WELCOME TO ST LUCIA SPIRITUALITY
St Lucia Spirituality is your pioneering friend in the realm of spirituality, offering a modern and innovative approach. Through warmth, authenticity, and transparency, we create a welcoming and inclusive community where individuals feel empowered to explore their spirituality with openness.
OUR
MISSION
At St Lucia Spirituality, our mission is to provide a platform for individuals to discover and nurture their spiritual journey. We strive to offer guidance and support to those seeking a deeper understanding of spirituality and personal growth.
EXPLORING SPIRITUALITY
Dive into the rich tapestry of spirituality with St Lucia Spirituality. Our platform provides an avenue for individuals to explore a wide range of spiritual topics, practices, and philosophies, fostering a deeper connection with the self and the divine.
JOIN OUR
COMMUNITY
Become a part of our vibrant community at St Lucia Spirituality. Connect with like-minded individuals, participate in engaging discussions, and embark on a journey of spiritual growth and enlightenment.
OUR STORY
St Lucia Spirituality has evolved in Brisbane, Australia over recent years out of two friends meeting for coffee and discussing their search for spiritual growth. This growing community meets monthly on Zoom to consider a discussion paper and has now attracted membership interstate and internationally. Its membership is diverse and non-denominational with a private Facebook page and a monthly newsletter. This website has been created as a resource to support an increasing number of requests for additional information and the formation of small neighbourhood groups.
WHAT DOES SPIRITUALITY MEAN?
Spirituality has many connotations. We accept the definition proposed by Anthony de Mello SJ in his book Awareness:
“Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don’t know it, are asleep. They’re born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing we call human existence.”
“An awakened person: a person who no longer marches to the drums of society, a person who dances to the tune of the music that springs up from within. Awareness means to watch, to observe, to understand, to wake up.”
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CONSEQUENTLY, WE ARE DRAWN TO THESE IDEAS
“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.”
Howard Thurman, spiritual advisor to Dr Martin Luther King
“Even those who showed only a faint interest, merely inquiring about spiritual matters, progress further than the ones who merely follow the rites and ceremonies of their belief systems unthinkingly, and thus stall their true spiritual advancement.”
Jack Hawley, The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners
OUR APPROACH
RESPECT DIFFERENCE
We understand that every seeker has a different life experience and a unique spiritual journey. We recognise and respect difference and seek unity, not uniformity.
INFORMED CONSCIENCE
We uphold the importance of an informed conscience as paramount, advocating for its precedence in instances where conflicts arise between religious tradition and personal beliefs.
LIVE THE QUESTIONS NOW
Spirituality involves a search for meaning. We subscribe to the wisdom of Austrian poet and writer Rainer Marie Rilke: "Live the questions now. Perhaps then you will, gradually, one day without noticing it, live into the answer”.
INCLUSION AND ACCEPTANCE
We value and promote inclusion and acceptance of all seekers.
JOURNEY TOGETHER
The spiritual journey is not just an individual pursuit. There is an essential communal component that is found in small groups of mutual support and larger worshipping communities.
WISDOM IN ALL RELIGIONS
Christianity does not have a mortgage on truth. There is great wisdom in other religious and spiritual traditions which can inform one’s spiritual journey.
We regard an individual’s spiritual journey as a life-long experience of learning and transition.
We have termed our meeting and video offerings as “The Butterfly Series”. A caterpillar enters a cocoon and undergoes an incubation period of transformation, emerging eventually as a butterfly. In a similar way, the spiritual seeker undergoes an incubation period of questioning, research, reading and conversation, emerging eventually with a transformed worldview. The butterfly represents for us an appropriate metaphor for the transition that a seeker on a spiritual journey will experience from time to time.
INTRODUCING THE FACES BEHIND ST. LUCIA SPIRITUALITY
ROBERT VAN MOURIK
Robert, a co-founder and guiding presence within St Lucia Spirituality, brings a wealth of insight and dedication to our community. While his roots lie in the Catholic tradition, Robert's spiritual journey has been one of profound inquiry and introspection, spanning many decades in search of what he terms "a coherent worldview."
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Drawing inspiration from luminaries such as Anthony de Mello, Richard Rohr, Diarmuid O’Murchu, and Ilia Delio, Robert's quest for spiritual truth has been shaped by the wisdom gleaned from countless authors and mentors. Their insights have served as guiding beacons, illuminating the path towards deeper understanding and connection.
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It was in the shared bond of seeking spiritual growth that Robert first crossed paths with John, their encounters over coffee in 2012 marking the genesis of a transformative journey. These intimate gatherings, fuelled by conversations on influential books and the evolving landscape of their perspectives, soon blossomed into vibrant small groups and virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom.
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Through newsletters, discussion papers, and a shared commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue, Robert has played an instrumental role in nurturing the thriving community of seekers within St Lucia Spirituality. His dedication to facilitating growth, exploration, and connection reflects the essence of the community's ethos—a journey of discovery and transformation, embarked upon together.
JOHN SCOBLE
John's journey began in the heart of a traditional Roman Catholic family in Sydney, where he was raised with steadfast faith and reverence. Now residing in the serene surroundings of St Lucia, Brisbane, alongside his beloved wife, John finds solace and inspiration in the tranquil rhythms of life.
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With four adult children and a cherished grandchild also calling Brisbane home, John's family is his anchor, providing love, support, and a sense of belonging.
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While spirituality has always been a cornerstone of his life, it was three transformative events in 2012, including a sacred pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, that ignited a profound shift in John's spiritual trajectory. Embracing retirement as an opportunity for deeper exploration, John immersed himself in extensive reading and soulful reflection.
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Over the course of a decade, this journey of self-discovery has led John to reevaluate and transcend many of his traditional beliefs, embracing instead the timeless wisdom and cosmic perspective inherent in Christianity. Influenced by luminaries such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, and Richard Rohr, John's spiritual evolution has been marked by a deepening resonance with the essential truths of his faith and a profound connection to the divine unfolding within and around him.
ELIZABETH JONES
Elizabeth (Liz) Jones grew up in a traditional Catholic family in suburban Brisbane, attending a Dominican primary school and a Loreto high school. Although her upbringing was steeped in Catholic tradition, Liz's personal spiritual journey truly began during her Master's program in Religious Studies at the Australian Catholic University. At the same time, she took on the role of Assistant Principal for Religious Education, where she supported teachers in delivering the RE curriculum and provided pastoral care to children, parents, teachers, and members of the local Catholic community.
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While pursuing her studies, Liz discovered the profound impact that Christian meditation could have on her life and on the lives of her students. She joined the St. Lucia parish in 1987 when she married and moved into the area, but her deeper spiritual journey started years later, thanks to her interactions with John and Robert from St. Lucia Spirituality. Through their guidance and the insights shared by other group members, Liz has been introduced to a world of influential and inspiring writers who challenge her beliefs and commitments. It's encouraging to see the group thrive and evolve as her spiritual journey unfolds, with so much more to explore, share, discuss, and reflect upon.
