Catholic Life

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Catholic Life

Publication of the Diocese of Sale

May 2012

ISSUE 161

Jubilee ball a grand success - Page 2

Pentecost Pastoral letter - Page 9

Celebrating a Year of Grace - Page 5

Welcoming Year of Grace

By Colin Coomber

THE Year of Grace will be launched in all parishes around Australia on Pentecost weekend, May 26-27.

The 9.30am Mass on May 27 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale, to be celebrated by Bishop Christopher Prowse, will be the official launch in our diocese.

Year of Grace is the initiative of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and is an invitation for all Australian Catholics to ‘start afresh from Christ.’

The year long reflection offers all of us a chance to connect with Christ in a deeper way through focusing on the grace of God in our lives.

There will be opportunities

to be involved in reflection through prayer, liturgy and scripture.

The Year of Grace is not a program or series of events but rather a call to prayer and listening to the Spirit.

Keep your eye on the website www.yearofgrace.catholic.org. au for ideas, resources and inspiration.

Our own diocesan website www.sale.catholic.org.au will also be helpful.

Particularly in this Year of Grace, in the words of St Paul, “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, give you grace and peace” (Romans 1: 7) and may you truly feel the presence of God’s unconditional love.

St Michael’s students experience outdoor camp TRARALGON - St Michael’s grade 3 and 4 students recently travelled by bus to Coonawarra Farm Resort, Glenaladale, for an overnight camp.

The resort is located on the road to Dargo.

Outdoor activities at the resort included the giant swing, ball games, canoeing, initiatives and giant games, low and high ropes and the flying fox.

Marcus from grade 4 said, “My favorite activity was the canoeing because we got to race and we came second.” Ruby from grade 3 said, “I enjoyed the high ropes because I got to balance on the ropes that were a long way from the ground.”

This Grade 3/4 camp was only introduced last year. The venue is being alternated every second year so that students experience two different camps during their time in middle school.

One of the main goals of this program is to help build relationships within the group and to consolidate team ideals and values early in the school year.

The camping program also gives the children an opportunity to build independence outside of the family unit and to consolidate old friendships and build new ones with other children in the level.

It also enables St Michael’s to offer a sequentially based camping experience from Grade 3-6, where duration of the camps increases over time.

Coonawarra Farm Resort was definitely a very exciting, busy and action packed overnight camp.

Students came away from the camp with lots of new skills, new experiences and stories to share.

LEFT: Eliza tries her hand at canoeing in the lake at Coonawarra.

Your gift will go on giving

When you donate to the Bishop’s Family Foundation you can be assured that the money will be assisting families in need for many years to come. Donated funds are held in a trust account to go on earning interest year after year. It is the income from these investments which have led to more than $700,000 being given to organisations running programs to assist families.

Send tax deductible donations to Bishop’s Family Foundation, PO Box 508, Sale, 3853 Phone 5144 6132 for more information

Page 2 - Catholic Life, May 2012

D

ear People of God in the Sale Diocese,

On this Pentecost Sunday May 27 we begin in Australia our Year of Grace. It will combine with the international Year of Faith later this year and continue till the end of the Liturgical Year of 2013 with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King (November 24, 2013).

I ask all in the Diocese of Sale to join wholeheartedly in these celebrations.

Regarding the Year of Grace, speaking on behalf of all Australian Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Phillip Wilson writes: “As bishops, we ask ourselves where we can turn with so many issues confronting us. Or response in faith is to start afresh with Christ. we make this call, firstly and most urgently, to ourselves as Bishops.

God’s Grace is truly amazing To God’s People in the Catholic Diocese of Sale “We are resolved, in the words of Pope John Paul II, to contemplate the face of Christ. Both these phrases come from his Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineunte (2001) (At the Beginning of the New Millennium), and we use this Letter as our guide and inspiration ….. As we address this challenge to ourselves, we invite you to walk this journey with us in hope.”

Dear Friends in Christ, please find enclosed in this issue of Catholic Life my Pastoral Letter that launches our Year of Grace

in the Diocese of Sale. Read it carefully.

I invite you to join Catholics throughout Australia to a kind of national and year-long Retreat.

In this Year of Grace, like Mary, our Heavenly Mother, we can “treasure and ponder” the amazing grace of God-with-us. Let us go deeper. Let us perhaps be less driven in our lives and more drawn towards the loving kindness of our wonderful God of all graciousness.

Surely the greatest grace that God has given us is His Son, Je-

sus, our Lord. By contemplating His face, may we be led in our troubled times with hope, trust and faith.

I ask all parishes and communities in the Diocese of Sale to consider carefully their local response to the Year of Grace.

In my Pastoral Letter printed in this edition, you will hopefully capture the vision for the Year of Grace.

Also, there are many practical resources found in the national website: www.yearofgrace.catholic.org.au.

As we surrender afresh to God’s truly amazing grace in us all, I remain, yours in Christ Risen. + Bishop Christopher Prowse Catholic Bishop of Sale

Jubilee ball a grand success for cathedral appeal

By Regina T Abraham THE grand jubilee ball at Morwell on April 27 was a great success.

The ball celebrated the 125th anniversary of Sale Diocese and was also a fund raiser towards the work of restoration of the cathedral.

The ball was the ‘brain child’ of Kay Radford and Carmen Cook, who offered to organise this event on hearing that the bishop was looking for ways to raise funds for Cathedral Appeal.

They met Bishop Prowse and put forward this proposal which he accepted.

Fr Peter Bickley was the master of ceremonies with the feature act by Rhonda Burchmore and music for the night provided by the Bandera brass swing band.

The alfresco area put up by DIOCESE OF SALE

Mrs Monacella of Monacellar Wines lend perfect ambience to the foyer, which also had a chocolate fountain and strawberries, Lavazza coffee and other sweets supplied throughout the evening. A wonderful three course dinner and drinks were provided by J B Catering.

Burchmore kept the audience entertained, singing a few all time favorites and also with her dancing with members of the audience.

There were silent and loud auctions throughout the night and they were both successful in raising funds in the range of $20,000 that night.

Seventy attractive items were on display for a bid in a silent auction. The loud auction

by Leon Hammond had great items like, a five nights flight and accommodation package, two alpacas, a website design package, an Italian Urn, a

Catholic Life

PO Box 183, Sale. Vic. 3853 Phone: (03) 5144 6132 Fax: (03) 5144 3855 catholiclife@sale.catholic.org.au www.sale.catholic.org.au Editor: Colin Coomber Published monthly except January.

Deadline for advertising copy and editorial contributions for next issue is Monday, June 4.

Issues distributed free through parishes and schools from June 13.

Published by Catholic Media Gippsland, an agency of the Diocese of Sale.

Printed by Express Print, Morwell.

Member of Australasian Catholic Press Association & Australasian Religious Press Association

FR Denis O’Bryan, Cranbourne, surrounded by women from the Cranbourne table.

Louis Vuitton Bag, Eleanor Eleanor Marguerite are unique Everyone was wonderstruck Marguerite designer headwear creations made for racing carni- at the spirit of generosity of this and a gold pocket watch given vals, weddings and debutantes. man, his love for the Church to Fr Peter Bickley by Bishop The headwear donated for and his appreciation of the Noel Daly. auction was hand crafted and contribution of bishops, parish Eleanor Marguerite designer made of silk flowers and vin- priests and church leaders in headwear was sold for $950 tage leaves. Eleanor also wrote enriching our daily lives. bought by a generous donor for a beautiful verse called the There are also many others his wife. All head pieces from “Joy for Jubilee”, which was who spent endless days and read out while her creation was nights in planning and organismodelled. ing this major event which was Bishop Daly’s watch which flawless to the last detail. was independently valued The corporate sponsors, Mcat $4750 sold at auction for Donald’s, Monacellars, Image $6750 and the purchaser then Direct, Cranes, St John of God astounded everyone by writing - Berwick Hospital, Eleanor a cheque for the amount and Marguerite, BayHouse, East also returning the watch to Fr State Credit, Access by Design, Peter Bickley for the sentimen- J B Mobile and other sponsors tal value it had for him. most generously contributed to When asked by Bishop the fundraising event being a Prowse as to what prompted success. him to do this, the buyer replied, This event was a joyful cel“Yes churches must be restored ebration, not only for 125 years and built, but the hierarchy of of our diocese, but also in celthe Church is most important. ebrating a Christian spirit of ❏ Qualified, experienced You are doing a great job Bish- generosity and fellowship. and caring staff op and thank you for it.”

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THE jubilee cake cut by Bishop Prowser on the night.

Catholic Life, May 2012 - Page 3

Family Foundation Postmark’s stamp of approval May appeal THE annual appeal to raise funds for the Bishop’s Family Foundation is taking place this month.

Envelopes are available is each parish for people to make their donations.

All donations over $2 are tax deductible but to be eligible donors should provide their name and address on the rear of the envelope containing their donation.

Should you wish to avail yourself of a credit card donation, feel free to take the envelope home and post it to the Bishop’s Family Foundation at PO Box 508, Sale 3853. Donations by cheque and money order can also be sent to that address.

All parish and school groups are asked to hold one fund raising function for the foundation

each year.

All money raised is held in the foundation’s trust fund, which is invested to earn money to distribute to charities running programs for families in the area covered by the Diocese of Sale.

Around $750,000 has been able to be distributed over the past 10 years which is an incredible amount, given that all money donated to the foundation over those years is still held in trust.

The foundation is virtually self-sufficient and only requires annual input to stop inflation eroding the true value of what can be done with the disbursements.

However, more money in the trust fund also means more is available for charities each year.

Principals’ retreat and study tour TWELVE Catholic school principals and four staff members from the Catholic Education Office are currently attending a retreat led by Bishop Christopher Prowse in Rome.

Last week the group was in Canada before flying to Rome to meet up with the bishop.

The group from the Diocese of Sale are on the first stage of a pioneering study tour to examine some of the world’s leading education systems and visit significant sacred Christian sites.

The education leg of the tour has been coordinated with the guidance of internationally respected education leader Michael Fullan and is based on the findings of the McKinsey and Co. report into school system reform “How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better.”

Director of Catholic education Peter Ryan said that over the next three years the school improvement study tour would provide every Catholic school principal in the diocese the opportunity to visit one of the world’s highest achieving school systems in Canada, Finland, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong.

“It is a huge investment in leadership and a truly global learning experience.”

The first leg of this year’s tour was to Toronto, Canada where they met Mr Fullan, the Toronto District Schools’ Board; York District Schools’ Board and the York Catholic District Schools’ Board.

The delegation visited local schools to learn how the systems have tangibly changed to vastly improve student outcomes.

“The group will be exploring how these systems may inspire

our educational leaders to align and embed performance within the Catholic educational setting in Australia,” Mr Ryan said.

After two weeks in Canada the group left for Rome where they have continued the study tour with an emphasis on Catholic identity.

The pilgrimage will encompass visits and liturgical celebrations at key Christian sites including St Peter’s, St Paul’s Outside-the-walls, the Catacombs, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. The group will also attend a Papal audience and visit the offices of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

The tour will conclude in Assisi with visits to the tombs of St Francis and St Clare.

The tour supports the directions outlined in “Towards Courageous Renewal 2011 -2013” the Catholic Education Office, Diocese Of Sale’s key planning document.

Seminary moderator is reappointed FR Michael Willemsen has been reappointed as first year moderator at Corpus Christi Seminary until the end of 2015.

He is a priest of Sale Diocese and has been serving at the seminary for the past three years., In other appointments our Vicar General, Fr Peter Slater, has been appointed as a director of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria.

He replaces Mgr Peter Jeffrey who has been appointed rector of the seminary in New Zealand.

THE use of the official postmark commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Diocese of Sale has been extended to the end of this year.

Originally Australia Post granted its use for the month of May. The postmark features a bishop’s mitre and is available on request to be used on envelopes handed over the counter at Sale Retail Post Office, Desailly St., Sale.

Keen stamp collectors travelled from Melbourne to have letters stamped with the postmark on its first day of use.

Among the first was Fr Michael Kalka, Kew, who suggested the commemorative postmark and organised its design with Australia Post.

Sale is the first diocese in Australia to have its own commemorative postmark but won’t be the last as several others are already investigating special

SALE Retail Post Office manager Tina Notarianni uses the special Diocese of Sale postmark, watched by Fr Michael Kalka. designs to mark anniversaries.

To mark the first day of use, the diocese had 100 special envelopes produced, each hand numbered, featuring Bishop’s Prowse’s seal and the commemorative postmark.

These are for sale from the

bishop’s office for $5 each with all proceeds going to the St Mary’s Cathedral Restoration Appeal.

About half have already sold with Number 1/100 selling for $35 at auction at the Jubilee Ball.

It’s not all about the money!

Can you help us fulfil the mission the Church in this way?

Have you got money invested elsewhere that you could consider investing with the CDF? If you are able to help why not give the CDF a call or email and see how easy it is.

You will be rewarded with: • A competitive rate of return on your investment; • The security of investing with the Catholic Church; and, • Most importantly you are making a contribution to furthering the Catholic faith and education in our diocese.

So you see it’s not just about the money Phone 5144 4311

cdf@sale.catholic.org.au

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

Page 4 - Catholic Life, May 2012

Trinity lapathon raises $5765 NARRE WARREN - The Trinity Primary School students, teachers and parents ran and walked many laps in Trinity’s Lenten Lapathon to raise $5765 for Caritas.

This year at Trinity the students walked in solidarity with the many children around the world who cannot get to school to receive an education due to long distances and lack of transport.

The aim was to raise $800 to

provide transport to school for the children of two communities on the Thai-Burma border.

With the great enthusiasm, determined drive to complete just one more lap and the spirit of generosity of sponsors they achieved this and much, much more!

The Trinity students can be very proud of their efforts in making a significant difference to the lives of many children.

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WORLD flags hang across the middle of Bishop Phelan Stadium for the Peace Mass attended by more than 2000 students and teachers.

SALE – More than 2000 Catholic primary and secondary school students from across Wellington Shire gathered in Sale for the eighth annual Peace Mass.

The Mass was celebrated in the Bishop Phelan stadium at Catholic College Sale by Bishop Christopher Prowse, assisted by Dean of the Cathedral Fr Andrew Wise.

The Peace Mass was an inspiration of teachers at the college after the tragedy of the Bali bombings.

The concept is to bring the community together in a Christian way, to spread the word of peace and to acknowledge the fact that peace begins with the individual.

The hope is that after the students and staff come together to

Of all the decisions we make in our lifetime, making a valid will is among the most important.

This final testament speaks loudly of the values, causes and possessions we hold most dear. We bequest personal treasures and mementos to special friends and loved ones and ask them to care for them after our passing.

If you hold the Church dear, you may consider leaving a percentage of your estate or a specific amount to the Diocese of Sale.

The Diocese is grateful for the support of its benefactors, who have enabled the Church to grow in its service of its people, and invite you to share in this rich heritage.

pray for peace in the school community, the idea will filter through to the greater community and beyond.

Students from Catholic primary schools travelled from Yarram, Heyfield, Maffra, and Stratford to join their Sale counterparts and

come together to pray for peace in their lives and in the world.

This moving and memorable occasion also provided an opportunity for the students to appreciate that they are part of a larger Catholic student community.

Sharing his journey

SEMINARIAN Vin Mannes talks with the Corrigan family after Mass at Newborough.

Even though a friend had sugBy Sophy Morley NEWBOROUGH - Parishioners at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Newborough, welcomed Vincent Mannes to weekend Masses for Good Shepherd Sunday.

Mr Mannes, a second year seminarian for the Diocese of Sale, spent much of his life in Morwell and was active in the Sacred Heart Parish.

He shared a reflection on his journey and the years spent in discovering God’s call to him to commence studies for the priesthood.

As we heard, the call to the priestly vocation was not immediately apparent to Mr Mannes.

gested that he consider this vocation, some years elapsed before the direction in which God was gently leading Mr Mannes became clearer and God’s invitation more insistent.

He encouraged parishioners to support and pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and to continue our prayers for him and for all our seminarians, with especial care for Tao Pham who is still recovering in hospital.

Following Mass, parishioners introduced themselves to Mr Mannes over morning tea. The parish wishes him and all the seminarians God’s blessings for their study and their journey to ordination.

Catholic Life, May 2012 - Page 5

Celebrating a Year of Grace

I

t is not the Church’s task to reflect the light of Christ in every historical period, to make his face shine also before the generations of the new millennium. Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated his face.

- Pope John Paul II, Novo Millennio Inuente n.16

A Reflection

Year of Grace Prayer

Gracious God, You have blessed this ancient land with many gifts, especially its people.

We thank you for the Year of Grace, a time to start afresh from Christ.

You invite us to contemplate the face of Jesus your Son, that we may experience a new wave of grace, and that the light of Christ may burn more brightly in our lives.

Attune our hearts and minds to the presence of your Holy Spirit, that our Church may be transformed, our relationships be healed, and our nation grow in compassion and justice.

With the intercession of St Mary MacKillop, who showed us new ways of living the Gospel, we make our prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.

“Lord Jesus, you are the Son of the Living God, teach me to listen to what you tell me in the Holy Scriptures, and to discover your face there.”

(Guigo II) 1. Choose a Bible text: perhaps using a reading from the Mass of the day or the Mass of the previous/ following Sunday 2. As you read the text slowly and reflectively, note the key characters, context, key words and phrases 3. Think about the text 4. Read the text again 5. Reflect on a thought, word or phrase which speaks to you 6. Read the text again 7. Reflect on the message for you in this text? What is this text telling you about the God who speaks, about the grace of God? When have you experienced God’s grace today? this week? this month? this year?

8. End in prayer, the words of which may emerge through reflecting on the reading

Differing views of Grace THIS mysterious word, Grace, found in the Scriptures, particularly in the writings of St Paul, speaks to us of God’s unconditional love and presence in our lives.

Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1996) Grace is a participation in the life of God (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1997)

vine presence” (Bishop David Walker) “Grace is a real gift or favor from God that is a blessing, freely given as a benefit and received as a joy, prompting gratitude and thanksgiving” (Bishop Peter Comensoli, Inform No. 136 Amazing Year of Grace)

“Grace is God’s initiative of love towards us” (Bishop Christopher Prowse)

“Grace is the call and response - the invitation and acceptance - of love .... it is the telltale sign of the presence of the God-who-loves. Grace is God’s gracious invitation to, and our thankful acceptance of, his many and varied gifts of love” (Bishop Peter Comensoli, Inform No. 136 Amazing Year of Grace)

“I see grace as the environment in which we live our lives. In each moment there is a divine presence and our task is to be open to that di-

“Grace is being looked upon by God, our being touched by his love” (Pope Benedict XVI)

“In grace we are in God. Everything is grace” (St Therese of Lisieux)

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Student leaders gathering

Moe’s family breakfasts MOE - Staff, students, families and parishioners from St Kieran’s Catholic Primary School and Moe parish, celebrated Leap Day with a “Leap into Breakfast” event.

They enjoyed a healthy breakfast, funded by Foodbank Victoria.

Family-school partnership convenor at St Kieran’s Monica Huffer, said the monthly breakfast events were unique because families were an integral part of the breakfast.

This partnership between families, school, parish and the community had resulted in increased social interaction amongst families, staff and parishioners in a relaxed friendly environment and has formed

many new friendships.

Everyone pitches in with the cleaning up after the breakfast and it is a real team effort.

The breakfast was also linked to learning with fact sheets and displays explaining information on Leap Day for the children to share with their parents.

The breakfast event will be part of a Case Study being conducted by Foodbank Victoria on the Kickstart Breakfast program and the impact it has had upon students, parents, teachers and the school.

The school is delighted to be taking part in the case study and is happy to provide testament to the value of such a program and the contributions provided by Foodbank.

STUDENT leaders from across the diocese gather in St Mary’s Cathedral.

SALE - More than 200 student leaders from across the diocese gathered in St Mary’s Cathedral on May 1 to celebrate Catholic Education Week.

The annual diocesan students’ Mass drew representatives from 33 Catholic primary and secondary schools across the Sale Diocese.

Many students travelled be-

tween two and three hours to attend the special Mass, coming from as far as Cranbourne and Narre Warren.

Mass was celebrated by the Bishop Christopher Prowse.

The Mass celebrated the wonderful tradition of Catholic education, our faith and our community.

Students reflected on this

year’s Catholic Education Week theme; “Year of Grace, Year of Opportunity” recognising God’s gifts and blessings to each and every one.

The Mass featured the Lavalla Catholic College choir, a procession of students carrying their school banners and student involvement in the readings and offertory procession.

MOE students enjoying their special breakfast.

New evangelisation We all need fire in the belly comes to the fore eflections SOME years ago in Dublin I was sitting in a square near the Liffey River.

ARCHBISHOP Salvatore Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council Promoting the New Evangelisation at the Vatican, will deliver two keynote presentations during his visit to Australia for the Proclaim 2012 conference on the new evangelisation.

Bishop Christopher Prowse will lead one of the workshops on the first day of the conference which will be in Sydney from August 9-1.

His session is titled “Knowing Jesus – What do we need?”

The conference is about helping Catholics to respond to the call from Pope Benedict XVI to engage in the new evangelisation, to reach out with the message of Jesus to people and culture in new ways.

It is being organised for the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference by the National Office for Evangelisation and Catholic Mission.

Archbishop Fisichella will speak on “What is the new evangelisation and what does it mean for the Church?” and “Je-

sus and the Year of Faith Impelling the New Evangelisation.”

A second keynote presenter is Martha Fernández-Sardina, Director of the Office for Evangelisation for the Archdiocese of San Antonio. She will speak on “Personal Conversion: An Indispensable Key in Personal and Parish Evangelisation.”

In announcing the themes of the keynote presentations for Proclaim, Bishop Peter Ingham, said “Many Catholics are interested in hearing from Archbishop Fisichella how the universal Church is calling us to share the good news of Jesus Christ in new ways.

“Complementing this global Church perspective we have Ms Fernández-Sardina who will address the personal aspect of faith lived in the local context of parish.”

Background information on the keynote speakers, and on the Proclaim conference generally, as well as the seminar topics are now on the website www.proclaimconference.com. au. Registrations are open.

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It was a quiet and peaceful spot until an itinerant preacher literally hopped onto his soap box and let fly with an extraordinary tirade against the Catholic Church.

For a while it was amusing but it got more and more venomous so I took him on, so to speak. A rather fiery interchange took place.

He was very ably supported by his small but dedicated band of disciples and I was definitely coming off second best. Thank God the police arrived and moved us on!

I felt a bit shamed of myself but not entirely. I think I would have preferred to have won the debate!

But I was struck with the fact that this preacher was indeed a man with “fire in the belly”!

You may not have agreed with him, but you had to admire his passion and his dedication.

Pentecost is about our “fire in the belly”.

It was an extraordinary turning point for the followers of Jesus, a beginning again, starting afresh.

Matthew presented a very telling picture of Jesus’ final appearance to them: “Meanwhile, the eleven disciples set out for Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated.” Matthew 28:16-17.

Another translation says, “when they saw him they worshipped, but some still doubted.” Good heavens!

After all that they had heard and seen first-hand, they still hesitated, even doubted! Around that time some were disillusioned, afraid and two even decided to leave and set off for Emmaus.

Then along comes Pentecost!

When the day of Pentecost came around, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from

R

by Jim Quillinan heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in languages as the Spirit had given them power to express themselves.

Acts 2:1-4 What a difference a day makes!

These timid, hesitant doubters were transformed into very committed and courageous evangelisers who risked everything to make Jesus’ message known.

They were indeed given “tongues of fire”. What a great symbol of the all-consuming passion for the Gospel that they lived and died for!

Pentecost brings with it a challenge: what am I passionate about in my faith? Where is the fire in my belly? Is there some aspect of society makes me angry?

Is there some injustice that stirs me up? What have I done about it? That doesn’t mean we have to be shouting from the roof tops or throwing ourselves under bulldozers, but Pentecost does give us a time to recommit ourselves, to start afresh, to turn around as did those two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, not to be afraid of times of confusion or disenchantment – within them often lies God’s invitation to deepen our relationship and commitment.

Starting afresh means making a decision to begin again, not just to continue with the same old, same old but to take the time to review past practices, to look with open hearts and minds at God’s call to

us today in this place and at this time.

It is a decision to give ourselves the gift of time in God’s presence, to give God the chance to speak and us to listen.

The other important Pentecost message is that we cannot do it alone – we need the inspiration, the courage, the vision of the Spirit – just like these first disciples.

If we are to take on board Jesus’ vision, we need the inspiration, the guidance of the Spirit of Pentecost, otherwise it is just our vision, our way of interpreting the Gospel, our way of seeing the world, our way of judging what should or should not be done. But Jesus is the Way. In his letter to the Church in Australia Pope John Paul II urged us to be open to Jesus ‘who now wants to meet us in new ways’ and this means we must leave behind “sterile ways of a certain manner of thinking and acting”, for “the Spirit of God is always new and surprising”. (Ecclesia in Oceania #1).

“Faith in Jesus’ presence with us will make possible new and wonderful encounters with him and these new encounters will become the seeds of new mission. Christ is now calling the Church to share in his mission with new energy and creativity. It is certain that Christ works with us and within us as we put out into the deep.” #3 Pentecost brings with it that new energy and creativity, that fire in the belly if we are open to the Spirit, if we are open to meeting Jesus ‘in new ways’ if we have the courage to start afresh, to put out into deep and unchartered waters.

Catholic Life, May 2012 - Page 7

CSYMA awareness for Project Compassion

Berwick’s new student council

PICTURED with student well-being leader Rebecca Kollaris are Ben Shields, Matt Hardy-Brown, Abby Williams, Summer McKenzie, Carmen Ubermanowicz, Sophie Paton, Ben Fogarty, Patrick Ward, Adam Marshall, Olivia D’Elia, Josh McKenna, Lachlan Canning, Mikayla Oliver, Jackson Morton, Sophie Castricum and Ella Wrightwood.

YEAR 10 and 11 CSYMA students at Catholic College Sale during one of their awareness campaigns.

SALE - During the period of Lent this year, as part of their course the Yearr 10 and 11 CSYMA classes prepared and displayed awareness campaigns on each of the six Project Compassion stories from Caritas.

Each group prepared a visual display and daily prayers for each day of their particular week for the staff and students of Catholic College Sale.

Their main aim was to raise awareness of their particular Project Compassion story, the people and the country they

came from and to promote and support the raising of much needed funds for Caritas.

They achieved their purpose extremely well and along the way collected $159.35 for Caritas to add to the schools fundraising total.

As well as learning more about the stories of Project Compassion it gave them all the opportunity to work on and develop their skills of group work, leadership and how to prepare, promote and display an awareness campaign.

BERWICK - Two students from each class in grades 3-6 at St Michael’s Primary School were voted by their classmates to form their student representative council .

The SRC fosters the development of positive relationships through a range of pastoral care programs organised by the school.

In this role, the students are involved in helping with lunchtime activities, school Masses and liturgies and provide a buddy approach to children during recess and lunchtimes.

They assist with whole school events and are actively involved in supporting various charities.

St Michael’s Primary School is proud of this ongoing pro-

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Page 8 - Catholic Life, May 2012

Schools and parents in an education partnership THE Second Vatican Council has many challenges for all of us, but perhaps one of the greatest is contained in the Declaration on Christian Education which says that, “Since parents have given their children life, they are bound by the most serious obligation to educate their off spring and therefore must be recognised as the primary educators.” (#3) The relationship between parents and schools is always a matter for discussion and one that continues to develop.

The same Vatican document, in the same paragraph, makes the role of parents clear.

It says, “Parents are the ones who must create a family atmosphere animated by love and respect for God and man (sic), in which the well rounded personal and social education of

children is fostered. Hence the family is the first school of the social virtue that every society needs.”

It is clear that the fundamental development of the child as a fully rounded human person rests with the family. The role of the school is therefore, different.

Parents delegate to the school the professional side of education that they do not necessarily have the tools to impart. Teachers are trained in curriculum, in the subject matter they teach and in understanding of how children learn. It is certainly not to be expected that parents should be familiar with all these areas.

That relationship between parent and school develops in many different ways. In some cases, sadly, there is no interest

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with Talking Peter Catholic Ryan Education at all shown by parents in their children’s schooling.

“It’s the school’s job,” they say. “I leave it to them.”

Conversely, there are what teachers, perhaps unkindly, refer to as “helicopter parents”, those who are forever interfering in what happens in the classroom, showing an overprotective interest in the child’s development and, in fact never leaving the teacher to carry out his or her professional role.

There are also those parents who are constantly critical of the teaching profession, of teachers and of the school.

None of these approaches is in any way helpful to the development of real partnership. Fortunately, all of these are exceptions to the general rule.

There are many parents who are very keen to be involved in a positive way. This involvement can range working bees, reading groups, parents’ and friends’ associations, fundraising, etc.

Quite obviously some of these are becoming more and more difficult for parents as work and family demands continue to exert pressure on time

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and energy.

One simple but critically important way that parents can make sure that they are working together with the school is regularly to be enquiring about the child’s learning.

The old question, “What did you learn at school today?” is always important. Even if the answer is, “Nothin’” the question remains worthwhile.

It demonstrates an interest and is a statement that the parent believes that education matters.

It is incumbent on the school constantly to be seeking ways of involving parents in the life of the school at a deep and meaningful level. This may mean keeping parents informed of what is happening in the classroom, encouraging them and supporting them in their efforts to assist the child with their learning.

Of course, the values that are presented at the home must be those reflected in the school.

The development of the child’s faith, most importantly, must be the combined work of school and parent Parents need to be comfortable and confident in approaching teachers to discuss their child’s learning and development.

This is a mutual exercise, one that must be promoted by both school and parent. Once again, the approach to the teacher demonstrates a real interest in education and the child’s learn-

ing.

A later church document, The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, reminds us that, “The constant aim of the school should be contact and dialogue with the pupil’s families, which would also be encouraged through the promotion of parents’ associations, in order to clarify with their indispensable collaboration that personalised approach which is needed for an educational project to be efficacious.”(#20) Very clearly, this responsibility lies both with school and with parents. Only when it is a thriving and lively partnership will the school maximise its potential and the same can be said of parents. Indeed, as one principal I once worked with said, “You as parents know your own child intimately. I as a teacher know hundreds of children a little bit. Putting those two sets of knowledge together, we can do great things.”

New assistant business manager PAUL Velten has accepted the position of assistant business manager for the Diocese of Sale from July 9.

He is currently business manager at Marist Sion College, Warragul.

Mr Velten will be working with current business manager Jeff Davis and it is envisaged that he will take over as business manager when Mr Davis retires.

The appointment will allow for a smooth and efficient transition.

Archbishop Hart to top ACBC position ARCHBISHOP Denis Hart, Melbourne, has been elected president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference at the Australian Bishops Plenary meeting in Sydney.

Archbishop Hart takes over from Archbishop Philip Wilson, Adelaide, who has held the post for the past six years.

Archbishop Hart is delighted to have been chosen to serve the Church in Australia in this way.

“I am pleased to be able to serve the Church in any way that I can. I hope to see the faith

Archbishop Hart of Catholics in Jesus Christ grow in this country. I am also grateful for the faith that my brother bishops have placed in me”.

“The role of president is one which I will take seriously, and I am humbled to have been elected”, he said.

The Bishops’ Conference president is elected every two years and can serve up to three terms.

Archbishop Wilson was elected as the vice-president of ACBC.

Catholic Life, May 2012 - Page 9

Pentecost Sunday 2012 Pastoral Letter by Bishop Christopher Prowse, Catholic Bishop of Sale

Launching Year of Grace in the Catholic Diocese of Sale Dear Friends in the Risen Lord, “GRACE to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 1:7) Along with all the Catholic Bishops of Australia, I call upon the people in the Diocese of Sale to participate in the Year of Grace (from Pentecost 2012 to Pentecost 2013). Using the expressions of Pope John Paul II, we feel that the Holy Spirit is calling us, “to start afresh from Christ” by “contemplating the Face of Christ” (Novo Millennio Inuente, 2001). Today’s Feast of Pentecost is a wonderful biblical example of this unmerited Grace.

Providentially, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has also announced a Year of Faith for the Catholic world (from 11th October 2012 to 24th November 2013). This will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th Anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Both GRACE and FAITH are inseparable aspects of our “Life in Christ” (Rom 8:2). Grace leads to faith and faith responds to grace. They are not “things” or philosophical concepts. They form the foundation of our Christian life, which is “the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction”. (Deus Caritas Est; Benedict XVI (2005), n.1).

One beautiful example of their dis-

tinct but united expression in the Gospels is surely found in the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38).

God, the source of all grace, displays directly to Mary unmerited favour, loving kindness and mercy. God graciously asks Mary to be the Mother of God. It is a personal and totally unexpected encounter of grace.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is so receptive to God’s grace. In her lowly human condition Mary immediately responds with her whole-hearted “Yes” to God’s grace by becoming the Mother of Jesus. She is a woman of faith. For all the Church she becomes first amongst the faithful.

Starting today, let us begin in our Diocese of Sale, the Year of Grace. It will prepare us well for the Year of Faith, starting later in 2012.

The Bishops of Australia request that the Year of Grace take on the characteristics of a kind of national prayer retreat. Let us communally take time out to “make space for grace” in our lives.

“Starting afresh from Christ” provokes the question: “Where is the Risen Lord (the grace of God in person) to be found in what we are doing in the Diocese of Sale?”

“Where is Jesus to be found in our parishes, schools, communities and families?”

We want to observe a greater listening to the Scriptures than mere speaking; “be”-ing in prayer than feverish doing; attentiveness to the Holy Spirit than simply pragmatic activities; spiritual renewal rather than mere activism.

I encourage all in the Diocese of Sale, by using existing pastoral structures, to seek out the presence of Jesus

more ardently. Also, let us attempt to listen to the presence of the Holy Spirit more respectfully in our communities and avoid all talk and judgmental analysis that divides and compromises our unity in Christ. Likewise, particularly in marriage and family, let us seek further opportunities to pray and listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit more profoundly in our diocesan efforts towards more intense evangelization.

May I recommend particularly the use of various forms of “Lectio Divina” and guided meditations on the Holy Scriptures. Also, please take advantage of silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in our parishes. Meanwhile, our service to the poor and marginalized in our communities must be deepened with truly seeing the face of Christ in the poor, the stranger, the thirsty and hungry.

You may wish to access further liturgical practical suggestions to the Year of Grace by visiting the following websites: www.sale.catholic.org.au/year-ofgrace www.yearofgrace.catholic.org.au Let us pray for a “new Pentecost” in our Diocese of Sale and all Australia in this YEAR OF GRACE which I launch today in our Diocese via this Pastoral Letter.

May St Mary of the Cross MacKillop – a wonderful grace that God has given us and all the Saints, especially Mary, our Heavenly Mother, full of grace, led us always to Jesus.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Most Rev. Bishop Christopher Prowse Catholic Bishop of Sale

Page 10 - Catholic Life, May 2012

Light Life Movement comes here from Poland upheld.

He was released from the camp aged 21 and often wondered why he had been the only one whose life was spared. After his release he later became a priest and had many encounters with the Communist regime in Poland.

Fr Blachnicki was an incredibly brave priest and the main purpose of his life was to give Jesus to others and he often said there was no bigger task than this for a human being!

Many have come back to the living faith through his retreats and this movement.

He was the initiator of a movement for the youth and held many youth rallies in Poland. These rallies were the inspiration behind the World Youth Days instituted by the late Pope John Paul II. The formation program of the Light-Life Movement are held firstly through meetings of small groups, who come together to discuss the Bible and how to confront daily problems in the light of the Scripture and Church teachings; and secondly through participating in a two week retreat called ‘oasis’.

While many have thought twice about attending “two week� retreats, all the participants of it have come out with great joy and a new purpose in their life.

The structure of the movement is compatible with the structure of the Church. Small groups of the members usually form a community within a par-

HAPPY participants at the Light Life session at Cranbourne. ish and priests belonging to the movement serve as its moderators.

They are responsible for the spiritual formation of the members and for the ecclesial character of the communities.

The Light-Life Movement is aimed at formation of mature Christians who want to serve the Church and share their faith with people around them.

Fr Wodarczyk and Mr Broniszewski gave their testimonies of how they had enriched their lives through their involvement in the movement.

At question time when he was asked how they managed to get into China and conduct their retreats and formation program there, Fr Wodarczyk replied

that he just did not know how it all happened, it was definitely the working of God as he had seen so many times in the past 30 years with the movement.

He had witnessed the amazing hand of God work miracles like this one and had seen the even more amazing love of God transform many lives.

Mr Broniszewski gave testimony on how the retreat helped him, firstly with marital prayer and bonding with his wife, then family prayer and bonding as a family and then praying and sharing together with like minded people, relating to another similar to the basic Christian communities.

In a world where people were solely seeking pleasure, the

family was considered an obligation.

He said that right from the beginning of his 14 year marriage until now, they had been through a lot with his wife’s illness of cancer and other complications but with the prayers and support of this small community they were able to go through all their suffering, enriching their faith as well along the way.

More information about this Movement can be found at this link http://www.light-life.oaza. pl If there is an interest to be more invloved in this movement, or to attend the Oasis retreats please e-mail Fr Darek Jablonski at: jablonskidarek@ gmail.com

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CRANBOURNE - A group of Parishoners from St Agatha’s Parish in Cranbourne met together with Fr Adam Wodarczyk and his interpreter Darek Broniszewski from the LightLife Movement in Poland.

They came to Australia for three days at the invitation of diocesan vocations director Fr Darek Jablonski, Cranbourne.

Fr Jablonski’s purpose for inviting them to Australia was to bring a spritual renewal into the various groups within the parish, especially the youth group.

Coincidentally Fr Wodarczyk and his team in Poland were praying to come to Australia, at the same time that Fr Jablonski emailed him inviting them over.

This was possible for them as they were on a mission in the Philippines. This movement is currently active in 28 countries, including China with two million members worldwide.

The Light-Life Movement (widely known as the Oasis Movement) is one of the movements of renewal within the Catholic Church.

It was started by Fr Franciszek Blachnicki who was a good friend of the late Pope John Paul II. Fr Blachnicki was prisoner of war in Auschwitz; he had lost his faith when he was just 16 years old and later found it again while he was awaiting a death penalty during the Second World War. He and many others with him at the time appealed their death sentence and Fr Blachnicki was the only one who’s appeal was

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Catholic Life, May 2012 - Page 11

St Peter's honors Anzac memory

ST Peter's College captains Tyson Tifere and Skye Brennan at the Cranbourne cenotaph.

CRANBOURNE - Anzac Day dawned to some bleak, wet wintery weather. Despite the conditions a large crowd gathered at the cenotaph in High Street, Cranbourne for the annual Anzac Day Service.

The crowd gathering to pay their respects to those who had lost their lives in defence of our country.

As is customary, wreaths were laid as part of the solemn ceremony before the Last Post was played.

This year St Peter’s College

was very ably represented by the College Captains, Skye Brennan and Tyson Tifere.

St Peters College assistant religious education leader Greg Nelson, who also attended the service on behalf of the college, said, “Skye and Tyson laid a wreath on behalf of the whole college community in a dignified and respectful manner”.

He went on to say, “Their generosity in giving up some of their Anzac Day was appreciated by all concerned.”

Negative responses to Federal Budget RESPONSE to last week’s Federal Budget has been overwhelmingly negative.

Political commentators have savaged the “rob Peter to pay Paul” budget as nothing more than a card shuffle to bolster flagging support for the Gillard Government.

Low income families will get a little bit in the pocket but will have it siphoned off them again in the form of the Carbon Tax which comes into effect in July.

The desire to establish a small surplus so that the government can at least claim one of its promises has been delivered is more about political whitewash than reality.

After all it is an estimated surplus and as the figures for the current year show, budget night figures can blow out by billions when it comes time to balance the books.

Judgement on whether the government has delivered a surplus should best be left to 12 months time but by then there may even be another government, unless the incumbents can figure out some way to disengage the self-destruct button.

Business leaders have been critical of yet another broken promise when proposed cuts to business tax rates did not eventuate.

Catholic Health Australia is highly critical of the budget by claiming that the promised surplus has been delivered at the

expense of hospital beds.

While $55.2 million has been provided to improve the aged care system, $120 million was cut from multi-purpose services.

CHA chief executive officer Martin Laverty said this meant 200 sub-acute beds promised as part of the Council of Australian Governments health reform agreement will now not be built.

He was also disappointed that there was lack of policy and associated funding to address the expected shortfall of 110,000 nurses across Australia by 2025. The budget actually cut workforce spending by $68 million.

Caritas Australia, while welcoming an increase of $315 million in foreign aid, has been disappointed the government did not keep promises that 0.5 percent of gross national income would be spent on foreign aid.

Chief executive officer Jack de Groot said the budget would help a lot of people to improve their lives but Australia had the capacity to help hundreds of thousands more people if it wanted.

The budget left Australia behind other comparable nations including the United Kingdom which was in the midst of an economic crisis, yet was still committed to reaching Millenium Development Goals.

Tax man around the corner IT IS coming up to the end of the financial year, and our thoughts start to turn to tax – how to minimise it or how to get the best tax return we can.

Many people don’t get the best results because they’re not prepared. There’s still a few weeks to go before June 30 arrives so start to get ready for year end.

Most individuals are taxed on a cash basis – if you’ve paid for something deductible, you can claim it all; if you’ve received it as income it’s taxable now.

Companies can and usually are taxable on an accrual basis, where the income or expense is taxed as it’s due. For most people this isn’t a choice.

The best way to get the maximum return is to use an accountant or tax agent. It’s their job to get you the best result legally possible, but they still need to be given the right information. But don’t push the envelope too far.

The ATO is cracking down on incorrect and fraudulent claims and the penalties are severe.

At the end of the day whether you use an agent or not, it’s still your responsibility to get it right.

If you are a PAYG taxpayer and don’t have any business or investment income, the process is simple.

You are entitled to claim business expenses, some education expenses and if you work from home, possibly some home expenses sufficient to cover your home business use.

There are other claimable items as well.

You will need to be able to prove that you have incurred the expense, so collect all those receipts you’ve put in the shoebox and collate them.

Anything that saves your agent time saves you money.

When you speak with a tax agent, ask them to help you find the right claims. They will help and you may be surprised at just how much you can get back.

Most investors and businesses use a fully fledged accountant who may provide other business services as well. In that case they will be well aware of what you’re doing and will be prepared to help you get the best of things.

From an investment point of view, there are many strategies to reduce your tax. Remember though, saving tax is not making money.

Superannuation is one of these. Pending the Federal budget, contributing to super is an effective method of reducing taxable income. Taxpayers over 50 years of age may contribute up to $50,000 per year to super, including the guarantee, but there are severe penalties for exceeding this amount.

Taxpayers may contribute to their spouse’s super, too. Bear in mind that if your tax is already down to a marginal rate of 15 percent contributing to super usually won’t help you with tax.

If you have a capital gain you may be able to realise capital losses to offset the gain, in

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whole or part.

Or if you need to raise money by selling assets at a profit, can you wait until next financial year and defer the tax liability?

There are also investment schemes, fortunately far less than a few years ago, that offer 100 percent tax deductibility up front.

Be very careful with these. If something relies on tax deductibility to give you an adequate return, don’t use it as an investment.

People with investment loans may take the opportunity of prepaying interest and claiming some or all of that this year.

As an individual PAYG taxpayer, you may also have deductible expenses you can prepay to minimise your tax. But can you afford to be without that amount of money?

I have only mentioned a few ways to reduce your tax bill there are many other legitimate ways in which you can reduce your tax.

In my business this time of

year gets very busy and if you leave it to the last minute you may not have time to implement any of your strategies.

The taxman doesn’t allow you to backdate your expenses.

The Tax Commissioner will never give you any of his money. The only way to guarantee not having to pay tax is to make sure you never earn any income or don’t make a profit.

For any dollar you pay in expenses, you will only be returned up to 46.5 percent of it, so don’t let the thought of not paying tax drive you to make the wrong decisions. That could be very expensive.

• This report is intended to provide general advice. In preparing this advice, David Wells and RBS Morgans did not take into account the investment objective, the financial situation and particular needs of any particular person.

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Page 12 - Catholic Life, May 2012

Medical practices in Gippsland feature in book DR Ann Dettrick has recently published A History of Medicine in Gippsland.

This book covers 15 towns in the region, and describes the doctors, medical practices, bush nursing services, hospitals and nursing staff in each district.

The Highland Scot pioneer Dr Alexander Arbuckle of Doctor’s Flat near Ensay and later of Sale was the first doctor in the region.

Up until the First World War medical services were haphazard. It took a long while for an injured person to be conveyed to a doctor, or to the Sale hospital, the first in Gippsland, which was opened in 1866.

As time is a crucial factor for survival in serious cases and emergencies, the success rate was often not high. The Omeo hospital was itself destroyed by bush fires in 1939.

Accidents from fallen trees and axe wounds could be fatal. The Land of the Lyrebird records the sad story of Mrs Goldsmith of Dumbalk North carrying her dead baby with her on the train back to Morwell from Melbourne to be buried on the family block.

In the 19th century children often died of measles, diphtheria and scarlet fever.

Without medical assistance people relied on bush remedies to survive. This book records incidents involving cutting off the top joint of a finger after snake bite; sewing fingers back on with a domestic needle and thread after they were amputated by a chaff cutter; and cutting a child’s gums with a razor blade to prevent inflammation and help teeth come through.

There were devastating epidemics like small pox and Spanish flu. Doctors often travelled to their patients in time of

Gippsland Gistory H with Patrick Morgan need, on horseback in the early days, but the practice of home visits is now not common.

Things got much better by the 1920s with the prevalence of motor cars and reasonable

places like Maffra, Orbost and Mallacoota, all of which have unique features.

Many towns had legendary doctors from the early days who served long terms as GPs.

THE original Gippsland Base Hospital at Sale with its distinctive three storey turrets. roads; both patients and doctors could now travel more quickly.

In this book some regions are better represented than others. Leongatha, Wonthaggi and Korumburra, which are close together, are included, but not Yarram and the large area it services.

In the Latrobe Valley, Moe is included but not the larger towns of Morwell and Traralgon, nor Yallourn, with its distinctive mining profile and a famous GP, Dr Andrews.

Swifts Creek and Ensay, which are close together and tiny, are both included, but not

Leongatha had Dr Horace Pern, one of seven brothers who all became doctors.

After the Second World War the town developed a successful practice including the Catholic doctors Dr Michael Bourke and Dr Mario Croatto.

Korumburra had the Lappin brothers, relatives of the Myer retail family.

Dr William Moir was an early GP at Mirboo North; his descendants are still well known in the district.

Dr Robert Fleming serviced Foster for many decades. He and his wife Pat were stalwarts

Australian images of Jesus Talking about Books

GOD AMONG US - AUTSRALIAN IMAGES OF JESUS, by Marie T. Farrell, published and distributed by St Paul’s, hardback, 42 pages, rrp $29.95.

THERE are many wonderful images of Jesus to be found in the works of sculptors and artists.

This book has been produced by a Mercy Sister and features 16 works. most of which are on public display.

The range of images is wide and no two works are similar.

The dust jacket and opening work featured is the stunning Sacred Heart of Jesus wood carving from Sacred Heart Cathedral, Townsville.

A pierced heart, highlighted in gold, draws the eye to this sculpture of the crucified Christ.

Another stunning sculpture featured is Crucifixion from St Stephen’s Cathedral, in Brisbane.

Jesus hangs from the bar of the cross suspended in mid air above the sanctuary.

Two crucifixes by sculptor Tom Bass from St Augustine’s Church, Yass, feature, the Great Crucifix mounted on the front of the church and Reredos Crucifix which has a golden Christ

of the local Historical Society, as is a present GP, Dr Margaret Linton.

Dr Ferguson, known as ‘Fergy, likewise served Trafalgar for a long period; his wife Sheila Ferguson was prominent in many community organisations. May Rumpff, matron of the Walhalla Hospital in 1920, was a famous local identity who died in 1991 at the age of 105.

In this book patients are described mainly in the reminiscence of nurses. Only a few doctors have recalled their

mounted on a blood red cross.

The more modern art styles and Aboriginal depictions of Jesus may not appeal to all but they show the wide variety of artwork.

The book concludes with a more traditional work Christ Giving His Blessing by Terence O’Donnell which is based on Antonello da Messina’s famous 1465 work Salvator Mundi.

The book presents a fine opportunity for those getting involved with the Year of Grace to contemplate the face of Christ.

WISE SAYINGS OF THE CELTS, published by Lion Hudson, distributed by Rainbow Books, hardback, 58 pages, rrp $9.99.

THIS little book rediscovers some of the ancient wisdom of the Celtic people, by encompassing prayers from ancient runes, and others attributed to

St Patrick and his counterparts from Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Some of the wise sayings predate the arrival of Christianity but have been adapted to have a God-focus.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION, Reflections in the Franciscan Tradition, published by St Anthony Messenger, distributed by Rainbow Books, paperback, 112 pages, rrp $14.95.

THIS small book contains 52 reflections based on St Francis and St Clare.

Readers are asked to gaze upon Christ with a quote from one of the saints, consider Christ by meditating, contemplate Christ with new prayers and finally to imitate Christ by responding to a personal challenge.

working lives, but many nurses have.

It would be interesting to have some idea of patient profiles.

What specific problems were there in each area? Fishing and boating injuries and sunburn are noted at Lakes Entrance.

Do the Latrobe Valley practices show a high rate of respiratory illnesses? Did Wonthaggi have illnesses attributable to underground black coal mining?

Many customs have changed.

In past decades patient rested in their beds and often got bed sores. Now they are encouraged to exercise as soon as possible.

Childbirth customs have also changed radically. As one nurse observed: ‘In the earlier days husbands didn’t come into the labor ward or bath or feed the babies. It’s a bit different these days, with the husbands being involved from day one if they want to, so much so that some of us have even fallen over tripods in the labor wards as they film the birth. Cecil B. DeMille would be proud!’

One doctor remarked in relation to ‘shotgun weddings’: ‘A first baby can come at any time, after that it takes nine months’.

The nurses’ memoirs highlight the strict regimentation of hospital procedures in the past. Nurses were encouraged

to follow pre-ordained routines rather than to take their own initiatives.

One nurse remembered: ‘It was in the days of hierarchy and it ran in the tradition and likeness of a very efficient and proud military unit. You jumped in when asked to help or assist a senior student nurse’.

Matrons came around on their inspection tours checking beds were properly made, just as was done in the army. One nurse remembered: ‘No first names were used while on duty for staff or patients. When spoken to by a senior staff member, matron or doctor, you stood with your hands behind your back’.

Anecdotes abound in this book. At one hospital patents on the verandah could see who was being admitted. Being in a small town they often knew the new patients and would ask hospital staff what was wrong with them. Because of privacy requirements they were not allowed to be told, and often got quite indignant at being kept in the dark.

Football injuries sometimes got out of control: ‘It was the first time the local team was playing the runner-up from the previous footy season. It turned into a real grudge match with a few full-on brawls.

Nearly every player from the local side was injured. The little hospital almost turned into a MASH unit. Many quite serious injuries … fractured limbs, fractured jaws, head injuries, many lacerations and deep bruising. The boys were arriving two at a time.

The local ambulance had to stay at the football ground and was putting them into cars and with the help of the locals transferring them to the hospital’.

One former patient had to have an extensive skin graft.

The doctor had to trim the edges of the skin graft before suturing. The farmer jokingly asked to take the scraps home to feed his pets.

Many local hospitals have recently been downgraded as specialised services have been centralised in a few hospitals in larger towns. This book is well illustrated, and contains a short history of each town and its hospital at the beginning of each entry.

• Ann Dettrick A History of Medicine in Gippsland, $45.00, Medical School, Monash University, Gippsland, phone 5122 6445.

Central Catholic Bookshop 322 Lonsdale St., Melbourne (Next door to St Francis Church) Visit our Website at www.catholicbookshop.com.au

Browse through our range of books and sacramental and religious gifts, or search for specific items by author, title or keyword.

Open seven days Phone and mail orders welcome. Credit cards accepted.

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Catholic Life, May 2012 - Page 13

Clergy regains Coffey trophy

Quick calendar

What’s on & when May

September

Bishop’s Family Foundation Appeal month 20 – Ascension of the Lord 24 – Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians 26 – National Sorry Day 27 – Pentecost Sunday 28-31 – Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania meeting, New Caledonia 31- Feast of the Visitation of BVM

1 – National Wattle Day 2 – Father’s Day 2 – Annual Father’s Day Appeal for Priests Welfare Foundation 5-7 – Australasian Catholic Press Association conference, Wellington , NZ 7-9 – Australasian Religious Press Association Conference, Wellington, NZ 8 – Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary 10 – Deadline for September Catholic Life 12 – Official opening of Sion House diocesan headquarters

by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto 14 – Feast of the Triumph of the Cross 17-21 – Sale Diocese clergy in-service, Corpus Christi, Carlton 19 – Catholic Life published 21 – National Walk to Work Day 21 – Third term holidays begin 21-23 – Bishop Prowse at National Youth Conference, Wollongong 27 – Memorial of St Vincent de Paul

June

A SECTION of the 100-plus crowd to attend the annual dinner after the Serra Golf Day in Sale. The golf day and dinner are always held in Holy Week the day before the Mass of the Oils. od shield for the best score of CATHOLIC clergy regained Brendan Lane.

Representing the Anglican the day was won by one of the the prestigious Bishop Jeremiah Coffey trophy at the an- Diocese of Gippsland were ladies Pam Young who carded nual Serra Club golf day in Sale Bishop McIntyre, his wife Jan, 42 points. and several other clergy. The Other prizes: Best Catholic when they beat the Anglicans.

Bishop Christopher Prowse Uniting Church was represent- religious Fr Peter Bickley, runner-up Br Paul Murphy; best graciously accepted the trophy ed by the Rev Chris Venning.

Serra Club president Ann other religious Rev. J. Bertram, from his Anglican counterpart Bishop John McIntyre who Broberg expressed her thanks runner-up Rev. D. Saines; best tried hard to maintain control to those who worked towards Serran Alan Wyatt, runner-up the day and to those who partic- John O’Connor; Best friend of of it.

The trophy was presented at ipated. She made presentations Serra Ian Cook, runner-up Pethe annual dinner at Sale Golf to the seminarians from the ter Neligan; Best lady golfer Club after the day’s golf. Some Serra Club and erra Foundation Pam Young, runner-up Leanne 102 people attended the roast to assist them with their studies. Bowen.

The annual raffle featuring 32 Nearest the pins, Frank Robdinner prepared by Sale Golf Club ladies under the watch- prizes was drawn with the first bins, John Raulli, Leanne ful eye of house manager Alan prize of a week’s holiday at Tel- Bowen, Jerry Oliver; Longest opia Court units in Merimbula drives, religious Fr Brendan Smith.

Earlier in the day some 48 being won by Jo Wildenberg, Hogan, Serrans Reg Carmody, friends Shaun Little, ladies golfers challenged the course, Stratford.

The Fr Frank Carroll Perpet- Marg Johns. Not a Golfer Anyenjoyed the best of weather ual Shield contested by Serrans way trophy Mike Dunlop. conditions.

The dinner was attended by and Religious was won this a large contingent of priests, year by the Religious. brothers and deacons from The Oils ain’t Oils Trophy To advertise in around Sale Diocese and this for the best stableford score by year four of the Sale Diocese a priest from Sale Diocese was Catholic Life seminarians were also able to won by Bairnsdale parish priest 5144 6132 be present, as well as rector of Fr Peter Bickley with 36 points.

Corpus Christi Seminary Fr However, the Neville McLe-

Bishop’s Diary May 10-18 - Lead retreat for Catholic Education Office leaders, Rome.

May 18-24 - In Marseille, France.

May 26 - Arrives back in Australia.

May 27 - Launch Year of Grace at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale, 9.30am.

May 27 - Lunch with west region clergy, Berwick June 1 - Leongatha confirmations.

June 2 - Korumburra and Pakenham confirmations.

June 3 - Sale and Morwell confirmations.

June 5 - Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral for children from across diocese being confirmed in 2012.

June 6 - Lavalla College,

Traralgon, Founder’s Day Mass.

June 7 - Catholic Theological College meeting and annual Mass, East Melbourne.

June 8 - Meeting with sacramental coordinators, Warragul.

June 8 - Launch of Emmaus Spirituality Ministry for Sale Diocese, Marian Room, Warragul. 7pm June 13 - Council of Priests meeting, followed

by Consultors meeting.

June 15 - Narre Warren confirmations June 16 - Narre Warren and Berwick confirmations.

June 17 - Mystagogia Mass at Narre Warren.

June 20 - Diocesan Fi-

3 – Trinity Sunday 3 - Centenary celebration of first St Ita’s Church, Drouin, Mass 10.30am followed by lunch 4 – Deadline for June Catholic Life 5 – World Environment Day 10 – Solemnity of Corpus Christi 11 – Queen’s Birthday public holiday 13 – Catholic Life published 15 – Solemnity of Sacred Heart of Jesus 16-17 – St Vincent de Paul Appeal for the Poor 16 - Memorial of Immaculate Heart of Mary 24 – Solemnity of Nativity of John the Baptist 26 – Central region meeting, St Ita’s, Drouin, 7.30pm 29 – Second term holidays begin

July Peter’s Pence Collection month 1-6 – Bishop Prowse’s personal retreat 4 – South region meeting, Leongatha, 11.15am 6 - Diocesan headquarters moves to Sion House, Warragul. Closure of Sale and Newborough offices 9 – Deadline for July Catholic Life 16 – Term three begins 18 – Catholic Life published 27 – Schools Tree Day 29 – National Tree Day

August

nance Council and CDF Board meetings, followed by dinner.

June 21 - Berwick confirmations June 22 - Cranbourne confirmations.

June 23 - Berwick confirmations.

June 24 - Iona and Nar Nar Goon confirmations.

June 26 - Mass at St Peter’s College, Cranbourne

Centacare Gippsland collection month 6 – Feast of the Transfiguration 6 – Deadline for August Catholic Life 7 – East region meeting, Bairnsdale, 10.30am 8 – Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop 9-11 – Bishop Prowse at Bishops’ Commission for Mission and Faith Formation meeting, Sydney 15 – Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 15 – Catholic Life published 16 – Valley region meeting, St Mary’s, Newborough, noon 18 – Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting, Sion House, Warragul, 10am 20-26 – Keep Australia Beautiful Week 21 – Central region meeting, St John’s, Trafalgar, 7.30pm 22 – Queenship of Mary

October 1-5 – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s Catholic Commission conference, Melbourne 2 – Memorial of the Guardian Angels 4 – Memorial of St Francis of Assisi 4 – World Animal Day 8 – Fourth term begins 8 – Deadline for October Catholic Life 8-28 – Bishop Prowse representing Australian bishops at Synod of Bishops in Rome 15 – Memorial of St Theresa of Avila 16 – World Food Day 17 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 17 – Catholic Life published 18 – Valley region meeting, Lumen Christi eco-centre, Churchill, noon 21 – Mission Sunday 22 – Blessed Pope John Paul II

November 1 – All Saints Day 2 – All Souls Day 5 – Deadline for November Catholic Life 6 – Melbourne Cup Day 7 – South region meeting, Leongatha, 11.15am 12-18 – National Recycling Week 13 – East region meeting, Orbost, 10.30am 14 – Catholic Life published 20 - Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting, Sion House, Warragul, 10am 21 – Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 25 – Solemnity of Christ the King

Page 14 - Catholic Life, May 2012

For the Young and Young at Heart Time for a Laugh LATE one afternoon at a secret Air Force base in the middle of the desert air traffic controllers were surprised to see a light plane landing at their “secret” base.

They immediately impounded the aircraft and hauled the pilot into an interrogation room.

The pilot said he got lost, and spotted the base just as he was about to run out of fuel. The Air Force started a full background check on the pilot and held him overnight during the investigation.

By the next day, they were finally convinced that the pilot really was lost and wasn’t a spy. They fueled his airplane, gave him a terrifying “you-did-not-seea-base” briefing, complete with threats of spending the rest of his life in prison, directed him to Alice Springs and sent him on his way.

Later in the day the same light plane showed up again.

Once again, the MP’s surrounded it, only this time there were two people in the plane.

The same pilot jumped out and said, “Do anything you want to me, but my wife is in the plane and you have to tell her where I was last night!”

A FAMOUS big-city lawyer was representing the railroad in a lawsuit filed by an old farmer whose prize bull was missing from the section through which the railroad passed. The farmer only wanted to be paid the fair value of the bull.

Just before the hearing, the attorney for the railroad immediately cornered the farmer and tried to get him to settle out of court. The lawyer did his best selling job, and finally the farmer agreed to take half of what the bull was worth.

After the farmer had signed the papers and and took the cheque, the lawyer couldn’t resist gloating a little over his success, telling the farmer, “You know, I hate to tell you this, old man, but I put one over on you in there.

“I couldn’t have won the case. The train driver was dozing on the job and the conductor was in the toilet when the train went through your property that morning.

I didn’t have one witness to put on the stand. I bluffed you!”

The old farmer replied,

Put some colour into your day

“Well, I’ll tell you, young feller, I was a little worried about winning that case myself, because that bull came home this morning.”

AN aged farmer and his wife were leaning against the edge of their pig-pen when the old woman wistfully recalled that the next week would mark their golden wedding anniversary.

“Let’s have a party, Dave,” she suggested. “Let’s kill a pig.”

The farmer scratched his grizzled head. “Gee, Mabel,” he finally answered, “I don’t see why the pig should take the blame for something that happened fifty years ago.”

THE chief of staff of the US Air Force decided that he would personally intervene in the recruiting crisis affecting the armed services.

He invited all eligible young men and women to an open day at an air force base.

As he and his staff were standing near a brand new jet fighter, twin brothers walked up to them. The chief of staff stuck out his hand and introduced himself.

He looked at the first young man and asked, “Son, what skills can you bring to the air force?”

The young man looks at him and says, “I’m a pilot!”

The chief gets all excited, turns to his aide and says, “Get him in today, all the paper work done, everything, do it!”

The aide hustles the young man off. The chief looks at the second young man and asked, “What skills to you bring to the air force?”

The young man says, “I chop wood!”

“Son,” the chief replies, “we don’t need wood choppers in the air force. What do you know how to do?”

“I chop wood!”

“Young man,” huffs the general, “you are not listening to me. We don’t need wood choppers, this is the 20th century!”

“Well,” the young man says, “you hired my brother!”

“Of course we did,” says the chief, “he’s a pilot!”

The young man rolls his eyes and says, “So what! I have to chop it before he can pile it!”

Marion Martin winners THANKS to the promotors we were able to give away two double passes to the Hips Harmony and Hitler concert by Marion Martin.

Winners were Margaret O’Donnell, Traralgon and Pat Gray, Maffra.

Consolation prizes of Marion Martin CD’s were given to Geraldine Smith, Rosedale and Jenifer Whitwam, Traralgon.

Thanks to the many people who entered and we hope that the prize winners have enjoyed them.

Keep an eye out for some more contests in forthcoming issues of Catholic Life.

We plan a competition to mark the move of diocesan offices to Sion House in July.

Eye Halve a Spelling Chequer Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rarely ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it I am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect in it’s weigh My chequer tolled me sew.

-- Sauce unknown

Catholic Life, May 2012 - Page 15

Anglican Ordinariate to start next month

Classifieds public notices

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Sacred Heart School

Let’s leave something for those in need

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Eyes down 11am. Ticket sales 10.30am Now 55 games at 20 cents per game.

Further details phone 5134 8484 or 5133 7221 (AH)

VOCATIONS Priests & Deacons Are you considering a vocation as a priest or deacon for the Diocese of Sale?

If so please contact Diocesan Vocations Director

Fr Darek Jablonski 5996 1985 vocations@sale.catholic.org.au

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Bishop’s Family Foundation If you are making or updating your will, you may consider leaving a bequest to the Bishop’s Family Foundation.

The Bishop’s Family Foundation has produced some easy-to-read booklets explaining bequests which may be an advantage to read before seeing your solicitor to prepare or update your will.

Copies may be obtained by phoning Pat on 5144 4991 Do it today and sleep easy knowing you have done your part.

POPE Benedict XVI intends to announce the establishment in Australia of a Personal Ordinariate for former Anglicans to commence on June 15.

A Personal Ordinariate is a church structure for particular groups of people who wish to enter into communion with the Catholic Church.

In 2009 Pope Benedict announced special arrangements to cater for groups of Anglicans who wished to join the Catholic Church. This provision allows them to maintain some of the traditions of prayer and worship of Anglicanism.

Personal Ordinariates have already been established in the United Kingdom (2011) and the United States of America (2012).

The Australian Bishops have already put in place procedures

11 abuse victims seek compensation

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

With more than 15,000 copies read in homes each issue, that represents real market penetration.

ELEVEN Victorians abused by a gaoled paedophile Christian Brother have lodged joint claims in the County Court aimed at forcing the Christian Brothers to compensate victims.

The move is the largest legal action of its type in Victoria and, if successful, will put intense pressure on the Brothers

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to enable clergy and lay church members to join the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate.

Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference president Archbishop Denis Hart hopes that there will be a warm welcome to those wishing to enter the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate.

“I am confident that those former Anglicans who have made a journey in faith that has led them to the Catholic Church will find a ready welcome”, he said.

This new community will have the status of a diocese and will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross under the patronage of St Augustine of Canterbury.

Closing date for next issue is June 4, 2012

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to pay victims compensation that could total millions of dollars.

The claims are believed to be the first of a series of planned legal actions seeking compensation from the Catholic Church and religious institutes for the suffering of victims of sexual abuse.

The claims were lodged under provisions of the Victorian Sentencing Act, which enable a victim to ask the judge who sentenced their abuser to consider whether that offender should pay them compensation.

Judge Roy Punshon last year sentenced Robert Charles Best to 14 years and nine months gaol after he was convicted of abusing the 11 men when they were aged between eight and 11.

The offences occurred while Best was teaching at Christian Brothers’ schools at Ballarat, Box Hill and Geelong.

Best has appealed the court’s decision.

SCHOOLS and parishes are invited to fine-tune the number of copies of Catholic Life they receive each month.

Deliveries can be made in multiples of 25.

If you need more of less copies just send an email naming your school and how many copies you require so adjustments can be made.

Similarly parishes whichhave copies left over at the end of the month, or run out too early, should advise Catholic Life so paper numbers can be varied.

Email changes to catholiclife @sale.catholic.org.au

Page 16 - Catholic Life, May 2012

St Mary’s celebrates Catholic Education NEWBOROUGH - St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Newborough, along with other Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Sale, recently celebrated Catholic Education Week.

Religious education leader Trish Mulqueen said “It was an opportunity for all Catholic Schools to celebrate our distinctive mission and to share things that are special about our schools with everyone.”

The week was celebrated in a number of ways including some of the student leaders attended the diocesan students’ Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sale.

“We celebrated our leadership skills with all the students participating in cross-age tutoring activities, where the older students planned and implemented appropriate activities for the younger students.

“We also celebrated our relationships in our community by enjoying a special morning tea with the senior students and the staff.”

The shared morning tea was a huge hit and further reinforced the strong and vibrant community of St Mary’s Catholic School.

EMMA Anderson surrounded by student leaders from left Jade, Ella and Meg. Elise and Tilly in front.

Bishop’s official visit a first

By Fr Francis Otobo

SHARED morning tea - Megan Tomasetti with Grade 6 students Abigail (left) and Kirra.

HISTORY was made in the Lumen Christi Parish, Churchill, and in the life of the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sale, Bishop Christopher Prowse, when he arrived at the premises of the Lumen Christi Parish.

History in the sense that since his episcopal ordination, installation and taking canonical possession of the diocese Bishop Prowse was visiting the Lumen Christi Parish “officially” for

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the first time, and visiting some of the churches, like St Francis De Sales Boolarra and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Yinnar, for the first time in his life. Isn’t that terrific!!

It was in the cool of the evening we were getting prepared to start the Lenten Group meeting, when the bishop arrived.

He alighted from his car in his usual self, with fresh smiles, and was welcomed by the parish priest, Fr Hugh Brown and his associate Fr Francis Otobo.

Also present to welcome him was the chairman of the parish pastoral council Mike Answerth.

After some exchange of pleasantries and taking of fresh air, the bishop and the rest of us went into the meeting hall.

Before the commencement of the meeting, the parish priest officially welcomed him to the parish. This official welcome was also endorsed by the chairman of the pastoral council.

Bishop Prowse participated actively in the meeting and the discussion, and at the end of the meeting, gave us his episcopal blessing.

The following day, Mass had been arranged to take place at St Francis De Sales, Boolara.

Shortly before the Mass time, we arrived at the church premises, and the bishop took his time feasting his eyes on the beauty of the environment and the cleanliness of the church compound and building. Shortly afterwards, Mass commenced.

In his homily, the bishop connected everyone present to the celebration of the day, the feast of St Patrick.

He said the first missionaries that came into Australia were of Irish heritage.

Even Fr Francis, who concelebrated the Mass, recalled the Irish bishop, Shanahan, who took the Gospel to the east of Nigeria from where the faith was passed to his own diocese.

Hence, we were all connected to the Irish by faith. He encouraged us all to pass on the faith to the next generation.

During the Mass, he blessed Marion Answerth, who turned 70 that day. At the end of the Mass, we had a lovely luncheon.

The bishop then took his time to visit the elderly who could not be present at Mass during the day and he blessed them.

He also visited the Hazelwood nursing home. By evening, after the Saturday evening Mass, we had a delightful time with the bishop at a dinner in the Churchill Hotel. It was a good night!

The last day was marked by the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist in which the Fr Brown concelebrated with the bishop.

The school children of Lumen Christi Primary School Churchill thrilled the congregation by their melodious tunes during the Mass. This was followed by a goodbye lunch, after which the bishop expressed his appreciation and returned to Sale.

The visit was very important and especially symbolic.

Apart from being the official duty of the bishop to pay pastoral visits to churches and institutions within his canonical jurisdiction, I see in this visit, the symbol of a father looking after his children, asking how they are faring, wishing them well, and giving them his paternal blessing.

This visit, I believe, will go a long way to improving and solidifying the presence and the blessings of God, not just in the church, but also in the community and in individual lives, for it is written: “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you as a possession.” ( cf. Joshua 1:3ff).

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