Broken Bay News February 2017

BROKENBAYnews

BROKEN BAY NEWS PUBLICATION OF THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY FEBRUARY 2017 ISSUE 186

Pittwater Parish A welcoming community of hope lectio divina reflections for Lent

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week

HEART TO HEART

Use our Beautiful Gifts Humbly and Wisely Having taken holidays over January, I had the chance to catch up on some telly.

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must admit at being something of a Luddite when it comes to TV. No Netflix or Stan streaming; no Foxtel subscription. Just plain old Free-to-Air for me. (Although I was sorely tempted to sign up to one of the streaming services so that I could watch the new series of ‘Sherlock’!) January is certainly not the best time for watching anything other than cricket or tennis. Repeats and prime-time flops abound. (How many mass murderers can Midsomer have before they run out of people?

Do I really need to know what the 2nd cousin three-times-removed of the Kardashian family has been up to this week?)

I have been intrigued, however, with the network promos for their upcoming offerings for 2017. I am a sucker for a few things: I’ll keep an eye on Masterchef (there’s nothing quite like a good cook-off ) and the new series of Dr Who (being a very long-term fan); I might even enjoy catching the last 15 minutes of the Antiques Roadshow just before the 7pm news (the reactions are priceless). There are certainly some offerings I will definitely

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avoid. (Don’t be sucked into such bizarre and distasteful shows as Married at First Sight, Naked First Date, and anything that has a Big Brother feel about it – it’s voyeurism at its most morally base...) But mostly, I’m not too fussed with most TV offerings these days. Give me a good detective show or comedy, and I’m reasonably content.

There has been one promo on TV, however, that has really annoyed me over the summer.

It is the ABC’s “You’ve got the whole world in your hands” network promo. Now, before anyone gets their hackles up, this is not going to be an attack on all things ABC. While there is room for improvement at our National broadcaster, especially in its mainstream religious offerings given that more than half the population consider themselves Christian, there is nonetheless much that is worth viewing. The particular promo has these words sung over various cultural, social, and political images, with the hashtag #yourABC being the principal message presented. The point of the promo is to suggest that the ABC will be offering programs and shows that speak to Australians in terms of their identities and preferences.

In and of itself, this is a common and normal thing in TV advertising. Each network promotes itself, and will seek to convince us, their target viewers, that they have what we want. The ABC promo is no different. So, what’s my beef? Well, it is the deeper message being conveyed with the song that I find, quite frankly, insidious. For those of you old enough to remember, the song referred to during the promo is that of a gospel spiritual from the early 1920s – a song that today, still holds the

record as the only Gospel song to make #1 on the US Pop Single Charts! There is a subtle change however, one small word: from ‘He’ to ‘you’. In essence, the ABC promo changes a well-known hymn focused on God (the ‘He’ in the song) to be a song focused on ourselves (‘you’). It’s all about ME. “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” is, in the tradition of all American Spirituals, a very simple song with a very simple message: our God has our care, as His only care. There are four stanzas to the song, with the words of the first three lines of each stanza being: 1. He’s got the whole world in His hands…

2. He’s got the itty bitty baby in His hands…

3. He’s got a-you and me brother in His hands…

4. He’s got a-you and me sister in His hands…

The fourth line of each stanza finishing with: He’s got the whole world in His hands.

As I said, it is a very simple song, with a very simple message. Yet, by changing one word, its simple beauty with its very deep child-like trust, has been cynically manipulated into a tune that is meant to convey sophistication and self-focus that is the antipathy of the original.

OK, I accept that you might think I’m over analysing and over reacting to a TV promo, and this is not the first time a song has been changed for the purposes of advertising, including this particular hymn, so: “Just enjoy the show, Bishop Peter!” But I also think it’s a worthwhile practice to stop and ask ourselves from time-to-time how we are being subtly manipulated in our outlook on life by such ordinary things that pass by our eyes and

HEART TO HEART through our ears so easily. God gave to us the immense gift of being able to think through our thoughts. This is the gift of our human reasoning. No other creature has this gift, and it is the distinctive thing that enables us to know the difference between good and evil; beauty and ugliness; truth and falsehood; joy and sadness; hope and despair. Most especially, our God-given gift of reasoning gives us both the privilege and the responsibility to name things for what they really are. It is a gift, to be used humbly and wisely.

So today, I’m naming this particular promo for what it is: a cynical manipulation of our focus away from the good of others and onto us. (The same could probably be said of any network promo – it’s just that this one has become particularly grating!) You don’t have to just let things wash over you; you have God’s precious gift of reasoning to use, and use effectively. Test things out; ask questions of what is presented to us; seek for what is good, true, and beautiful. This can be done for anything that passes by our eyes and ears.

Allow me to finish by offering some words of a much wiser person than me. We do not know anything about the author, but he or she offers words of great simplicity and wisdom. They are the words of the Psalm 131, and they speak of a child-like trust in God. O Lord, my heart is not proud nor haughty my eyes.

I have not gone after things too great nor marvels beyond me.

Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace.

A weaned child on its mother’s breast, even so is my soul.

May we keep each other in prayer, and happy, sensible TV watching for 2017!

Your sincerely in Christ Jesus,

Most Rev Peter A Comensoli Bishop of Broken Bay

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ACROSS OUR DIOCESE

Chatswood Parish has a new forecourt

On 27 November, 2016, the official opening of the new forecourt was held at Our Lady of Dolours Church on Archer Street, Chatswood.

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he project was undertaken to provide easier and safer pedestrian access to the church.

The result is extra accessible entry points to the church and the adjoining Parish Office; new level areas for outdoor Parish celebrations and public gatherings; and a forecourt wall which harmonises with the church building and adds focus to its imposing facade.

The day coincided with the date the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the Aboriginal and Torres Islander Catholic Council invited Australian to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the address by St John Paul II in Alice Springs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In his speech the Pope encouraged more inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples in our society.

The historic event in 1986 was commemorated in the

DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY Most Rev Peter A Comensoli Bishop of Broken Bay

Diocesan Office: Tel (02) 9847 0000 Fax (02) 9847 0201 Caroline Chisholm Centre Building 2, 423 Pennant Hills Rd Pennant Hills NSW 2120 (Access off City View Rd) PO Box 340 Pennant Hills NSW 1715 officeofthebishop@dbb.org.au

CHANCERY OFFICES Office of the Bishop

Acting Private Secretary Director, Office for Communications Annie Carrett Vicar General: Very Rev Dr David Ranson VG Chancellor Jo Robertson Diocesan Financial Administrator, Director, Office for Stewardship: Emma McDonald Director, Office for Evangelisation: Daniel Ang Safeguarding (Chancery) Manager Jodie Crisafulli Tel: (02) 9847 0212

liturgy of the Mass which preceded the forecourt’s opening and was presided over the Bishop of Broken Bay Diocese, Most Rev Peter Comensoli.

Dignitaries at the Mass included representatives of other Christian denominations from the area, together with civic and Aboriginal leaders.

Following the Mass, the forecourt was officially opened by the Mayor of Willoughby City Council, Gail GilesGidney, and Karen Smith, Elder and Education Officer of the Aboriginal Heritage Council, with a blessing being given by Bishop Peter and the Rev Michael Thomas of the Willoughby Uniting Church.

A plaque recognising the original owners, the Cammeraygal and the Wallamedegal peoples, of the land on which the church stands, was also unveiled. The celebrations concluded with a Parish Fiesta taking place on the forecourt.

The opening of the forecourt marked another milestone in the history of the Catholic Parish of Chatswood and a step to the centenary of the church itself in 2020.

Director, Marriage Tribunal: Adrienne Connaghan Tel: (02) 9847 0458 Catholic Development Fund: Chris Field Tel: (02) 9847 0748 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) Alison Newell

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Our Neighbourhoods of Grace Exploring our missionary outreach

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater

A welcoming community of hope

By Debra Vermeer

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater, nestled on the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney, aims to be a welcoming community of hope, which, inspired by the love of Christ, reaches out to spiritually nourish all, including those who might not regularly attend Church.

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he Parish includes two Mass centres, at Sacred Heart, Mona Vale and Maria Regina, Avalon and is in the care of the Salvatorian Fathers.

Parish Priest, Fr George Kolodziej SDS, who is assisted

by Fr Bronislaw (Bronek) Pietrusewicz SDS and priest-inresidence, retired Bishop Bernard O’Grady OP, says the Parish Council created a vision for the parish which makes outreach a top priority.

“This is a fairly affluent area, but we are aware that there are many people in the community who still face problems in their lives,” Fr George says.

“One of the big issues in this area is family breakdown. There

are many broken families around and a lot of them have been alienated from the Church, which is very sad. The children in these situations are hurting very much and as a parish we are asking ourselves, ‘how do we really reach out to them?’

“Mental health is another issue that we have identified.

We want to reach out to people, especially if they don’t feel part of the Church, and be a Good Samaritan to them.”

Fr George says he hopes to encourage parishioners to deepen their capacity for outreach even further by declaring 2017 the Year for Compassion.

“Every year we try to look at the values we have, like hope,

joy, spiritual growth, mercy, and encourage people to take this value seriously and engage with the theme for the year and try to imagine the things we could do with it,” he says. “So, this year the focus is Compassion.”

Through the Parish Council and the many and varied ministries of the parish, Fr George says parishioners are empowered and encouraged to give life to the Strategic Missionary Plan so that the desire to become a community of hope continues to be a reality.

The mission of the parish begins with proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ with joy and enthusiasm in contemporary and meaningful ways, and the youth-centred

Sunday evening Mass, known as the Soul Mass, is one example of the parish mission in action.

“It’s a vibrant, colourful and upbeat Mass which caters for youth and the young at heart,” says parish secretary Suzy Caruso.

“It’s a collaboration of our youth ministry and music ministry and all the readings, the offertory, the music are all done by young people. It draws lots of young people to that Mass and gives them the opportunity to sing and provide leadership in music and liturgy. It’s a Mass which really tries to reach young people’s heart and soul, through music which is meaningful to them.”

Between its two churches, the parish celebrates six Masses each

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Our Neighbourhoods of Grace Exploring our missionary outreach

weekend and a Croatian Mass on the first and third Sundays of the month. The parish website also provides a link to Mass online, via the Diocese, for those parishioners unable to attend Church to receive the Eucharist.

The Pastoral Care Ministry team reaches out to the area’s 10 nursing homes to provide communion for residents and Fr George, Fr Bronek and Bishop Bernard also visit both the nursing homes and local hospital regularly to provide communion and celebrate anointing Masses.

Pittwater Parish is also leading the way in its commitment to reaching out through communications by employing a Director of Media and Communications.

Laura Ee is responsible not only for putting together the colourful and informative weekly bulletin,

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but also being proactive in creating a warm and welcoming presence for the parish on social media and preparing the audio-visual resources for weekend masses.

Personal invitation is part of the ethos of the parish, which uses a database to contact parents of children who’ve attended the sacramental programs throughout the year with personal invitations to special events, especially Christmas or Easter Masses.

Sacramental program reflection days, which take place on Saturday afternoons, also involve the parents or carers, who are invited to take part in spiritual enrichment and formation opportunities as part of the program.

“We also send these families liturgical resources from time to time that they might find helpful. It’s just another way of reaching out and creating personal

relationships to people, who, through their participation in the sacramental program, have shown a desire to be involved in our parish,” says Suzy.

There are two primary schools and a high school within the parish, and Fr George says that being well connected to the school communities is a priority. A big contingent of local young people and teachers joined Fr George at World Youth Day in Poland last year, preceded by a visit to the Salvatorian seminary in Bagno. On top of this, a team of 53 dedicated catechists also turn up weekly at the four local government primary schools and two high schools, to share their faith.

“It’s so important to reach out to our school communities and offer them assistance and help and be some sort of visible presence for the children,” he says.

“We always support one another and work together and meet regularly together. The Principals know that youth is a priority here and that we will support them in what they are doing to develop the faith of their students.”

Principal of Maria Regina Catholic Primary School at Avalon, Kathy Gee, agrees that there is an excellent relationship between the school and the parish.

“We are lucky to have really strong relationship with the parish,” she says. “Once a term, the Principals of the three schools get together with Fr George and have breakfast together, and we all attend the Parish Council meetings. So, there is a commitment there to maintaining and building on the strong relationship that we have.”

Kathy says that as well as regular class Masses and Family

Our Neighbourhoods of Grace Exploring our missionary outreach

Masses, once a month a couple of classes get together to do the readings and offertory for Mass in the parish, followed by a sausage sizzle with parishioners.

“Our school also joins in with the special theme that Fr George announces for the parish each year.

This year is Compassion, and so we, as a school, are planning ways to incorporate that and bring it to life.”

Marc Reicher, Principal of Mater Maria Catholic College, welcomes the “very positive” relationship between school and parish.

“Fr George has a good understanding of adolescent faith, which makes things a lot easier,” he says.

“The very fact that they have the Soul Mass on a Sunday night is encouraging to our students to want to attend Mass. Fr George

also offers Friday lunchtime Masses at the school for anybody who wants to attend, as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation in our chapel.

“It’s a very welcoming parish and as a school, we do our best to pick up on the themes and to work together.”

Suellen Garey, Principal of Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Mona Vale, agrees that working together is paramount. “ The word ‘team’ encapsulates the relationship between the school and the parish,” she says. “ The three Catholic schools in our parish meet together with the parish, we plan together, we worship together and we celebrate together.”

Apart from the Principals meeting together with Fr George for breakfast each term and attending Parish Council meetings,

Suellen says that all staff from the three schools take part in Mass and morning tea together on the first day of the school year.

When it comes to social justice, Pittwater Parish reaches out to local people in need through the St Vincent Paul Society and the Northern Beaches Refugee Network, and also takes the global and regional view by supporting a sister parish in Soibada, East Timor.

The support includes regular fundraising for various projects identified by the parishioners of Soibada, including the building of a Training Centre and Guest House. A number of Pittwater parishioners have also made the journey to East Timor to get to know the people in Soibada.

“It’s a very good relationship that has developed over the years,” says Fr George. “And it is

a big focus for our social justice outreach in the parish.”

Back on the home front, Pittwater Parish is known for its community-building activities, open to all.

Whether it be family movie nights, youth groups, or Alcoholics Anonymous meetings being held in the hall, or young parents bringing their young ones to the Little Hearts Playgroup, the parish seeks to be a presence for all.

“It’s about building up community,” says Suzy. “We are always asking, ‘how do we reach out and include everybody and especially, how do we reach beyond our regular attendees’?”

Fr George says the underlying aim of all the parish’s activities is to be a welcoming community.

“Sometimes we achieve that and sometimes we don’t,” he says. “But that’s what we are aiming for.”

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LENT

LECTIO DIVINA DURING LENT

Australian Bishops Offer Lenten Reflections In the recent Year of Mercy, Pope Francis encouraged us to reflect on the ‘gaze’ of God, the experience of an awareness of being in the presence of a loving God who looks at us tenderly and with mercy.

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here is something of this when we read Scripture where we find ourselves engaged in a conversation with God. God speaks through his word and seeks to encounter us, and we respond in our prayer and action. Gazing is not hurried; it is not a glance. Gazing implies engagement and attention.

In Week 3 of Lent, we read from John’s Gospel where Jesus meets a Samaritan Woman. Jesus takes time, he gets involved in her life, and looks past her brokenness to see her for who she might become, not who she is now. The gaze of Jesus is transforming for

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her – she gains a new enthusiasm and finds a reservoir of excitement for life that she didn’t have before.

In Week 4, the blind man meets Jesus and a whole new world of sight opens up to him; in Week 5 through meeting Jesus, Lazarus is unbound and set free to a life that in fact, lasts forever.

The lectio divina process helps us to slow down and to allow Christ to meet us where we are at. Rather than the Scriptures becoming words that simply flow in and out of our heads, we are invited to contemplate them. We would never rush reading a love letter!

We would savour the words, and the presence of the writer would be close to us. In a similar way, when we read Scripture, we are reading the words of a loving God. The Diocese of Broken Bay Lenten lectio divina resource is offered to encourage reflection on the Scripture texts this Lent.

We are very grateful for the contribution of a number of Australian Bishops who have generously shared with us the fruit of their own lectio divina reflection. Their reflections have been recorded and can be viewed at www.dbb.org.au In addition, a booklet is available to parishes of the Diocese with these printed reflections as well as guided questions. The booklet can also be accessed online in PDF format at www.dbb.org.au.

Let’s have the courage to accept this invitation to meet Jesus in the words of Scripture, to enter the conversation in prayer, and to allow our prayer to bear fruit in our life in whatever way the Holy Spirit guides us.

LENT

Project Compassion 2017

Love Your Neighbour

During Lent, our Faith inspires us to take up the call to fast, pray and give alms.

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roject Compassion offers us a way to help our neighbours like Dinia in the Philippines to find healing and peace, and to know herself as a valued member of her community with a role in creating a brighter future for her children.

Pregnant with her fifth child when her husband died unexpectedly, Dinia lost not just her partner, but the financial security his job at the mines brought. She was in a very vulnerable position.

In 2011, Caritas Australia’s partner, the Socio Pastoral Action Centre Foundation Inc. (SPACFI) began working with Dinia and since then she has been able to develop a sustainable income through a Caritas supported livelihoods program that helps both her and her neighbours.

“I have a feeling of contentment, being able to help others,” Dinia says.

“The program aims to improve the capacity of the poorest communities, [to help] them to be self-reliant, and have more independence … to have a life of dignity and sustain their families,” says Cherie, a SPACFI community development worker.

Dinia also took part in training on how to raise pigs for income, and share their offspring with neighbours through SPACFI’s Hog Dispersal Program.

“The distribution of pigs is a system of sharing. The program provides you with a pig as long as you are able to raise piglets and pass two of them to others,” Dinia says.

Earlier, Dinia couldn’t afford education for her children, now she has confidence that she can provide for them.

“The extra income helps a lot with the family expenses – for school, the house, and other necessities,” she says.

Photo credit: Richard Wainwright, Caritas Australia

Dinia’s journey of healing has ended with an integral role in her community, a sustainable livelihood, and a brighter future for her children.

“My life is much better now. It is much easier,” she says.

Dinia doesn’t face these challenges alone. Widespread poverty in the Philippines means that more than a quarter of the population live below the poverty line of $1.90 a day, with around 10 million of the poorest being women.

Pope Francis tells us that a

selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity – as offered to Jesus during his temptation in the wilderness– creates a society that excludes the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Instead, we are implored to look to the needs of others. We are called to sacrifice, and to love our neighbour.

Please donate to Project Compassion 2017 and help our most vulnerable neighbours, like Dinia in the Philippines, to build a stronger future for their families and their communities.

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EVANGELISATION

Evangelisation and the Art of Accompaniment

By Daniel Ang, Director, Office for Evangelisation One of the catchcries of Pope Francis’ vision for a renewed evangelisation is the concept of “accompaniment”.

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t is a word that might be familiar to us in the context of music, in which one part adds, supports or complements another, or in the sphere of gastronomy where wine is said to accompany cheese. In fact, a quick Google search reveals the third highest query for the term ‘accompaniment’ relates to the most suitable garnishes for fish!

However, what does Pope Francis mean when he refers to ‘accompaniment’ in the life of faith? Complementing his

role as shepherd, Pope Francis has served the Church well as spiritual director, diagnosing our condition as Christians and as a Church and preaching as a cure of souls. He does so by instruction, sermons and admonitions, fraternal correction, by his sanctifying deeds and constant invitations to recognise God’s mercy and involvement in our life.

Accompaniment emerges as an integral task of Christian life.

We find reference to accompaniment in Pope Francis’

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most recent exhortation on marriage and family Amoris Laetitia, especially in relation to those in the early years of marriage and those who have experienced relationship breakdown or divorce (AL 223, 241-244). He recognises here that walking with others as Christians must begin with listening, followed by a gradual discernment of where people have found themselves in life and before God, and then a journey toward the path of healing and reconciliation.

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The concept of accompaniment is most fully elaborated, however, in Pope Francis’ first Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (‘The Joy of the Gospel’) where we find four articles dedicated to what he describes as the “art of accompaniment” (EG 169-173).

Pope Francis suggests that teaching the art of accompaniment can be more difficult today than in previous generations. Walking with others in the life of faith is a delicate task but it is made particularly challenging because

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EVANGELISATION we are part of a contemporary culture that “[suffers] from anonymity and at the same time [is] obsessed with the details of others people’s lives” (EG 169).

Individuals today can feel radically unaccompanied but too estranged from one another to walk together. Our disconnectedness from each other expresses itself in crises of personal meaning. The consequences are well known, from the tragedy of suicide, the breakdown of relationships, to the epidemic of pornography.

In the face of fragmentation, our Catholic communities, parishes, schools and families, are challenged to be more than a huddle of individuals. In shared faith we seek to build up our communities in the Gospel on the basis of authentic personal relationships, so that our parishes are far more than congregations but an experience of genuine communion, marked by mutual giving and self-donation.

Of course, this ideal invites our own conversion. Pope Francis observes, “The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity – into this ‘art of accompaniment’ which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex. 3:5)” (EG 169).

So where to begin? We recognise that accompaniment serves something greater than itself in the mind of Pope Francis.

He suggests by the term not a

vague or dreamy companionship of others. In other words, he is not proposing “accompaniment for accompaniment’s sake”.

Pope Francis understands accompaniment only as a means to an end, and that end or goal is evangelisation.

In Evangelii Gaudium he confirms, “Genuine spiritual accompaniment always begins and flourishes in the context of service to the mission of evangelisation” (EG 173). He writes, “Spiritual accompaniment must lead others ever closer to God … to accompany them would be counterproductive if it became a sort of therapy supporting their self-absorption and ceased to be a pilgrimage with Christ to the Father” (EG 170). Pope Francis notes today many are spiritually or existentially “homeless”, finding themselves not so much on a pilgrimage of life but merely ‘drifting’ (EG 170).

The Catholic faith believes that in that human search One has come to meet us. The goal of Christian accompaniment is to invite and enable a personal encounter with the living Christ.

As Pope Francis’ predecessor Pope Benedict XVI observed, “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus Caritas Est 1). Christ offers

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us not only the truth but also a life and a way.

Accompaniment centres on a patient journeying with others, towards an encounter with the living Christ already present and moving in their life and who calls them home to God and their true selves. This personal outreach cannot appeal simply to ‘the eyebrows up’ but must engage the human heart. So often as a Church our past attempts at evangelisation have confused ignorance with indifference. People’s hearts may not be engaged, they may not necessarily be invested in faith as a relationship, and yet we can seek to inundate them with information in the hope that this might affect personal change. Accompaniment emerges as something other than catechesis and bids a recognition that the life of the soul is not knowledge but love, and love comes about only by personal encounter.

Our attentive listening and encouragement of others, our readiness for dialogue, warmth and welcome will soon reveal to us that many today are not able to locate their lives on the map of faith they had been taught. Our experience tell us that there is no ‘cookie cutter’ Catholic. Our family members, neighbours, colleagues find themselves at many different stages of faith commitment in and out of our pews. Spiritual accompaniment will need to be hand-crafted, not mass produced,

tailored to all those prodigal sons and daughters who still seek a way of life, a spiritual home.

This process of journeying with others takes time. What Pope Francis says of married relationships in Amoris Laetitia could well be extended to all bonds of faith and charity, “Love needs time and space; everything else is secondary. Time is needed to talk things over, to embrace leisurely, to share plans, to listen to one other and gaze in each other’s eyes, to appreciate one another and to build a stronger relationship. Sometimes the frenetic pace of our society and the pressures of the workplace create problems. At other times, the problem is the lack of quality time together, sharing the same room without one even noticing the other” (AL 224).

As we enter into the possibilities of this New Year, may we commit to creating spaces of communion and accompaniment in our parishes, schools, agencies and families, attending to each other with patience, understanding and docility to the Spirit. Our openness to those close to us in their joys, hopes, griefs and anxieties, as well as to the stranger, creates the possibility for Christ to be discovered and encountered.

Above all, may we be open to being accompanied by God in this spiritual work, by God who has first walked with us in the person of Jesus Christ.

…serving the Diocese of Broken Bay since 1967 Rebecca Pincott Michael Bolton

Australian Family Owned & Operated 301-303 PENNANT HILLS ROAD, THORNLEIGH

9484 3992 ALL SUBURBS 24 HOURS www.albertmeyer.com.au BBN

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Woy Woy Early Learning Centre Opens

In the grounds of St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School, a new building and playground is ready for occupation.

n the beach theme of the district, Ishining the Centre is absolutely beautiful, and new with waves depicted on the building façade and windows of all shapes for the children to view through.

On Monday 30 January 2017, the three-room Centre opened its doors to 3 to 5 year olds. The Early Learning Centre (ELC) is staffed by highly regarded and qualified educators delivering on quality educational programs. It operates from 7am to 6pm for extended care and 8:30am to 4pm

for pre-school hours. The ELC is licenced to care for 60 children a day and has had a fabulous response opening with 40 children attending every day from day one.

We expect this to increase to 60 very quickly.

The ELC boasts natural resources for tactile development and sustainability education engaging with the natural environment. These include a herb garden, vegetable patch and an array of plants and shrubs for children to play around. There is

an outdoor blackboard, slippery dips, and potential intentional mud pit all covered by sun shades including an all-weather over a very large sandpit. There is a dry river bed that can become a small (very shallow) river course for splashing and floating paper boats down in hot weather when the children pump the water.

The amphitheatre will provide a fabulous place for the children to provide dramatic performances and sit in the sun to warm up on cold winter days. The rooms

are equipped with educational resources including the usual books, puzzles, dress-ups, blocks, paint, crayons and Smart Boards.

These boards will enhance the children’s school readiness and reduce technology gap when they commence school.

If you are interested in enrolling your child please contact ELCWoyWoy@dbb.org.au or 0481 602 081. Be sure to look out for an open day during the year so that you can come and see this fabulous Centre.

CatholicCare is now operating St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) In the recent school holidays, a jumping castle was on site every day at Woy Woy for the children and boy, did they have fun!

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he children also fed the school chickens and tended the vegetable garden to ensure it had enough water especially on those very hot days. The OSHC is run out of the school hall and it is transformed for vacation care each morning and evening so that the children enjoy their time at the Centre. The OSHC is overseen by a teacher qualified educator and a quality program is run for the

children not only entertaining them but most importantly developing the children into responsible little human beings who are engaged with the community they live in. Please be sure to get in early for the next school holidays as it looks like being a busy time for vacation care. Enquiries for before and after school and vacation care can be made to woywoy.oshc@dbb.org.au or 0481 602 082.

Children’s Services looking forward to a big 2017!

By Rebecca Haynes

Children’s Services started the 2017 year with excitement and collaboration of programs as we gathered together for the first ever Children’s Services Professional development day. he day consisted of bringing Ttogether all Children’s Services staff to network, align

strategic direction and to share opportunities of learning and development both personally

and professionally. As a team our Children’s Services Programs which consist of 15 Out of School

Hours Care Services, five Early Learning Centres, 28 Family Day Care Educators and five In Home

FAMILY CENTRES: Central Coast • Naremburn • Waitara DISABILITY FUTURES: Central Coast • Northern Beaches • Northern Suburbs OUT OF HOME CARE: Foster Care • Therapeutic Group Care EARLY LEARNING AND CARE: Forestville • Lake Munmorah • Terrigal • Waitara

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Care Services, are highly regarded and recognised as providing quality services and in many areas leaders of the industry.

Our services bring a vast range of expertise together to enhance the ability to bridge the gaps of children through their most critical years of learning and development. For 2017 we

will further grow and develop, providing opportunities to more areas throughout the Diocese to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of the children and families.

As advocates of the industry, the focus for our children is to create professional confident and connected educators that focus on providing high quality services that

in turn make positive differences and equal opportunities in the lives of children, families and the wider community in which we live.

We look forward to opening our three new Outside of School Hours Care Services during the first half of 2017 at St John Fisher Catholic School, Tumbi Umbi, St Kieran’s Catholic

Primary School, Manly Vale and Maria Regina Catholic Primary School, Avalon. Our aim is to establish and continue positive and open relationships with the schools and communities to allow children and families to engage in meaningful experiences meeting the needs, interests and abilities of all those involved.

Waitara providing domestic violence emergency support A new program targeting domestic violence has commenced at the Waitara Family Centre, which aims to provide emergency support for those experiencing domestic and family violence.

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he program was developed after it was identified that

Domestic Violence Team Leader Kirsty Doull.

many women who leave a violent domestic situation require immediate support, whether it be face-to-face, phone counselling or basic essentials such as food, clothing, mobile phone, first aid, nappies, formula and toiletries. The program aims to deliver this support to women and their children, as well as providing follow up support the next day to ensure people are well

supported in taking the next steps to permanently leave the violent relationship.

The program consists of a team of on-call response workers during the hours of 5pm – 10pm, with staff able to assist with face-toface to support and provide assistance to women in crisis by ensuring they have immediate access to support and basic necessities.

This program started in December 2016 and will continue to grow into the New Year. The program has the potential to provide hope and empowerment to women and children who have experienced significant trauma and are stuck in a cycle of violence. We look forward to the growth of the program and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives long term by supporting them in the now.

A Merry Christmas at Mary Mac’s Christmas is a hard time for many, especially those that are struggling, homeless or alone.

this year, CatholicCare’s Aputgain Mary Mac’s Place at Woy Woy on a fantastic Christmas lunch

for 150 families and individuals.

They were welcomed in to enjoy a great spread, a music group singing Christmas carols, and the Shoebox revolution gave out backpacks full of toiletries, personal care items and special treats. We were also extremely lucky to be able to give gifts and food donated by so many generous local schools, churches, individual people and businesses.

This year we had an overwhelming response for our call for donations.

Three hundred food hampers were boxed by volunteers and 260 given out before Christmas

and we are currently giving out approximately 10 a day and January was also a very high need time. We have also been lucky to have stocked Mary Mac’s pantry with what was left, which will go into making our daily meals or more food hampers.

It was great to see the smiles, excitement and joy this day brought to so many. One mum was with her four lovely daughters all dressed up for this special day, beautiful big smiles on their faces, wide-eyed with excitement at seeing the band playing and people singing, a lolly bag each but the squeals of joy as Santa came and gave out some gifts was fantastic.

The mother cried and explained that due to the passing of her husband suddenly, she was doing it so tough that she couldn’t afford any gifts for her girls and didn’t know how she was going to explain that Santa had not come this year, and now he had. So to those that donated food or gifts please know that they can have such a profound impact on those receiving them.

Another companion that has been homeless for many years was so appreciative that Mary Mac’s Place and all the volunteers made this lunch and all his visits feel like he is sitting at his family’s table sharing a meal. He said “it’s not like the other places, they treat me like

family, we talk, they offer help if they think I need it and they don’t judge, it’s comfortable for me to go to and I feel safe”.

Mary Mac’s is a place that makes such a difference in so many people’s lives, feeding 80 – 100 people a hot lunch five days a week. All this is done without government funding. The need just keeps getting bigger as housing prices and rent increases, so if you would like to help either financially or by volunteering, please contact CatholicCare Broken Bay.

OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS CARE: Carlingford • Collaroy Plateau • Davidson • East Gosford • Forestville • Freshwater Lake Munmorah • Manly • Mona Vale • Narrabeen • Pymble • Waitara • West Pymble HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY: Gosford • Hornsby • Manly • Mona Vale • Royal North Shore • Wahroonga (SAN) • Wyong

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FEBRUARY – MARCH 2017

Office for Evangelisation PULLOUT EVENT CALENDAR THE DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY EXISTS TO EVANGELISE, TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST, GATHERED AS FRIENDS IN THE LORD AND SENT OUT TO BE MISSIONARY DISCIPLES. THE OFFICE FOR EVANGELISATION SERVES THIS MISSION AND PROMOTES THE GROWING MISSIONARY OUTLOOK OF PARISHES, FAITH COMMUNITIES AND INDIVIDUALS.

ENCOUNTER SERIES CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY: AWAKENING THE DEEP Spirituality is central to what it means to be human. This ENCOUNTER course will highlight the meaning of spirituality and how it is understood within the Catholic tradition. How does it animate our spirit, and how is it different, if at all, from our understanding of religion? Fr David explores how spirituality is an “awakening” of the deeper parts of ourselves. He offers three questions as “take aways” which relate to our life in Christ, and what that means for our living. Please do not miss this wonderful formation opportunity. All welcome.

Course Duration: 1 x 2 hours Presenter: Very Rev Dr David Ranson, Parish Priest Holy Name Parish Wahroonga and Vicar General Diocese of Broken Bay Date: Wednesday 15 February 2017 Time: 7:00pm Mass followed by presentation from 7:30pm – 9:30pm Venue: Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, 92 Glennie Street, Wyoming RSVP: registrations@dbb.org.au or 9847 0448 / 4332 9825

by Monday 13 February

THE REFORMATION – THEN AND NOW 2017 marks 500 years since the start of the Protestant Reformation in 1517.

What was the experience of the Reformation for both Catholics and Reformers? What is the experience now?

And where to from here?

To mark this significant anniversary in the life of the Christian Churches and to foster a deeper understanding of where we have come from so that we might journey more closely in the future, three prominent speakers from the Anglican, Catholic and Uniting Church traditions will offer input on these thoughts. There will be ample time for questions and discussion.

All very welcome to what will be an engaging and informative event.

Morning tea will be provided; BYO lunch.

Date: Saturday 18 February 2017 Time: 9:45am arrival and morning tea; Sessions from 10:15am-2:30pm (with morning tea and lunch breaks).

Venue: Shirley Wallace Parish Centre on the first floor of Holy Family Catholic Church, cnr Pacific Highway and Highfield Road, Lindfield (for parking, enter church grounds at the end of Balfour Lane; Lindfield Station is a five minute walk away) RSVP: 9416 3702 (office hours) or parish@lindfieldkillara.org.au This day has been organised by various member Churches of the long-standing Roseville – Lindfield - Killara Interchurch Fellowship

ALPHA IN THE CATHOLIC CONTEXT LEADERSHIP TRAINING Alpha is a series of interactive sessions that explore the basics of the Christian faith in a friendly, open and informal environment. Each session includes a simple meal, a video, and small group discussion, where no question is too simple and no answer is pre-packaged.

Alpha explores many questions such as: Is there more to life than this? Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How can I have Faith? Why and how do I pray? Why and how do I read the Bible?

How does God guide us? How can I resist evil? Does God heal today? What about the Church and telling others?

This leadership training event aims to develop people with the knowledge, skill and attributes to successfully run Alpha in local parishes. It will include a taste of the Alpha course and how one might facilitate various modules including the processing of the film series, small group facilitation tips, how to sustain small group enthusiasm and energy, and marketing and promotion tips. It will provide information concerning the forming of parish Alpha teams and the dynamics of an inviting and engaging gathering.

Presenter: Lorraine McCarthy, Alpha in a Catholic Context Coordinator in Australia Date: Wednesday 22 February 2017 Time: Day Intensive: 9:00am – 4:30pm; Night Session – Alpha Experience with Meal, Video, & Discussion: 6:15pm – 8:30pm Venue: St Agatha’s Catholic School Hall, 7 Trebor Road, Pennant Hills

Presenters: Rev Professor Gerard Kelly (Catholic), President of the Catholic Institute of Sydney, is also the Catholic co-chair of the Australian LutheranRoman Catholic Dialogue, and also Chair of the Faith and Unity Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia.

RSVP: registrations@dbb.org.au or 9847 0448 / 4332 9825

by Monday 20 February

Rev. Dr Fergus King (Anglican), Conjoint Lecturer in School of Humanities and Social Science (Philosophy, Religion and Theology) at the University of Newcastle where his fields of study and teaching are Scripture and Church history. Dr King is also Rector of the Anglican Parish of Kotara.

Date: Thursday 23 February 2017

Rev Dr William Emilsen (Uniting), formerly a long-term faculty member of the Uniting Church Theological College, where he held the positions of Lecturer in Church History and, subsequently, Lecturer in Church History and World Religions.

Venue: St Patrick’s Catholic Church, 76 York Street, East Gosford

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Or

Time: Day Intensive 10:00am – 4:30pm; Night Session – Alpha Experience with Meal, Video, & Discussion: 6:15pm – 8:30pm

RSVP: registrations@dbb.org.au or 9847 0448 / 4332 9825 by Monday 20 February

FEBRUARY – MARCH 2017 CAROLINE CHISHOLM: PROPHET OF THE LAITY

CATHOLIC YOUTH BROKEN BAY

To celebrate the 140th anniversary of the death of Caroline Chisholm, the namesake of the Diocesan offices, Clara Geoghegan of the Siena Institute will lead an exploration of her life and legacy. Bringing together colonial Australian history and efforts in building up the nascent Catholic Church in Australia, Caroline Chisholm’s tireless work in defence of Gospel values will be explored – works that uphold the dignity of the human person, respect for life, religious liberty, marriage and family life, works of charity, social and economic justice and the evangelisation of culture. Caroline Chisholm particularly emphasised the importance of pastoral care of young girls, families, and emigrants – areas that remain a concern for us today.

Twilight Talks

Highlighting her prophetic voice, Clara Geoghegan presents Caroline Chisholm’s earthy and connected spirituality as a model for our time, especially as it relates to the apostolate of the laity. Please do not miss this special presentation of the Office for Evangelisation!

PRAISEFEST

Presenter: Clara Geoghegan Date: Wednesday 22 March 2017 Time: 9:30am – 12:30pm Venue: Railway Room, Caroline Chisholm Centre, Building 2, 423 Pennant Hills Road, Pennant Hills (Vehicular entry via City View Road) RSVP: registrations@dbb.org.au or 9847 0448 / 4332 9825

by Monday 20 March

Catholic Youth Broken Bay invites you to Twilight Talks. Join Young Adults from around the Diocese to connect, share a meal, pray and be nourished by inspiring speakers. Our guest for the evening will be Fr David Ranson who will be speaking on our theme “Weak Made Strong.”

Date: Wednesday 8 February 2017 Time: 6:30pm – 9:00pm Venue: Bee’s Knees Café, 14 Coronation Street, Hornsby For more details: youth@dbb.org.au Join young people from across the Diocese at our first PRAISEFEST of the year! Get a chance to catch up with friends while enjoying our pre event Festival, encounter God through vibrant & honest worship, and receive spiritual nourishment through an inspiring and relevant message on “Packing for the Desert.” BBQ dinner will be provided from 6:00pm before our night begins.

Date: Friday 24 February 2017 Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm Venue: TBC For more details: youth@dbb.org.au

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) CCD training and formation opportunities serve those involved in the mission of Special Religious Education (SRE) in our State Schools but are also open to those in catechesis and evangelising outreach in our Diocese. The Office for Evangelisation offers CCD Level 1 (including the CCD MI units), Level 2 and Level 3 courses to all interested people providing formation that enables the Gospel to be taken into the lives of others.

CCD Ministry Induction – Compulsory Training for New Catechists and Helpers CCDL1-01MI

The Mission and Ministry of the Catechist

CCDL1-02MI

SRE Teacher in the Parish and the School

CCDL1-03MI

Child Protection

CCDL1-04MI

Lesson Planning: Teaching the Authorised Curriculum

CCDL1-05MI

The Development of the Child and Adolescent I

CCDL1-06MI

Classroom Management: Positive Discipline

CCDL1-07MI

Introduction to the Bible

Level 1 – Tools for Teaching in the SRE Classroom CCDL1-08-14

Teaching Strategies: Prayer in the Classroom

CCDL1-09-14

Teaching Strategies: Listening and Questioning

CCDL1-10-14

Teaching Strategies: Using Music in the Classroom

CCDL1-11-14

Miracles and Parables

CCDL1-12-14

Teaching Strategies: Drama in the Classroom

CCDL1-13-14

Teaching Strategies: Using Stories and Visual Resources

CCDL1-14-14

Teaching Strategies: Using Interactive Whiteboard Resources

North Shore Hornsby Region – Course Type: CCDMI Venue: Caroline Chisholm Centre, 423 Pennant Hills Road, Building 2, Pennant Hills (Vehicular entry via City View Road) Morning Tea Provided, BYO Lunch Dates: Thursday 9, 16, 23 February 2017, 2 March 2017 Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm (2 March 2017 9:30am – 12:00pm) RSVP: By Thursday 2 February to registrations@dbb.org.au or 4332 9825 / 9847 0448

Northern Beaches Region – Course Type: CCDMI Venue: Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Centre, 9 Currie Road, Forestville Morning Tea Provided, BYO Lunch Dates: Friday 10, 17, 24 February 2017, 3 March 2017 Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm (3 March 9:30am – 12:00pm) RSVP: By Friday 3 February to registrations@dbb.org.au or 4332 9825 / 9847 0448

Northern Beaches Region – Course Type: Level 1 Venue: Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Centre, 9 Currie Road, Forestville Morning Tea Provided, BYO Lunch Dates: Friday 3, 17, 24, 31 March 2017 Time: 12:30pm – 2:30pm (3 March 12:30pm – 2:30pm) RSVP: By Friday 25 February to registrations@dbb.org.au or 4332 9825 / 9847 0448

Central Coast Region – Course Type: CCDMI Venue: Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, 165 Serpentine Road, Terrigal Morning Tea Provided, BYO Lunch Dates: Monday 6, 13, 20, 27 February 2017 Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm (27 February 9:30am – 12:00pm) RSVP: By Monday 30 January to registrations@dbb.org.au or 4332 9825 / 9847 0448

Central Coast Region – Course Type: Level 1 Venue: Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, 165 Serpentine Road, Terrigal Morning Tea Provided, BYO Lunch Dates: Monday 27 February 2017, 6, 20, 27 March 2017 Time: 9:30am – 2:30pm (27 February 12:30pm – 2:30pm) RSVP: By Monday 20 February to registrations@dbb.org.au or 4332 9825 / 9847 0448

Be kept informed about upcoming faith education and formation opportunities within the Diocese. Please contact David Patterson, Catholic Life & Faith Formation Coordinator, at david.patterson@dbb.org.au to receive a monthly e-News detailing events from around the parishes.

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EDUCATION

Integrating community, learning and family Catholic Schools Week 2017

Catholic Schools Week is held in March each year and is all about forging and strengthening relationships between everyone who has a stake in our schools – students, staff, families, priests, parishioners, and members of the wider community – by showcasing our activities and actions.

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bout 20 per cent of all Australian school students are enrolled in a Catholic school. There are 53 Catholic primary and secondary schools across the Diocese of Broken Bay, providing a high-quality, comprehensive education in a faith-centred environment.

‘Integrating community, learning and family’ is the theme for this year’s Catholic Schools Week,

which runs from 5 to 11 March.

The theme is a powerful reminder that since the first Catholic school opened in Sydney almost 200 years ago, community and the importance of giving a helping hand to those in need has been at the heart of a Catholic education.

During Catholic Schools Week, our systemic schools in the Broken Bay Diocese take the opportunity to highlight

not only the best of what we do, but also what happens in our schools every day. Events include school open days, information evenings, twilight tours and Kindy fun mornings.

This special week also provides an opportunity for the community to recognise our schools’ committed and gifted teachers and support staff.

Bernard Cumming, Principal

of St Patrick’s Catholic School at Asquith, commented, “The best way we know how to share what we do and showcase our facilities, technologies and programs is to open our doors and invite you in”.

He went on to warmly encourage parents, grandparents and members of the community to participate in the many activities they have organised and to view learning in action.

ALIA’S R T S U A ST LARGE OF ER RETAIL LISED SPECIAOOL SCH RMS UNIFO RETAIL ON-CAMPUS SHOP WHOLESALE ONLINE

• ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE: 1 PER SECONDARY COLLEGE • ANNUAL REBATES TO SCHOOLS • ONLINE TEACHING TOOL FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS • ONLINE SHOPPING AVAILABLE TO ALL LOWES SCHOOLS

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE PHONE 1300 1 LOWES OR EMAIL: schoolwearenquiries@lowes.com.au * Each year, one scholarship up to the value of $5000 will be awarded to every secondary school (for a year 12 student) to which Lowes is the official Schoolwear supplier.

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DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY COMMUNITY OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 2017 SCHOOL OPEN DAYS SCHOOL NAME

EDUCATION

SUBURB

PHONE

OPEN DAY DATE & TIMES

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

Asquith

9477 3800

Wednesday 8 March, 9.15am – 11am

Maria Regina Catholic Primary School

Avalon

9918 2608

Wednesday 15 March, 9am – 10.30am and Wednesday 17 May, 9am – 10.30am

St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School

Balgowlah

9948 5370

Wednesday 8 March, 9.30am – 11am

St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School

Berowra Heights

9456 2104

Tuesday 7 March, 9am – 10.30am and Tuesday 7 March, 6.30pm – 7.30pm

St Gerard’s Catholic Primary School

Carlingford

9871 1633

Thursday 16 March, 9.15am – 11am

Our Lady of Dolours Catholic Primary School

Chatswood

9419 2645

Wednesday 8 March, 9.30am

St Rose Catholic Primary School

Collaroy Plateau

9982 1467

St Martin’s Catholic Primary School

Davidson

9452 2022

St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School

Dee Why

9971 1644

Wednesday 8 March, 9.30am – 11am Wednesday 8 March, 9am – 11am Twilight Tour 6pm – 7pm Friday 19 May, 9am – 11am Tuesday 7 March, 9.30am – 11am Information Evening 7pm – 8pm

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

East Gosford

4325 1159

Wednesday 29 March School Tour 6.30pm Kindergarten Info Session 7.15pm

Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Primary School

Epping

9868 3322

Contact school for details

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School

Forestville

9972 7311

Thursday 9 March, 9.30am

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School

Freshwater

9939 6699

Wednesday 8 March, 9.30am – 11am

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

Kincumber

4369 6638

Wednesday 8 March, 9.30am – 11am Information Evening 7pm – 8pm

St Brendan’s Catholic Primary School

Lake Munmorah

4358 1501

Monday 20 March, 9am Evening Tours 6pm

Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Lindfield

9416 7200

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School

Manly

9977 2225

St Kieran’s Catholic Primary School

Manly Vale

9949 3523

Wednesday 15 March, 9am – 12.30pm Tuesday 23 May, 9am – 10.30am and 7pm – 8pm Daily tours Monday 6 to Friday 10 March, 9am – 9.45am Contact school for details

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Mona Vale

9999 3264

Contact school for details

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

Narrabeen

9913 3766

St John the Apostle Catholic Primary School

Narraweena

9971 9297

St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School

Northbridge

9958 7136

Contact school for details Open Day Tuesday 21 March, 9.15am – 10.30am Info Evening 6.30pm – 7.30pm Open Morning Tuesday 16 May, 9.15am – 10.30am Wednesday 8 March, 9am – 10.30am

St Agatha’s Catholic Primary School

Pennant Hills

9484 7200

Wednesday 8 March, 9.30am – 11am (Principal’s talk, information and school tour)

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Pymble

9440 8056

Monday 6 March, 9.30am – 10.45am and Thursday 9 March, 8am – 10.45am

Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School

St Ives

9988 3135

Tuesday 14 March Open Day 9am – 11am Open Evening 6.30pm – 8pm

Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School

Terrigal

4365 6229

Tuesday 28 March School Tours 6.30pm Information session 7.30pm – 8.15pm

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

The Entrance

4332 5594

Tuesday 7 March, 9.15am – 11am Parent Information Evening 7pm – 8.30pm

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School

Toukley

4396 5100

Information Evening Monday 3 April, 7pm

St John Fisher Catholic Primary School

Tumbi Umbi

4388 5800

Monday 1 May, 10am –11am Parent Information Evening 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Prouille Catholic Primary School

Wahroonga

9489 3233

Contact school for details

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

Waitara

9489 7000

Tuesday 14 March, 9.30am – 11am

MacKillop Catholic College (K-6)

Warnervale

4392 9399

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School

West Pymble

9498 6055

St Thomas’ Catholic Primary School

Willoughby

9958 7308

St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School

Woy Woy

4341 0884

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

Wyoming

4324 6641

St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School

Wyong

4353 2922

Wednesday 8 March, 4pm – 7pm Monday 6 March, 8.15am – 11am School Readiness Presentation Monday 13 March, 7pm Open Mornings Tuesday 7, Wednesday 8 & Thursday 9 March, 9am – 11am Enrolment Information Night Tuesday 4 April, 7pm Under 6 Fun Morning Wednesday 5 April, 9.30am – 11am Wednesday 8 March Liturgy 9am Open Rooms 9.30am Morning Tea 10.30am Enrolment Information Night Tuesday 2 May, 7.30pm Under 6 Fun Morning Wednesday 3 May, 9.15am – 10.45am Kinder 2018 Fun Morning Wednesday 8 March, 9.15am – 10.30am

Mercy Catholic College

Chatswood

9419 2890

Open Day Sunday 5 March, 11am – 2pm

St Joseph’s Catholic College

East Gosford

4324 4022

Open Afternoon Tuesday 14 March Tours and Presentations 3.45pm and 5.30pm

St Brigid’s Catholic College

Lake Munmorah

4358 4278

Tuesday 7 March, 1.30pm – 7pm

St Paul’s Catholic College

Manly

9977 5111

Thursday 2 March, 4pm – 7pm

St Peter’s Catholic College

Tuggerah

4351 2344

Contact school for details

St Leo’s Catholic College

Wahroonga

9487 3555

Friday 3 March, 9.15am – 11.45am and Friday 19 May, 9.15am – 11.45am

MacKillop Catholic College (7–12)

Warnervale

4392 9399

Wednesday 8 March, 4pm – 7pm

Mater Maria Catholic College

Warriewood

9997 7044

Thursday 9 March, 4pm – 7pm

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

SECONDARY COLLEGES

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EDUCATION

Tech Superheroes

Win National Prize

Sophia Gianotti, Claire Lau and Angelica Talevi in Years 4 and 5 at St Philip Neri Catholic School in Northbridge, won First prize in the Tech Girls Are Superheroes competition with Reading Republic, the app they designed.

T

he competition provides support and mentorship to girls interested in pursuing careers in IT. The girls were given 12 weeks to create and pitch an app, including writing the code, designing a business plan and making a demonstration video.

The Reading Republic app is designed to encourage children to

read in a fun and interactive way, and was inspired by the girls’ love of reading.

The girls were initially State Finalists and then went on to take out first prize at the National Competition.

They were teamed up with mentor Monica Wulff, CEO of Startup Muster, a company which

advises start-up businesses. They were also invited to interview a senior executive from Google at a special event.

This year, St Philip Neri has focused on helping students

develop their creative, critical thinking and problem-solving skills through the lens of Science and Technology. Students worked with a variety of media and attended weekly coding lessons.

New Books for Avalon

At Maria Regina Catholic School in Avalon, three students raised $3780 towards new library books.

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bby Webb in Kindergarten, and Genevieve Kelly and Noah Wise, both in Year Six, participated in the Dymocks Book Bonus Challenge, which is an online read-a-thon.

Both Abby and Genevieve placed in the top 10 individual fundraisers and Maria Regina was placed third in the Overall

Schools category. But Abby’s greatest achievement was in reaching her target of one hundred books!

“We are so proud of our students and their achievements,” said Alexis Conn, librarian and teacher at Maria Regina.

The Book Bonus is directly linked to the NSW Premier’s

Reading Challenge, where students gain sponsorship to reach reading targets.

It also supports less fortunate schools in NSW. As well as the amount towards library books at Maria Regina, Dymocks will also give books worth $1890 to schools in need, thanks to Abby, Genevieve and Noah.

Whale of a Time at Jonah Musical

Towards the end of last year, St Thomas Catholic School at Willoughby put on a spectacular musical entitled Jonah: A Fishy Tail. The show was performed at the Concourse in Chatswood and ran for two nights.

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wo Year 6 actors, Cecilia Sullivan and Brianna Hamlyn, shared the lead role of Jonah on alternating nights.

After her Opening Night performance, Cecilia said, “It was very nerve-wracking but once you go on stage you feel really excited about starting the show.”

Stage 3 children designed the props as part of their challenge-

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based learning program for the term, including an incredible whale made of wood and canvas, with a mouth operated by a pulley system.

“They [Stage 3 children] were a critical part in the musical’s success,” said Principal Jenny McKeown. “It would be a once-ina-lifetime experience for them to be part of such a big production.”

Each younger grade also performed a dance routine to Spanish Holiday (Year 2), Lord Rescue Me (Year 1) and Belly of a Whale (Kindergarten).

The show’s music director Mrs Paoley Li said that they had selected the Jonah story because of its Biblical origins.

“It was a wonderful event,” said Mrs McKeown.

EDUCATION

Little Engineers Late last year, students at Maria Regina Catholic School, Avalon; St Rose Catholic School, Collaroy Plateau; St Kieran’s Catholic School, Manly Vale and St Martin’s Catholic School, Davidson, participated in an exciting Inventions Day.

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ob Moran, a professional scientist and engineer from the CSIRO, volunteered to work with students from Kindergarten to Year 6 who experimented with inventions from the past. He spoke to the children about how innovation occurs and the possible innovations they could create in the future. The day fostered creative, critical and divergent

thinking in the children through hands-on investigations.

Year 6 student Alexander Wilson from St Kieran’s said, “The benefit of the day was being taught firsthand by Bob and finding out from him what each invention was and how it operated.”

Ethan Lynch, also in Year 6 at St Kieran’s, said, “I loved all the cool inventions that there were. It

was fascinating to learn that new things are only improvements of past inventions.”

The Diocese of Broken Bay primary schools eagerly look forward to the upcoming opportunities their new partnership with Bob and the CSIRO, which came about through the CSIRO program SMiS (Scientist and Mathematicians in Schools).

Literary Success at St Peter’s Two Year 7 students from St Peter’s Catholic College in Tuggerah Lakes took out prizes in the Central Coast Council Short Story Competition.

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ackenzie Easson won an iPad when she took out First Place in the Children’s Category with her story Storms, Shadows and Sacrifices, while Holly Gibb won a Highly Commended prize in the same category.

As well as receiving personal

gifts, the students also had their stories published in a Short Story Anthology which is available in the Central Coast library.

Mackenzie’s mum, Marnie Easson, said that she was very proud of her daughter. “I keep telling her she is now a published author!”

Ms Andrea Edwards, the Council’s Section Manager of Library Services, said that the standard was exceptional and that the Competition had received a record number of 224 entries. “Seeing people of all ages involved is fantastic,” she said.

Prizes were presented by Ian Anderson, Administrator for the Central Coast Council.

Mr Paul Cannon, Stage 4 Co-ordinator at St Peter’s told Mackenzie and Holly, “This is an achievement that you will be able to tell your family and your grandchildren in the future.”

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EDUCATION

Prouille’s Poetry Prowess!

In the 2016 Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards, Prouille Catholic School in Wahroonga received a school commendation.

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he award was for schools which “demonstrate effort, achievement and a high standard of entries” and commended the overall effort of all the students who entered the national children’s poetry competition.

Prouille was one of only ten schools in NSW recognised.

Ten students from the school entered the competition, with two selected to have their work featured in the annual anthology.

Veronica Scully from Year 1 was highly commended in the

competition and will have two poems featured in the anthology: “The Hydra Tree” and “Waiting for Breakfast.” Mattia Candotti in Year 6 was commended for his poem “Mum’s Mobile Phone,” which was

also selected for the anthology.

The judges described Veronica’s poem “Waiting For Breakfast” as “beautifully observed” while Mattia’s poem was described as “nicely pitched, with a good twist.”

Secondary School Leadership Day Newly appointed student leaders from fourteen secondary schools across the Diocese joined Bishop Peter A Comensoli in November last year for a day of formation, conversation and celebration.

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rawing on many artistic images of Christ, Bishop Peter affirmed their calling by God as leaders with the gift of the Holy Spirit and implored them to be the face of Christ in service of others.

Students asked questions of the Bishop, who shared insights from his life and his own journey of faith. He emphasised the importance of the parish community and of participating in youth events such as the Diocesan Praisefest nights.

At Mass, the Bishop reflected on St John’s account of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and challenged students to lead

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in imitation of Christ as humble “servant leaders”.

At lunch, students from different schools mingled and spoke about their challenges and plans for their leadership in the coming year.

The day concluded with the students being commissioned, in the name of the Bishop, as Diocesan leaders.

Students spoke highly of the day, and were impressed by Bishop Peter’s obvious delight in being with them, his willingness to share and celebrate his faith with them, and the wonderful chance to meet and talk with leaders from other schools.

EDUCATION

A Special Coat for a Special Visitor No security was seen, no barricades put up, no armoured guards or police escort were in sight as St Joseph’s Catholic School, Narrabeen welcomed Pope Francis in October last year.

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he cardboard cut-out of Pope Francis has travelled the schools of the Diocese throughout 2016 arriving at St Joseph’s late October last year.

All students from Kindergarten to Year Six were given a square of material and invited to explore through words and pictures what the Pope’s message of Mercy meant to them.

The Pope stayed for a fortnight and was taken on a very special learning journey to experience the many facets of school life.

He attended Mass with Father Shiju and Year Two, then learned Mathematics

with the Kindergarten class, took a Library lesson with Year Five, Visual Art with Year Four, and went on a trip to Narrabeen Lake to see the ducks with Year One. He may have even been re-baptised.

All of the squares which had been created around the theme of Mercy were collected by the Social Justice Year 6 Leaders and Liturgy Team, and made into a special coat which was presented to the Pope at his final assembly.

This truly was a faith-filled fortnight with the opportunity to reflect on how to be merciful disciples of God.

Classroom Blessings and Openings St John the Baptist Catholic School in Woy Woy’s new classroom block was officially opened last September in the presence of representatives from State and Federal Parliament and local Government.

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t the opening, Bishop Peter A Comensoli blessed the new two-story block while Principal Ms Nicole Cumming declared it officially open.

“You certainly are blessed to have such outstanding facilities to support the deep and contemporary learning which is cultivated by your teachers,” she said to the assembled staff

and children, before thanking them for their patience while it was constructed.

The new block houses 150 students and includes six learning areas, increasing the school’s capacity to 520 places. Built in 1979, St John’s has seen a recent boom in enrolment numbers as many young families move

up the Central Coast from Sydney and elsewhere.

The school received a grant of more than one million

dollars for the project from the NSW Government’s Building Grants Assistance Scheme (BGAS) in 2015.

The recent Blessing and Opening of the new building at St John the Baptist Catholic School, Freshwater was a celebration of a vision come to fruition.

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ishop Peter A Comensoli blessed their new state-ofthe-art facilities of four flexible learning spaces, interactive breakout areas, simultaneous multi-media stations and new undercroft area in a building gracefully immersed into the landscape and, a physical symbol of the school motto ‘Prepare the Way’.

As educators, Principal Judy Slattery commented, “we are conscientiously aware we

are preparing students to be successful in careers which do not yet exist”. This demands students to be discerning critical thinkers with diverse multifaceted problem-solving skills to enable them to confidently adapt to their ever changing world.

The new building at St John the Baptist provides the school with unprecedented opportunities for students to learn such skills in an environment that enhances greater student self-awareness,

independent, collaborative and empowered learners in a team teaching environment.

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EDUCATION

Christmas Comes To Life Three live camels, one donkey, a flock of sheep, and a live baby joined two thousand school students from the Diocese for a spectacular Christmas show last year.

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he fully immersive Road to Bethlehem show was held at St Leo’s Catholic College in Wahroonga in late November.

Students from primary and

secondary schools in the Diocese dressed in their finest Christmas-themed costumes to attend the show.

A full cast and live animals journeyed through the audience as the four-dimensional story came to life.

“It was a spectacular exploration of the nativity story through the five senses,” said Mr Daniel Petrie, Religious Education Co-ordinator at St Leo’s.

“It gave me goosebumps seeing the power the word of God could have in bringing people together. For me it was a transformational experience.”

Mr Petrie added that the community came together for the show, with residents from McQuoin Park Retirement Village attending a second performance. “ That was quite an emotional moment for me, to have four generations on campus,” he said.

A cast of 33 students from St Leo’s performed the Christmas story with life-size sets of firstcentury buildings created by the school’s TAS students. The show also featured 66 hand-tailored costumes and painted backdrops for a fully immersive experience, but it was the live animals which stole the show.

Students and teachers playing the three wise men arrived on

camel-back, while those playing shepherds herded live sheep. “ The spirit of Christmas was really brought to life,” said Mr Petrie.

Students attending the show also raised more than a thousand dollars for the community of Kirabati in the South Pacific, which is subject to devastating long term effects resulting from rising sea levels.

Celebrating 100 years of Catholic Education in Wyong When the Sisters of St Joseph set up a Catholic School in 1916, with just 15 students, in the remote area of Wyong, they could not have known that their little school would still be providing quality Catholic education to children 100 years on.

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016 was a year of celebrations for St Cecilia’s Catholic School at Wyong which began in March with the launch of their centennial

year. They held a number of wonderful events throughout the year including their Grandparents’ Day with Old School Games,

From left to right: Lorna Colvin (prior student) Ma rie Manche (previous principal) and Teesha Davis (current stu dent).

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their Back to Old School Day and the creation of their Centenary Pavers Path.

A time capsule that had been buried back in November 1991, during the school’s 75th Anniversary, was also unearthed as part of these Centenary celebrations and a new capsule was buried to be unearthed in another 25 years.

The culmination of the year of celebrations was held recently on the Feast Day of their Patron Saint, St Cecilia. Highlights included a giant inflatable obstacle for the students and the release of doves, symbolising the spirit of all who have worked tirelessly to make this school the wonderful place it is today.

Three special guests were invited to cut the 100th Anniversary cake, Lorna Colvin

who had four generations of her family, including herself, attend the school, Marie Manche a previous Principal and current student Teesha Davis who is second generation.

CATHOLIC YOUTH BROKEN BAY

“The Father invites you to ‘Go!’” Pope Francis sets the tone for CYBB in 2017 and beyond

By Kelly Paget, Team Leader, Catholic Youth Broken Bay

In mid-January the Vatican released the preparatory documents for the upcoming 2018 Synod on “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment”.

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n releasing these documents, which are generally for the Bishops who make up the official body of the Synod, Pope Francis also released a letter directly to young people. He notes in the letter that he is ‘entrusting’ the preparatory documents to the young people as well, as they are to be the ‘centre of attention’ in the Synod process. Pope Francis’ encouraging words within the letter call young people to ‘boldly’, ‘joyfully’, ‘fully’ and ‘generously’ respond “Here I am” to God’s call.

With this in mind, Catholic Youth Broken Bay calls the young people of the Diocese to respond “Here I am” during 2017.

Throughout this year foundations will be set for three important milestones on our shared journey of discipleship; 1. Australian Catholic Youth Festival, Sydney – 7-9 December 2. The Australian Year of Youth – 2018

3. World Youth Day Panama – early 2019 The Australian Catholic Youth Festival is a national gathering of young people from grade 9 to 25 years old. It exists to provide a high quality, formative and experiential opportunity for young Catholics to encounter Jesus Christ and His Church. The festival held every three years will be hosted by Sydney

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Archdiocese with the support of the greater Sydney dioceses including Broken Bay. Sydney Olympic Park will be our home for the three days, including Sydney Showgrounds and Qudos Bank Arena. It is expected that this festival will draw 15,000 young people from across the country, including 1,400 for Broken Bay alone.

The Festival will close with the officially opening of the Year of Youth. This will be an opportunity from the entire Australian Church to prayerfully discern the importance and life-giving presence of young people in our Church and the world. This initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops has been deeply blessed by the Holy Spirit, with the announcement of

a Bishops Synod within the same year, which will draw the focus of the entire church to Young People.

With the Synod announcement in mind, the Bishops of Australia confirmed the theme for our Year of Youth and the Youth Festival will be, “Open New Horizons for Spreading Joy; Young people, Faith and Vocational Discernment.”

For the CYBB team, there is a sense that we are entering into the “Lord’s year of favour” as proclaimed by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. This passage, the guiding scripture for the Australian Vision for Catholic Youth Ministry – Anointed and Sent, will surely come to life as the Spirit of the Lord continues to bless and empower us in 2017 and beyond.

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NEWS & ISSUES

Experts warn against following overseas experience with euthanasia

By Debra Vermeer The practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide overseas has been a disaster, with so-called safeguards failing and doctor-assisted killing on the rise, and not just for the terminally ill, says world-renowned ethicist Professor Margaret Somerville.

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t’s a mess, and a growing mess,” she says.

Professor Somerville, who spent 40 years living and working in Canada, and most recently held two professorships at McGill University, in the faculties of Law and Medicine, has recently returned home to Australia to take up the position of Professor of Bioethics in the School of Medicine at The University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney.

Her return coincides with the Victorian government flagging its intention to introduce legislation for assisted suicide later this year and reports that the NSW Parliament will also debate a euthanasia bill before year’s end. This follows the narrow defeat of similar legislation in the South Australian Parliament last November.

Professor Somerville was a prominent anti-euthanasia voice in the Canadian debate leading up to the introduction of ‘assisted dying’ (physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia) laws there last year, following a Supreme Court of Canada decision which found it was unconstitutional not to allow euthanasia.

She says claims by Australian pro-euthanasia advocates, including media personality Andrew Denton, that euthanasia and assisted suicide is working safely overseas don’t stand up to basic scrutiny.

“Wherever it has been legislated there are very serious problems,” she says.

Professor Theo Boer

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In Quebec, Canada, where doctor assisted suicide has been legal since December 2015, a recent report on the first seven months of the law’s operation found that 262 people died by ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ – almost three times the number of deaths previously predicted by the Province’s Health Minister.

In 21 of those 262 deaths, or eight per cent of cases, the doctors had not complied with the law. Eighteen of the cases did not have the opinion of a second, independent doctor; in two cases it was found that the person might not have been terminally ill; and in one case it was not clear that the person even had a serious illness.

“Now when the law is brand new and you still can’t get doctors to comply with it, what hope have you got once complacency sets in?”

Professor Somerville says.

“And one of the things that pro-euthanasia people argue is that euthanasia or assisted suicide will be rare. Well, 262 cases in just seven months is not rare.

“Officially, around four per cent of all deaths in Belgium and the Netherlands are euthanasia or assisted suicide. Now if we translated that rate to the population of Australia, we’d have about 6000 deaths by euthanasia or assisted suicide a year. I don’t call that rare.”

Professor Theo Boer has also expressed concerns about the explosion in numbers of people accessing euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands, and the growing variety of reasons other than terminal illness for which people are seeking euthanasia.

Professor Boer is a Dutch professor of ethics, who supported the legalisation of doctor-assisted dying, and was appointed to one of the five regional review committees set up by the Dutch government as a watchdog over the euthanasia laws when they were enacted in 2002.

He says that from 2005 to 2014 he reviewed close to 4,000 cases

of assisted dying on behalf of the Netherlands Ministries of Health and Justice and believed it was working well.

“But that conclusion has become harder and harder for me to support,” he wrote in the Christian Century journal recently.

“For no apparent reason, beginning in 2007, the numbers of assisted dying cases started going up by 15 per cent each year. In 2014, the number of cases stood at 5,306 – nearly three times the 2002 figure.”

Today, one in 25 deaths in the Netherlands is the consequence of ‘assisted dying’. On top of those voluntary deaths there are about 300 non-voluntary deaths annually, where the patient is not judged competent.

“Furthermore, contrary to claims made by many, the Dutch law did not bring down the number of suicides; instead suicides went up by 35 per cent over the last six years,” he wrote.

Professor Boer also noted a shift in the type of patients who were seeking euthanasia.

Both in the Netherlands and Belgium, patients need only be experiencing unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement to access euthanasia. There is no requirement that the condition be terminal.

In the first years of the Dutch laws being enacted, about 95 per cent of patients accessing euthanasia or assisted suicide were in the last days or weeks of a terminal illness, but an increasing number of patients now seek assisted dying because of dementia, psychiatric illnesses, and accumulated age-related complaints, with terminal cancer now accounting for fewer than 75 per cent of cases.

“In some reported cases, the suffering largely consists of being old, lonely or bereaved,” he said.

Professor Boer believes that raising awareness about advances in palliative care is crucial to combatting the drive towards

Professor Margaret Somerville

euthanasia, especially for people who have been scarred by poor palliative care of loved ones in the past.

“For a considerable number of Dutch citizens, euthanasia is fast becoming the preferred, if not the only acceptable mode of dying for cancer patients,” he said via email.

“Although the law treats assisted dying as an exception, public opinion is beginning to interpret it as a right, with a corresponding duty for doctors to become involved in these deaths.”

If doctors refuse a patient euthanasia or don’t wish to be involved, there are now mobile euthanasia units in the Netherlands who will visit patients in their homes or nursing homes to administer the lethal drugs.

The situation in Belgium is similar, where the figures for 2015, show a 41 per cent increase in euthanasia/assisted suicide deaths over the last four years.

In 2014-2015, nearly 4000 people underwent euthanasia in Belgium, of which 124 cases were justified on the basis of behavioural, mental or psychological disorders, rather than a terminal illness. Among the reasons given for euthanasia is that elderly patients were ‘tired of life’.

Last year, the first child was euthanised in Belgium after the law was amended to allow for this. In the Netherlands, some babies born with Spina Bifida had been euthanised.

Leading Australian antieuthanasia advocate, Paul Russell, says that the soaring numbers of euthanasia and assisted suicide cases in the Netherlands and Belgium and the expansion of the type of patient requesting euthanasia show that those

NEWS & ISSUES

Paul Russell

often cited by pro-euthanasia advocates is Oregon in the United States.

Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (DWDA), enacted in late 1997, allows terminally ill adult Oregonians to obtain and use prescriptions from their physicians for self-administered, lethal doses of medications. The Oregon Public Health Division is required by the Act to collect information on compliance and to issue an annual report.

But Professor Aaron Kheriaty, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Medical Ethics Program at UC Irvine School of Medicine, says that there are serious problems with the laws in Oregon and many documented cases of abuse.

“I have evaluated and treated thousands of patients who wanted to end their life,” he wrote in an opinion piece which appeared in California’s The Mercury News.

“A request to die is nearly always a cry for help. Among terminally ill individuals, it is associated with depression in 59

per cent of cases. Yet, alarmingly, in Oregon, less than five per cent of individuals who have died by assisted suicide were ever referred for psychiatric consultation to rule out the most common causes of suicidal thinking.”

Professor Kheriaty also identified the problem of ‘doctor shopping’, where if patients are refused access to assisted suicide by their doctor, they are in some cases directed by their managed care insurance company to another doctor who will prescribe the lethal drug.

“In Oregon, a small number of physicians write a disproportionately large number of the prescriptions,” he wrote.

“Despite the inadequate system of monitoring and reporting in Oregon, the data we have paints a distressing picture. After suicide rates had declined in the 1990s, they rose dramatically in Oregon between 2000 and 2010, in the years following the legalisation of assisted suicide in 1997. By 2010, suicide rates were 35 per cent higher in Oregon than the national average.”

Returning to Canada recently to give a public address in the wake of the legalisation of ‘assisted dying’ there, Professor Somerville warned that a fundamental line had been crossed. “ The case for euthanasia has been made by making it seem harmless, that it’s just a very small step along an end-of-lifecare path we’ve already taken and accept as ethical,” she said. “ The intentional infliction of death has been trivialised in order to persuade Canadians to accept euthanasia, and many of them seem to have sleepwalked into doing so, that is, without understanding the full consequences of legalisation, for instance, the harm to important societal values and risks to vulnerable people.

“Legalising euthanasia is not just an approval of another medical intervention, it’s a radical and seismic shift in foundational societal values, in particular, what is required if, as both individuals and a society, we are to continue to respect human life.”

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societies have grown used to the laws and no safeguards will be effective in controlling it.

“What I think this tells us is that the notion of a ‘slippery slope’ or ‘incremental extension’ is not just about later amendment of the original statute; even though that is also likely and the possibility of that is inherent in the enabling act.

But it is also about interpretation and the reality that black-letter law is never going to be able to keep any legislation so tightly interpreted as to always reflect the original intentions,” he says.

One of the jurisdictions most

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NEWS & ISSUES

Human Trafficking Be Informed about its reality and consequences

On the Feast of St Josephine Bakhita, 8 February, bishops and religious leaders across Australia will support the call from Pope Francis to end the injustice of human trafficking against all people, in particular children.

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hey are children! Not slaves!’ is the theme for Bakhita Day this year. Pope Francis has designated 8 February a world day of prayer, reflection and action against human trafficking.

St Bakhita is the Patron Saint for victims of slavery. The United Nations estimates that one in every three victims of human trafficking is a child.

It is estimated that 30 million children have lost their childhood through sexual exploitation over the past 30 years. Annually, millions of children are trafficked into domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, pornography production, forced marriage,

illegal adoption, forced labour, and to become child soldiers.

The bishops of Australia and religious leaders call for a fourfold commitment to: prevention, victim protection, the legal prosecution of perpetrators, and partnerships for change. This commitment starts at home by raising awareness and preventing exploitation of children in all aspects of Australian society.

Bishop Terry Brady, Chairman of the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life said, ‘St Josephine Bakhita’s feast day is an opportunity to raise awareness about human trafficking involving children. Pope Francis has called us to make a

difference. Sometimes our steps are small, but together we can achieve a great deal especially when we work with others to stop human trafficking’.

Sr Anne Tormey rsm, President of the Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) said, ‘This day can be an opportunity to learn about trafficking locally and globally, to advocate for legislation and pray for the protection of

When the care you seek is unconditional...

children who become victims of human trafficking’.

St Josephine Bakhita died on 8 February 1947. She was born in Southern Sudan in 1869 and was kidnapped for slavery in Sudan and Italy. After regaining her freedom, Josephine Bakhita dedicated her life to sharing her story and to supporting the poor and suffering. Later, she became a Canossian Sister and was canonised in 2000.

talk to us.

Of all life’s celebrations the funeral liturgy can touch us the most deeply.

We prefer to place our trust and reliance on those who have the skill and experience to plan a funeral that has meaning and dignity.

At least that’s what Sydney families look for when they choose WN Bull Funerals.

As the funeral liturgy expresses faith, it also contextualises the life of the deceased with traditional and contemporary elements.

wnbull@wnbull.com | www.wnbull.com.au Broken Bay News_JAN 2017.indd 1

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Sydney 9519 5344 Parramatta 9687 1072 Central Coast 4323 1892 12/01/2017 3:33 pm

ACROSS OUR DIOCESE

Credit: Ververidis Vasilis / Shutterstock

An Ecumenical Social Justice Endeavour on the Northern Beaches In December 2015 Reverend Michael Aitken, senior minister at St Stephen’s Anglican Church Belrose, started an outreach to Syrian refugees.

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he Refugee Initiative Northern Beaches Churches (RINBC) is an ecumenical program designed to show compassion and practical care for Syrian refugees that the Australian Government has committed to resettling in Australia. The NSW Premier supports this initiative as part of a wider strategy to welcome refugees to NSW. The vision is to sustainably settle 50-100 people in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney and establish a supportive community.

For the past year, RINBC has worked with local Churches, government agencies and interested individuals to put in place accommodation and support for refugees.

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater is one of the supporting churches of this initiative.

While the initial intake of refugees from Syria was slow to start, in recent months the RINBC has welcomed six families from Syria, 22 individuals including children. All of the families from Syria who have come to this area are Armenians with a Christian heritage.

A refugee mentoring programme was run by the Multicultural Health Department of NSW. This program prepares volunteer mentors for newly arrived refugees.

Mentors provide support, friendship and assistance in accessing employment, health and welfare services. Some parishioners from Pittwater Parish completed the program and are currently mentoring the newly arrived refugees.

RINBC hosted a welcome dinner for the refugees in November. Also attending the dinner were representatives from Settlement Services (SSI) and Professor Peter Shergold. Professor Shergold is the Coordinator-General for refugee resettlement in NSW. He is most

impressed with the RINBC and believes that community action like this is what

makes the refugee resettlement program successful. He thanks everyone involved.

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Praying the Scriptures in Lent

WITH CONTRIBUTIONS

BY AUSTRALIAN BISHOPS • Bishop Paul Bird, CSsR • Bishop Eugene Hurley • Bishop Peter Ingham • Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green, OSPPE • Bishop Michael McCarthy • Bishop Greg O’Kelly, SJ • Bishop Anthony Randazzo

Online and Print Online resources can be accessed at www.dbb.org.au Booklets will be available in the parishes of the Diocese in early February

CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY