A Message From the Director
The ministry of hospitality is one of the key elements of the Benedictine monastic charism. This hospitality assumes many and diverse forms; but one of the most significant and fruitful expressions of it in recent times is the offering of opportunities for spiritual development, for study and for prayerful reflection. The various retreats and study weekends offered by the New Norcia Institute for Benedictine Studies continue in this tradition. Participants in our weekends have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the tranquillity, peace and beauty of a traditional monastic environment, and to encounter God- and themselves- in a renewed way.
Our offerings for 2019 generated much enthusiastic appreciation, and attracted very strong attendances. We are confident that our programme for this year will build upon this, and continue to address the needs and interests of contemporary spiritual seekers in an engaging and reflective way.
We hope that you will find something of interest here, and look forward to your visit to New Norcia in 2020.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Robert Nixon, osb
Please download the 2020 Programme. To register and pay for any of the retreats, study weekends or Benedictine Experience weekends please click link to go to the webshop. Please note there are two pages of weekends on the webshop.
Upcoming Events
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Sep 17 2021toSep 19 2021
Study Weekend
‘Letting Go’
As we journey through life, we are in a continual process of ‘letting go’, in many different ways. This letting go can be the result of the loss of loved ones, of the process of ageing, of relationship changes, and families growing up, etc. On the other hand, there can be things in our hearts- anger, regret, grief, attachment- which we would like to let go of, but find it difficult to do so...
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Oct 15 2021toOct 17 2021
Study Weekend
Spiritual Biography
The power of another person’s life story to provide not just a template for the conduct of one’s own life, but also a mirror in which to examine one’s personal circumstances, values and beliefs, has been a potent dimension of all religious experience. It is, for example, not just the account of the incarnation that moves individuals towards a new way of being, but also the myriad subsequent stories of individual responses to the Christ event...
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Nov 5 2021toNov 7 2021
New Norcia Guesthouse
Benedictine Experience Weekend
Benedictine spirituality is more readily experienced than defined. These weekends in the monastery guesthouse (beginning with Vespers at 6.30pm on Friday, concluding after lunch on Sunday) provide the opportunity to enter fully into the monastic rhythm and balance of prayer, work, lectio divina, hospitality and community life. There will be opportunities to ponder the riches of the scriptures and monastic literature, both in group discussions and personal silence and solitude, bringing from the ‘storeroom, things both new and old.’
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Nov 20 2021toNov 20 2021
Abbot’s Table : Spring : 20 November 2021
On October 10th 2020, Abbot John donned a kitchen apron to share his former life as a chef, working in some of Melbourne’s finest award-winning restaurants of the 1980s. Access the menu and feedback here. We are pleased to announce the dates for the 2021 series of seasonal dinners in the French tradition at the grand old New Norcia Hostel: ‘La table de l’abbé’ The Abbot’s Table