Deacon Dr Harry Schnitker reports on his attendance at the Diocese of Victoria retreat, which took place at Little Flower Monastery, Canada, between 2 and 5 June 2026.

Between Monday 2 June and Friday 5 June, I led a retreat for the priests of the Victoria Diocese in the west of Canada. This took place at the Little Flower Monastery, a Discalced Carmelite retreat centre in Deroche, British Columbia.

Surrounded by forests and tucked away in the mountains not far from the US border, almost all the priests from Vancouver Island spend four days in prayer, and in discussions on priesthood around four major themes: identity, community, charism and apostleship. This was structured around historical ideas on priesthood, St Bernard of Clairvaux's Letters and the Apostle Andrew, patron of the diocese. I am very grateful to the priests for their kindness and receptiveness, and to Bishop Gary for inviting me. The only one who resented my presence was the black bear that I met on a walk!

In addition to leading Maryvale Institute, Deacon Harry teaches across Maryvale's Higher Education courses and is Programme Lead for the Maryvale@StMary's PhD programme.