Waterholes depicted by Australian Indigenous artists are often shown as a series of concentric circles, lines radiating out, radiating in – connecting the water in the centre to the life around. The image of the waterhole reflects something of how Benedictus seeks to be – a place of refreshment and replenishment, an open sanctuary in the midst of our city. Everyone, from whatever background or tradition, is welcome to come sit awhile in the garden, join us for meditation or participate in gatherings that offer a chance to rest, reflect and be returned to daily life replenished.
Retreat in Daily Life 2025
In 2025 our Retreat in Daily Life, facilitated by Susanna Pain, will be held during Lent.
Rather than taking you away from your usual environment and relationships, a retreat in daily life offers the opportunity for you to focus on finding God in the middle of the everyday. You might choose to weave new practices into your life or simply immerse yourself in what is already there. Many find a retreat in daily life brings significant growth to their life with God.
As well as gatherings with other retreatants (online and face to face), the retreat involves 5 – 6 sessions with a Spiritual Companion/Director.
When?
Online preliminary gathering 4:00 pm—5:30 pm (AEDT) Sunday 2 March, then 6me to touch base on 9 March, 23 March and 13 April.
Face to face for those in or near Canberra on 16 & 30 March.
Sessions with spiritual companions occur at a mutually agreed upon time and location.
Cost: $300 (scholarships are available, please don’t let cost be a barrier)
Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/CXUAW
For more information: See attached flyer and email susannapain63@gmail.com
Campfire in the Heart, Alice Springs Retreat 2025 – Find Awe in the Ordinary
28 September – 3 October 2025
Campfire in the Heart, Alice Springs with Susanna Pain
Come away and rekindle the fires of awe and wonder in your body, mind and spirit. Play, dance, make art, sing and tell stories using InterPlay tools and principles. Be still and listen near the red rocks, river gums and waterholes. Soak in the silence of the desert.
Notorious Nietzsche and Religion (with Nikolai Blaskow)
Nikolai Blaskow, Benedictus’s very own Nietzsche scholar, is offering a series of lectures which seek to:
- introduce Nietzsche in a fresh way to those readers familiar with his writings, those new to them but wanting to know more, and to scholars curious about a different way of reading him
- dispel the misconceptions which perpetuate the myth
- provide through his theology of suspicion, exciting ways of approaching religion and life into an AI dominated 21st and 22nd century
Lecture 3: The Life Affirmer. Text and Audio to be posted soon!
Lecture 1, “The God Killer” materials can be found here. For audio click here
Lecture 2, ‘The Christ Denier’. Lecture can be found here. For audio click here
Simply Alive – Creative Space for Busy People
Led by Susanna Pain
Come together with a small group of spiritual companions to rest, play and explore your body’s wisdom through silence, art, poetry, music, movement, and storytelling, walking the labyrinth.
Where: Benedictus Contemplative Church at St Ninian’s, Cnr Brigalow St and Moaut St, Lyneham
When: 1:30pm – 3:30 pm Thursdays in May, 1 May to 29 May 2025
Information and expressions of interest: susannapain63@gmail.com or mobile: 0418 637 469
For more information, please see the flyer