A Sabbatical for the Soul

February 18, 2026

An opportunity to nourish and honour the soul, is how Sister Cathy Solano describes the Honouring the Soul: Deepening our Encounters with God, Self, Others and Creation sabbatical which she coordinates at Santa Cast Retreat Centre in Queenscliff, Victoria.

“It is a time for people from all walks of life, both religious and lay, to take some time out for some often badly needed space. This is the third year that we are offering the 40-day live in program.

“The input is focused on nourishing. It is a reflection on life that is aimed at feeding the mind, heart and soul. It enables participants to prepare for a future that in a lot of cases is different to the one they left behind when they started the sabbatical.”

Sister Cathy said past participants have valued the variety of workshops offered, particularly on prayer, integral ecology, mystics, cosmology and the opportunity to reflect on their life’s journey of faith, loss and change.

“There is also the opportunity to do ‘write an icon’ with the patient and encouraging guidance of Mary Burke fmm and Lisa Ghent. Once completed, the icon is a special memento that participants proudly take home with them at the end of the 40 days.”

The idea for the sabbatical arose from a committee that was formed in 2023, which included a small group of religious women and men, including Sister Cathy.

“We invited around 70 different religious congregations to participate in a survey as to whether they thought there was a need for a program like this and what they would want as a theme and content for the 40 days.

“There was a very positive response as a lot of people said they did not want to travel out of Australia anymore to do sabbaticals like this.

“Delightfully we have had people travel from overseas to join us, including from Papua New Guinea, Japan, and the Philippines, and we are currently receiving applications from Zimbabwe, Italy and Indonesia!”

When asked to describe a typical day, Sister Cathy said a lot of participants go for a walk before breakfast and usually meet at 9.15am for an input session which may go for around an hour. There may also be another session after morning tea and there is generally free time after lunch. Another session may be scheduled at 4.30pm before dinner at 5.45pm, with most of the evenings being free. Wednesdays are set aside as an integration day, with Saturdays being designated as a free day.

“On Wednesdays participants have time to reread their notes, reflect and have personal prayer time. Saturday mornings are for icon-writing for those who elect to participate in this activity, and the rest of the weekend is free to enjoy exploring this stunning part of the Bellarine peninsula: the many cafes, restaurants, museums, beaches and wineries.”

When asked whether in today’s busy world all of us take enough time out to reflect and just be, Cathy answered with a resounding ‘no’.

“You would expect religious and lay people involved in the pastoral ministry of education and health and aged care to be better at taking time out, yet we struggle to do so. A sabbatical like this is a great opportunity to take a chunk of quality time out to stop, to overcome the exhaustion many of us are feeling and to create some space so that we can fall in love again with God, ourselves, the people in our lives, and with the created world God has gifted us.”

Click here for more information: Sabbatical Flyer

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