20 members, volunteers and a candidate attended the Subpriory of The Immaculate Conception’s winter silent retreat at the Mount Carmel Retreat Centre, Varroville, NSW from 7 to 12 August.

Fr Anthony Robbie, Conventual Chaplain ad honorem, led the retreat with the theme “The Order uniting heaven and earth”.

Included in the conferences was practical advice on humility – a necessary facet to the promise of obedience. Time was also used to reflect on the purpose of the Order, as detailed in Article 2 of the Constitution and Code 2022, where each phrase was considered to give retreatants a deep understanding of why the Order exists and why they are members.

The Subpriory of The Immaculate Conception is a spiritual community within the Australian Association of the Order of Malta. The Subpriory assists its members in deepening their spiritual life which Fr Robbie calls the supernatural life and in striving to be an example to other members in practising the charisms of our Order (tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum). They hold two annual retreats (a summer retreat in Melbourne and a winter retreat in Sydney) to allow all members and candidates of the Order of Malta, the opportunity to spend more time in prayer and contemplation to deepen their relationship with God.

Learn more: https://www.orderofmalta.org.au/subpriory-2/