The Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy
Resting in the Lord:
Spiritual Solace for the Stressed Sacerdos
ACCC Clergy Retreat
3rd – 8th September 2023
Galong, NSW
Registration closes 25th August 2023
In leading their lives, clerics are bound in a special way to pursue holiness since, having been consecrated to God by a new title in the reception of orders, they are dispensers of the mysteries of God in the service of His people. In order to be able to pursue this perfection they are bound to make time for spiritual retreats according to the prescripts of particular law.
Invitation from the Chairman
My Lords, Fathers and Deacons,
In his famous treatise on the spiritual life, The Soul of the Apostolate, Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard poignantly declared: “We must never leave the God of works for the works of God!” The Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy is pleased to offer this retreat as an opportunity for you to come away from the work of the Lord so as to rediscover the Lord of the work. Over six restful days, we will hear encouraging conferences from Fr Joseph Carola SJ and join together for reverent and dignified prayer within the beautiful setting of Galong Retreat Center. Intimacy with the Lord is imperative for any minister of God, but especially so in the increasingly difficult times in which we live. I commend this retreat to you, confident that it will truly enable you to encounter the living God.
In Christ,
Fr Gregory Pritchard
Chairman, Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy
Invation from the Retreat Director
Dear Bishops, Priests and Deacons of Australia,
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” the good Lord compassionately commands (Matt 11:28). In Jesus’ humble Heart we rest secure. It is our refuge and safe harbour amid the storm. No harm can ever come to us bathed there in His mercy. The sabbatical leisure of Christ’s Heart ensures our celibacy is lived for the sake of the Kingdom. Its contemplative repose heals the fractured reality of a world continually fragmented by sin. The Heart of Jesus is, if you will, a technology-free zone. The digital stressors that threaten our lives have no place there. Just as Jesus invited His disciples to go off to a deserted place and rest awhile from their apostolic labours, so too does He invite thinly stretched and overly-taxed priests in our own age to enter into His Heart, where His Mother Mary continually places us, and to find our rest. For it is there that He, the Good Shepherd, revives and nourishes the drooping spirits of his priests. I invite you to join me on this retreat for a week of rest and renewal in the Heart of the Lord.
In Domino,
Fr Joseph Carola SJ
Retreat Director
Retreat Information
Cost
$650
+$130 if you choose to depart on Sat 9/9/23
Retreat Begins
6.30pm, Sunday 3rd September 2023
Retreat Concludes
1.30pm, Friday 8th September 2023
Transport
Galong is a 6 hour drive from Melbourne, a 3.5 hour drive from Sydney, and a 1.5 hour drive from Canberra. Canberra has the closest airport. Given the remote location of the retreat centre, the ACCC will endeavour to coordinate group car transport from Melbourne and Canberra Airport for those who require it. Any costs for such transport would be shared between users.
Silence
Silence can be extremely hard to foster as a priest. This retreat will provide you with the opportunity to immerse yourself in the silence that is essential for deep prayer. Silence will be observed from the conclusion of the first conference on Sunday evening until the beginning of lunch on Friday afternoon.
The Sacred Liturgy
Prayer for the Church in the Liturgy of the Hours and Holy Mass is at the heart of the priestly task. Even so, apostolic responsibilities and pressures often make it difficult for us to pray with the recollection and dignity befitting the official worship of the Church. Like the Apostles, we can find it hard to “devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). This retreat deliberately incorporates the prayerful celebration of Holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours to enable you to renew your love for the Church’s worship.
Retreat Director | Fr Joseph Carola SJ
Fr Joseph Carola SJ was born in Houston, Texas, in 1962. After entering the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus in 1980 he was ordained a priest in 1993. In 2001 he obtained his doctorate in theology and patristic sciences from the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome and has been a professor of patristic theology at the Gregorian University since 2002. He is a skilled retreat master, having directed retreats for many Roman and American seminarians and clergy. In the Year for Priests he published a volume of meditations on priestly life and ministry, Conformed to Christ Crucified (Gregorian & Biblical Press), to which he has since added two further volumes. Fr Carola’s “A Patristic Pastoral Trilogy: Striving after holiness for the sake of our service,” which features in his third volume of meditations, was presented at the ACCC’s 2010 International Conference in Rome.
Retreat Director | Fr Joseph Carola SJ
Fr Joseph Carola SJ was born in Houston, Texas, in 1962. After entering the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus in 1980 he was ordained a priest in 1993. In 2001 he obtained his doctorate in theology and patristic sciences from the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome and has been a professor of patristic theology at the Gregorian University since 2002. He is a skilled retreat master, having directed retreats for many Roman and American seminarians and clergy. In the Year for Priests he published a volume of meditations on priestly life and ministry, Conformed to Christ Crucified (Gregorian & Biblical Press), to which he has since added two further volumes. Fr Carola’s “A Patristic Pastoral Trilogy: Striving after holiness for the sake of our service,” which features in his third volume of meditations, was presented at the ACCC’s 2010 International Conference in Rome.
Venue | St Clement’s Retreat Centre, Galong
St Clement’s Retreat Centre is situated in Galong in picturesque rural New South Wales, offering the perfect setting for a prayerful retreat. Originally established as a farm, the property has been owned and operated by the Redemptorists for over 160 years. We will have access to 34 single rooms in the Retreat House, communal bathroom/shower facilities, full catering from Sunday dinner to Friday lunch, and expansive and picturesque grounds in rural setting.
Professional Standards Clearance
Clergy who attend the retreat are required to obtain a professional standards clearance from the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn prior to arriving for the retreat. To complete and submit a professional standards declaration, follow the link below. Once you have obtained your clearance, please forward a record of it to Carmel Negline at the ACCC Secretariat.
Registration closes 25th August 2023