This silent retreat offers a time of rest and peace within the Autumn season . 'Await Allow Accept Attend-'words inspired by Julian offer a guiding wisdom for this Contemplative retreat. Each day will offer a morning reflection together with opportunity for spiritual companioning if desired Arrival time at Santa Casa is any time after lunch and before a light tea at 5.45pm. Departure time is before 10am
These last two words of Gerard Manly Hopkins poem are a powerful and poetic statement of faith. They provide a metaphor for the essence of who we really are - in Christ. It is an essence that we spend a lifetime seeking, one way or another. This retreat explores the movement of seeking that essence throughout our lives and the discoveries along the way, especially in the final season(s) of life. The retreat invites us into the “heart seeing” needed to see more than the externals and so respond to Love’s calling to sink into the deeps of the Ground of Being, there to discover the true self hidden within. Spiritual direction will be available, and some form of creativity is encouraged. Arrival time at Santa Casa is any time after lunch and before a light tea at 5.45pm. Departure time is before 10am
Silent Retreat The Beloved’s Desire I am my Beloved's, the Beloved’s desire is for me. Song of Songs 7:11 Expressing our longing, yearning, thirsting for God is at the heart of what it means to be human. Through immersing ourselves in the extravagant tradition of desire in the Psalms, Song of Songs and in mystical writings, in this silent retreat, we will centre in the eternal yearning of divine love kindling our desire to seek and love our God fully. We will awaken our heart senses and be inspired by the writings of mystics such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Gallus, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Hadewijch of Brabant, The Cloud of Unknowing, Symeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas, Teilhard de Chardin and many others as we explore the energies of love and the evolutionary nature of desire. We will ruminate on how these mystics invite us to live from our oneing in divine desire and inspire us to enjoy living life passionately. Minne - Love’s words to Mechthild encompass the atmosphere of the retreat: That I love you passionately comes from my nature, for I am Love itself. That I love you often comes from my desire, for I desire to be loved passionately. That I love you long comes from my being eternal, for I am without an end and without a beginning. Mechthild of Magdeburg, Flowing Light of the Godhead, 1.2 Arrival time at Santa Casa is any time after lunch and before a light tea at 5.45pm. Departure time is before 10am FULLY BOOKED
******* Reflection Days: A wise elderly Sister said to me recently after reading words from our Constitutions, that “we are on the cusp of a new phase – the rebirth of all creation”. Hence this invitation to a 4-day revisiting of our Mercy Heartland, bringing to bear on them NOW the wisdom and inspiration gleaned from our experience of living them over the years. As we reflect, contemplate, and share from the store of riches we hold within us, it is hoped that “in this threshold moment of Institute life” our hearts may be fired anew with God’s Mercy wherever we are. Arrival time at Santa Casa is any time after lunch and before a light tea at 5.45pm. Departure time is before 10am
Jonas Salk said that our greatest responsibility is to become good ancestors. Joanna Macy says a similar thing in that what we need to do is learn to act like ancestors of future generations. Throughout this retreat day we will look at what it means to be people of hope and how it is that we might become storytellers of a new future. In contemplative style we will consider the question of what it is that the Divine wants to be made known through us and how we might participate in this calling. There will be input and quiet time. Yes, Cath will also play her Celtic harp for us… Arrival time at Santa Casa is any time after lunch and before a light tea at 5.45pm. Departure time is after lunch and before 2pm
One of the great gems of our life is the inner Truth that we at times stumble upon, often when we least expect to. In this retreat we will be seeking to investigate some of these inner gems as we explore our inner self through prayerful, daily sessions of interactive group discussion. This will hopefully allow us to move ever closer towards those most elusive and challenging inner elements – who we actually are, and our purpose in life. There will be the opportunity for daily spiritual direction. Arrival time at Santa Casa is any time after lunch and before a light tea at 5.45pm. Departure time is before 10am
Deepening our Encounters with God, Self, Others and Creation Need a break? Seeking an opportunity for renewal? This is a sacred time for you to stop, rest, explore, reflect, be nourished and emerge anew. Inviting lay and religious, women and men, who are ministering as Christian servant leaders in education, health, aged care and related pastoral and social work. We offer a wide range of topics including: prayer, scripture, spirituality, integral ecology, mystics, cosmology, indigenous spirituality, human and faith development, contemporary justice issues, and more ... Maeve Louise Heaney vdmf will lead participants in a six-day retreat in mid October. Weekly spiritual direction is available for participants. Daily prayer and liturgies will sustain communal living. We have ensured a balanced timetable of input, personal reflection and free time for excursions and activities such as iconography, yoga, book club and film nights. Cost $6,350 AUD includes accommodation, meals and elective activities. Please note travel costs to and from Queenscliff, and expenses for personal excursions on free days are excluded. To Book An application form is available from Lizzie Finnerty rsm, Manager santacasa@ismapng.org.au or call 0418 194 261. Places in this sabbatical are limited to 15 participants. Closing date for applications is 1st August 2024.
This retreat offers a space for rest, contemplation ,and for hope to bloom The focus of the retreat is the human heart together with all its longings especially in the midst of doubt and disillusionment. Let the quiet space of Santa Casa surround and nurture you during this special season Arrival time at Santa Casa is any time after lunch and before a light tea at 5.45pm. Departure time is before 10am