Catholic Life June 2016

Catholic LifeCatholic LifeFree

Publication of the Diocese of Sale ISSUE 194 June 2016

Think of all the families you can helpYou can assist families in the Greater Gippsland region for years

to come by supporting Trinity Families. We direct funds to programs where there is the greatest need. Please give generously.

To donate visit www.trinityfamilies.org.au or phone (03) 5622 6688 for a credit card deduction form.

TrinityFAMILIES

60 years a Sale priest

This issueThis issuehighlightshighlights

Election: A votefor the voiceless- Page 13

CatholicCare’slocal links- Page 16

Trinity Families callfor applications- Page 3

Around CatholicSchools - Pages 9-12

IRISH-born Fr Tom O’Connell is celebrating the 60th anniversary of being ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sale. He lives in Trafalgar where, although on lesser duties these days, still assists with Masses, parish meetings and involving himself with the wider community. Fr Tom is the last of the many Irish missionary priests who came to serve in this diocese.

His story is told on Page 8 by Lucy O’Connell.

Page 2 - Catholic Life, June 2016

GRAHAM Greene, the English novelist who died in 1991, wrote over 25 novels and many short stories.

He is considered by many to be among the greatest writers of the 20th century. Greene explored the issues of the modern world often through a Catholic perspective. His four major Catholic novels are: Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter, and The End of the Affair. This year I have read the fi rst two.

During Lent this year I read The Power and the Glory. It is a good Lenten read. Honest about human weakness; hopeful about the power of grace and God being at work even through this human weakness.

At the end of the novel when things seem to have gone totally pear-shaped and one of the characters proudly proclaims that he has “cleared the province of priests”, hope wins through as another priest turns up to continue the work proclaiming the kingdom of God. It is only on the last page that this is assured.

During the Easter season I read Brighton Rock. It is a thriller and to me beautifully written. As so often with Greene it is only at the end of the book that things come to some resolution. The last chapter of part 7 has one of the main characters, Rose, going to confession. It is a remarkable scene.

In it the old priest says, “You can’t conceive, my child,

nor can I or anyone the … appalling… strangeness of the mercy of God.”

During this Year of Mercy, and during Easter, that phrase struck me, ‘the appalling… strangeness of God’s mercy’. Pope Francis in proclaiming the Year of Mercy has called each of us to come to that same realisation of the appalling strangeness of God’s mercy.

Appalling here does not mean something that ought repulse us but rather it shows the genius of Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy when he so often reminds us that it is God and God’s mercy which attracts us in ways that may appear strange and unfamiliar, and yet ways that strike to the very depths of our soul and of that which we really stand in need.

Mercy always fi nds a way. Mercy exceeds all of the limits we can attempt to place upon it. In that sense it is appalling and strange, less familiar perhaps, but relentless in its seeking to fi nd a way into our lives.

How often is it that just when we think we have life worked out something happens that can turn our life up-side down. Most times we do not welcome the unexpected, the tragic.

The logic of the Year of Mercy is that we ought to expect the mercy of God to have an unfamiliar dimension to it for it always out paces, always exceeds our limited understanding of it. We are asked to both experience this and imitate that in our lives with others.

World Youth DayIN mid-July I shall be heading off to Krakow on the Victorian Pilgrimage to World Youth Day for two-and-a-half weeks. There will be around 25 pilgrims form the Sale Diocese going along as well.

The pilgrimage I am on is the one that spends the days immediately before the beginning of World Youth Day in the Diocese of Przemysl in south eastern Poland.

I am looking forward to this time as I remember fondly how life-giving the days in the Diocese were before the Sydney World Youth Day in 2008.

After the World Youth Days in Krakow, all the Victorian Pilgrims are heading to a two-day retreat in a town called Wisla. Please pray for all our Diocesan Pilgrims. Being held during the Year of Mercy I look forward to seeing at work once again the ‘appalling… strangeness of the mercy of God’.

Federal ElectionWHILE the campaign leading up to the Federal election this time has been very long, the fatigue associated with such long campaigns ought not blind us to the issues involved.

In this issue of Catholic Life we reprint the Australian Bishops’ statement, A Voice for the Voiceless.

The temptation can be not to think about our vote and be swayed by the loudest voice or the highest bidder. Pray for inspiration and wisdom, and think about how we might build a more just and equitable society and not just an economy.

In the end we are in this together, not alone. In this way we might even be a source of the strangeness of God’s mercy for others.

The Year of Mercy ends on the Feast of Christ the King this Year, November 20. It is not too late to discover anew what this mercy looks like.

Ultimately ‘mercy’ is as Pope Francis reminded us, a person, “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.”

In the next six months may we fi nd many opportunities to be the face of the Father’s mercy for others; may we experience it ourselves, and not be appalled at how sometimes that comes to us in ‘strange’ and unfamiliar ways. God is Good.

+ Bishop Pat O’ReganBishop of Sale

Catholic LifePO Box 1410,

Warragul Vic. 3820Phone: (03) 5622 [email protected]

www.sale.catholic.org.au

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FORMER Churchill parish priest Fr Hugh Brown has been elected to the Provincial Council of the Carmelites.

He was elected at the recent provincial chapter meeting in Brisbane.

Fr Brown has been parish priest of Port Melbourne and Middle Park since leaving Churchill several years ago.

His work with the Carmelites has seen him teach theology and biblical studies at Yarra Theological Union, McAuley Teacher’s College and the Queensland campus of Australian Catholic University before spending eight years of principal of Whitefriars College, Donvale.

Fr Brown took leave from the Carmelites to work as a secondary schools education consultant with the Catholic Education Offi ce in Warragul,

and while there he lectured in the Scalan theological studies course set up by the CEO in association with Broken Bay Institute.

He then became parish priest at Churchill and a member of the Council of Priests for Sale Diocese for several years before returning to the Carmelite parishes in Melbourne.

Carmelite now onprovincial council

The … appalling… strangeness of the mercy of God

Fr Hugh Brown

WARRAGUL – Clergy, parish secretaries and parish business managers from across Sale Diocese gathered at Sion House last week for a full day’s training.

The day was arranged to make parishes aware of the changes and new responsibilities they face in meeting changing regulations in many areas of governance.

Following morning prayers led by Bishop Pat O’Regan and his opening address, Maria Kirkwood spoke on professional standards and the introduction of the new Victorian child safety standards.

Sheree Limbrick and Mark Tanti from CatholicCare Gippsland then gave an update on the work of CatholicCare in the diocese following the amalgamation of the Gippsland service with Melbourne.

Catholic Development Fund Melbourne chief executive offi cer Matthew Cassin outlined the success of amalgamating with CDF Sale which had meant more money was available to be loaned to school and parish projects within Sale Diocese. Deposits from Sale Diocese had also increased substantially.

After lunch business manager

Paul Velton and bishop’s personal assistant Cathy Dougan led a session covering a range of topics including the need to get approvals for visiting clergy and speakers before events are publicised, communication with the bishop’s offi ce,

Working with Children Checks, and the application process and approvals needed to meet requirements for the Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation.

Andrew Penton from Duffy and Simon solicitors spoke about a parish’s duty of care, employment laws, volunteers and contracts. He stressed that society had become a litigious one and parishes should ensure

that they were doing everything in their power to protect the rights of employees, volunteers and anyone entering onto church property.

Mr Velten then gave an overview of the diocesan fi nancial situation, technological developments, a communication strategy update, regulatory changes and a proposal to streamline diocesan emails with parishes.

Trinity Families executive offi cer Colin Coomber spoke briefl y on the strong turn around in the number of diocesan schools supporting the charity. Twenty-four of the 43 schools had run events or donated last year and it was hoped that this year all would make a contribution to what was the diocese’s sole charitable fund serving local projects. Priests were urged to encourage their schools to support Trinity Families.

Catholic Life, June 2016 - Page 3

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Secretaries and clergy training

CATHOLIC charity Trinity Families is again calling on other charities operating in the Greater Gippsland area to apply for funding for programs supporting families.

Trinity Families has about $130,000 to hand out in its annual disbursement.

Under the terms of its trust deed, money cannot be given to individuals.

Executive offi cer Colin Coomber said all applicants for funding must have deductible gift recipient status and seek the funds to run programs which benefi t families in the area

covered by the municipalities of East Gippsland, Wellington, Latrobe, Baw Baw, South Gippsland, Bass Coast, Casey and Cardinia.

He said that in recent years the amount of money sought had been about three times more than it had available to disburse.

Charities had until the end of August to apply and it was expected that successful applicants would be known by early October.

Mr Coomber said that details of the application process and an on-line form was on the

Trinity Families website www.trinityfamilies.org.au

Over the past 13 years Trinity Families had given away about $1.2 million in the Greater Gippsland region.

He said that when Trinity Families was established it was decided it would be better to fund existing charities

supporting families than to create a new entity which would be competing with them.

“Our philanthropic approach to charity is unusual in a regional area but it has proved to be highly successful as every dollar raised by Trinity Families is still invested, earning money which we can distribute to other charities.”

The trust fund was slowly growing with new funds providing a hedge against infl ation.

Mr Coomber said that the current low interest rate environment meant that returns on investments were small, but when the tide turned, as

it inevitably would, Trinity Families would be well placedto fund major projects.

“There are so manyworthwhile causes in ourregion and sometimes the localcharities are swamped by the appeals conducted by the large national institutions which draw millions of dollars out ofthe region but provide little in the way of regional assistance.

“Trinity Families exists toensure that our families aresupported by those charities who are already doing the work at ground level.”

Further information about Trinity Families and applyingfor funds is on the website.

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CRANBOURNE parish secretary Sue Ryan chats with Catholic-Care acting chief executive offi cer Sheree Limbrick.

LISTENING to presentations are Sale parish secretary Kath Bird, assistant priest Fr Dominic Matthews SDB, Dean of the Cathedral Fr Peter Bickley, and Koo Wee Rup priest in residence Fr Stephen Onuoha.

AT the function are (from left) Bev O’Brien, Traralgon, Bairnsdale parish priest Fr Michael Willemsen, Maffra administrator Fr Darren Howie, Mary Haber, Lakes Entrance, Cimolina Nigli, Narre Warren, and Suzie Schumacher, Narre Warren.


On top of worldA GRANDAUGHTER of Maffra Ordinariate priest Fr Ken Clark and his wife Carmel has become the youngest Australian to climb Mt Everest.

Alyssa Azar, 19, who hails from Queensland, reached the 8847m summit on May 21, after being thwarted by natural disasters on two previous attempts.

In 2014 she was stopped by a disastrous avalanche and then last year the tragic Nepal earthquake also stopped her assent. Both events led to many deaths in Nepal.

Thrill seeking is nothing new to Alyssa who completed the Kokoda Track when she was 8-years-old.

Poor spellingSPELLING has for centuries been a fl uid thing. Even poor old Bill Shakespeare couldn’t make up his mind how to spell his surname.

(He spelt it six different ways on various documents – interestingly none Shakespeare.)

Anyhow, back to the point. Signs we have seen in shops recently include “Ladie’s boots up to 70% off”, “Toilet’s inside” and “Mail use disable toilet please”.

It’s borderlineAND while on signs. We’ve had some discussions of late about recollections of the “Welcome to Gippsland”

sign which once sat on the intersection of the Princes Highway and South Gippsland Highway in Dandenong.

Most of the newer residents of the outer suburbs probably think Gippsland starts down at Bunyip or somewhere further east.

As a young journalist I covered several Greater Gippsland Development League meetings where the leading players included the City of Knox and City of Dandenong.

Not sportingA WANDER down a rural town’s main street led me to a so-called sports store.

I went inside to fi nd it was not a sports store but a clothing store.

There was rack after rack of stretchy lycra, hoodies, surfwear, sunglasses and caps but there was not a tennis racquet, cricket bat, football, soccer ball, basketball or anything else which could be used for playing sports.

We wouldn’t tolerate a dress shop which didn’t sell dresses or bakery which didn’t sell bread.

Away for a weekend and need to check local

Mass times?Use the QR scanning app on your smart phone and it will take you directly to the Diocese of Sale website

PAKENHAM - Clergy of the western region of Sale Diocese gathered at St Patrick’s Presbytery Pakenham last week to mark the retirement of Warragul parish priest Fr Herman Hengel.

The evening was memorable and joyous as clergy recalled the active life and ministry of Fr Hengel.

Some of the clergy who gathered brought a symbol which refl ected his gifts and ministry.

Some brought very inspiring and thought provoking symbols while some were humorous.

Fr Denis O’Bryan in a recent trip to Penola brought back a piece of bark from a tree Fr Julian Tennyson Woods sat under refl ecting on his homilies and important life choices.

Fr Bernie Mahony brought a

pair of walking boots speaking about Fr Hengel’s passion for work.

It was great having Bishop Pat O’Regan present to share in

this change in our diocesan life. While Fr Hengel has retired

from being a parish priest he will still be involved in diocesan life as he chooses and is looking forward to this new stage in his life as a priest.

A large crowd of wellwishers attended a luncheon in Warragul last Sunday held in honor of Fr Hengel.

While most were from Warragul and Drouin parishes, many also travelled from other parishes across the diocese where Fr Hengel has served as priest.

New Warragul and Drouin parish priest is the Vicar General Fr Peter Slater who has been assisting at Cranbourne since leaving Berwick earlier this year.

Priest’s retirement party

Fundamentalism a challenge

Fr Herman Hengel

CATHOLIC Mission National Director Fr Brian Lucas says there are a number of challenges facing the Pontifi cal Mission Societies amidst growing worldwide fundamentalism.

Speaking at the General Assembly of the Superior Council of the Pontifi cal Mission Societies in Rome two weeks ago, Fr Lucas presented the fi ndings from discussions of

current issues and challenges facing the global organisation.

“Extremist groups present a new challenge in countries that have traditionally been tolerant and where diverse faiths, cultures and ethnic groups have lived in harmony,”he warned.

“One role of the Catholic Church is to give witness to human dignity and to be a sign of peace and tolerance. One way in which this is done is by educating the people and showing how they can be good citizens, especially in countries where they are very much a minority.”

During the assembly, a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Pontifi cal Missionary Union included a pilgrimage to the tomb of its founder, Fr Paolo Manna.

Fr Manna was a missionary in eastern Myanmar until 1907, when illness forced him to return home to Italy. For the next forty years, he dedicated his life to encourage those already engaged in the work of the Church to support the work of the Missions overseas.

Today the aims of the Pontifi cal Missionary Union are encompassed in Catholic Mission’s extensive formation activities in schools, parishes, workplaces and social groups.

The Pontifi cal Mission Union, in conjunction with the societies for the Propagation of the Faith, St Peter the Apostle and Holy Childhood, together

form the Pope’s own mission organisation, the Pontifi cal Mission Societies.

In Australia, this organisation operates as Catholic Mission. Fr Lucas says that both here and overseas, Catholic Mission has a signifi cant role in light of the challenges facing the world. “The Pontifi cal Mission Societies have a role to educate, form and encourage people to strengthen their faith and help them live the Gospel in the context of the threats coming from extremism,” he said.

“Formal processes of interfaith dialogue need to be matched with grassroots engagement so that different groups can understand and respect each other.”

The General Assembly concluded in Rome last week.

Of all the decisions we make in our lifetime,making a valid will is

among the most important.

This fi nal testament speaks loudlyof the values, causes and possessions

we hold most dear. We bequest personal treasures and mementos to special

friends and loved ones and ask them to care for them after our passing.

If you hold the Church dear, you mayconsider leaving a percentage of your

estate or a specifi c amount to theDiocese of Sale.

The Diocese is grateful for the support of its benefactors, who have enabled the

Church to grow in its service ofits people, and invite you

to share in thisrich heritage.

Fr Brian Lucas

VILLA Maria Catholic Homes recently hosted an open day at Shanagolden Village, in Pakenham, to showcase the wonderful retirement lifestyle on offer.

The sun was shining when more than 50 visitors enjoyed a free morning tea, sausage sizzle lunch and barista-made coffee. They also took part in tours of the village and spoke to the friendly VMCH sales team.

Residents who live at Shanagolden Village also attended the open day and chatted to visitors about the warm and welcoming village.

Shanagolden Village retirement living coordinator Fiona Sparrow said events

like this were a great way to experience and showcase the social atmosphere of the village.

Retirement living is a great option for people over 55, who want to downsize and enjoy a low maintenance lifestyle.

At Shanagolden Village, residents have the opportunity to make new friends through recreational activities and clubs. The community centre is a great meeting place for those who want to enjoy a range of activities or simply relax and have a cup of tea with their village friends.

The stylish and spacious two and three bedroom units boast open-plan living and dining areas, fenced courtyards with outdoors patios. They are also

safe and secure making it ideal to just lock up and leave whengoing on holidays, without having to worry.

The village is conveniently located near the local shopping centre and cafes, which allows for independent living.

Residents can also access in-home support services should they require and inaddition there is aged care on-site. People of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome.

If you would llike to learnmore about retirement livingat Shanagolden Village you can make an appointment by phoning 1800 036 377 or visit the website www.vmch.com.au.


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SALES and marketing staff Louise and Anita were on hand to welcome visitors to the open day at Shanagolden Village.

The comfortable units at Shanagolden at the corner of Coffey and RuthSts. - named after the late Bishop Jeremiah Coffey and Fr Frank Ruth.

Help us to help others Donate now to support charities aiding families

JESUS’ story of the Prodigal Son is about a father who loves unconditionally. Christians have rightly taken this father to be an image of God.

He is forgiving, generous and perhaps even somewhat indulgent in his love.

In Jesus’ story the father is over-joyed to welcome home his son no matter what he may have done – he rushes out to meet him and organises a great feast.

He says to his other son, ‘we just had to celebrate’- rejoicing about the return of a lost soul is not an option. Like this loving father, God comes out to meet us, to embrace us.

God doesn’t wait for a formal apology; God knows when we desire to change our attitude, to repent.

Jesus uses the elder brother in this story to question each of us on our own willingness and capacity to forgive and forget. At fi rst sight he appears to be treated in a rather shabby fashion, even unjustly or at the very least in a rather offhand, insensitive way.

The father neglects to include in his welcome this faithful son who had remained at home, working the farm, supporting the father. He could have sent another servant to let him know what was to happen.

At the end of the day this son returns from his labors and fi nds his home ablaze with celebration for his wayward brother.

The son felt unappreciated and unrewarded. He became quite angry and refused to go in. Is that how we feel? We have worked hard, prayed hard, been faithful, yet we don’t get the honor and respect we deserve - others are welcomed back and forgiven, when, at least in our judgment, they just don’t deserve to be treated so well. They have not been as ‘good’ as us.

Jesus faced constant criticism about his willingness to be with those regarded as sinners, visiting them, talking with them, eating with them, forgiving them. To some, He appeared to seek their company more than the company of those who saw themselves as the faithful ones, the custodians and bearers of the true religion.

In our judgment, “they” don’t deserve to be treated so well – the rules say they should be punished or excluded. We can come resent others.

Our own bitterness and resentment can become a source of division, anger and recrimination. But the message of elder son in this timeless parable asks us to look at our own self-righteousness and to consider our own need for forgiveness.

All of us need that. There’s no such thing as a person who has no need for repentance or forgiveness.

The parable teaches that forgiveness is possible and that God welcomes us back – we

are not just tolerated but there is rejoicing, in other words God is not just forgiving but God’s welcome is warm, loving and generous. And there’s the challenge.

How people experience that warmth and generosity of God’s welcome comes through us – our non-judgmental attitude, our lack of resentment, our having the attitude of ‘rejoicing’ like the father in this story.

Since God is gracious, so should we be. “The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life

of the Gospel.” - Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium.

“The fact that we also need to be forgiven stops us from feeling superior or self-righteous! We all need God’s grace, but God’s grace cannot be earned, God’s love is unmerited – we don’t have a right to it, we don’t deserve it more than anyone else, no matter how much we think we ought to. As the father went out to the

disgruntled older son, so God is One who always continuesto seek after us, regardlessof the state we are in. We can humbly recognise that we are all in need God’s generosity or,in the words of Paul, “do youshow contempt for the riches ofGod’s kindness, tolerance andpatience, not realizing that it is God’s kindness that leads youtoward repentance?” (Romans 2:4).


Reflectionsby Jim Quillinan

God’s mercy is freely given

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All donations of $2 or more are tax deductibleRoman Catholic Diocese of Sale Charitable Fund ABN 51486 581 500

Trinity Families needs your fi nancial support to ensure that it can continue to meet the needs of families in our region.

We need to greatly enlarge our fi nancial base so we can continue our support to charities providing vital welfare services.

Direct debits can be made to Trinity Families BSB 083-879 A/c 84343 9687 or you can use the form below to make a credit card donation.

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COWWARR - The Ordinariate parish hosted a Marian Day at Cowwarr last month.

Fr Ken Clark, parish priest of the Ordinariate parish, and Fr Prasanna Costa, assistant priest in Traralgon, each delivered a talk on Our Lady, Mother of Mercy, and concelebrated Mass according to the Ordinariate rite.

The rest of the day consisted of exposition and benediction,

time for confessions, rosary,Divine Mercy chaplet, litany to Our Lady, and crowning of the statue of Our Lady.

The annual Marian Day will be held in Cowwarr in future, asusual on the Saturday closest to the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima (May 13).

Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of Fatima, so the Marian Day will be extraspecial.

Ordinariate hosts Marian day

FR Ken Clark (left) and Fr Prasanna Costa both led talks at a Marian day hosted by the Ordinariate parish at Cowwarr.

Bishop Hanna to retireBISHOP of Wagga Wagga Gerard Hanna has advised parishes he intends to retire in September this year.

He cites ill-health as the reason for his retirement which has yet to be accepted by the Vatican.

Several observers have been

puzzled by the timing of his announcement as Bishop Hanna will be 75 in December, the ageat which he must submit his letter of retirement to the Pope.

Bishop Hanna is the fi fth Bishop of Wagga Wagga andhas been the incumbent since 2002.


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THE Dumbalk community and family had barely fi nished celebrating respective 90th birthdays of Hec and Elaine Opray in mid March when the congratulations started fl owing for their 69th wedding anniversary on May 26.

With eight children, 27 grandchildren, 53 great grandchildren and one great great grandson, not everyone could visit, but sent best wishes.

Elaine was born in Traralgon, moving to Port Franklin with her family, then farming at Dumbalk.

When she began primary school at Nerrena she met Howard Opray in her class. Even when the school burned down and she changed to the Dumbalk School, Hec followed her.

Hec was born in Leongatha and has lived all his life in Dumbalk. So it can be said that they have known each other (almost) all their lives.

They began dating at 17 years of age. Because he did not have a licence Hec visited Elaine’s place on his pushbike. Soon enough he had a Ford Ute and they frequented the local dances and played in the same tennis team.

Reaching 21 they married at St Laurence’s Leongatha by Fr Frank Ruth and honeymooned at Lakes Entrance.

Hec is not a Catholic but Elaine fondly claims that, “He

has always gone to everything involving his children and the Church. He was at all the Christenings, First Communions etc, and still goes to the events of the younger ones”.

Daughter Marg remembers him teaching the older kids their catechism “while Mum was busy with young ones and babies”.

She also recalls that “Dad always had us lined up sitting on the kitchen table while putting on shoes and socks and combing hair.” The fi nal orders for everyone were “Go to the toilet and get a hankie”, before Elaine headed off in the car to Mass at St Kevin’s Meeniyan, and Hec went out to work on the farm.

With a big family there was always something happening. Marg says that around the kitchen table holds some of her best memories. It was never quiet; she feels that her parents should have been driven mad.

There were always big saucepans full of porridge or boiled eggs. “Mum made the biggest steam puddings”. But because of her rare ‘fl ops’ her cheeky family would clap if one of her puddings came out of the bowl – in one complete piece!

Then when the kids decided to have a pancake eating competition poor Elaine was standing at the stove ‘forever’.

Kids being kids – they would

set up the tent in the back yard for a camp out. Hec and Elaine thought they might have a bit of romantic time to themselves.

But why did it always seem to rain or storm on those nights?

It was Hec who was up in the middle of the night carting mattresses, blankets, kids and the dog into the kitchen to dry out. He never complained – even though he was up again a few hours later to milk the cows.

One of their boys ran away once, but Elaine knew he would be back when he got hungry.

And she was right. Elaine says that if you were not around at meal time you missed out’.

Elaine also recalls a few minor incidents that involved the tractor – but she really does not want to tell tales as ‘they’ were only trying to help their Dad.

Throughout his life Hec has helped out the Dumbalk District. He raised money by rearing calves, fundraising for the beautiful Dumbalk hall currently standing. Later in Hec’s life he always visited his friends in Dumbalk who were sick or on their own, taking them sausage rolls or scones which he had made himself.

And he still continues this charity to -day.

Elaine was dedicated to playing the organ at Meeniyan for many years as well as her many years of service to the

Catholic Women League.She received a certifi cate of appreciation from the CWL in September of 2015.

These days Hec and Elaine have an aim; as Michael Jackson said, ‘Staying Alive’. They live independently, getting up together and fi lling the days with gardening, receiving visitors, holding a great interest in their family, their district and even more importantly their interest in football and cricket.

Marg asserts “Our dad is the best ever - always has been and

always will be. He still drivesMum to Mass at Meeniyan every Sunday, even if they arestaying at their holiday house in Lakes Entrance”.

They bless their church family that still look after them,

In asking Elaine her secret to a good marriage she responds:“Be truthful to each other, workat harmony in the house andretain never-ending love foreach other”.

Congratulations to two 90year olds and 69 years of marriage.

Dumbalk couple celebrates dual 90th birthdays

ELAINE and Hec Opray fi rst met at Nerrena Primary School and have shared a great life together, recently celebrating their 90th birthdays and 69th wedding anniversaries.


The Archdiocese of Melbourne/Diocese of Sale–Catholic Development Fund (CDF) is designed for investors who wish to promote the charitable purposes of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Diocese of Sale. We welcome your investment with CDF rather than with a profit oriented commercial organisation as a conscious commitment by you to support the Charitable, Religious and Educational works of the Catholic Church. CDF is not subject to the fundraising provision of the Corporation Act 2001 nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Neither CDF nor the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation for the Archdiocese of Melbourne/Diocese of Sale is prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. Contributions to CDF do not obtain the benefit of the Depositor Protection Provision of the Banking Act 1959. The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Diocese of Sale have indemnified the CDF against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the CDF through CDPF Limited, which is a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. In essence, this means that your investment and any interest payable is guaranteed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and Diocese of Sale.

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Helping to grow Our Catholic Community

Fr Tom is celebrating 60 years of priesthoodBy Lucy O’Connell

FR Tom O’Connell, retired parish priest of St John’s Trafalgar and well-known local resident celebrates the diamond anniversary of his ordination into the priesthood on June 17.

Born in Kerry, Ireland, Fr Tom was raised on a dairy property along with 11 other siblings.

Life on the farm was challenging for his parents, battling constant fl oods and political instability; however despite these diffi culties; for the O’Connell family, the Catholic Church was their Number One!

The O’Connell family has rewarded the Catholic Church with two priests and four nuns.

After completing his Matriculation, Fr Tom entered All Hallows College, Dublin at the age of 17. He says very proudly, that he followed the inspiration of his mother who believed a priest was in a position to help people more than anyone, in any other vocation.

He studied for the priesthood six years, also enjoying football and hurling. It was during this time that Fr Tom saw a movie

about Australian Rules Football and was inspired by the high marking leap of Verdun Howell, a St Kilda star at that time. (Fr Tom has been a loyal St Kilda fan ever since!)

He was ordained at All Hallows College, Dublin on June 17, 1956. Being a missionary college, the young priests were then sent abroad; Australia being the choice of young Fr O’Connell. He was to serve in the Sale Diocese; without even knowing where it was within Australia.

Research through the local parish priest in Kerry, Fr Tom was told that Gippsland was the Garden of Australia! Settling into the farming community of Trafalgar has been the closest resemblance to his beloved homeland of Kerry that he could wish for. “I have loved it!”

Fr Tom arrived in the Gippsland diocese in December 1956. Following a number of appointments at various parishes throughout the diocese, (Yallourn, Sale, Bairnsdale, Morwell, Omeo, Fish Creek) he was appointed parish priest at Trafalgar in 1980.

In refl ecting on his early years

in Australia, Fr Tom admits that he suffered from homesickness; especially in hearing of the death of his much loved mother and two years later, his father.

Many changes were seen throughout the Catholic Church during Fr Tom’s 60 years of service. One signifi cant memory was the change from offering Mass in Latin to English. Fr Tom remembers how awe-inspiring the Latin language was.

And it is in his much loved church and wider community Trafalgar that Fr Tom enjoys the years of his retirement.

Many wonderful friendships and the opportunity to help people are the two things that come fi rst to his mind when asked what he has enjoyed most

about his 60 years as a priest. A love for people and an

opportunity to care and support others has been the backbone to a vocation that has certainly presented its rewards and challenges over the past 60 years.

Living and serving in Trafalgar, Fr Tom refl ects on the

friendships that has sustained him throughout his years.

Baptising children, watching them grow and develop throughSt Joseph’s School, celebratingtheir sacraments including marriage has been a fulfi llingrole within the Church.

Supporting people in their times of grief and loss has been a vital part of his work.Visiting the sick at home and in hospital has been a key partof Fr Tom’s long and loyalvocation to his beloved Church and community.

“But with the belief in God and the belief in people, I havesurvived - and loved it.”

Fr Tom was recognised in the shire’s Australia Day awards in2005 for his commitment to the local community that went ‘well beyond his duties as alocal priest.’

Fr Tom is heading off on atrip home to Ireland to celebrate his diamond anniversary with his relatives.

May God continue to bless our community with the blessing of Fr Tom for many years to come.

• THIS article and the front page photograph were originally published in the Trafalgar News. We acknowledge permission to reprint it. The writer, althoughsharing the same surname, is not related to Fr Tom.

FR Tom O’Connell looks back through his photo album as he recalls the many highlights of his 60 years as a priest.

National evangelisationcentre being establishedA NATIONAL Centre for Evangelisation is being established by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference to bring together the work of the Catholic Enquiry Centre and National Offi ce for

Evangelisation.The Bishops’ Commission

for Evangelisation made theannouncement on June 2.

Launching the new centre,commission chairman Archbishop Mark Coleridge said that it was trying to bringthe old and the new together ina fresh confi guration.

The priorities of the new National Centre forEvangelisation include furtherdeveloping the work carried outby the Catholic Enquiry Centre and the National Offi ce forEvangelisation.

The Enquiry Centre wasfounded in 1959 to offer an invitation to all who are notCatholic to learn about and understand the Catholic faith through the promotion of courses and activities that seek to evangelise unbelievers. Itwill continue to operate within the new centre.

The National Offi ce forEvangelisation has assisteddioceses with resources and opportunities for training and evangelisation and soughtnew ways of proclaiming theGospel.

The offi ce has promoted thesharing of the Good News infamilies, workplaces, parishesand schools and through the media.

It had also created networks across Catholic organisations,including diocesan-based groups for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.

Around Catholic Schools 1 Catholic Life, June 2016 - Page 9

ST Clare’s Primary School in Offi cer opened its doors in 2015 to 92 students. In 2016, enrolment has grown to 230.

Next year, this fi gure is pre-dicted increase to more than 350 and within fi ve years, more than 700, making it the largest Catholic primary school in our Diocese.

Such rapid growth is not only indicative of the urban sprawl moving eastwards along the Princes Highway, but is also a sign of the confi -dence the broader communi-ty has in Catholic Education in our Diocese.

Stage Two building works will begin shortly at St Clare’s and plans are well underway for Stages Three and Four.

Maintaining the culture and atmosphere of a smaller school, while embracing ex-ponential growth, is the chal-lenge for the St Clare’s com-munity.

However it is a challenge that is ably met. Students conduct school tours along-side staff and proudly verbal-ise what it means to be part of this community and fami-lies seeking enrolment, share in the Vision and Mission of the school.

Exciting times lay ahead for the St Clare’s School Community as part of St Pat-rick’s Parish in Pakenham.

We look forward to being part of this excitement as the school grows from strength to strength.

Teaching milestone - 40 yearsLUCY O’Connell recently completed 40 years of full time teaching. She has taught 39 classes in both Trafalgar and Warragul, and had one year as acting principal.

Back in the 70’s Lucy headed to Christ College, Chadstone, to undertake her teacher training. Upon completion she returned to Trafalgar where she lived and commenced her teaching career at St Joseph’s Trafalgar.

Lucy commented on how teaching had changed.

“Teaching was much different back then. Students memorised lots of facts and fi gures and platforms and chalkboards were in every room.

“The teacher stood at the front of the room and imparted knowledge to the children!”

How different to today’s digital age where information

is everywhere and facts and fi gures can be retrieved at the click of a button.

Computers are used as a learning tool and students are seen as having prior knowledge which is recognised and built upon.

Nowadays students have much more ownership over their learning and they are challenged to take responsibility for their learning.

The teacher’s role is to be a facilitator of learning, helping children to gain the skills and strategies that will enable them to be independent learners.

Lucy has been a very successful and passionate teacher who has evolved with the changing times and has embraced a contemporary teaching mindset.

She has presented at Learning Forums and has been a curriculum learning

leader at St Joseph’s school. Lucy has come full circle

coming back to St Joseph’s in Trafalgar after completing 19 years at St Joseph’s

Warragul. Lucy is a dedicated teacher

who loves her job. Her goal is to help students

become lifelong learners andto see them reach their fullpotential.

LUCY O’Connell surrounded by some of her students still loves teaching, even after 40 years in the classroom.

AROUND CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

DIOCESE SALEof

June 2016June 2016

Inspiring Faith, Inspiring Learning

Catholic Educa on Inspiring Faith, Inspiring Learning

Rapid growth at St Clare’s, Offi cer

Page 10 - Catholic Life, June 2016 Around Catholic Schools 2

Harmony Day at St Vincent’s

The archangel prize

ST Vincent’s Primary School in Morwell East celebrated Harmony Day on March 21 which gave the school community the opportunity to acknowledge that our diversity is our strength and to teach the children about our country’s heritage, multi-

culturalism, immigration and the importance of living together in harmony.

The main focus of Harmony Day is recognising that we are all equal and involved and that our diversity is to be treated with fairness and respect.

On Harmony Day students were exposed to a variety of cultures and children learnt the importance of being able to share our beautiful country with others.

They also learnt how rich and fortunate we all are to have people living in our country from many different backgrounds and that each person has something unique and wonderful to offer.

St Vincent’s celebrated Harmony Day by dividing children into multi-aged groups organised by teachers and parents who represented various multi-cultural backgrounds.

Children were introduced to the vast and rich culture of our Aboriginal heritage with a particular focus on Aboriginal art.

They leant about the meaning of pictures in Dreamtime stories that keep the culture alive and educate people about the earth. Children also enjoyed painting their own shields which was used in battles and various ceremonies.

Children looked at their own family backgrounds and the various countries from which their families had come.

Through displays, interactive talks and food

tasting, children learnt that many other cultures bring with them a vast array of foods which they enjoy; their favorite sports such as soccer and cricket; a wide variety of cultural music and the design some of Australia’s most beautiful architectural buildings.

Children colored in a

‘person’ to representthemselves and theirdifferences in the color oftheir eyes, skin and hair.These were then joinedtogether to create a mural to signify our diversity andunity and the mural wasdisplayed for everyone tosee.

IN preparation for their Canberra Camp in term one, Grade 6 students from St Michael’s Primary School, Berwick, studied signifi cant works of art housed in the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

This encouraged students to explore the changes in art over time; the break away from traditional art making to more abstract and expressive styles of art.

To gain a better understanding of these concepts, the Grade 6’s responded through creating and making St Michael’s very own portrait prize, based on the famous Australian portrait prize The Archibald Prize, and of course named after their patron Saint, St Michael the Archangel.

To enter the ‘The Archangel Prize’ students were asked to paint a portrait of someone signifi cant to them. They were challenged to think deeply about their chosen person and the way they wanted to ‘portray’ them in

the painting. Having explored what

a portrait could be in 21st century art, students were given a small canvas to create the portrait on and were asked to consider color, composition, scale and expression in their piece. Accompanying each artwork students wrote a short explanation of the person they chose and why they painted them the way they did.

Although each painting was a success, seven prizes were awarded to worthy candidates in the following areas:

• Brave composition • Expression in colour • Depth of thought in

portrait• Most eye catching • Excellence in

technique • People’s choice • Principal’s award for

creative thinking These seven students

received art materials to

extend their art creativity outside of school.

St Michael’s commend

their Grade 6 students for their willingness to try something new, being brave

in their ideas and creatinginteresting and thoughtful artworks!!


Around Catholic Schools 3 Catholic Life, June 2016 - Page 11

DURING National Reconciliation Week, Mary MacKillop Primary School community at Narre Warren North recognised the importance of celebrating our cultural heritage and sharing it with others.

The central message drawn from our morning Whole School Harmony Prayer Ritual, was that everyone belongs, reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness for all.

Celebrations continued with a whole school cultural games afternoon.

All students were arranged in multi-levelled groups to enjoy and participate in games from around the world.

Classroom connections focused around the understandings of inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

National Sorry Day saw many children wearing their own traditional cultural dress and Indigenous colours, or wearing orange as a symbol of harmony.

Year 5 and 6 classes celebrated Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians, the parish church at Narre Warren, acknowledging this significant day in our nation’s calendar.

Prayer and celebrations create opportunities for us all to come together to promote our cultural diversity, helping to build acceptance and understanding of other cultures.

Our midday prayer during the week involved classes gathering in their learning

spaces and listening to adramatic dialogue lead byYear 6 students.

This sketch carried a strongmessage regarding whySorry Day is an importantstep in our country’s journey of healing.

Other activities includedcreating pinwheels whichproved to be a popularactivity with buddy grades.

The older children assistedtheir younger buddy to write their thoughts about peace,tolerance and living inharmony with others. On thereverse side a visual wasillustrated to express theirfeelings.

Students installed thepinwheels around the schoolgrounds.

The intention is for thespinning of the pinwheels inthe wind to spread thoughtsand feelings of peace.

Mary MacKillop PrimarySchool successfullypromoted communityharmony and celebrated themany cultures that makesour school so vibrant.

Celebrating cultural diversity


THIS group of children are wearing the national dress of Germany (Georgia, back left), Chile (Raphael, back right), India (Rishabh, front left), Fiji (Ekisha, front second from left), Chile (Nathaniel, front right), and Taiwan (Grace, front second from right) - Grace says “I love to wear special dresses from where I was born, and I am learning Chinese so I can visit Taiwan again one day”.

DANIEL is dressed as a Gondolier from Venice. He has a Nona from Italy, and he says, “It was fun to dress up as a gondolier, because I’m from Australia but my background is Italian – and German too”.

Page 12 - Catholic Life, June 2016 Around Catholic Schools 4

Music education is integralENGAGING students in holistic learning is very important to the community of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Orbost.

Music Education is an integral part of the teaching and learning program and bears much fruit in developing confi dence and creativity.

Developing life skills like perseverance, problem solving and working as a team, essential in music classes, has a positive impact on the student’s ability to achieve learning outcomes across the curriculum.

Local families are invited to bring their young children along to playgroup each Thursday.

They participate in a range of activities including the Puppets and Play Program and the Beat Boppers Music Program. Hearing and engaging with stories, singing, dancing and playing instruments together assists with socialisation. Developing an understanding of beat, rhythm and pattern, and an ability to interact

positively, is most benefi cial as children approach formal learning at school. Enhanced opportunities for successful school entry and capacity for immediate engagement with learning are experienced by children who participate in this program.

All students attending St Joseph’s participate in weekly music lessons where they continue to embrace activities to develop their understanding of musical concepts and their capacity to play a range of instruments. They are exposed to rich texts through song and embrace many creative opportunities in composition, circus skills and performance. Opportunities for individual and small group tuition are provided with many students choosing to learn to play guitar, ukulele, keyboard or drums.

Personal and interpersonal learning goals are often achieved in this space. It is indeed wonderful to see students striving to master a new skill, sharing developed

skills, encouraging each other and celebrating success!


HAYLEY Stewart and Cy Cameron playing the ukulele.

LACHLAN Carey and Kaylee Cameron are playing a marimba.


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Bishops urge a vote for the voiceless on July 2

AUSTRALIANS are again going to the polls.

We do so thankful that the electoral process will be free of the violence found elsewhere.

Our political system may have its problems but we have a stable democracy, which is not to be taken for granted. Nor is the quality of those who put themselves forward for election to the Federal parliament. We are in their debt for their willingness to serve.

During the long election campaign there will be much talk about the economy and the need for good economic management at a time of some uncertainty. Both sides of politics will state their economic credentials in a bid to win power.

The economy of course is important and there does need to be sound management. But, as Pope Francis has pointed out, there is also a danger that the economy can become a kind of false god to which even human beings have to be sacrifi ced.

This leads to what the Pope has called the throwaway culture - a culture of over-consumption where all kinds of things are thrown away, wasted, even human beings.

The voices of the thrown-away people will not be heard in the long and rowdy campaign. Their faces will not be seen in all the advertising. Yet unless their voices are somehow heard and their faces seen, we will not have a truly human society in which economic management serves human beings rather than the other way round.

That is why we bishops want to speak a word as part

of this campaign - not in order to push an ideological line or simply to defend the Church’s interests but to give a voice to the voiceless and make their faces seen, however briefl y in a statement such as this.

Among the people discarded in this throwaway culture are these:

• Refugees and asylum seekers who are often seen as a problem to be solved rather than as human beings in need of our help.

• Indigenous peoples whose cry for recognition has barely been heard and who suffer injustice at the hands of our justice system.

• The survivors of sexual abuse who have emerged from the shadows and whose voice is now being heard, crying out for redress and healing.

• Those who suffer family violence who are often unseen and unheard, behind closed doors with nowhere to go and no-one to turn to.

• Those in the womb who are among the most defenceless, at risk of being deprived of the most basic of all human rights, the right to live.

• The elderly who are seen at times as an economic burden now that they are unable to “produce” or consume in the way the economy demands.

• Those suffering mental illness who seem not to fi t in with accepted patterns of social behaviour and are often presumed to contribute nothing to society, thus ending up in the too-hard basket.

• Those suffering addiction who can see no way out of the destructive grasp

of alcohol or other drugs, gambling or pornography.

• Those entrapped in new forms of slavery who are the victims of sexual or workplace enslavement.

• The desperately poor beyond our shores who look to wealthy Australia for the help they need - often simply to survive - but fi nd our nation less and less generous.

There are others in our community, near and far, whose voices are unheard, whose faces are unseen. They are seen as politically irrelevant. They will not decide any marginal seats or determine the result of the election.

Yet any society is ultimately judged not on how well it manages the economy but on how well it treats the thrown-away people.

Who then are the people unheard and unseen? What does it mean for Australia to care for them? If we fail to ask these questions and to try to answer them, then much that goes on in this or any other election campaign will be political theatre that does not address the real issues.

But it is not just individual people who are thrown away. The same can happen to the environment, both social and natural. At the heart of a healthy social environment there is marriage and the family.

Yet political decisions can end up undermining marriage and providing less and less support for families despite a rhetoric that claims otherwise.

The fact is that economic decisions have been less and less favorable to families in recent years; and it may be that political decisions in the future will undermine further the dignity and uniqueness of marriage as a lifelong union of man and woman.

Support for marriage and the family does not look a big vote-

winner, so that even the most basic human institution, upon which the health of a society depends, can become part of the throwaway culture or at best an optional extra.

Pope Francis has said that the earth too cries out for justice at this time. The natural environment - the land we live on, the air we breathe, the water we drink - even this can become voiceless, so that the earth’s cry for justice can go unheard.

Now is the time to act, so that the natural environment is able to meet human needs rather than be sacrifi ced to the god of the economy. We need an economy that is truly human, not falsely divinised.

This does not mean divinising the natural world, but it does mean treating it with respect and seeing it as a gift to be received gratefully rather than as a resource to be plundered at will.

Neither can we as Christians afford to be voiceless through this campaign. On all kinds of issues we need to make our voices heard. But to do that we will have to listen fi rst - not only to the voice of the voiceless, but even to the voice of God. That is why for Christians and others

prayer is an essential part of this long journey to the election.

By prayer, we mean fi rst listening to God who has a word to speak in all this - the God who is neither voiceless nor faceless. If we can listen to God’s voice, then there is a chance that we might be able to speak with a voice that is not just our own.

To listen to God and to the voiceless is in the end the same thing. In hearing their voice, we can hear the voice of God. That is where the real God is; that is how the real God communicates.

We hope that this campaign - for Christians at least and especially for Christian politicians - will be a time not of spin and bombast but a time of wise and true speaking that comes from deep and humble listening.

Then our vote may be a vote in favor of a community where no-one is thrown away, where all the voices are heard and all the faces seen.

By Monica Huffer

MOE - Together we are creating a healthy school

St Kieran’s Primary School Moe has been focusing on creating a healthy school environment.

Our health and wellbeing team consisting of staff, student and parent representatives was formed as part of the Healthy Together Victoria Achievement Program.

Monica Huffer, Family School Partnership Convenor, explained that after many years of hard work and dedication and with the support of Latrobe Community Health Service and Latrobe City, our school has now completed the ‘Celebrate’ stage under the program.

As a result, we have been recognised as a ‘healthy school’, having successfully demonstrated meeting the benchmarks for the physical activity and sun protection health priority areas of the achievement program.

In recognition of this work,

our school has received certifi cates and health priority icons to attach to our outdoor sign.

This is such a great opportunity for staff, students and parents to work together to improve the

health and wellbeing of our school community.

Our dedicated team will continue their great work to achieve the other six benchmarks set out under the program.

Creating a healthy school

Australian bishops’ election statement

PRINCIPAL Peter McKenna with Will, Lachlan, Caige, Ben and parent representative Tammie Bertrand with the healthy school sign.

BISHOP Pat O’Regan has been appointed the Australian representative on the International Commission on English in the Liturgy.

He was appointed at the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference plenary meeting in Sydney last month.

He will replace of Archbishop Denis Hart who is stepping down in the near future.

The conference also approved a proposal for the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ Eternal High Priest and will seek the confi rmation of the Holy See for the celebration of the feast day on the Thursday after

Pentecost. Bishop O’Regan, as chair of

the Bishops’ Commission for Liturgy, noted that two advisory bodies of the commission, the National Liturgical Architecture and Art Board and the National Liturgical Music Board have recently produced publications that would serve as the principal resources for liturgical art, architecture and music in Australia.

The publications are: And When Churches are to be Built …’: Preparation, Planning and Construction of Places of Worship, and the Catholic Worship Book II.

Bishop appointed to ICEL


Catholic Ed. Week at MoeBy Emily Haesler

MOE - St. Kieran’s Catholic Primary School celebrated Catholic Education Week participating in activities that centred around three words; Love, Compassion and Mercy.

The grades prep, ones and twos focused on the word ‘Love’ and culminated all the activities in a beautiful Mother’s Day liturgy that celebrated the gifts of our mother’s and those in our lives that act and care for us as mothers.

The liturgy had refl ections about our mothers, prayers for them and beautiful poems.

The grade three/ four focused on the word ‘compassion’ and explored how we show this to both people close to us, and to those in other wider communities.

They explored a number of acts of compassion that we show in our day to day lives, and how we can show and receive reconciliation to those we interact with.

The Grade 5-6 classes explored ‘Mercy’ in detail about what the ‘year of Mercy’ is in the Church. They explored the teaching of Pope Francis and how he would like schools and the church to implement

these in our lives.The week was a wonderful

time to celebrate those in our school and church community and the many wonderful things that we have been doing.

Quick calendar

What’s on & whenJUNE17 - 60th anniversary

of ordination for Fr Tom O’Connell20 – World Refugee Day (UN)24 – Birthday of John the

Baptist24 – End of Term Two25 – Ordination of Tao Pham

to Diaconate, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, 10am.

JULY3 – National Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Sunday – NAIDOC Week begins11 – Term Three begins22 – Feast of St Mary

Magdalen22 - 60th anniversary of

ordination of Fr John Readman25-31 – World Youth Day,

Krakow, Poland

AUGUST6 – Transfi guration of the

Lord8 – Feast of St Mary of the

Cross MacKillop11 – Feast of St Clare15 – The Assumption17 – West region meeting,

Berwick Parish Centre, 10.30am for 11am start18 – Valley region meeting, St

Mary’s, Yarram, noon22 – Queenship of Mary

SEPTEMBER4 – Father’s Day4 – Canonisation of Blessed

Teresa of Kolkata (Mother Teresa)5-7 - Australasian Catholic

Press Association conference, Sydney8 – Birthday of Blessed Virgin

Mary9 – East region meeting,

Bairnsdale, 10am for 10.30 start9 - 40th anniversary of

ordination of Permanent Deacon Jim Erskine10 – Ordination of Deacon

Tao Pham to priesthood, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne16 – Term Three ends

19-23 Sale Diocese clergy in-service23 – Feast of St Pio of

Pietrelcina27 – Feast of St Vincent de

Paul30 – AFL grand fi nal eve

public holiday

OCTOBER1 – AFL Grand Final 2 – Daylight saving begins

(Clocks forward one hour)2 – Centenary celebrations

of CWL Victoria and Wagga Wagga, Melbourne3 – Term our begins10 – World Mental Health

Day (UN)12 – South Region meeting,

Wonthaggi, 11.15am15 – Feast of St Theresa of

Avila21 – Valley region meeting, St

Kieran’s, Moe, noon22 – Memorial of St John Paul

II31 – All Saints Eve

(Halloween)

NOVEMBER1 – All Saints Day1 – Melbourne Cup2 – All Souls Day8 – East region meeting,

Orbost, 10am for 10.30 start9 – West region meeting,

Berwick Parish Centre, 10.30am for 11am start11 – Remembrance Day21 – Presentation of the

Blessed Virgin Mary22-25 – Australian Catholic

Bishop’s Conference plenary meeting, Sydney

DECEMBER3 – Feast of St Francis Xavier4 – Valley region Christmas

lunch, Morwell8 – Immaculate Conception19 - 50th anniversary of

ordination of Fr Bernie Mahony25 – Christmas Day26 – Boxing Day27 – Public holiday in lieu of

Christmas Day31 – New Year’s Eve

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NEWBOROUGH - St Mary’s Primary School along with the 43 other Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sale, celebrated Catholic Education Week from April 29 to May 6.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is ‘God’s Mercy is from age to age’.

As Catholic schools, we are called to do more than just pass on the faith: we are invited to translate our faith into deeds so we are truly living God’s Word. Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools to celebrate our distinctive mission and share things that are special about our schools to highlight our ethos with families, parish and the wider community.

On May 5, Michael Walter from the Youth and Education Team of St Vinnies based in Melbourne led a workshop on Catholic Social Teaching for Year 3-6 students at St Mary’s Newborough.

The workshop and activity highlighted how Catholic social teaching is a central

and essential element of our faith and how it is built on a commitment to the poor.

Students were engaged in

the presentation where they explored how we can view the world through the lens of love, compassion and respect. It was great to see students listening attentively to the information and asking thought provoking questions based on the principles of Catholic social teaching.

Michael presented the students with real world examples of the principles of Catholic social teaching that made them think about products they buy and the impact they could have on the poor and disadvantaged in other parts of the world.

Students were also given a hand cut-out so they could write a message of hope to asylum seekers.

St Mary’s hopes students will live out the values of the Catholic Church, regardless of culture and faith, promote justice and treat everyone with human dignity.

ANJELO and Alaynna with mum Francisca, Jake with mum Lidia, Joel and Evie with mum Katie

ST Vincent de Paul youth and education team representative Michael Walter and teacher Lidia Vincent with three members of St Mary’s Young Vinnies with the hands they used to write messages of hope for asylum seekers.

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Superannuation still the best wayTHE recent Federal Budget introduced the most changes to superannuation rules in many years.

We’ve heard all sorts of comments about the changes, mostly negative with regard to super, although some admit the reality of the situation. Some even said that it would destroy super itself.

In superannuation, a member can have two types of account. There’s the accumulation account, where the member is still making contributions, and then, if they are drawing a pension, there’s the pension account.

No contributions can be made to a pension account, so to increase the funds in such an account, it has to be closed, converted to an accumulation account, funds contributed and then a new pension fund established.

There’s the normal pension account for someone who has retired that must pay at least a nominated percentage of the capital according to the benefi ciary’s age, and a Transition to Retirement Pension (TRP).

The TRP is payable to someone who’s not yet retired but has reached the preservation age. This age varies according to when a benefi ciary was born, but is between age 55 and age 60. Pension funds have been tax-free and those paying a TRP have been tax free on that part of the fund that supports the TRP.

Someone can make two types of contribution to an accumulation account – a before tax payment, called a concessional contribution, and a contribution from other after tax money, a non-concessional contribution.

The changes made in the recent budget affect both the accumulation phase and also the pension phase, and for the fi rst time there was a degree of retrospectivity introduced as well.

Limiting pension funds – not accumulation funds – to a

balance of $1.6 million is an interesting one. It only applies to less than three percent of the population at present, so in reality it’s not overall a signifi cant number of people.

In these cases, the excess funds must be returned to an accumulation fund and then will be taxed at the usual rate (currently 15 percent). For instance, when the rules take effect, a $2.5 million fund now earning 5 percent will incur extra tax of $6750. That’s only an increase in tax of 0.027 percent.

If most of the income is franked dividends then there’s a high likelihood of the fund actually getting a tax refund.

The government has also removed the tax concessions for the TRP and the fund will have no tax benefi t if it’s paying a TRP.

Presently it can be very tax advantageous by taking a TRP either tax free of tax credited at 15 percent, and then salary sacrifi cing the same or more back to an accumulation fund on a pre-tax basis.

This is a standard strategy that allows an increase in super without affecting the benefi ciary’s cash position. There’s now no extra benefi t in taking a TRP just to reduce tax or increase super.

The government also has introduced a new lifetime cap of $500,000 per person of non-concessional contributions, and this is back dated to 1 July 2007.

People who have already exceeded this amount prior to Budget night won’t have to withdraw any funds, but future non-concessional contributions are not allowed.

Again, this doesn’t affect most people (the limits are

indexed) and as it replaces the current $180,000 per year limit, some people over the age of 65 will benefi t.

What disappoints me the most is the across-the-board reduction in allowable concessional contributions to a limit of $25,000 annually.

Those aged above 50 have had their allowed contributions reduced by nearly 30 percent.

Most people under the age of 45 will have trouble contributing $25,000 a year anyway, what with children and mortgages only just starting to become manageable.

However, contributing as much as you can to superannuation as early as possible is still the best way to prepare for your retirement, and these recent changes haven’t altered that fact one iota.

Don’t listen to those who will say that this has destroyed superannuation. It may hurt some superannuation advisors, but what is left (assuming the Liberal government is returned) is still far better than any alternative for most of us.

NOTE: Space doesn’t allow me to comment on all the effects of the changes in this article. I invite readers who have any specifi c questions to email me on [email protected] with their question and contact details and I will respond.

Berwick students travel to cathedral for MassSALE - St Michael’s Primary School, Berwick school leaders represented their school at the Diocesan Students’ Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sale.

Celebrated by Bishop Pat O’Regan with the assistance of Fr Jeff Kleynjans, the Mass drew representatives from many of the Catholic primary schools and secondary colleges in the Diocese of Sale.

The Mass commenced with student representatives from each school processing in with their school banner and the St Francis Xavier College students led the congregation in song.

It was a memorable experience for St Michael’s students, Kyna, Grace, Lydia and Kellen who were privileged to meet the bishop after Mass.

The bishop was then treated

to an impromptu performance by Kellen singing the song he wrote for the Bishop on his ordination last year.

The students displayed great respect by embracing their faith which nurtured an important component of these students’ holistic development, their spiritual development

SCHOOL leaders from St Michael's, Berwick, meet with Bishop Pat O'Regan at St Mary's Cathedral.

19 bishops to World Youth DayNINETEEN Australian bishops including Bishop of Sale Pat O'Regan will pack their bags for World Youth Day next month, proving age is no barrier to participation in the World’s largest youth event.

The faith fi lled festival will take place in Krakow, Poland

from July 25 – 31, with more than 2500 Australian pilgrims attending including teachers, chaplains, youth leaders and those who may be unsure about their faith.

Half of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference will participate in World Youth Day celebrating St John Paul’s vision for young people, renewed again with the presence of Pope Francis.

ACBC president Archbishop Denis Hart said “World Youth Day is a unique opportunity for young people to deepen their faith and unity with the Pope and with each other. It is often a life-changing experience.

“During the fi ve World Youth Days that I have attended, I have found my faith encouraged by the joy and deepening faith of beautiful young people.”

The main goal of WYD is to tell young people about the message of Jesus Christ and to provide, in the context of a joyful meeting with the Pope, opportunities to encounter the face of Christ.

As millions of pilgrims from around the world gather in Krakow, World Youth Day is a testimony of the living Church and a sign of faith and hope for the future.

In this special Year of Mercy, the theme of World Youth Day

is Blessed are the merciful; for they shall receive mercy(Matthew 5:7).

On Tuesday July 26, anAustralian gathering isscheduled to take place inKrakow, Poland with more than 2500 Australian pilgrims joining the Australian bishops, the Australian Ambassador to Poland, representatives fromthe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Cosmostour operator staff and ACBC support. This will be followed by the opening Mass of World Youth Day.

Pope Francis will arrive onJuly 28 and the way of thecross will be held the following afternoon. A vigil Mass willtake place on July 30 and onSunday morning July 31, the fi nal Papal Mass will concludethe international event.

Bishops and pilgrims will arrive in Krakow after spending some time on various group pilgrimages, which include walking through the HolyDoors at St Peter’s Basilica inRome, reliving the scriptures by travelling through the Holy Land and tracing the footsteps of Pope John Paul II across Poland.

• This report is intended to provide general advice. In preparing this advice, David Wells and Shaw and Partners did not take into account the investment objective, the fi nancial situation and particular needs of any particular person. Before making an investment decision on the basis of this advice, you need to consider, with or without the assistance of an adviser, whether the advice is appropriate in light of your particu-lar investment needs, objectives and fi nancial circumstances.

PAKENHAM - Two Gippsland-born women have returned to the Sale Diocese to provide family counselling services in Pakenham for CatholicCare Gippsland.

They are Cathy Dixon and Carmel Sparkes.

Cathy was born in Mirboo North where her parents had a

dairy farm and originally took up teaching as a career.

However, after her children were born she retrained as a psychologist and began work in Melbourne with Catholic Family Welfare Services, which was the forerunner of CatholicCare.

She also worked with Sale

Diocese running pre-marriage education programs and about 18 years ago was involved in establishing the Honeymoon and Beyond program for this diocese.

She fi lled in as a counsellor at Pakenham a few times last year but following reorganisation of Melbourne offi ces, has been

placed at the Pakenham offi ce for four days a week since March.

Carmel Sparkes was born in Pakenham and grew up at Nar Nar Goon, and attended Our Lady of Sion College, Warragul, before becoming a primary teacher.

She studied a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) as a mature aged student and moved into family counselling.

She was at the Mitcham offi ce but transferred to Pakenham three days a week in April.

As family counsellors the two

women provide a full range ofcounselling services for couples, families, multi generationalunits and individuals.

Some people may benefi t from a single session or itmay take several sessions ofcounselling before the results become obvious.

CatholicCare provides services to the whole community, not just Catholics,and also has counsellors available in Sale, Warragul andTraralgon. To make a bookingor enquire call the toll free number 1800 522 076.


Clergy visits St JOG hospital

ST John of God Berwick Hospital invited Bishop Pat O’Regan and priests and pastoral associates from the western region of the Sale Diocese to visit the hospital on May 19. The objective was to make connections and build stronger relationships between the hospital and the wider church community to ensure St John of God can best support its patients and community. Hospital staff were able to update the group about its redevelopment, the progress of the build and the bigger plans to serve the Casey, Cardinia and surrounding area into the future.

BERWICK - While construction of the new $120 million St John of God Hospital is forging ahead on the Kangan Drive site, there is also much work going on behind the scenes.

Gembrook designer and woodwork artist Mike Wyschard is busy creating furniture for the new chapel.

Most items are being constructed from Australian native timers such as rosewood and myrtle.

The altar and lectern have been fi nished and he is well into construction of other items including a blue glass holy water font set into a wooden stand and a striking carving of Mary.

Mr Wyschard runs Orchard Art studio.

PICTURED TOP: The simple but stylish altar ready for the hospital’s chapel.

LEFT: An unfi nished carving of Mary which will be a feature of the chapel

Chapel furniture underway

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Pakenham family counsellors have local links

CATHOLICCARE counsellors at Pakenham Cathy Dixon (left) and Carmel Sparkes.


world news ... world news ...

Syrian children celebrate international day of peaceBy Eva-Maria Kolmann

THOUSANDS of children of all denominations gathered in several Syrian cities on June 1 to celebrate International Children’s Day as a prayer day for peace.

In Homs, this was the fi rst public event held with children since the liberation of the city.

From there, the Christian television station Tele Lumière broadcast the initiative all over the Middle East.

More than 700 children dressed in white gathered

together with the Catholic and Orthodox bishops in what was once a city under siege, a city in which Jesuit Fr Frans van der Lugt was murdered in April of 2014. They made their way through the city in a procession, stopping to pray together at the churches of the various Christian denominations.

Bishop Abdo Arbach, the Melkite Greek Catholic Bishop of Homs, held an address that has been relayed to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

He said “We have had enough

of war, of destruction, of child traffi cking. We want to live, we want to enrich our children with a good upbringing. We will never accept that they have to live without hope and far away from their homes!”

He appealed to the international community “That this war may end and that they act as per human rights charter and children’s rights. God, give us peace!”

The destroyed Melkite Greek Catholic cathedral, which is consecrated to Our Lady, Queen of Peace, was adorned with a monumental poster of the Infant Jesus of Prague.

In the Melkite cathedral, the bishops joined the children in a prayer to the Infant Jesus. Bishop Arbach said that the Infant Jesus was the source of peace for the children and the country because His greeting was ‘Peace be with you’.”

Similar events, which continued throughout the day, were also simultaneously held in Damascus, Tartus, Marmarita and Aleppo.

Maronite Bishop of Latakia and Tartus, Mons. Antoine Chbeir said “We hope that the initiative of these children spreads and many other children all over the world pray

for peace.” In Tartus, children also

showed posters they had drawn, in which they asked for prayers for peace as well as the end of terrorism and the war in Syria.

During the Angelus prayer on May 29, Pope Francis had invited children all over the

world to join the children inSyria in their prayer for peace.

The Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs of the country issued a joint message calling uponchildren to observe this prayerday, which began as an initiativeof Aid to the Church in Need.

UNITED STATES - When Deacon Joseph Jensen entered Our Lady of Good Counsel Passionist Seminary in Warrenton, Missouri, in the late 1950s, he realised he was the only student in his class who had read the Bible.

Deacon Jensen, now a lecturer in biblical studies at Georgetown University in Washington, credited his Seventh-day Adventist grandfather with exposing him to Scripture. Largely though, he said, “I grew up with the idea that Catholics didn’t read the Bible.”

Such a common misconception could be

changing.A new State of the Bible

Survey by the American BibleSociety found that 77 per cent of Catholics want to read theBible more often. Although the percentage has fl uctuatedin recent years, it refl ects an 8percent increase since January 2013, just before Pope Francis’ election.

US mission director Jason Malec told Catholic NewsService “There’s some very encouraging data on Catholics thanks to the so-called Francis effect.”

The American Bible Society has responded to Catholics’ growing interest in Scripture with new resources such asdigital lectio divina, an online version of the traditionalCatholic method of praying with Scripture. The society uses the survey results todevelop techniques to increaseengagement with the Bible.

The society’s staffers also developed the Build Your Bibletrivia app and a second appso that Catholics can follow along with World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, next month.

“I think it’s both looking forward and reaching back into the past to fi nd new waysand rediscover ancient ways ofengaging with the Scripture for an emerging generation.”

More Catholics are reading the Bible

ITALY - An Italian sect centred on the worship of an alleged apparition of the child Jesus which is gathered around the son-in-law of the seer has been found guilty of schism and been excommunicated.

The news was announced in a June 5 statement from the Diocese of Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo, where the sect is based. Issuing the decree required the approval of the Pope.

The group, the Universal Christian Church of the New Jerusalem, is based in Gallinaro,

a town of central Italy located 25km southeast of Sora.

There, Giuseppina Norcia reportedly saw an apparition of the child Jesus in 1947. This was followed by subsequent apparitions in 1974, and her family built a chapel on the site the following year.

The June 5 statement from the Sora diocese stated that “the group called the ‘Child Jesus of Gallinaro’ or ‘New Jerusalem’ is committed to spreading false religious doctrines and teachings that distort the Bible and are outside the truth of the

sacred text.”The statement also notes

that “the doctrinal position of the group is clearly against the Catholic faith, as it obliges the faithful not to receive sacraments, to disapprove of the Pope’s teaching and authority, not to entertain relations with priests and their parish communities, and not to observe ecclesiastical discipline.”

The abuse constitutes schism, a crime with an automatic penalty, technically called latae sententiae excommunication.

Italian sect excommunicated

New Vatican council for laityPOPE Francis has established a new Vatican congregation for the laity, family and life in response to a proposal made by his nine-member advisory Council of Cardinals.

The new congregation will merge existing Vatican offi ces into a single unit, with the goal of streamlining and co-ordinating activities and at the same time emphasising the importance of the Vatican’s policies involving family and life issues.

As a congregation, the offi ce will be at the top level of the Vatican’s administrative structure.

Suggestions for a single dicastery to handle family issues – combining functions that are now handled by the Pontifi cal Council for the Laity, the Pontifi cal Council for the Family, the Pontifi cal Academy for Life, and other offi ces – have been under discussion since the start of this pontifi cate.

The Council of Cardinals fi nalised a proposal for the new offi ce in February of this year, submitting it to Pope Francis for approval.

The dicastery, which the Pope has approved on an experimental basis, will offi cially come into being on September 1, at which point the Pontifi cal Council for the Laity and the Pontifi cal Council for the Family will be suppressed.

The new dicastery, according to the Holy See Press Offi ce, will

be “presided over by a prefect, assisted by a secretary, who may be a layperson, and three lay undersecretaries”. The Pope did not name offi cials of the new dicastery. Although some Vatican-watchers had suggested that the top position could be assigned to a lay Catholic or even a married couple, the Vatican announcement of the new offi ce indicated that it would be headed by a prefect – presumably a cardinal or archbishop.

The press offi ce said the section for the laity will “encourage the promotion of the vocation and mission of the lay faithful in the Church and in the world, as individuals, married or unmarried, or as members of associations, movements and

communities.” The section for the family

will “promote family pastoral ministry, protect its dignity and well-being based on the sacrament of marriage, and will promote its rights and responsibility in the Church and in civil society, so that the family institution may be increasingly able to perform its functions in both ecclesial and social context.”

The section for life, the press offi ce added, will support and co-ordinate activities to encourage responsible procreation and the protection of human life from conception to natural end, bearing in mind the needs of the person in the different phases of development.

CHILDREN in Homs gather together in the destroyed MelkiteGreek Catholic cathedral for prayer and activities on the International Day of the Child - © Aid to the Church in Need

CATHOLIC and Orthodox representatives lighting candles for peace during the prayer service. - © Aid to the Church in Need


For the Young and Young at HeartTime for a laugh

A DRUNK gets on a bus, staggers down the aisle and sits next to an elderly lady.

She looks the man up and down and announces loudly “I’ve got news for you. You are going straight to hell.”

Suddenly the drunk gets up and lurches forward shouting “Stop. I’m on the wrong bus.”

LITTLE Johnny was practising the violin in the living room while his father was trying to read the paper.

When the screeching sound of the beginner’s efforts reached the ears of the family dog it started to howl.

The father listened to the dog and violin as long as he could, but eventually could take no more. “For pity’s sake, can’t you play something the dog doesn’t know!”

AN elderly couple were going on a holiday of a lifetime and were in a queue to board the boat when the old lady announced “I wish we had brought the kitchen table.”

Her husband replied “You’ve already packed too much.”

“I know,” said the wife “but the tickets are on the kitchen table.”

WHAT do you have if you’ve got a dyslexic agnostic insomniac?

Someone who sits up all night wondering if there is a dog! (Think about it)

THE motorcycle policeman draws up beside a car being driven by an elderly lady who is steering her car with her elbows so that her hands were free to do some knitting.

“Pull over,” shouts the policeman.“No,” replies the lady. “It’s a scarf.”

A LITTLE boy came home crying after his fi rst day at school.

“Mummy, they called me a three-headed monster!”

“There, there, there,” replied mum.

A MAN asked his parish priest if he could offer a funeral Mass for his dog which died yesterday.

The priest was outraged. “We don’t offer funeral Masses for animals here. You might try that new religion down the road.”

The man thought for a while and said “how much do you think I should give them for giving my dog a decent send-off. Do you think $1000 would be enough?”

“Now wait a minute,” said the priest, “you didn’t say the poor dog was a Catholic.”

A MAN on a bike was stopped at the border by custom offi cers assigned to investigate goods transported across country borders.

He carried a bag of sand which they suspected might contain drugs.

After searching through the sand, the customs offi cer found nothing and therefore let him go.

The next day this man was stopped with his bike and a bag of sand and the same process carried out.

Again, he was let through whennothing illegal was found.

This sequence carried on for threeyears.

One day both men retired and they met in a bar in the border town.

“Tell me,” said the customs offi cer,“I promise I will not tell anyone; but what were you smuggling all thoseyears?”

Surprised, the man, laughed andshrugged. “Bicycles.”

THERE once was a man called Odd.He had been teased about his name

all his life and so told his friends thatafter he died he didn’t want peoplestill making fun of his name.

He asked that he be buried with ablank tombstone.

And so it was done. Now whenpeople walking around the cemetery see the blank tombstone they remark “That’s odd.”

WHAT chord would a piano make if it was accidentally dropped down a mine shaft?

A fl at miner.

AN elderly patient gets hearing aidsfrom a doctor. After short time, hemeets the doctor again.

Doctor, “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased.”

Patient, “Oh, I am in a funnysituation now. I haven’t told myfamily yet. I just sit and listen totheir conversations. In a month, I’vechanged my will three times!”

A SOLICITOR was well intoa lengthy cross-examination of awitness, stopped and said: “I object,Your Honor! One of the jurors isasleep.”

The Judge ruled: “You put him to sleep... You wake him up.”

DAD to daughter: “Were you agood girl at school today?”

Daughter: “I was. How much trouble can you get into when youare standing in the corner outside theprincipal’s offi ce all day?”

THE old bushie was fi nallyconvinced by relatives that he should install a television set.

He organised for the store to bring out a television and set up the aerial.They showed him how to switch iton and off and how to change thechannels and volume setting.

Next morning he called the storeand complained the television wasnot working properly.

“I switched it on last night and everychannel was full of politicians!”

TWO elderly nuns got in the cartogether and one said to the other“You drive and I’ll pray.”

“Don’t you trust my driving?” askedthe second nun.

“Don’t you trust my praying?” saidthe fi rst.

Colour in the animals

OH no! The zookeeper left the gates open and all the animals are in the one enclosure. Colour them in so the zookeeper can fi nd them and put them back where they belong.

Test your knowledge1. What was Sale originally

called?

2. Who was the fi rst Bishop of Sale?

3. How many arms or tentacles does a squid have?

4. Which 17th Century explorer was buried with a pipe and a box of tobacco?

5. What colour is the bull or central ring of an archery target?

6. What is a paddymelon?

7. Which of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World is still standing?

8. How many countries are larger than Australia in area?

9. Where was Ned Kelly’s “last stand?”

10. Katu Tjuta used to be called what?

11. What is Matilda in the song Waltzing Matilda?

12. Which stroke starts a swimming medley?

Check your answers below.11-12 correct, Excellent (sign up

for Who Wants to be a Millionaire), 9-10 Good, 7-8 Average.

1. Flooding Creek.2. Bishop James Corbett.3. 10. An octopus has eight.4. Sir Walter Raleigh who was credited with

bringing tobacco back from the Americas and introducing Europeans to smoking,

5. Gold.6. Two correct answers to this one. It is a small

marsupial of the kangaroo family (also spelt pademelon) and a small watermelon-like plant which

grows in arid regions of Australia.7. The Great Pyramid of Giza. (Don’t ask us why

the Sphinx, which is older, is not on the list.)8. Five. Russia, Canada, China, USA and Brazil.9. Glenrowan, although technically he last stood

on the trapdoor of the gallows at Old Melbourne Gaol.10. The Olgas. These are the ancient rocks in

central Australia near Uluru. (Ayers Rock)11. The swagman’s swag.12. Backstroke

The answers


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VOCATIONSPriests &Deacons

Are you considering a vocation as a priest or

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If so please contactFr Peter Bickley

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HOLY SPIRIT You whomakes me see everything andshows me the way to reachmy ideals, you who gives me adivine gift to forgive and forgetthe wrong that is done to me;in this short dialogue I want tothank you for everything andaffi rm once more that I neverwant to be separated from you,no matter how great the materialdesire may be. I want to be withyou and my loved ones in Yourperpetual Glory. (Mention yourrequest). Thank you Holy Spiritfor your love towards me andmy loved one. Amen

This prayer should be saidfor 3 consecutive days. Afterthe 3rd day the request will begranted, no matter how diffi cultit may be. While making therequest one must either prom-ise to publish on granting thefavour or promise to circulatecopies of it to as many peopleas possible. This is to spread thewonder of the Holy Spirit.

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To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and hum-bly beg you to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked.

St Jude pray for us and all who invoke your aid. Amen.

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EMMAUS CO-ORDINATOREmmaus Ministry of Spirituality, in the Diocese of Sale,

seeks a Co-ordinator of Ministry. This is a permanent part-time role, two days per week (or the equivalent) for two years from the time of contract, based in Newborough.

The responsibilities of this role include planning and implementing the programs of the Emmaus ministry in the diocese of Sale and managing a small team of spiritual directors. This ministry of Ignatian Spirituality is sponsored by the Diocese of Sale and the Campion Centre of Ignatian Spirituality in Kew, Melbourne (Society of Jesus). The person in this position works under the guidance of the Emmaus Reference Committee.

For further information, contact Fr Iain Radvan sj at Campion CIS ([email protected])

situation vacant

prayer


MacKillop College musical is All Shook Up

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A priest visiting the sick in Peru

Every confessor must accept the faithful as the father in the parable of the prodigal son. Confessors are called to embrace the repentant son who comes home and to express the joy of having him back again.

Chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God, Mary, from the outset, was prepared by the love of God to be the Ark of the Covenant between God and man. She treasured divine mercy in her heart in perfect harmony with her son Jesus. The red and white beads represent the rays of light of the Divine Mercy.

By Sam Wright

FOR those of our community that were lucky enough to get along to Wonthaggi Arts Centre to view the Mary MacKillop College school musical they were subject to a fabulous and phenomenally engaging whole school production.

2015 saw the return of the school musical to the college after 15 years and a high standard was set with Fame last year which was then built upon by an even more successful production of All Shook Up.

All Shook Up is the story of how a guitar playing roustabout rides into a square little town in a square little state and changes everything and everyone he meets.

It is a hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy that’ll have you jumpin’ out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock and Don’t Be Cruel.

From early on in the year the production team, cast and crew were assembled and have built momentum throughout a hectic short fi rst term to go from strength to strength.

The participation across the school was truly amazing, from the VCAL classes building the sets, art classes painting, fashion classes with the costumes, students in the band, lighting, front-of-house, cast

and crew the combined effort has been tremendous.

On the weekend of the production the cast stole the show.

Packed out evening performances, raucous laughter,

much applause and a general pride in the accomplishment of our school community.

We were even lucky enough to have both Fr Aju Varghese and Fr Janeesh Puthenpurackal come along with Bishop Pat

O’Regan to enjoy the show. The cast itself was made up

of young men and women some Yearr 12 students in their fi nal six months of formal schooling and some new Yearr 7’s starting out in secondary school.

We have all year levels represented across all regional areas of the College. Students from Mirboo North, Foster, Inverloch, Korumburra, Leongatha and Wonthaggi have all committed so much time to come together for this production.

Our amazing show would not had been the success it was without the amazing effect of the production team. The local media summarised their commitment and performance as “above and beyond” and “phenomenal”.

A school musical does notcome about without the passion, dedication and enthusiasm of a team like this.

What I would really like tothank them especially for is the experience, challenge andlifelong skills you all modelled to the students as they takethis journey of sharing anddeveloping their God giventalents.

We have also been fortunatethrough the assistance of broader Mary Mackillop community members. From parents to grandparents we have been blessed by the expertiseprovided.

All families assisting withthe ‘Bump Out’ late Saturday night was a terrifi c example ofcommitment to what we are trying to achieve at the college.

Please donate generously to the appeal for

Trinity Families.The Sale Diocese charity serving the families of

Greater Gippsland.Details at www.trinityfamilies.org.au

Documents

Catholic Life June 2016