About

Come on a spiritual journey to the summit.

You are invited to journey ever deeper into the heart of God. Talks will explore:

• entering the Interior Castle and the purifying journey of the spiritual life;
• contemplating Mary’s yes and our own response to God’s invitation;
• spiritual warfare and the discernment of spirits;
• living with a contemplative gaze; and
• how Jesus meets us in the midst of our suffering.

Daily Mass | Confession | Adoration | Personal Prayer
Space to step away from the busyness of everyday life | sit at the feet of Jesus | simply be with Him.

Come and discover the gentle work of grace as the Lord lifts your heart to Himself, deepens your prayer, and draws you into greater union with Him.

Four ways to join us

Saturday evening

The public talk · Free

7:00 pm, Saturday 26 September — Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits, given by Robert Zaar: Catholic teacher, spiritual director and retreat leader, whose after-school Religious Education Enhancement programme keeps more than thirty students back at the end of the school day, and who was named one of Australia’s best teachers in 2025.

Free to attend; donations welcome. You are also welcome to come earlier in the day for Mass, the afternoon talks and dinner — and to stay for the bonfire afterwards. Check out the promo.

Saturday & Sunday

The foundations

The first two days lay the groundwork of the interior life: giving our fiat, entering the Interior Castle, the Purgative Way, and spiritual warfare and the discernment of spirits. Stay overnight as Sunday brings Part 2 of Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits, which adds real depth and personal integration to St Ignatius’ wisdom, followed by talks on Living the Contemplative Gaze, and Eucharistic Graces.

Saturday 2:00 pm – Wednesday 2:00 pm

The full ascent

For those who want to make the whole climb.

Each day goes further up the mountain: from meditative to contemplative prayer, suffering and contemplative prayer, the Paradigm of Ascent, and finally Ascent and Dante.

Daily Mass | Confession | silence | company of people walking the same road.

Or

Come when you can

Life is busy. We get it. Come for what you can get to. You are welcome. The booking form allows for some flexibility so choose what you like.

The shape of the days

The “Lifted Up” Summit officially begins 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. We conclude at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, after lunch.

We celebrate Mass each day, and we are blessed that each of the priests joining us this year is also giving a talk. One of the great benefits of the summit are the personal chats that happen in various ways which are often fun, enlightening and encouraging.

Saturday 26 September

Arrive early for lunch beforehand (location to be confirmed). At 2:00 pm the Summit begins with Mass. Retreat centre for talks on “Giving our fiat”, Entering the Interior Castle – the Purgative Way, and Spiritual Warfare and the Discernment of Spirits — (this is the 7:00 pm public talk.) Evening around a bonfire.

Sunday 27 September

Morning Mass with Fr Harrison. Talks throughout the day, including one from Fr Harrison himself: Also, Spiritual Warfare and Discernment (Part 2), Living the Contemplative Gaze, and Eucharistic Graces.

Monday 28 September

Mass celebrated by Fr Wallace — followed by his talk, From Meditative to Contemplative Prayer, an online live session with Dan and Stephanie Burke (Dan is the Founder of Apostoli Viae Community and The Avila Foundation) and a talk by Ally Brown on “Known & Loved”. Confession available.

Tuesday 29 September

Morning Mass with Fr Wallace, a further talk from him, a group discussion and Q&A on the Paradigm of Ascent.

Wednesday 30 September

Mass celebrated by Fr Wee, followed by his talk on Ascent and Dante. Lunch and conclude at 2:00 pm.

Our Presenters

(Online) Dan Burke is the past President of EWTN’s worldwide news network. He is presently the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers courses in spiritual theology in over 90 countries and prepares men for seminary in over 80 dioceses. Dan is a best-selling author and editor of numerous books on authentic Catholic spirituality. Dan is the founder of Apostoli Viae. Stephanie devotes the majority of her time in spiritual direction and healing ministry. Dan and Stephanie host the Divine Intimacy Radio show broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio.

Allison Brown is a Catholic writer, speaker, and mother of eight, married for 24 years. Allison’s writing has been featured on CatholicMom.com, SpiritualDirection.com, CatholicExchange.com, and Those Who Mourn, a magazine for grieving Catholics. She is currently writing a book about her journey from trauma to healing and lasting hope through Jesus Christ.

Lynn is a Catholic counsellor, wife, mother and grandmother. She has a graduate certificate in spiritual theology and certificate in spiritual formation from the Avila Institute. She has completed a spiritual direction program at St Vincent’s Seminary’s Institute for Ministry Formation (USA).

Fr Richard Wallace is a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, currently serving at Maternal Heart of Mary in Lewisham, and St John the Baptist in Maitland. He is from Phoenix, Arizona, and has been ordained for seven years. His favorite of all saints is St Bernard of Clairvaux, whom he venerates so greatly!