o
HomeAUGUSTINE, AUGUSTINIAN SPIRITUALITY & TRADITION
-

 

AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for March 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 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 Lenten program for 2009 has begun. It is entitled “Grace to You,” and is a six-week journey of Gospel reflections and prayer for each Sunday in Lent. A program booklet is available.

Each year a number of parishioners from the Camp Hill Anglican Church join this Lenten program. 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. Saint Cecilia's School - now in its 77th year - at the Balgowlah section of the North Harbour Parish now has some new and renovated school facilities.

The construction project, funded by the Broken Bay Diocesan Catholic Schools Office, provides four new classrooms, a new staff and administration area, a new resource centre, toilets, a sports equipment room, and a general storeroom.

A front room in the new administration area will be dedicated to activities for the mission of the parish, and includes a kitchenette and an area for CCD resources for the benefit of the entire Northern Beaches area.

St Cecilia's School is a one-stream K-6 primary school. Its web site is http://www.stceciliabalgowlah.com.au 

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 priest reports, "We have been prompted to renew our acquaintance with local Christian Churches and use the coming season of Lent to join together for some common worship or celebration. The theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Reconciliation) seems to tie in well with our celebration of the Year of Saint Paul and we also hope connect this with our parish visitation through neighbourhood meetings and the program of preparation for the sacrament of reconciliation."

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.

The 2009 academic year saw the College's maintaining its high enrolment numbers. A Mass to ask blessing on the opening academic year was celebrated in the Brimson Centre (photo at left), which is the College's commodious building with indoor courts, library, audiovisual suites, etc.

The entire staff and student body attended the Mass, as well as a number of parents of students.

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. It began at a smaller location in Whinstanes (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) on 25th January 1948, and moved to its present site at Coorparoo in 1954.

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

In the area of extracurricular youth ministry, six active youth organisations operate simultaneously on the school campus. One of them is the Australian Filipino Augustinian Solidarity group (AFAS), which was created at the College in 1992. Much credit for this ongoing initiative goes to two long-serving staff members.

Its next major AFAS activity is the continuation of its biennial exchange program, in which a number of Villanova staff and students from the Senior School travel to the Philippines. As the college newsletter explained, the Australian visitors will meet students whose tuition in the Philippines is sponsored by AFAS, and AFAS-supported projects such as fish farms and bakery co-operatives.

The newsletter reports that the journey “is very different from a standard tour to another country. Firstly we are with Augustinian friends with whom we share a common story. With our friends we learn about a different culture and in particular we learn what it is like to live in poverty – to struggle just to find the next meal. We share our lives, and have a lot of fun doing so. The exchange will take place during the 2009 September school vacation, leaving Australia on 19th September and returning on 3rd October.”

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.

The parish's Lenten Program for 2009 will look at recent and forthcoming changes in the Church. It will examine how the Church worships, and examine 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.

The annual festival of Santo Niño de Cebu is held on the third Sunday in January. A novena with the rosary and other prayers is said in preparation for the festival. On Sunday 18th January 2009, at the 10.00am Mass in St Thomas’s Church Mareeba, parishioners joined with the Filipino members of the community (see photo).

The focus of the feast is on the child Jesus who, together with Mary and Joseph, lived quietly and humbly in preparation for his redemptive mission in the world.

Augustinian parish priest Rob Greenup presided at Mass and the church was full with many travelling from throughout the diocese to share in the special celebration. The music and singing was truly beautiful with some songs being sung in Tagalog, by members of the Mareeba Filipino community, harmonising beautifully.

After Mass the image of Santo Niño was carried in procession around the church and parish school grounds, with most of the congregation taking part and saying the rosary.

This was followed by beautiful Filipino food, refreshments and friendship, held on the basketball courts of the parish school.

The celebration of the feast day began in Mareeba in January 1985. After 24 years the devotion to Santo Niño by the Filipinos in Mareeba and surrounding areas has never waned. In fact, the numbers have increased over these years with the devotion and prayers touching so many lives. It is becoming more popular not only with the Filipino people but also with the other members of the parish who come from many different cultural backgrounds.

In January 2010 we will celebrate the Silver Anniversary of the feast of Santo Niño and the planning has already begun.

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.

January 2009 saw 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 Centre for Spirituality

A small oasis of quiet and hospitality in western suburban Sydney, Australia, the Augustinian Centre 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. Readers of the 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 peter.jones@augustinians.org.au.

During February the Centre hosted preparatory courses for those young adults participating in the Augustinian volunteer programme this year, a course that other young adults also attended.

The two courses were: Issues in Social Justice taught by Paul Wilson, the Augustinian Social Justice Officer; and Augustinian Spirituality for Social Justice taught by Frs Paul Maloney O.S.A. and Peter Jones O.S.A. of the Spirituality Centre. The courses have received accreditation from Broken Bay Institute so that these courses can be taken for credit.

Those who completed the course were presented with a certificate by Fr Tony Banks O.S.A., Augustinian Provincial, on Saturday, 21st February 2009.

In addition to the course, some of these young adults will undertake the community based full-time volunteer programme this year; they were offered some formative orientation for community living based on Augustinian values.

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.

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 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

Amici is the Friends' newsletter in Australia. 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.

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

The late Fr James E. Bolton O.S.A.

After a number of years of serious illness, Fr James Edward Bolton O.S.A. died at Holy Spirit Home, Carseldine (Brisbane) on 21st December 2008 at the age of seventy-nine years.

May he rest in peace.

His biography appears in a previous news page of this web site.

Copies of his memorial card are available free of charge by contacting the Provincial Office, P.O. Box 679 Brookvale NSW 2100, Australia. Phone: 02 9905 3049, or e-mail: osaadmin@bigpond.com


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

 

 

 -
  top  
   
Spirituality & Tradition Current News
The Augustinians Becoming An Augustinian
Communities & Ministries Welcome
Lay Groups Links