The news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland: nourishing and connecting our faith community

Retreat

Saturday June 10

The book I have given away the most and why: Canon Gary Harch

“Trees flourish because of a whole community. This is salient to the Christian message,” says The Rev’d Canon Gary Harch, from St John’s Cathedral, as he shares about this innovative best-seller

Anglicare Spiritual and Pastoral Care team gather at Santa Teresa

Recently, 12 members of the Anglicare Southern Queensland Spiritual and Pastoral Care (SPC) team gathered at the Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre at Ormiston for training, reflection and prayer

The Pointro site is an affordable and peaceful retreat or pilgrimage place for groups or individuals – pray, reflect, walk and then rinse and repeat. Rod and Erica take a moment to chill and reflect in the open-air chapel

How's the serenity?

Rod Mengel from St Francis College, Erica Skerman from AYCF and Michelle McDonald from anglican focus recently visited our Diocese’s Pointro Campsite at Boonah. The ACSQ Facebook post of their day trip prompted many questions about the site, including about the camping facilities, bunkhouse accommodation and the local area. Rod, Erica and Michelle share their highlights of the visit, while answering some of the questions asked

Cursillo and the Camino de Santiago

“A highlight of my pilgrimage was reaching a place known as Cruz de Ferro, or ‘Iron Cross’…At its base, a rocky mound (now a fair climb up) has been forming over the years. The tradition is to lay a stone, brought from the place of the pilgrim’s origin, at the top of the mound, so I placed a Kiwi stone given to me by my brother just before he died in 2001,” says The Rev’d Pauline Harley on her intertwined Cursillo and Camino journey.

Why do people go on retreat?

“Like the military manoeuvre that shares the same name, many feel the need to draw back in order to seek clarity and experience God’s presence in solitude. Maybe some go on retreat in the hope that communication with the ‘commander-in-chief’ will be re-established,” says The Rev’d Nicholas Whereat

A Protestant and her mother, Mary

“But in this moment, as I sat down to pray, I was neither a Protestant nor Roman Catholic, but a daughter coming before her Father with burdens too heavy to bear, desiring the comforting embrace of her mom, who was over 5,000 miles, a seven-hour time difference, and 26 more days of silence away,” reflects a former Community of St Anselm member on her unexpected encounter with Mary during a recent silent retreat

Advent retreat at the Old Friary

Discover the benefits of going on retreat this Advent season with the Little Brothers of Francis