AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD – March 2007

Attend to the hungry Christ

Think about the poor, how Christ in his nakedness is to be clothed. As the gospel was being read, didn’t we all think how lucky Zacchaeus was, when Christ looked up at him in the tree, where he was intent on seeing him passing by?

When, I ask you, can he ever have hoped to have him staying in his house? When Jesus said to him, Come down, Zacchaeus: today I must stay in your house, I could hear your sighs of congratulations. You were all of you, so to say, in Zacchaeus, and welcoming Christ.

You all said to yourselves, didn’t you,“Oh lucky Zacchaeus! The Lord went into his house, Oh lucky us! Can it happen to us? Christ is now in heaven.” Christ, read me out the New Testament. Make us happy from your law. You read it out, to show you that you are not cheated of Christ’s presence. Listen to the judgment he is going to pass: When you did it for one of these least of mine, you did it for me.

You are all looking forward to greeting Christ seated in heaven. Attend to him lying under the arches, attend to him hungry, attend to him shivering with cold, attend to him needy, attend to him a foreigner. Do it, if it’s already your practice; Knowledge of Christian doctrine is growing, let good works grow too. You praise the sower: present him with a harvest. Amen

St Augustine: Sermon 35, 8

Recent Death

The death occurred on Saturday, 10th March 2007 of Fr Patrick Valentine Crilly O.S.A. (see photo below), an Irish Augustinian who served in Australia from 1950 to 1982.

Although aged eighty-one years when he died, he was still assisting in parish ministry with Fr  Finbar Fogarty O.S.A. at Norco near Los Angeles, California when he suffered a heart attack four days previously.

He was born on 22nd May 1925 and raised in Drogheda, Ireland, one of five children. After primary and initial secondary education in his home town, he went to the Order's Good Counsel College, New Ross for his final two years of secondary schooling.

He the immediately joined the Order of Saint Augustine in October 1943, and received his Augustinian and priestly formation at Orlagh in County Dublin during 1944-1946 and then at St Monica's international Augustinian College, Rome in 1946-1950.

Fr Crilly was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on 4th March 1950, and eight months later sent to Australia by ship. He then served in Augustinian ministries in the states of Queensland and New South Wales for the following thirty-two years.

His Australian appointment began in January 1951 in the tropical Diocese of Cairns, where the first non-Augustinian bishop had taken over less than two years previously. Fr Crilly served in the town of Innisfail in 1951-1952, and during 1953-1954 he parish priest of St Rita’s Parish in South Johnstone (now amalgamated with the Innisfail Parish). In 1955 he then became parish priest at Babinda, another sugar cane district a few kilometres to the north, for twelve months.

As the Diocese of Cairns successfully recruited diocesan priests to serve locally, the number of Augustinians in the area was progressively reduced. Father Crilly was then in 1956 transferred to the staff of Villanova College at Coorparoo (Brisbane), an upper primary and secondary school for male day pupils that the Augustinians had opened in 1948. Web site: http://www.vnc.qld.edu.au/

He also served there as bursar of both the Augustinian Priory and the College until 1964, when he became a teacher and bursar at Australia’s other Augustinian school, St Augustine’s College at Brookvale (Sydney). At St Augustine’s Priory in Brookvale he was also the Prior of the Augustinian community. Web site: http://www.saintaug.nsw.edu.au/staugustines/main/index.php

His transfer in 1975 was one of three kilometres to St Kieran’s Parish, Manly Vale (now amalgamated into the Catholic Community of North Harbour), where he was Parish Priest, Prior and bursar until 1982. During his pastorate, the present St Kieran’s Priory was built. Web site: http://www.northharbour.catholicau.com/

His thirty-two years of Australian ministry concluded in 1982-1983, when he was stationed at St James' Parish, Coorparoo. In 1983 he returned to the Irish Augustinian Province, and was transferred to the Irish Augustinian parish at Buena Park, Los Angeles, California from 1983 to 2005.

His final place of ministry was St Mel's Parish in Norco, in the neighbouring San Bernardino diocese, where he was working up to the time of his death. He was then aged eighty-one years, and in his fifty-seventh year of priesthood.

His remains arrived at Dublin Airport from California at 2.00pm on Saturday, 17th March 2007. His funeral took place at St Augustine's Church, Drogheda at noon on Monday, 19th March 2007.

The principal concelebrant and homilist was Fr Finbar Fogarty O.S.A., who in recent years had served with the late Fr Crilly in California. The Mass was attended by Augustinians from many parts of Ireland, and by the deceased's surviving sister and brother.

May he rest in peace.

Papal Visit to the tomb of Augustine

Last month the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI will visit the tomb of Augustine on Sunday, 22nd April. This is the result of a request to do so that the Pope made to the Order of Saint Augustine soon after he was elected Pope.

According to the few details so far announced, the Pope will land by helicopter in the stadium of the small city of Vigevano around 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, 21st April 2007.

Church of S. Pietro in Ciel d'oro & Augustine's tomb.

He will then travel across the city in the "popemobile" to the archbishop's palace.

There will be a 5:30 p.m. Eucharistic celebration in the Ducal Square, with a capacity for about 5,000 people. A large screen will be set up in the adjacent square for the overflow.

At the end of the Mass, the Pontiff will visit the Cathedral of St. Ambrose, where he will meet volunteer workers and handicapped people.

Around 8.00 p.m. the Pope will travel by helicopter to Pavia.

On Sunday, 22nd April, he will celebrate Mass in Pavia, and in the afternoon will meet with university students and professors.

After the meeting, Benedict XVI will pray in the Church of St. Peter in front of the tomb of St. Augustine. He will return to Rome that night.

St. Augustine was the topic of the Holy Father's doctoral thesis: "People and House of God in St. Augustine's Doctrine of the Church."

The Pope’s high regard for Augustine is long-standing. For example, when previously as Cardinal Ratzinger in the 1980s he delivered a keynote address at the Augustinianum, the Augustinian patristic institute in Rome, he said that he felt he knew Augustine better than he knew any other person alive, because when he read St Augustine he read not just the cold theory of theology, for Augustine never approached life in a cold, detached way.

For further information on the tomb of Augustine and about the Pope’s interest in Augustine, click here.

Third National Augustinian Congress for the Laity, April 2007

Planning for the Third Augustinian Australian National Congress for the Laity is now well advanced.

This Congress, to be held in the parish centre of the Augustinian Parish of South Yarra, Melbourne, runs from Friday 20th April 2007 to Sunday 22nd April 2007.

The keynote speaker will be Fr Art Purcaro O.S.A.. He is from the United States, is presently an Assistant General of the Order, and has for many years served in the Augustinian missions in Peru.

The title is: Augustine, Ancient & New Vision for the Future. So how about coming to Melbourne in 2007 to experience Augustine in autumn?!

For further information about the Augustinian lay congress in Melbourne in April 2007, contact Augustinian Friends via the parish office of the Augustinian parish of South Yarra (ph. 03 9827 9117), or contact Fr Paul Maloney O.S.A. at the Centre for Augustinian Spirituality, 2 Hewitt Avenue, Greystanes, NSW 2145 (phone 02 9631 0340) or by e-mail at paulmal@bigpond.com.au

Raffle by Augustinian Friends

To show appreciation to Fr Art Purcaro O.S.A. for coming to Australia as the keynote speaker of the Third National Augustinian Congress for the Laity on 20th-22nd April 2007 (see news item above), the Augustinian Friends (Australia) are conducting a raffle for the Augustinian missions in Peru, where Fr Purcaro has served for many years.

The raffle has been made possible by the donation of a large triptych (a set of three adjoining paintings) by the artist, Simon Coates Dip FA, B.App.A., (MSA) of Sydney, Australia.

The triptych (image above) displays the compassionate Christ, the infant Christ and Christ at the Last Supper.

For the artist’s description of this tripych, click here.

The triptych has a combined dimension of 1,180 centimetres by 770 centimetres when the three panels are side-by-side. The medium used is acrylic paint on canvas.

Raffle tickets cost Aus$5 each. Until 20th April 2007 they can be obtained from Augustinian ministries in Australia. As well, their purchase can be arranged by contacting the Augustinian Provincial office: phone 02 9905 3049, or write to the office at P.O. Box 679 Brookvale NSW 2100, or email to osaadmin@bigpond.com

The Augustinians at the United Nations

The Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine has appointed a new team to represent the Order at the UN to carry out the business of the NGO (Non-Government Organisation) . The team is made up of Assistant General Art Purcaro OSA, Hilary Tagliaferro OSA of Malta, Jesus Guzman OSA, Mexico and Jack Deegan OSA, North America (Co-ordinator).

Jack will concentrate on the Culture of Peace aspect of our UN presence. He will work with our institutions of learning to engage further the schools in the UNESCO ASPnet program and other ways to raise the consciousness of the Augustinians and their co-workers as to the purpose and ability of the UN to bring global peace and respect for the dignity of humankind.

Hilary will devote his efforts to advocacy for Human Rights in local and global situations. Jesus will concentrate on the Millennium Goals and efforts to reduce poverty and hunger in the world.

Fr John Szura O.S.A. of the Chicago Province visits New York annually to offer an initial formation course on the UN and on Augustine’s insights into social justice. He teaches for a semester each year at the St Augustine Study Centre (SACS) at Quezon City, Philippines.

.For more about the this NGO, click here.

St Augustine's College, Brookvale.

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

Students, staff and parent community gathered on Wednesday 21st February 2007, in the Brimson Centre at the College to mark the beginning of Lent.

Ashes were distributed by Fr. Peter Tangey OSA (College Chaplain) and the College staff.

The participants were reminded of the significance of the ashes for Catholics, and pledged their support this Lent to the College's project in the Philippines to build an infirmary adjacent to the Orphanage run by the Sisters of Consolation in Bulacan, Manila. Work on the project commenced in Term 4, 2006.

Two lay teachers at the College, Mr David McLean and Mr Peter Jones will leave for Bulacan in a few weeks, and be followed in April by Mr Craig Jeffery, 13 students and other staff to complete this work.

The College web site is http://www.saintaug.nsw.edu.au.

An Augustinian working in Thailand

Fr John Murray O.S.A., a member of the Australian Augustinian Province, is now in his second year of ministry in Bangkok, Thailand. He is the first member of the Order ever appointed to minister in Thailand (see photos below).

His ministry there is twofold. In partnership with the Maryknoll Missionaries, he works with refugees in detention centres, and, for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, he supervises and promotes rural development projects. Recently he has been made a member of the Maryknoll ministry leadership team in Thailand.

The Australian Provincial, Rev Tony Banks O.S.A. recently travelled from Sydney to Bangkok to visit John and to sign contracts on behalf of the Order in relation to John’s ministry.

St Thomas of Villanova Parish, Mareeba.

On Tuesday 6th February 2007 a milestone was reached with the 1,500th meeting of Our Lady Star of the Sea Praesidium of the Legion of Mary.

It was held, as usual, in St Thomas’s School conference room (see photo).

Unfortunately no early records of the Legion of Mary in Mareeba still exist, although before Eileen Murdoch died she had mentioned that the Legion was in existence in Mareeba before the Second World War. It went into recess during the War, and became active again after the War.

The Mareeba parish has been staffed by the Order of Saint Augustine since it began almost a century ago. It is within the Diocese of Cairns win the tropical north of the Australian state of Queensland. From 1884 to 1948, the first three Catholic Church leaders (vicars apostolic and bishops) of Far North Queensland were Augustinians.

The present pastor of Mareeba (and also of the adjacent parish of Dimbulah) is Fr Rob Greenup O.S.A.

Still meeting almost forty years later

In the late 1960s, a group of people who then had sons atttending Villanova, the Order’s upper primary and secondary school in Brisbane, Australia, were recruited for a special task by the Augustinian Provincial of the time. Previously the second Rector of Villanova, he was (the late) Fr John Louis Hanrahan O.S.A.

The Australian Province had initially rented space for a seminary at Lindum (Brisbane), and then in 1969 moved to its own venue that it purchased at Clayfield (Brisbane), and named Augustinian College). Father Hanrahan wished to have a seminary committee to undertake fundraising for the maintenance of the seminary.

These women, plus other men and women now deceased, continued this task until after the Augustinian seminarians were transferred to Sydney nine years later.

These “seminary ladies” have continued to meet about twice a year ever since, and the photo (above) was taken at their pre-Christmas gathering in 2006. It was attended by Fr Brendan Quirke O.S.A., who had been the Student Master at Augustinian College during almost all of the decade that the Clayfield property functioned as a seminary residence.

Since the photo was taken in December, one of the ladies has died.  The Augustinian Constitutions require that each community and each Augustinian offers Mass for deceased benefactors of the Order at set times each year, and this obligation is faithfully fulfilled.

Augustinian Parish of North Harbour

Paul Skippen, the employed full-time family and youth ministry coordinator of the Augustinian Parish of North Harbour (Sydney, Australia), is producing a weekly e-newsletter for parishioners who request it.

This e-newsletter is a quite separate production from the printed parish newsletter that is available at the church doors each Sunday.

Sensing a need for easily-available material to assist reflection, spiritual journaling and prayer by parish members of various ages, Paul introduced this practice to this Augustinian parish last September.

The reflection is based upon the Gospel readings of the Mass of the previous Sunday. (Paul explains this conscious decision thus: “Not many people read the Gospel before Sunday Mass, and in reflecting further on it after Mass they have the additional benefit of the Sunday homily they’ve heard.”)

Upon request, this weekly e-newsletter is transmitted to people each Monday afternoon as an e-mail attachment. During Lent 2007, Paul intends to provide a similar e-newsletter daily, based once more on the Gospel readings of Lenten weekdays.

Paul is willing to add to the e-mailing list anyone who requests it.

To see a recent copy of this e-newsletter that is attached to this web site, click here.

If you wish to have the weekly e-newsletter (and the daily Lenten e-newsletter) automatically e-mailed to you, send your e-mail address to paul.skippen@ozemail.com.au 

The web site of the new Parish of North Harbour is http://www.northharbour.catholicau.com

Centre for Augustinian Spirituality, Greystanes

The Augustinian Spirituality Centre is located at Greystanes, a suburb in western metropolitan Sydney, Australia’s largest city.As well as its retreats and courses on aspects of Augustine, his spirituality and his relevance to contemporary Christian living, the Centre engages in other activities.The Director of the Centre is Fr Peter Jones O.S.A.

In that one of its resident members, Fr Paul Maloney O.S.A. is a member of the executive of the NSW Vocations Network of Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders, the Centre is used by the Vocations Network as a venue for its ‘Emmaus Program.’

This program is for young Catholics who are in the first stages of enquiring about Religious life or priesthood where they come together once a month.

The purpose of the gatherings is to assist the participamnts to 'talk to one another along the way' and meet for prayer, the opportunityto gain information, and then to socialise with others who feel theyare being drawn in the same direction.

These evenings take place at Greystanes on the fourth Sunday of every month. Members of various Order representatives and diocesan directorstake it in turns to attend along with the young people. They speak warmly of the hospitality offered by the Augustinian community at the Spirituality Centre.

Enquiries about the Emmaus Program, or about the retreats and spirtual programs of the Centre generally, can be made by phoning the Augustinians there at (02) 9896.6794.

For full details and dates of the entire 2007 program at the Centre for Augustinian Spirituality go to the bottom of this page and follow the prompts.

Delegation of Korea

There has been a change in the Augustinian relationship between Australia and Korea, and that is in the juridical status of the two bodies. Australia and Korea are now linked.

Under this new arrangement approved by the Augustinian General Curia in Rome, henceforth the Provincial of the Australian Province will automatically be the major superior of the Augustinian Delegation of Korea. (Previously, this role was taken alternately by the Provincials of Australia and of Cebu in the Philippines.)

The longest-serving Augustinians in Korea are three Australian Augustinians, two of whom were among the first arrivals in 1985. The Australians join with two Augustinians from the Province of Cebu (Philippines) in a Delegation with just under twenty Korean-born Augustinians.

The delegation in February 2007 accepted its latest novices, and the place of novitiate is the first priory (religious house) founded by the Order in Korea twenty-one years ago.It is located in the capital city of South Korea in a suburb that recently has been re-named as Seoul Forest.

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

From the Social Justice Desk

This report was prepared by Mr. Paul Wilson, who is employed by the Province for two days a week. Since this report was written, Paul has accompanied Brian Fitzpatrick O.S.A. (Social Justice Coordinator of the Province) on visits to additional Augustinian ministries, i.e., the Sydney parishes of North Harbour and Saint Clair.

Paul and Fr Brian will soon update the social justice section of the Province web site. Go to http://www.augustinians.org.au/social_justice.html

To date, four Augustinian ministries have been visited by the team of Fr Brian Fitzpatrick and Mr Paul Wilson (see photo): Mareeba Parish, Villanova College, St Augustine’s College and St James' Parish at Coorparoo. 

In both parishes, significant finances have already been attributed to social justice activity. A sense of isolation in social justice work has caused one parish group to develop its own networks for justice campaigns, while a group in the other parish sought diocesan assistance.

In the schools, it was well demonstrated that social justice is already a major unit within the Religious Education curriculum. While each school has its own approach to the incorporation of justice in procedural matters, there was no doubting it was already integral to the major procedures of the school.

For Villanova College this meant a form of behavioural consequences which stressed the Gospel dimension of restorative justice, and for St Augustine’s College an administrative system where social justice was to be given greater priority than has occurred in the past.

Both schools were open to social justice education sessions on staff inservice days.

A final area of discussion in each ministry was that of initiating an Augustinian Program for live-in Volunteers in some form in late 2007. There was enthusiasm for such a venture; ministries offered sites for immersion, financial and personnel support and encouragement to any young parishioner who wished to take part.

In conclusion, Fr Brian and Paul express thanks to their hosts in these parishes and schools, and note, “What can be concluded already is that the thirst for justice of the scriptures is in evidence in all our Augustinian ministries.”

Masters Degree Program in Augustine

A summer program leading to a Master of Arts degree in the study of St Augustine has begun at at Quezon City in Metro Manila. The venue is the Saint Augustine Centre of Studies (SACS - see photo below).

The new Masters program was officially launched at the SACS graduation ceremony on 27th March 2006, and the first units of the program were taught from 10th April to 20th May 2006.

There are choices of outcome available within the program.

These give different options such as equipping the student to teach Augustine to others, or else preparing the student for further studies in Augustine at a doctoral level.

For example the option that leads to a Master of Arts in Teaching Augustine studies Augustinian pedagogy, Neo-Platonism, Augustinian metaphysics and Augustine’s theory of knowledge. It then surveys Augustine’s sermons, letters, and major books.

The full program is expected to require three summers of classes by each student, and variously also some comprehensive examinations or the writing of a thesis. Students from overseas or other parts of the Philippine can apply for summer accommodation as SACS, depending on its availability.

The next courses will be offered in April-May 2007. The four projected Institute courses for Summer (April – May) 2007 are:

(1) Special Questions on St. Augustine (Augustine and the Bible) (3 units). Lecturer: Sr. Niceta Vargas, OSA, PhD (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium): April 16 – 20, 2007.

(2) St. Augustine in Modern World (3 units). Lecturer: Fr. John Paul Szura, OSA, PhD (Illinois Institute of Technology / Fordham University, USA): April 24 – 27, 2007.

(3) St. Augustine on Memory (3 units). Lecturer: Macario Ofilada, PhD (University of Salamanca, Spain): Classes on two days per week.

(4) St. Augustine and Mysticism (3units). Lecturer: Fr. Andrew Batayola, OSA, MA, MTh Spirituality (Catholic Institute of Sydney, Australia): May 7 –12, 2007.

Further printed information on the course in general and in particular, plus enrolment details, are available in a brochure that may be obtained by writing to the St Thomas of Villanova Institute of Philosophy, Saint Augustine Center of Studies, Fisheries Street, Visayas Avenue, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines. E-mail the director Fr. Rene Deliarte O.S.A. at stviphilo@yahoo.com

For information about the M.A. program, persons in Australia can also contact the Augustinian Provincial Office at Brookvale, Sydney by telephoning (02) 9905.3049 during office hours or e-mailing osaadmin@bigpond.com.

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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 over 1,240 pages of text, which also contain over 1,555 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.

About 1,950 large images in extensive photo galleries illustrate Augustinian events and places internationally. The photo galleries most recently added illustrate Augustinian ministry in India, London (England) and at the Escorial (Spain).

Between August 2002 and April 2006 Augnet served 63,000 different hosts/URLs, and presumably many of these hosts have visited Augnet more than once.

These hosts downloaded 734,000 pages of Augnet. This was an average of 17,000 pages per month, 580 pages per day and 24 pages per hour throughout that period of forty-four months.

By 29th February 2007 the total number of pages downloaded had reached 1,125,682 pages.

There were 26,212 separate visits to the Augnet website during the calendar month of January 2007, which is an average of almost 840 visitors a day.

For the first time, on 12th October 2006 Augnet received 1,000 visitors within one twenty-four period. On 12th January 2007 there was a new daily record of 1,411 visitors.

Visit this web site at http://www.augnet.org

FOR SOME CURRENT NEWS ABOUT THE ORDER OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA Click here

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