ANNUAL SCHEDULED PROGRAMS AND RETREATS

Programs and events 2024

The 2024 Programs and Events booklet is your guide the following faith formation opportunities delivered by the Marist Mission and Life Formation Team:

  • Staff Programs

  • Online Modules

  • Marist Association Regional Gatherings

  • Hermitage Retreats

  • Marist Tertiary Education

  • Conferences and Events

  • Marist Youth Ministry Events

  • Australian Marist Solidarity Events

To access the Programs and Events 2024 booklet click here

Contact: Tony Clarke | tony.clarke@marists.org.au

National Staff Spirituality Program:
FIRST LIGHT - REVEAL THE SPIRIT

The National Staff Spirituality Program invites participants to reflect upon the presence of God as revealed in the world and to be transformed by the Spirit for the evangelising mission of making Jesus known and loved.

“You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. But it can only emerge if something fundamental changes in your state of consciousness.”

These words from Eckhart Tolle express the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the importance of becoming aware of the light within us. Through this awareness, we are transformed and spiritually gifted to be God’s light for others.

Contact: Tony Clarke | tony.clarke@marists.org.au

IN THE MARIST WAY:
NEW STAFF FORMATION PROGRAM

This program introduces staff to the story, spirituality and pedagogy of Marist education in the contemporary Catholic school. It is an initial formation program designed for staff who are new to Marist schools.

Participants will explore the Marist mission as a mission of the Church and gain an insight into the charism of the founder, St Marcellin Champagnat.

Contact: Paul Harris | paul.harris@marists.org.au

FOOTSTEPS 1 AND 2:
MAKING JESUS CHRIST KNOWN AND LOVED

A three-day residential program for staff who have been in Marist schools and ministries for two years or more. It explores Marist charism, identity, pedagogy and spirituality.

Footsteps provides an opportunity for participants to strengthen their understanding and practice of Marist pedagogy using core documents, formation processes and community building. This understanding is enriched through gaining a greater appreciation of the Marist story and charism of St Marcellin Champagnat. It also provides a platform for participants to enrich and deepen their own faith journey through exploring contemplative practices of Marian spirituality.

All Footsteps programs are held at The Hermitage, Mittagong NSW.

Contact: Mark O’Farrell | mark.ofarrell@marists.org.au

Marist Solidarity Retreat

A three-day program where participants encounter the living spirituality of the desert and witness the Marist ministry of solidarity in Central Australia. 

It is suitable for anyone who has been in Marist ministry for three or more years. 

The retreat offers a rich experience of indigenous culture and provides spaces for reflection upon our world and our individual faith journeys. Spending significant time with the local community of Santa Teresa, participants are able to gain an appreciation of how the Marist story is being lived and loved. 

Providing a rich background of desert environs, it is a retreat that connects with the land, its people and the Marist mission. 

Contact: Paul Harris | paul.harris@marists.org.au

ECOLOGY OF THE HEART
RAINFOREST TO THE REEF RETREAT

This three day retreat provides time and space to reflect on the exhortation of Pope Francis to see creation through the eyes of the creator. Nurturing and transforming creation is a command God gives not only at the beginning of history but to each one of us. Participants will be challenged to respond to this sacred task as we journey through the rainforests of Far North Queensland and the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef.

Stewardship starts from a position of humility. Through prayerful listening, learning, walking and reflecting, participants will engage with the deep springs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture as we travel from the rainforest to the reef. As this retreat involves journeying through natural environments, a reasonable level of fitness is required.

Contact: Tony Clarke | tony.clarke@marists.org.au
or Mark Elliott | mark.elliott@marists.org.au

Marist Pilgrimage

This 20-day experience invites participants to a journey of the heart and to the sources of our Christian tradition and life. Pilgrims will immerse themselves in the development of the early Christian Church in Greece and Turkey, our Catholic life in Rome, and the Marist project in Lyon and Notre Dame de l’Hermitage.

The possibilities for spiritual and intellectual growth are endless as we walk together as Marist disciples and pilgrims. It is an opportunity to help change our consciousness and our perception of our spiritual identity and how we fit into this world.

Contact: Tony Clarke | tony.clarke@marists.org.au

Mid-Winter Retreat

BISHOP GREG HOMEING OCD

Our annual retreat offers a time of insight and renewal through a process of quiet reflection, spiritual reading and quality input. In 2024 the retreat will be facilitated by Bishop Greg Homeming OCD, Bishop of Lismore. The focus will be on Prayer, a topic in which Bishop Greg has considerable expertise. Bishop Greg is a member of the Discalced Carmelite Order, a reform of the ancient Carmelite order, and has held numerous leadership positions within the order prior to being ordained a bishop in 2017.

Contact: John Hickey | john.hickey@marists.org.au

LITURGICAL MUSIC LEADERS’ WORKSHOP

This one-day workshop is for staff members charged with responsibility for leading liturgical music in school communities, and will explore the specific Marist style of liturgical music leadership along with the practical ways of engaging students in meaningful liturgy and prayer. Participants will be guided through methods for making effective and appropriate liturgical music choices, and will investigate the range of resources and scores available in the genre

Consideration will be given to band size and composition, cyclic training of students for liturgical music leadership, vocal leadership, choral support, and the integration of liturgical music into school orchestral repertoire and practice schedules. This workshop heralds the beginning of a network in which collaboration is promoted to assist any school across the MSA network with uplift in their liturgical music capacity and student participation.

Contact: Brother Michael Callinan | michael.callinan@marists.org.au

CARE FOR THE SOUL

How do we nurture the Spiritual in the midst of our daily routine? This retreat offers participants a quiet and reflective space away from the busy nature of daily life. A variety of input, prayer experiences, spiritual accompaniment and silence is offered during the retreat. This retreat is an ideal place to start if you have never experienced a silent retreat. The Eucharist is celebrated on the final day of this retreat. 

Contact: John Hickey | john.hickey@marists.org.au

MARIST MIDDLE LEADERS PROGRAM -
‘SACRED HEART HEART INFINITE MIND’

This program is designed for educators who hold positions of Middle Leadership in Marist schools. It is an opportunity to explore and deepen their leadership capabilities within the Catholic schooling context, as well as mapping their professional and vocational growth as educators. It draws upon the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) to build upon their understanding of teaching and leading in a Marist school.

 This program is practical, future-oriented and provides spaces for ongoing reflection, learning and action. Based on the three Marist Virtues of Humility, Simplicity and Modesty and the writings of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, these interactive sessions will engage with contemporary research and practice, enabling participants to explore their sacred role within the school community.

Contact: Brother Tony Leon | tony.leon@marists.org.au