Miles Christi – AD 2026

“From Couch to Christ” – 8th National Croatian Catholic Men’s Conference

The 2026 installment of this great event in our community brought together another outstanding group of men seeking to grow a deeper relationship with the Lord, while engaging with like‑minded men to assist us on our journey.

After check‑in was completed and we settled into our rooms, the men headed to the chapel. Fr Davor once again acted as our Spiritual Director for the weekend and led us through Križni Put and Sveta Misa, ably assisted by the fine young men who served with distinction.

One of the highlights of the weekend is that everything we do is centred on Christ in the Eucharist. The days commenced with prayer and Mass, and the weekend was wrapped up with a group rosary on Sunday afternoon.

After reacquainting ourselves with the dining hall and enjoying a hearty feed, we made our way to the retreat hall for Rob’s customary icebreaker. Commemorating Fr Davor’s recent attainment of Australian citizenship, the theme for the quiz was “Australiana”. After many wooden spoons, I thought Team #3 had this one in the bag. Unfortunately, an error on a bonus question cost us dearly and left us finishing in second place, which was still much better than previous efforts.

Dr Andrew Wood was the first cab off the rank. A great friend of the Knights, Andrew spoke on the topic “Christ’s Real Presence: Why We Believe”. As always, he blew us away with his knowledge and wisdom, showing us how God reveals divine truth through Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.

We kicked off Day 2 with the rosary and Mass. Following Mass was an amazing bacon and egg brekky (unfortunately, no leftovers for this one), and then it was back to the main hall for another round of talks and fraternity. On Day 2 we also had the privilege of being joined by the day‑pass holders, who all added to the fruits of the weekend through their participation.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Fr Wallace, you missed a great opportunity! Fr Wallace is one of the most beautiful humans you could ever meet and speaks with such elegance and depth that we were all hanging on his every word. In his first talk, “The Dangers and Remedies for Sloth”, he spoke about God’s unique plan for each of us and how sloth causes us to waste our lives and miss the opportunity to implement God’s plan. This was highlighted through the Parable of the Talents and the fear that leads us to bury our gifts instead of living out God’s will. Fr Wallace gave us seven remedies to get us off the couch, including labour, prayer, fidelity to little things, a daily schedule, and learning from the lives of the saints.

Fr Wallace’s second talk was on the topic “Time: God’s Great Gift to Us”. He provided us with a beautiful Christian definition of time, one I had never heard before: “A succession of moments given to me by God as a way to love Him in this life and so attain Him in eternal life.” A striking thought followed, one we pray daily in the Hail Mary: that the two most important moments of our lives are (1) NOW, and (2) at the hour of death. Time is given to us to love God, and when you hear His voice you must say yes, as it may be your last chance at grace.

Fr Wallace left us with some practical ways to better use our time, including planning, self‑denial, patience, and ordering our relationships toward eternity.

Sandwiched between Fr Wallace’s talks was a heartwarming testimony from one of our own, Darko Topalovic. Darko’s words resonated with many of us, about his journey through an “empty” life of darkness, emotionally distant from the ones who loved him. Darko is a true example of the impact a Fraternity of Catholic Men can have on a man’s life. Darko spoke about his coming to the Lord through the sacrificial love of his beautiful wife and the deeper faith drawn through being a member of the Knights of the Precious Blood. Darko’s story is not uncommon, but Darko stands out in that he has been a great public witness to the Lord since his reversion and is a constant presence at Knights gatherings and broader Catholic men’s events. A powerful testament to what is capable when we give ourselves over to the Lord.

Following lunch, we had the afternoon free, which allowed us to relax with our brothers and purchase a bunch of books that we may never actually read. One book I would highly recommend (and one of Zoki’s recommendations to me) is Divine Intimacy—an amazing collection of spiritual reflections based on the daily Mass readings. It doesn’t need to be read cover to cover but can be slowly absorbed during daily prayer time.

The afternoon session saw Fr Rizzo unleashed upon us. He spoke on “The Mercy of God in the Sacrament of Penance” and “The Holy Eucharist: Giving Strength to Our Souls”. True to form, he delivered plenty of food for thought, not holding back in telling us where we are failing and what we need to do to love God as we were created to do. Fr Rizzo shared many personal experiences and answered the numerous questions thrown at him during the Q&A.

The highlight of the weekend is always Exposition and Benediction. Following the talks we heard during the retreat, it was beautiful to spend a couple of hours with the Lord before the Blessed Sacrament. Everyone has a different experience on the night, depending on how they have been touched over the weekend. It’s a time to take stock of where we are in our spiritual lives and to listen to what the Lord is asking us to take away and implement. Personally, it generated many emotions, and from the testimonies on Sunday morning it was clear that it had a powerful and life‑changing impact on some of the men present.

After another night battling the “snore wars” and surviving on minimal sleep, we headed to the chapel to start the day with Mass. As always, Mass was beautiful, and Fr Davor delivered another powerful homily that offered additional food for thought. While our guest speakers are rightly highlighted, it’s often overlooked that we also receive three additional talks through Fr Davor’s homilies during the weekend. They are often the whack with the sledgehammer that many of us need but don’t hear often.

The morning concluded with small‑group discussions and guidance on how we can continue to grow in our faith through Knights fraternity. There are many events throughout the year (communicated via the monthly newsletter and Signal groups), but the key events to remain connected are the parish men’s groups: Summer Hill on the first Wednesday of the month, and Blacktown on the last Sunday of the month.

The monthly Men’s Rosary Crusade is an important public witness to our faith. I encourage you to make a monthly pilgrimage to one of the many men’s rosaries held around Sydney. If all Catholic men in Sydney attended at least six per year, we would fill the St Mary’s Cathedral courtyard monthly and generate a lot more interest in the Rosary as a regular devotion.

Thank you to all the men who took time out of their lives to make the weekend a memorable experience. And for those who couldn’t attend, your prayers were gratefully received and helped make the weekend the blessing it turned out to be. I look forward to seeing you all at various events, and hopefully we can replicate what the youth are doing and fill the Benedict XVI Centre for the 2027 edition.

God bless,
Steve