<June 2008>

It’s obvious that of the objects presented to our various senses, each one gives pleasure to a distinct sense. Sounds don’t give pleasure to the sense of sight, nor colours to the sense of hearing.

But for our hearts the Lord is both light and voice and fragrance and food. And the reason he is all these things is that he is none of them. And the reason he is none of them is that he is the creator of them all. He is light, sound, and fragrance for our hearts.

Now if you are seeking food, because you have been fasting, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice. But it is said of the Lord Jesus Christ himself that he has become for us justice and wisdom. There you have the banquet that has been provided.

Christ is justice, nowhere is he in short supply; he is not provided for us by cooks, nor is he imported by merchants from overseas, like exotic fruits. He is a food that appeals to everyone whose inner man has a healthy appetite. He is the food which recommends itself to us by saying, I am the living bread, who came down from heaven. He is the food which nourishes without perishing, which doesn’t disappear when it is taken, which fills the hungry and remains whole.

When you depart from here to your own tables, you won’t eat anything like that. So because you have come together to the banquet, make sure you eat well. And when you go away, make sure you digest well. You eat well and digest badly if you hear the word of God and don’t do it.

The death has occurred in Ireland of Fr Donal Paul Dempsey, an Augustinian priest who served in eastern Australia for fifty-two years from 1950 to 2002, the first twenty-six years in Queensland and the final twenty-six years in Victoria in the parishes of South Yarra (Melbourne) and Kyabram (Diocese of Sandhurst).

Photo: Portrait of Donal Paul Dempsey O.S.A., taken early during his twelve years at Kyabram, the final chapter of his lengthy public ministry in Australia.

He died at Ballyboden, County Dublin, Ireland on 21st June 2008, not far from where he had been born. He was eighty-two years of age when he died.

A few months after receiving priesthood in Rome in 1950 as a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, he was assigned to the Parish of Cairns in Far North Queensland.

At the age of twenty-six years, Fr Dempsey was in 1952 appointed as parish priest of nearby Babinda, and constructed a new church there. In 1954 he was transferred to the Augustinian Parish of St James’s, Coorparoo, Brisbane. As well as parochial ministry there, he was chaplain to what is now called Princess Alexandria Hospital in South Brisbane and a part-time teacher of Latin at Villanova College, which is conducted by the Order of St Augustine at Coorparoo.

He was then transferred to Villanova in a full-time teaching capacity. As a teacher he is most remembered for his natural flair in teaching languages, especially Latin and French. He also conducted the college choir, and was an officer in the college’s Cadet Corps.

Departing Villanova for the years 1969 and 1970, he lived with and taught the Augustinian seminarians elsewhere in suburban Brisbane. In 1971 he was recalled to Villanova College to be its fourth Rector (Principal) until 1976.

He spent the next twenty-six years in parish ministry in Melbourne and Kyabram, Victoria, and was appointed parish priest in both of those localities.

Late in 1976, Fr Dempsey was assigned to the Augustinian Parish of St Joseph in South Yarra, Melbourne. After seven years there, he was appointed as parish priest during 1983-1987.

When transferred to St Augustine’s Parish at Kyabram in the Diocese of Sandhurst, he was a few months later in November 1987 appointed parish priest there. He continued there until his retirement, which began briefly back in South Yarra and then continued from May 2002 onwards in the Augustinian community at Ballyboden, County Dublin, Ireland.

A requiem Mass and burial service took place on Wednesday, 25th June 2008 in Dublin. The burial was in the Augustinian community section of Glasnevin Cemetry, Dublin.

One of six siblings, he is survived by two brothers, Harry and Liam, and two sisters, Joan and Nuala.

An outgoing and effervescent personality with a stentorian laugh that announced his presence when he entered a room, he was generous in his outpouring of compassion and support to those in grief and difficulty, even at the expense of his own need for rest and self-care.

Memorial Mass: Eucharist will be celebrated for the late Fr Donal Paul Dempsey O.S.A. at St James's Church, Coorparoo, Brisbane at 7.30 pm on Monday evening, 7th July 2008. All are invited to attend.

Brother Gregory Fitzgerald O.S.A. (pictured below), who died at Brisbane, Australia in 1976, is presently being honoured by a display in the Moree Plains Gallery in north-western New South Wales.

He was one of ten children of a family that owned Kunderang, a cattle station on the Macleay River in the Northern Rivers' District of New South Wales. After being a stockman on the family property, at the age of twenty-eight years Gregory in 1919 first met the Augustinian Order when he travelled to Italy. He then joined the Order in Ireland in 1922, and was sent to Rome to study for priesthood.

When he found the learning of Latin too difficult, he remained in the Order as a brother. In this capacity, he served in Rome until he returned to Australia in 1940, and subsequently then served in Australia until his death at the age of eighty-five years in 1976.

He had a natural talent for woodcarving, and made a number of intricately-carved walking sticks that featured Australian flora and fauna. His carving task was all the more difficult because he preferred to use Australian hardwood, which is particularly difficult to carve, and because he used only a simple pen knife, rasp and sandpaper.

During his long life, he carved an estimated forty pieces, and usually he gave them away soon after he carved them. Some of his works are quite valuable. The Augustinian Order only possesses one of these works, which is the well-worn walking stick that Bro Gregory himself used.

One walking stick was sent to President John F. Kennedy, and is still in the official Kennedy Presidential Library in Massachusetts. Another walking stick was given to Archbishop Mannix in Melbourne, who put it to practical use. Others were presented to the Irish President, Éamon de Valera, and to U.S. General Douglas MacArthur.

The display is called Hidden Treasures: Brother Gregory’s Craft, and is open to the public free of charge at the gallery (see photo) from 26th May until 21st July 2008. (Visitors should check with the gallery, because these dates may change.) The display contains some of Bro. Gregory’s walking sticks, his art books, some poetry that he composed, and photographs of other carvings he undertook.

The Moree Plains Gallery is housed is one of the most important historic buildings locally, having been built as a bank over ninety years ago. It is located in the centre of this town, which is 628 kms from Sydney. It is open five days per week: from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Saturdays. (Closed Sunday and Monday.)

The Provincial Office would be pleased to hear from anyone who visits the display; phone 02 9905 3049 (office hours).

Every fourth year the Augustinians of Australia gather in Chapter to determine the direction that the Province will take for the coming four years. At the midway point between two Chapters, the friars gather for a Mid-Chapter to evaluate the execution of the Chapter decisions, and to seek further ways to promote the Chapter decisions more effectively.

A Mid-Chapter took place in the week of 3rd-7th June 2008 (see photo). The theme adopted is New Horizons. The Provincial, Fr Tony Banks O.S.A. explained, "This theme is not to remove us from viewing the present realities and strains, but rather of moving us past those points in looking at how we can best serve the Church and the Order in this part of the world."

A major 60th anniversary event will be a Dinner Dance in the Members Room of Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, 14th June 2008. It is anticipated that as many as 500 persons will attend the gala evening.

Further information and bookings are available by phoning the college and by consulting the college web site: http://www.vnc.qld.edu.au

Photos: (1) Raising the Villanova flag on the College's first day at Whinstanes in 1948. (2) A group photo taken soon afterwards, showing five Augustinians on the teaching staff.

A small oasis of quiet and hospitality in suburban Sydney, Australia, the Augustinian Centre at Greystanes seeks to assist persons and groups of all faith backgrounds in their spiritual journey. The resident Augustinian community there offers spiritual direction, reflection days, courses in prayer, meditation and personal development, and individual residential directed retreats.

For the Wednesday evenings in May the course titled Searching along the Way – A Reflection on key themes of Christian Spirituality took place at the Centre.

Participants (see photo, at left) came from various parishes in the local area. The course was designed to provide an opportunity for participants to bring their own questions regarding the relationship between Christian faith and life experience.

The questions that emerged were engaging and expressed their genuine concerns and hopes. The energetic discussion among the group covering various areas was a strength of the course.

In late May 2008 Frs Paul Maloney and Peter Jones travelled to Brisbane for this year’s retreat for the Villanova College Leadership Team (see photo). Building from last year’s retreat the focus this year was on the importance of those in leadership exercising care for the personal well-being of themselves and of their colleagues.

Ways of prayer, ways of coping with stress, being aware of the significance of people in our lives were presented in the context of those who are in a position of caring for others also being aware of what brings healing and refreshment to their own lives.

If any group associated with the Order of Saint Augustine and its ministries is interested in a program or retreat by the Centre staff, please contact Fr Peter Jones O.S.A. at Greystanes at (02) 9896-6794 or osaspirit@bigpond.com.au .

Augustinians in South Korea

Having completed its first major building program, an Augustinian Priory in Inchon City in 1994, the Augustinians of Korea in December 2006 developed an adjacent property and opened the St Rita Spirituality Centre (see sketch below).

In recent times the building has continuously proved its usefulness. The Holy Week ceremonies there recently included a Holy Saturday Tenebrae Service, which has already become established as a popular Augustinian tradition there. This year's Tenebrae was accompanied by music from the Stabat Mater by Giovanni Nattista Pergolesi, performed by choir and a string ensemble. (A performance of it in Europe appears on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNt13Vw-K6Q )

Other recent activities in the Spirituality Centre included an initial Augustinian spirituality seminar last February, a ten-week programme introducing the laity to the Divine Office, a novena prior to the Feast of Our Mother of Good Counsel, and a six-week program leading into the Year of the Apostle Paul. This program introduced Paul’s life, missionary journeys and his major letters.

Preliminary arrangements are already in hand for a second Augustinian spirituality seminar in the month of October 2008 on the theme of Saint Paul and Saint Augustine.

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 Dimbulah parish was added to the pastoral responsibility of the Augustinian pastor of Mareeba a number of years ago.

On Sunday, 18th May 2008 the Aboriginal Catholics of Mareeba parish invited everyone to join them in celebrating Mass at an ancient camping site of the Muluridji people, situated on the bank of the Barron River close to Biboohra. (See photo below.)

About fifty people attended Mass, with Fr Rob Greenup O.S.A. presiding. Lyn Harris led the singing on guitar as we sat in the dappled sunshine under the shade of beautiful gum trees. Nearby horses shared in the celebration and birds could be heard singing. Billy tea and damper were shared afterwards with the tea having the lovely “smoky” taste we have come to enjoy.

Seven of the Augustinian Friends group in Mareeba, along with Fr Rob Greenup, made their annual trip to Cooktown with an overnight stay on Tuesday, 27th May 2008, returning to Mareeba on Wednesday, 28th May 2008. This time we had two Kuranda Friends making up the group and it was lovely to show them Cooktown as neither had been there previously.

The Augustinian and Sisters of Mercy graves (see photo) still look in good order. Taking a leaf blower with us, Graham used it like an expert clearing all of the eucalypt leaves! We washed the grave stones using water only, washed the fence to get rid of cobwebs and generally tidied up. For the first time it rained lightly while we were working, and it kept us cooler.

We had our evening meal on the verandah of the presbytery which overlooks the Endeavour River – truly a magnificent view. Fr Rob celebrated Mass for us the following morning.

Next month a few of the group are heading back to Cooktown to celebrate with the Mercy Sisters who are holding Mass at the cemetery. This year marks the 120th anniversary of Sisters of Mercy from Dungarvan (Ireland) first arriving at Cooktown, and hence a number of special liturgies and other events will be held.

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.

As a fund-raising effort for the parish's involvement in World Youth Day the youth of the parish presented Back 2 Basics, a programme that was held from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm on Sunday, 25th May 2008.

The parish will be a catechetical centre during the week of World Youth Day, and 575 pilgrims from overseas and from elsewhere in Australia will hear a visiting bishop giving instructions on the Faith.

As well, 365 pilgrims will be billetted in Holy Spirit Parish School from 14th to 21st July 2008.

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

Like all other parishes in Australia, the Parish of North Harbour (the former parishes at Manly Vale and Balgowlah combined) has been promoting World Youth Day, which is now a little over a month away.

The parish is involved in being one of the numerous catechetical centres that World Youth Day pilgrims will attend to hear a visiting bishop instruct on aspects of the Faith in the days immediately before the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI in Australia.

As well, North Harbour parishioners will be billetting a few hundred pilgrims in "home stay" during the week of World Youth Day activities.

North Harbour Parish has a new associate pastor in the person of Fr Peter McHugh O.S.A., who has been transferred from his ministry at the Augustinian Parish of St James's in Coorparoo (Brisbane).

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

On 11th April 2008 the College's 1st and 2nd VX rugby football teams (see photo above) departed on a Rugby Development Tour to New Zealand. They played matches against local schools in Christchurch, Oamaru, Dunedin and Queenstown (three matches). Four staff members accompanied the tour, which by all accounts was a safe, worthwhile and successful experience.

* The College’s Orphanage Project 2007. A daily blog of the infirmary construction project during April 2007 at the orphanage in Bulacan, Philippines is uploaded on the internet. Go to:
http://augustineorphanageproject.blogspot.com

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 has been present in the parish since 1976. Since the opening of a new parish centre late in 2006, plans have existed for a parish library.

On Pentecost Sunday, 11th May 2008, after the 10.30 Mass parishioners and friends gathered in the Library for its official opening. Conor Horgan (see photo, at right) welcomed everyone and talked about why the Library was to be given the Barry name. He explained that the whole idea of a library and all that it could become had been the vision and dream of Fr John Barry O.S.A. resident parish priest for over two decades (see photo, at left).

Dr. Elaine Barry, sister of Fr. John, Professor of English at Monash University for over thirty years and active member within the parish was called upon to be the guest speaker and declare the Library open.

Under the guidance of a professional librarian, the library collection has grown steadily during the past sixteen months.

Areas featured are Biblical studies, prayer, catechetics, Augustinian spirituality, liturgy, liturgical art, lives of the saints, church history, social justice and theology. There will also be subscriptions to eight well-known Catholic magazines from Australia, Rome, England and the United States.

The Library aims to provide facilities of interest to all ages: children’s reading material, magazines, devotional literature, and material on social issues, with Internet access and computer classes on offer. It is also anticipated that the library will build bridges into the wider community.

The library was named the Barry Library, in honour of the parish priest, Fr John Barry O.S.A.

News Flash: The Province Social Justice Office has encouraged that assistance be given to cyclone victims in Burma, and in recent weeks this has successfully happened. As of 10th June 2008, a total in excess of AUS$2,000 has been sent to Caritas Australia from a number of Augustinian ministries. To read more on the Social Justice page on this web site, click here.

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.

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

It’s all happening! The colossus that will be the ninth international Augustinian Encounter for Young Adults is now over a year into its planning stage.

(Photo at left: Intending Encounter participants from the Augustinian Vicariate of the Orient, Philippines.)

This Encounter will commence initially at Brookvale and then for its final six days be based at the Collaroy Conference Centre on Sydney’s northern peninsula. It takes place from Monday afternoon, 21st July 2008 until the morning of the following Sunday.

(Monday 21st July 2008 is the day immediately after the conclusion of World Youth Day 2008, with the Pope's Mass at Randwick on the previous day.)

From bookings received so far, it is known that attendance at the Augustinian Encounter will exceed 200 young adults and their Augustinian mentors. Already the following countries have indicated their participation: Indonesia, England, India, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, U.S.A., Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Italy and South Korea.

Michael Dela Cruz, who attended the meeting of Augustinian Youth Animators in Rome in July 2007, is employed by the Australian Province as the full-time projects officer for World Youth Day (15th – 20th July 2008) and the International Augustinian Encounter (21st-26th July 2008).

With an air of excitement Augustinian Friends from across Australia gathered to celebrate ONE WORLD WITH AUGUSTINE, remembering back to the time of the millennium when celebrations began here and as if in a ripple effect worked their way around the world through the various time zones.

Augustinian Friends groups from North Harbour, Greystanes, Newcastle, Perth, Kyabram and South Yarra were all part of the Australian experience.

All groups explored the theme of Friendship. Some like Newcastle and Greystanes, chose to begin their program during the One World Week continuing it over a number of weeks. Others, like South Yarra and Kyabram, chose to work on a study program during the week with a celebration at the end, while another group in Sydney opted for an evening, the feast day of Alypius and Possidius, joining in the celebration of Mass with a homily given by Fr. Tony Banks OSA detailing the lives of both of Augustine’s friends followed by some discussion and a report on the world wide celebration of One World Week. In Western Australia, Margaret Wilcox was able to encourage her Bible Study group in Dunsborough to bring along a friend and discuss and celebrate Friendship and to realise how this was basic to Christianity of all persuasions.

Well done Augustinian Friends! To be linked to the thirty Augustinian groups from around the world all celebrating Augustinian spirituality in some way or another gave a real sense of what it means to be Augustinian.

Our thanks goes to Kate Everitt and the Irish groups for instigating this initiative.

Amici is the Friends' newsletter. For a 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.

Augnet: what's new?!

Augnet, a comprehensive web site on Saint Augustine and the Order of Saint Augustine, was fully redesigned and renovated in May 2006.

It now carries 1,398 pages of text, which contain over 1,860 illustrations. The Augnet web site was officially "launched" at a ceremony in Sydney in August 2002, with the Augustinian Prior General from Rome as the guest of honour.

New technical features in the renovated Augnet include a search engine, which searches every page of Augnet for any word or phrase that is nominated by a user, and a site map, which quickly allows a visitor to see and understand the local arrangement of Augnet's sections and sub-sections.

Over 2,750 large images in extensive photo galleries illustrate Augustinian events and places internationally. The photo galleries most recently added illustrate Sydney, Australia, and three galleries of Augustinian ministry in India, London (England) and at the Escorial (Spain), and additional images are regularly added to other galleries whenever they become available.

Since May 2006, over 90,000 separate (distinct) visitors have used Augnet at least once, in a total of 580,000 visits (i.e., an average of over six visits each). These persons have made a total of 1,132,416 Augnet page visits. There was a monthly record of 38,166 visits to Augnet during July 2007, which is an average of 1,210 visits a day. The second-highest monthly tally of 34,936 occurred in April 2008.

On 12th October 2006 Augnet received 1,000 visits within one 24-hour period for the first time. On 16th January 2008 there was a new daily record of 2,353 visits attained.

Because of the international usage of Augnet, the web site has almost an identical usage rate in each of the twenty-four hours of the day, and also equal usage on all days of the week (except for a slight decrease on Saturdays). The average duration per visit is three and one half minutes.

Contact:

Augustinian Ministry Websites 2008