Upcoming Retreats at the Dupuis Retreat and Conference Centre
The Dupuis Retreat and Conference Centre is offering a programme of retreats and quiet days providing opportunities for reflection, prayer and spiritual renewal.
The Dupuis Retreat and Conference Centre in Selly Park is delighted to share details of its upcoming programme of retreats and day events, offering opportunities for prayer, reflection and spiritual renewal in a peaceful setting.
Upcoming Retreats
Individually Guided Retreat (IGR)
Led by Sr Pauline Myers SP and Sr Una Coogan CJ
Monday 11 – Monday 18 May
The retreat begins with supper at 6:00pm and ends after breakfast on the final day.
A shorter retreat is available on request.
Cost: £655
Rejoicing in Hearing the Voice of the Bridegroom
Spiritual lessons from St John the Baptist
Led by Canon Luke Smith
Monday 8 – Friday 12 June
The retreat begins with supper at 6:00pm and ends after breakfast on the final day.
“The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete” (Gospel of St John 3:29)
Cost: £405
Canon Luke was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark at Corpus Christi Church, Tonbridge on 4 June 1995. After several years as an Assistant Priest, he was appointed Parish Priest at Ss Austin & Gregory in Margate (2002–2014), during which time he completed an MA in Spirituality and served as Dean of the Thanet Deanery from 2007. He was appointed a Chapter Canon in 2012.
In 2014, Canon Luke became Parish Priest at St Francis, Maidstone, and Dean of the Maidstone Deanery (2014–2017), before being appointed Spiritual Director of St John’s Seminary, Wonersh. Archbishop John Wilson announced his current role as Episcopal Vicar for Priestly Life on 8 April 2022. He is also a member of the On-going Formation Team for the Archdiocese.
For bookings and further details, please contact:
Sr Margaret Mattison
📞 0121 415 6100
📧 margaret.mattison@sellypark.org
🌐 www.dupuiscentre.co.uk
📍 St Paul’s Convent, 94 Selly Park Road, Birmingham, B29 7LL
Saint Andrew's Retreat House, London - Programme of Events 2026
An Urban Oasis. Explore the 2026 programme offering space for reflection, creativity and prayer.
The Sisters of St Andrew are offering a series of reflective quiet days drawing on Ignatian spirituality, creativity, poetry and prayerful reflection. These gatherings invite participants to pause, reflect, and engage deeply with different themes.
Advance booking is essential, and further details are available on the Sisters of St Andrew website.
A Season of Grace by Sr Siobhán O’Keeffe
Immersive Reflections for Lent and Easter.
A Season of Grace, written by Sr Siobhán O’Keeffe, is a reflective guide for the season of Lent, inviting readers into a deeper journey of prayer, renewal and relationship with God. Through thoughtful reflections, it encourages engagement with the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and service, while offering space to reflect on themes of hope, justice and spiritual growth as we journey towards Easter.
👉 Click here to purchase the book: https://www.kevinmayhew.com/products/a-season-of-grace
Lenten Reflections on Change and Renewal
Six short reflections to accompany prayer, repentance and renewal throughout the season of Lent.
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Six short reflections to accompany prayer, repentance and renewal throughout the season of Lent.
1. The Wilderness Within
Lent invites us into the wilderness — not to punish us, but to purify our hearts. In the quiet, distractions fall away and we begin to notice what truly shapes us.
The wilderness reveals both our hunger and God’s faithfulness. It shows us where we rely on comfort instead of trust, noise instead of prayer.
Perhaps this season of discomfort is not emptiness, but invitation — a space where God is gently reshaping your heart.
Reflection Questions:
• What distractions is Lent asking me to lay down?
• Where do I rely on comfort more than on God?
• What might God be teaching me in this wilderness season?
2. The Grace of Honest Repentance
Lent is not about shame. It is about truth told in the presence of mercy.
To repent means to turn — to acknowledge where we have drifted and to choose a different direction. God does not reveal our weaknesses to condemn us, but to restore us.
The courage to name our sin is the beginning of freedom.
Reflection Questions:
• Where have I drifted from God’s desire for my life?
• What habits or attitudes need to be surrendered?
• What would it mean to truly turn and trust God’s mercy?
3. Fasting and True Hunger
When we fast, we make space. We feel hunger. We notice longing.
But beneath physical hunger lies a deeper desire — the longing for God. Lent reminds us that not all appetites lead to life. Some consume without satisfying.
In choosing restraint, we remember that God alone sustains us.
Reflection Questions:
• What appetites or attachments are shaping my life?
• What deeper hunger might lie beneath them?
• How can I allow this season of fasting to draw me closer to God?
4. Seeds of Conversion
Conversion is rarely dramatic. Often it is quiet and hidden, like seeds beneath the soil.
Prayer, repentance, generosity, forgiveness — these are small seeds planted in faith. Lent calls us to trust that what is planted in humility will bear fruit in time.
God works patiently in hearts that are willing.
Reflection Questions:
• What small act of faith is God inviting me to plant this Lent?
• Where do I need patience in my spiritual growth?
• What fruit do I hope to see by Easter?
5. Taking Up the Cross
Jesus walks toward the cross with love and surrender. Lent invites us to follow — not in despair, but in trust.
To take up the cross is to release control, to forgive when it costs, to love when it is inconvenient, to choose obedience over pride.
In dying to self, we make room for resurrection.
Reflection Questions:
• What cross am I being asked to carry right now?
• Where is God inviting me to surrender control?
• How might sacrifice lead to deeper freedom?
6. The Promise of Renewal
Lent does not end in darkness. It moves steadily toward resurrection.
Every act of repentance, every quiet prayer, every hidden sacrifice prepares the heart for new life. God does not waste our efforts to return to Him.
Hope grows in hearts that are willing to change.
Reflection Questions:
• What new life do I long for this Easter?
• How has God already been at work in me this season?
• What must I release in order to receive renewal?
Residential Events at Boarbank Hall
The Sisters at Boarbank Hall in Cumbria are pleased to announce a new programme of residential events at their Guest House. Some of these may be of special interest to Religious Sisters and Brothers, including Care for Creation, Our Lady in Latin and Hope in Health.
The Sisters at Boarbank Hall in Cumbria are pleased to announce a new programme of residential events at their Guest House. Some of these may be of special interest to Religious Sisters and Brothers, including Care for Creation (a mix of talks, reflection and activities: 5th-12th October), Our Lady in Latin (learning about the language and the music: 25th-27th October) and Hope in Health (for anyone involved in care or healthcare, to recharge the batteries: 8th-10th October).
For the full programme and more details, see: https://boarbankhall.org.uk/whats-on/.
For more information, please contact Sr Margaret on margaret@boarbankhall.org.uk.
You might also enjoy finding out more about Boarbank from this podcast:
Weekend Retreat at Brownshill Monastery
To Hope and Act with Creation
To hope & act with Creation – learning from the animals
Fri, Sep 27, 20244:00 PM Sun, Sep 29, 202412:00 PM
Monastery of Our Lady and St. Bernard (map)
This year’s ecumenical Season of Creation takes the theme: To Hope and Act with Creation. How can we do this?
This weekend celebrating Creation, will reflect on the words of Job who invited us to “ask the animals” what they can teach us about our faith (Job 12:7-10). In His teaching, Jesus frequently drew on nature to illustrate the Christian way of life (e.g. Matthew 6: 26-30). Pope Francis too, reminds us that “each of the various creatures….. reflects in its own way a ray of God’s infinite wisdom” (Laudato si’ para.69] and urges us to remember that “the universe as a whole, in all its manifold relationships, shows forth the inexhaustible richness of God” [Laudato Deum: 63].
You are invited to join in contemplating the lessons we can learn from animals and to find hope and opportunities for action from the examples of small creatures (e.g. ants) that render significant change.
Click here for the weekend’s programme!
Suggested offering is £ 140 for the full residential weekend, which includes all meals from Friday supper to Sunday lunch. Non-residential options are also available. Please use the form to book your place or to request further information.
The Gathering 3
An opportunity to reflect on women, their calling and vocation, their gifts and ministries, and their voice in the synod.
The Northampton Diocese Women in Ministry Group invites you to The Gathering 3.
This event is an opportunity to reflect on women—their calling and vocation, their gifts and ministries, and their voice in the synod.
It’s a chance to listen, pray, share, and reflect together.
8th June 2024, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
St. Mary’s, Woburn Sands, Bucks, MK17 8NN.
Please click here for the flyer and additional registration details.