Born of a vision and an array of happy meetings, a Pemberton retreat house is marking 25 years of existence by doing what it has always done; inviting people in.
Karriholm God’s Sanctuary, the motherhouse of the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community, will hold a retreat, candlelight procession and dinner dance on the weekend of the Feast of Christ the King (19-21 November) to celebrate their quarter century.
Situated high on a hill in Pemberton in the southwest of Western Australia, Karriholm has been a spiritual hub of activity since it was blessed and opened by Bishop Peter Quinn in 1985.
The seeds for the retreat house were planted a few years earlier when a young man named Steve moved to the town; sharing his experience of Christ with a small group of locals.
They formed into a prayer group made up of Mick and Jo Bendotti and Ernie and Connie Tartaglia under the leadership of Parish Priest, Fr Hubert Kelly.
Early in 1985, Connie told the group a vision she believed Christ had given her of a healing centre among tall trees.
Two weeks later, when Connie and her husband Ernie were at early morning Mass, out of nowhere the word Karriholm popped into her mind.
All she knew about Karriholm was that it was a run down guesthouse and motel somewhere up the road, which had been passed in at an auction. After sharing it with Ernie, she promptly forgot about it.
Later in the day when they were working at their supermarket, Connie overheard two women speaking.
One of them said: “Have you heard that the Orange People [Rahjneeshes] have taken over Karri Valley and they want to take over the Gloucester Motel and Karriholm Lodge?”
Hearing the word “Karriholm” twice in a few hours, Connie told The Record she knew it was no coincidence.
Connie and Ernie gathered the prayer group to discern whether God was calling them to buy Karriholm and use it for His service.
By 12 February they had purchased Karriholm and following a blessing from Fr Kelly, the first prayer meeting to be held there took place on 5 March.
After months of scraping, cleaning, repairing, painting and sewing, Karriholm was ready for its official opening in December.
By God’s grace and without funding from government or the diocese, many hundreds of people have come since 1985.
No one is ever turned away because of lack of finance as there is no set charge and people are invited to contribute on a totally voluntary basis.
Connie and Ernie and their seven children lived at Karriholm from 1985-1997, opening their home and hearts to all who came. Jo Bendotti handled the bookings from her home, travelling to and from Karriholm.
By another set of coincidences, The Holy Spirit of Freedom Community was founded only months later in April 1986 on the other side of Australia in Melbourne by Deacon Frank Feain.
Frank and his wife, Lu, were travelling across to Western Australia in early 1994. They believed that God was urging them to visit Karriholm but, because it was out of their way, they were reluctant.
However, as they were driving over Lu felt inspired by an old Christian hymn and felt that, in spite of the inconvenience, they should visit Pemberton. They called in and had afternoon tea and a prayer with Connie. A few months later, several members of the Holy Spirit of Freedom Community came to Karriholm for personal retreats.
It wasn’t until November 1994, when the whole community made a visit, that they believed the Lord was calling them to stay. Connie’s response was: “I know, He has already told us.’
The new community saw the coming together as a sort of marriage; a union brought about by God’s hand.
Karriholm continues to be open to all who are seeking what community members describe as a place of healing and blessing. Many come from far and wide for a few days of prayer and retreat; others visit on a daily basis.
Community member Betty Namnik said the jubilee will be a celebration of God’s love touching many people in a particular place.
“Everyone is most welcome to join the celebrations. Anyone who has had an association with Karriholm in the last 25 years, please take this as a personal invitation to celebrate with us.”
An invitation
All are invited to attend a weekend retreat to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Karriholm, God’s Sanctuary in Pemberton from Friday, 19 to Sunday, 21 November.
Details: Friday – begins 7.30pm. Saturday – 9.30am-4pm. Mass in the Sacred Heart Church 7pm followed by a Eucharistic Candlelight Procession to Karriholm where Benediction and Blessing of the Sick will follow. Supper provided. Sunday – Mass at Parish Church 8.30am. Retreat continues 10.30am-1pm. Registrations: hsofpemberton@gmail.com or Joyce 9776 1397. Childminding available. Dinner/Dance at the Gloucester Motel Sunday, 21 November, 6.30pm. Bookings 9776 1266 by 17 November. Visit: www.hsof.net