AUGUSTINIAN BULLETIN BOARD – December 2005

Christmas Greetings

On behalf of the Australian Augustinian Province, Fr Pat Fahey O.S.A. (Provincial) wishes to express Christmas greetings, and to assure all benefactors of the Province that they will be remembered in the Masses and prayers of the Augustinians throughout the holy season.

Saint Augustine on the Incarnation and the Christmas Event

Augustine, Mary and infant Jesus ( Bologna, Italy, C1500)

He by whom all things were made was made one of all things. The Son of God by the Father without a mother became the Son of man by a mother without a father. The Word Who is God before all time became flesh at the appointed time. The maker of the sun was made under the sun. He Who fills the world lays in a manger, great in the form of God but tiny in the form of a servant; this was in such a way that neither was His greatness diminished by His tininess, nor was His tininess overcome by His greatness. [ St. Augustine, Sermon 187 1,1]

God became a human being, so that in one person you could have both something to see and something to believe. [ St. Augustine, Sermon 126, 5]

He lies in a manger, but contains the world. He feeds at the breast, but also feeds the angels. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes, but vests us with immortality. He found no place in the inn, but makes for Himself a temple in the hearts of believers. In order that weakness might become strong, strength became weak. [ St. Augustine, Sermon 190 3,4]

He so loved us that for our sake He was made man in time, through Whom all times were made; was in the world less in years than His servants, though older than the world itself in His eternity; was made man, Who made man; was created of a mother, whom He created; was carried by hands which He formed; nursed at the breasts which He had filled; cried in the manger in wordless infancy, He the Word without Whom all human eloquence is mute. [ St. Augustine, Sermon 188 2,2]

He who was God was made man by taking on what He was not, not by losing what He was... Let Christ, therefore, lift you up by that which is human in Him; let Him lead you by that which is God-man; let Him guide you through to that which is God. [ St. Augustine, On 1 John 23,6]

Truth, eternally existing in the bosom of the Father, has sprung from the earth so that He might exist also in the bosom of a mother. Truth, holding the world in place, has sprung from the earth so that He might be carried in the hands of a woman. [ St. Augustine, Sermon 185, 3]

Welcome to our Prior General

Prior General

The Augustinian's elected international leader, Prior General Bob Prevost O.S.A., will come to Australia on official visitation this month.

Father Robert Francis Prevost was born on 14th September 1955 in Chicago, Illinios, U.S.A.. He made his first profession as an Augustinian there on 2nd September 1978. He was ordained a priest in Rome on 19th June 1982.

In 1985 he finished a doctorate in Canon Law at the Angelicum in Rome. In 1985-86 he used his training in church law in his appointment as Chancellor of the Augustinian Vicariate of Chulucanas in Peru, South America. In 1987 he was recalled to Chicago.

In 1988 he went back to Trujillo, Peru to begin the first common formation house for Augustinian seminarians from three of the Augustinian vicariates in South America.

There he occupied various roles there over the following ten years, and from 1991 to 1998 he was also the Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese of Trujillo. He was elected Provincial of the Chicago Province in 1998, and then on his forty sixth anniversary of birth on 14th September 2001 was elected as Prior General, the world leader of the Augustinians. www.jhu.edu/~amc/VN

He first visited Australia in August 2002. His itinerary in December 2006 is:

Mareeba: 6th-7th December
Coorparoo: 8th-10th December
Victoria ( Melbourne, Bendigo, Kyabram): 11th-14th December
Sydney (Manly Vale, Brookvale, St Clair, Greystanes): 15th-19th December.

Ordination in Papua

Two for priesthood

Father Peter Hayes O.S.A. of St James' Priory in Coorparoo (Brisbane) has been nominated by the Provincial Council to represent the Australian Augustinian Province at a double ordination ceremony on 18 th December 2005 at Prafi, which is a transmigration village forty kilometres outside of Manokwari, Papua, Indonesia. At one and the same ceremony, John Jehuru O.S.A.and Floridus Anjelus Naja O.S.A. will become priests .

Even though an Augustinian living in Mareeba, North Queensland, is nearer to other Augustinians in Manokwari, Papua than he is to those in Sydney, Australia, travel to Papua is made difficult because of the circuituous airline flight routes involved.

The Augustinian Delegation of Papua has operated since 1953. It presently contains five Dutch-born Augustinians and thirty-three Indonesian-born Augustinians. Sixteen of the locally-born are studying theology at Jayapura, Indonesia, and another four at St Monica's International Augustinian College in Rome .

The Augustinian Delegation of Papua has a forty-image photo gallery on the Internet. The photographs depict Augustinian life and ministry in Papua, from the largest cities to remote jungle villages. The photographs have captions in both the English and Indonesian language.

Go to www.augnet.org/Papua/Page1/index.html

St Augustine's College, Brookvale

Provincial reading the Gospel

The Lecceto Arts Centre, the latest major building project at St Augustine's College, Brookvale (Sydney), was officially blessed and opened on 11th November 2005. The presider at the Mass was Cardinal Edward Clancy, the retired Archbishop of Sydney, and Father Pat Fahey O.S.A. (Provincial) preached. There were nine Augustinian concelebrants, and Minh Tan Hoang O.S.A., Augustinian professed, was an acolyte.

The ceremony of blessing was led by Cardinal Clancy, who two years ago performed a similar service when the College's $4 millon Brimson Centre was opened immediately adjacent to the new Lecceto Centre. The ceremony was witnessed by the College staff and students (over 850 young men), parents, civic leaders and two local members of the Parliament of New South Wales.

The Lecceto Centre is a three-storied building consisting of naturally-lit art rooms, a theatre/auditorium, design and technology rooms, drama and music rehearsal areas, and music tuition rooms. Although it contains no classrooms, its presence will now allow additional classroom space to be created in other buildings on the campus.

Built at a cost of $4.75 million, it is named after Lecceto, the ancient Augustinian monastery in Tuscany. On the Internet, images of Lecceto, Italy are located at www.augnet.org/Lecceto/Page1/index.html

"Happy Birthday to us."

That's what the advertisement says on the back exterior of fifty government buses in the Manly-Warringah district of Sydney. Saint Augustine's College is using billboard advertising on the buses to announce its fiftieth anniversary in 2006. The poster features a student in uniform who is holding a birthday cake decked with candles. The poster concludes by referring to the college website www.saintaug.nsw.edu.au

A highlight of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations will be a Mass at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney at 10.30am on Tuesday, 7 th February 2006 – the date of the first classes of the College fifty years ago. The presider at the Mass will be past pupil, Bishop Chris Saunders (Diocese of Broome, Western Australia).

Holy Spirit Parish

Two historical committee members

Plans are already being made to celebrate late in October 2006 the anniversary of Holy Spirit Parish, which is located in Saint Clair in western Sydney (Diocese of Parramatta). A permanent momento of the celebrations will take the form of an updated parish history to follow on from the one produced during the tenth anniversary celebrations in 1991. With this task in mind, a historical committee has been formed.

Augustinians began ministry in the parish in 1995. The present parish moderator is Fr Brian Fitzpatrick O.S.A. The parish web site is www.holyspiritstclair.com.au/

The parish has a "twinning" relationship with the Augustinian Parish of Saint Joseph ( San Jose) in Iloilo City, Philippines.

AFA

Two AFA committee members.

The Augustinian Formation Association (AFA) raises funds to support the training of Augustinian brothers and priests in the Australian Province. Other purposes of the group are to support the Augustinians in prayer, and to strengthen the bonds of friendship among supporters of the Order.

It was originally called the Augustinian Student Guild, and was established by a parent group at St Augustine's College, Brookvale, Sydney, Australia around 1970. The association now has members throughout the Province. Its executive is currently based in Sydney, with Trudi McFadden as president and Fr Peter Jones O.S.A. as its chaplain.

The most recent AFA event was its Christmas dinner dance on 25 th November at the Master Builders' Club, Dee Why ( Sydney). For more details about the Augustinian Formation Association, contact Fr Peter Jones O.S.A. at the Provincial office, ph. (02) 9905.3049.

Villanova College

Scenic Villanova.

Villanova College in Coorparoo (Brisbane) keeps in regular contact with past pupils by means of an eight-page printed newsletter called Villa Voice. The November issue of Villa Voice listed a number of different interstate and overseas venturings by student groups during the past few months.

Fifteen students of Chinese, accompanied by some staff members and parents, visited Beijing, China during the September holidays. Eighty music students gave a number of performances in Melbourne during June, when simultaneously the Villanova Rugby 1 st XV made their first-ever international tour by playing seven games in Fiji.

As reported previously, AFAS ( Australian Filipino Augustinian Solidarity) sent seven students and accompanying staff to visit orphanages and primary and secondary schools in the Philippines where Villanova student fundraising provides fifteen part-scholarships.

Augustinian national youth festival 2006

Fr Tony

An Augustinian Youth Festival is a gathering where young Catholics (18-30 years) from around Australia with connections to the Augustinians join to celebrate their faith, their God, their communities and themselves. These festivals have been conducted variously in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland every few years since 1988.

The program for the 2006 Youth Festival has been planned by a core group of young adults who first met in January 2005 to begin the preparations. This program will be run by groups from each of the Augustinian ministries, who will prepare the major events and engage their peers in discussions, dreams, activities and feasts. The key concept is one of young people ministering to each other and having them both receive from others and giving to others.

The theme chosen is " We are the Body of Christ ." It incorporates the ideas that each of us is called and gifted yet each of us knows the bitter and the sweet aspects of life. Out of our mutual care and concern and our common experiences we come to know the Lord and the love of the Lord. As we share with one another our lives and our faith we build up the Body of Christ.

The Augustinian Youth Festival will run from the evening of Sunday, 15th January 2006 to lunchtime on Friday, 20th January 2006 at Camp Koonjewarre on the Gold Coast hinterland, Queensland. Accommodation is cabin style and shared. Participants are to bring a sleeping bag, pillow and warmer clothing for the evenings. Because accommodation and meals alone will cost over $170, the likely attendance fee will be about $200-$225 in total.

For enquiries, booking details and for further information as it becomes available, please contact Father Tony Banks O.S.A. at P.O. Box 679 , Brookvale NSW 2100, Australia , or phone (02) 9905 3049, or email tonybanks@augustinians.org.au

Parish amalgamation

Eileen.

The parish newsletters in Manly Vale and Balgowlah on the lower end of Sydney's northern peninsula have announced that these two parishes will advance towards amalgamation on 1 st July 2006. This step is the outcome of a general restructuring of parishes in the Diocese of Broken Bay, and has been endorsed by the two parish councils. It is anticipated that on 1 st July 2006 ten parishes in the diocese will amalgamate into five, and that at least a further ten parishes will do likewise in 2007.

Fr Peter Wieneke O.S.A., who is parish priest of both Manly Vale and Balgowlah, wrote in the Sunday bulletin, "So, the months ahead are a historic time for us. However, due to the solid unity currently between our twinned parishes (of Manly Vale and Balgowlah), come 1 st July 2006 we will not look very different from how we are today. We will still (1) have the Augustinian community as our pastors, as currently, (2) worship in our two churches of St Cecilia and St Kieran, as currently, and (3) conduct our Catholic parish schools, as currently."

Eileen Luthi (pictured) is a full-time pastoral associate at the Parish of Balgowlah.

The web site of St Kieran's Parish, Manly Vale is stkieranspmv.catholicau.com/index.html

Kyabram farewell

St Augustine ’s Church, Kyabram.

Just before this web site news bulletin is due to be updated, the Augustinian ministry in St Augustine's Parish, Kyabram, Victoria will come to a close. The parish community is hosting a farewell dinner to all Augustinians from Victoria and interstate who can attend. This will take place on Friday, 27 th January 2006. A Mass of Farewell will be celebrated at 10.30am on Sunday, 29 th January 2006, followed by a picnic in the parish grounds.

The departure of the two Augustinians in Kyabram after that event has been further saddened by the announcement by the Most Rev. Joe Grech, Bishop of Sandhurst, that he is unable to supply a resident priest for the parish in place of the Augustinians. Henceforth the Kyabram parish will be ministered to by the priest who is pastor of the neighbouring parish of Tatura.

The present parish priest of Kyabram, Fr David Austin O.S.A., will move to St Augustine's Priory, Brookvale, NSW, and Fr. Joseph Walsh O.S.A., the associate pastor, will move to Villanova Priory, Coorparoo, ( Brisbane), Queensland.

In its issue of November 2005, the diocesan monthly newspaper, Sand Piper, contained a four-page historical supplement on the Augustinian presence in the northern Victorian parishes of Echuca, Rochester and Kyabram.

One hundred and twenty years of continuous Augustinian involvement in northern Victoria began at Echuca in 1886, and formally concludes when Fathers Austin and Walsh leave Kyabram on 29 th January 2006.

Bangkok calling

John in Bangkok

Fr John Murray O.S.A. moved from Brookvale ( Sydney, Australia) to Bangkok, Thailand on 5 th October 2005, and will work there until at least June 2006.

He is there with the Maryknoll Mission Team of Bangkok. Various members of the team are involved in a wide range of activities – prison visiting; teaching English to refugee monks and others at the temples; as well as teaching English to children in a rural village; working with Muslims in Bangkok; HIV/AIDS ministry in Lopburi; reaching out to poor people from a slum area in Bangkok; and helping refugees from Myanmar (formerly called Burma) who have come to Thailand.

John has been made the Coordinator of the Maryknoll Volunteer Programme in Bangkok end, and is also helping with the teaching of English language.

Delegation of Korea

One requirement in the life of almost every young male in the Republic of South Korea is two years of compulsory military service. For those joining the Order of Saint Augustine, this is a reality that has to be incorporated in their years of Augustinian formation and studies.

One postulant, Augustine Kim, (pictured in a white shirt), has now completed his first two years in the Korean Delegation's formation programme. For the last twelve months he lived at the St Nicholas of Tolentine House of Studies at Kang-Hwa while attending philosophy and theology classes at the nearby Inchon Catholic Seminary.

In the first half of next year Augustine will begin his military service, which is even tougher that a postulant's life! During that time, he will keep in touch by letter with the Augustinian community at Kang-Hwa and return for a few days each year during periods of military leave.

Another of the Augustinian students, Paolo Choi (pictured in military uniform), is presently a sergeant in the Korean marines and will finish his military service about the middle of next year. So there will be an Augustinian "changing of the guards" of sorts.

Augustinian Friends

Augustinian Friends is an association for lay people in Australia who seek participation in Augustinian spirituality and wish to formalise their connection with the Augustinian world family.

FOR SOME CURRENT NEWS ABOUT THE ORDER OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA Click here

AUGUSTINIAN CENTRE FOR SPIRITUALITY PROGRAM 2005
2 Hewitt Avenue
Greystanes 2145
Enquiries 9896 6794
www.augustinians.org.au/communities/greystanes.html