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AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for January 2011

Joy in the world

What is joy in the world? Rejoicing in iniquity, rejoicing in infamy, rejoicing in what is dishonourable, rejoicing in what is vile. These are all the things the world rejoices in. And none of them would exist if people didn’t want them to. There are some things people do; others that are done to them, they endure even if they don’t like it.

So what is this world, and what is the joy of this world? I will tell you, brothers and sisters, as briefly as I can, as far as God helps me. Briefly, quickly, I’ll tell you.

What the world relishes is villainy that no one punishes. Let people indulge in dissolute living, in sexual immorality, in the frivolities of the games; let them drown themselves in drink, befoul themselves with infamy – and suffer no harm: and there you have the joy of the world.

Let these evil things I’ve listed not be chastised by famine, or by fear of war, or any other fear: not by any disease or any misfortunes at all; but let them all pass in material plenty, in bodily ease, in peace of mind – an evil mind: and again, there you have the joy of the world.

But God doesn’t think like a human being; God’s way of thinking is one thing, a human being’s another. It is an aspect of his great kindness not to leave villainy unpunished; and he is ready to chastise now with whips, in order not to be forced to consign to gehenna at the end.

St Augustine:  Sermon 171,4......

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.Augustinian Parish, North Harbour, Sydney

The Catholic Community 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, which are located in the northern beaches area of Sydney, Australia's largest city.

The Augustinians began their pastoral leadership at Manly Vale in 1952 and at Balgowlah in 2004.

The December "Open Mic" (Open Microphone) Night played to a "full house" in front of the stage at the Parish Centre, Manly Vale (see photos above). A number of the volunteer performers are already members of one or more of the music ministries in the parish.

The purpose of the evening is to foster musical and vocal talent in the parish, and this initiative is proving popular.

The parish website, now extensively renovated, has received many plaudits. A new feature is the addition of video clips. The most recent inclusion in that regard is a four-minute presentation on Celebrate Sunday, which centres on the 6.00 pm Sunday Mass at St Kieran's Church, Manly Vale. Go to http://www.vimeo.com/15978171

The parish web site is located at
http://www.northharbourcatholic.org.au


St Joseph's 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.

There will be a Parish Picnic honouring the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas on Sunday 30th January 2011 following the morning Masses at St. Thomas' Church. All are welcome - but bring a hamper!

The South Yarra parish website is: http://www.parishofsouthyarra.org.au


Augustinian Parish, Coorparoo

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

During 2011, the new English translation of the Mass texts will be introduced throughout Australia. In preparation for this, parishioners are invited to attend four meetings (February to April) at which we will view and discuss videos on different parts of the Mass (using the current translation). Organised by the Liturgy Group, these sessions will help us understand the Mass better, prior to the changes.

Each session will be offered twice. Topics and dates are as follows:
The Entrance Rite – 'We Shall Go Up With Joy' – 13 & 16 February
The Liturgy of the Word – 'The Word of the Lord' – 6 & 9 March
The Eucharistic Prayer – 'Lift Up Your Hearts' – 27 & 30 March
The Communion Rite – 'Say Amen to What You Are' – 10 & 13 April

You can view the parish web site: http://www.stjames-coorparoo.org.au/

St Thomas of Villanova Parish, Mareeba

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. Mareeba is located on the tableland behind the tropical tourist city of Cairns, in northern Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Diocese of Cairns.

The feast of the Holy Child, "Santo Nino" (see image at left) is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of January at the 10.00am Mass, when we assemble with our Philippine community. The focus of the feast is on the child Jesus.

After Mass we enjoy the culinary delights of the Philippines, in the covered area of St Thomas's Parish School.

Date Claimer for 2011. The Mareeba Parish Centenary celebrations will occur on the weekend of 11th-12th June 2011.


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.

Photo: Mass begins in Holy Spirit Church

The parish participated in "Vinnies Wrap," a project to give Christmas gifts to the less fortunate children of any religious denomination in the general vicinity of Holy Spirit Parish.

Gifts - mainly toys - were placed in a receiving box in the church foyer by 12th December 2010, and were then delivered to families by the Society of St Vincent de Paul before Christmas Day.

Further details of parish life appear on the web site of Holy Spirit Parish: http://www.holyspiritstclair.com.au


St Augustine’s College, Sydney

St Augustine's College is an Augustinian day school for almost 1,100 male pupils in the upper primary and secondary years of education. Founded in 1956, it is located at Brookvale (Sydney), Australia.

The College held its annual Festival of Carols (photo at right) on Sunday evening, 28th November 2010 at Tolentine Park, which is a grassed area on the college property. The Festival of Carols was a community event, and also was advertised in the college newsletter.

Leading the singing was the Carols Choir of staff and students from St Augustine's College and Stella Maris College (Manly), assisted by the Combined Concert Bands of St Augustine's College. Members of the music staff of both colleges were involved in the preparations for the event.

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


Villanova College, Coorparoo

Villanova is a college of the Order of Saint Augustine at Coorparoo in Brisbane, Australia. Villanova is a day school of over 1,000 male students in the upper primary and secondary years of education. It began at Whinstanes on 25th January 1948, and in 1954 moved to Coorparoo, on the southern side of the Brisbane River.

The College conducted a Graduation Mass and Presentation for its Year Twelve Class on 18th November 2010. A few days earlier, the Senior Formal took place. In the final Parents' Newsletter for 2010, the College Principal, Mr Dennis Harvey, commended the Senior Class on its leadership and its service to the younger students at the College.

He wrote, "Any group of students who provides leadership and service to others, who commits to their studies with dedication and perseverance, and who achieves excellence in sporting, musical, artistic and cultural pursuits to the standard and degree that the Seniors of 2010 have accomplished deserves nothing less than our acknowledgement, congratulations and gratitude."

Over this summer vacation period, work continued - as much as the rains permitted - on Villanova's multi-million-dollar construction project, details of which will be uploaded here later this year.

The college web site is: http://www.vnc.qld.edu.au


Augustinian Centre for Spirituality

A small oasis of quiet and hospitality in western suburban Sydney, Australia, the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality at Greystanes (photo below) assists persons and groups of all faith backgrounds in their spiritual journey.

Its resident Augustinian community offers spiritual direction, reflection days, courses in prayer and meditation, and individual residential directed retreats.

For more information on the Centre, please phone (02) 9896 6749, or
e-mail osaspirit@bigpond.com.au


Augustinian 25th Anniversary in Korea

The Order of Saint Augustine first went to South Korea in 1985, and two Australian Augustinians were in the group of four priests initially sent there. The Order in Korea accepted its first Korean-born candidates in 1990, and still regards the task of training its Korean-born Augustinians as a primary ministry.

Photo: Most of the Korean Augustinians, November 2010.

The 25th anniversary celebrations of the Order in Korea took place on the first weekend of October 2010, and brought back to Korea three of the first four priests that the Augustinians sent there in 1985 (two from England, and two from Australia.) The fourth of these friars then visited there during November.

The Augustinian Delegation of Korea now staffs three communities, located at Incheon, Kanghwa Island and Yeon-Chon (north of Seoul).

The Augustinian Delegation has nine Koreans in solemn vows (five priests and four lay brothers), three in simple vows, one novice and two postulants. There are also three expatriate Augustinian priests, two from the Cebu Province (Philippines) and one from Australia.

For a summary elsewhere on this web site of Augustinian involvement in South Korea since the Order's arrival there in 1985, click here.


Augustinian Formation Association (A.F.A.)

The Augustinian Formation Association prays for and raises funds for the formation of current Augustinian candidates and for future Augustinians.

It has now fulfilled this role for a number of decades.

Based in Sydney, Australia, its current office bearers are Trudi McFadden (president), Eddie Robinson (treasurer), Lesley Sing (assistant treasurer) and Yvonne Clark (secretary).

The AFA is hoping to expand its membership, especially seeing that the number of Augustinian students in formation is increasing, meaning that additional support would be very timely.

The most recent AFA gathering was its Annual Pre-Christmas Evening (see photo above), held in the function room of a local Golf Club on Saturday, 27th November 2010. As well being a social occasion, the event raised over $800 to assist with the education of seven Augustinian seminarians and pre-novices.

To obtain more details about the Augustinian Formation Association generally, contact the staff of the Provincial Office on (02) 9938 0200 during office hours.


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 four Lay Congresses: in Echuca in 2001, in Brookvale (Sydney) in 2004, in South Yarra (Melbourne) in 2007, and in Coorparoo (Brisbane) in 2010.

An annual meeting of the National Committee of Augustinian Friends took place at the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality at Greystanes (Sydney) on the weekend of 6th-8th November 2009 (see photo below). The most recent annual meeting took place there on 17th-19th September 2010.

These meetings approved a parish programme for the Easter period developed by the Augustinian Spirituality Team. Local Augustinian groups have offered to run the programme in Augustinian parishes. It is particularly suitable for those who have just completed the RCIA program.

The leader of the Augustinian Friends for 2010-2011 is Sylvia Phillips, 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 2010 - 2011

The Augustinian Justice and Peace Course, which is used as part of the formation program for Augustinian Volunteers Australia, was conducted at Augustinian Priory, Brookvale (Sydney) during the three weeks from 1st – 20th February 2010.

There were six candidates for Augustinian Volunteers Australia 2010.

Two came from Brisbane, and the four from the Sydney region are from the Augustinian Parishes of St Clair (Parramatta Diocese) and North Harbour (Broken Bay Diocese). 

Two multi-year Volunteers of 2010 brought their direct AVA involvement to an end at this juncture, with the conclusion of their full-time tertiary studies.

This leaves four continuing Volunteers for 2011, plus any others who join in January/February 2011. The 2011 AVA Information Brochure can be viewed by clicking here.

The full-time orientation program for 2011 will take place in Sydney from 31st January to 19th February 2011.

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 2011

FOR SOME CURRENT NEWS ABOUT THE ORDER OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA Click here

The Augustinian international web site is:
http://www.osanet.org/home.asp

AUGUSTINIAN CENTRE FOR SPIRITUALITY PROGRAM 2010
2 Hewitt Avenue
Greystanes 2145
Enquiries (02) 9896 6794
www.augustinians.org.au/communities/greystanes.html

 

 

    
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