From the Leader of Faith, Mission and Learning

On the 24-25th May our staff at St Andrews were blessed to be able to participate in a Silent Retreat at Mount Carmel Retreat Centre. The theme for our retreat was Psalm 62:5

“For God alone my soul waits in silence for my hope is from him.”

The retreat highlighted for many of us the need for silence for our well-being, and to have the opportunity to listen to the Lord's voice.

In our society today we rarely give ourselves the opportunity for silence; to listen. We are bombarded with stimuli for our phones, social media, emails, and Netflix, which very often heightens our senses, keeping us always busy.  Elijah in the Book of Kings however, found that the Lord was not in noise. He was not in the great wind; the Lord was not in the earthquake or a fire, but he was present in the sound of sheer silence.”

Silence is a wonderful opportunity to reset and for prayer, however, just like our physical bodies, our spiritual practice also takes training. Our staff were able to enter the silence of the retreat through prayer workshops and adoration, before being able to enter into the experience at the beautiful grounds at Mount Carmel Retreat Centre. The Station of the Cross walk, and personal reflections developed by Fr Kevin Redmond were a highlight for many, as well as the scripture reflections by the lake, and rosary walk.

Listening is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Every significant moment in Jesus' ministry was preceded by silent prayer. St Mark writes: "Very early next morning, long before daylight, Jesus got up and went to a lonely place where he was absorbed in prayer"

The experience of silence and prayer, are practices that when integrated into our daily lives can allow us to care for the physical, but can also develop our spiritual lives by taking the time to listen, to be aware, and open ourselves to the presence of God. Silence is a necessary condition for prayer and for unbroken union with God. Saint Teresa of Calcutta says that “prayer is the fruit of silence.”

Thank you to Fr Kevin Redmond for making time for us on retreat before heading to Belgium. Thank you to Simone McKecknie for her work with the logistics of the retreat. Thank you to all our teachers who assisted with the Prayer Workshops and for all who attended the retreat as it was a fruitful experience.

Andrew Hoare & Karina Anthony

Faith Mission and Learning