Fr Bannon (far left) with the participants in the men's spiritual exercises in Sydney.

Sydney, Australia. August 25, 2010. In the midst of winter in the land “down under,” Regnum Christi members have been keeping their faith and apostolic zeal alive.

At the Chevalier Retreat Center in Sydney, a group of thirteen women from the Australian cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, as well as from Auckland, New Zealand went on spiritual exercises from Friday, August 13 to Sunday, August 15. The following weekend, a group of eight men from the same cities had their spiritual exercises. Fr Anthony Bannon, LC, gave the talks and meditations, while the section director for Australia and New Zealand, Fr John Bullock, LC, was on hand to help with confessions and spiritual direction.

Since the success of World Youth Day in Sydney 2008, various initiatives have sprung up across the dioceses of Australia and New Zealand. Regnum Christi members Angela Byrnes and Andrew Devereux have begun “Santo Peregrino Workshops”

	The participants of the women's spiritual exercises gather for the Via Crucis.

in the Archdiocese of Melbourne to complement the efforts of the diocesan World Youth Day Office. The workshops aim to spiritually and culturally prepare pilgrims travelling to Madrid in 2011 for World Youth Day. The format includes discussion on the various papal messages addressed to WYD pilgrims over the years, guest speakers, Spanish lessons and an introduction to Spanish culture, and an overview of the history of the Church in Spain.

Angela and Andrew have both given time to the Movement in the United States and Europe over the last ten years and feel excited about using their formation and experience to serve the local Church.

“I am so grateful to God for the great gift of formation that he’s given me through Regnum Christi,” said Angela. “It’s wonderful to be

	Angela Byrnes and guest speaker Matt Restall discuss a message from John Paul II at the Santo Peregrino Workshops.

able to put it into practice by sharing the faith with others, and simply by sharing with others the joy that comes from knowing that I’m loved by God!”

Andrew added, “I feel blessed that my family has received a vocation to Regnum Christi and the Legion. The example of my three Legionary brothers and both my parents inspire me to live the charism with generosity and perseverance and serve the needs of the local Church ‘down under.’”