Through the Desert God Leads us to Freedom
A Pre-Lenten Retreat
with Fr. Julian Studden
February 13-14
6:30pm - 8:30pm (Friday)
9:00 am - 3:00pm (Saturday)
$20 for Friday
$60 for Saturday (includes snacks and lunch)
 
When our God reveals himself, his message is always one of freedom: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex 20:2).  
These are the first words of the Decalogue given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Those who heard them were quite familiar with the exodus of which God spoke: the experience of their bondage still weighed heavily upon them.  
In the desert, they received the “Ten Words” as a thoroughfare to freedom.  
The call to freedom is a demanding one. It is not answered straightaway; it has to mature as part of a journey. Just as Israel in the desert still clung to Egypt – often longing for the past and grumbling against the Lord and Moses – today too, God’s people can cling to an oppressive bondage that it is called to leave behind.  
 
Lent is the season of grace in which the desert can become once more – in the words of the prophet Hosea – the place of our first love (cf. Hos 2:16-17). God shapes his people; He enables us to leave our slavery behind and experience a Passover from death to life. Like a bridegroom, the Lord Jesus draws us once more to himself, whispering words of love to our hearts.  
 
Join us for our Retreat to prepare for Lent beginning Friday 13th Feb 2026 with Supper at 5pm followed by two Talks. Saturday 14th Feb 2026 from 9.am to 3pm. Details will follow.