BENet 2019 Conference

BENet is the regular gathering of the International Commission on Benedictine Education (ICBE).

Australia as the setting for BENet 2019 invites you to explore the fusion of ancient and new in the Benedictine tradition as well as in Australian society and culture. The theme, Benedictine wisdom beneath the Southern Cross, has been chosen to express this fusion and to highlight the richness and blessings it will bring. Hosted by Good Samaritan Education, BENet 2019 will explore new models of governance in education embracing the diverse expressions of Benedictine spirituality which visitors from every continent and all over Australia will bring.

The wisdom of Benedict as the context for BENet will be explored through storytelling, reflection, prayer and listening. The Benedictine imperative to ‘listen with the ear of your heart’ (RB Prologue) will guide the program which will also draw inspiration from one of the oldest traditions in Australian indigenous culture – that of songlines. Like the epic poems of many cultural traditions, songlines are where stories are both held and passed on; like teacher and guide, imparting knowledge, language and wisdom across the land and across the years.