AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for March 2011

Take inventory of charity

Submit yourselves, my dear brother and sisters, to a thorough interrogation, turn to your inner-most closets and cupboards. Take careful stock of how much you have of charity - and increase the stock you find. Pay attention to that sort of treasure, so that you may be rich within. Other things that carry a high price tag are said to be dear, aren't they - and quite rightly.

Look at the way you normally talk: "This is dearer than that." What do you mean by "it's dearer" but that it has a higher price - it's more precious. Now if whatever is more precious is said to be dearer, what can be dearer, my brothers and sisters, than dearness itself, which is what charity means?

What do we suppose its price is? How can we work out its price? The price of corn is your coppers; the price of a farm, your silver; the price of a pearl, your gold; the price of charity, yourself. So you ask yourself how you are going to get possession of a farm, or a jewel, or a mule; you look into your assets. But if you want to acquire charity, look into yourself - and find yourself.

St Augustine: Sermon 34, 7....

Augustinian reception and simple profession ceremonies ....

The regular Sunday 9.30 am Mass at St Kieran's Church in the Sydney suburb of Manly Vale, N.S.W. on 6th February 2011 was an occasion of great joy for the Augustinians of Australia and all of their supporters. At that Eucharist, three novices (see picture below) became simply-professed Augustinians, and changed into the black Augustinian habit. At the same ceremony, two postulants became novices for 2011-2012.

The Provincial, Fr Tony Banks O.S.A., accepted the vows and pledges of these candidates. Among the friars, visiting priests, family and friends present were two postulants, who have prospects of being novices in 2012-2013.

These Augustinian candidates and students reside at St Augustine's Priory, Brookvale, which is within the Augustinian Parish of North Harbour that includes St Kieran's Church.

The Order of St Augustine has been present in Brookvale for about fifty-five years.

Augustinian Centre for Spirituality

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

Some members of its Augustinian community offer spiritual direction, reflection days, courses in prayer and meditation, and individual residential directed retreats.

A current activity is a series of prayer evenings on the Thursdays of Lent from 10th March until 14th April 2011, and a post-Easter evening on Thursday, 5th May.

Each session focuses on the following Sunday's gospel passage, and offers the opportunity to interact with the life of Jesus. Each evening will consist of prayer, music, song, ritual, reflection and silence. Read more about it in the 2011 Program (see next paragraph).

To read the 2011 Program of the Augustinian Centre, 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.

Saturday, 19th February 2011 saw a celebratory Mass and supper at St Thomas of Villanova Church, Mareeba (photo below) to commemorate the ending of sixteen years as Parish Priest by Fr Rob Greenup O.S.A.

Combined choirs led the congregation in the singing at the Mass which was celebrated by Fr Tony Banks O.S.A., Prior Provincial of the Augustinians in Australia and South Korea.

He was assisted by Fr Rob, Fr Michael Belonio O.S.A. (Mareeba's new Parish Priest) and Deacon Ralph Madigan.

A packed church listened as Fr Banks congratulated Fr Rob on his years of stewardship in Mareeba, Dimbulah, Kuranda, Mt Molloy and Julatten. Many innovations, introduced during that time, are now part of parish life.

After the Mass, many people gathered at St. Thomas's School for supper, which was preceded by a presentation from the parish, after a speech by the Parish Pastoral Council chairperson. Fr Rob was overwhelmed by the gifts and the attendance by the Mareeba people.

He will not, however, be leaving the district entirely, as he and Deacon Ralph will be working throughout the Diocese of Cairns in a new role with Aboriginal people.

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

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.

St Augustine’s College always welcomes parents each year in a true Augustinian way, with a Welcoming Party.

This year’s event was held outdoors in the College quadrangle, with a ‘street festival’ theme. Nearly 600 parents came together on a balmy February night to meet the College’s new Head of School, Matthew Hutchison, and enjoyed an evening of live Spanish music, sensational tapas and paella under hanging festoon lights.

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.

A recent issue of the College Newsletter indicated that the promotion of music and music education at Villanova continues apace. At the Hanrahan Theatre on the college campus on 8th April 2011 there will be a benefit concert for the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal, led by guitar tutor, Dr Paul Svoboda, and his Aurora Guitar Ensemble.

Before that, on the evening of 19th March the Term 1 concert by the Villanova Big Band will take place. All profits will go to Rosies Youth Mission. And on 14th May the Villanova Irish Ensemble will for the third year be performing at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre as special guests of the Queensland Pops Orchestra at its annual Celtic Celebration Concert.

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

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 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 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

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: The sanctuary of Holy Spirit Church

Like every parish in Australia, Holy Spirit Parish has provided a Lenten Program for 2011. These Lenten Groups are meeting at a variety of venues, and at different times of the day, including after the morning Mass on Mondays, during the hour before the parish school ends classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and also on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings.

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

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.

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 has 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.

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 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 2011

In February 2008, Augustinian Volunteers Australia was launched with a group of five part-time co-workers. These three women and two men offered their assistance to Church ministries in the poorer suburbs of Western Sydney. This was subsequent to a formation course which included an immersion experience in that same region of Sydney.

The Fourth Volunteer Formation Course (Justice & Peace) of Augustinian Volunteers Australia took place in Brookvale (Sydney) from 31st January to 19th February 2011. The principal lecturers were Fr Paul Maloney O.S.A. on “Augustinian Spirituality for Justice and Peace,” and Mr Paul Wilson M.A. (Theology, New York) on “Social Ethics and Catholic Social Teaching.” The Augustinian Provincial, Fr Tony Banks O.S.A., was a visiting lecturer for one day in each unit.

The course began with eleven participants, and ten completed it. Eight of the ten came from Augustinian parishes: three from St Clair (western Sydney), three from North Harbour (Northern Sydney) and two from Coorparoo (Brisbane). Of the ten, two were male and eight female. A majority of them are university students, two were teachers, one a lawyer and one a counsellor.

The youngest participant is a person commencing at University in March 2011, most of the others were aged in their twenties, and two were over fifty. (See photo of lecturers and participants above. One participant absent).

Nine of the ten course participants have decided to become actual Augustinian Volunteers in 2011, by which they will give the equivalent of a minimum of one day’s time per week to their placement, and will receive ongoing AVA support and supervision as they do so. Augustinian Volunteers Australia provides supervised placements but is not involved in providing accommodation, hence the Volunteers remain in their usual living circumstances in their home city. In this way, they are able to maintain contact with their present Augustinian parish.

Brisbane will be the venue of placement for three of the new 2011 Volunteers, and Sydney for the remaining six. As well, there are expected to be two Sydney AVA members from 2010 continuing their placement in 2011, and two likewise in Brisbane. This means that in 2011 there are thirteen Volunteers with supervised placement.

This is the fourth year of AVA placements, and some of the placements for 2011 are still being finalised. Among the placements that can at this stage be announced are that two AVAs will work with refugees in Brisbane, and two with Sudanese women and children at Mamre Homestead in the Western Sydney suburb of St Marys. Working with the homeless and with indigenous youth in inner Sydney has also been arranged.

Mr Paul Wilson, who is employed full-time as the Justice and Peace Officer of the Australian Augustinians, said, “The Volunteers are encouraged to see their ministry as benefiting others in society as much as themselves, and in some cases it is this latter appreciation which quite amazes volunteers. They enter the program because they want to be there for others, to help in the transformation of our society, but what sustains them is the enormous benefits to one’s own spiritual life in seeing how others, who may have far less than they do, can cope with life. The simplicity of some people’s lives, particularly of those on the streets, can prompt a review of our own values and change the priority we give to elements in our own life.”

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

• St Augustine’s College – Brookvale NSW Australia
  Website: www.saintaug.nsw.edu.au

• St James’ Parish – Coorparoo Qld Australia
  Website: http://www.stjames-coorparoo.org.au/

• Villanova College – Coorparoo Qld Australia
  Website: www.vnc.qld.edu.au

• Parish of North Harbour – Manly Vale & Balgowlah, NSW Australia
  Website: http://www.northharbourcatholic.org.au

• St Joseph’s Parish – South Yarra Vic Australia
  Website: http://www.parishofsouthyarra.org.au

• Holy Spirit Parish – St Clair NSW Australia
  Website: www.holyspiritstclair.com.au

• Augustinians in Korea
• Website: http://www.osakorea.or.kr

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 2011
2 Hewitt Avenue
Greystanes 2145
Enquiries (02) 9896 6794
www.augustinians.org.au/communities/greystanes.html