & alcohol is offered at dinner on selected evenings as part of our hospitality, in the tradition of Christian fellowship around a meal. It is never the focus, it accompanies the food and the conversation. Non-alcoholic options are given the same care and intention as the wine. Nobody is forgotten at the Makom table.
We celebrate that the Lord is risen. Joy is theology. The people of God are the most free, most alive people in any room. We intend to act like it... Which sometimes includes dancing, singing, and celebration. We are Easter people.
If you have any questions at all, please get in touch.
Contact us
"Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it." — Genesis 28:16