Carmelite Retreat Program
Below you will find a list of all of our Carmelite Retreats for 2026. Click on any one to learn more about it and to register. Alternatively, you can click here to go straight to the registration page for all retreats.
PRESENTER: Fr Paul Maunder, OCD
Fr Paul will focus on the broad vision of grace and redemption popularly opened up by St Therese of Lisieux. The world of hidden saints is vast. Suggested reading: Story of A Soul, The Autobiography of St Therese of Lisieux.
WHEN: February 7, 2026 • 6pm (Fri) - 12:30 pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Mt Carmel Priory, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $340/person
(Price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation)
Look Up and See
PRESENTER: Fr. Gerard Moran, OCD
The grace of Lent-Easter can change us. Let the liturgy of Lent and the wisdom of St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Jesus enable us to take hold of the opportunity.
WHEN: February 13-15, 2026 • 6pm (Fri) - 12:30 pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $340/person
(Price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation)
Now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6, 2)
PRESENTER: Matthew Delasey
We will explore the path to interior silence by addressing distractions in prayer and discovering that “your strength will be in silence” (Is. 30:15). Silence is not simply a lack of noise but rather develops from a listening heart that penetrates ever more deeply into the Infinity of God. For the one Word was spoken by the Father in eternal silence and is heard by a soul only in silence.
WHEN: May 2, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch)
Silent music
PRESENTER: Fr. Gerard, OCD
Let us listen in as Jesus offers our sister, the Samaritan, the possbility to be transformed. He is speaking to us!
WHEN: March 7, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO Lunch)
If you only knew what God is offering….
The Feast of Corpus Christi
PRESENTER: Dr. Robert Gascoigne
This retreat will be an opportunity to meditate on the meaning of the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which will be celebrated on Sunday June 7th. In the eucharist, Christ shares himself with us sacramentally in the bread and wine, which are ‘fruit of the earth and work of human hands’. Christ loves us so much that he gives himself to us, for all time, in and through a shared meal. The feast of Corpus Christi was first established in the Catholic Church in the 13th century and is often a focus for beautiful popular devotions. Most of all, it encourages us to reflect on and give thanks for Christ’s presence among us in the eucharist, giving himself to us in the bread and wine just as he gave himself to us and for us in his dying and rising from the dead.
WHEN: June 6, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch)
PRESENTER: Fr. Sam, OCD
The Christian journey isn’t just about seeking extraordinary spiritual experiences; it’s about recognising God’s presence in the most ordinary moments. Teresa’s life exemplified this truth. Rather than striving to “find” God as if He were hidden, she understood that her task was to know God more deeply and to be with Him always, no matter what she was doing.
WHEN: July 7, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch)
The Lord Walks Among the Pots & Pans
Finding God’s Presence in Everyday Life - Inspired by Teresa of Jesus
PRESENTER: Fr. Paul, OCD
St Teresa of Avila found great comfort being near Jesus in the garden of his temptation and agony. "It seemed to me that being alone and afflicted, as a person in need he had to accept me". The focus is on how Teresa learned to keep this divine company, rising in prayer to confront the whole world and its forces. Suggested reading: The Way of Perfection, Vol II. Collected Works of St Teresa of Avila.
WHEN: June 19-21, 2026 • 6pm (Fri) - 12:30 pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $340/person
(Price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation)
Teresa in Gethsemane
PRESENTER: Bishop Greg Homeming, OCD
St Teresa proposes humility, detachment and love as necessaries for a fulfilled life and growth towards God. They ground the life of virtue and the development of the spiritual life.
WHEN: August 7-9 2026 • 6pm (Fri) - 12:30 pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Mt Carmel Priory, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $340/person
(Price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation)
Humility, Detachment and Love
PRESENTER: Mr. George Morkel, OCDS
Come and discover St Elijah's impact on your own spirituality, and that of the Carmelite Saints. We will reflect on St Elijah's relationship with God and others, finding inspiration, challenges and comfort as we, too, walk aspects of his spiritual journey in today's world, where we have to make many of the choices made by St Elijah.
WHEN: July 24-26, 2026 • 6pm (Fri) - 12:30 pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Mt Carmel Priory, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $340/person
(Price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation)
The Many Facets of St Elijah, the Most Enigmatic of the Old Testament Prophets
PRESENTER: Cristina Leontini
You could say that the life of Carmelite saint Mariam of Jesus Crucified, also known as the “little nothing”, boarded on the miraculous. Her adventure-filled life can leave us astonished by the supernatural phenomena that abounded during her brief life. Yet far away from the limelight, the true source of wonder is the power the Holy Spirit who slowly transformed Mariam into the image of Jesus whose name she bore.
Mariam’s life gives us a path to union with God under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Her deepest desires conformed to His call, at times even giving her an audacity that seems almost heroic in boldness and complete trust to the inner voice. This is possible for all who are in Christ.
Not by luck but predestined, not by her own will but called, not by her own efforts but justified by Jesus, Mariam was glorified by her Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:30).
WHEN: August 1, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch)
“Holines, in the end, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life” (Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exultate 15)
Matthew’s Gospel
PRESENTER: Fr. Bernard, OCD
Matthew in his gospel presents Jesus as the Messiah of Israel; the Teacher who is greater than Moses and the Son of Man who comes to give his life for us all.
In this day retreat come and discover the Jesus that Matthew wants us to meet in his Gospel.
WHEN: October 3 , 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch)
PRESENTER: Ms. Barbara Stenning, OCDS
"Newman belongs to the great teachers of the Church because he both touches our hearts and enlightens our minds." Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
WHEN: September 5, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch)
A day retreat to explore some of the teaching of St John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church. Theologian & Poet
A Weeklong Guided Retreat with St. Teresa of Avila & St. John of the Cross
PRESENTER: Fr. Aloysius, OCD
During this week we will explore some of the main themes in the spirituality and doctrine of these two Carmelite Saints and Doctors of the Church.
WHEN: September 6-13, 2026 • 6pm (Sunday) - 12:30 pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Mt Carmel Priory, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $1,085/person
(Price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation)
Contemplative Hearts, Like Mary’s: Nourishing prayer in the Carmelite tradition
PRESENTER: Sr. Jud, cm
Discover the richness of the Carmelite spirituality, and learn/re-learn how to cultivate a contemplative heart like Mary’s. Explore the Carmelite tradition’s emphasis on intimacy with God, solitude, andscripture, and finding together some practical ways to deepen our prayer life..
WHEN: November 7, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch) )
Ladder of Love - The Ascent of the Soul Toward Union with God
PRESENTER: Fr. Sam, OCD
St. John of the Cross presents a profound vision of spiritual growth through his concept, the “Ladder of Love.” He likens this transformation to climbing a ladder, where each rung represents a new way of loving and a deeper union with God.
WHEN: December 5, 2026 • 10am - 4pm
WHERE: Mt Carmel Retreat Centre, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $30/person (Please BYO lunch)
Pathways to PERFECTION: COUNSELS OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS
PRESENTER: Fr. Sam, OCD
St. John of the Cross does not see perfection as a personal project or a way to save ourselves. For him, perfection means growing spiritually by turning completely to God, not achieving something on our own. The councils are ongoing challenges that deepen our alignment with God’s will rather than fostering self-reliance.
WHEN: October 16-18, 2026 • 6pm (Fri) - 12:30 pm (Sunday)
WHERE: Mt Carmel Priory, 247 St Andrews Road, Varroville, NSW
COST: $340/person
(Price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation)
