<May 2008>

The first rams of the flock, the blessed apostles, saw the Lord Jesus himself hanging on the cross; they grieved at his death, were astounded at his resurrection, loved him in his power, and shed their own blood for what they had seen.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Photo: Augustinian seminary at Dungu, Congo, April 2008.

Just think, brothers and sisters, what it meant for disciples to be sent throughout the wide world, to preach that a dead person had risen again and ascended into heaven; and for preaching this to suffer everything a raving, raging world could inflict: loss of goods, exile, chains, tortures, flames, wild beasts, crosses, painful deaths. All this for heaven knows what?

I mean really, my brothers and sisters, was Peter dying for his own glory, or proclaiming himself? One man was dying that another might be honoured, one being slain that another might be worshiped. Would he have done this, if he hadn’t been on fire with love, and utterly convinced of the truth?

They had seen what they were proclaiming; I mean when would they have been willing to die for something they had not seen? Should they have denied what they had seen? They did not deny it; they preached about a dead person whom they knew to be alive.

Villanova is an Augustinian day school of over 1,100 male students in the upper primary and secondary years of education. It began at a smaller location in Whinstanes (in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) on 25th January 1948, and moved to its present site at Coorparoo (Brisbane) in 1954.

(Photo: Whinstanes House, which was the first Villanova Priory, was demolished soon after the school moved from Whinstanes in 1954.)

Only forty-two students made up the first roll call on 1st February 1948. The roll call of Villanova in 2008 is its highest-ever tally of 1,154 students.

This year 2008 will be a time of celebrations to mark the sixtieth year since the College was established. The College’s humble beginnings were in Whinstanes, a partly-industrial suburb beside the Brisbane River not far from the Brisbane Airport.

A Villanova publication, Villa Voice, is presently featuring the recollections of some of the first past pupils of Villanova, who are now men aged in their seventies.

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

During April 2008, a once in a lifetime opportunity came the way of the parishioners of St Thomas of Villanova, Mareeba, St Anthony’s, Dimbulah and St Christopher’s, Kuranda with the presence of Fr George Lawless O.S.A. to our parishes for a four-day visit. (Photo below: Fr Rob Greenup O.S.A. and Fr George Lawless O.S.A.)

Fr George preached at the weekend Masses and held an afternoon lecture on St Augustine’s life with school staff from St Thomas’s Parish School, St Anthony’s Parish School and St Stephen’s Catholic College, as well as an evening presentation with parishioners.

Fr George has been lecturing for fifty-two years and is currently based in Rome. He is a world expert on St Augustine, which is a topic dear to the hearts of those in Augustinian parishes.

On the Tuesday evening of his visit, Fr George spoke to forty-five parishioners on the specific topic of St Augustine’s relationship with his mother, Monica. All present from both Mareeba and Kuranda found his talk most interesting and enlightening. Supper and more discussion followed.

Whilst in Far North Queensland, Fr George had the opportunity to visit the Great Barrier Reef, about which he was rapturous. Members of Augustinian Friends took him to visit Skybury Coffee, a well-known tourist attraction in the Mareeba district.

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.

Towards the end of March 2008, Frs Paul Maloney O.S.A. and Peter Jones O.S.A. travelled to Brisbane, Queensland for a retreat for six teachers from Villanova College, in the Brisbane suburb Coorparoo (see photo). All participants had been on the initial Augustinian retreat experience at Greystanes in recent years, so this retreat was designed accordingly.

Themes included Augustine’s later years, his use of Scripture, the various conversions of Augustine, an Augustinian spirituality on Christian leadership and further experience of an Augustinian style of meditation.

Fr Paul also facilitated the retreat for the Brookvale community of Augustinians. The retreat focused on prayer and offered the opportunity for individual direction as well as the preached parts of the retreat. It took place at a retreat centre in Bowral, ninety minutes’ drive inland of Sydney.

In early April Fr John McCall O.S.A. of the Greystanes community facilitated the first of the Prayer Days to take place at the Centre in 2008. Titled Praying in response to Jesus’ invitation: “I call you friends,” the day focussed on prayer as an expression of our personal relationship with Jesus.

During April the four Augustinians at the Centre had the pleasure of welcoming Fr George Lawless O.S.A. (at left in photo), a visiting U.S. Augustinian scholar based at the Augustinianum at Rome. While there were no public events for George at the Centre at Greystanes, his knowledge and passion for Augustinian spirituality has been an inspiration for the team here.

Coming up in May is the first of the courses taking place at the Centre for 2008. Included here is information on the course:-Searching along the Way – A Reflection on key themes of Christian Spirituality.

This course is designed to provide an opportunity for participants to bring their own questions and concerns regarding the relationship between Christian faith and life experience. God, Jesus, Church, the meaning of our human lives, creation, relationships, suffering and death, redemption, social concerns, spirituality - in all these we live with the tensions between what we believe and how these beliefs are integrated with our experiences in life.

In this course, in a supportive and affirming context, participants will be able to explore their questions as together we seek greater understanding of the key themes of Christian spirituality.

The course will occur on Wednesday evenings in May, 2008 (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) commencing at 7.45 pm at the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality, 2 Hewitt Avenue, Greystanes. Presenter: Fr Peter Jones O.S.A. Cost: $ 20 per session (concessions available). Supper will be provided. For bookings or more information please contact the Centre, as indicated hereunder.

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 .

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.

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.

There is a new Parish Council Executive: chairperson, assistant chairperson and executive secretary. The next step is the formation of six pastoral council commissions: Community, Culture, Education, Governance, Social Justice and Spirituality.

The practice of using commissions is seen as a way of calling upon the wisdom and practical knowledge of parishioners. The required number of commissioners will be sought by personal invitations being sent out by the Pastoral Council.

Located in metropolitan Sydney,Australia, the Parish of North Harbour (the former parishes at Manly Vale and Balgowlah combined) has recently welcomed two priests.

Fr Michael Belonio O.S.A., a member of the Cebu Province of the Order, is assisting in the parish while residing in St Kieran's Priory and undertaking doctoral studies in the philosophy of St Augustine at the Sydney College of Divinity.

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).

Two married women parishioners in the Parish of North Harbour have released three books (with an accompanying CD in each case) that integrate the learning outcomes of Australian Values Education into song for various levels in primary schools. The books have been released commercially. Read all about it on the Internet at http://www.keystonecreations.com.au

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.

These plans have now developed sufficiently to enable an opening ceremony to be held on Pentecost Sunday, 11th May 2008.

Under the guidance of a professional librarian, the library collection has grown steadily during the past sixteen months. The intention is to provide facilities of interest for all ages, including children.

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.

It is also anticipated that the library (see photo above) will build bridges into the wider community.

The library is being named the Barry Library, in honour of the parish priest, Fr John Barry O.S.A. Details of the opening ceremony of the Barry Library will appear here in next month's Current News.

On Friday, 4th April 2008 Father David Austin O.S.A., Parish Priest, was invited to bless the workers who are constructing the motorway tunnel under the Brisbane River, to bless the work that they are doing and to invoke the protection of St Barbara so that they may return to their families in safety.

Equipped with stole, prayer book, hard hat and safety vest and, of course, a statue of St Barbara, Father Austin (photo above left) prayed for God's protection on the people of the worksite.

St Barbara has traditionally been regarded as the protector of artillery gunners, miners, tunnellers and of anyone who works at risk of sudden and violent death.

The Augustinian who presently has the distinction of having served in Australia the longest time ago is Fr Henry Leahy O.S.A. (pictured), although he has not been in Australia since 1950. Now in his seventy-first year of priesthood, he retired in Dublin on 7th April 2008.

For the past fifty-seven years (ever since returning from Australia in 1950), he has been in the Augustinian community at St John’s Lane in central Dublin, Ireland.

He spent many of these years teaching in the North Strand Vocational School, and as chaplain to the Mercy Convent in Cork Street, Dublin. And not to be forgotten are his many years of service locally to the Legion of Mary.

An Irish Augustinian, Fr Leahy was ordained to the priesthood in Rome at the age of twenty-three years in March 1937, and was immediately assigned to the Vicariate of Cooktown (now the Diocese of Cairns) in far north Queensland, Australia. Arriving there by ship in October 1937, he first served for two years at Innisfail, and then for four years at Mareeba.

Mareeba was then the starting point of the Gulf Mission, which meant that, as the junior priest there, Fr Leahy had the task of making five-week journeys of priestly visitation by truck into the Gulf Country as far west as Normanton and Burketown.

During the Second World War, he was assistant priest at Tully for three years. In 1946 he became the Parish Priest there, and in 1949-1950 was Parish Priest of Mossman, north of Cairns.

As has happened again subsequently during his years of ministry in Dublin, Fr Leahy is remembered in far north Queensland particularly for his unfailing courtesy and kindness, his graciousness and his exemplary dedication to whatever ministry was assigned him.

He is now retired in the Augustinian community at Ballyboden on the southern suburban edge of Dublin. He has taken to recreational walking, having given up riding a bicycle in 2007 when ninety-three years of age!

The golden jubilee of St Canice's Church (photo at right) at Lockington, Victoria, Australia was marked with a Mass and a social gathering on Sunday, 6th April 2008.

Lockington is part of the Rochester Parish, and in 1958 its pastor was Fr Declan Treacey O.S.A.

Fifty years ago Fr Treacey dedicated the church to the glory of God under the patronage of an Irish saint, St Canice, because this was the religious name of Fr Terence McGoldrick O.S.A., a much-loved Augustinian who had died in Rochester in September 1956 after serving thirty-six years there.

The Rochester parish was handed to diocesan clergy about a decade ago, and Fr Peter Austin of the Diocese of Sandhurst is the present parish priest. Eight priests concelebrated the jubilee Mass on 6th April 2008, including five Augustinians who returned there for this special occasion.

News Flash: The Province Social Justice Office is encouraging that assistance be given to cyclone victims in Burma. 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-proving 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.

An application for accreditation of two units of the Augustinian Justice and Peace Course (Volunteer Course) towards the Graduate Certificate in Theology at Broken Bay Institute (BBI), Sydney was submitted Tuesday 6th May 2008. A further two units of BBI material, possibly Theology and Scripture, would be needed before a candidate could complete the Certificate.

One of the units offered in the Volunteer Course would need to correspond roughly to a unit from BBI, possibly their Contextual Theology unit and be accepted as such. The other unit would be a stand-alone unit on Augustinian Spirituality for Justice, provided by the staff of the Augustinian Spirituality Centre at Greystanes. This unit is likely to attract other BBI students.

The units submitted on 8th May were “first draft” only, allowing both parties to make further comment. Staff of the Augustinian Justice & Peace Office will continue preparation to ensure a successful 2009 Volunteer Course.

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

Fr George Lawless O.S.A. (photo below), one of the best-known contemporary scholars and writers on the thought of St Augustine, is presently on a speaking tour in Australia under the sponsorship of the Australian Augustinian Province.

After a distinguished teaching career at Villanova University in Pennsylvania U.S.A., this U.S.-born Augustinian has in recent years concentrated his teaching in Rome, particularly at the Augustinianum, which is the Church's official patristic institute that is conducted there by the Augustinian Order. He has also been a visiting professor at both the Angerlicum and Gregorian Universities in Rome.

As well as addressing fellow academics in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane, he spoke in all Augustinian parishes and schools in eastern Australia.

He arrived in Australia on 7th April 2008. His itinerary included Greystanes and St Clair in western Sydney (8th-13th April), St James’ Parish at Coorparoo, Villanova College and Australian Catholic University in Brisbane (14th-18th April), St Thomas of Villanova Parish at Mareeba in northern Queensland (18th-23rd April), Australian Catholic University in Canberra (24th-25th April), St Joseph’s Parish at South Yarra in Melbourne (26th-27th April), St Augustine’s College at Brookvale and the Parish of North Harbour at Manly Vale/Balgowlah and the Catholic Institute of Sydney (CIS) at Strathfield in Sydney (28th April – 6th May).

Fr Lawless was also a guest speaker at regional meetings that have been scheduled for the Augustinians during this period.

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 Holy Spirit Parish, St Clair, Sydney.)

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 already received, 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, Belgium, England, India, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Italy and South Korea. In the coming weeks this list will grow.

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).

Augustinian Friends is a lay group conducted in Australia for those wishing to learn more about the spirituality of Saint Augustine, 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 position of Co-Leaders of the National Committee is presently being shared by Ruth McGowan and Maureen Atkins of northern Victoria (see photo), 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.

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.

Augustinian Formation Association (AFA)

The AFA prays for and raises funds for the formation of future Augustinians. It is based in Sydney. Among its office bearers for 2008 are Trudi McFadden (president), Eddie Robinson (treasurer), Lesley Sing (assistant treasurer) and Yvonne Clark (secretary). Along with Sue Colwell and Marian Milne, they form the AFA Executive.

Events planned so far for 2008 include the Annual Mass, luncheon and Dutch Auction at Manly Vale (Sydney) on 31st August, and a day trip by bus to the monastery of the Benedictine nuns at Jamberoo, south-west of Sydney, on Sunday, 28th September. The 2008 Christmas Party will occur at the Wakehurst Golf Club on 29th November.

For more information about the Augustinian Formation Association generally, contact Fr Laurence Mooney O.S.A. (AFA chaplain) or the staff of the Provincial Office on (w) 02 9905 3049.

One World Week With Augustine

This is an Irish initiative to bring people together to explore some of the spirituality of St. Augustine, to have fun in the process, and to have a sense of being united with others elsewhere in the world who are enjoying a similar experience.

The idea was developed by Kate Everitt, of the Augustinian youth ministry in Drogheda, Ireland, along with Bernadette Toal and two Irish Augustinians.

Over thirty groups in Ireland, England, USA, Australia, Ecuador, Kenya, Philippines, Netherlands, Spain and Canada are participating. One World Week With Augustine is taking place in at least ten nations that are spread over all inhabited continents of the world.

There are six groups in Australia: Perth, Greystanes (Sydney), Manly Vale (Sydney), Newcastle, Kyabram, and South Yarra (Melbourne).

Participating groups are studying one particular aspect of the spirituality of St Augustine, and then celebrate the fruits of their exploration in a Celebration Day. In this they will be united in spirit with other groups celebrating elsewhere during the designated One World Week With Augustine. It is also possible that groups geographically near to one another may come together for their Celebration.

The theme chosen for exploration is friendship in the spirituality of Augustine. Each group is exploring the theme in a series of four meetings at any time of their choice between early April and the week of 11th-18th May 2008, using materials that will be prepared and provided by the coordinating committee mentioned above.

Each group has been invited to hold a celebration day in the week May 11th-18th, 2008. This week was chosen because May 16th is the feast of St Alypius. Groups that are nearby may decide to come together for this celebration day.

Groups can be of any age, and of any range of ages. For further information go to the home page of the Augnet web site http://www.augnet.org by following the prompts. Background reading, resource materials and progress reports are also uploaded on Augnet.

The possibility of conducting a similar world-wide program in 2009 is already being discussed.

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 1,384 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 2,600 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 84,000 separate (distinct) visitors have used Augnet at least once, in a total of 536,000 visits (i.e., an average of over six visits each). These persons have made a total of 1,037,416 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.

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