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AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for May 2011

St Augustine and child at the sea shore

Desire the inward healing

What did God achieve? He healed the issue of blood, he healed the leper, he healed the paralytic (these are all diseases of the spirit), and the lame and the blind - because everybody limps who isn't walking straight along the road of life, and everyone is blind who doesn't believe God, and the self-indulgent and extravagant suffer from a bloody flux, and everyone false and fickle is marred by leprosy. And we need him to heal us inwardly, yes him, the one who healed people outwardly precisely to get us to desire his inward healing.

St Augustine: Sermon 63A, 2....

Augustinian Youth Pilgrimage 2011

This is a great opportunity for young adults to attend World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid and as well to experience the Augustinian traditions of Spain and Italy at the same time. It is a 33-day pilgrimage departing on 28th July 2011, accompanied by Fr Minh-Tan Hoang O.S.A. of Brookvale, New South Wales.

Click on http://www.wydtours.com/augustinian-youth-pilgrimage.html for a full detailed itinerary, costs, etc..

The website of Augustinian Youth Ministry Australia is http://www.aymaustralia.org.au

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.

To read the 2011 Program of the Augustinian Centre, click here.

"This is your time and this is your place" - an inservice for parish youth ministry and young adult ministry. This weekend program will take place at Greystanes on Saturday and Sunday, 21st-22nd May 2011. For details, click here.

For more information on the Centre, please phone (02) 9896 6794, 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.

The Mareeba Parish is celebrating its centenary year.

To mark this special occasion a dinner dance will be held on Saturday, 11th June 2011 at the Mareeba International Club, Vaughan Street, Mareeba at 6.00 pm.

On Sunday, 12th June, a Centenary Mass will be celebrated at 11.00 am by Most Rev James Foley, Bishop of Cairns, followed by a shared meal and entertainment. A number of Augustinians who previously served in the Mareeba Parish will return for these celebrations.

The parish web site is: http://www.stthomass.com.au


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 celebrated the Easter events with staff and students before the college closed for the scheduled holiday period. Students at St Augustine’s College told the story of Holy Week, starting with the joy and jubilation of Palm Sunday when Jesus was welcomed as a king into Jerusalem, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the Old Testament.

The symbols of bowl, towel and water jug were carried in procession to remind the assembled staff and students that Jesus said, “…I came to serve and not to be served.”

As symbols of the Last Supper, the bread and wine were carried to the stage of the Brimson Centre.

Finally, a large wooden cross was carried by a Year 11 student, portraying Jesus (see picture at right). The carrying of the cross and the crucifixion of Christ allowed the College assembly to reflect on the Passion.

The final reflection was the hymn, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” sung by College Senior Choir.

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 1,200 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.

At the Hanrahan Theatre on the college campus on 8th April 2011 there was a benefit concert for the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal, led by the College's principal guitar tutor, Dr Paul Svoboda, and his Aurora Guitar Ensemble.

And on 14th May 2011 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.

Photo: Villanova Irish Ensemble of 2008.

The twelve-member 2011 Villanova Irish Ensemble gave a similar performance on 5th May 2011 at the RSL Club in Coorparoo, wearing their full kilt regalia. A number of past pupils who had been in the Ensemble joined them on stage for a few of their numbers.

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

With the generous assistance of grants from Community Enterprise Foundation of Windsor & Prahran Bendigo Community Bank $5,000, City of Stonnington $3,000, $2,000 in private donations & support of the parish's Emergency Housing Association, the oldest crisis shelter in parish control has been thoroughly refurbished. (See photo above.)

This crisis shelter has been conducted by the parish for over twenty years, and is rarely unoccupied.

The South Yarra parish website is: http://www.parishofsouthyarra.org.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 next "Open Mic" (Open Microphone) Night will take place in the Parish Centre at Manly Vale at 7.30 pm on Friday evening, 20th May 2011. This is how it works:

* The parish sets up the tables and chairs
* Our family and youth music minister arranges a programme of music and song: 7.30 to 9.30 pm
* The programme promotes performance from proficient and budding musicians
* Those attending bring food and drink and are staggered by the talent that comes forward

A wonderful community/family/youth atmosphere is generated.

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

The parish web site is located at http://www.northharbourcatholic.org.au


Augustinian Parish, St Clair

Holy Spirit Parish at St Clair in western Sydney, Australia, was established in 1981, and has been administered by the Order of Saint Augustine since 1995.

A Song Recital will take place at Holy Spirit Church, Cnr Todd Row & Moore Street, St Clair at 2.00 pm on Sunday, 12th June 2011. The soprano artist will be a parishioner, Sherine Prins, ATCL (Singing) , LTCL (Singing) , LTCL (Piano Teaching ), LRSM (Piano Teaching).

The performance will include a variety of music from classical to religious works, and selections from popular musicals.

Sherine will be joined by a flautist and a pianist. Entry will be by donation, in aid of Holy Spirit Catholic Church

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

The meeting of the Social Justice Forum for the month of May has already taken place. It occurred in the Priory on Tuesday evening, 3rd May 2011.

The Forum discussed a recording of an address in 2010 by Fr Frank Brennan SJ that was entitled, Prayer leads us into action.

You can view the parish web site: http://www.stjames-coorparoo.org.au/


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 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), four in simple vows, and three postulants. There is also one expatriate Augustinian priest 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.

The AFA is hosting a day of spirituality at the Augustinian Spirituality Centre, Greystanes (inner-western Sydney) between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm on Wednesday, 18th May. The charge will be a $15.00 donation to the Centre. For bookings, please phone the North Harbour Parish Centre (business hours) on (02) 9949 4144.

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.

Augustinian Friends at North Harbour Parish (Manly Vale and Balgowlah) had the Australian Augustinian Provincial, Fr Tony Banks O.S.A.speak at a gathering of Augustinian Friends of North Harbour on the Augustinians and Asia today. This took place on Thursday 31st March 2011.

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 were university students, two were teachers, one a lawyer and one a counsellor.

The youngest participant was a person who commenced 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 was 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.

For further information go to http://www.aymaustralia.org.au/ministries/augustinian-volunteers

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

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

 

 

    
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