Aurora July 2017

Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle July 2017 | No.170

Steve Biddulph says making girls strong starts young Do you know the hoarders next door?

Salvation history in 800 words

COVER

STORY

2017 Se Austral nior ia Year, Sr n of the Gardine Anne r, writes for Aur ora

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E youth.festival@mn.catholic.org.au W www.mn.catholic.org.au/acyf @MNcatholicyouth

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First Word

Wisdom in word, wisdom in action

On the cover Sr Anne Gardiner with Tiwi students.

Read more on page 5. Photo courtesy of Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic Primary School.

Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle July 2017 | No.170

Steve Biddulph says making girls strong starts young Do you know the hoarders next door?

Salvation history in 800 words

COVER

I am delighted that renowned writer, psychologist and parent educator, Steve Biddulph, appears in Aurora this month. Steve became well known for his insights into raising boys who would become good men, and now he’s turned his attention to the issues of raising girls to be strong and independent.

STOR

Y 2017 Austral Senior ian Year, Sr of the Gardiner, Anne wri for Aur tes ora

Featured  Listen to their voices, hear their stories and walk together into the future

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 NAIDOC Week 2017 celebrates Indigenous languages

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 Do you know the hoarders next door?

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 Launch of learning framework for Catholic schools 8  eConference offering fresh model of leadership in uncertain times

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 Commemorating Hiroshima

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 Not even a whimper

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 Caring for your documents at home

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 Honouring a long life of love and laughter

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 An opportunity to honour the land on which we live

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 Salvation history in 800 words

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Regulars

Speaking of good men, I have been very aware of the death and state funeral of Anthony Foster, whose mission, with his wife Chrissie, became advocating for the victims of child sexual abuse after two of his three daughters were abused by their parish priest. Emma committed suicide while Katie is severely disabled, both outcomes of the abuse they suffered. This was compounded by the lack of compassion they encountered in their ardent efforts to bring the Catholic Church to justice and to have the horrendous truth acknowledged. Apart from the difference he made in a nation which is not as safe as it ought to be for children, Anthony Foster was a sterling father with a fierce love for his own, and a determination to support other survivors and agitate for significant change, in the church and in society. May he rest in peace.

The cover story this month is by 2017 Senior Australian of the Year, Sr Anne Gardiner of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. I was thrilled that Sr Anne accepted an invitation from a diocese far, far away. Do read her story.

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 My Word

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 CareTalk

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Having shared his diocese’s innovative “Launch Out” program to prepare members of the diocesan community for parish leadership, Cardinal John was asked what is required of those who would lead. He offered two essentials.

Firstly, “Leadership is always about service – foot-washing – looking for opportunities to serve the People of God.” Secondly, quoting US President Harry Truman, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Hmmm…

To learn more about “Launch Out”, visit www.wn.catholic.org.nz.

We’re not all called to lead, but each of us is likely to be called upon to decide, at some stage, ‘to stay or to go’.

Fr Timothy urged that we at least consider staying – in a marriage where the love has faded, in a failing church, with a disgraced friend…because [for those who are God-believers] it’s “a sign of the Lord who stays with us…abiding…we have a God who doesn’t go away.”

I love few things more than listening to people of wisdom speak. I hope this edition includes some wisdom for you.

Recently I have been privileged to hear Wellington (New Zealand) Cardinal John Dew and former Master of the Dominican Order, Timothy Radcliffe OP, speak. Cardinal John was visiting the diocese while Fr Timothy spoke in

Contact Aurora

 First Word

Sydney under the auspices of Catalyst for Renewal.

Next deadline 7 July 2017 Aurora enquiries should be addressed to The Editor Tracey Edstein E aurora@mn.catholic.org.au PO Box 756 Newcastle 2300 P 4979 1288 | F 4979 1119

 One by One

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 Family Matters

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 Faith Matters

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Subscribe editor@mn.catholic.org.au

 Seasons of Mercy

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Advertising Fairfax Media Phone 4979 5259

 Frankly Spoken

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 Community Noticeboard

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 Last Word

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Aurora appears in The Newcastle Herald, The Maitland Mercury, The Singleton Argus, The Manning River Times and The Scone Advocate on the first Wednesday of the month and in The Muswellbrook Chronicle on the following Thursday.

The magazine can also be read at mnnews.today.

TRACEY EDSTEIN – Editor

Aurora online Good news! You can still catch up with Aurora online, via MNNews.today. mnnews.today/aurora-magazine

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My Word

Letter from the Eternal City ‘I write from Rome.’ That is the literal truth, but I gave serious consideration to not saying it. Somewhere in the skies over the Arabian Gulf, an old memory came in to my head of Nicholas Wiseman, the first post-Reformation Catholic Archbishop of Westminister. When the hierarchy was restored to England in 1850, Wiseman unwisely wrote ahead to London announcing his appointment but addressed his letter ‘from without the Flaminian Gate’. In those days, of course, educated English men and women were brought up on the writings of ancient Romans, so they instinctively responded to a phrase so evocative of the imperial mystique of Rome. From the Prime Minister down, there was denunciation of this ‘Papal Aggression’ represented

by Wiseman’s ill-chosen piece of grandiloquent triumphalism. Once again, Queen Victoria was not amused. Anyway, I hope I am not falling into Wisemanism here. It just so happens that I am in Rome for a few days, and I am, in fact, writing from there.

I am staying, thankfully, in the heart of the city, in a convent that now operates as a sort of B&B. It was built in the sixteenth century on the traditional Roman pattern, a four-storey set of wings around a central courtyard. This is ‘traditional’ in that peculiarly Roman sense: it is essentially the same design as the houses of the rich in Caesar’s day and long before that.

Thankfully, the plumbing and air-con have been worked over in more recent centuries.

It is very comfortable and, in that respect, is like a lot of Rome. The Romans don’t go in for exterior display. Age and decay are often the motifs of the buildings on the outside, polished and plush is the style within. It contributes to that sense one gets that Rome is just there, it has always been there. It doesn’t even make a point of being ancient, it just is what it is.

To take a case in point, I am staying just next to the Piazza Argentina, the other side of which is on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main street through the city. The piazza is a pile of ruins of at least four temples, a fenced-off hole about the size of three football fields that sits about twenty feet below the present street level.

It has some impressive columns etc, etc, and would be a ‘site of great cultural importance’ anywhere else. But here it wears a neglected sort of look, there’s no actual access to the monuments and the weeding hasn’t been done any time recently. But the truly Roman thing about it is its present function. It is a cat sanctuary.

The feral moggies of the city live there with impunity, and can be adopted on weekdays from a small subterranean office. The first time I had a look at the piazza there was a party of Italian high-schoolers gazing into the hole. What were they doing? Counting cats, of course. The rest is just another bit of old Rome left lying around, and clearly not of much interest.

There’s another site, another temple, on the other side of my convent. It’s not much more than tennis court size, but it has four and a half good stone temple columns re-erected and masses of stone blocks and Roman brickwork lying around. There’s nothing to tell you anything about this one.

It’s quite apparent that there used to be a building similar to my convent on top of it, because the buildings around it now have massive stone buttresses to support their walls where the old building would have propped them up. I imagine some 19th or 20th century developer, inconsolable when he found a temple under his building site.

Anyway, it’s another little bit of Rome that is now ‘just there’, like so much of the city, dirty and ignored by the locals but a bit of a marvel to us barbarians.

This brings together people working in the child protection field from around the English-speaking church. I’m here with others from Australia who work for the National Committee for Professional Standards or for diocesan or religious congregations’ child protection offices. The theme this year is ‘Celebrating Hope’ and is about bringing together experiences from around the world of some of the positive things that can be done for survivors of childhood abuse, for those abusers who may be struggling to live with the realisation of what they have done, and for the church personnel who daily share the burdens of the survivors they support.

I’m guessing that, in Australia, talking about hope in regard to these things will seem somewhat unreal and perhaps quite inappropriate, but this is the thirteenth Anglophone Conference and I can assure you that the discussion has not, therefore, just seized on the positive at the first possible moment. The realism of the people here about the history and effects of sexual abuse in the church has been built up over many years. ‘What good can we do for people, and how?’ is not a wrong-headed question for these people to be asking.

Finally, I’ll quickly mention that I had lunch on Saturday with our two student priests in Rome, John Lovell, who has just been ordained a deacon, and Graham Fullick.

They are now returning home for their summer break and will be seen around the diocese in the next couple of months.

Of course they are now to some extent Romans and so take the place for granted.

Accordingly, here in the heart of Rome, we had a lunch of beef and Guinness at an Irish pub. What else would you expect?

I’m in Rome for the annual meeting of the Anglophone Conference on Safeguarding.

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Cover Story

Listen to their voices, hear their stories and walk together into the future 2017 Senior Australian of the Year, Sr Anne Gardiner of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, graciously accepted an invitation to write for the edition of Aurora appearing in NAIDOC Week.

I’ve seen a few things in my time but if I was asked to give one piece of advice it would be this: our identity as humans is in who we are, not what we are. Who we are is only possible through our spoken languages and our lived cultures.

It is a message that is relevant today, as it was when I was born in Gundagai, NSW, the youngest of four children of Mollie and William Gardiner. We were a happy farming family.

My mother was a devout Catholic so the Rosary and Mass played a big part in my childhood. I vividly remember Sunday mornings preparing the horse and sulky.

With Dad holding the reins, Mum and us four squeezed into the sulky and we trotted into town to attend Mass.

We rode our horses to primary school in Gundagai which held many adventures and were very happy days. I attended St Joseph’s Ladies Secondary College in Albury, NSW. These years were full of fun and friends. I must admit that I fooled about rather than put my mind to work.

I remember being on the basketball court and two Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart gave us a picture of sisters in a canoe with a prayer to Our Lady on the back. At the time I was doing my exams - the card simply forgotten. Later on the card fell out, those canoe-paddling sisters inspired me and I began to think seriously about my life. When I was only 18 I wrote a letter to the Superior in Bowral. Now there were a few religious congregations in the Bowral area, but my letter went to Hartzer Park, Burradoo.

The rest is history.

I entered the Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in May, 1949.

I made my first profession in 1951 and made final vows in the old convent in Darwin in 1954.

I arrived on Bathurst Island on 23 November 1953. Wow! What a welcoming I received.

There were three other sisters here, a priest and two brothers.

Bishop Gsell established the first mission on Bathurst Island in 1911. I often ponder his thoughts and reflections. He wrote: “Fifty years ago when I started my

missionary life, anthropology was still in its infancy. If it had been developed, it would have been very useful to me and would have helped me to avoid many mistakes. I had to establish contact with the Tiwi alone, slowly, prudently. I had to endeavour to the best of my ability to learn gradually their habits and customs so as to penetrate into their minds and hearts without hurt or shock. I was the humble instrument of a Divine task.”

visit the museum if you ever travel to Bathurst

I have also made many mistakes along my journey, I was insensitive many times. But now, as I am reaching the end of my days with the Tiwi people, I pray that in all humility I have been a small instrument in the Tiwi Catholic story.

experience Tiwi people

Island. I’m proud to say it is now operated by strong local women who are doing an outstanding service for the community.

When I received the Senior Australian of the Year award I said it has been my joy to witness and

Please visit the museum if you ever travel to Bathurst Island

manage organisations, conduct schools and health clinics and train others.

They have done this by

My memories are many. Originally school hours were spent underneath the old Mission Church. Long desks and seats, chalk, slate pencils and slate boards. School hours were from 8am until noon, then we were off to complete chores like gardening, sewing or hunting. Our first school was built in 1957 and our first Tiwi ladies to be trained as teachers commenced in the 1970s. The ‘70s and ‘80s were years of great change in the education system. Remarkable people like Sr Tess Ward, Fran Murray and others were responsible for the commencement of a bilingual school. It became a Tiwi School where children were first educated in their own language.

being confident in who they are. There

Sadly, the bilingual approach faded out and English became the norm for education across the board. Their language and culture exist as one. To me we have failed the students.

Europeans arrived?

In its wisdom the Government saw otherwise and, like it or not, five hours of English teaching became the rule. Yet one cannot blame the Government all the way. The local principal at the time, Leah Kerinaiua, received little to no support from her community.

My years as principal of the school are now well behind me. Since then I have been able to spend more time with the Tiwi people. I devote many hours to projects that will provide long lasting benefits to the community. We have set up the Patakijiyali Museum and many, many hours have been spent developing the different galleries within the museum. Please

are many ways to be a leader; the English language does not have a monopoly on leadership.

My firm belief is that the future of the Tiwi people lies in their own hands because we, non Tiwi, come and go. How many of us have genuinely tried to remain silent and let the Tiwi run their own affairs? How many of us have really learnt the art of listening in the context of a values system that is in stark contract to our western ways? Do we realise that they had their own systems to deal with issues for thousands of years before

Sr Anne Gardner with students of Murrupurtiyanuwu Catholic Primary School.

Image courtesy of the school.

These thoughts resonate with the sentiment of the recent Uluru Statement.

It is necessary, right and just that the first peoples are recognised in today’s political structures. How this happens should be up to the Aboriginal peoples to decide. As a nation we are being asked to listen to their voices, hear their stories and walk together into the future.

I invite all Australians to support people, such as the Tiwi, to be visible as Australians to all Australians. I pray that all people in our wonderful country, regardless of language, culture, skin, colour or religious belief, may stand tall as proud Australians.

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CatholicCare

NAIDOC Week 2017 celebrates Indigenous languages Torres Strait Islander culture. It’s also about paying respect to Aboriginal people, elders past and present.”

By JACKELYN BASSETT

CatholicCare Social Services’ Jackie Bassett spoke to Ian Eggins, Manager of Supported Independent Living, as he anticipated NAIDOC Week (2-9 July).

Ian Eggins belongs to the Bundjalung and Kamilaroi people, and he grew up here in Newcastle.

Ian says he was influenced by his parents, who were very active members of the Aboriginal community.

NAIDOC Week is important to Ian and his family. “It’s a celebration of my Aboriginal culture and the long history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“It’s about being proud of Aboriginal and

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is “Our Languages Matter.” For Ian, that reinforces the importance of “Aboriginal people getting back to their history, culture and identity, all of which are expressed through our languages”. There are around 120 Indigenous languages spoken in various parts of Australia.

Ian is deeply committed to promoting and preserving Aboriginal ways of understanding the land and the people who belong to it. “I sit on the boards of a variety of Aboriginal organisations, including the Biraban Land Council and Wandiyali, an Aboriginal community and children’s services organisation.”

At CatholicCare, Ian finds that his Indigenous heritage complements his work as a member of the Out of Home Care team, supporting young adolescents. “I’m able to provide a culturally sensitive service to our Indigenous children and

young people within our programs.”

Ian and his family enjoy participating in the NAIDOC Week community events held locally, especially the march and celebration day, which was traditionally held at Newcastle Foreshore but will be held at Smith Park, Hamilton, on 3 July for the first time this year.

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

There are many activities and events held around Newcastle, the Hunter and Manning region each year. CatholicCare will be participating in various events and encouraging those we support to attend.

Some of the events we will be involved with

this year include Smith Park, Hamilton on 3 July, Westlakes Toronto Foreshore on 4 July, Fotheringhams Park, Taree on 9 July and Billabong Park, Gloucester on 15 July.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself.

Please visit www.naidoc.org.au.

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Education

Do you know the hoarders next door?

By ANNA KERRIGAN

Hoard: a supply or accumulation that is hidden or carefully guarded for preservation, future use.

I have always been slightly obsessed with hoarders and what makes them tick.

It’s something that exists in each of us, the need to hold on to certain items. I have a weakness for books. I have boxes of them, most of which my husband quite rightly asserts I have never read (but please don’t tell him he’s right about that). I love buying them, thinking, “I’ll get around to reading that one day” and I cannot part with them. I hate the idea of throwing away words, of throwing away information.

Hoarding was the original inspiration for this year’s ASPIRE production, The Hoarders Next Door. It features a lovable elderly couple, George and Mavis Smith, who live in a fairly regular Australian street and who have a story to tell about every piece of ‘junk’ in their possession. To them, everything evokes a memory, a part of their history and because of that, they cannot part with anything.

As the script developed, however, the other characters on the street became as important as George and Mavis. The script became a piece about community, something I worry we are losing in this technologically charged world. I found myself looking more at the way we interact with each other, make friends, break friends and pass through our lives, our day to day interactions with the people around us.

Some might say we have created in the script an aspirational world where neighbours have grown up together and where everyone knows the local postie. Ladies in their active wear gossip about what is happening on the street.

People take a moment to say hello to each other rather than buzzing off in their cars without a word. It’s the kind of community that we need to hold on to, I believe.

I am very lucky to be a part of many of the school communities in our diocese. I spend a great deal of time

visiting schools and creating theatre with the students there. Every school community is a bit different but the willingness to participate in creative arts activities is consistent. Students are willing to share ideas, work in teams to put their ideas on stage and, most importantly, support and give each other confidence.

Each community has an abundance of stories to tell about what needs to be shared with local audiences. Holy Family, Glendale, has written a play where dreams are the starting point. St Joseph’s, Merriwa, has created a play about the need for resilience in the school setting. Students of St John Vianney, Morisset, have written a politically charged piece about Donald Trumpet, the mayor of Fairytale Land.

Each school contributes to the writing of its script and each script is unique, like the school community.

Assisting students in putting these stories into a script is a very happy responsibility of mine. It’s a constant inspiration to me, as is the effort put in by staff in schools to develop further and rehearse the scripts with their students.

In addition to this I have been inspired − well actually, blown away − by the fact all three of our matinée productions have nearly sold out. We added an extra matinée this year to accommodate schools that wished to purchase tickets and the demand has been overwhelming.

I am very proud to be able to work in a community that values the creative arts in this way.

Now the very real (and sometimes scary) job of preparing a polished production is upon our talented cast and crew to ensure our audiences take something away from The Hoarders Next Door. I’m sure people will recognise characters from their own parish, school and wider communities in the production. It’s a script that I hope will inspire our audiences in the same way that I am inspired by our community every day.

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Scenes from ASPIRE rehearsals.

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Education

Launch of learning framework for Catholic schools What impact will this learning framework have on our schools?

What difference will it make?

By KATHRYN FOX

The culmination of over two years planning and consultation about what ‘learning’ means and looks like for our Catholic schools came about recently with the launch of a Learning Framework. The launch, presided over by Vicar General, Fr Brian Mascord, and Director of Schools, Dr Michael Slattery, was held at St Joseph’s College, Lochinvar, in the school’s brand new hall. Attended by over 250 people from our school and diocesan communities, it was a truly memorable occasion.

Why a learning framework?

A learning framework is a bit like an umbrella – it brings together under the one area many of the things we associate with learning – research, different learning and teaching opportunities and examples, various resources, system policies and links with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and professional bodies for teachers and school leaders such as the Australian Professional Standards.

The framework that has been developed for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle comprises five particular areas with definitions, resources, examples, research and links: Continual focus on Leading Learning Cultures built on Collaborative Learning Rich and purposeful Personalised Learning

The framework has given our staff a basis or a place to consult for quick, recent and relevant information on best practice − something we have obviously not had in the past but very much needed. It is my hope for our staff, and for others in the diocese, that the Framework will become an integral place, a natural starting point, for staff, and indeed school leadership teams, to give advice, research and examples in teaching and learning. It is hoped that the framework continues to grow and change to reflect changing research and system directives and focus areas.

Sallyanne Stanbridge, Assistant Principal, St Therese’s Primary School, New Lambton.

The Learning Framework developed over the last two years is the foundation for learning for all our schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle for the next decade. The Framework is an easy to navigate site to assist with the professional learning of every educator. It will save you time and energy as it is a ‘one stop shop’ for the resources and tools teachers need to improve their craft. The Framework has up-to-date examples and illustrations of ‘best practice’ and is based on the latest educational research. I commend this site to all the staff teams across our diocese.

Mark Twohill, Principal, St James’ Primary School, Kotara South.

I believe the Learning Framework is a foundational document for the system as it provides clear directions for all educators on how to deliver authentic learning experiences for their students. It also outlines the importance of teachers working collaboratively and includes strategies for teachers to do so to achieve positive learning outcomes for their students and themselves. The use of current research and examples of best practice, for example, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) National School Improvement Tool, adds considerable credibility to the framework.

Nick Wickham, Assistant Principal, St Joseph’s College, Lochinvar.

The Learning Framework is the ‘go to’ place for understanding more about the process of learning and doing the best to meet the needs of our students and teachers. It makes connections with and across teaching, learning and leadership in our Catholic schools.

Kathryn Fox is Head of Teaching & Learning Services, Catholic Schools Office and Learning Framework Committee Chair.

HAVE YOUR

SAY

Creating the conditions for Supportive Learning Building capacity through Professional Learning A website has also been built to complement the learning framework, allowing teachers to explore these various components and helping them to provide a range of learning opportunities for their students.

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CatholicCare

Feel the fear and face it with courage Q

By TANYA RUSSELL Registered Psychologist

A CatholicCare’s Manager of Counselling and Clinical Services, registered psychologist Tanya Russell, addresses an issue each month.

The advice provided is general in nature and does not replace ongoing support and advice from your health professional.

To talk to someone about counselling support, P 4979 1172.

I feel stuck in my life. My friends are achieving success in many aspects of their lives while I seem to be watching life pass me by. My friends tell me that I seem to be afraid of putting myself “out there” and I need to try new things. I tend to agree! I let my fears get in the way of applying for promotions at work and generally living the life I want to live. How do I let go of my fears and take some chances?

You are not alone. So many of us allow fear to hold us back and prevent us achieving our goals. However, your friends, who you feel are achieving success, would not have had this success without some level of fear. It takes courage to overcome fear. In fact, courage only exists because of fear and this is what is needed to move forward. Don’t be mistaken, you do not need to have a lot of confidence to face your fears – this may come later. Courage is what will help you take those first steps.

There are many fears: some are the obvious physical fears such as fear of flying, of public speaking, of spiders, of heights, of the dark and of death and dying. As much as these fears are very real, it is likely that our psychological fears have the biggest impact on us. You might be able to relate to some of these:

Call Lifeline 24/7 on 131 114.

Do you have a question for Tanya?

ff Fear of rejection ff Fear of failure ff Fear of uncertainty

Email your question to aurora@mn.catholic.org.au or write to Aurora-CareTalk PO Box 756 Newcastle 2300.

ff Fear of loneliness ff Fear of change ff Fear of being judged ff Fear of getting hurt.

Working out which fears you are acting on is the first step towards facing them and the way you respond in certain situations will then make more sense. Fear often dictates how we feel and how we behave. But it is important to appreciate that fear is a feeling, like any emotion. From now on, I want you to think of this feeling as ‘feedback only’. Your mind and your body are telling you something but you must remember that the way you interpret the feeling of fear is not always based on fact. Although it is hard to control our feelings, we do have a choice as to how we respond. You can still act on your fears, but which actions will you consider taking in the future? The ones that hold you back? Or the ones that move you forward?

Think about what is important to you in life.

Who do you want to be? Where do you want to go? What kind of person/friend/partner/ parent/employee would you like to be? How important is it to you to be all of these things?

Then, think about your fears and how they impact on the important things in your life.

You can try the following: ff Ask yourself: Are my worrying thoughts helpful to me?

What does this fear or worry mean to me?

Will these worrying thoughts about my fears matter in a week, a month or a year from now?

What will it mean if I do nothing and give in to my fears? ff Consider how to respond or not respond to the worrying thoughts and feared situation – what could you be telling yourself instead? ff In order to act courageously, can you accept your fears and the worrying thoughts, rather than fighting them or trying to change them?

Acceptance is not easy and takes time and patience. Accepting your thoughts means that you acknowledge them but do nothing with them. Over time, your fear will lessen.

Having fears in your life is not a terrible thing – how much attention you give those fears can be a problem though. Where would you like to spend your energies – fighting your fears, giving in to your fears or facing them with courage?

HAVE

YOUR

SAY

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Two by Two

This couple’s committed to a movement that unites faith and life months and Adda’s family ‘adopted’ Brian!

By MONICA SCANLON

Newcastle couple Brian and Adda O’Donnell are keen to share their enthusiasm for the ecclesial movement, Communion and Liberation.

Communion and Liberation is a movement which has the purpose of forming its members in Christianity in order to make them coworkers in the Church’s mission in all areas of society.

Brian was born and raised in Melbourne.

In 1980, aged 20, he took a year off from studying engineering at university to see the world. He cycled around Europe and also met his father’s family in Ireland. During this gap year, whilst staying in a youth hostel in Donegal, Ireland, Brian met Adda.

Adda, also aged 20, had studied English and Russian in her home town of Milan and was visiting Ireland for three months with her friend Anna to improve their English skills.

Both Adda and Anna invited Brian to visit Italy to stay with their families for a few days.

Brian’s three or four-day visit turned into two

Brian and Adda corresponded via letters and the occasional phone call when Brian returned to Australia to finish the last year of his degree. Brian then bought a one-way ticket to Italy and secured a job in Milan. He had learned French and Latin at his Jesuit school in Melbourne but it was while working in an engineering company in Milan that he began to master Italian.

On his first visit to Italy, Adda introduced Brian to Communion and Liberation (CL). Adda had been involved with CL since she was at high school. It took a year for her to decide if it was something she wanted to do. Adda said she feels she met CL at just the right time. “It is perfect for the way I was made.”

There are other Catholic movements in Italy which both Brian and Adda respect, but the charism of CL greatly appeals to them. They both like the way people in CL treat each other, live their faith and are not ashamed to talk about their faith. Brian said he was “attracted by the fact they were having a joyful and happy time together and slowly I discovered it was because of their faith”.

Every aspect of Brian and Adda’s lives involves CL, including socialising and holidaying with other CL families whose friendships they value greatly. They have stayed with the CL movement through university, marrying, becoming parents and recently grandparents.

Pope John Paul II officially recognised CL in 1982 and asked the founder, Don Luigi

Giussani (1922-2005), to ensure that the movement, which originated in the 1950s, became a presence in other countries. Brian said the movement is very popular in Italy, North and South America and there are large communities in England, Ireland and Spain.

In 2015 Pope Francis addressed the CL Movement in St Peter’s Square in front of over 80,000 people.

For Adda, CL is not a theological club but a more intimate experience. “It educates me in a faith which speaks to my real life and is not just a habit. CL does not have many rules.” They meet regularly to discuss CL documents and share opinions which relate to how they live. They match the lesson from the messages to real situations in their lives. The documents may include the writings of Don Luigi Giussani, his successor Father Julian Carron, papal writings, or other sources related to the life of the Church.

In the group they explore how they have handled situations and discover things about themselves. For example, during a recent CL discussion, a friend shared a problem and reflected on a passage being studied, asking, “What did it tell me that Christ is calling me to do, what is the sign for me?” Adda added, “All circumstances in life, no matter how normal and insignificant they seem, the good and the bad, are an opportunity to see the presence of God.” Brian explained there is a missionary aspect to CL and members are asked to reach out to the community and participate in parish activities and organise events such as the

Way of the Cross. Adda volunteers with refugees, at the St Vincent de Paul Centre and in her parish of Tighes Hill.

After spending 31 years raising three children in Italy, Brian and Adda returned to Australia five years ago. To maintain contact with other CL members, in Italy and in other parts of Australia, they use Skype to participate in the “school of community”, the name given to these weekly meetings, which are held in groups in the larger cities. CL has been in Australia for 20 years and there are members in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Launceston.

Brian and Adda are committed to sharing their Christian friendship with others and have a desire to have a CL presence in Newcastle. They believe that without CL, they may have abandoned their faith. To them, CL is for those who do not want to live an individualistic life. They encourage people searching for a way to live their faith, which perhaps they haven’t found in their parish, to investigate the CL movement.

For more information about the Communion and Liberation movement in the Church, E Brian & Adda O’Donnell, bap.odonnell@gmail.com or visit http://english.clonline.org.

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News

eConference offering fresh model of leadership in uncertain times

By MICHAEL KENNY

“Broken Bay Institute - The Australian Institute of Theological Education” is proud to be partnering again with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference to host the 13th Annual National eConference on Thursday 10 August.

The theme is Gospel Leadership in Times of Chaos: the Hope of Pope Francis.

It will be an opportunity to reflect upon the hope offered by Pope Francis during the current era of socio-political change and uncertainty which has included the rise of fundamentalism, the growing violence and displacement of peoples in the Middle East and Britain’s historic vote to leave the European Union.

The eConferences have attracted growing interest from communities across the world and this year’s event will be streamed live from 10.30am2.45pm (AEST).

Prominent Australian business leader Ms Elizabeth Proust AO is also one of the speakers this year. “I am looking forward to a timely and spirited discussion at the eConference”, she said.

As Deputy Chairman of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, Ms Proust has been personally shocked by the extent of clergy abuse highlighted through the current Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The 2017 eConference will feature an extraordinary line-up of prominent international and national speakers and panellists from politics, media and business, alongside well respected theologians and leaders of religious congregations from across Australia.

Among the speakers will be the former NSW Premier and Foreign Minister, Professor Bob Carr, the Editor at Large from The Australian, Mr Paul Kelly, and the President of Catholic Religious Australia, Sr Ruth Durick osu.

“And I believe Pope Francis offers us a tremendous role model of a humble, courageous servant leader who is not afraid to adopt difficult positions on some important social and moral issues of our time, from ecology through to corporate greed,” Ms Proust explained.

Through her work as Chairman of Nestlé and the Bank of Melbourne, Ms Proust has increasingly taken on a mentoring role to aspiring young business leaders in Australia, particularly young women.

“In the business arena too, I believe we can draw upon the example of Pope Francis and adopt a humbler approach to leadership that is perhaps less focused on multi-million dollar profits for shareholders and which genuinely addresses the growing gulf between the earnings of CEOs and their employees in some of our big corporations”, Ms Proust added.

Ms Proust believes the upcoming eConference is a timely opportunity for the Catholic Church in Australia to reflect upon the need for a fresh model of leadership for contemporary times.

You can find more information about the eConference including registration details on the BBI website, www.bbi.catholic.edu.au.

Are you looking for quality care and early education for your child?

Register your interest for enrolment now by visiting www.stnicholasmn.org.au or phone 4979 1110 for more information

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News

Commemorating Hiroshima

By DOUG HEWITT

Early in the morning of 6 August 1945, a US B-29 bomber, code-named Enola Gay, dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing 140,000 people.

Three days later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, mistaking it for the industrial city of Kokura.

Immediately after releasing the first bomb, the co-pilot of Enola Gay, Robert Lewis, wrote to his parents, “My God, what have we done?”

In notes after the bomb dropped, Lewis wrote: “No#1 Atomic bomb a huge success”.

But he later recorded: “I am certain the entire crew felt this experience was more than any one human had ever thought possible. If I live a hundred years I’ll never quite get those few minutes out of my mind.”

The bombings effectively ended World War II by bringing about the surrender of Japan, but at a terrible price: two cities were destroyed, and casualties, mostly civilians, were estimated at around 200,000, with many more dying later from

injuries and illness. In the seven decades since, many people have asked the question Robert Lewis posed to his parents.

For over 30 years Newcastle people have gathered early on the morning of 6 August, in the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral, to commemorate that first use of a nuclear weapon and to remember its victims, including Robert Lewis and his crew of Enola Gay. Together those assembled have recited the words: “We gather to stand in solidarity with the living Japanese victims, some of whom still suffer from the injuries sustained in those two acts of destructive force. We confess that those acts of violence also had lasting consequences for all the residents of those two cities.”

“I think being a church in the 21st century relates to social justice. Learning different ways of expressing our faith and deepening our faith is very important and we have to be more inclusive and more open.”

You are warmly invited to remember Hiroshima and pray for peace in our troubled world at 6.00 pm on Sunday 6 August at Christ Church Cathedral, Church Street, Newcastle.

Rev Myung Hwa Park.

This year 6 August falls on a Sunday, so in place of an early morning observance the annual commemoration will take place at 6.00 pm, at the Cathedral’s liturgy of Evensong. The preacher at Evensong will be the State Moderator of the Uniting Church, Korean-born Rev Myung Hwa Park.

Rev Park was born in South Korea and raised in a Buddhist family. She studied at the Ewha Women’s University in Seoul where she became a Christian. Rev. Park came to Australia to study and began theological training at United Theological College in 1988. She was ordained as a Uniting Church minister in 1990.

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Family Matters

Making girls strong starts young

By STEVE BIDDULPH

It all begins in your arms. You look down at your newborn baby daughter, and have such intense feelings. Tenderness, love, fierce protectiveness swirl inside you as you wonder how her life will unfold. Girls' horizons in life have soared so high as a result of a century of feminism, but today they seem to be getting squashed down again. I was a psychologist writing about boys for over 30 years, but today it’s girls who are at the centre, because their mental health has been plunging all across the world. One in five girls today has diagnosed anxiety, one in twelve will have an eating disorder, every school is reporting rising levels of self harm. We have to do more to make our daughters strong and free.

It begins in babyhood. Both boys and girls today are less secure, more prone to stress, and we think this begins with there being too much hurry and rush in the early years. We have to take better care of young parents, so they can really focus on their littlies. Babies

don’t care if they are born in a palace, or a tin hut, but they are acutely aware of the emotional tone of their family.

years are when friendship skills are learned,

So it pays to step right out of the competitive rat race when you have children. Don’t renovate your house, don’t get a FIFO job; if you possibly can let your career coast, and settle in for some beautiful time with your newborn. It’s in those peaceful moments that they learn to settle, and laugh, and sing and feel the world is a good place.

going back into the fray. This is the age

often through making mis-steps, coming home, talking it over with Mum or Dad and when social media has to be really restricted − no smart phones yet, and no internet in bedrooms is the choice many parents are making, so that home really is a haven and the ugly or mean aspects of life are fenced out to allow strength and confidence to grow.

Then it’s the teen years! In my talks I often tell the story of a 14 year-old girl who has

This is the age when social media has to be really restricted − no smart phones yet

sex with a boy at a party. He is 17, and she is over the moon that he has paid her so much attention. Then she discovers it was for a bet with his mates.

She is devastated, it takes years to get over it, and only when her parents really increase their support and involvement is she able to

Children can only be as relaxed at their parents! The following stages will soon arrive − the exploring time from two to five, when our daughters need encouragement to be in nature, have animals, climb trees, be messy and muddy. The primary school

regain her childhood and feel ok. She wasn’t

Steve Biddulph’s book 10 Things Girls Need Most is published by Finch, and you can join in on Facebook at www.stevebiddulph.com

even able to tell them it had happened until a counsellor was called in because of her drinking problems. Not that I am trying to scare you! But girlhood takes knowledge and

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care. It’s not like when we were kids.

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Opinion

Not even a whimper In this NAIDOC Week edition of Aurora, regular contributor John Murray shares a long-ago, far away incident that has haunted him.

By JOHN MURRAY

A rural township on the western plains of New South Wales. 1966. A rugby league match between the local team and our outfit of visitors from the tableland amid the sludge, blood, sweat, spittle and savagery so characteristic of that so-called ‘sport’. The game over, feted like heroes, we processed to the nearby hot mineral baths − ostensibly to cleanse ourselves of mud but mainly, to relieve the bone-deep ache resulting from the legal thuggery just concluded.

The baths supervisor, a bruin of a man, his florid face split by a crooked gap-toothed smile, greeted us genially and we were motioned to drag our filthy bodies post haste into the steaming waters of the tub. So directed, we eagerly immersed ourselves in the warmth of those welcoming waters and luxuriated while the mineral salts loosened the afternoon’s grime. Eyes so recently mud-blinded were now newly restored and clear so it was inevitable that the less than pleasant reality of a tub-full of grubby men should quickly fade to be replaced by more diverting images…of privileged persons being pampered as they deserved to be; tourists on some holiday island, staff pandering to their slightest whim; a tropical pleasure pool − and now, on a platform above, for their beguilement, a performance was about to begin…

Enter the players. Three boys. Fifteen?

Seventeen? Light down above upper lips.

Tall. Slender. Thin legs and ankles. Dark skins. Indigenous lads, perhaps locals, for they came, not as we did lugging bags, but only with what they were wearing – T shirts, jeans and sandshoes. Bright-eyed boys, one short-cropped, two looking out from under nests of unkempt, bushy hair.

The supervisor’s demeanour instantly

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metamorphosed into one somehow more suited to his grotesque physiognomy.

“You lot stop there!” he snarled, red jowls tightening. “Where ya think y’goin?” The tone was an accusation.

“We goin’ in the pool,” replied the shorthaired young man. He spoke mildly, politely.

“Oh yeah, are ya now?” sneered Bruin through clenched teeth, rising threateningly from his seat at the entrance and blocking them. “And where’s yer money then?” He spoke in a manner insinuating that the boys would have none.

“Here boss,” said the spokesperson, fumbling in his trouser pocket and tendering coins for admission.

“Not yer boss, fella! Don’t play the smartarse with me!” he menaced. “Been stealin’ ole ladies’ milk money, have youse?” He counted the coins on the pulp of his palm, slowly, then again. Apparently satisfied that the amount was correct, he raised his voice perhaps in disappointment that his taunt had received no reply or reaction in annoyance from the boys.

They, their eye-line lower, began to edge sheepishly down the ramp leading to the cubicles on the lower level around the broad circle of the pool. “Youse git inter them showers an’ clean y’selfs up before y’se think of gettin’ inter the pool!” Venom spread like cancer through his command. Dutifully the boys complied. “Hope youse blokes don’t mind this fer company,” Bruin shouted down at us. “No worry though. What’s in dat water gonna kill anythink!” Racist. Demeaning.

Guffaws from around the pool gave approbation to this derision that should have torn at the deepest sense of dignity of these young men. A submarine eruption resonated.

“No matter mate,” the team jokester called back, “We just fumigated down here. Pests not gonna live through that!” A chain reaction of sniggers, splashings, dunkings, profanities and general approval of what was taken to be great witticism followed.

they accepted abuse as if it were normal and offered not so much as a whimper in either defence or defiance

While this was happening, the boys obsequiously showered their clean bodies.

Their bland expressions and brows slightly furrowed with perplexity betrayed the change in their mood. When they entered the pool and eased themselves in, no one took notice: it was as if they didn’t exist. Soon enough animation lit their faces and they were indulging in the merriment of their own banter and childish hijinks, indistinguishable from any others.

I wanted to speak for the boys. I was feeling the indignation that they should have been feeling. I wanted to ram those shameful taunts down the supervisor’s throat. I wanted to sever myself from the whole racist grotesqueness with which, by my silence, I was complicit. What I did do, all those years ago, was to leave the pool, shower, dress and hurry to the car for the long drive back to the tableland.

I let it all be. But as much as I wished to salve an uneasy conscience by claiming youthful naivety and callow inexperience, one stark fact remained: evil on this day had been allowed by me to fester unchallenged!

The road groped its way through falling darkness. Around me in the car’s confines a sickly epilogue was soon being enacted by a company of players from the theatre of my guilt, actors whose timeless mime communicated their messages unequivocally.

As the car tunnelled on through the darkness these figures assumed the force of some elemental human tragedy. Upon the windscreen of my inner eye were the flickering insights and timidities of the day. Finally, illuminated in the headlights of an oncoming truck, I saw the sweating hands of a nineteenyear-old Pilate upon the steering wheel.

I’ve long since come to accept that my inaction that day was inexcusable; that much I carry with me yet. But another impression remains; the real pity at heart and core had to do with those Indigenous lads and their reactions to all that poisonous disparagement that should have affronted the depths of their humanity. That they accepted abuse as if it were normal and offered not so much as a whimper in either defence or defiance, raised the appalling likelihood that, in that town, their dignity had no meaning. Long ingrained racial prejudice, it seemed, had ground these boys down to their bellies. European supremacy and not even a whimper to oppose it!

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Faith Matters

By REV JAMES CARLES

Of feasts and fasts: the Eastern Orthodox Church Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church has its origins in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Our Lord chose apostles who, having received the grace of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, spread the Christian faith throughout the ancient world.

Through the preaching of the apostles great centres of Christianity arose in the East of the Roman Empire – Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria – and in the West, in Rome itself.

In time Constantinople, the new capital of the Roman Empire constructed on the site of ancient Byzantium, became the pre-eminent centre of Christianity in the East.

Why “Orthodox” Christianity?

The Christianity of the East has long been known as Orthodox Christianity. The word “orthodoxy” comes from two Greek words, orthos – meaning right or straight – and doxa – meaning both opinion and glory. Orthodox Christianity understands itself in both these ways – as that form of Christianity in which faithful teaching – right opinion – and fitting worship – right glory – have been preserved.

In the history of faithful teaching in the Eastern Orthodox Church the Seven Ecumenical (or “universal”) Councils hold a place of particular importance. These gatherings were universal in the sense that they brought together bishops and other clergy from throughout the world. Convened between 325 AD and 787 AD, the Councils defended and articulated faithful teaching. The distinctive theological language and spiritual life of Eastern Orthodox Christianity developed in this period of history and the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils are revered to this day.

Eastern Orthodox worship also developed its characteristic form during these centuries. The rite now used throughout Orthodoxy has its roots in the practice of Christians in Antioch and Constantinople, with the monastic life of the Eastern Church exercising a profound and

lasting influence. Eastern Orthodox worship is highly formal and characterised by a rich hymnody that draws extensively on both Old and New Testament themes. Distinctive elements of Orthodox worship include the veneration of icons; unaccompanied chanting or singing; the use of richly embroidered vestments and oil lamps, candles and incense; standing, prostrating and making the sign of the Cross during prayer and an elaborate cycle of feasts and fasts. The greatest of the feasts of the Orthodox Church is Easter, generally called “Pascha”, the commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ.

Bishop of Rome.

Icons

As a result of missionary work Orthodox Christianity spread from Greece and the Middle East into the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Russia. Various national and regional churches arose which, although selfgoverning, understand themselves together to constitute the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Perhaps the most recognisable expression of Orthodox Christianity is the icon, an image of Christ, the Virgin Mary, one or more saints, or a scene from sacred history. Orthodox churches and homes are filled with these images and the faithful kiss them and burn candles and oil lamps before them.

In Orthodox Christianity icons are not an aesthetic option but a necessary part of spiritual life. Icons of Christ, for example, are inextricably bound up with the defence of the doctrine of the Incarnation. If the Word truly became flesh and dwelt amongst us, then He can be depicted iconographically.

The estrangement of East and West Over the centuries the Eastern and Western parts of the Church were separated by political developments, by geography and particularly by language – Greek in the East and Latin in the West. These natural divisions were accentuated by significant changes in faith and order in the Church of Rome.

These were the teaching that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and from the Son – with the insertion of those words, filioque in Latin, into the Creed – and the insistence on the universal primacy of authority of the

Despite numerous efforts over the centuries this estrangement of East and West, which became definite in 1054 AD, continues to this day. From the Eastern Orthodox perspective, it has been compounded over time by further changes in faith and order in the Church of Rome and by the doctrinal, organisational and – increasingly – moral disarray of the various ‘protestant’ groups that have broken away from it.

The spread and historical experience of Orthodoxy

Already shaped by the struggle in the first one thousand years after Christ to preserve faithful teaching from false ideas, Orthodoxy in the second thousand years was profoundly influenced by the experience of persecution by the Ottoman Turks and, within living memory, the militant atheism of socialist governments. A great multitude of new martyrs and confessors, men and women who remained faithful to Christ despite bitter torments and trials, is venerated throughout the Orthodox Church together with the martyrs of the early centuries.

An Orthodox way of life An important concept in Orthodox Christianity is that of an “Orthodox way of life” – a life that is filled and formed by the faithful teaching and fitting worship of Orthodoxy. Key elements of this way of life are formal prayer at home before one’s icons at the beginning and end of each day; worship in church, particularly on Sundays and major feasts; participation in

the sacramental life of the Church; reading the Holy Scriptures and other spiritually profitable books; following the calendar of feasts and fasts; helping the poor and needy and prayer for the departed.

Sacraments are holy acts in which God’s grace is imparted to us in a visible form. In the Orthodox Church sacraments are generally referred to as Holy Mysteries, the Greek word mysterion denoting something hidden. There are in Orthodoxy seven major Holy Mysteries: Baptism, Chrismation (or Confirmation), Confession (Reconciliation), Holy Communion, Marriage, Ordination and Holy Unction (Anointing of the Sick).

In the Orthodox Church Baptism and Chrismation are administered together, with even infants participating fully in the sacramental life of the Church. Married men are able to be ordained to the diaconate and the priesthood but the episcopate is open only to monastics or widowers. A man must choose marriage or celibacy prior to ordination.

Orthodoxy in Newcastle The first Orthodox congregation in the Hunter Valley was formed in the Greta Migrant Camp in 1949 by Father John Lupish, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church from Belarus who arrived in Australia as one of the multitude of displaced persons who came here after World War II. Father John served Orthodox Christians of various nationalities – Russians and Greeks, Belarusians and Ukrainians, Serbs and Macedonians – and in 1952 established a parish in Wallsend dedicated to Saint Nicholas that exists to this day. The services at Saint Nicholas’ are in Church Slavonic and English.

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Seasons of Mercy

Pilgrimage in everyday life

By DONNA MULHEARN

As an enthusiastic pilgrim I often encourage others, especially those who find themselves in a rut, to embark on their own pilgrimage.

But I find myself saddened by a common response: “Oh, I would love to, but I can’t afford to travel to France or Spain – the Camino is just so far away…”.

In my experience, pilgrimage can be undertaken anywhere, any day – often costing nothing at all! Being a pilgrim is a state of mind, an attitude to life, and it’s one we can adopt everyday as we journey through life.

It certainly encompasses overseas travel and trekking long distances, but it can also mean heading to the nearest bushwalk, public labyrinth, and – I would suggest – it can be done without leaving your lounge-room chair.

Pilgrimage is a journey to Santiago, the Overland Track, Centennial Park Labyrinth, or to the most sacred of places, the human heart.

Direct from Ireland, I embarked on my first pilgrimage to Assisi, having just discovered, and been inspired by, the life of St Francis.

A few years later, seeking more meaning in my day-to-day life I saved up, bought a backpack, and left behind my job in politics – as well as my future as I had always envisaged it. I printed business cards which read: Donna Mulhearn: Pilgrim & Storyteller.

I made a rough plan, but really had no idea where I would be in a few years time. The future was unsure, but I felt exhilarated.

The gospel phrase “when you lose your life, (for my sake) you find it” was playing out in wonderful ways as I travelled as a pilgrim to Uluru, then to wilderness in Alaska, lakes and glaciers in Canada, mountain tops and monasteries in Tibet – armed with a journal, prayer beads, spiritual texts and my daily practice of Christian meditation.

The concept of pilgrimage was foreign to me until my late 20s. As a busy Gen X-er I’d focused on productivity and efficiency – rather than taking time for wandering and spiritual pursuits. But when I discovered a contemplative spirituality, which happened when my busy backpacking trip in Ireland transformed beautifully and unwittingly into a pilgrimage, many things shifted for me, including how I saw myself and my life.

It was an exciting outward journey – but of course, a more exciting inner one. That’s what makes pilgrimage different from tourism: the intention to do inner work, often using ritual to imbue deeper meaning into what would otherwise be everyday travel experiences. A pilgrim travels through the world paying attention, with a sense of presence to the moment, thus making each moment sacred. And on pilgrimage we don’t just meet new people; we meet ourselves in a new way.

I imagined my future as no longer ticking off goals on a list as I tried to climb the ladder, but as a gently-paced journey; of learning, discovery, seeking wisdom. The path loosened, from a linear line, to a spiral. In the space of a month I had gone from a mindset of ‘professional’ to ‘pilgrim’.

I try to maintain a regular rhythm of pilgrimages to special places, but when I’m not on the road, I find other ways to maintain a pilgrim life. I’m drawn to walk labyrinths, no doubt because of the strong symbolism the labyrinth provides of being on a journey to the centre.

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I’ve created three labyrinths at my small retreat centre in the Blue Mountains, so while I can’t head off on a whim to walk the Camino, I can head outside and slowly follow the meandering path to the centre of the labyrinth’s mysterious ancient design.

Focused on the path, trusting it, the mind is free to open up to metaphor – the language of the soul.

Being a pilgrim is a state of mind, an attitude to life, and it’s one we can adopt everyday as we journey through life.

It’s been observed that labyrinths emerge in the world at times when they are needed; they are flourishing now. In a supposedly secular age, the ancient practice of pilgrimage is also undergoing a revival in these uncertain times.

My daily pilgrimage is to my own centre, my heart, through the practice of Christian meditation, the prayer of the heart. I don’t leave my living room, but I do ritualise the moment with a candle and a reading before entering into the work of the pilgrim, which is the work of presence and paying attention.

It is work, according to the unknown author of the Russian classic, The Way of the Pilgrim,

that can be done by anyone. “It costs nothing but the effort to sink down in silence into the depths of one’s heart…”, he writes.

Director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, Father Laurence Freeman, says it is better to think of the journey of meditation as a spiral or a labyrinth, rather than a straight line between two points.

“That is why the mandala is the universal symbol of the spiritual journey,” he says. “At times it may seem as though we are going round and round in circles but in fact we are circling in – ever closer to the centre.”

Living as an everyday pilgrim means being always open to the ancient call, and recognising it could be a call to wander in far-away lands, to journey on a path closer to home, to step onto a labyrinth, or just to sit in the chair in front of you for the pilgrimage within.

Donna Mulhearn is a pilgrim, activist, speaker and manager of Blue Labyrinth Bush Retreat, an eco-retreat in the heart of the Blue Mountains. It offers space for groups and individual pilgrims to gather and explore wisdom teachings and contemplative practices with a focus on silence and meditation, using the Labyrinth as a spiritual tool and sustainability and permaculture as a way of life. This article was first published in The Good Oil, the e-magazine of the Good Samaritan Sisters www.goodsams.org.au.

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News

Caring for your documents at home educational qualifications, other significant achievements or indeed, death, have been produced in paper form. Then there are letters, photographs, cards, newspaper clippings and perhaps diaries or notebooks.

By DONNA ROBSON

Diocesan Archives Officer Donna Robson offers some practical tips to preserve your personal archives.

What can one do now to preserve family documents well into the future?

Most documents, whether certificates of baptism, confirmation, marriage,

By its very nature, paper is an organic porous material susceptible to changes in light, moisture and temperature. A stable environment where temperature and humidity remain consistent will assist in the longevity of your documents. The optimum conditions for any form of paper document is a temperature between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius, 45 to 55% relative humidity and little or no exposure to light.

Just as the UV rays from the sun harm your skin, they can harm paper too. Light will dry out the fibres of the paper, causing it to become brittle. Light damage to paper is irreversible.

Proper housing or storage is also essential in keeping your documents flat, free from dust, insects and vermin and exposure to light.

Archival or PH neutral materials have been treated or buffered to remove the acid in paper products such as tissue paper, envelopes, card, mount board and corrugated blue board. Plastic products such as polypropelene or mylar have been manufactured to stabilise the chemicals in the plastic to make them suitable for use as document sleeves.

Make sure the sleeve, envelope, wallet, binder or box you use to house your documents is larger than the length and width of your largest document. Wrap each item individually. This will prevent folds, creases or tears and protect items during handling. There are several companies that produce relatively inexpensive high quality archival materials. One can search the net

by using the word ‘archival’.

Depending upon the certificates and what inks or wax seals are used, it is best they are wrapped in an acid free tissue. The same applies to photographs as the emulsion can react with the polypropylene sleeve.

If you intend viewing your documents often, scan or photocopy them once to keep the exposure to light and handling at a minimum. The electronic versions or copies can be used as the working documents, thereby preserving the original.

It is also an idea to have your originals in an accessible but secure location with other like documents so in case you need to leave your home or office in a hurry, they are easily retrieved.

For any further information please contact the Archives Officer at the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

E archives@mn.catholic.org.au.

Helping Catholic projects grow At CCI, we believe in giving back to the community.

Our profits are used to help support and develop a wide range of Catholic initiatives, from well-known charities and welfare agencies, to smaller organisation and individuals who make a positive difference around the world.

If you’d like to help us help others, while still enjoying peace of mind from one of Australia’s biggest insurers, visit catholicinsurance.org.au Together we can help Catholic projects grow!

You can read more about the range of Catholic support projects at: catholicinsurance.org.au/community

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Catholic Church Insurance Limited (CCI) ABN 76 000 005 210, AFS Licence No. 235415 is the promoter of the insurer Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (Allianz) ABN 15 000 122 850 AFS, Licence No. 234708. Travel Insurance is issued and managed by AWP Australia Pty Ltd ABN 52 097 227 177 AFS License No. 245631 trading as Allianz Global Assistance as agent of Allianz.

Policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Before deciding please refer to the Financial Services Guide and relevant Product Disclosure Statement for more information available by calling 1300 655 003; or online from www.catholicinsurance.org.au

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Feature

Honouring a long life of love and laughter As her mother’s 90th birthday approaches, Christine Engel shares the story of a resilient woman who will be fondly remembered by (among others) many former students of St Anne’s High School, Adamstown.

By CHRISTINE ENGEL

Recently I heard Julie Andrews singing, ‘Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start’. Patricia Mary Little entered the world on 24 July, 1927.

Mum’s sister Eileen recalled, when she was 11, “After lunch, there was a storm and when the sun came out, Aunty Alice told us we had a baby sister.” Joan was 9 and remembered Mum as “a pretty little doll”.

Born into the parish of Tighes Hill, Mum was a tiny 6lbs and grew to a petite five and a half feet of pure energy. She’s lost half an inch and may be a tad slower these days, but she thrives on welcoming visitors and is revitalised by visits with her three grandsons, their wives, greatgrandchildren Gabrielle, Reuben, Miette and

Aidee and step granddaughter, Jamaica.

Laurie, five years Mum’s senior, once told me, “Patti could not be still. She always wanted to help and make us laugh.” Her baby brother Kevin said, “She was always singing and dancing.”

As The Sound of Music returns I hear nuns attempting to understand their young novice’s free spirit, “How do you catch a wave and hold it down?”

At school a clever nun found a solution to containing Mum’s energy. During class time she anchored Mum on her lap and peace settled over the class − until recess when Mum led the charge outdoors to freedom!

Her first job was weighing and packing produce in a grocery store in Mayfield.

She then moved to Selfridges Emporium in Hunter Street, Newcastle where exposure to various departments may have seeded her passion for fashion, especially shoes!

When very young, sorry times came to the

family. Her eldest brother, Ron, worked to provide income and eldest sisters, Kath and Joan secured a family home. During those turbulent years Mum, Laurie and baby brother Kevin stayed with their mother. This experience was the foundation for Mum’s devotion to her mother and determination to protect her as much as she could.

At 15, she fell head over heels for Ronald Engel. When she turned 21, they took their vows at St Columban’s, Mayfield, and to achieve their dreams, began buying and selling houses. Over the years she worshipped at Mayfield West, Hamilton, The Hill, The Junction, Merewether, Charlestown, Edgeworth and finally back to Sacred Heart Cathedral, Newcastle West.

In 1950 Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. The need for ray treatment meant frequent train trips to Sydney. Her mother accompanied her, took her home and nursed her through the unpleasant side effects and finally to full recovery.

Twenty years later, Mum’s mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer and given weeks to live. Mum took her home and learned to dress a wound that could never heal, monitor drugs for pain control and provide suitable meals. She opened her home for her seven siblings and their families to visit their mother, mother-in-law and Nana as well as to priests who came with the Eucharist. Only God knows our time to die and the doctors complimented Mum whose care, they believed, extended Nana’s life by many years and allowed her to meet the first of her great grandchildren.

In the early years of marriage Mum spent Saturday baking biscuits, slices and cakes for family outings on Sunday. A favourite destination was the Paterson River where gramma grew within easy reach. Seasonal gramma pie was a favourite of Dad and Pop. Sadly, Mum was widowed at 44. She was determined to pay the mortgage and keep Myamblah Crescent, the last house Dad designed and built. She’d established a reliable routine for Nana and with support from her sister Joan she moved from years of focusing on home, family and nursing her mother into the workforce.

Initially, she was day nanny to the infant children of three families. Accepting work as canteen supervisor at St Anne’s High School, Adamstown, meant shorter working hours and she stepped into “the happiest years with my girls”. She also made a record profit

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for the school!

After her mother died she managed the canteen at Sacred Heart housie. Three nights a week extended into years, built a lasting friendship with co-volunteer Bessie and significant return for the church.

Mum’s vibrant energy extended to regular participation in her young grandsons’ activities. After her mother died, she went to Indonesia for the birth of her third grandson, Nathan, and healing time, playing with Matthew and Simon. Our houseboy, Supundi, said she had so much energy he thought she was my sister, not my mother!

She joined the parish walking team, visiting aged parishioners, identifying needs and organising minor repairs to their homes.

Today, driving around the streets of Wickham, she fondly remembers the people she visited.

A bonus of the walking team was meeting Wal Fitzgerald. They married in 2000. Both in their 70s, they loved being in love, but sadly, Wal died in 2002.

In 2015, Mum passed the aged driving test and at 89, revels in driving Wal’s 25 year-old Subaru.

Mum met her school friend, Evelyn, 84 years ago and the pair reserves Fridays for lunch and shopping.

Learning that a friend feared storms, Mum invited her to stay anytime a storm threatened. When a country friend was caught between late afternoon and early morning medical appointments, Mum insisted she stay.

Medical visits were punctuated by late night snacks and DVDs, proving friendship and laughter are the best medicine. Times change and now I take Mum to visit her country friends for the same medicine.

In her ninety years, Mum has given half her time to others, reflecting the values of Catholic community in which she was raised.

I hear the lyrics of “Climb Every Mountain”, which could be Mum’s philosophy. It’s easy to believe that a life is simple, yet closer examination reveals courage, sacrifice and resilience.

Happy 90th birthday Mum!

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By CHRIS PARKER

An opportunity to honour the land on which we live

‘S ca pu lar Bi ll’ M ur ph y.

Kurri Kurri parishioner, Chris Parker, extends an invitation to visit his part of the Hunter.

The beautiful Hunter Valley is a great gift of God to all people, especially to those of us who live here. It is a fertile and joyful place where the goodness of God’s creation can be seen in vines and olives, rolling hills and green vistas. The land is precious to all who benefit from its bounty but it is also fragile and a limited resource on planet Earth.

The Blessing of the Land is a ceremony that invites all members of the local community to stop and celebrate our land with prayer and hope for the future.

The custom of Blessing the Land at Pokolbin was begun by a parishioner of the Church of the Holy Spirit at Kurri Kurri. Like other parishioners, ‘Scapular Bill’ Murphy attended the World Day of Prayer in 2010 and was

moved by Isaiah’s words encouraging the faithful to shout from the mountain top, praising God for God’s creation and lamenting humanity’s destructive acts.

If you would like to sit side by side with new friends of diverse backgrounds and get to know those who appreciate the gifts of nature, join us.

or bring a picnic basket, stay and relax, find

The first celebration in 2011 was planned as ‘Prayer on the Mountain’, but due to problems with accessibility, the Blessing of the Valley was adopted. In order to welcome all, our celebration became “The Blessing of the Land”, involving people from the Dioceses of Maitland-Newcastle, Broken Bay and Newcastle. The event echoes the spirit of the Tri-Diocesan Covenant enacted in 2008.

If you would like to meet people who can tell you more about the Aboriginal custodianship of this part of New South Wales, join us.

This year’s Blessing of the Land will be

A Welcome to Country begins the celebration, and prayers of lament, thanksgiving and hope are woven together.

If you care about our fragile Earth and its limited resources, and would like to talk to other like-minded people and to pray for our future, join us.

If you would like your children to understand more about the sacredness of their lives and their environment, join us.

Families will find fun activities and light refreshments. Please bring a plate to share,

again the green centre of your spirituality and if so moved, give glory to God.

held on Sunday 27 August at Pokolbin Community Hall, 128 McDonald’s Road, Pokolbin from noon. To learn more, please E chris@pinehavenorg.com or P Chris 043 4332 217. All are welcome.

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EMERGENCY:

Severe food crisis in East Africa 23 million people are facing a food crisis that could be worse than the Ethiopian famine of the 1980s.

Caritas is already on the ground providing food, water and medicine through local and church partnerships. But more is needed, urgently.

Save a life by donating at caritas.org.au/foodcrisis or call 1800 024 413

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Opinion

By MICHAEL O’CONNOR

Salvation history in 800 words Throughout eternity God lives a life of love – three Persons loving and being loved perfectly.

God chose to share the life of love with creatures who would be gifted with God’s attributes of intelligence and free will, the essentials for loving.

Human intelligence tells us that for all to flourish, all must love. Nothing else makes sense.

The freedom to choose love is ours. Ours also, however, is the choice not to love, to turn love back on self.

The first people and all subsequent ‘Adams’ and ‘Eves’ chose self ahead of God. They knew better than God, and would make themselves better than God – so they thought. So they chose not to love God through that obedience which God commanded out of sheer love and only for their good. They followed their own guidance and bore the self-inflicted, disastrous consequences.

constantly chosen self-promotion.

he loved entirely.

No person appropriated God’s Spirit more

God knew we would fail – not being gods with God’s flawless intelligence and loving will. God always had the solution in hand. We needed God to overcome our self-obsession.

We needed help to choose love as God does, not as hapless humans inevitably do not.

Jesus proclaimed the reversal of the Adam/ Eve/Cain paradigm. When asked what we must do to be saved, he “commanded” us to love God and love one another. Since example is the best form of preaching, he consistently did what he commanded.

than Mary. She was saved from all self-

God intervened as planned.

He did it fully on the cross. In that moment, he gave everything to God and to us – his blood, his life, himself – out of pure love. Love was totally spent, and not a drop on himself.

are genuine lovers of God and our fellow

God prepared a people for the coming of the selfless lover. That people continued the history of prioritising self over obedience to God’s commands. One who would truly love, and lead others to love, was needed.

He couldn’t just be human, gifted with freedom to love but the inevitability not to.

This human being had to be more. While fully human he required that spirit which would compel him always to choose love, instead of that which seduced and drove Adam and Eve and Cain.

Next, self-love turned against the other, dealing death.

This could only be God, the uncreated lover.

Love became flesh. The Son – the second of the community of perfect lovers – was born the human Jesus.

In the person of Cain humans chose to hate rather than love one another. Human history was off to a bad start – and continued that way inexorably. Despite the intelligence and free will which ought to have resulted in love, respect and mutual service we have

Despite the temptations against love which he shared with all of us, Jesus, the human God, loved his Father, and every one he encountered, in all the many ways that human life requires. The Son did on earth in a human way what he did within the Trinity:

It was the perfect example of love.

Example, however, no matter how perfect, is insufficient. I have many recordings of virtuosic pianists. I cannot play a note. I cannot imitate them. To perform like them I would need what they have.

What these prodigies possess is a composite of technique, musicality and imagination that I can envy, admire but not imitate. Several of the great masters have passed on something of their brilliance to gifted pupils.

Jesus has passed on his brilliance as lover.

We humans are now able to love God and one another as Jesus did. This God-man, sharing our common humanity, shares with us his divine Spirit of love. It surpasses our all-too-human spirit of self-love. The Spirit of love can now be the spirit that motivates those who are one with Christ.

love throughout her entire existence to be the model for loving and serving God and neighbour.

Our purpose in this world is to grow into Christ through his Spirit so that with him we human beings. This is salvation from that “useless way of life” of self-absorption, indifference and hatred which brings suffering, destruction and, ultimately, death. One with Christ, we love. On our own, we fail.

In the world beyond, our salvation is complete when fully united with God who does, and is, nothing but love. Salvation is achieved when we are what we were created to be, lovers of God and one another. No more will the lovelessness of Adam, Eve, and Cain prevail, but the fulfillment of God’s greatest “commandment”. We are saved

by Love to love eternally. As it is within the Trinity, when all love completely, all are completely loved.

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Frankly Spoken We need to avoid two recurrent temptations. The first temptation seeks diversity without unity, belonging to this or that group before belonging to the Church. We become Christians of the “right” or the “left”, before being on the side of Jesus, unbending guardians of the past or the avant-garde of the future before being humble and grateful children of the Church…. The opposite temptation is that of seeking unity without diversity. Here, unity becomes uniformity, where everyone has to do everything together and in the same way, always thinking alike. Unity ends up being homogeneity and no longer freedom. But, as Saint Paul says, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17) Mass, Pentecost Sunday

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Community Noticeboard Mercy Spirituality Centre Friday & Saturday 7 & 8 July 9.30am – 4.00pm each day. Helen Baguley rsm will lead reflections around Reconnecting with Celtic Spirituality Exploring themes within the Celtic tradition – relationship with sacredness of Earth, with compassion and with the Light at the heart of all life. Cost: $70, light lunch included.

Tuesday 18 July 7.00pm – 9.00pm Sue Collins will lead this seminar - The Celebration of Life – loud or quiet; observation or participation: how many ways we create the feeling of joy – that delicious feeling of bliss that can connect us to love, God and all that feels right. Cost $30.

Saturday 29 July 9.30 – 5.00pm Helen Baguley will lead a Myers Briggs workshop. Cost $35, light lunch included.

Tuesday 1 August 7.00pm – 9.00pm another seminar with Sue Collins, Is my life really my own?

Thursday 3 August 9.30 – 1.00pm A facilitated Reflection time with Val O’Hara rsm, Giving Eucharist: Taking time to pray about Eucharist – bring a story to share or a poem or a piece of art which expresses something of the experience of Eucharist. Cost $20, light lunch included.

Saturday & Sunday 5 & 6 August 9.30am – 4.00pm Biblical Scholar, Elaine Wainwright RSM is offering two days of Biblical exploration entitled Stories Told and Untold on the Journey exploring the ways in which stories emerge from and shape a community through the lens of a gospel narrative. Cost $70, light lunch included.

Mercy Spirituality Centre 26 Renwick St Toronto P 4959 1025 E mercytoronto@mercy.org.au or visit www.mercytoronto.org.au Builders or Gardeners?

A day of reflection This event will be held on Saturday 15 July at St Joseph’s College, Lochinvar, 9.30am-3.30pm, under the auspices of the Council for Australian Catholic Women and the Catholic Women’s League in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. Vivien Williams will be the presenter. $25 pp. Wear a touch of colour and bring a plant or flower! To learn more and to rsvp, P Patricia Banister 0409 300 192 or E pabanister7@gmail.com.

Seasons for Growth Companioning Training Children & Young People’s training: Taree 25-26 July; Newcastle, 8-9 November. Adults Training: 13-14 September. This training is essential for those wishing to facilitate the Seasons for Growth program with children/young people or adults.

Please P Jenny 4947 1355 to find out more about becoming a Companion. Enrolments for training are completed at www.goodgrief.org.au.

Exploring the Seasons of Grief small group program uses the metaphor of the changing seasons to gently support and encourage

participants as they reflect on and explore their stories of change and loss. Through the discovery of ways to move forward in one’s grief journey participants find that a door to hope and healing opens up for them. Cardiff 24 & 31 July, 7 & 14 August 9.30am-12 pm. Please P Jenny 4979 1355 for enquiries or to register. For more information please visit www.mn.catholic.org.au/ agencies-services/seasons-for-growth.

Parent Program: Supporting your child following separation and divorce provides an opportunity for parents to better understand the experience of separation and divorce from a child’s perspective. The program explores ideas and strategies for parents to help their children transition through family change. Newcastle 25 & 27 July 6-8pm. Please P Zoe 4979 1355 for enquiries or to register. For more information on this program visit www.goodgrief.org.au/sfgparent-program Ecumenical Prayers in the Spirit of Taizé Sunday 13 August (8 October) at Merewether Uniting Church, 178 Glebe Road, Merewether.

Commencing at 7pm for 45 minutes and characterised by the singing of simple harmonised tunes, often in various languages, interspersed with readings, prayers and a period of silence. Services are followed by supper. E minister.merewetheruca@gmail.com or P Rev Jennifer Burns 0411 133 679.

“Before We Say I Do” Marriage education is a vital, yet often overlooked, part of preparing for a life partnership. The marriage education courses offered by the diocese are run by CatholicCare, which offers a selection of courses for married and soon-to-be married couples to assist them in preparing for, and maintaining, their commitment to one another. Couples who are marrying are advised to attend a course which falls around four months prior to the wedding. Book early as some courses are very popular. To learn more, please P Robyn, 4979 1370.

“Before We Say I Do” is a group program held over two days or four evenings.

Course 4/17 22 and 29 July at Newcastle Course 5/17 9 and 16 September at Singleton Course 6/17 4 and 11 November at Newcastle.

20th Annual Special Needs Mass The 20th Annual Special Needs Mass will be celebrated at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, cnr Kenrick and Farquhar Streets, Merewether, on Tuesday, 8 August at 7pm. The communities of St Joseph’s Primary, Merewether, and Holy Family Primary, Merewether Beach, together with the Federation of P & F Associations Special Needs Working Party, warmly welcome all to join principals, teachers, school staff, families and parishioners for this special celebration.

St Columban’s Primary Centenary St Columban’s Primary, Mayfield, (previously St Joseph’s and St Columbanus’) will be celebrating 100 years of education on 12 August at 11am in the school hall. Bishop Bill will preside at Mass, the new centenary garden will be opened and everyone is invited to open classrooms. Byo picnic lunch will be enjoyed on the playground as well as organised old-fashioned games. You may donate a paver, with your name engraved, as a memory of your time at St Columban’s.

Please contact the school to organise the paver purchase. P 4968 3315 or E admin@mayfieldsc. catholic.edu.au.

San Clemente High School Centenary The school’s centenary committee presents the Black and White Gala Ball at Newcastle City Hall, Saturday 19 August from 6pm. Live entertainment, formal dress, canapés, champagne and three-course meal. $150 per person.

As a remembrance of your time at San Clemente High School, engraved brick(s) can be purchased to remain on campus forever. E MFS-Centenary@ mn.catholic.edu.au or P 4014 7300.

St Mary’s Maitland Garden Party A Garden Party will be held in the grounds of St Mary’s Campus, All Saints College, Maitland, on Sunday, 10 September, to celebrate the arrival of the Dominican Sisters in Maitland 150 years ago. Afternoon tea will be served after an official welcome in the chapel at 2.30pm. All ticket sales will include a commemorative badge. Ticket sales will be limited to 250. Limited quantities of a specially labelled commemorative wine will be available for purchase on the day, along with other memorabilia. Tickets available at www.trybooking. com/book/event?eid=292241.

To help us celebrate 150 years of St Mary’s, we are calling on ex-students or ex-staff members to share with us a fond memory, funny story (that can be published!) or account of a significant event from their time here. We intend to make a collection along with photos from the event or the year or decade in which the story belongs. These will be placed around the school and made available later in the year. We would like no more than an A4 page of text. Photos would be welcome, copies only please. Contributions can be posted to Ms H Kearney, St Mary’s Campus, 16 Grant Street, Maitland 2320 or E helen.kearney@mn.catholic. edu.au.

Blessing of the Land This year’s event will be held on Sunday 27 August at Pokolbin Community Hall, 128 McDonald’s Road, Pokolbin from noon. To learn more, please P Chris 043 4332 217 or E chris@pinehavenorg.com. All are welcome.

For your diary July  2 NAIDOC Week begins.  9 Apostleship of the Sea Sunday  11 World Population Day  14 Malala Day (UN Global Education First)  15 World Youth Skills Day  22-23/25

Bishop Bill visits Toronto and Morisset

parishes.  28 Bishop Bill visits Myall Coast Parish for

Confirmation/First Communion.

 29 Bishop Bill visits Raymond Terrace Parish for

Confirmation/First Communion.

White Ribbon Night

 3 0 Bible Sunday

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

 31 National Missing Persons Week begins.

National Tree Day

August  1-7 Homelessness Prevention Week

For more events please visit mn.catholic.org.au/calendar and mn.catholic.org.au/community.

Australian Catholic Youth Festival This event will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Sydney from 7-9 December 2017. Expressions of interest are now open for young people in year 9 (2017) to 25 years who would like to be a part of the Maitland-Newcastle contingent.

Those over the age of 25 are encouraged to register as group leaders. Register your interest now at www.mn.catholic.org.au/acyf. For more information, contact us at youth.festival@ mn.catholic.org.au or www.facebook.com/ mncatholicyouth.

You matter. We care about you Calvary Retirement Communities provides safe, secure and relaxed community living through residential aged care, respite services and retirement villages.

We have care choices available in Belmont, Cessnock, Eleebana, Maitland, Sandgate, Singleton, Tanilba Bay, Taree, Waratah and a new facility in Muswellbrook.

NEW VILLAGE To view of Calvary Muswellbrook’s villas contact our ILU Coordinator P: 1800 222 000 W: calvarycare.org.au/villagelife

Calvary Muswellbrook Retirement Community offers 1, 2 and 3 bedroom villas alongside a Residential Aged Care Facility. There are still villas available.

To arrange a visit or for more information on services near you call 1800 222 000 or visit www.calvarycare.org.au.

Continuing the Mission of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary

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Last Word

Aurora on tour Here is Aurora in Kuala Lumpur, foregrounding the Petronus Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world!

Review

By MICHAEL HEALY In his latest book, The Tempest Tossed Church – a phrase taken from the Victorian hymn, “O Purest of Creatures” − Gerard Windsor (whose mother’s hometown was Murrurundi) embarks upon an exploration of his own faith journey, emphasising that it is “just one individual’s account” to discover the “whats and whys of my Catholicism”.

Despite his initial immersion in a Catholic culture which preceded the 1970s, and his Jesuit formation, both at school and as a seminarian, Windsor says that at some point all believers should ask, “Does this stack up?”

Soul food God is at home.

It is we who have gone for a walk.

Meister Eckhart

A theme throughout the book is a yearning for the transcendent, and Windsor notes the capacity for poetry, art and music to take us beyond the here and now, promoting “belief in a sacred world”.

In grappling with the existence and nature of God, he suggests that our relentless drive for understanding and goodness

Gerard Windsor The Tempest-Tossed Church: Being a Catholic today NewSouth Publishing 2017.

This dish from my boarding school days is quick, easy and economical, and great for chilly days and nights!

Why not try it soon?

f f 12 thick pork sausages

Place the sausages in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil.

Once the water boils, strain and set aside.

f f 1 medium brown onion, diced f f 1 carrot, diced f f 3 tablespoons mild curry powder f f 3 tablespoons plain flour f f 1.2 litres hot chicken stock f f 1 cup peas f f Salt and pepper

Chef Bart’s culinary gifts can be enjoyed at The Cathedral Café, 843 Hunter St Newcastle West, 10am–1.30pm, Monday to Friday.

P 4961 0546.

4-6

Method

f f 100g butter

I found this book to be both thoughtprovoking and uplifting. I believe that Catholics wishing to probe further the rationale for their belief will find here an excellent stimulus.

Ser ves

Ingredients f f 50ml oil

Windsor acknowledges the scandal and hypocrisy of sexual abuse within the Church and the terrible blow it has been to the faithful, although he says that “the presence of scandal and scandalous officials seems to me irrelevant to whether one believes or not”.

His response is a far-reaching account of Catholic belief and practice, interspersed with pen portraits of pilgrims he has encountered along the way, members of the “communion of saints”, a phrase broadly interpreted to include not only believers but people of all persuasions “whose moments of goodness have moved and inspired me”. These portraits, often poignant, enhance the story and give us glimpses of God’s grace at work.

Curried pork sausages BARTHOLOMEW CONNORS Chef - The Cathedral Café

makes it plausible that “there’s some allintelligence, all-goodness whom we call God. And Jesus Christ in some way is that person.”

In another pot, heat oil and butter till melted.

Add onion and cook until soft then add carrot and cook a few more minutes.

Stir in the curry powder and cook to release flavours for a few more minutes. Add the flour and cook for a few more minutes.

Begin adding stock slowly and keep stirring until it thickens. Continue this process until all the stock has been added and the mixture is thickened. Add the sausages to the mix, whole or cut into bite-size pieces to heat through.

Add the peas, salt and pepper about 5 minutes before serving.

Dinner is now ready and best served with either potato or sweet potato mash, and your favourite vegetables.

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The hoarders Thehoarders hoarders NEXT DOOR The hoarders The hoarders he hoarders The hoarders Civic Theatre, Newcastle Wednesday 2 August 2017 11.00am

Thursday 3 August 2017 11.00am

Friday 4 August 2017 11.00am

Friday 4 August 2017 7.00pm

Saturday 5 August 2017 7.00 pm

Book at the civic theatre box office

Any ticketek outlet or call 4929 1977 $10 Matinee | $20 Pensioner/Concession | $35 Adult $25 Group booking of 10 or more | $55 Family Ticket Prices include GST. Booking and transaction fees may apply.

This is an initiative of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Schools

T! d!

OU ease D l OL e Re S b 91- n to s o e So ag St 10 e tag

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