AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD - July 2005

Deliver us from evil

A poor man says, Deliver me, and you assume he's asking to be delivered from poverty. A rich man says, Deliver me; perhaps he's ill. On the contrary, he's in good health, and he's rich, and he cries out, Deliver me. What from, if not from what the prayer itself says: Deliver us from evil?

However good their circumstances may be, Christians must of necessity cry out continually, Deliver us from evil. If they are crying out, Deliver us from evil, there clearly is something for them to be delivered from; if there is something for them to be delivered from, they are in evil straits; if they are in evil straits, however many good things they may have which they can delight in, they also have something they must tolerate until they can enjoy God. So tolerance is absolutely necessary in this life for the poor, the rich, the healthy, the sick, the captives, for free persons, for exiles and foreigners, for those settled in their own country; tolerance is necessary, because all alike are exiles and foreigners in the world. And until they are delivered from this exile, and are united to that truth, to that unchanging reality for which they have been sighing in their exile, they are beset with trials and temptations, and cry to God with complete sincerity of heart, Deliver us from evil.

YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST - Augustine on the Eucharist

An Honour to the Province

Fr. David Austin O.S.A. and the Bishop Daly Award

The Australian Province of the Augustinians has been presented with a special award by the Diocese of Sandhurst in recognition of Augustinians' service to leadership in Catholic Education in the Diocese for over 119 years.

At a Mass to celebrate Catholic Education Week in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo, on Thursday 26 May, the Diocese launched the new Religious Education Curriculum Source of Life and presented the inaugural leadership awards, named after the late Bishop Noel Daly, Bishop of Sandhurst from 1979 to 2000.

Before a packed cathedral, Diocesan Director of Religious Education and Deputy Director of Catholic Education, Mrs Phil Billington, presented the award to Fathers Dave Austin O.S.A. and Joe Walsh O.S.A., who accepted the award on behalf of the Province. Children from parish schools where Augustinians had served - Kyabram, Tongala, Echuca and Rochester - were present at the Mass, along with children from Catholic schools in the western region of the diocese.

The Bishop Noel Daly Award is given For Outstanding Service to Leadership in Catholic Education in the Sandhurst Diocese. It is a very significant honour for the Province because Bishop Daly was a long time friend of the Augustinians and an Affiliate of the Order.

The citation reads as follows:

'The Bishop Noel Daly Award is presented to the Augustinian Province of Australia in recognition of its outstanding service of Catholic Education for over 119 years in the Diocese of Sandhurst.

'The history of the Augustinians within the Sandhurst Diocese is a long and proud one filled with the dedicated service of many priests across the parishes of Echuca, Rochester and Kyabram. Bishop Martin Crane, an Irish Augustinian was appointed as the first Bishop of the Sandhurst Diocese when it was established in 1874. The Augustinian Novitiate was established in Rochester during the 1950s and 1960s and men travelled from around Australia to do their training, a number of whom returned to serve in the Echuca, Kyabram and Rochester parishes.

'The Augustinian priests have worked tirelessly with local communities and other religious orders to ensure that quality Catholic Education was provided for local families. Their experience in education has enriched the Diocese and the willingness of the priests to be involved in Diocesan Education and Religious Education Committees is appreciated.

'The legacy of the Augustinians has empowered local communities with a strong sense of Catholic identity and a capacity for self direction. The Catholic Education community expresses its gratitude for the dedicated service of so many men over so many years.'

The first two bishops of the Diocese of Sandhurst were Augustinians: Martin Crane O.S.A. (from 1875 to 1901) and Stephen Reville O.S.A. (from 1901 to1916).

Mareeba and Dimbulah News

"To Cologne in One heart and One Mind" 

This is the name of the Pilgrimage the young people leaving soon for World Youth Day in Cologne from Mareeba have chosen. Eleven people from our district will be attending and Augustinian Parish priest, Fr Robert Greenup O.S.A, will be accompanying the group.

Much planning has gone in to this and fundraising activities to help with costs have included carwashes, cake stalls, face painting, chocolate drive and raffles with the last raffle starting in two weeks time. Our final onslaught!!

Wendy van den Brink has co-ordinated this trip and gives us her personal thoughts on the trip: - "The pilgrimage will deepen and strengthen each individual's faith while at the same time the young people will be able to experience and understand a little better, that we all form/are part of the Body of Christ which of course stretches all over this Earth, while learning about other cultures at the same time."

A few of the young people going to Cologne have shared their thoughts and expectations on the trip.

"I hope that in going to WYD that we can learn to become closer to God and that our faith will be boosted. I hope that from meeting people of different cultures we can enrich our faith and our lives." Garrath Conroy.

"I am looking forward to WYD because I would like to reacquaint myself with God and the Catholic Church after not being a practising Catholic for over nine years." Joanna Spigariol.

"I hope to grow closer to the ones I love and to understand things more," Jason Lees.

"I am hoping to get the most out of the experience and learn how to overcome challenging situations and get a fulfilling religious and loving experience from the journey," Giovanna Avolio.

The itinerary starts with a six day visit to Rome with much sightseeing and exploring of this his toric city taking place. Then on 15 August to Cologne spending six nights there and sharing in the World Youth Day celebrations. Following this wonderful experience the group heads to Amsterdam for a couple of days and then four days in Goes also in the Netherlands. To finish the trip the group will spend three nights in Paris before heading home with what we are sure will be some wonderful memories.

Back row - L-R: Garrath Conroy, Father Robert Greenup O.S.A., Kyronn Simmons, Ralph Madigan, Jason Lees

Front row : Michelle Clark, Wendy van den Brink, Giovanna Avolio, Joanna Spigariol. Absent from the pho to are Andrew Lacey and Stephen Akiew

St Augustine's College (Brookvale), Sydney
Lecceto Arts Centre

St Augustine 's "Brimson Centre" opened in August 2003. The college now moves to Stage Two of the programme. Building has started on the new $4m "Lecceto" Creative Arts Centre. The building is scheduled to be opened by His Eminence Cardinal Clancy on 11 th November 2005.

The new building will house many great features including-

• Music and drama - 2 tiered auditorium equipped with the latest recording facilities for drama and musical performances, individual and ensemble music tuition and practice studios, music lab linked to IT technology
• Design and Technology - workshops contain the latest technology machinery and have full dust extraction and filtration systems, plastics and metalwork rooms
• Art - 2 art studios with high ceilings for natural light, display cabinets outside studios, kiln room, computer alcove with 4 multi media computers.

Work in progress (June 2005) of the $4m Lecceto Arts Centre

Delegates to Convention in Korea

The Australian Province of the Order of Saint Augustine is sending two of its members as delegates to the triennial conference of Augustinian Pacific and Asia Conference (APAC), which will take place in Korea on 24 th - 30 th July.

This will be the first time in its 27 year history that the Augustinian Pacific and Asia Conference (APAC) will meet in Korea. The convention will be held at Saint Paul's Retreat Centre near Inchon.

Members of the Augustinian family from India, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea will be attending the convention, along with the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, Fr Robert Prevost O.S.A. and the Assistant Prior General, Fr. Eusebio Berdon O.S.A.

The theme for the ninth APAC convention is, "Leadership as Servanthood in Augustinian Spirituality." The speakers will include Fr Robert Prevost O.S.A. and Fr Lauro Larlar OAR from the Recollect Augustinian Seminary at Metro Manila in the Philippines.

Since APAC was founded in September 1977 its membership has grown to include the Order of Augustinian Recollects, the Order of Discalced Augustinians, and nine orders of Augustinian sisters from the Asia Pacific region.

Through this year's convention it is also hoped to develop interest in the APAC organisation in Korea. To that end several male and female religious orders which follow the rule of Saint Augustine and have communities and ministries in Korea have been invited to send observers to the Inchon convention.

Remembered in Australia

The death occurred in Harbourne, England in March 2005 of Father Michael Benedict Hackett O.S.A. He was a noted member of the Anglo-Scottish Province who is remembered in Australia and Korea for his association with those nations. When the Australian and Anglo-Scottish Provinces began the Augustinian Korean mission in September 1985, Fr Hackett was the Assistant General in Rome who had oversight of this new venture.

In this capacity he visited Australia soon after September 1985, and also Korea. The accompanying photograph of Fr Hackett with twin sisters in the Parish of Manly Vale caused smiles when viewed in Korea. Unknown to the photographer and to the three photographic subjects at the time, the wording in the framed picture was being held upside down.

Long before becoming an Assistant General of the Augustinian Order in Rome twenty years ago, Fr Hackett was a noted scholar of Augustinian history. He was an expert on William Flete O.S.A., who was a medieval English mystic who was a chaplain to St Catherine of Siena. His scholarly work on the martyrs John Stone O.S.A. ( England) and William Tirry O.S.A. ( Ireland) was certainly instrumental in the successful process of having both of them canonised as saints of the Church.

He was made a member of the Royal History Society ( England) in 1976. As well, for much of his life Fr Hackett was a leading member of the Historicum Institutum, the prestigious historical society of the Order to which Augustinians can be appointed. He delivered his final piece of research at a public speech during an international conference at Assisi, Italy in 2001, on his 80 th birthday. May he rest in peace.

Queensland Sale

The former Priory at Camira

Saint Augustine 's Priory, Camira has now been sold by the Order. It was purchased late in 1992 for the community of four Augustinians that lived there for the following ten years as the Order accepted responsibility from January 1993 to December 2004 for ministry in St Francis Xavier Parish, Goodna - a parish of the Archdiocese of Brisbane that lies approximately half way between the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich.

The four Augustinians who lived in the Camira Priory appreciated its quiet location in a suburban street where, like the other houses, it was located on half an acre of land. This particular block at 37 Lacey Street was particularly attractive because of thirty tall radiata pine trees that graced the front half of the property.

Assisting An Augustinian Mission

Returning to Sydney ( Australia) at present is Fr John Andersen, a priest of the Archdiocese of Sydney who for the past twenty years has worked with the Augustinians in the Vicariate of Iquitos, Peru.

Begun 103 years ago by the Augustinians, the vicariate is centred on the city of Iquitos, which has a population of 500,000 and is the main city in the Amazon jungle. The Amazon River begins here, and Iquitos can only be reached by aircraft or by river transport.

Fr Anderson leads two parishes, one of which, dedicated to Saint Rose of Lima, is adjacent to the cathedral parish. The vicariate has about twenty-five priests, half of whom are Augustinians. The other priests are four diocesan priests from Poland, three from England, two from Malta, two diocesan priests born in Iquitos, one from Nicaragua and one from Santo Domingo.

Fr Anderson commented, "We come from many nationalities, but there is a great spirit of unity." He said the fact that the entire vicariate in its pastoral plan twelve years ago adapted the Movement for a Better World evangelisation process had drawn all the clergy more together. "We all have the same pastoral approach," he explained.

A majority of the Augustinians in the vicariate come from northern Spain, and are members of what is called the Philippines Missionary Province. Some of these Augustinians have served in Iquitos for forty and fifty years. Three other Augustinians were born locally, and other local men are in training to become Augustinian priests.

Fr Anderson visiting Brookvale in June 2005, seen with Fr Peter Jones O.S.A. and Br Minh-Tan Hoang O.S.A.

Visiting the Augustinian Formation Centre at Brookvale (Sydney) on 18 th June, Fr Andersen said, "I appreciate the chance to work with these Augustinians. They are men of God, and much loved by the people." The bishop of the Vicariate is an Augustinian, Julian Garcia Centeno O.S.A. The web site (uncompleted) of Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Iquitos is located at http://www.starosaiquitos.org

A Maestro in Wood and Metal

Fr Hayes at Manly Vale

Father Peter Hayes O.S.A. of St James' Priory at Coorparoo (Brisbane) continues to place at the service of the church his considerable talents and inventiveness with the use of wood and metal.

About a year ago Father Peter restored the pews at the Augustinian church of St James at Coorparoo in Brisbane. In recent weeks he spent time in the Augustinian Church of St Kieran at Manly Vale (Sydney), repairing and re-varnishing the church pews that are now thirty-seven years old. In December 2004 and in early 2005 he found time to take apart, re-design and rebuild the pews at St Francis Xavier Church at Goodna (near Brisbane), and to undertake pew restoration in the cathedral-sized St Mary's Church at Ipswich, twelve kilometres from Goodna.

When stationed previously in far north Queensland, he effected repairs at St Mary's Church, Herberton; this is the largest and oldest wooden catholic church in far north Queensland that is still in use. It was built and opened by Fr (later Bishop) James Dominic Murray O.S.A. in the year 1889.

In Innisfail, North Queensland earlier again, Fr Hayes restored the leadlight windows in St Mary's Church. In these projects, his usual method is to recruit and train parishioners as volunteers, teaching them the safe use of the extensive range of necessary machinery that he has accumulated over the years.

A Father Hayes work space is noted not only for the high-pitched sound of belt sanders but also for the more relaxed buzz of happy conversation. His work is much appreciated. It beautifies church buildings and often facilitates repairs that otherwise may have been left undone had he not been willing and able to accomplish the work practically free of charge.

Rest in Peace

• Ben Thorpe, nephew of Fr Laurence Mooney O.S.A.

• Ethel O'Connell, Sydney. Affiliate of the Order.

• James Acres, Brisbane. Affiliate of the Order.

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