What a great joy it was to have the first weekend retreat on Mariam in Australia!!!
The retreat was held at the Mount Carmel Retreat Centre, at Varroville, NSW between 10-12 May 2024.
PRESENTERS: Fr. Paul Maunder, OCD & Cristina Leontini, translator of Life and thoughts of Mariam Baouardy, ‘the little nothing’
The retreat theme was about looking at Mariam’s life in light of her relationship with the 3 persons of the Blessed Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Illiterate, child-like, naive, poor, a ‘little nothing’, was chosen by God to bear in her body the 5 wounds of Jesus, and the full impact of the weight of the Cross. She became a willing “Ecce Homo” and offered her sufferings in loving union with her Lord for mercy upon sinners.
The small group of retreatants was fantastic, 8 great people who bonded so well during the weekend. My thanks and gratitude goes to them and to Fr Paul Maunder for their welcome and support. A final thank you to Sr Ninfa of Carmelite Missionaries for organising the retreat and entrusting to us a first class relic of Mariam’s hair for the duration of the retreat.
