Part of Mary MacKillop Spirituality Ministry’s new suite of programs
Mary MacKillop Spirituality Ministry (MMSM) is launching a suite of new spirituality programs across its Centres this spring, designed to meet people where life actually finds them. Among the first to open for bookings is The Way, Your Way, a one-day reflection experience at the Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre, St Joseph’s by the Sea, Williamstown, on Friday 9 October 2026.
The pilgrim’s path, closer than you think
People set out on pilgrimage for all sorts of reasons. Some are looking for simplicity, or for their health and wellbeing. Some need room to weigh up a big question, mark a milestone, sit with grief, or face a decision that can no longer be put off. Whatever draws them, the walking itself is deeply personal. It opens the door to change and connects the walker to something larger than themselves.
The Way, Your Way begins from a simple conviction: that this experience is not reserved for those who can fly to Spain. The path to God, and to change, can begin wherever you happen to be standing. Anchored in the words of Micah 6:8, to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God, the day is for anyone who has been wondering where they are headed, why the way ahead feels unclear, or how to walk through life’s questions rather than around them.
A day shaped by pilgrim practices
Through silence, prayer, lectio divina, visio divina, music and spiritual conversation, and a short walk together if the weather allows, participants will slow down and step outside the noise of everyday life. The day makes space to reflect honestly on where change is already stirring, and to practice the contemplative tools of stillness, sacred reading and sacred looking that pilgrims have relied on for centuries.
Those who attend come away with:
- Hands-on experience of contemplative pilgrim practices: silence, lectio divina, visio divina and spiritual conversation
- A felt sense that pilgrimage, and encountering God, is possible wherever you are
- Renewed perspective on a decision, season or change they are facing
- Time and space away from routine to simply be present
- Connection with others also seeking to walk their own way through change
Your facilitator
Mark Walsh leads the day as a creative facilitator specialising in formation, spirituality, pilgrimage, biblical studies, and retreats, with extensive experience across schools, religious congregations, and parish groups in Australia and internationally. Mark is himself a pilgrim, pilgrimage leader, and spiritual director. He has led pilgrimages in the Holy Land and walked the Caminos de Santiago de Compostela, the Aussie Camino, and the Way to St James Cygnet; he has volunteered with Camino Companions in Santiago de Compostela and accompanied Australian pilgrims as they prepare to walk the Camino.
Part of something bigger
The Way, Your Way sits within MMSM’s new suite of programs, developed in response to National Church Life Survey research and shaped to welcome people who may not have seen themselves in a retreat before. The suite spans reflection days on change and transition, discernment of gifts and purpose, a men’s day retreat, twilight sessions for young adults, and multi-day retreats on healing and letting go, across MMSM Centres in Adelaide, Baulkham Hills, the Central Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Safety Bay and Williamstown.
The details
- When: Friday 9 October 2026
- Where: Mary MacKillop Spirituality Centre, St Joseph’s by the Sea, Williamstown
- Cost: $198 incl. GST
- Perfect for: Pilgrims, those curious about pilgrimage, and anyone wanting space to reflect on change, decisions or life’s bigger questions
Bookings are open now at mmsm.org.au/events/the-way-your-way.