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AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for March 2010

Keep on walking

You ask, ‘What does walking mean?’ I’ll tell you very briefly: it means forging ahead, in case you should possibly not understand, and start walking sluggishly. Forge ahead, my brothers and sisters; always examine yourselves without self-deception, without flattery, without buttering yourselves up.

After all, there’s nobody inside you before whom you need feel ashamed, or whom you need to impress. There is someone there, but one who is pleased with humility; let him test you. And you, too, test yourself. Always be dissatisfied with what you are, if you want to arrive at what you are not yet. Because wherever you are satisfied with yourself, there you have stuck.

If, though, you say, ‘That’s enough, that’s the lot,’ then you’ve perished. Always add some more, always keep on walking, always forge ahead. Don’t stop on the road, don’t turn round and go back, don’t wander off the road. You stop, if you don’t forge ahead; you go back, if you turn back to what you have already left behind; you wander off the road, if you apostatize. The lame man on the road goes better than the sprinter off the road.

St Augustine: Sermon 169, 18....

Augustinians in South 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.

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

With the 2009-2010 novitiate of the Delegation completed only a month previously, a novice (pictured with his novice master) for 2010-2011 was received on 17th February 2010. He first came to the Augustinians in 2006.

He will spend the year at St Nicholas’ Priory and Student House in the semi-rural environment of Kanghwa, near Incheon, as well as spend time as necessary at the Augustinian Priory in Seoul whenever attending courses in that city.

The Augustinian Delegation has nine Koreans in solemn vows (five priests and four lay brothers), four 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.

In September 2010 the Delegation looks forward to its twenty-fifth anniversary.

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

For news on this web site about the Augustinians in Korea and in other areas of the Asia-Pacific, click here.


St Joseph's Parish, South Yarra

South of the River, a popular and well-known community choir in southern inner Melbourne, gave a concert in the St Joseph’s Parish, South Yarra on the evening of 17th February 2010 as a fundraising gift to St Joseph’s Emergency Housing.

An audience of over 150 persons was given a program of a capella singing of folk music and contemporary ballads. There were twenty singers, two of whom were South Yarra parishioners.

Fr Brian Buckley O.S.A., P.P. reported that the reaction of the audience was very favourable and that, as well, the evening was a very successful social occasion. The event raised $4,500 for St Joseph’s Emergency Housing.

The provision of additional emergency housing is a significant moment in the parish’s continuing commitment to housing for families and individuals in need.

The Parish has operated one crisis shelter, housed in the former stables of the Priory (priests' house) for the past twenty years. The new crisis shelters will accommodate families in crisis free of charge for a period of up to five weeks. More than a hundred volunteers currently support the community outreach programs of the parish; a recent drive in neighbouring parishes has recruited even more volunteers to help service the new accommodation.

The South Yarra parish website is located at: 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.

A weekly program of Bible studies and prayer for young adults began in St James’s Priory on Friday evening, 12th February.

It is being conducted by Deacon Tan O.S.A.

The program dwells on a different book of the Bible each Friday evening, and allows some time for questions and for a discussion of the implications of the Scriptures for the participants. As the program sessions are each basically self-contained, it is not necessary that a participant be free to attend every meeting. Additional members are welcome.

For further information, contact the parish office at (07) 3397 1671 during office hours, or see the parish web site: http://www.stjames-coorparoo.org.au/

Augustinian Parish, Coorparoo

The official opening and blessing of the new Centacare Disability Services Unit in the original St James’ Convent was held on Monday, 15th February 2010. On the previous day at the 9.00am Mass, Fr Dave Austin O.S.A. (Moderator) blessed a plaque commemorating the ninety years of service (1916-2006) of the Good Samaritan Sisters in St James’ Parish. The former convent was renamed Good Samaritan House.

The parish’s Pastoral Associate Sr Margaret Shannon sgs carried the plaque in the Entrance Procession and, after the blessing, presented it to Sue LoPresti, Manager, Centacare Disability Services, who carried it from the church. The plaque now occupies pride of place in the building’s reception area.

Several Good Samaritan Sisters attended the Mass and joined parishioners on an inspection tour of the renovated premises. Centacare has invested considerable funds in bring the building up to the required standard, and the results are most impressive.

The opening ceremony was attended by a small group of invited guests, including Archdiocesan, Centacare, Parish and School representatives. Uncle Des Sandy, Traditional Elder of the Yuggera People, opened the proceedings, and Fr Austin led the Blessing Ceremony. Sr Margaret then shared a reflection on the history of Good Samaritan House and of the Sisters’ former presence there.

Mr Peter Selwood, Executive Director of Centacare, officially opened the new centre and expressed his gratitude to the Parish for welcoming Centacare so warmly. The important work of Centacare Disability Services continues quietly and efficiently, and the Parish is very fortunate to enjoy this partnership in service of the Church.


 Villanova College, Coorparoo

Villanova is a college of the Order of Saint Augustine at Coorparoo in Brisbane, Australia.

The Villanova College Newsletter reported that Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard came to Villanova College at Coorparoo on Thursday, 18th February 2010. She visited the Lecceto classroom block where upper secondary students were working on a variety of ICT-related school projects, under the guidance of the College’s senior school co-ordinator for technical studies. Ms Gillard mingled with the students and spoke with several about their work and projects.

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

Augustinian Parish of 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.

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

As happens throughout much of Australia, North Harbour parishioners volunteer to teach religion to Catholic pupils in the government primary schools in the parish. During the school terms the catechists spend one half hour per week in the classroom at these schools, sharing their Faith with Catholic children from a particular grade in a government school.

Some of the catechists have been doing this for many years. In 2010 one parishioner celebrates her thirty-fifth year as a catechist in this program; at the same time, in 2010 there are three young parishioners who are doing this for the first time.

From time to time, as they did in February 2010, the catechists gather for prayer and community. They support each other during these gatherings and rejoice in the rewards they receive by engagement with adults, school staff and children in the catechetical experience. They also share knowledge of the many supports there are for them through training and formation.

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


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 2010 academic year opened with the usual myriad activities, including a social evening for parents in mid-February, and activities in each class group on Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of Lent (see photo at left).

The latter events involved members of the College's chaplaincy team.

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

The 2010 program of prayer days and courses is available on this web site: click here.

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

On Sunday 17th January 2010 at the 10.00am Mass parishioners of St Thomas of Villanova in Mareeba joined with the Filipino members of the community in celebrating the Feast of Santo Nino. This was the 25th Anniversary of the celebration being held in Mareeba and it was indeed a wonderful day. As a prelude to the festival a novena with the Rosary and other prayers was held in the church for the nine days prior to the Feast Day.

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.

In spite of the tropical heat and humidity, the Church was packed for this special day, with many Filipino people coming from throughout the diocese. Visiting Augustinian priest Fr Jun Belocura O.S.A. (pictured), from Cebu in the Philippines, and presently based in Sydney, presided at Mass with Augustinian parish priest Fr Rob Greenup and Deacon Ralph Madigan assisting. The singing was led by Filipino parishioners who sang with such feeling, some hymns being sung in the Filipino language of Tagalog.

Following Mass the statue of Senor Santo Niño de Cebu was carried in procession around the church and school grounds with the rosary being recited. The framed photo of Santo Niño used on the first celebration of Santo Niño in Mareeba was carried at the front of the procession.

Under the shade of the school basketball courts the celebration continued. The Ogag’s Band from Cairns entertained with Filipino music and singing, Fr Jun sang a couple of numbers and Filipino dancers from Cairns and Mareeba provided a colourful presentation.

A large crowd shared in the delicious foods provided and as a mark of remembrance of the 25th Anniversary, twenty five silver balloons were released and a special cake was cut and enjoyed.


Youth Leaders

Youth leaders involved in Augustinian parishes and colleges in Brisbane and metropolitan Sydney met at Mulgoa, south of Sydney, on 30th-31st January 2010 for an Augustinian Conference for Youth Leaders. Thirty-five attended from three Augustinian parishes and two colleges (including some staff members); also involved were a number of Augustinians involved with youth in these ministries.

Entitled Empower, the conference centred on the Augustinian themes of friendship, community, restlessness and servant leadership.

The Australian Augustinian Province conducts a national six-day Augustinian youth festival every two or three years, and takes a group of participants to each triennial six-day Augustinian international youth encounter.

The previous encounter was held in Sydney after World Youth Day in July 2008. The next six-day Augustinian international youth encounter (see logo above) will occur in London in September 2010.


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 AFA calendar of events for 2010 has been prepared.

To obtain more details about the Augustinian Formation Association, contact 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 4th National Congress for Augustinian Laity will take place from Thursday, 1st July to Sunday, 4th July 2010, at Villanova College in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo. For information, contact any of the Augustinian parishes listed hereunder, or the Provincial Office at (02) 9905 3049 during business hours.

The 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 meeting also approved a parish programme for the Easter period developed by the Augustinian Spirituality Team. Local Augustinian groups will offer to run the programme in Augustinian parishes. It is particularly suitable for those who have just completed the RCIA programme

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 2010

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). 

Since 2009, the Volunteer Formation Course has undergone major developments at the academic level. The Course comprises the two units: (1) An Augustinian Spirituality for Justice, and (2) Social Ethics for the Augustinian Volunteer. Formerly the accreditation of these units was held with Sydney College of Divinity through the Broken Bay Institute (BBI) of the Diocese of Broken Bay. The latter has recently attained credit for its courses with the University of Newcastle, the primary regional University in Australia.

The Augustinian Justice and Peace Office, Brookvale, can be contacted by telephoning (02) 9905 3022 or mobile phone: 0438 646 294, or by e-mail: paul.wilson@augustinians.org.au

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.)

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 2010

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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