Lifted Up
About
Av Australia invites you to join us on a spiritual journey to the summit.You are invited to journey ever deeper into the heart of God. Through the spiritual ascent of the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways, we will contemplate Mary's fiat, the grace of the sacraments, and the invitation to sit at the feet of Jesus. Come and discover the gentle work of grace as the Lord lifts your heart to Himself and draws you into deeper union with His love.
For those beginning to organise their travel plans, we wanted to share a preliminary outline of this year’s retreat to help you plan your journey.
**Our retreat will officially begin at 2:00 pm on Saturday, 26 September,** with Mass celebrated by Fr. Harrison at the local parish church, just down the road from the retreat centre.
--For those arriving earlier on Saturday, there will also be an option to join us for lunch before the retreat officially begins. The location for lunch is still to be confirmed and will be advised closer to the date.--
**We will conclude at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, following lunch.**
Throughout the retreat, we will celebrate daily Mass, and we are blessed to have each of the priests joining us this year also sharing a talk with us.
Below is a brief outline of what we have planned. We are still working on the final schedule, so individual sessions and times may change. However, the 2:00 pm Saturday start and 2:00 pm Wednesday finish will remain unchanged, so you can confidently organise your travel.
- Saturday, 26 September
Those arriving early are welcome to join us for lunch before the retreat begins. The location will be confirmed closer to the date.
At 2:00 pm, our retreat officially begins with Mass celebrated by Fr. Harrison at the local parish church.
We will then return to the retreat centre for talks exploring giving our fiat, entering the Interior Castle, the Purgative Way, spiritual warfare, and the discernment of spirits.
We’ll finish our first evening together with a bonfire.
- Sunday
Morning Mass with Fr. Harrison, followed by talks throughout the day, including a talk from Fr. Harrison.
Our themes will include Spiritual Warfare and Discernment – Part 2, Living the Contemplative Gaze, and the Mass and Sacraments.
-Monday
Monday will include an opportunity for Confession, a drop-in session with Dan and Stephanie Burke, and Mass celebrated by Fr. Wallace.
Fr. Wallace will then give a talk on From Meditative to Contemplative Prayer, followed by a session on Suffering and Contemplative Prayer.
- Tuesday
Morning Mass with Fr. Wallace, followed by another talk from Fr. Wallace and a group discussion and Q&A on the Paradigm of Ascent.
- Wednesday
Our final morning will begin with Mass celebrated by Fr. Wee, followed by his talk on Ascent and Dante.
We will share lunch together before officially concluding our retreat at 2:00 pm.
We are looking forward to sharing these days of prayer, formation, fellowship and encounter with the Lord together.
Bookings are now open, and we would love for you to join us on this journey to the summit.
More details and the final schedule will be shared as we get closer to the retreat.
Date
Saturday 26 September 2026 2:00 PM - Wednesday 30 September 2026 2:00 PM (UTC+10)Location
Carmel House ( Part of the Mount Carmel Retreat Centre )
345 St Andrews Rd, Varroville NSW 2566