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Augustine experienced God as found within one's self and therefore in the heart of each other as well. The Augustinian ideal is one of friendship lived in community. At St. John Stone House we aspire to "honour God in one another" (The Rule of St Augustine I,8) by offering hospitality and a shared vision of faith. The vision the spirituality ministry team seeks to develop is the vision of the Gospels. Each spirituality is a window on the Gospel and Augustinian spirituality is such a window. The Augustinians who live at the Centre assist persons and groups in their spiritual journey via activities such as: spiritual direction, meditation, courses and workshops, retreats and parish programs. There is comfortable accommodation for up to five visitors at a time. The Centre's support to the spirituality of the Augustinians and Augustinian ministries includes the organization and distribution of resources on St. Augustine, workshops on St. Augustine, Augustinian style directed retreats and formation and training for lay ministers in their home parishes. The Centre is conducted by Peter Jones OSA (Director), Paul Maloney OSA and John McCall OSA. If you would like to contact or visit this oasis of quiet and hospitality in suburban Sydney the community would be happy to hear from you.
"You have created us and
directed us towards Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until
they rest in You."
Augustinian Centre for Spirituality, Greystanes A small oasis of quiet and hospitality in suburban Sydney, the Augustinian Centre at Greystanes seeks to assist persons and groups of all faith backgrounds in their spiritual journey. The Augustinian community offers spiritual direction, reflection days, courses in prayer, meditation and personal development, and individual residential directed retreats. (Concessions are available for all events. Evening classes are 7.30-9.00pm) Bookings:
PROGRAM 2008 COURSES Searching along the way — A Reflection on key themes of Christian Spirituality This course is designed to provide an opportunity for participants to bring their own questions and concerns regarding the relationship between Christian faith and life experience. God, Jesus, Church, the meaning of our human lives, creation, relationships, suffering and death, redemption, social concerns, spirituality — in all these we live with the tensions between what we believe and how these beliefs are integrated with our experience in life. In this course, in a supportive and affirming context, participants will be able to explore their questions as we seek greater understanding of the key themes of Christian spirituality. Wednesday evenings in May, 2008 Presenter : Fr. Peter Jones OSA
“Our real journey in life is interior, it is a matter of growth, deepening, and of an ever greater surrender to the creative act of love and grace in our hearts. Never was it more necessary for us to respond to this action.” (Thomas Merton in ‘The Silent Life’.) “The biggest human temptation is . . . to settle for too little.” This course is directed at what is most significant in our lives, at what gives it its deepest meaning. It is an invitation to reflect on and explore together our deepest desires, to know and value our authentic selves, the significance of relationships in our lives and how we grow in these, as well as some of the blocks to our interior growth. Thursday evening in October, 2008 Presenter : Fr. John McCall OSA
PRAYER DAYS Praying in Response to Jesus’ Invitation : “I call you friends.” Challenges that come from the writings of St Augustine: To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek Him, the greatest adventure; To find Him, the greatest human achievement. A time to pray and reflect on Jesus’ invitation to choose to receive His infinite love for us and His call to grow in the intimacy of His personal friendship. Presenter : Fr John McCall OSA
“Enter into your heart to see what goes on there. . .” This Prayer Day will focus on Augustine’s firm conviction that a person must return to their heart if they hope to find God. The practice of ‘interiority’ means that we bring the disparate aspects of life into the still centre of our person where, by God’s grace, the tangles of the heart are unraveled. In this safe place we listen to the “Teacher within” who unmasks all illusions so that we come to understand who we truly are. “God, speak truthfully in my heart, for you are the only one who speaks so!” (Confessions XII, 16, 23) The aim of interiority is not only to achieve the discovery of my true self and my own limitations, but also the discovery of the Other, namely God, and in God all ‘others’. Being turned toward God never means being turned away from human beings or from the world’s problems. This day will be spent in an atmosphere of inner quiet, silence and peace with time for reflection on all that life entails with the opportunity to listen and learn from one another. Presenter : Fr Paul Maloney OSA
Praying with the Scriptures Through the use of the practice of Lectio Divina this Prayer Day focuses on Scripture as a basis of prayer. The process of reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation enables the words of Scripture to touch what is at the heart of human experience. Presenter: Fr Peter Jones OSA
MEDITATION GROUP Weekly meditation occurs on Mondays (except public holidays) at 7.45 pm. There is no charge, and no previous experience is necessary. Introductory or refresher guidance is available; phone Fr Paul Maloney OSA on (02) 9631 0340.
Bookings:
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The Centre for Augustinian Spirituality is at St. John Stone House,
Greystanes (in western Sydney, NSW, Australia). It serves as a resource of Augustinian
spirituality for members of the Order in Australia as well as for people
in Augustinian parishes and schools. The Centre is also a spirituality
resource in the Parramatta diocese where it is located.
