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AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for October 2011

The poor person's patrimony

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Look at Job himself, challenged to love God freely, for nothing --- because this was the challenge the devil threw down to him, when all his possessions were destroyed, when he had lost the comfort of his children, and was left only with his wife, to tempt him, not to comfort him; when he was also smitten with terrible sores from head to foot, so that he was deprived even of the poor man’s patrimony.

The poor man’s patrimony, you see, is health, which if the rich man doesn’t have, whatever he does have is gall and wormwood to him.

Perhaps you can find a poor man who doesn’t need the rich man's patrimony; you certainly won't find a rich man who isn't also in need of the poor man's patrimony. It was the poor man’s patrimony, that is to say, health, which Job lost when he was smitten with terrible sores from head to foot. He wasn’t for all that induced to ascribe folly to God, and in his troubles to be displeased with God; he was always pleased with God.

At the promptings of the serpent with whom he was invisibly wrestling, the new Eve suggested he should blaspheme: Say something against God, she said, and die. And he said, You have spoken like the silly woman you are. If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, can we not endure bad things?

St Augustine: Sermon 359A, 6...

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Book launch

Mr Tim Cleary, Principal of St Augustine’s College, Alfred Road, Brookvale (Sydney), warmly invites you and your friends to the launch of the illustrated book, “Grace Chapel – Augustinian Sacred Space” (see photo at below right) at the College’s Mary MacKillop Centre on Friday, 21st October 2011 between 7.30 pm and 9.00 pm. 

Awarded author Judith Clarke will launch the book. Kris Smith, the book's photographer, will be present, as well as the artists who contributed works to this Augustinian chapel in Brookvale. The evening will include supper, wine and musical items. Admission free; ample parking.

Enquiries and RSVP (by 14th October, if possible) Augustinian Province Office: phone (02) 9938 0200 or e-mail osaadmin@bigpond.com

WYD and Youth Animators Congress 2011

Twenty-three Australian young adults, accompanied by two Augustinian priests, made a pilgrimage in August to Augustinian centres in Italy and Spain, and then participated in World Youth Day in Madrid.

Afterwards, fourteen of these young adults (photo at left) remained for the Augustinian International Youth Animators Congress, which was held at the University Maria Cristina adjacent to the El Escorial palace monastery on the outskirts of Madrid. The congress attracted seventy young adult participants from three continents.

Further details about the experience of the Australian group while in Europe can be read at:

http://www.aymaustralia.org.au/2011/09/planted-built-up-firm-empowered/

As well, a video clip can be viewed on the Augustinian international web site, http://www.augustinians.net

 

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.

The trailer for Chain of Events, the 2011 Senior Drama Production, was launched at the Senior School Assembly on Friday, 2nd September 2011. The complete performance then took place at the Hanrahan Theatre on the College campus on the evening of 9th September.

Villanova again collaborated with the cinematic theatre company Markwell Presents, and the performance featured filmed sequences and special effects.

In the following week, on 14th September the Year Eleven drama students presented their work from this term. Villanova was selected as one of four schools to trial a new Senior Drama Unit called Outside the Square. Throughout the term the Year Eleven drama students have been learning about various forms and styles of drama, and their performances demonstrated the themes and context of 'transformation' in a contemporary eclectic theatre piece.

Auditions have already been conducted for the presentation in 2012 of the Broadway musical Grease by students from Villanova College and Loreto College. This practice of presenting a Villanova-Loreto musical approximately every two years has now been in place for a number of decades.

The Augustine Centre at Villanova College, completed in 2005, houses the teaching and staff areas for the Music and Drama departments, in addition to providing Villanova with a first-class professional 500-seat theatre for College events.  

Within the Augustine Centre, the Hanrahan Theatre (photo above, at right) is a multi-faceted venue which can be divided into lecture spaces, small and large performance venues, in addition to supporting a variety of teaching environments. It was named in memory of Fr John Louis Hanrahan O.S.A., M.A., (photo above, at left) who was the College’s second Rector/Principal in 1958-1963, and a co-founder of the Villanova Players.


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


St Augustine's College, Sydney

St Augustine's College is an Augustinian day school for approximately 1,100 male pupils in the upper primary and secondary years of education. Founded in 1956, it is located at Brookvale (Sydney), Australia.

The Graduating Class of 2011 recently participated in a farewell morning breakfast, Mass of Thanksgiving and a Graduation Dinner. Various awards and trophies were presented to members of the class. These students will commence their HSC (Higher School Certificate) public examinations on 17th October.

On 5th September a Ceremony of Light witnessed the transfer of student leadership from the 2011 Captain and Vice Captain to their 2012 counterparts, and on 10th October the Prefects for 2012 will be commissioned and will receive their badges.

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

As of 1st September 2011 there were nine students in initial formation within the Augustinian Delegation of Korea. Two are clerical students in solemn vows (see photo at left), two are clerical students in simple vows, and four are postulants (one of whom is in his second year of Navy training). All the students are attending the local Incheon Catholic University.

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

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 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 celebrated its centenary on the weekend of 11th-12th June 2011.

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

MAREEBA CENTENARY BOOK

The first one hundred years of the parish of St Thomas of Villanova, Mareeba, has been penned into book form by parishioner, Jeanette Hartley. The title of the book, “Where the Pelican Builds,” pays tribute to the Irish Augustinians who travelled so far from their homeland in Ireland to carve out what would become a diocese in Far North Queensland, with Mareeba being part of that diocese.

The book's title links with Saint Thomas of Villanova himself, who featured a pelican on his episcopal coat of arms.

The book has 211 pages, and is filled with anecdotes of the parish of Mareeba, profiles of all the priests who have ministered there in one hundred years, details of the three churches, the work of the Sisters of Mercy, the many (and changing) committees and societies throughout the years and the celebrations, both religious and secular.

It was written as a three-way tribute to the Augustinians, the Sisters of Mercy and the parishioners.

Interspersed with many photos and naming well-known and hardworking families of the one hundred years, the book is proving to be popular with its readers.

To obtain a copy
..........Available at St Thomas’s Priory, P.O. Box 308, Mareeba, Qld 4880.
..........For mail orders, please calculate the cost of the book ($25.00) plus postage:
..........Posting Australia wide: $3.50. Posting overseas by airmail: $25.00
..........Cheques should be made out to St Thomas’s Catholic Church.

Augustinian Centre for Spirituality, Sydney

A small oasis of quiet and hospitality in western suburban Sydney, Australia, the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality at 2 Hewitt Avenue, Greystanes NSW 2145 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.

Two members of the Augustinian community at the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality, Fr Paul Maloney and Br Paul Skippen, are offering Christ in Me Arise from 7.30 pm on Friday evening, 28th October until 4.00 pm on Sunday, 30th October 2011.

It will be a weekend of music and song designed for Catholic musicians, singers, school liturgy teams and music groups preparing liturgy for youth and for young families.

It will explore the elements of preparing liturgy, and offers resources and networking for persons in the roles and categories mentioned above.

To see the poster (above) in a larger size, click here. It gives details of the venue, costs and the booking procedures necessary. Already enquiries and bookings have been received from as far afield as Brisbane and Adelaide.

More generally, to read the full program of the Augustinian Centre for 2011, click here.

For bookings for Christ in Me Arise, or for general information about the Centre, please phone (02) 9896 6794, or e-mail osaspirit@bigpond.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.

The Augustinian Parish of South Yarra is conducting two-session courses in Adult Faith Education during September and early October 2011. The first two courses took place on the Mondays of September, and were entitled Science, Faith and the Universe, and Changed Catholicism.

The two sessions of third course will occur on successive Mondays, 3rd and 10th October from 10.00 am to 11.30 am, and then be repeated on those same dates between 7.00 pm and 8.30 pm. The topic of this third course is The Search for God.

The courses are open to people of all faiths. The cost is $10 per course (concessions available).

The venue is the Barry Library in the Parish Centre. Further details are available by contacting the Parish at (03) 9826 9677 during working hours or by e-mailing stjosephsparish@internode.on.net

The South Yarra parish website is: http://www.parishofsouthyarra.org.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 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.

Bishop David Walker (see photo) and two visiting bishops conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation upon 150 parish children on Sunday, 18th September 2011.

The ceremony took place in the Brimson Centre of St Augustine's College, Brookvale.

Over 120 members of the Catholic Community of North Harbour contributed to the recording and production of a North Harbour Parish CD entitled One Heart One Mind.

The music was recorded in many different locations including the churches of St. Cecilia and St. Kieran, the Parish Centre, the ‘Ignite Retreat” 2011 and in the homes of some of the parishioners.

Copies of the CD are available at the Parish Centre for $20, and proceeds will go to further supporting of the parish music ministry.

The parish website, now extensively renovated, has received many plaudits. A new feature is the addition of video clips. It contains 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, 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 parish is offering preparation for children making their First Reconciliation in a few weeks' time at St James's Church (see photo at right ).

The teaching sessions will take place on four Sunday mornings, from 17th October to 7th November inclusive.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation for these candidates will then take place on Thursday, 10th November 2011.

The parish web site is: http://www.stjames-coorparoo.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.

The Parish celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year. The occasion will be highlighted in Masses in the final week of October.

After the 9.30 am Mass on Sunday, 30th October 2011, light refreshments will be provided to conclude the celebrations.

Each year the parish offers the program called RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), which is a rite of passage leading to full membership in the Catholic Church.

Those who undertake the RCIA program will take a path that leads to full reception into the Church at Easter 2012. Contact the parish office for more details; phone (02) 9670 8222.

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


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 at Brookvale 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, and the 2011 national committee meeting will occur on 15th-16th October 2011.

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


Horn of Africa Famine Appeal: We encourage you to donate online to Caritas Australia. Go to www.caritas.org.au 

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.

.............................................Report of July 2011.

Augustinian Volunteers Australia provides supervised placements for those who complete the three week course in Justice & Peace at the Augustinian Administration Centre, Brookvale, each February. In 2011, ten completed this Formation Course (see photo below) and were inducted as Augustinian Volunteers by early March. Since then three new Volunteers have been operating in Brisbane and six in Sydney and one has been studying. Adding to the two in Queensland continuing from last year, this has meant a total of eleven Volunteers currently in service out of a possible thirteen at the end of the Course.

Augustinian Volunteers work in edge ministries in close proximity to Augustinian Parishes. In Sydney this has meant service occurs at Redfern in the city, supported from the Augustinians at Brookvale; and at Western Sydney supported from the Augustinians at St Clair Parish and at the Augustinian Spirituality Centre at Greystanes. In Brisbane, Volunteer sites are spread across the city with the Augustinians at Coorparoo being the focus of Volunteer community and support.

Redfern is a particularly challenging site for Volunteer service since it occurs this year at De Porres House, run by the Cana Community. De Porres House accommodates people from the streets as well as those recently rehabilitated from prison. Our volunteers, Catherine and Dom along with Sarah their mentor, have joined with those of Cana in providing meals, Eucharist and conversation on two days per week. Augustinian Novices work a third evening in the same residence to provide cleaning assistance and a meal.

In Western Sydney, Sarah volunteers at Mamre Homestead, a venue providing employment opportunities and services for refugees. Sarah’s work is with Sudanese children in the Mamre crèche. In another operation in the West, two of our Volunteers, Patrice and Theresa, have been volunteering in the Tongan Homework Centre in Mt Druitt, providing assistance to young people struggling to complete homework in a language that may be their second or third major language, or at least at odds with the language spoken at home.

Brisbane Volunteers have taken longer than their Sydney counterparts to be suitably located and to commence service. The Brisbane floods earlier this year have had a continuing effect on the work of welfare organizations and support services in Brisbane, largely because of the disruption to the extensive tracking systems required by the State Government.

Liz is working well at her venue with Micah services in South Brisbane and is also a significant member of the Coorparoo Parish Justice and Peace Committee. Arya and Anjali are both at present completing first Semester science exams, but will return to volunteering in early July, one with St Vincent de Paul refugee services operating also from South Brisbane and the other in Reconnect community development services based in Nundah.

This vibrant group of Volunteers has already met twice in six weekly Community Gatherings. It has been keen to consolidate the work of the Augustinian Volunteers in Australia. With so many Volunteers commencing across the two Eastern cities, and with new Augustinian ministries promised connection to the Volunteer movement next year in Melbourne and Mareeba (Far North Queensland), there is hope for significant growth in the Augustinian Volunteer movement through 2011 and 2012.

Mr Paul Wilson, who is employed full-time as the Justice and Peace Officer of the Australian Augustinians, said, “Augustinian Volunteers situate themselves at the most needy places in our society. They come to this program looking to help others, but soon learn that their own transformation is tied up in the change they are seeking for our world. Much reflection is needed by the Volunteers to understand all that happens during their service. Hence the emphasis on the spiritual as much as on the social dimension of Volunteering. The social and spiritual form one process.”

A young man named Tada, who has volunteered with Augustinian Volunteers over the past three years, is about to return to his home in Thailand. A final text message from him is indicative of what the Volunteers have meant to him, “Sorry I couldn’t be at your Volunteer gathering. I will go back to Thailand next month on the 24th.  Hope to see you before I leave here. Thank you for the many opportunities provided for me by the Volunteers.”

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 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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