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AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for April 2009

The power of a human word

Christ, what is he? The Son of God, the Word of God. What is the Word of God? Something the words of humankind cannot express, that’s what the Word of God is.

Are you asking me what the Word of God is? If I wanted to tell you what the word of humankind is, I can’t explain it, I get tired, I get stuck, I give up; I can’t even explain the power of a human word.

Look here; before I say to you what I want to say to you, the word is already in my heart.

It hasn’t yet been spoken to me, and it’s with me. Then it’s spoken by me, and it reaches you, and it doesn’t depart from me. You’re all intending to hear a word from me; I’m feeding your minds when I speak. If I were bringing you food for your stomachs, you would divide it up among yourselves, and it wouldn’t get to each of you; but you would divide up what I set before you into more portions, the more of you there were; and the greater the number of those receiving it, the less each would get.

No, though, I’ve brought food along for your minds: I say, “Accept it, take it, eat it.” You’ve accepted it, eaten it, and not divided it up. Whatever I speak, it’s all there for all of you, and all there for each of you. There you are, that’s how it’s impossible to explain satisfactorily the enormous power a human word has, and you ask me what the Word of God is? Let him tell us himself, the only-begotten, the only Son. He put it very briefly, but what he says is something tremendous: I and the Father are one.

St Augustine:  Sermon 237,4

Augustinian Vocations Weekend

Young men (over 16 years of age) are invited to spend the Easter period with the Augustinians in Brookvale (Sydney), living in community and participating in the Easter ceremonies. 

The weekend begins on the afternoon of Holy Thursday, 9th April and concludes on Easter Sunday, 12th April 2009 in the late afternoon. 

Anyone interested in learning more about the Augustinians or community life is invited to be part of this experience, obligation free.  Intending participants should contact Fr Tony Banks at prior.provincial@augustinians.org.au or by phoning Brookvale on (02) 9905 3049 during office hours.


Augustinian Centre for Spirituality

A small oasis of quiet and hospitality in western suburban Sydney, Australia, the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality at Greystanes seeks to assist persons and groups of all faith backgrounds in their spiritual journey.

The 2009 programme of prayer days and courses is available on this web site. For the program for 2009, click here.

These gatherings seek to support participants in their spiritual journey. All users of this Augustinian website are most welcome to attend these courses and prayer days.  If you are interested in coming to any of these please contact Fr Peter Jones OSA at (02) 9896 6794 or e-mail him at peter.jones@augustinians.org.au

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On Wednesday evenings in March 2009 the Centre hosted the course In the Year of Paul – Stories of Conversion (see photo above). Using Saint Paul’s account of his conversion as a springboard the course also reflected on the conversion accounts of St Augustine and of the 20th century American Christian activist Dorothy Day. Awareness of the theme of conversion in these significant figures from the Christian tradition supports our own sense of the reality of ongoing conversion in our own lives.

Also in late March the Centre hosted a retreat day for the Couples for Christ group from Holy Spirit Parish, St Clair (in western Sydney, NSW). The Couples for Christ is a movement that seeks to nourish the marital spirituality of its members. The theme of this retreat day was what Augustinian spirituality has to offer and support the spirituality of marriage and family.

One particular event for the coming Easter season is a Prayer Day, Praying in the Light of Easter. It will be presented by Fr John McCall O.S.A. on Thursday, 16th April 2009 from 9.45 am to 2.30 pm. Suggested donation: $15. Book ahead by phoning 9896 6749 or by e-mailing osaspirit@bigpond.com


Augustinian Parish, Coorparoo

The Parish of St James, Coorparoo (Brisbane) has been in the care of the Augustinians since 1952. Villanova College, conducted by the Order, is located within the parish.

Photo: Southern side of St James's Church, Coorparoo.

The Parish maintains the practice of having monthly dinners for young adults in the Priory. The next dinner will be on Sunday, 5th April 2009 after the 6.00pm Mass.  The event is an ideal opportunity for young adults to meet others of their age group.

See the parish web site for further information: http://www.stjames-coorparoo.org.au/

Augustinian Parish of North Harbour, Sydney

The Parish of North Harbour in the Diocese of Broken Bay is the union, which happened on 1st July 2006, of the two previous adjacent Augustinian-administered parishes of Manly Vale and Balgowlah.

In this area of the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia, the Augustinians began their pastoral leadership in Manly Vale in 1956 and at Balgowlah in 2004.

The parish candidates and sponsors (see photo) for 2009 in the R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) recently attended the Ceremony of the Elect at the Cathedral of the diocese. As well as these adults there are ten children participating this Easter in the R.C.I.C. (Rite of Christian Initiation for Children).

The parish library has now gone digital. Since January, the bibliographical details all of its books have been entered on computer. This will make library administration more efficient.

The parish web site is http://northharbour.catholicau.com/index.html


Augustinian Parish, South Yarra

In Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria, the Augustinians have care of the Parish of Saint Joseph, South Yarra. The parish also has a second church, dedicated to St Thomas Aquinas, at Bromby Street, South Yarra. The Order of St Augustine has ministered in the parish since 1976.

The Parish Centre (photo at right) adjacent to St. Joseph’s Church is a quiet oasis just one minute from the busy cosmopolitan Chapel Street in South Yarra. Recently refurbished with an attractive landscaped garden, the centre can accommodate groups of every size, with seating for 170 people. The Great Hall, meeting rooms, a six-person computer lab, small library, multimedia facilities and a full caterer’s kitchen make St. Joseph’s an ideal venue.

There is on-site parking for thirty cars, with hundreds more spaces just across the road at the Jam factory complex. Public transport to the area is excellent with trains, trams and buses nearby. The Parish Centre is available for conferences, training, day retreats and reflection days for staff, student and parents, concerts, recitals and classes of all kinds.

The Parish Centre is also open to community support groups, cultural groups and for baptismal and funeral gatherings. For bookings, inspections or further information telephone the Parish Centre Business Manager in the Administration Office on 9826-9677 or email stjosephsparish@internode.on.net

The parish website is: www.ozemail.com.au/~osasthyarra


St Augustine’s College, Sydney

St Augustine's College is an Augustinian day school for over 1,000 male day pupils in the upper primary and secondary years of education. Founded in 1956, it is located at Brookvale (Sydney), Australia.

In the week of 23rd-27th March 2009, the annual Senior Retreat took place.

Because of the number of students in Year 12 (HSC) this year, the retreat was conducted in two successive sessions, with half of the students attending each time.

The venue this year was Camp Toukley on the N.S.W. Central Coast. The retreat program was prepared and conducted by the Director of Mission at the College, the Chaplaincy Team and by staff members. The Principal (Mr Tim Cleary) and the Deputy Principal (Mr Bill Yeates) attended portions of both sections of the retreat.

Another event involving Year 12 students in March was the Broken Bay Year Twelve Event for over 1,000 Year 12 students from Catholic schools. Each year Bishop David Walker spends a day meeting the Year 12 students in his diocese. 

The full-day Event began with each school contributing an introduction to themselves under the title ‘Who are we?’  There was a great display of dance, drama and audio visual and speeches representing each of the schools.

Bishop David then addressed the young people about their roles and responsibilities as the student leaders of their schools. Mass and a luncheon followed.

The College web site is www.saintaug.nsw.edu.au


Villanova College, Coorparoo

Villanova is a college (an upper primary and secondary school which enrolled approximately 1,160 male day pupils for the 2009 academic year) of the Order of Saint Augustine at Coorparoo in Brisbane, Australia.

Villanova’s weekly parents’ newsletter (which many families have now chosen to receive “paperless” via e-mail) reports a myriad of activities.

The College conducted an Open Day on Tuesday, 3rd March 2009, which was well-attended, and applications for student places in 2010 are very numerous. The 2009 debating season of the annual Queensland Debating Union for schools has commenced well, with a record number of teams competing.

Villanova's Irish Ensemble was chosen to perform in the 2009 St Patrick's Day Parade through the streets of Brisbane's central business district. These musicians then returned to Villanova to participate in the Villanova International Carnival, conducted by the Parents and Friends Association as its major annual fund-raising event. Held in the College grounds, the Carnival also involves a Senior Disco and a Middle School Disco.

Read more on the college web site at: http://www.vnc.qld.edu.au

Augustinian Parish, St Clair

Holy Spirit Parish at St Clair in western Sydney, Australia, was established twenty-five years ago, and has been administered by the Order of Saint Augustine for the past eleven years.

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The parish's Lenten Program for 2009 looks at recent and forthcoming changes in the Church. It examines how the Church worships, and examines the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM).

There are different groups that meet at different times of day on different days of the Lenten weeks.

The parish web site is http://www.holyspiritstclair.com.au

Mareeba Parish

Mareeba is located on the tableland behind the tropical tourist city of Cairns, in northern Queensland, Australia. The Parish of St Thomas of Villanova in Mareeba has been staffed by the Order of Saint Augustine since it began almost a century ago. The adjacent Dimbulah parish was added to the pastoral responsibility of the Augustinian pastor of Mareeba a number of years ago.

"In Contact" is the monthly newsletter of the parishes of Mareeba and Dimbulah, and over 1,900 copies are distributed. Among activities reported in its issue of March 2009 is the involvement of the St Thomas's Church Choir in a Cantata Choir of sixty voices drawn from various areas of the Tablelands. The Cantata Choir will perform in Cairns on 4th April, and in Atherton and Mareeba on 5th April.

"In Contact" also provides biographies on the ten recently-elected members of the Mareeba Parish Pastoral Council.

There were also elections recently for a new Parish Pastoral Council at Dimbulah (photo above).

Augustinians in South Korea

For a more extensive summary elsewhere on this web site of Augustinian involvement in South Korea since the Order's arrival there in 1985, click here. Australian Augustinians were in 1985 part of that first Augustinian group to go to Korea, and one Australian Augustinian serves there still in what is now a semi-autonomous Augustinian Delegation under the auspices of the Australian Augustinian Province.

The year 2009 has brought about two special ceremonies involving Korean Augustinians, the diaconate of Bro. Luca (left) on 8th January 2009, and the reception into novitiate of Bro. Austin (right) on 11th January.

Luca is the fifth Korean-born Augustinian working in Korea to have received the diaconate. Sixty photos of the Order of Saint Augustine in Korea are available on the Internet by selecting the photo gallery named Korea after you click on http://www.augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=6

Augustinian Formation Association (A.F.A.)

The AFA prays for and raises funds for the formation of future Augustinians. Based in Sydney, Australia, its office bearers for 2009 are Trudi McFadden (president), Eddie Robinson (treasurer), Lesley Sing (assistant treasurer) and Yvonne Clark (secretary).

A goal for AFA in 2009 is to seek ways of expanding its membership, especially seeing that the number of Augustinian students in formation is increasing, meaning that additional support would be very timely.

To obtain more details about the Augustinian Formation Association, contact Fr L. Mooney O.S.A. (AFA chaplain) or the staff of the Provincial Office on (w) (02) 9905 3049.

Augustinian Friends

Augustinian Friends is a lay group conducted in Australia for those wishing to learn more about the spirituality of Saint Augustine of Hippo, and to have contact with others who share this goal. Branches of the Friends operate at a number of Augustinian venues in Brisbane, Mareeba, Melbourne, Northern Victoria, and Sydney.

The Friends' newsletter, Amici, has now reached its tenth anniversary, and much has happened within Augustinian Friends during this decade. For example, there have been three Lay Congresses: in Echuca in 2001, Sydney (Brookvale) in 2004, and in Melbourne (South Yarra) in 2007. The next Congress will take place in Brisbane in June 2010.

Leaders of the various Friends' branches met at the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality at Greystanes (Sydney) on the weekend of 7th-9th November 2008 (see photo below).

The position of Co-Leaders of the National Committee is presently shared by Ruth McGowan and Maureen Atkins of northern Victoria, and Fr. Paul Maloney O.S.A. is the chaplain of the group.

The English and U.S. Augustinians are involved with generally similar Augustinian Friends movements in their respective nations.

In England, “Friends of Augustine” has now begun its own website:
http://www.friendsofaugustine.org In the United States, the web site is http://www.augustinianfriends.org

For an Amici newsletter subscription or for any additional information on the Friends, contact Fr Paul Maloney at Greystanes (Sydney) at paulmal@bigpond.com.au or phone him on (02) 9631 0340.

For additional information about Augustinian Friends on this web site, click here.

Augustinian Volunteers Australia

Augustinian Volunteers Australia has commenced its Justice and Peace activity. This is happening in an outer-western suburb of Sydney, Australia. Five young adults are participating. With others, during February 2008 they undertook a formation period in social justice, Catholic social teaching, critical analysis and Augustinian spirituality.

On 25th February 2008 they then began assisting three already-established social justice ministries of the Catholic Church in the suburb of Mount Druitt, Sydney.

(Above): Three of the Volunteers of 2008.

These Augustinian Volunteers serve one full day per week in activities that include an education support program, migrant family assistance and men’s shelter assistance. The Volunteers live at their respective home addresses elsewhere in Sydney.

Augustinian Volunteers Australia is directed and supervised by Paul Wilson (see photo), a layman who is employed full-time as the Justice and Peace Officer of the Australian Augustinian Province.

It is anticipated that the Augustinian Volunteers program in coming years will also have provision for full-time members who will live in an Augustinian Volunteers lay community for twelve months, as already occurs within Augustinian Volunteers (U.S.A.). (To read thought-provoking and heart-warming reports from some of the current Augustinian Volunteers U.S.A., click here.)

Augustinian Volunteers Australia invites interested young adults to assist its future planning by completing the obligation-free survey attached to this web site.

More details about Augustinian Volunteers Australia are available on the social justice section of this web site.

Contact:

Mr Paul Wilson, Justice and Peace Project Officer, c/- St Augustine’s Priory,
P.O. Box 679 Brookvale NSW 2100, Australia. Mobile phone: 0438 646 294 Email: paul.wilson@augustinians.org.au Website: www.augustinians.org.au

Augustinian Ministry Websites 2009

FOR SOME CURRENT NEWS ABOUT THE ORDER OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA Click here

The Augustinian international web site is: http://www.osanet.org/en/default.htm

AUGUSTINIAN CENTRE FOR SPIRITUALITY PROGRAM 2007
2 Hewitt Avenue
Greystanes 2145
Enquiries (02) 9896 6794
www.augustinians.org.au/communities/greystanes.html

 

 

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