Welcome to JISA Faber

Ignatian Spirituality in Queensland has its home at JISA Faber, located on the edge of Mt Coot-tha, in the leafy suburb of Bardon. We acknowledge the Yugara Aboriginal people who, in the past, came to the area to collect ‘ku-ta’ (honey) produced by the native stingless bees. We pay our respects to Yugara elders past, present and future.

With our proximity to Mt Coot-tha, often called the ‘Place of the Honey-Bee Dreaming’ we look to provide a place of spiritual ‘sweetness’ and nourishment. A place to be refreshed and energized by Ignatian Spirituality which promises inner healing, wellbeing, and clarity. Our work is steeped in the spirituality of Saint Ignatius Loyola, and we reach out to people from all traditions to anyone who is seeking a new way of being in today’s world.

JISA Faber is a community of women and men from diverse backgrounds. We come from the arts, engineering, and education, we have a range of religious, family, and corporate experience, including interests in social justice and the environment.

We are united in our passion for Ignatian Spirituality which has transformed our own lives, and inspires us to share its gifts, through programs such as:

The Full Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life over 30+ weeks in daily life
The First Spiritual Exercises over 4 weeks in daily life
The Field Hospital Exercises
Individual Spiritual Direction
Pastoral Supervision
Silent Directed Retreats
Themed Retreats, sharing the gifts of Ignatian Spirituality
Being With God in Nature Contemplative Walks and retreats
Spiritual Formation Programs, Seminars and Workshops
Outreach programs to schools, parishes, and other organisations – in regional and rural areas throughout Queensland

Our bushland location lends itself to retreatants being able to wander the walking tracks of Mt Coot-tha, to experience the beauty of the forest and bird life of the area.

Since no overnight accommodation is available at Faber, most of our residential retreats are offered at Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre at Ormiston.

Please be aware that although we have a program of offerings, we always listen to your needs and seek to respond in ways that meet you where you are. We are a mobile team and distance is not a limiting factor in reaching out to you.
You are most welcome to visit us and find out more, contact us now on 1300 EXAMEN (1300 392 636) to enquire about our offerings. We look forward to speaking with you!

Our Story

Faber Retreats

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Our Story

JISA Faber is named after St Peter Faber SJ (1506-1546), one of the first companions of St Ignatius at the University of Paris (1528-1534) and the first among them to be ordained a priest. Peter Faber was also considered by Ignatius as an even better Giver of the Spiritual Exercises than Ignatius himself.

Faber began in Brisbane on 4 August 2006 and situated in the grounds at St Paul’s Theological College, Banyo. Chris Gleeson SJ was the founding Director of Faber in 2007. The Centre began offering a variety of retreats and spiritual programs, based on Ignatian Spirituality and adapted to the different needs of people. Five pioneers of the Spiritual Exercises in Queensland who also shared in the first activities of the Faber Centre were John Borger, John Drury SJ, Delphine O’Shea mss, Vince Hurley SJ and Pat Clouston rc.

The amalgamation of St Paul’s Theological College with ACU at the end of 2008 meant that Faber had to vacate its home at Banyo and find a new location. The Sisters of the Sacred Heart and Stuartholme School came to the rescue offering a new home in Brisbane in a spacious section of their property at Freer’s Farm, in the former Freer’s Potato Chip Factory in Bardon. Faber moved to this new location in February 2009 and was officially opened in April. It is situated in a bushland setting at the foot of Mt Coot-tha, opposite the Slaughter Creek Falls Picnic area.

In January 2011, Chris Gleeson SJ moved to a new appointment and John Reilly SJ was appointed the new director of Faber. In 2017 after John passed away, and Elizabeth Kerr, took over the directorship which was then handed over to Mary Robson in 2020. In July 2020, Faber transitioned into the newly formed national body, Jesuit and Ignatian Spirituality Australia (JISA).

What's on at JISA Faber

01 January 2023

The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life

What is God inviting me to? Nourishment – Discernment – Clarity – Freedom Applications are open for the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life in 2023 Deepen your relationship with God, nourish your ongoing prayer life and discern […]

Welcome to JISA Faber

Our Story

Faber Retreats

Contact Us

Our Story

What's on at JISA Faber

Online Retreats

111 Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, BARDON, QLD, 4065, Australia.