Carmelite Conversations
A Listening Heart – The Contemplative Life

Wednesday 8 July 2026 via Zoom
10.30am – 12.30pm (Melbourne Time)

[You are welcome to join from other time zones, for example: Perth: 8.30am • Singapore/Malaysia: 8.30am–10.00am • Philippines: 9.30am–11.00am • Timor-Leste: 9.30am–11.00am • Japan/Korea: 10.30am–12.00pm • New Zealand: 12.30pm–2.00pm]

There are moments when life invites us to slow down. To become still. To listen beneath the noise. Contemplation is not about searching for God. It is about recognising that God has already been searching for us.

Have you ever sensed a quiet invitation...
to listen more deeply... to become more attentive... to discover God already present in your life?

The Carmelite tradition reminds us that contemplation begins with God’s loving initiative.

God desires us before we seek Him.
God is always drawing us into deeper love.
God invites us to listen with the heart.

Together, we will explore:

The contemplative heart of the Carmelite tradition
God’s loving pursuit of every human heart
Listening for God’s presence in everyday life
The invitation to deeper freedom, transformation and communion

“The story of our lives is not our search for God, but God’s desire for, and pursuit of, us.” — Fr Jack Welch O.Carm

In this session of Carmelite Conversations 2026: Seasons of the Heart, we will be seeking to explore a recognition of God’s graceful and loving pursuit of us as the very essence of contemplation.

The following question gives a sound insight into the reflective direction of the session:

Like "a watch in the night", do I keep alert to the approach of God's love? Where in my life am I called to a deeper listening? Where are the continual challenges to my mind and heart? Are these challenges invitations to surrender more deeply to God's transforming love? — Fr Jack Welch O.Carm

Join us as we listen again for the approach of God —
and rediscover the freedom your heart is made for.

The Carmelite Centre
214 Richardson Street
Middle Park VIC 3206

The Carmelites of Australia & Timor-Leste

Contact the host of Carmelite Conversations :: 8 July 2026