Over the long weekend in October 2025, more than 60 families and parishioners of St Finbar’s Parish, Glenbrook, came together for their annual Season of Creation Parish camp out, at Wooglemai recreation centre, The Oaks. It was a fabulous weekend of faith, friendship and fun.
This is the fourth consecutive year the parishioners have run the retreat – with the focus being on finding time in our busy lives to reconnect with God, our families and faith community in the beauty of nature. This year’s theme was Peace with nature and was based on the scripture of Isaiah 32:14-18.
There was plenty of time for activities during the weekend. Image: Supplied
Peace first in our relationship with God flows into peace with our families, our marriages, communities and then ultimately peace in creation. We cannot fix creation without being in union with Christ and His will for our lives.
Within this theme, we came together for talks and Lectio Divina in which we sat with scripture, were guided in a reflection and spent time in small groups discussing how God was speaking to each of us through the scripture passage. We found time to walk through the bush to a small grotto, with each family leading a decade of the Rosary to the group.
On Sunday, we were inspired by a talk from Mrs Vila on the newly beatified St Pier Giorgio Frassati and how he, as a young man, spent much time reconnecting with God in mountaineering – using his time hiking with friends as an opportunity to bring others closer to God.
Adoration was held overnight in the chapel. Image: Supplied
Some of the highlights from the weekend were the Saturday evening Mass by candlelight in the chapel nestled in the bush. This was followed by a candlelit procession under the stars with the monstrance and a Holy Hour for all. Adoration of the Eucharist continued throughout the night at the chapel, with each family and parishioner encouraged to dedicate one hour to spend with our Lord in prayer.
The final concluding Mass on Sunday evening was celebrated by Fr Tom Green, Assistant Priest at St Patrick’s Cathedral Parish, Parramatta and was followed by the usual sports, toasting marshmallows by the fire and watching the NRL grand final on a screen under the stars.
It was a magical time of rest and faith renewal, and in the words of little Amayah (aged 8): “I’m already looking forward to next year, doing it all again”.
The camp out was a chance to spend time outdoors. Image: Supplied
Another young camper, Eddie, 8, said: “I loved the amazing race – doing sports and activities in teams and sitting around the fire at night”; while Sofia, 10, said: “I loved camping with friends and praying in our community.”
The Season of Creation camping trip aligns with the Diocesan Pastoral Plan’s objectives of Community and Prayer and Being Renewed in Spirit and Prayer.
