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AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - for September 2009

Inwardly, where nobody can see us, we are all hearers.

You are hearers of the word, we its preachers. Inwardly though, where nobody can see us, we are all hearers; inwardly in the heart, in the mind, where he is teaching you, who prompts you to applaud.

I, you see, am speaking outwardly, he is arousing you inwardly. So we are all hearers inwardly, and all of us, both outwardly and inwardly in the sight of God, ought to be doers.

How can we be doers inwardly? Because whoever looks at a woman to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart. He can even be an adulterer where no human eye can see, but God can certainly punish. So who is the doer inwardly? The one who does not look lustfully. Who is the doer outwardly? Break your bread to the hungry. When you do that, your neighbour too can see it; But what spirit you do it in, only God can see.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, not God, not the one who’s preaching. I, after all, or anyone else who preaches the word to you, can’t see your hearts; what you are doing inside, in your thoughts, we can’t see. Man cannot do it, but God is looking, since the human heart cannot be concealed from him. He can see with what eagerness you listen, what you think, what you grasp, how much you profit from what he supplies you with, how urgently you pray, how you beg God for what you don’t have, how you thank him for what you have; he knows all this, because he is going to demand his due.

St Augustine: Sermon 179, 7...



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 this area of the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia, the Augustinians began their pastoral leadership in Manly Vale in 1952 and at Balgowlah in 2004.

On Sunday, 9th August 2009 St Kieran's Church and Parish Centre were venues for the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of priesthood of Fr Tony Banks O.S.A. (Provincial). The Most Rev. David Walker D.D., Bishop of Broken Bay, participated in the events, along with numerous visiting Augustinians, parishioners and friends.

On the following Sunday Jepser Burmudez O.S.A. made his Simple Profession, using the same two venues. In the photo above, Jepser (left) makes his vows in the presence of the Provincial (right).

During the final two weekends of August, the North Harbour Catholic Community offered a series of gatherings around Jesse Manibusan, a U.S. Catholic lay musician and evangelist (see photo at below right).

Under the title of Mission Possible, the parishioners focused on Augustine of Hippo’s command “before all else, be of one heart and one mind on the way to God.” Augustine, although a bishop from age of forty-two years, always thought of himself as a member of ‘the People of God’. He stressed the unity of the people of God and the authentic equality that existed among all the baptized when it came to the common building up of the Body of Christ on the common journey of all to God.

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



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 the parish began almost a century ago.

The feast and procession in honour of Our Lady of the Chain, a festival introduced to Mareeba from southern Italy forty-nine years ago, will this year be celebrated on Sunday, 13th September 2009.

Mass will commence at 2.30 pm, followed by a procession of the statue of Our Lady of the Chain through the town streets, and then a barbeque and fireworks display on the school oval.

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.


Villanova College, Coorparoo

Villanova is a college (an upper primary and secondary school which enrolled approximately 1,160 male day pupils for the 2009 academic year) of the Order of Saint Augustine at Coorparoo in Brisbane, Australia.

The College Newsletter has announced another successful outcome for Villanova at the recent 19th annual Queensland Catholic Schools' Music Festival.

Photo: Hanrahan Theatre, Villanova College.

Villanova inaugurated and still hosts this annual event, which attracts about 250 entries from eighty different Catholic schools. Five hundred work shifts at QCMF were filled by Villanova parents, staff, students and past pupils, and this was greatly appreciated by the QCMF Planning Committee.

The College's web site is: http://www.vnc.qld.edu.au


Augustinians in South Korea

The Augustinians first went to South Korea in 1985, when 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 training of its Korean-born Augustinians as a primary ministry.

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 Centre for Spirituality

A small oasis of quiet and hospitality in western suburban Sydney, Australia, the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality (photo at right) at Greystanes seeks to assist 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 2009 program of prayer days and courses is available on this web site. For the program for 2009, click here.

In early August two Augustinians from the Centre visited the Augustinian parish at South Yarra in Melbourne to give a talk to the local group of Augustinian Friends there, and to facilitate a retreat for the parish council and others involved in the parish's ministry.

Later in August, the same two Augustinians facilitated an Augustinian retreat at the Redemptorist retreat centre at Galong, NSW, not far from Canberra.

Coming up at the Centre in Greystanes on Thursday, 22nd October 2009 is a Prayer Day, Praying the Psalms, from 9.45 am to 2.30 pm.

For more information on the Centre, please phone (02) 9896 6749, or e-mail osaspirit@bigpond.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 weekend of 29th-30th August 2009 saw two major celebrations conducted in the parish. On the Saturday was the ordination to deaconate of Minh-Tan Hoang O.S.A. by Bishop Joseph Oudeman OFM Cap (an Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane). On Friday evening, 28th August 2009, the feast of St Augustine of Hippo, a pre-deaconate and festal celebration was hosted by Villanova Priory at Villanova College.

On the following day special anniversaries were celebrated of two of the members of the Parish Team, Fr Dave Austin O.S.A., P.P. (40th anniversary of priestly ordination) and Sr Margaret Shannon S.G.S. (50th anniversary of Religious Profession).

Both ceremonies were followed by festivities in the Parish Hall afterwards.

See the parish web site for further details: http://www.stjames-coorparoo.org.au/


Augustinian 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.

Photo: Sanctuary of St Joseph's Church, South Yarra.

The parish has launched a new web site, and further additions to it are still being made.

The new parish website is located at: http://www.parishofsouthyarra.org.au


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.

Last year in the lead up to World Youth Day celebrations Jesse Manibusan came to St Augustine’s College, Brookvale for a week of performances and workshops with the students and the local community – and they loved him!  The students introduced him to his first experience of the popular Aussie biscuit, Tim Tams (photo below).

Jesse, a Catholic lay evangelist who uses music, comedy and stories to connect with people, returned to the Parish of North Harbour (Manly Vale and Balgowlah) in August to offer musical/lituirgical workshops and a parish retreat.  Jesse also worked with students at St Augustine’s College, particularly those involved in liturgical music.

"God gives us life. We may have disappointments, we may be really angry or depressed," said the singer. "It's good we can have a moment to say to God, 'Thank you for life."

One of Jesse’s special delights in Australia is the popular Tim Tam biscuits.  “Where have these things been hiding? I love them!” said Manibusan. 

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


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.

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Photo: The foyer of Holy Spirit Parish Church.............

The very modern parish web site is http://www.holyspiritstclair.com.au


Augustinian Formation Association (A.F.A.)

The AFA prays for and raises funds for the formation of current Augustinian candidates and for future Augustinians.

Based in Sydney, Australia, its office bearers for 2009 are Trudi McFadden (president), Eddie Robinson (treasurer), Lesley Sing (assistant treasurer) and Yvonne Clark (secretary).

A goal for AFA in 2009 is to seek ways of expanding its membership, especially seeing that the number of Augustinian students in formation is increasing, meaning that additional support would be very timely.

Forthcoming AFA events include the annual end-of-year celebration at the Warringah Golf Club on Saturday evening, 28th November 2009. To obtain more details, use the contact telephone number (below).

To obtain more details about the Augustinian Formation Association, contact Fr L. Mooney O.S.A. (AFA chaplain) or 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 next Congress will take place in Brisbane in July 2010.

Leaders of the various Friends' branches met at the Augustinian Centre for Spirituality at Greystanes (Sydney) on the weekend of 7th-9th November 2008 (see photo below).

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

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.

(Above): Three of the Volunteers of 2008.

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-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 2009

FOR SOME CURRENT NEWS ABOUT THE ORDER OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA Click here

The Augustinian international web site is: http://www.osanet.org/en/default.htm

AUGUSTINIAN CENTRE FOR SPIRITUALITY PROGRAM 2009
2 Hewitt Avenue
Greystanes 2145
Enquiries (02) 9896 6794
www.augustinians.org.au/communities/greystanes.html

 

 

  
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