Catholic Life - August 2012

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Catholic Life

Publication of the Diocese of Sale

Redemptorist new Ballarat Bishop - Page 3

ISSUE 164

Divine Mercy Shrine in cathedral - Page 5

August 2012

Carnivale launches our WYD effort - Page 10

Saint’s relic tours diocese By Colin Coomber

A RELIC of famous Jesuit missionary St Francis Xavier will visit Sale Diocese on October 5-7. His right forearm is touring Australia from September 16 until December 4 as part of the Australian Church’s Year of

Grace celebrations. The relic will spend a few days in every diocese in the country and it is considered extremely important that it has been allowed to travel here from the principal Jesuit Church of Gisu, Rome. Guards of honor will line the road and entrance to each stop in our diocese.

The forearm is especially significant because it is the arm with which St Francis Xavier blessed and baptised countless people during his lifetime. The relic will be delivered from Sandhurst Diocese on Friday, October 5 and first stop will be at St Patrick’s Church, Pakenham where Bishop Christopher Prowse will

celebrate Mass. Following a liturgy of reception and Mass, the relic will travel to St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale, where there will be an afternoon Mass and the opportunity for quiet time with the relic. It will then return to St Francis Xavier College, Beaconsfield, for a prayer evening, Mass and

overnight vigil. On the Saturday morning, the relic will be moved to Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Narre Warren for prayers and Mass.

Solving school murder is child’s play

IT is not as gruesome as it may seem. Some of these students at Mary MacKillop College, Leongatha may go on to be-

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That afternoon it will go to St Agatha’s Church, Cranbourne, where it is expected that many people from across the diocese will be able to make a pilgrimage. That evening there will be prayer services, Mass and overnight vigil. On the Sunday morning, following early morning prayers the relics will then be transferred to Melbourne Archdiocese. Posters and information will shortly be sent to all parishes in the diocese, and prayer cards will be available at the venues where the relic will be displayed. St Francis Xavier was a Basque who along with his great friend St Ignatius of Loyola were among the founders of the Jesuit Order. He was sent to India in 1541 by King John III of • Continued Page 2


Page 2 - Catholic Life, August 2012

Year of Grace reflection 3: Grace Evangelises F

or a Catholic to evangelise is not something “extra” or “added on” to the Christian life. It is part of the very nature of the Church to be missionary. God SENT his Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. Jesus SENDS us to be His missionaries to the world. Jesus, in the Scripture and in the Catholic Tradition, continually tells us to GO. We are the SENT OUT people of God. We are NOT the SENT IN ones. This is the message of Pentecost, the moment of the first evangelisation. The Holy Spirit continues now by using us to bring people home to Jesus. When the Catholic Bishops of Australia pondered at length on the state of the Catholic Church in Australia, we felt that the Holy Spirit was doing something new amongst us in these troubled times. The Year of Grace, a kind of national “retreat” over a year, is to listen attentively to what the Holy Spirit is doing in our young but ancient land.

To God’s People in the Catholic Diocese of Sale

evangelise in new ways today that really transform the heart of Australians? All of this can only be answered by relying totally on the Grace of God. It is Grace that enables us to evangelise. Only Grace changes human hearts. This topic is not simply a national but also an international focus. The next Synod of Bishops in Rome (October 7-28, 2012) is titled: The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith. Both Archbishop Costelloe of Perth and I have been elected by the Bishops of Australia to participate in this 13th Ordinary General Assembly. Recently the Instrumentum Laboris (the working document) has been published. One aspect of this document is its examination of the term NEW Where is the power of God evangelisation. What is NEW alive in Australia? How can we about evangelisation?

Let us examine what this NEW aspect is NOT. It is not a question of compiling some “new Gospel”. It is not on the level of new doctrine or teaching. It is not negating past genuine efforts to evangelise. Then what is this NEWness? The Instrumentum Laboris states that it is “having the courage to raise again the question of God in these places and situations”, through a witness of faith that restores “a high quality and motivation”. Perhaps the best way of understanding the term NEW EVANGELISATION is returning to the way it was first expressed by Blessed Pope John Paul II to the Latin American Bishops in 1983. “…. new evanglisation; new in its ARDOUR, METHODS and EXPRESSION”. I think we all should reflect on this basic working definition. It would be good

Saint’s relic tours diocese • From Page 1 Portugal to restore Christianity to Portuguese settlers in Goa but expanded his ministry to become a missionary to the whole of Asia. He brought Christianity to various islands which are now part of Philippines and Indonesia, Japan and died on the Chinese Island of Shangchuan on December 3, 1552. He was initially buried on

the beach but his body was exhumed and was temporarily buried at a church in Malacca. In 1553 it was transferred to the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa which has been headquarters for his missionary activities. In 1614 the right forearm was detached from the incorrupt body and taken to Rome where it has been displayed in a silver reliquary at the main Jesuit church.

to see how this “newness” can be translated into practical ways in our diocese as we continue to focus on evangelisation as our basic pastoral thrust in the years ahead.” Of particular interest in the working document are particular areas that are presented as needing a new evangelisation: culture, migration, economics, politics, scientific research and technology, All of this exciting work of new evangelisation must start, as the Year of Grace insists by quoting John Paul II, “by contemplating the Face of Christ”. The contemplative dimension precedes and infuses all we do in the pastoral responses. Let us never forget this. This is the key point that makes all missionary works responses to Grace. Let us pray that Mary, the “Star of the New Evangelisation”, will always point out Jesus to us in the challenging and exciting times ahead. + Bishop Christopher Prowse Catholic Bishop of Sale

Sri Lankan priest for Maffra

He was beatified by Paul V in 1619 and was canonized by Gregory XV in 1622, at the same ceremony as Ignatius of Loyola, and since 1637 his body, minus the arm, has been on display in a glass cabinet in Goa. From 1927 until 1976 when Australia ceased to be a missionary country, St Francis Xavier was co-patron of Australia with St Therese of Lisieux.

A NEWLY arrived Sri Lankan priest has been appointed priest in residence in Maffra, looking after Maffra and Heyfield parishes. Fr Hilarion Fernando OSB is a 62 year old Benedictine priest, with relatives in our diocese.

He has been visiting regularly for several years and Bishop Prowse accepted his offer to serve here for three years to ease our shortage of priests. Maffra and Heyfield will continue to have Fr Andrew Wise as administrator.

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Catholic Life, August 2012 - Page 3

Nuncio coming to open Sion House THE Pope’s representative in Australia Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto will officially open Sion House, Warragul, on September 12. He will arrive in Warragul the previous afternoon and it is hoped that he will be able to visit a school, accompanied by Bishop Christopher Prowse, before the opening of the diocesan headquarters. It will be his third visit to the diocese, having previously attended a retirement function for Bishop-Emeritus Jeremiah Coffey, and then the installation of Bishop Prowse. Archbishop Lazzarotto has been in the Vatican diplomatic

Archbishop Lazzarotto service since 1971, serving in various countries before been appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan and Iraq in 1994, Ire-

Redemptorist is the new Ballarat bishop THE head of Redemptorists in Australia Fr Paul Bird CSsR will be ordained Bishop of Ballarat on October 16. Pope Benedict announced the appointment of Fr Bird two weeks ago. He will be well known to readers of Majellan magazine which he edited for many years while based at Brighton. Fr Bird will replace Bishop Peter Connors who has been Bishop of Ballarat since 1998, and who reached retirement age of 75 several years ago but continued on in the position. Fr Bird, 63, was born in Newcastle and joined the Redemptorists in 1968, after which he had four years of study at the Redemptorist seminary in Ballarat, before finishing seminary training at Yarra Theological Union in Melbourne. He was ordained a priest in 1975 and in 1979 completed a Master of Arts degree, specialising in liturgy, and has conducted seminaries on liturgy for many years. Since 1985 he has been a consultant to the Na-

Fr Paul Bird tional Liturgical Commission. In 1987 he was appointed Superior of the Redemptorist community at Brighton and was editor of Majellan Publications until 2007. He was appointed Provincial in 2008 with overall responsibility for the Redeptorists in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia.

Our Lady’s icon is restored to cathedral A HISTORIC icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been returned to the Shrine of Our Lady at St Mary’s Cathedral after having a stolen crown replaced. The crown was stolen last year and has been replaced with one carefully crafted using photographs of the original. Some repairs were also made to the crown on the child Jesus which was also damaged. The gilt crowns are inset with cut glass “jewels” and this is considered unusual because icons normally do not have any embellishment. The icon was purchased by the first Bishop of Sale James Corbett and was blessed by Pope Leo XIII in 1890. The icon is always the centrepiece of devotions during the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine

land in 2001 and then Australia in 2008. He has been interested in the relocation of all diocesan offices to the former Our Lady of Sion Convent in Warragul and readily agreed to perform the opening ceremony. As part of the activities on the day, he will also bless the St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Chapel at Sion House. The chapel on the ground floor was once used a chapel by the Sion Sisters but for many years has been used by the Catholic Education Office as a resource centre. Naming the chapel after Australia’s first saint and founded of the Sisters of St Joseph has been done to recognise the large role that those sisters have had in parishes across the diocese. Congregational leader Sr Anne Derwin RSJ said the sisters were delighted to know that the bishop had chosen to name the chapel after St Mary of the Cross. “May our saint who loved the people of rural Australia continue to inspire all in the Diocese of Sale to live with passion for God and compassion for all

people, especially those who suffer or are isolated and vulnerable.” A new altar will be installed in the small chapel which will be used for regular staff Masses and morning prayer services. All diocesan staff have now

settled into Sion House and after various teething problems, the only part of the renovations awaiting commissioning is the lift which should be fully operational after some electrical works scheduled for next week.

It’s not all about the money! Can you help us fulfil the mission the Church in this way? Have you got money invested elsewhere that you could consider investing with the CDF? If you are able to help why not give the CDF a call or email and see how easy it is. You will be rewarded with: • A competitive rate of return on your investment; • The security of investing with the Catholic Church; and, • Most importantly you are making a contribution to furthering the Catholic faith and education in our diocese.

So you see it’s not just about the money of Our Lady who is patroness of the cathedral and diocese. This year’s pilgrimage will take place on November 18. Parishioners have been asked to refrain from touching the image during devotions to prevent tripping an alarm system which has been placed on the icon.

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cdf@sale.catholic.org.au

The Catholic Development Fund, Diocese of Sale is not subject to the provisions of the Corporation Act 2001 nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Deposits with the Catholic Development Fund, Diocese of Sale are guaranteed by CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for this purpose. We welcome your investment with the Catholic Development Fund, Diocese of Sale rather than with a profit orientated commercial organisation as a conscious commitment by you to support the Charitable, Religious and Educational works of the Catholic Church. Neither the Catholic Development Fund, Diocese of Sale nor the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Trust Corporation for the Diocese of Sale are prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority; contributions to the Catholic Development Fund, Diocese of Sale do not obtain the benefit of the depositor protection provisions of the Banking Act 1959; the Catholic Development Fund, Diocese of Sale is designed for investors who wish to promote the charitable purposes of the Catholic Diocese of Sale.


Page 4 - Catholic Life, August 2012

Death of Moe Oblate brother

Revered saint

THE forthcoming visit to Australia by the relics of missionary priest St Francis Xavier may create some confusion over just who is the patron saint of Australia. The patron of Australia is officially Our Lady Help of Christians but St Francis Xavier and St Therese of Lisieux, who are both patrons of Catholic missionary work, were copatrons while Australia was officially a missionary country. That ended in 1976 and so Our Lady Help of Christians is now the sole patron. What is interesting is that the last major tour of relics here was those of St Therese of Lisieux in 2002.

Anglicans coming

THE new Anglican ordinariate within the Catholic Church will have four priests ordained in Melbourne on September 9, alongside four new priests for Melbourne Archdiocese. The new ordinariate will be known as Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross and similar organisations have been set up around the world to accommodate Anglicans wishing to become part of the Catholic Church but at the same time preserving traditional Anglican rites and celebrations. The four men being ordained to the ordinariate are already Anglican priests. Nationally about 15 Anglican priests are crossing to the

ordinariate but it is not known how many parishioners will come with them. In the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland a schism has occurred with one of its priests moving to another Anglican communion over the issue of allowing an openly gay priest to take charge of a parish. The dissenting priest has aligned himself with the Anglican Episcopal Church International and has recently been ordained a bishop. It means there are now two Anglican bishops in Gippsland, both living and preaching in Sale!

Works a waste?

MOTORIST asks why is it that so much money is being spent cutting back trees on the Princes Highway through Gippsland and erecting those cable guard rails, when basics such as fixing potholes and broken road surfaces appear to be being ignored. Shrubs planted in the median strips at great cost years ago to prevent the glare from oncoming motorists have been torn out. You watch in a year or two, they will be replanting or erecting some other sort of barrier.

THE sudden death of an Oblate brother at Moe last month shocked the local community. Br Jason Duck, 41, died on July 15 while on his pastoral year at St Kieran’s Parish, Moe. He was found lying on the floor of the Oblate presbytery and is believed to have died from natural causes, although that will be determined by the coroner. Br Jason has established a good rapport with the parishioners and students at the schools he visited as part of his pastoral placement. His death occurred only a week before he was due to renew his vows. He was born in Beaufort in 1971 and was educated at Bal-

larat. He was involved in Labor politics for many years, managing the electoral office of a local Member of Parliament, before joining the Oblate community in 2007. He graduated from Catholic Theological College, Melbourne, earlier this year with a Bachelor of Theology. Prior to moving to Moe, he also served a pastoral placement in an underprivileged area of New Orleans where he was described by the pastor as being a very hard worker who displayed a great love for the poor, especially those at a hospice for AIDS patient. Br Jason was given a concelebrated requiem Mass at St John

Br Jason Duck OMI Vianney’s which was led by Australian Provincial Fr Harry Dyer OMI. A subsequent Memorial Mass was held in Br Jason’s home parish in Ballarat on August 2.

Ex-local ordained in Broome A FORMER Moe man has been ordained as a priest for Broome Diocese. Fr Frank Birrell, grew up in Moe and attended St Kieran’s Primary and then St Paul’s College, Traralgon. For many years he had been teaching in the Kimberley region of West Australia but at the end of 2008 he gave up his 30 year teaching career to enter the seminary. He attended St Charles Seminary in Perth and updated some of his former studies at Notre Dame University, Fremantle. After being ordained a dea-

con he returned to the Kimberley to look after the Hall Creek parish and then was moved to Kununurra. After Easter this year he moved to Broome to prepare

for his ordination which took place on May 25. After a brief holiday Fr Birrell was been appointed assistant priest at Kunanurra.

Of all the decisions we make in our lifetime, making a valid will is among the most important. FR Frank Birrell (left) celebrates Mass with Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders.

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Catholic Life, August 2012 - Page 5

Divine Mercy Congress in Melbourne in October THE first ever Divine Mercy Congresses in Australia will be held in October in Melbourne and Sydney with an impressive list of international speakers. The Melbourne three day congress will be at Australia’s only Shrine of Divine Mercy, Keysborough, which is ideally located for people travelling from Sale Diocese. It will be on October 12-14, beginning with a 7pm Mass on the Friday night celebrated by Archbishop of Samoa, Alapati Lui Mataelinga, supported by the impressive Samoan Choir. First class relics of Blessed John Paul II, St Faustina Kowalska, and her spiritual director Fr Michael Sopkocko will be present at the Mass. The venue is about 1km from Eastlink and Green’s Rd. and a free shuttle bus service will operate on request from Dandenong Railway Station. Divine Mercy Publications director John Canavan said the congress would feature some impressive speakers including Sr Caterina and Sr Gaudia from the congregation to which St Faustina belonged. Others include World Apostolic Congress on Mercy secretary general Fr Patrice Chocholski from France, tireless Divine Mercy promoter Fr Rory Morrissey from New Ze-

St Faustina was a largely uneducated Polish nun who was directed to keep a diary by her spiritual director and produced some 600 pages of revelations she received of God’s Mercy. She was also instructed to have painted the now familiar Divine Mercy image featuring red and white rays emanating from Jesus’ exposed heart, signifying blood and water. Mr Canavan said St Faustina had been proved to be an exceptional person, prophesying her own canonisation ceremony in Rome where she could see her

John Canavan land, Vicar General of the Congregation of Marian Fathers Fr Joseph Rosech from the United States, inspirational Catholic artist Tommy Canning from Scotland, and rector of the first International Academy of Divine Mercy Rev. Dr Jan Machniak from Poland. Mr Canavan will be master of ceremonies. Mr Canavan said the worldwide interest in Divine Mercy had grown rapidly following Sr Faustina’s death in 1938 but in Australia it the devotion had gained great strength in the 1990s, leading up to her beatification in 1993 and then again with her canonisation in 2000.

New cathedral shrine

picture on a large screen. Divine Mercy Sunday and the Chaplet, which could be recited with Rosary beads, were bringing people back to the Church and it was pleasing that many priests were now reciting the Chaplet in the presence of dying people. He said that initially there had been some resistance in Australia because Divine Mercy was seen to be a Polish devotion but this had changed and it was now a grass roots devotion with the people encouraging bishops and priests to support it.

Attending Mass and confession on Divine Mercy Sunday gave the promise of the plenary indulgence and absolution for sins. Mr Canavan said it was hoped to bring the two Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy congregation to another venue in Sale Diocese to speak to those unable to attend the congress. Further details and registration for the congress are available from www.divinemercy. com.au or Mr Canavan at Divine Mercy Publications on 9830 4386.

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Grace Through Mercy Victorian Apostolic Congress on Divine Mercy 12-14 October, 2012 Shrine of Divine Mercy 337 Greens Road, Keysborough The Congress will commence on Friday, 12 October with a special opening Mass at 7pm at the Shrine of Divine Mercy by Rev. Alapati L. Mataeliga, Archbishop of Samoa, and the Samoan Choir. The entire program will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy and features several international guests who will speak on the message of Divine Mercy and related topics. Saturday and Sunday morning will begin at 8.30am. Doors open 8am. The congress concludes 6pm Saturday and 3pm Sunday after the Hour of Mercy. Registration is required to attend this 3 day congress. It may be done online at the website www.divinemercy.com.au Please fill in this registration form clearly and send it with your generous donation to: Victorian Apostolic Congress arly Grace Through Mercy register e o s g n ti a e PO Box 351 Limited s Camberwell 3124 SALE - A small Divine Mercy Shrine has been established in St Mary’s Cathedral. It occupies a small niche on the left wall which has been used for many years by commentators and to house a small organ. The main Divine Mercy image painted by talented Geelong East artist Roland Kolotello is held in an impressive merbau frame. The brass altar rail gates removed from the front of the cathedral during renovations many years ago will be placed in front of the image which was provided by John Canavan of Divine Mercy Publications, Camberwell.


Page 6 - Catholic Life, August 2012

Primary students move into the technological age TRARALGON - In 2012 Traralgon’s St Michael’s Primary School has embarked on a giant step forward in their academic and technological growth, through the introduction of a 1:1 iPad Program for all the Year 5/6 students. Throughout the last three years, through the goals established as part of their School Renewal process in 2009, they have been developing learning projects that support development in “Building Learners as Thinkers”. As a school community they have been actively promoting and developing learning environments which are: • Open and flexible, • That cater for a range of learning styles, • Provide children with the access to information as well as different ways of presenting and representing their learning and their thinking.

School principal Richard Wans said, “Effective 21st Century learning is about re-shaping the way we view education. “Our children currently live, and will grow up in, a world that is changing exponentially. Our challenge as a school, and as teachers, is to ensure we teach the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy, but also develop skills of reflection, collaboration, inquiry all within a deep thinking environment that sees the teachings of Jesus and the Catholic faith as core to this mission. We do all this knowing all our children are unique and have different styles and rates of learning.” The iPad program is well underway and the benefits for students are very evident. A lot of the tasks they are working on TYLER, Bronte, Nicolas and Joey learning as a group with their iPads at St Michael’s, Traralgon. at school can be found on their ally and some are for group great benefit in all areas of in the way students are presentiPads. learning and the iPads also pro- ing their learning. Some of their learning tasks work. The individual access is a vide individuality and creativity have been completed individu-

Turning crosses into fashion accessories is sad HAVE you noticed how many fashion stores feature various versions of the cross in their displays – Celtic crosses, Roman crosses, Jerusalem crosses, Spanish, French … Each of these has a very rich history and remains a source of great devotion to many people. To see it reduced to a fashion accessory is very sad. For Christians the Sign of the Cross is a treasured symbol, a reminder of God’s faithful and constant love. Tertullian in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries wrote about how the early Christians used the sign of the Cross: “At every forward step and movement, when coming in and going out, when lighting the lamps, when reclining, when sitting, in all the ordinary occupations of our daily lives, we mark with the right forefinger our forehead with the sign”. Gestures are important; they convey important meanings. A wave, a smile, a frown all convey clear messages. The gesture or ritual of making the Sign of the Cross is a reminder of the way that Jesus died, not only in great physical pain and anguish but humiliated, abandoned by friends and scorned by onlookers. Making this gesture is a living reminder that Jesus died in this way to show us the intimate

love of his Father for us. It is also a reminder that we are called on to take up our own cross each day, and try to follow the way of Jesus taught us, a way of compassion, love and generosity and service to others. When we begin with the words ‘In the Name of the Father’ we are reminded of God, the Father, the Creator of all things. We are being created by God as it is in God that we live and move and have our being. We share in God’s creative process when we care for each other and all God’s creation. When we say the words ‘In the name of the Son’, we recall God’s incredible act of love, this Son became one of us, this Son showed us in flesh and blood what God’s love meant for us and, in turn, that we need to show that love for each other. When we call on the Spirit we recall the power of this Spirit who moved over the darkness at the very dawn of creation, the Spirit who inspired the first Apostles to go out of the room in which they had barricaded themselves and began fearlessly preaching the Good News. We are reminded that God promised that we would not be left alone but this Spirit would seek us out in friendship, would move among us and inspire us. With these words we also

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pledge that whatever we are doing will be done in the name of God. So simply using the Sign of the Cross whether it be when we are at prayer, at the beginning or end of the day, at the start of a meal or before we begin a drive or before any activity we are undertaking becomes a potent prayer! One of the great gifts to the Church in recent times has been the revival of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Those who have decided that they wish to join the Catholic Church gather for a Rite of Welcome. During that ceremony, they come to see just how important the Cross really is for a Christian – it is at the very centre or core of our lives. During the rite the priest says: I will sign you with the Sign of the Cross…. • On your eyes so that you will begin to see the wonders of God around you

Reflections by Jim Quillinan • On your ears so that you may begin to hear the Word of God • On your lips that you may learn to speak the words of the Lord • On your shoulders so that you may learn to carry the cross of Christ at difficult times and times of tragedies • On your heart that you may learn to love like Christ • On your hands that you may learn to do the works of the Lord • On your feet so that you may always walk in the way of the Lord. We do not just wear the cross, or hang it on the wall. For a

Christian it is at the very core of our being, ingrained into our body as it were. It is in everything that we think, that we speak, that we hear, the persons we love, what we do, where we go. It is a way of life. The cross is a reminder that love is stronger than hatred, suspicion, jealousy or fear. It is a reminder that, despite all our failures, through the cross comes resurrection. The cross is a vivid reminder that Christianity is a very personal religion – it is about entering a relationship with Jesus Christ, sharing in his life, in his suffering and in his resurrection.

Snuggling up with a book NEWBOROUGH - The prep children at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School recently celebrated literacy by participating in a ‘Snuggle up with a book’ day. The children and teachers were allowed to wear their pyjamas to school so that they could snuggle up. They were encouraged to bring their favorite book to share. Teddy bears were even welcome to join in the activities. The children listened to their favorite stories on the smartboard and through the headphones. The children made cubbies in the library and enjoyed reading stories in them. MALAYA with her favorite book and soft toy is all ready for Snuggle up with a Book Day.


Catholic Life, August 2012 - Page 7

Father’s Day Appeal next month THE Priests’ Welfare Foundation will again hold its annual Father’s Day Appeal on September 2. The foundation exists to provide funding to enable clergy of the diocese to have proper care in sickness and in retirement. It has an important and ongoing responsibility to prudently manage and build on the capital funds established by its predecessors. Income is provided by an annual Fathers’ Day collection in all parishes, by donations and legacies, and a levy of 5 percent on the church fund of each parish and by the annual subscriptions of members still engaged in full-time or part-time ministry. The PWF is a charitable foundation and gifts of $2 or over may be claimed as a tax deduction. Donation envelopes will be distributed to parishes to place on pews for the collection. People can place cash donations in the envelopes and then put them on the collection plate during September, or can fill in the credit card details on the rear of the envelope should they wish to make a donation that way.

Pallottines are called to challenge HAVE you ever been at that moment of absolute reverence when the priest blesses the congregation towards the end of Adoration? For me, the mind has sometimes wandered ... imagine if someone came in and shot the priest. Of course history tells this unhappy story - the Jesuits and the villagers in South America (The Mission), Romero in Central America (again filmed); and more widely, the Amish children in their community school house. I have been privileged to meet men and women who do tell their stories of suffering for the faith. Events in America and at greater distance Norway, remind us of the absolute horror of violence. So in my imagined scene we have absolute love (God and Jesus present in the Eucharist) meeting with an act of absolute evil. Perhaps the dramatic makes me forget my own sinfulness. Vincent Pallotti recognised as far as one can - the absolute goodness of God and his own sinfulness. But not in a way that cripples and condemns but in a way that seeks encounter, always the initiative though with God. And which by its character is contagious.

Vocations awareness Okay, the movies, a 19th Century priest in Rome, a practice of faith often seen more in earlier decades - what of today and what about an idea to share with young people? Through all of his prayer, his letters and talks, we can consider Vincent’s ideas through the idea of self-worth and identity. This is even valued by the secular world but where appraisal is given though what I do, where I live, how much I own, what car I drive, where I spend my holidays etc. It presumes a centre based on me and demands strength. For the Christian - and I believe with a special focus within the Pallottine family - it means that I am loved by God, find my self-identity made in God’s image and rather than demanding strength, in fact challenges weakness. Love doesn’t deny weakness, does not extol it and certainly does not condemn it but accepts it for what weakness is - a moment open to the love of God. As people in the Pallottine family and priests and brothers in Australia we take this as a great opportunity, firstly to tell

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of the passion of this rather too little known Roman priest and from there, contagious with this revelation, to work in a society which often does not even know it is already in some muted way proclaiming God’s love. For the priests, it is often now in parishes within Australia, for brothers and the wider family it is where we feel called and where our giftedness may

be challenged. Our family profile has shown and initiates support in wide fields - care for the disadvantaged, dialogue, retreats and young people working with young people, both within international networks and at Casa Pallotti at Millgrove. I will add no more, the questions are obvious, the implications at first personal. - CONTRIBUTED

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Page 8 - Catholic Life, August 2012

Teacher performance pay - A political Furphy THERE has been much discussion in the media recently about “Performance Pay” for teachers. The Australian government has developed one model and our State government is pursuing quite a different approach. Both are fundamentally flawed. Both are driven by an industrial mind set where workers’ effectiveness can be judged in simple terms (how many widgets did the worker make today? How many clients did the worker see? How many clients did the worker convince to buy more widgets than they first asked for?) To put it bluntly, that does not work in teaching! It is so easy for a politician or an economist to say that we need to pay our “top teachers” more. I think everyone agrees with that. The difficulty lies in defining what “top teacher” means. Let me outline just a few of the issues here. First and foremost, teaching is an increasingly collegial activity. Teachers work in teams, they plan together, they share classes, they share resources, ideas and strategies. Less and less are they working as individuals. Further to that, the effectiveness of a teacher in 2012 can very much be affected by the teacher who had that same class in 2011 – or even in 2007! Similarly, a teacher’s effectiveness is affected by the culture of a school. A teacher

might be a great success in one school, where discipline and a learning culture is strong but be far less so in another school where the culture is different. That is something over which the individual may not have much control. Then we come to the pupils themselves. Workers in a factory who receive performance pay would be none too happy if different workers were asked to do the same task but were given very different raw materials. It is the same in the classroom. Some classes, in some schools are highly motivated – others not so. Some pupils come from homes where learning and education are highly valued – others not so. Some pupils are intelligent when it comes to maths – but may be not when it comes to art. Some are talented at art, but not in maths or language. And of course, some struggle across the board. How can the effectiveness of teachers be compared across such an un-level playing field? Then there is the task of teaching itself. Consider the prep teacher, the year 7 English teacher, the year 12 physics teacher, the year 9 RE teacher, the art teacher. The actual tasks are so many and so varied. And even within single tasks, the question remains, “Which teachers should receive greater performance pay: the English teacher whose students spell every word correctly but have

with Talking Peter Catholic Ryan Education no interest in literature, or the one who inspires a passion for literature even if there are lots of mistakes?” Equally importantly, there is extraordinary work that teachers do in relationships they build with their students. These things are often not counted. The very way teachers interact with students, in the classroom, in the playground and elsewhere, provides opportunity for these young people to develop and grow into healthy adults – but that’s not actually in the curriculum. But it is fundamental to the work of a good teacher. Not for one minute do I suggest that all teachers are the same. Far from it. There are ex-

cellent teachers in our schools, professionals of the highest quality. There are adequate teachers in our schools and there are some that should perhaps be encouraged to try other professions. People will always have opinions as to who those excellent, adequate and poor teachers are. But the criteria are so broad and the task so complex that it would simply be unfair to pay according to those opinions. Further, there is enormous potential there to damage the important spirit of collegiality that is fast growing in the profession. What is more, there is absolutely no research or experience in societies such as ours that

demonstrates that performance based pay for teachers makes any positive difference at all! And, does anyone really believe that a mere few thousand dollars is likely to move individual teachers from good to great? I certainly don’t. Concentrating on performance pay for individual teachers is not the way to go. Rather, governments and society in general should be looking at increasing capacity across the entire profession. Every student deserves an excellent teacher. Building the capacity of the profession as a whole is an enormous task but one that we really must undertake if our education system is to be what we would want it to be. Performance pay is such an easy political catch cry. I fear that it is likely to be imposed on us as a political convenience. But it will not do the profession any good at all. And it will not help young people in our schools.

Bishop’s Diary August 12-16 - Attend Federation of Catholic Bishops Conference of Oceania executive meeting in Noumea, New Caledonia. August 17 - Celebrate

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Mass at secondary school religious education co-ordinators' meeting at Rawson. August 18 - Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting at Warragul. August 18 - Warragul confirmations. August 19 - Drouin and Warragul confirmations. August 22 - Meetings of Council of Priests, Consultors and Diocesan Finance Council. August 26 - First Communion Mass, Sale, 9.30am August 26 - Migrant Sunday Mass at Cranbourne, 2pm. August 29 - Meeting with Anglican General Synod ecumenical commission in Sydney. August 30 - Bishops' Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue meeting, Sydney. September 7 - 40 year reunion of Catholic Theo-

logical College. September 11 - Arrival of Apostolic Nuncio September 12 - Opening of Sion House, Warragul, with Nuncio. September 17-21 - Sale Diocese clergy in-service, Corpus Christi College, Carlton. September 22 - Ordination of Siju Xavier to diaconate, St Agatha’s, Cranbourne, 6.30pm. September 23 - 9.30am and 11am Masses at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale, on anniversary of cathedral. September 30 - Social Justice Sunday launch, St patrick’s Church, Pakenham, 9am.

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Catholic Life, August 2012 - Page 9

Koorie liaison officer's artwork in prominence sign for my piece I decided to base it on a flowering gum that I see at my workplace. In a perfect setting all people/races would live in a harmonious world, with equal standing in their communities. “However as good as this would be, it doesn’t happen. There are always some people wanting to dominate others who they think would be better off if prevention was put in place to control lives. “Therefore by using a symbol as simple as a tree, I was able to show how a tree with its various shades can still exist and thrive. My tree of reconciliation shows a White Man walking into the Black Man’s ‘turf’ embracing his hand in a gesture of saying sorry. “The falling leaves represent

fallen blood and fallen tears that the Aboriginal people of this country have endured since the invasion of Europeans, particularly the Stolen Generation. To me, the dragonfly is a sign of freedom�. Currently Mr Wearne is threequarters of the way into a double degree in Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Education through Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory. He is majoring in history and cultural studies and his creative endeavors have been commended by the university’s Faculty of Art and Design in their current bulletin. Another wonderful piece of James’ art is his picture of Mary MacKillop which features on the front cover of the college’s student planner.

Fundraisers going for gold NEWBOROUGH - Children at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School were encouraged to wear casual green and gold clothes to school as part of a national fundraiser for the Mary MacKillop Foundation. The children brought along a gold coin donation to support the foundation in their inspiring work helping needy Australians. The fundraiser was about supporting Aussies making a difference and celebrating the Australian spirit. The children enjoyed an

Aussie Dance Party at lunchtime. Favorite Australian songs such as Tie Me Kangaroo Down and I Come From the Land Down Under, proved very popular. The Green and Gold Day corresponded with the opening ceremony of the Olympics, so the children were also celebrating our Australian spirit in supporting our marvellous Australian athletes. RIGHT: Charlotte and Jack (front) Armenell and Ruby dressed in green and gold.

JAMES Wearne displays the new book featuring his artwork and behind him is another of his works depicting Mary MacKillop.

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LEONGATHA - James Wearne, who works as a learning support tutor at Mary MacKillop College in Leongatha, has been honored by having his artwork selected for the front cover of a newly published book Reconciliation in Regional Australia. Case studies from Gippsland edited by Dr Andrew Gunstone from Monash University. As the college’s Aboriginal liaison officer, Mr Wearne was a driving force for involving indigenous students in the Koorie Footprints Program conducted by Monash University in 2011. His contribution to this program has been widely recognised and his resulting art piece entitled ‘Reconciliation’ is truly engaging. James’ explanation gives an insight into his design: “When thinking about a de-

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Page 10 - Catholic Life, August 2012

Youth Matters ‘Always be joyful in the Lord’

(Phil 4:4)

Carnivale launches Victorian push for WYD2013 THE countdown to the next World Youth Day in Brazil has begun with a huge Victorian “Carnivale” celebration held on July 27. More than 600 people from the diocese of Ballarat, Sale, Sandhurst and the Archdiocese of Melbourne came together to praise, pray and party as the Victorian packages for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro 2013 were officially announced in full Brazilian style! The night began at St Mary Star of the Sea church in West Melbourne with Praise and Worship led by Fr Rob Galea and his band and then a beautiful Mass celebrated by his Grace Archbishop Denis Hart and 20 concelebrating priests from across the state. Music for the Mass was provided by the talented St Francis Youth Choir who helped us raise our hearts through prayer in song. At the conclusion of Mass everyone braved the cold and wet Melbourne weather and made their way to the Carnivale celebrations where they were greeted with South American food, live Brazilian music and a dance routine direct from the

Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro. Many danced away the cold as the climax of the evening approached… the chance to win one of two $2000 vouchers towards the cost of a World Youth Day pilgrimage. The lucky recipients were Cassandra D’Silva from Burwood East and Luke Bonavia from Sydenham who have booked their places on the flight to Rio! It was truly evident on the night that the buzz and excitement as the next World Youth Day draws near is really building. All who attended the evening talked about their excitement for Rio. Maria D’Rosario from Young Adults of Sacred Heart Emmaus youth group in St Albans commented, “We loved the music and the whole atmosphere… Now we are even more excited about going to WYD Brazil...” Big thanks to all who joined us or Carnivale and special congrats to our two winners of the raffle Luke and Cass! Information sessions for potential WYD2013 pilgrims are currently being held at different locations around Victoria - feel free to attend any session that

GETTING ready for the South American experience next year. suits you best. to attend one of the remaining Sessions in the Diocese of ones. Sale have already been held in • Churchill: 7-9pm MonBairnsdale, Sale, Warragul and day August 20; Lumen Christi Leongatha. Catholic Church, Williams If you have missed one of Ave, Churchill these sessions you are welcome • Berwick: 7-9pm Tuesday

- PICTURE: John Casamento

September 4; St Michael’s PS Stadium meeting room, 129 High St, Berwick Email Jess at jessd@sale. catholic.org.au with any enquires.

Convention registrations closing St James’ feast day THE second Australian Catholic Youth Ministry Convention will be held in Campbelltown from September 21- 23. It is expected to gather up to 500 participants from around

the country who minister with young people in parishes, schools, religious orders, diocese, universities, diocese, movements and communities. The convention will include presentations on youth mental

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health issues, social networking protocols as well as giving the opportunity to utilise social networking forums such as Facebook and Twitter for participant discussion and feedback. The Diocese of Wollongong is also facilitating home stay for participants who wish to reduce costs of attendance. “The convention organising committee has prepared an engaging experience as well as a convention which examples good youth ministry’ said Wollongong Diocesan Youth Ministry Coordinator, Loretta Brinkman. “A full youth band will be present all weekend led by Jen Charadia, an experienced Australian singer songwriter and Wollongong local. We have also established a liturgy team to create a greater community setting for our prayer and liturgies, which is central to the formation and support of those youth ministers attending.” The full program, registration and further details about the convention are available at www.acymc.org. Don’t miss out!

NAR NAR GOON - St James Catholic School in Nar Nar Goon has a long standing tradition of celebrating special occasions with food, food, food! The sumptuous morning teas held after Mass have played an important role to strengthen bonds between school, families and the community. When celebrating the Feast Day of St James, on July 25, students, families and parishioners were once again treated to a taste extravaganza! Mass was celebrated in the school hall with Fr John Allen. The congregation was treated to the first public performance of the new St James Catholic School song, written and produced by students and the Grade 6 teacher, Bernie Hance. The morning tea held in the foyer proved to be as delicious and filling as ever with the generosity of school families ensuring everyone had plenty to eat. The feature of the feast was an enormous sponge cake donated by The Great Australian Bakehouse, Pakenham, to celebrate the day. As parishioners and families

stayed to catch up with a chat, students embarked on a series of whole school learning activities to better acquaint them with St James and his Christian message. Once the activities were finished it was time to feast again! This time is was hotdogs for lunch, a favourite for all, cheerfully provided and prepared by the Parents and Friends Committee. Of course there were still a lot of cakes and snacks to polish off for dessert if you could fit it in! After lunch the students gathered in the hall again for the highly anticipated special performance – another St James Feast Day tradition. This year students laughed and clapped through the circus performed by Nexus Arts Terry Cole. Terry juggled, rode a unicycle, balanced a student on his shoulders and even ate fire, much to everyone’s awe and delight. The day was as fun filled as it was tummy filling, and something students, both past and present, hold dear in their cherished memories of St James Catholic School.

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Catholic Life, August 2012 - Page 11

Not always a fool who is parted with his money IT'S time to revisit some of the less ethical ways in which you may be invited to part with your hard earned money – with or without your consent. In other words, it’s time to revisit scams and rip-offs. There many tricksters out there who think you’re fair game and that they’ve have more right to your money than you. Unfortunately, many Australians by their actions tend to reinforce their belief. Before you say it wouldn’t happen to you, in the past it’s happened to very well educated, financially literate people whom we all thought would know better. After all, a quality scam can’t appear to be a scam until all your money’s gone, can it? So, what are the current scams going round? We have carbon trading scams, Microsoft computer scams, share trading scams, advertising

scams , banking scams and just plain computer hacking scams. And any letter or email asking you to assist with the repatriation of money from a “well deserving case” overseas or asking you to pay so your lottery win can be sent to you or an inheritance is most definitely a scam designed to part you with your money. So what do we do? Banking scams are still common. You’ll get an email purportedly from you bank asking that you confirm your account details for some reason – they’re doing a security upgrade, or even that your account has been compromised in some way. Never ever respond to an email from a bank. No bank in Australia communicates in this way when personal information is involved. An email from your bank (or any other) asking your details is a scam and if you respond your bank account will be emptied.

Quick calendar

What’s on & when August 16 – Valley region meeting, St Mary’s, Newborough, noon 18 – Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting, Sion House, Warragul, 10am 20-26 – Keep Australia Beautiful Week 21 – Central region meeting, St John’s, Trafalgar, 7.30pm 22 – Queenship of Mary

September 1 – National Wattle Day 2 – Father’s Day 2 – Annual Father’s Day Appeal for Priests Welfare Foundation 5-7 – Australasian Catholic Press Association conference, Wellington , NZ 7-9 – Australasian Religious Press Association Conference, Wellington, NZ 8 – Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary 10 – Deadline for September Catholic Life 12 – Official opening of Sion House diocesan headquarters by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto 14 – Feast of the Triumph of the Cross 17-21 – Sale Diocese clergy in-service, Corpus Christi, Carlton 19 – Catholic Life published 21 – National Walk to Work Day 21 – Third term holidays begin 21-23 – Bishop Prowse at National Youth Conference, Wollongong 27 – Memorial of St Vincent de Paul

October 1-5 – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s Catholic Commission conference, Melbourne 2 – Memorial of the Guardian Angels 4 – Memorial of St Francis of Assisi

4 – World Animal Day 5-7 - Sale Diocese tour of relic of St Francis Xavier 6 – Talks by anti-abortion campaigners Bernie Finn and Helen Parker at Maffra, 11am, and Drouin, 4pm 8 – Fourth term begins 8 – Deadline for October Catholic Life 8-28 – Bishop Prowse representing Australian bishops at Synod of Bishops in Rome 13 – March for Babies, Treasury Gardens, Melbourne 15 – Memorial of St Theresa of Avila 16 – World Food Day 17 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 17 – Catholic Life published 18 – Valley region meeting, Lumen Christi eco-centre, Churchill, noon 21 – Mission Sunday 22 – Blessed Pope John Paul II

November 1 – All Saints Day 2 – All Souls Day 5 – Deadline for November Catholic Life 6 – Melbourne Cup Day 7 – South region meeting, Leongatha, 11.15am 12-18 – National Recycling Week 13 – East region meeting, Orbost, 10.30am 14 – Catholic Life published 17 – Teaching day by Bishop Prowse for those in parish leadership positions, Marist Sion College, Warragul. 17-18 – Heart Region youth beach retreat, Lakes Entrance 18 – Diocesan pilgrimage to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale, 2pm 20 - Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting, Sion House, Warragul, 10am 21 – Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 21 – World Fisheries Day

Guaranteed. A carbon scam may be someone who suddenly emails or phones you with an opportunity to make some money on trading carbon credits. This is a new market in Australia and as such has attracted some lesser lights trying to make a quick buck. If someone calls you, contact ASIC or the Clean Energy regulator to check the offer’s bona fides. Share scams may be by someone, usually from overseas, offering an investment opportunity too good to be missed. It is – for them, not you. Ask for their Australian Financial Services Licence number. They’re not allowed to offer any financial investment or advice in Australia without one. Advertising scams work on the basis that someone will respond to your ad on behalf of a “friend” who’s unavailable he’s on an oil rig or something similar. They will ask to pay by Pay Pal or similar. Then they will call back and ask for money as there’s been a problem. Many people comply with the request and their money’s gone. You’re selling the item – why would you pay the buyer? Computer hacking scams are where your computer is compromised and the scammer can find out all your details and password, either directly or by a keystroke checker. If you’re a computer based share trader they may then invent a story that will allow them to false trade on your account and leave you with enormous debts and them huge profits. Otherwise they may just access all your bank accounts and simply take your money. It can be that easy if you don’t take precautions. By the way,

Bishop to go to meeting on Jewish relations BISHOP Christopher Prowse has been asked to represent the Australian Catholic Church at an important conference in Rome at the end of October on relations with Jews. He will stay on after the October Synod of Bishops at which he and Archbishop Tom Costelloe of Perth are representing Australia. Bishop Prowse will present a brief report on how the 1965 Vatican 2 document Nostra Aetate, which deals with relations with non-Christians, is being lived out in Australia, particularly in Jewish-Catholic relations. Central focus of the meeting will be a reflection of the Day for Judaism and planning for the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate in 2015. Bishop Prowse heads the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations.

DOLLAR$ & SENSE with David Wells

Microsoft will not call you to help with your compromised computer. The unexpected call, ostensibly from Microsoft is a ruse to get access to your computer. So how do you protect yourself? Remember a few rules • If in doubt, it’s a scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. • If you can’t remember buying a lottery ticket, you haven’t won any lottery. • Your bank will not ask you for sensitive information by email. • If someone is offering you investment advice, they will need an Australian licence and will have its six digit number available. • If the person on the other end of the phone is hesitant about providing further information, it’s probably a scam. • Change your computer passwords and security checks regularly but don’t use details from your name or address –

these are just too easy to guess These are just some pointers. The Australian Securities investment Commission has an excellent website available for information on scams and ripoffs – www.moneysmart.gov.au. They list some of the scams going round and will help you identify more characteristics of a scam. In these cases, it pays to be suspicious, it may be all that stops you losing all your money. If you get a suspicious call or email, please contact ASIC. If it is a scam they will investigate and you may just help someone avoid a financial disaster in the future. • This report is intended to provide general advice. In preparing this advice, David Wells and EL and C Baillieu Ltd did not take into account the investment objective, the financial 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 particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances.

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Page 12 - Catholic Life, August 2012

The Peter Nixon story makes for interesting reading A FORMER member for the Federal Seat of Gippsland, Peter Nixon of the National Party, has recently published his memoirs. Peter Nixon’s family was among the original settlers on the rich Snowy River flats at Orbost in the 1880s. In the early years they ran a timber mill and then became farmers at Jarrahmond on the Snowy River just north of the town. His family and relatives had contributed to public life in Orbost, Gippsland and elsewhere in earlier generations, and followed politics closely, so he had a good political grooming from his youngest years. His father sent him to Wesley College in Melbourne and encouraged him in a political career. He married Sally Dahlsen from the well-known East Gippsland trading and hardware family. Peter Nixon farmed as a young man on the family block before entering the federal parliament in 1961. During one enormous flood on the Snowy River all his dairy cows and his favourite bull were swept out to sea. Only the bull survived, but there was now no need for it, as they had no cows, so although he was attached to it, it was sent

Gippsland Gistory H with Patrick Morgan to the abattoirs. He was a conscientious and astute local member, keeping up his attendance at functions in his electorate. At one stage he had promised months ahead to attend a meeting at the small town of Cabbage Tree in his electorate. Later he received an invitation to lunch with the Queen at Parliament House on the same day, but declined because of his previous local commitment. During his career politicians and people aspiring to be politicians often approached him for advice on grass roots political strategies. His first major ministry was as Minister for the Interior. This meant he was in charge of a number of departments, including Aboriginal Affairs, and it involved a lot of travel around Australia. He supported the policy of assimilating Aborigines, and deplored the Labor

policy of encouraging Aborigines to try to re-establish a tribal life on remote outstations, where educational and medical services were not available. His next major portfolio was Shipping and Transport. This involved many trips overseas, and many negotiations over introducing containers on the docks, which the waterside workers did not like. The live export trade of cattle and sheep came about, in his account, partly because of poor work practices in Australian abattoirs. A good deal of the book is taken up with accounts of the official functions and receptions he attended while on government business overseas. Federal roads money went first to the states, who tended to give a disproportionate amount of it to city and suburban constituencies. One of his political achievements was to institute a system whereby a certain

Calmness among busy world LIVING CALM IN A BUSY WORLD by Pauline McKinnon, published by David Lovell Publishing, distributed by Rainbow Books, paperback, 238 pages, rrp $29.95. THE fast pace of modern living brings with it many problems for a large proportion of the population - stress, depression and the inability to cope with daily life. For many the answer is to turn to meditation and this author is advocating stillness meditation in the tradition demonstrated almost 50 years ago by internationally acclaimed Melbourne psychiatrist Dr Ainslie Meares. His unique form of meditation has proved effective for anxiety reduction and the relief of depression, as well as pioneering mind-body therapies. His theories regarding the relationship between anxiety and illness, and the use of meditation to treat cancer were ground-breaking. It is no surprise therefore that Ian Gawler agreed to write the foreword to the book. The author writes from experience in using the Meares techniques because there was a time when she suffered acute anxiety and had a pathological fear of leaving the safety of home. Importantly the book offers an easy to understand way of achieving stillness meditation and helping to achieve a sense of calm among the pressures and stress of life. HAPPY HEALTHY HOLY, Learning to Let Go and Let God by Susie Hii, published by David Lovell Publishing, distributed by Rainbow Books, paperback, 170 pages, rrp $22.95. FOLLOWING on from the pre-

Talking about Books vious review, this book is similar because the author, a Melbourne doctor talks of her own journey of healing following diagnosis of thyroid cancer. She talks of her physical cures and the mental healing which is aided by her deep Catholic faith. The book tells of her faith journey from being a young girl to being a mature person, her struggles with fear, anxiety, depression and a faith crisis. She also speaks with experience from suffering anorexia as a teenager and a serious spinal infection which put paid to thoughts she had of becoming a Carmelite nun. She says that disease of the body leads to disorder of the mind and that presents a challenge to faith. “The awareness that I am not just mind and body but spirit as well leads to renewed, deeper faith and awareness of the Holy Spirit in my being.” The book puts into words her conclusion that we need to find a balance between finding ourselves and forgetting ourselves by continually reaching out to others. The writing is simple and honest and will help people seeking a healthy mind, body and spirit. She refers to depression as not so much a disease and disorder of the mind, but a disease and disorder of the soul and spirit.

She has written various articles on spirituality and has also contributed to magazines such as Madonna and Majellan. THE CATHOLIC CHILDREN’S BOARD BOOK BIBLE, published by Regina Press, distributed by Rainbow Books, hardback, cardboard pages, 78 pages, rrp $24.95. OVER the years we have reviewed many children’s Bibles and most are the same in that they regurgitate various Bible stories. This book is different in a couple of ways, most notably that it a virtually indestructible book suited to smaller children. The second is that the book does not actually tell the Bible stories but offers a concise paragraph about each, perhaps no more than 50-60 words. It has a colorful double-page picture depicting the particular story and then a reference to where the full story can be found in the Bible. It can be likened to watching the trailer for a forthcoming movie in which you are given the basic facts, but will have to see the whole thing if you want to see exactly how the story unfolds. I can envisage parents looking at the pictures, reading the briefs and paraphrasing the Bible story for you children, but perhaps reading the full story to older children.

PETER Nixon (right) with then VFL supremo Ross Oakley and South Melbourne goalkicking legend Bob Pratt. amount of federal road grant Commissioner of the East money was earmarked directly Gippsland Shire, his own area, during the period when rural for rural use. One of his office secretaries shires were being amalgamatwas a Mrs Tanner from Orbost. ed, and before municipal elecNixon encouraged her son Lind- tions were held. The main issue at the time, say in his studies, but at university Lindsay Tanner joined the as now, was how to balance ALP and subsequently became the needs of the local timber a successful federal Labor cabi- industry, which the region depended on, with increasing net minister. Nixon had a dream run in pol- demands by conservationists itics. He was lucky - or smart to severely wind it down. An– in the timing of his career. He other issue was the possibility entered the Federal Parliament of a fast train from Melbourne in 1961, when he was aged 32, to Sydney passing through East and retired from it in 1983. Of Gippsland and Canberra, but those 22 years the Coalition this did not come about. He was on the board of the was in office the whole time except for the three years of stock and station agents Gippsthe Whitlam government. For land and Northern, which had much of this time he was a cabi- for decades managed cattle and pigs sales in the region. He supnet minister. He also got out at right time, ported the firm merging with in 1983, at the election when Dalgety at a time when firms the Hawke government was had to get bigger to survive. His experiences in dairy inelected, so he avoided the next 13 years in which the Coalition dustry amalgamations were not was in opposition. He was only so happy, as he was disappoint54 when he left Canberra which ed that Bonlac could not surgave him time for a further ca- vive on its own, and was taken over by the New Zealand firm reer. After politics he sat on the Fonterra. As with his political career, boards of many companies, such as those in the container where he was a canny operashipping business, and on many tor, Nixon pays his cards close public bodies. He became one to his chest in this memoir; he of the initial Commissioners of reveals little of the inner workthe VFL when it set up a Com- ings of the Country/National mission to run Australian Rules Party, or of his own basic beliefs. football on a national scale. He strongly defends MalThis was the time of abortive attempts to get Melbourne colm’s Fraser’s performance clubs (like Fitzroy and Foot- as Prime Minister, though he scray, and Hawthorn and Mel- is obviously not so keen on his bourne) to merge, and then of views since. Nixon was active the successful introduction of in opposing the idea of an Ausclubs from others states as the tralian republic, which MalVFL transformed itself into the colm Fraser supported. AFL. • Peter Nixon The Peter NixHe was a member of the MCG Trustees as it attempted on Story: An Active Journey, to integrate its cricket and foot- available from the publisher ball obligations, and as it began Connor Court Publications, to modernise and expand the PO Box 1, Ballan, Victoria, 3342, $39.95 including postMCG stands and facilities. In 1995 he became Chief age.

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Browse through our range of books and sacramental and religious gifts, or search for specific items by author, title or keyword. Open seven days Phone and mail orders welcome. Credit cards accepted.

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Catholic Life, August 2012 - Page 13

Speaking up for rights of babies in the womb By Marianne Bagguley AS the fourth anniversary of the Victorian Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 approaches, it is difficult to comprehend a law now exists in our state legalising the abortion of unborn babies, for any reason, up to moments before birth. Sadly, many Victorians still have no idea of the contents and ramifications of this horrific Bill for unborn babies, mothers, fathers and healthcare professionals – not overlooking nationally, the dangerous precedent this legislation has now set for other states and the territories. On October 6, Bernie Finn, Liberal MLC and Helen Parker from The Babes Project will be guest speakers at two venues in our diocese - Maffra and Drouin - to share the amazing work they are doing in making a real difference for unborn babies, their mothers and families. Mr Finn is the Chairman of

The March for the Babies committee in Melbourne, formed in response to the passing of the Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 in October 2008. He was present during the passing of the Bill and subsequent rejection of 60 proposed amendments to the Bill – amendments such as support/ counselling for women, a mandate “cooling off” period for mothers prior to proceeding with an abortion, the banning of partial birth abortions (banned in the US). His speech in parliament in defence of unborn babies was exceptional, as have been his consistent efforts in educating, encouraging and inspiring those who love children and families to effectively witness in their everyday and public life to the sacredness and protection of unborn babies – particularly in promoting the annual March for the Babies, in Melbourne. This year Pope Benedict XV1 has given the March his Apos-

tolic Blessing. Bishop Prowse warmly welcomes Mr Finn into our diocese and is very supportive of him promoting the March for the Babies and encouraging parishioners to attend. Helen Parker is the CEO of The Babes Project – a pregnancy support centre in Croydon,

Morwell’s day of blessings MORWELL - St Vincent’s church hall Morwell East was the venue for a day of many blessings for the July 14, Catholic Charismatic Renewal Diocesan teaching and testimony day. Fifty people joined to celebrate the Year of Grace, with joyful praise and worship, led by Dr Assuntha Mariajoseph, capably assisted by her son Freddie operating the data projector. Later in the morning, Assuntha inspired all, by sharing her

testimony of the healing power of Jesus, in her journey through cancer. A time of prayer for healing was then led by Fr Francis Otobo, assistant priest in Morwell and Churchill parishes. Fr Francis challenged us with two talks on the great power of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the amazing fruit of the Holy Spirit of a Jesus led life. Fr Francis encouraged us to tune to the Holy Spirit frequency not to allow, fear, procrastination or laziness to divert us

from the Lord’s plans for our lives. Morwell parishioners organized the abundance of food for morning tea and lunch. During these breaks there was opportunity to look and purchase Christian media from Charles Favez, from Light the Way, publications The day concluded with Fr Otobo celebrating Holy Eucharist. A fitting conclusion to a day, of great blessings and many encouraging graces to go and share, the really good news.

Spiritual ministry growing THE spirituality ministry began in the Diocese of Sale by giving the first of many retreats at Berwick in 2003. That has now grown to be Emmaus Spirituality Ministry for the Catholic Diocese of Sale. All the spiritual directors on the Emmaus Spirituality team are qualified spiritual directors in Ignatian spirituality. This also means all the Emmaus team have successfully completed three years of professional training through the Arrupe Program. Spiritual direction is built around two key relationships, the relationship between a person and God and the relationship between that person and their spiritual director. The spiritual director takes as a model the relationship between Jesus and His disciples, including the times when they withdrew to the mountains. Like the spiritual direction relationship Jesus is in with the woman at the well. Ignatian directors, seek to be a well in encouraging, non-judgmental, life-giving water that is Jesus himself. Emmaus is now giving spiritual direction in Bairnsdale, Pakenham, Leongatha, Sale, Warragul and Newborough. It is also ready to help plan and offer retreats and reflection days for parishes or groups. In stillness and quiet, Em-

maus can guide you through prayer using scripture, poetry, art and music. Experience good spiritual conversation, refreshment and new life in your relationship with God. The Spirituality Formation Program, which has four parts, begins on Saturday September 1 at St Patrick’s parish in Pakenham, from 10am to 4pm. The first part is “How do I know what God wants of me”. Next year four retreats will be offered – “Inner Peace in Divine Love”, “Inner Peace in Service of God”, “Inner Peace in Darkness and Light” and “Inner Peace in Friendship with

Jesus.” All the above retreats are given over four weeks (one day per week gathering together) with prayer material provided for each week. Emmaus also hopes to give formation to all who feel called to give the four retreats above. This will be given by accredited givers of the above retreats. All the retreats offered are Catholic but those from other Christian denominations are welcome. For further information please contact Ruth Spierings 5998 2664 or email salespirituality@hotmail.com

Record $10.7 million raised for Project Compassion PROJECT Compassion has raised a record $10.7 million in 2012, and ensuring thousands are guaranteed life-changing support. Contribution from Sale Diocese was $149,253.68. Caritas Australia extends its grateful thanks for this wonderful amount, which will go a long way towards alleviating the suffering of the poor of the world. Caritas Australia CEO, Jack de Groot, said despite great financial uncertainty, when charities all around the country are struggling, the Catholic community of Australia has taken a

true stand in solidarity with the world’s poor. “This really is remarkable. Times have been tough and uncertain for many Australians in the last 12 months and yet our parishes, our schools and Church communities have managed to find a way to support the poorest of the poor,” Mr de Groot said. “This is unprecedented and we are humbled to see this demonstration of almsgiving throughout the sacred Lenten period. We thank wholeheartedly everyone who was involved.”

offering counselling and practical support for girls and women facing crisis pregnancies. It is through Helen’s personal experience of an unplanned pregnancy, the birth of her daughter and the joys of motherhood, which inspired her to found The Babes Project. The centre is strategically located within a short distance of the Marie Stopes International, one of the busiest abortion clinics in Melbourne. Helen’s story is both uplifting and inspiring and raises, not only the challenges, but also the wonderful support available to mothers and fathers facing an unplanned pregnancy. The passing of this legislation has left many Victorians feeling helpless in defending unborn babies in the womb. Bernie and Helen offer opportunities for us to be involved in spreading the message that “all babies, mothers and fathers do matter” and this Bill must be repealed. Everyone is warmly invited to hear Bernie and Helen speak on Saturday, October 6 at Maffra Memorial Hall, Foster Street, Maffra commencing at 11am, including lunch and refreshments. Cost - $12 per head. Bookings essential by contacting Marianne on 5147 1019. RSVP September 28. The second function will be that afternoon at Old Shire Chambers, Baw Baw Shire Offices, 33 Young Street, Drouin commencing at 4pm with afternoon tea. No cost, however, do-

nations gratefully accepted. For further details please contact Max on 5625 1066. In addition to presenting these two events, you are invited to join many Victorians in the March for the Babies at Treasury Gardens, Melbourne on Saturday, October 13 at 1pm. The goal of the march is to promote an annual day of remembrance and peaceful witness to affirm the right to life of every unborn child, assist women in crisis pregnancies and allow freedom of conscience for healthcare workers opposed to abortion. It offers an opportunity to walk with others in witnessing to the sanctity and importance of every human life. It is the single biggest event in Australia. This year Lord Nicholas Windsor will be participating and addressing those attending the March. Lord Windsor is the greatgrandson of King George V and the first blood member of the British royal family to be received into the Catholic Church, since King Charles II on his deathbed in 1685. For many years, he has so courageously and eloquently spoken out and witnessed to the paramount importance in protecting the dignity of every human life, regardless of stage of development or circumstance. A return bus to the march in Melbourne is available for anyone wishing to attend. The bus will collect passengers at Maffra, Sale and then at designated points along the Princes Highway including Traralgon, Moe, Trafalgar and possibly Drouin. The cost will be $20 - $23 per seat, depending on number of bookings. We are very happy to offer a discounted price to families. Seat reservations are essential by contacting Chas on 5147 1019 or 0407 353 750, no later than October 7. To avoid disappointment, please book early as bookings will cease once the bus is full. We hope you will join us!

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Page 14 - Catholic Life, August 2012

For the Young and Young at Heart A prize for the best picture

Time for a Laugh

ONE day, while a woodcutter was cutting a branch of a tree above a river, his axe fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, “Why are you crying?” The woodcutter replied that his axe has fallen into water, and he needed the axe to make his living. The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden axe. “Is this your axe?” the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, “No.” The Lord again went down and came up with a silver axe. “Is this your axe?” the Lord asked. Again, the woodcutter replied, “No.” The Lord went down again and came up with an iron axe. “Is this your axe?” the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied, “Yes.” The Lord was pleased with the man’s honesty and gave him all three axes to keep, and the woodcutter went home happy. Some time later the woodcutter was walking with his wife along the riverbank, and his wife fell into the river. When he cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked him, “Why are you crying?” “Oh Lord, my wife has IT may be winter here but there are lots of warm places up in the tropics where you can en- fallen into the water!” joy the sun and the beach. Colour in our mermaid picture for a chance to win a book prize. The Lord went down into the water and came up with Send it to Colouring Contest, c/- Catholic Life, PO Box 1410, Warragul 3820. Jennifer Lopez. “Is this your wife?” the Lord asked. Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Age . . . . . . “Yes!” cried the woodcutter. The Lord was furious. Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “You lied! That is an untruth!” The woodcutter replied, School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . “Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said ‘no’ to Jennifer Lopez, you would have come up with Kylie •Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are Minogue. Then if I also said on the Australian coat of arms for that reason. ‘no’ to her, you would have •When a specimen of the platypus was first sent to come up with my wife. Had England, it was believed the Australians had played a joke WINNER our Olympic col- I then said ‘yes,’ you would by sewing the bill of a duck onto a rat. ouring contest last month is have given all three to me. •Australian Rules Football was invented Tom Wills and Lord, I am a poor man, and Henry Harrison - both who were both born in Sydney. Tom Charlette Cowan, 8, who at- I am not able to take care played the Aboriginal game of Mangrook as a child and it tends St Therese’s Primary of all three wives, so that’s is believed the native game inspired the rules he initially School in Cranbourne North. why I said ‘yes’ to Jennifer We will try to deliver her Lopez.” proposed. The game then took hold in Victoria, and was book prize next week. largely rejected by Sydney. TWO toilet rolls were talk•Long fence - The ‘dingo fence’ in Australia is the We gave our colouring ing to one another. longest fence in the world, and is about twice as long as contest a break but it is back One said do you have the the Great Wall of China. by popular demand. feeling that we are being •Swimming - In 1838 it was declared illegal to swim Last month’s competition ripped off? at public beaches during the day! This law was enforced brought in more than 100 until 1902 - but men and women had to swim separately A SCOTSMAN and his entries which is really good. and all had to wear neck to knee swim suits. wife walked past a swanky

Did you know?

It’s a gold medal performance

new restaurant. “Did you smell that beautiful food?” she asked. “It smells incredible!” Wanting to charm his wife, he thought, “What the heck, I’ll give her a treat!” So he walked her past it again! A policeman pulled over an old man driving his car along the highway. “Sir, did you know your wife fell out of the car as you rounded a corner a couple of kilometres back?” The old man smiled and said “I didn’t know! I thought I’d gone deaf!” THE priest was most annoyed that an old man kept falling asleep at Mass and snoring loudly. He decided to do something about it, so next week he gave $1 to a boy sitting beside the man and asked that the boy keep nudging him to keep him awake. The Mass started well but half way through the sermon the old man was fast asleep, snoring loudly. After Mass the priest called the boy aside and asked “What happened? I gave to $1 to keep him awake?” “I know,” said the boy “but he gave me $5 to let him sleep. Here’s your dollar back.” SILLY Steven was rugged up, wearing lots of jackets as he tried to paint his house. He read on the can that to get the best results, he should put on two or three coats! WHAT’S green, has six legs and if it fell out of a tree would probably kill you? A billiard table. A SOLICITOR drives through a red light and smashes into a car driven by a doctor. Shaken, the doctor climbs from his wrecked car. The solicitor reaches into his pocket and pulls out a hip-flask of brandy and offers it to the doctors saying “Here! This will calm your nerves.” The doctor takes a swig, hands it back to the solicitor who puts on the top and drops it back in his pocket. “Aren’t you going to have a drink?” asks the doctor. “Sure,” says the lawyer, “Just as soon as the police have finished breath-testing us both.”


Catholic Life, August 2012 - Page 15

Classifieds wanted known

public notices

RRR Emporium. Vintage and retro furniture restored by volunteers. Open 9-3 Tues/ Wed, and 9-12 Satyurdays. 50 Della Torre Rd., Moe. 0409 175 574. Supported by St Vincent de Paul Society.

VOCATIONS

Let’s leave something for those in need

Mini Vinnies into knitting

Priests & Deacons Are you considering a vocation as a priest or deacon for the Diocese of Sale? If so please contact Diocesan Vocations Director

Fr Darek Jablonski 5996 1985

for sale

vocations@sale.catholic.org.au

Bishop’s Family Foundation If you are making or updating your will, you may consider leaving a bequest to the Bishop’s Family Foundation. The Bishop’s Family Foundation has produced some easy-to-read booklets explaining bequests which may be an advantage to read before seeing your solicitor to prepare or update your will. Copies may be obtained by phoningPat phoning on56 5144 4991 22 6600 Do it today and sleep easy knowing you have done your part.

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We are the only newspaper other than metropolitan dailies to deliver from the outer eastern suburbs, through Gippsland to the NSW border.

accommodation STORMANSTON HOUSE NORTH SYDNEY Quiet and charming accommodation in Federation Guest House, close to the city. Walking distance to Mary MacKillop Place. Ensuite double room $110 per night. Tea/coffee provided. Kitchen facilities. Off-street parking. PH: 0407 666 936 E: nsstorm@tpg.com.au

GLADSTONE Bag, 1940’s50’s collector’s item. Brown leather $50. Phone 0407 213 328. COMPUTER desk, pine with shelf, slide-out drawers for keyboard and printer. Good condition. $100. Ph 5622 6688.

CARLY, Nyariek and Nyamal display some of the coathangers made by their class. MORWELL EAST - Knitting seas. The children have also has become very popular in visited the elderly at the nursGrade 4/5 W at St Vincent’s ing homes. Primary School. Currently the children are The children have been furi- involved in knitting coat hangously knitting to assist Mini ers and creating knitted squares Vinnies by creating coat hang- in order to make rugs for the ers and squares to make rugs. poor. Parishioners have been Mini Vinnies, which has been working with the children each in operation for three years, is Monday with this project and currently being lead by Helen the children have found it both Watson and is made up of a challenging and fun. group of children who are comCarly, a student in 4/5W said, mitted to assisting the less for- “It’s really fun to think of ways tunate in their local communi- to help the less fortunate. The ties and abroad. parishioners have been kind, Over the last three years Mini showing us what to do with the Vinnies has been involved in knitting.” raising money for diabetes reMini Vinnies has been a great search as well as having a gold way to show support for those coin donation to raise money less fortunate and to instil a for Caritas, which is commit- sense of community responsited to helping the poor over- bility for those in need.

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Page 16 - Catholic Life, August 2012

Berwick’s championship team BERWICK – An all-boys team of netballers from St Catherine’s Primary School has made the state finals of the Victorian Netball Schools Championships. It is the first time the school has entered the competition. The nine boys are all in Grade 6. The team was developed through keen interest in the mixed netball team chosen for the local St Margaret’s Netball Challenge. Thirty-two boys showed interest in the four positions available in the team, and a promise was made to find a competition that enabled more students to take the court. From here, a squad of nine talented students were then selected, who over the past two months have displayed dedication to training and developing their skills in the game. On July 26, the team headed to Knox Regional Netball Centre in Ferntree Gully to compete in the Grade 5/6 Primary Division. The boys exhibited exceptional teamwork, skill and passion throughout the tournament. They had an extremely successful day with seven wins and one loss, placing them on top of the ladder at the end of

GOOD luck in the championship. Pictured are (rear, from left) teacher Sarah McDermott, Riley D’Arcy, Connor Tyler, Patrick Anderson, Ryan Wjaya, Mitchell Pollock and (front) Riley Gardiner, Brodie Entwistle, Lachlan Benson, Matthew Wright. the day. This now entitles the team to a spot in the finals day on September 11.

They will compete at the State Netball Hockey Centre for a shot at being the State Champions in their Division.

Cinderella and Rockerfella

KAYLA, Chloe and Madeline in a scene from the St Patrick’s school musical Cinderella and Rockerfella. PAKENHAM - The whole activities. school musical production of The children lit up the stage Cinderella and Rockerfella with great performances and it at St Patrick’s Primary School will be well remembered and was a great success. used as a fantastic space for The 540 students performed school musicals in the future. it twice in one day with a great Music teacher Mrs Taylorturn out of family and friends to Smith was an inspiration to both performances. all who were involved in the The new school gym was school play and did a fantastic put to another great new use job of getting the students ready with the new lighting system for the big night. installed and ready for the big It has been a busy couple of night. months for all involved, but The new gym has been as always staff and students another fantastic addition to worked and showed proud the school grounds and has parents and family what can be been well used for all different achieved by working together types of school and after school as one.

Aid for orphanage

Seminarians studying in Nigeria

HANDING over the stationery supplies for the orphanage.

Catholic Life Sale

The Eucharistic rosary designed by the Vatican rosary makers will be sent out to all those who give a donation of $15 or more and tick this box. Aid to the Church in Need …. a Catholic charity dependent on the Holy See, providing pastoral relief to needy and oppressed Churches

TRARALGON - At the end of last term, collection tubs were overflowing with pencils, books and all types of stationery from each of the 19 classrooms at St Gabriel’s School, Traralgon. Materials were collected to support a local charity, the Bor Orphanage Project, which is working towards establishing a school for the orphaned children of Bor in South Sudan. The school community only recently heard about this project and invited its project team members to speak to the students. The staff and students were so moved by their story, St Gabriel’s decided to participate in this worthy cause through a school wide collection of stationary supplies. The materials were formally handed across to project team leaders at an assembly. A locally based Sudanese, Rev. Abraham Maluk, returned to his home town of Bor for a visit after a 23 year exile.

He found a situation that is common in Sudan, a village almost without adults! Nearly 60 children were trying to build a school and teach the younger children. The mud and grass huts they were building leaked with water and when the rains came, they washed away. Unperturbed, the children would build and rebuild. They wrote with sticks in the hard ground but their enthusiasm, according to Mr Maluk, was something to see. He believes the Bor project is ‘investing in the children’ and that this will create a more positive future for the area. He is more than happy to talk to schools and different organisations about the project. The governing body of Bor has given this registered charity a parcel of land to assist in its endeavor to raise money to build the school. (For more information, please explore its website www.bororphanage. com or Facebook page.)


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