23 September

We are almost there.  The priory is all but complete.  To me it has been a long journey.  It will take us time to settle in and make the whole building work well for us.  As well we need to ensure that the refurbishment of the retreat centre is properly furnished so that it works really well and our ministry there can be relaunched.   Since the journey of building is almost over I wonder if I should keep up a version of this blog.  Any comments or suggestions?  Certainly our work on the property is not finished yet and you may be interested in life in the priory and what is happening in the retreat centre.

I am behind, once again, in posting.  This time I was tied up giving a retreat to the community of Poor Clare nuuns in Campbelltown.  It was an enjoyable experience for me to be with the sisters for the week.  I hope it was a beneficial experience for them.

I had a first yesterday while saying mass in Lurnea parish.  In 37 years of preaching I have never  had such a strong vocal response during a homily.  I mentioned the Anglican Diocese of Sydney's desire to change the wedding vows so that women would promise to submit to their husbands.  My! There was no doubt who was listening.  Let's just say the ladies were not convinced it would be a helpful change.  I enjoyed the interaction very much.

The photo below was taken some weeks ago from the hill behind the priory.  You can see the length of the building with the retreat centre in the background.

Priory in landscape setting

Here is another photo of the fountain in front of the priory.

Entry fountain

I took the photo below a couple of days ago in the early morning.  You can see the outline of an angelic or mystical figure surrounded by light.  The photo looks towards the last four bedrooms of the priory.

Mystical fgure captured

One sure sign the building was nearing completion was the removal of all the sheds.  Below is the view from the verandah outisde our dining room looking towards the fig tree.

From the dining room to the fig tree

Outside the dining room we have a planter box with a number of callistemon and a lemon tree.  There will also be some herbs planted here, including a rosemary bush.  There are planter boxes aoutside the recreation room, the offices and the south facing rooms.  These are planted with callistemon (bottle brush) which should attract more birds.

Lemon tree with callistemon

Here below we are looking from the garages at the end of the building towards the front.  It is a long building:  110 metres from the front door to the back door.

From the garage to the fig tree

Garage doors

The last courtyard garden has been planted.  There is a Japanese maple in the centre which looks fine.

Garden with Japanese maple

Here is view from our dining room looking over the porperty and showing St Antony's hermitage among the trees.

St Antony's hermitage as seen from our dining room

We have added a second table to our dining room and a coffe table near the lounge. 

Dining room

The Mongolian Pear in our courtyard near the library and oratory has blossomed.  It will grow to be a fairly large tree and will then help moderate the summer afternoon sun.



Mongolian Pear

 This is the garden looking towards the old novitiate.  There are three Mongolian pear trees here, one in blossom, one in leaf and one in bud.  A typically mixed Spring?

The old novitiate

Some of the plants on the bank between the priory and the chapel are now flowering.  To have Grevillia and Kangaroo Paws flowering is delightful.  They should attract the birds and bees.

Bank between chapel and priory

8 September

I hve been told by more than one reader that it is about time I posted some more photos so they can see how things are going.  Apologies for my tardiness.  But it is nice to have people asking for more.  Well the building is porgressing and in fact coming close to its completion.  Much is happening and we are quite aware we live in a building site.  We have been distracted by all manner of little things like needing to keep the retreat centre humming.  Enough of excuses, here are some photos.

Lunch room is taken away

One of the signs of progress was that one day the workmen's lunch room was put on a truck and taken away.  It was also the place where we had our site meetings.  So now there is a gap through which we can see more of the property from our dining room. 

New Bell Stump

Another sign of the end of building was the arrival of our new bell tower.  You can see the old belltower in the distance of the photo above.  Over twenty years ago we had a memorable accident when during the ringing of the Angelus the bell fell from the top of the tower, bounced on the roof and hit the ground.  It has been there ever since.  So part of our brief was to get a new tower.  The Council would not allow a big tower so this is more of a stump than a tower.  The old tower is white while the new is galvanised steel and at present looks glitteringly silver.  It will mellow, no doubt.  We are interested to hear how the old bell sounds in his new location.

Asphelt Laying Machine

Recently we have had gales which have blow dust, leaves and branches all over the place.  On Friday we had this machine laying asphelt on the road around the back of the retreat centre up to the priory garage.  It was impressive to see the big trucks come up and slowly ease the asphelt into the machine while the road rollers whizzed back and forth compacting the asphelt into a hard and durable surface.  Next week the front drive will be repaired and resurfaced. 

The Road behind the Retreat Centre

The new road takes a much wider alignment away from the retreat centre to improve visibility and safety for vehicles coming both ways.  Another great leap forward has been that we are connected to the sewerage.  This means that our old septic system has now been decommissioned.  I have not taken any photos of this epoch making event as it was a bit messy and we had been told to vacate the premises. This was to let the plumbers do what they had to do.  Three of us, Paul, Darren and I, went for a walk to the Woolwash at the back of Campbelltown where the Georges River meets O'Hares Creek.  After this five of us had a pleasant buffet lunch at the Campbelltown RSL.

The road leading to the priory

The road leads to the retreat centre car park which is on the left.  The priory is straight ahead and the chapel is to the right.

Seating in front of the priory

One day I was surprised when a man arrived with the benches for the front of the priory.  In fact they are not quiet what we ordered.  But we have put them out front temporarily.  The outlook over the fountain and the dams is delightful.  I like sitting here. 

Looking towards the garage

The above photo shows the new road as it goes past the Fig tree.  To the left of the fig tree you can see the rooms in the last section of the new building.  These are offices, formation rooms, a store room, laundry, music room and bathroom.  After these is our garage.

The garage is for four cars



Steps leading to mezzanine storage in the garage

The garage has a high roofline within which is a large mezzanine storage space.  One thing a monastery always needs is storage space.

Corridor of the last section

The last section of the building contains four bedrooms on the left and various offices on the right.  There is presently a temporary division in the corridor which separates us from the new work.  When this is taken down we will be able to walk the length of the building.  It is 110 metre from the back door to the front door.  As there are no steps in the entire building many have noted it would be excellent for skate boarding or even geriatric wheel chair races.  Do images of the chariot race in 'Ben Hur' come to mind?

North side of the garage

The north side of the garage is covered and will be adjacent to our laundry.  It will be a clothes drying area.  Presently it is the temporary lunch room for the workers.

Final four bedrooms

The last four bedrooms have now taken shape.  When they are complete we will have twelve bedrooms in the completed priory.  The projected completion date is now only a fortnight away.  It has been quite a journey.  It will be wonderful to have the building as our own and to enjoy the peace and silence which is so necessary for our Carmelite life. 

School holidays are almost upon us.  This will be a great opportunity with the help of volunteers to unbox our library.  This has been possible because of the generous and skillful work of Gerry Antilla who has patiently assembled the books shelves.  Personally I wonder if all the books will fit but have been assured they will.  The library seemed so huge without the shelving but now it is almost cosy.  It will be a calm place to sit in a comfortable chair reading or just looking the cemetery and reflecting on the eternal verities.

So bit by bit the priory is coming together.  It is already a blessing.

Saturday, 11 August

The good news is I am back at home slowly recovering from my surgery.  The really lovely news is the amount of prayer and support I received.  The dull and ordinary part is that it is a slow recovery and I am having to take things easily.

On my return one morning I looked out my window as the sun rose and the light truly lifted my spirits.  It was so good to be home!

Early morning from my room

A little later in the day looking the other way I took another shot:

From my room towards the oratory

About a week ago Tony and Andrea Ward visited and we were able to place the beautiful tabernacle Tony had made from red cedar and the icons of Our Lady of Kazan and St John the Baptist, the forerunner.

The oratory

Icon of Our Lady

The icon of Our Lady of Kazan shows great tenderness.  It was previously in our chapel in Box Hill.  It was obviously venerated by the family who first owned it who placed the silver reza over her clothing and that of Jesus. Andrea did wonders cleaning the silver and the woodwork (the result of votive candles).  Tony has renovated the box frames of the icons and made them secure.  Blessings on these friends and those who have donated other items to our priory.  These include the lovely dining table and chairs and sideboard in our dining room and the lounge chairs that are there as well.

The tabernacle

Icon of St John the Baptist

The icon of St Joh the Baptist shows him as the father of monks, standing in the desert and proclaiming the coming of the Saviour.  It was previously in our chapel in Brisbane and then here in Varroville.  I apologise that the photos are not good.  I did not use my camera as I wanted this to be a quick catch up exercise.

Today we have a group of Secular Franciscans with us on retreat and celebrating the feast of St Clare.  However, it is blustery and cold.  I had a look at the building work on priory this afternoon and took these photos:

Looking towards the garage and store with various offices in the foreground

Behind the garage and storage space we will have a covered drying area for our washing.  It is adjacent tot he laundry. 

Drying space with rooms beyond

Since March we have also been refurbishing the retreat centre.  This is now nearing completion.  Here are some pictures of the new prayer room which is now taking shape.

Window ready to receive a stained glass window of the Living Flame

The prayer room will focus on the tabernacle which will hold the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharistic presence of Christ.   There will also be a set of Carmelite icons on the walls and a special window, the work of Adelaide artist Cedar Prest, of the Living Flame of St John of the Cross, which is from our chapel in Box Hill.

Tabernacle recess

We have placed the Spiritual canticle windows by Cedar Prest in the link corridor between the retreat accommodation and the conference room, dining room etc..  The windows are beautiful and repay a close examination in light of St John of the Cross's Poem- The Spiritual Canticle.  They add greatly to the beauty of the retreat centre.  The windows begin with the soul with heart inflamed beginning her search for her beloved whom she has lost

The first window from the Spiritual Canticle series

The soul searches through thickets and fields asking if anyone has seen the beloved and if he has left any trace.

Seond window

The Corridor

A vire of the corridor from a quiet space

 The final windows tells of encounter of the beloved and the lover and transformation of the lover into the beloved in the limitless joy, glory and joy of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Final window of the Spiritual Canticle

The work of placing the windows is not yet finished and the corridor will look very different with carpet.  The work continues but should be complete in a week or two.  The priory itself should be complete in mid-September.  The truth is we are still moving in and finding out how to live well in the priory.

Right now, I will do my best to live well by heading back to my room to continue my rest and recuperation!

Monday, July 16, Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Happy Feastday!  Today all Carmelites celebrate our patronal feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  It was a beautiful day here and we were blessed with the presence of our Fr John Landy, from Mount Carmel in Israel.  He and Tony Vaughan came to the grand parish celebrations yesterday and today John preached at the Eucharist with the Carmelite nuns up the hill.  We then had a very enjoyable lunch before John and Tony set off back to Gerroa via Mittagong.

While we are still moving into the new priory work has not stopped on the priory.  The last four bedrooms and the offices and varius rooms are now being completed.  The roof is up and the walls are rising.

A view from the outdoor sitting area to the last four bedrooms

The walls of the bathroom take shape

As the building is being completed it is becoming longer and therefore the views change.  In the photo below you can see the gate through which we mostly access the property.  In the distance you might be able to glimpse St Gregory's Marist Brothers Agricultural College.

View south from the new section

As the builders are still hard at it the issue of privacy for those in the south facing rooms needed to be addressed.  This is especially so as we do not have any curtains yet.  So Maurie had a privacy screen set up.  Curtains meanwhile are on the way.

South facing rooms with screen

As well as preaching at the nuns' feastday Eucharist today John Landy gave great service in helping to get our new dining room into order.  Darren Mackie and I teamed up with Pat Cullan to bring a lounge setting to the new priory.  John and Tony helped move our dining setting into place and had helpful suggestions as to where to place things. 

John, Paul and Tony in the new dining room

John, Paul and Tony try out the new lounge chairs

View of the room over the dining table

We brought a few things from our refectory in the old building and will bring more over the new few days.  The priory is feeling more and more like our home.  It is certainly a privilege to live in it.

Crucifix catches the afternoon sun

John with the kitchen behind

I will be out of action for a week or so due to a medical procedure this Wednesday.  I hope to continue this blog sooner rather than later depending on my recovery.

Tuesday, July 10

Everyone knows moving is hell.  We have been hard at it.  Eight bedrooms have been completed and we were able to move in.  On Wednesday 4 July Paul, Darren and I began to move our furniture, clothing, books, computers and what not into the new priory.  We had enough in place to be able to sleep in the new priory that night.  So the fourth of July is an historic day.

Lugging furniture and so on is very physical and tiring.  But it is also satisfying.  Personally I was not impressed by the amount of stuff I had acquired.  I promised myself to sort through it all when I had moved in.  Robert Love came for the weekend to help.  He encouraged me with an often repeated one word exhoration: "Cull".  On Saturday morning he found all the carrying and exhorting tiring so I offered him a seat outside my room.  Soon he was very relaxed and then fast asleep.  The brethren found Rob a congenial and welcome guest.


Rob Love flat out helping

 Gabriel moved in on Thursday.  Then Aloysius who had been in Perth visiting the ailing Fr Joe Kelly returned on Friday morning and began to organise the great move.  He actually moved in on Saturday.  Gerard began his move on Saturday but it was a close thing as he went off on a holiday to Lake Eyre on Sunday.  I don't think he has spent a night in the new priory as yet.  Meanwhile Shane was missing all the excitement as he was in New Zealand.  He returned on Monday night and quietly slipped into his new room.  

Paul and Aloysius with the trolley

One of the things that strikes one about the new priory is the lovely views over the property through the extensive windows. 


Fig Tree



View north



View south

On Saturday we were delighted by a gang of boisterous lorikeets frolicking in our fountain.  If you click on the photo below it will enlarge and you can actually see the birds.

Fountain with lorikeets

If the fourth of July is an important date then today, the tenth of July, is also memorable.  Tony and Andrea Ward from Bundanoon brought down the crucifix for our oratory.  Tony made the cross out of a unique piece of beautiful red cedar from northern New Soth Wales.  There were some nervous moments as Maurie and Matthew placed the crucifix.  However the results speak for themselves.  We are grateful to Tony for the skill, time and spirit which he spent on the cross.

The figure of Christ n the crucifix is personally special.  I first saw it in an antiques shop in Melbourne while with my late cousin Sr Margaret Reed, FMM.  Graham Geddes sold it to my family at a greatly reduced price.  We then donated it and other sacred art to the Box Hill community in memory of my father and other deceased family members.  It is wonderful to be able to live with it and meditate on it once more.  It is a 17th century Spanish polychrome wood carving from New Castile.

Matthew and Maurie are on the ladder while Tony is on the right

The oratory is slowly coming together.  It is our hope it will be a place of beauty and prayer at the heart of the community.