The 32 priests and deacons of the Bunbury Diocese gathered for their annual retreat at St John of God Retreat Centre, Safety Bay, in Western Australia.
Br David Leary OFM led the September 14-19 retreat, telling the clergy: “Do not pray for the grace to be with you because it is already with you; rather, pray for the grace to be awakened in you.”
Br Leary directed the reflections toward a deeper understanding of priestly and religious life as a “Journey Home”. He emphasised the “culture of encounter” as a “Kairos experience” of God’s providence for his priests.
“We are alone only if we choose to be and only when we fail to see the Kairos moments that call us home, which is always communitarian.
“This is the great challenge: to be open to and perceive the Kairos moments where Grace is alive and active in each of us and our life in community.”
Each day of the five-day retreat had two sessions. Retreatants each had a one-on-one dialogue with Br Leary as a form of counselling and professional accompaniment. Every night, each deanery was assigned to lead the “Holy Hour” before the Blessed Sacrament. One of the most important aspects of the retreat was the retreatants taking part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Bunbury Bishop George Kolodziej SDS sent a message to the retreatants from Rome, where he was attending formation for new bishops.
“A retreat is always a gift – not just a time away from usual responsibilities but a graced opportunity to be renewed in our friendship with Jesus, to be strengthened in our calling and to rediscover our quiet joy of being his priest.”
Bishop Kolodziej returned to Western Australia in time to celebrate the retreat’s concluding Mass.
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Clergy and religious priests of the Diocese of Bunbury “Journey Home” (Bunbury Diocese)
