Recent News
Dr Christine Gobius, National Director of Interserve Australia:
“I invited Patrick to facilitate a workshop at our first leadership team retreat. It was a humbling, growing and joyful experience. As a team we are grateful for the foundation this has given us to build on, and a shared language that we can use as our working relationship continues to develop …”
2024:
Patrick now has some of his books available on Amazon Kindle for downloading.
Just type in “The Kindle Store” in Google,
and enter “Patrick Oliver” in the box at the top of the page.
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St Paul’s Lutheran Church parish in Toowoomba invited Patrick back to facilitate a retreat day on Saturday 1st February. The topic was “The Call of the Gospel”.
Toowoomba’s Sychar held a retreat day on 16th November with Patrick, with the theme of “Hope”.
Kingston / Marsden catholic parish invited Patrick to present a retreat day for men on 2nd November, as a preparation for Advent.
Centacare aked Patrick to facilitate a reflection/training day on “Shame” at the O’Shea Centre, Wilston, on 12th September.
Patrick led a reflection day at Sychar in Toowoomba on Saturday 24th August. His topic was “The Grace of Forgiveness”.
The third “Drawing Water from the Well” series concluded on Friday 23rd August. The series topic was “Bringing Our Hurts and Struggles to Prayer”. The next series will begin 4th October.
Lutheran Aged Care Chaplains asked Patrick to facilitate a day at Santa Teresa Retreat Centre at Ormiston, on Wednesday 21st August, centering around the ways in which the second half of life can take us further into the mystery and wonder of God.
The Lutheran Church community of St Paul’s in Toowoomba invited Patrick to present a day on Saturday 10th August on “Hope in a Divided World”.
The first of three reflection afternoons was held at Holy Spirit Anglican Church Kenmore, on Saturday 25th May. The topic for the series is “The Parables of Jesus: A Soul Approach”. The next two afternoons will be 8th and 22nd June.
Centacare Brisbane asked Patrick to lead a reflection morning at Santa Teresa Retreat Centre on 18th May. It was entitled “When We Forget Our Home Address: Praying through our Hurt and Shame”.
Patrick led a day’s reflection on the enneagram and its helpfulness for ministry with the Lutheran Board of Queensland, headed by Bishop Mark Vainikka. It was held at Luther Heights, Coolum, in early February.
The first “Drawing Water from the Well” zoom series began Friday 9th February, and ran through to 15th March (see details of next series on the “Soul School” page of this website).
Patrick presented a reflection morning for the Australian Network for Spiritual Direction, on Friday 22nd March. The topic was “The God of the Gaps”. Patrick looked at Jesus’ proclamations in Matthew 24 as a guide to how we can prayerfully meet liminal spaces in our life, and the times when our worlds fall apart.