Catholic Life - November 2011 by Catholic Diocese of Sale

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Catholic Life

Publication of the Diocese of Sale

Berwick ball aids Viet project - Page 9

ISSUE 156

CCI’s 100 years of service - Pages 10-11

November 2011

Benedict’s message to Australia - Page 12

Bishop returns from meeting with Pope BISHOP of Sale Christopher Prowse and the other Australian bishops have returned from their two week ad limina visit to Rome. They met with Pope Benedict XVI in small groups where he asked questions about each diocese. During the visit they were also present at the official opening by the Pope of Domus Australia accommodation centre. The Australian entourage

celebrated Masses at the four basilicas and met with various Vatican dicasteries and key personnel. They also had the opportunity to discuss the Pope’s decision to remove Bishop of Toowoomba Bill Morris from office earlier this year. • See the Australian Bishops’ statement on Bishop Morris (p13) and the text of the Pope’s address to the bishops (p12).

Next CEO director appointed THE next director of Catholic Education for Sale Diocese will be the current assistant director from Melbourne Archdiocese. Maria Kirkwood has been named as successor to current director Peter Ryan who has not sought an extension to his current contract and will retire in October next year. She will begin with Catholic Education Office at Warragul next year, initially as deputy director to ensure a smooth transition to when she takes over in November. Bishop Christopher Prowse

announced the appointment on October 27. Ms Kirkwood has been with the Catholic Education Office, Melbourne for the past 17 years where she has been in charge of professional standards, professional conduct and pastoral care. She has also had charge of professional learning and religious education. She is also the executive manager of the Office of Professional Conduct, Ethics and Investigation which covers Melbourne, Ballarat and Sale Dioceses. • Continued Page 2

BISHOP Christopher Prowse with Pope Benedict XVI during their meeting in the Pope’s chambers as part of the Australian bishops’ ad limina visit to the Vatican. - Vatican photograph

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 to organisations running programs to assist families in Sale Diocese.

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

Page 2 - Catholic Life, November 2011

Sounds and silences as part of our shared faith 3. The Balance Needed in Christian Life.

My dear people,

To God’s People in the Catholic Diocese of Sale

1. Ad Limina visit to Rome (10-22 October 2011) Thank you so much for your prayer intercession during my recent ad limina visit to Rome with the Bishops of Australia. We all left Rome feeling spiritually refreshed and united after a fulsome two weeks of profound ecclesial reflection with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and his Curia. The weeks in Rome combined the “sounds” of prayer in common, discussions, inputs, social events and receptions with the “silences” of deep personal and ecclesial pondering and discernment regarding the action of the Holy Spirit in the Church universal and in our Australian dioceses. I prayed for all in the Diocese of Sale many times, especially when we celebrated our special pilgrimage Masses in the major basilicas of Rome. I placed our beloved diocese once again under the loving care of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour,

new English translations of the Roman Missal in our Masses. Clearly, it does take some time to adjust to these changes. However, it is evident everyone is trying their best to adjust to the new “sounds” of words and phrases in the Mass we love so much. Combined with these new “sounds”, I am encouraging everyone in the diocese in the months ahead to stress even more the important “silences” in the Mass. Especially after First Reading, Second Reading and Homily – let there be generous silences so we can savour together the Saving Word we have just heard. I ask priests, deacons, lectors and liturgy teams to introduce 2. The New Translation of the these ritual silences in all our Masses, explaining to congreRoman Missal. gations their importance in the It is wonderful to witness how Mass. (General Instruction of the the Catholics in our diocese are Roman Missal No. 56) responding so positively to the and His Mother, Our Lady, Help of Christians. There seems a gospel energy and joy surrounding our feeble efforts to respond to the years ahead to the challenge of mission and new evangelisation. The Holy Spirit seems to be doing something so new in us. Let us leave the burdens of the past behind as we enter the future entirely at the disposal of Jesus, who leads us to His Father’s House. Speaking to the bishops, the Holy Father sends his prayers to you all: “I ask you to assure them of my prayers for their growth in faith, hope and love.”

Balancing the “sounds” and “silences” in our own lives in Christ is an unending challenge. We all live in a world of incessant sounds and activity. Like Jesus, we need to find time daily to go to a lonely “place” and experience silence of the heart. Here, in prayer, Jesus whispers to us words of life, love and unity. This gives strength of faith to assure us that the words from our mouth and the actions we perform speak only of Jesus, our hope and salvation. In this month of November, as we pray especially for our dead, let us try to balance the “sounds” and “silences” of our daily life. Perhaps our beloved dead would encourage us from the silence of their tombs and warn us in the words of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop: “Remember we are but travellers here”. God bless you always, + Bishop Christopher Prowse Catholic Bishop of Sale

Next education director is appointed • Continued from Page 1

Prior to taking up her appointment with the Melbourne CEO she was principal for eight years of the innovative St Charles Boromeo School in Templestowe which was a school shared between government students and Catholic students. The students had separate classrooms and teachers but shared administration and all facilities between the two education systems.

DIOCESE OF SALE

She had also previously been principal for three years at St Margaret’s School, Keon Park. Bishop Prowse said of the appointment, “Maria brings a wide range of skill, qualifications and experience to this very significant position in the diocese, and is already a highly regarded Catholic educational leader in Victoria and beyond.” She had been a teacher, religious education co-ordinator, and principal of two schools prior to becoming assistant di-

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

rector of the Catholic Education Office in Melbourne. He said that she had forged an outstanding reputation as a leader in Catholic faith, as an educationalist and administrative leader. “I am confident that Maria’s talents, personal and professional integrity, deep Catholic faith commitment, knowledge and strong work ethic will combine to complement and build on the outstanding work of the current director, the staff of the

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CEO, clergy and community members of the schools within the Diocese of Sale.”

Seminarian now candidate for Holy Orders SALE Diocese seminarian Siju Mukalekalayil Xavier has been formally admitted to candidacy for ordination as a deacon and priest. He is a fifth year seminarian and will be made a deacon later next year. Bishop Christopher Prowse formally admitted him to the candidacy for Holy Orders at the Mission Mass at Narre Warren on October 30. Siju is originally from Kerala, India, and has been studying at Corpus Christi Seminary for the past two years. He began his seminary studies in India.

Maria Kirkwood

Editor: Colin Coomber Published monthly except January. Deadline for advertising copy and editorial contributions for next issue is Monday November 28. Issues distributed free through parishes and schools from December 7. 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

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Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 3

Long lost Papal blessings found SALE – The archives office has discovered 13 Papal Blessings from early 1963 which for some reason were never handed on to the relevant people. The ornately decorated velum blessings feature a photograph of Pope John XXIII and were signed on his behalf several months before he died. John XXIII is best remembered for calling the Second Vatican Council. The diocese is keen to find the rightful owners of the blessings or their families so they can be passed on. The Papal Blessings are for: Mr and Mrs Terrance Doyle, 20 years married; Vincent D’Arcy and Felicity Ronsisvalle who married April 27, 1963; Mr and

Historic cup found by river

Mrs Joseph O’Neill, 10 years married; Mr and Mrs Terrence Schmidt, 10 years married. Apostolic blessings and indulgencies at the hour of death are in the names of Mr and Mrs Brian Spicer, Mr and Mrs Francis Hogan and family; Mr and Mrs Leo D’Arcy and family; Mrs Edie Norman and family; Mr and Mrs Desmond O’Brien and family; Miss Catherine Donovan; Mr and Mrs Denys Jackson and family; Mr and Mrs Brian Brogan and Family; and Mr and Mrs Frank James and family. If you can help find the rightful home from these blessings please contact Fr Brian O’Connor at the Bishop’s Office on 5144 6132.

Final diocesan forum at Churchill THE final of three diocesan forums to discuss Bishop Prowse’s pastoral letter will be held at Churchill on November 19. The first two forums were held last weekend at Pakenham and Bairnsdale. At these regional forums the bishop asks parishes to discuss his Everything for the Gospel pastoral letter and respond to the questions raised in the final page. The bishop has asked parishes, pastoral councils and other parish groups to spend time re-

sponding to the pastoral letter and to put their responses on an A3 sized piece of paper to display at the forum. A series of questions have been prepared by Diocesan Pastoral Council representative Dan Hession and these have been sent to parishes. Parish groups who missed attending forums in their area last weekend are welcome to attend the remaining session. It will be held at Lumen Christi Primary School, Williams Av., Churchill between 1pm and 4pm on November 19.

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ORGANISERS of next year’s 90th anniversary celebrations of St Patrick’s College, Sale, are keen to collect as many pieces of memorabilia and old photographs as possible. Latest piece handed in is an old cup featuring the pre 1932 badge of the college. It was found buried in silt beside the Thomson River at the Red Gate Reserve which was a popular swimming spot for Sale residents before the first swimming pool was established. College events would also have been held on the river, perhaps a swimming or rowing carnival, or maybe just a picnic. It is surmised the cup was probably discarded after the handle broke. Anyone with old photographs to copy or memorabilia to donate or loan are asked to contact college historian Br Majella Fitzpatrick at majella@ccsale. catholic.edu.au. St Patrick’s College, Our Lady of Sion College and the short-lived John XXIII College amalgamated to form Sale Catholic College, later renamed Catholic College Sale.

NOT just a broken cup but a interesting link to the past of St Patrick’s College Sale as it features a pre-1932 college logo.

Wonthaggi centenary nears WONTHAGGI - St Joseph’s Primary School, Wonthaggi, is celebrating 100 years, next year. Organisers of centenary events are seeking any photographs that encompass school life, including class photos, first

communions, past priests and Josephite sisters. If you have anything which you think may be of interest please contact the school on 5672 1052 or email Angela Wishart at awishart@stjwonthaggi.catholic.edu.au

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The Catholic Development Fund Serving the Diocese of Sale Telephone: (03)5144 4311 Email: 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, November 2011

Down on luck

DIOCESAN employee was recently in Rome and stopped at a small shop for a drink. (No, we are not talking about the bishop who was there on his ad limina at the same time!) The shop attendant gave him a handful of change and a receipt. Went to throw the receipt in the bin but somehow managed to throw the change instead. Considering he had used a largish note, the change was considerable, so he took the plastic bag out of the bin and started leafing through it to reclaim the money. As he was doing it, there was a tap on his arm and someone gave him a coin, obviously mistaking him for a down-andout person scrounging.

Sounds familiar

WE like this description of a committee because it reminds us of so many organisations we have been on over the years. Committee: A body which keeps minutes and wastes hours.

Spanish armada

THE Australian Bureau of Statistics has proclaimed a record number of Australians travelling to Spain in August. Around 8000 Australians travelled to Spain, an increase of 137 percent on the previous year. They haven’t quite figured out why Spain was so popular but of course, we know!

Photo classifieds are here! CATHOLIC Life has introduced photo classifieds.

Of course the spike in Aussies heading to Spain in August was caused by all the young Australian Catholics who were there for World Youth Day in Madrid.

A good idea

WE like the idea for growing parish community which has been operating in a parish in Broken Bay Diocese for over 20 years. The Lakes parish has a Dinner for Eight program. It is a simple idea that groups of eight people get together to share dinner in their homes every six weeks. The same group stays together for 12 months after which members are shuffled into different groups and the process starts again. It is all strictly social and community building stuff with no discussion topics although we suspect that sometimes members get into fairly heavy discussions on issues over a wine and bite to eat. The other good thing about the Dinner for Eight idea is that the eight people are comprised of young and old people, single and couples, divorced and separated.

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Our classified advertisers can now include a color photograph with their advertisements for just $10 extra. Photo classified can be used to enhance any category of advertisements be it For Sale, Wanted, Wanted Known, or even to announce milestone wedding anniversaries or birthdays. Just use the coupon on Page 19 to calculate the cost of your advertisement, then add $10 to the total. Send the coupon and photo with a cheque or money order en-

closed and let us do the rest. As a trial last month, two items advertised for sale with photographs both sold straight away to Catholic Life readers. When previously advertised in a local newspaper without photographs, no responses were received. Catholic Life has a circulation of over 15,000 copies each month which makes it one of Gippsland’s larger publications. Your advertisement will be placed before an estimated 45,000 readers of all ages.

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Wedding a sign of God’s love ON the morning of a wedding the mother of the bride noticed that her daughter was very nervous. “It’s alright dear,” she said, “all brides feel this way on their big day. Now the trick is that before you walk down the aisle, take a deep breath and remember the aisle that you are about to walk up to the man you love. “Think of the altar where your future husband is waiting for you and think of the hymn you have especially chosen to express your love.” So as she walked slowly up the aisle, the congregation overheard the bride saying in a very determined whisper “I’ll alter him - I’ll alter him - I’ll alter him”. Married life should alter husband and wife, even transform them but it would be sad to think that we marry, harboring ambitions to reform our partner. Love is not conditional on someone’s behavior. Rather, in marriage we are seeking to bring each another into fuller life. One of the great gifts of married life is the discovery of the wonder and mystery of another person – it is not a one-off revelation but a discovery that takes a lifetime, a daily journey. But personal relations, however wonderful they may be, will not by themselves supply meaning and happiness in life. Firstly, that daily journey helps us to discover something of the meaning of our own incompleteness, our need for the other, our need for God, why “it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18).” We all need love that is secure, but a love that is not coercive or manipulating, a love that allows space and freedom. Marriage helps us to discover each day that, at our deepest level, our own happiness and fulfilment lies not within ourselves. At the recent wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, a nun as chaplain of Westminster Abbey, sat next to the couple in a place of great honor. She was wearing a pair of cheap trainers! That spoke volumes – a vow of poverty amid the glitterati, leaders of fashion and the royalty of the world.

Reflections by Jim Quillinan It was a stark reminder that happiness does not lie in amassing wealth or possessions or being a slave to status or power. Marriage helps us to discover that not being made for ourselves alone means stepping out of ourselves, out of our own desires and finding the satisfaction in putting someone else first. In the words of St Francis, it is in giving that we receive, it is in giving that we discover our true calling, our deepest vocation, our truest selves. Secondly, while love grows when it is not centred on oneself, it finds its home beyond ourselves, in the other person. Love seeks to serve others. It is very hard, however, to wean ourselves away from self-centredness, from seeing our own needs, wants and desires as the be-all and end-all. Many a New Year’s resolution testifies to that. In marriage we make a solemn commitment that, whatever the difficulties, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, we are committed to each other, to help each other find our deepest and truest selves, we are committed together to the ways of generous love. It is in living this commitment that together we find real and lasting happiness, that we begin to find lasting fulfilment. That isn’t an instant discovery – mutual support, mutual forgiveness and the support of others all go together to make this a reality. Thirdly, it is in such a generous commitment that we discover something of the nature of God. God is relationship – that’s what the Trinity is about. God lives eternally in relationship, not in omnipotent individualism or isolation but in community. God’s essence is relational. It is a relationship of love, in fact love best describes the true nature of God.

The more we learn about what it’s like to live in relationship, the better we may come to understand God’s nature. In love, we experience a small taste of what God feels for us. When someone falls in love, he or she begins to understand what it feels like to be completely selfless towards another person; he or she begins to desire the spouse’s happiness as much as he or she desires her own. In the book of Isaiah, God says, “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you” (62:5). My love for my partner is a tiny picture of God’s love for us. God is both masculine and feminine. God is equally masculine and feminine. God is both Father and Mother. God created male and female to express both sides of God’s nature; a part of God’s nature is revealed in woman and a part is revealed in man. When the two live in partnership, in loving commitment, unified in love as in marriage, we get a fuller picture of God. Finally, the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become who God wants us to be, When we come before God to commit ourselves in generous love for one another, we too become signs of God’s love for our world.

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Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 5

Nagle students show how to have a career with cows BAIRNSDALE - The Nagle College Year 10 Agricultural Science class entered the Dairy Australia project ‘Cows Create Careers’ for the first time this year, and came out as the winning senior school for Gippsland. A number of primary and secondary schools from across the Gippsland region took part in this project, so the competition was strong. The Cows Create Careers project ran for a term and involved a number of community partners who work within the dairy industry. A dairy industry advocate visited Nagle College to introduce the project to students. The advocate assisted both the students and teacher throughout the term of the project. The advocate also explained to students about their career in the dairy industry and provided information to the students about the education and training required for their career pathway. Local dairy farmers loaned two calves to Nagle College for a three week period and visited the school to teach students about looking after the calves and also to talk about their career in the dairy industry. Nagle College students then fed, cared for and monitored these calves for the three week

period as part of a series of educational activities. In teams of four or five, students prepared a data show presentation, a research poster and a thank you letter or report to the dairy farmers and industry advocates who were involved at their school. Nagle College Year 10 agricultural science teacher Jacinta Preston and her Year 10 students attended the awards ceremony and presentation day held at the Bairnsdale Sporting and Convention Centre on October 18. The event included a display of the students’ projects and reports that were part of the judging process for the award. Ms Preston was delighted by the win and was justifiably proud of her students. “This is a fantastic achievement for the students, who worked so hard to produce some excellent projects. “Taking care of the two calves proved a challenging experience for some who had never been that close to these animals before, but they all rose to the challenge.” Nagle College was presented with a plaque and a cheque for $500 for its win which will greatly assist in promoting and growing this course for future years.

Join a CWL branch ARE you interested in joining the Catholic Women’s League? This year the CWL is having a drive for new members. The league is an active group of Catholic women and many have found membership to be rewarding and a source of great friendships. Branches are found throughout the diocese, operating in most parishes. The CWL donates to many charities with Lodwar in Kenya being one of the major recipients. The league recently conttibuted another $1390 to this home for girls. The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary sisters teach the girls cooking, sewing and after two years training, the girls graduate and most then find jobs.

The CWL has a Social Questions Committee which writes letters of complaint to parliamentarians on issues such as abortion and gay marriages. Members receive Horizon which is a monthly magazine on what is happening in branches, scripture readings and general information. There are two DVDs available with information about the CWL The recent three day biennial conference in Melbourne featured nine interesting speakers including Melinda Tankard Reist who has introduced a grass roots campaign Collective Shout against the corporations and advertisers who objectify women and sexualise girls to sell products.

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Page 6 - Catholic Life, November 2011

A moving triangle of family, parish and schools I RECENTLY heard a talk given by Bishop Greg O’Kelly Chair of the Australian Bishops’ Commission for Education. In that talk he captured for me some of the anxiety that exists in some minds about the Catholic school in this day and age. In fact, he said what we all know, namely, that in an ideal world faith is taught in the home, reinforced in the school and celebrated in the parish. But, as Bishop O’Kelly acknowledged we are far from that ideal today. The fate of young people is built in a triangle, with parish, family and school forming the three corners. Those corners are constantly moving. Very simple, very clear – yet very profound. What Bishop O’Kelly was saying is that the Catholic school cannot do it alone, nor can it be expected to. I am aware that there are those in our parishes who are disappointed, even angry that things are not as once they were. They are good Catholic people, certainly, but they have real

concern that, Catholic schools are not really Catholic anymore! In last month’s Catholic Life, I argued that the role of schools generally has changed over the decades. So, too, it has changed in the matter of religious and faith education. It is sad that this change is not always recognised. Let us consider the first corner of the triangle, the family. The fact remains that many, perhaps most, homes are not places where Catholic faith and culture are first implanted into the minds and hearts of children. Indeed, Catholic faith and culture is not at all at the forefront of the minds and hearts of many mums and dads, good, wonderful people though they may be. The majority of children, then, come to our schools without the seed of faith planted and germinated. Already, then, the role of the school must be changed quite dramatically from what it had once been. At the second corner of the triangle, the parish, it is clear

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with Talking Peter Catholic Ryan Education that children are not often enough there with their families to celebrate their faith and to live their Catholic culture. That, once again, changes the role of the third corner, the Catholic school. It would be wonderful if it was as ideal a picture as Bishop O’Kelly painted with all three working in concert to nurture the faith of our young. But that is not the case. So, the role of the school changes. It becomes now one of first invitation, of evangelisation.

The school offers to young people – and often to their families – the invitation to “come and see.” (Jn 1:46) And, some will accept that invitation, others will not. “Many are invited but few are chosen.”(Mt 22:14) That, however, does not mean that the evangelising work of the school is wasted. The rich young man of Mark’s Gospel (Mk 10:17ff) could not accept Jesus’ invitation to “sell all you have and come and follow me.” Indeed, the rich young man walked away, sad, we are told. But Jesus still loved him and

there is no suggestion in the scripture that the young man became a bad young man. I suggest that he continued to keep the commandments and be loved in the eye of God as he had always been. The great majority of our young people and their parents in our schools are like that rich young man. They are good people, loved by God, but unable to “sell all they have and follow Jesus.” We do certainly rejoice when they do. We all need to remember, though, that while it is obvious that the roles of two of the corners of the triangle of faith education, family and parish, have changed, it would be nonsense to expect that the other, the school, would not have to change too.

Berwick students show their creative streak at art show BERWICK - This year has been very productive and exciting for the creative arts department at St Michael’s Primary School in Berwick, with its first art exhibition last month. Fr Peter Slater opened the art show followed by principal Michael Hanney. Featuring a diverse range of art pieces from the children in Prep to Grade Six, the show was a great opportunity for St Michael’s families, parishioners and wider community to turn up and view the colorful and creative pieces on display. Light refreshments were provided by the school’s parents

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and friends committee. With over 700 people visiting, the art show was extremely well attended and offered something for everyone to enjoy. Activities included sketching, face painting, hand knitting, block building, mosaics and wonderful entertainment by performances

from the St Michael’s choir and guitar students. At St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, it is believed that involving and educating children through art, is very beneficial in fostering their creative and unique talents

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Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 7

The costly economics of buying a new property I’VE just sold my home between Longwarry and Drouin and bought an old cottage on a few more acres further north. Apart from an extra few minutes travel every morning and evening, it’s an exciting venture. Lynne and I will be moving in January. It did however start me thinking seriously about property, the costs and advantages and also how best to handle your exposure if any. The latest cut to interest rates and the most recent building approvals figures announced subsequently makes it even more of an interesting situation. I have discussed the relative merits of shares versus property before, but not with such current figures which cut close to the bone. It is costing us nearly 10 percent of the purchase price to complete both sides of the transaction, including the stamp duty. It’s less for the selling side (3%) but the stamp duty of just over 4.5 percent is a killer to the economics. If we weren’t owner/occupiers it would be even more expensive, too. The other costs include conveyancing, bank fees and the like. At least they don’t charge GST on the stamp duty. All in all, it’s definitely not cheap to move around in property. Shares could be done for a third or less, than that. In fact, if this wasn’t to be our home I wouldn’t be buying it. The costs and the current market would indicate that I

DOLLAR$ & SENSE with David Wells

could wait for better opportunities. Having said that, not every decision is based on economics and cold hard numbers. We should all have a house if possible. Unlike the USA we don’t have the security of tenure in Australia when we rent. Our homes are usually the worst investment we make. We overspend, the interest is (usually) huge and not tax deductible and our decisions are influenced far too much by emotion. On a 30 year mortgage at current rates your home will cost more than three times as much by the time it’s paid for. Few people count this cost when calculating their “profits”. In our present situation we have seen house prices fall considerably over the last year, mansions in Toorak excepted. This is not dissimilar to the sharemarket, even. Now the September building approvals are out and they look incredibly dismal – down another 15 percent, while Melbourne, which has been holding up the rest of Australia, is down 24 percent. This is not just about housing, too. Non-residential was down 27 percent. So there

is likely to be continuing weakness in the property market for some time. Good news for buyers, bad news for renters. The Reserve Bank has just announced a decrease in the official rate to 4.5 percent. This is still high by world standards and the underlying influences on the RBA’s decision haven’t changed, so I don’t think there’s likely to be another rate cut unless we have an economic disaster, and I’m not predicting that. The RBA’s main focus, by law, is inflation, not how much interest rates are hurting. However, if you have a $300,000 mortgage, the extra $55 per month may be useful. In Gippsland the average domestic mortgage is less than that, but history shows new and first home buyers still have the maximum mortgage they can afford, so that’s no solace either. For home owners who are managing their current repayments, keep them up. The extra you pay now could be very useful later on when rates increase. That’s no compensation if you’re struggling, as many are. At least some banks passed the

Personal Accident Insurance ONLY $32 per year.* ‘Cos kids will be kids.

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rate cut on immediately. When it comes to flexibility and performance in investing then shares, even in this market provide a great alternative. For a start there’s usually no ongoing interest cost and the investors’ options are far more flexible. By investing for a higher yield, volatility can be lessened while still taking advantage of growth opportunities. Even in a poor share market there are profitable opportunities – more so for not having the very high costs associated with

property. An analysis of some of our clients last week for a competitive tender, showed gains of 6.5 percent and 5.48 percent on portfolios selected at random in the 12 months to September. It can be done. • 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. Before making an investment decision on the basis of this advice, you need to consider, with or without the assistance of an adviser, whether the advice is appropriate in light of your particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + As we all know, kids will be kids and accidents + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + unfortunately happen. Our personal accident insurance + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + covers children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, + + + + +in +Australia + + + +or +overseas, + + + +wherever + + + +they + + anywhere + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + may be – at home, school, even on the sports field. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Benefits + + + +include: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 3 Loss or damage to + teeth + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + $250 + + *+ per tooth Benefit limited to $1,000 per accident + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Full + +capping + + + of + damaged + + + +teeth + + + + + + + $250 + + *+ 3 per tooth + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Broken/fractured/dislocated + + + + + + + + + + + arm + +or+wrist + + + $500 + + *+ 3 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + 3 Third degree burns

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* $32 per kid, per year inclusive of GST and statutory charges. Prices based on a policy with one insured person. This Insurance is underwritten by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (Allianz) ABN 15 000 122 850 AFS Licence No. 234708 and is arranged by Catholic Church Insurances Limited ABN 76 000 005 210 AFSL 235415, 485 La Trobe Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, as a promoter for Allianz. A Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for insurance products can be requested by calling 1300 655 003; or online from www.catholicinsurances.com.au. Any advice here does not take into consideration your obMectives, ¿nancial situation or needs, which you should consider before acting on any recommendations. You should read and consider the PDS before deciding whether to acquire any products mentioned. If you purchase this insurance, Catholic Church Insurances will receive commission on these insurance products as a percentage of the premium paid for each policy. Ask us for more details before we provide you with any services on these products. CCI0048

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Page 8 - Catholic Life, November 2011

Dean of Cathedral sheds light on the Latin Mass By Fr Andrew Wise WE celebrated a Solemn High Mass in the traditional form of the Roman rite in St Mary’s Cathedral on September 18 to mark the anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral in 1915. This traditional Latin Mass was thought-provoking for many people and posed some interesting questions for them. I would like to take this opportunity to shed some light on one of the most obvious questions where there is often little understanding of the traditional Mass. This is the issue of the orientation of the priest in relation to the congregation in the traditional Latin Mass. The comment is often heard, “In the Latin Mass the priest turns his back on the people”. Some people even seem to remark upon this with an unsaid implication that the priest is somehow being impolite to the people in offering Mass this way. To describe the priest’s orientation in prayer as turning his back on the people actually misses the whole point of what is being expressed in the ancient liturgy from the early centuries of the Church. In the traditional Latin Mass the priest and people share a common orientation in prayer. The priest is one with the people as he acts on their behalf.

He is together with them in facing the same direction as they do. Both priest and people are together “turned towards the Lord” in prayer and worship. This common direction is termed Ad Orientem (literally towards the east) and it is one of the most ancient Christian liturgical practices, in fact, Pope Benedict XVI believes that, in considering all the evidence, it is of Apostolic origin . It was common for theologians of the first millennium to point out that while Muslims turned towards Mecca for prayer and the Jews towards Jerusalem, Christians turned towards the east to pray. Why east? Early Christians saw the rising sun in the east as a powerful sign of Christ coming again in glory. It was a sign of the light of the resurrection and the heavenly Jerusalem to which we are all journeying as a pilgrim people. Jesus is the “Day dawning from on high”. Luke 1:78. John’s Gospel also contains key imagery of Christ as “the light of the world”. There are many other scriptural passages that also point to Christ as the light that rises in the east to dispel the darkness. eg: Mal 4:2; Rev 7:2; Mt 24:27-30. Fr Uwe Michael Lang, whose work in this area of liturgy has been translated into many languages, links this specifically to the celebration of the Mass

when he comments “Mass is a common act of worship in which priest and people together – representing the pilgrim Church – reach out for the transcendent God. What is at issue here is not the celebration “towards the people” or “away from the people,” but rather the common direction of liturgical prayer. This is maintained whether or not the altar is literally facing east; in the West, many churches built since the 16th century are no longer “oriented” in the strict sense, By facing the same direction as the faithful when he stands at the altar, the priest leads the people of God on their journey of faith. This movement towards the Lord has found sublime expression in the sanctuaries of many churches of the first millennium, where representations

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of the cross or of the glorified Christ illustrate the goal of the assembly’s earthly pilgrimage. Looking out for the Lord keeps the eschatological character of the Eucharist alive and reminds us that the celebration of the sacrament is a participation in the heavenly liturgy and a pledge of future glory in the presence of the living God.” Interestingly nowhere in the documents of the Second Vatican Council do we find a call to change the Mass by having the priest face the people. Even today the newly translated Roman Missal which we are introducing at Mass contains instructions for the priest to be turned towards the people for the “Pray Brethren that my Sacrifice and yours…”, the sign of peace and the “Behold the Lamb God...”. This is based on the understanding in the origin Missal of the new Mass that the priest and people are facing the same direction from the offertory prayers onwards. This having been said, it is clear that Mass with the priest facing the people became almost the universal practice in the Roman rite from the late 1960’s. Mass celebrated like this is what people are now accustomed to and what they expect. When the priest faces the people for Mass it emphasises the presence of the Lord among us and with us as a community. Pope Benedict XVI however, in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy (p80-81) points out a concern that we need to be aware of: He writes: “The turning of the priest towards the people has turned the community into a self enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself. The common turning towards the east

was not a “celebration towards the wall”; it did not mean that the priest “had his back to the people”: the priest himself was not regarded as so important. For just as the congregation in the synagogue looked together towards Jerusalem, so in the Christian liturgy the congregation looked together “toward the Lord” …. They did not close themselves into a circle; they did not gaze at one another; but as the pilgrim People of God they set off for the Oriens, for the Christ who comes to meet us….A common turning to the east during the Eucharistic Prayer remains essential. This is not a case of something accidental, but of what is essential .Looking at the priest has no importance. What matters is looking together at the Lord.” Is there anything that can be done to help the Priest and people to focus in prayer outwards towards the Lord rather than inwards towards one another when the priest celebrates Mass facing the people? Pope Benedict XVI suggests that if the priest does not face ‘Ad Orientem’ from the offertory onward until the concluding rite then at least a prominent crucifix at the centre of the altar can point to a liturgical east (oriens) which can assist the priest and the people to turn together towards the Lord at Mass. It can then be clearer that priest and people are together addressing God in prayer and not largely addressing a conversation in prayer to one another. Pope Benedict XVI writes: “The cross on the altar is not obstructing the view; it is a common point of reference. It is an open iconostasis which, far from hindering unity, actually facilitates it: it is the image which draws and unites the attention of everyone. I would even be so bold as to suggest that the cross on the altar is actually a necessary precondition for celebrating towards the people.” (The Feast of Faith, pg. 145) I hope that this article will be of assistance in better understanding the traditional Latin Mass and indeed the necessary focus of every Mass in which we participate turned towards the Lord in prayer. I would like to acknowledge an interview given by Fr Uwe Michael Lang to Zenit in 2007 as a source for this article.

Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 9

St John of God Berwick prom aids Viet project BERWICK - St John of God Hospital raised $4500 for its international health project in Vietnam from a Last Chance Prom fundraiser. It was all tears and tiaras as caregivers at the hospital went head to head to be crowned prom king and queen at the prom, the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main fundraiser event for the 2012 Van Village / Hang Kai, health project in Vietnam. The ultimate crown went to maternity unit manager, Joyce Coyle along with husband Alec who swept away the competition with the most votes cast. Nurses, Marg Garvey, Kellie Rawani and little three year old Darcy Jamieson were crowned the prom princesses. And in a surprise secret category, nurse Deb Clarke almost cart-wheeled her way to the stage to receive her dancing queen crown. Some 230 people boogied the night away in what only can be described as an eclectic mix of wacky prom dresses. But despite the fun and frolics, generous caregivers delved deep into their pockets to raise a whopping $4500, taking the team another step closer to its $40,000 target. Local Casey and Cardinia businesses also showed their support by donating a huge selection of raffle prizes and auction items. The $40,000 project budget will en-

able 14 caregivers to make a second trip to Vietnam in February 2012. This time, the team will focus on: â&#x20AC;˘ dental care led by Paris Kritcharides, dentist at the hospital â&#x20AC;˘ education and capacity building with local clinical staff â&#x20AC;˘ donations of medical and educational equipment and supplies â&#x20AC;˘ child-centred disease prevention work focusing on hand washing and teeth cleaning The hospital began its relationship with Van Village in 2009 when a team of caregivers made their first visit to the remote northern highlands of Vietnam to help build and kit out a new maternity room, donate much needed medical supplies and provide infant health checks by the visiting nursing team. The trip was so successful that the hospital pledged to continue its work with Van Village in a bid to develop better health outcomes for local families. In consultation with district officials and chiefs, the second trip builds on priority areas identified during the first visit in 2009. Over the long term, the hospital hopes to join forces with an established development organisation in-country to collaborate and develop a sustainable investment for the future healthcare needs of Van Village and Hang Kai.

Helping hand extended to young Loch couple

ZUMBA fever hits the Last Chance Prom. Photos by Dominic Mammone of Happy Medium Photo Company.

KING and Queen of the Prom, Alec and Joyce Coyle show their style.

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YG ECTG CDQWV RGQRNG YOUNG couple Adam Fielding and Megan Davis look through some of the goods donated by the people of Loch and surrounding areas after the home they were renting was demolished in a truck accident. LOCH - A truck demolished the Loch Meganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pregnancy they decided to rehome and contents of Megan Davis and quest donations for the couple. Adam Fielding during the early hours of The response has been overwhelmAugust 8. ing with donations not only from NSW Immediate assistance was provided visitors who donated on behalf of their by groups in Loch, however on Sunday Leongatha relatives, but from St Vinevening, October 9, a further helping centâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parishioners, other Loch resihand came from St Vincentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Catholic dents, and parishioners from St LauChurch in Loch. Megan and Adam were invited to at- renceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Leongatha and St Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, tend a celebratory cup of tea after Mass, Korumburra. The proud result was an with 30 other parishioners where they assortment of beautiful baby items. Megan and Adam now live in were presented with assortment of baby clothes and nursery items for their baby. Frankston where they are preparing for Five weeks ago when parishioners the arrival of their baby during the next from St Vincentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s became aware of few weeks.

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Page 10 - Catholic Life, November 2011

Catholic Church Insurances Limited

Celebrating 100 years CCI 100 years old and growing stronger CATHOLIC Church Insurances is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011 by thanking the people it holds most dear – its valued clients in the Church community and beyond. CCI began from simple origins in 1911 when the Catholic Bishops of Australia decided that it was prudent for the Church to establish its own insurance company to provide fire insurance for Church properties. Today, Catholic Church Insurances has diversified into a general insurance and financial services provider offering insurance products to Church and Religious Institutes in Australia, including property, motor vehicle, liability, workers compensation, as well as providing personal insurance products to the broader community. Catholic Church Insurances CEO, Peter Rush, says the Centenary celebrations provide an opportunity to reflect

on CCI’s history, its place in the Church today, and its vision for serving Church into the future. “Catholic Church Insurances is proud to be the trusted partner of so many different Church entities and operations,” Mr Rush says. “The occasion of our Centenary gives us the opportunity to thank our customers for their ongoing faith in us and to recommit ourselves to protecting their interests in the best possible way. “There’s no-one we’d rather share this historic milestone with more than our valued friends, clients and partners right across the Church community.” Mr Rush says that Catholic Church Insurances is one of the oldest insurance companies in Australia and that right from the beginning it was unique among its competitors. “It has always existed not to make a profit, but to protect the interests of the Church

community and to return any surplus made back to the Church community – in this way, helping to support the mission of the Church,” he says. And, being owned by the Catholic Dioceses and Religious Congregations of Australia, CCI continues to understand the unique needs of the Church community like no other. “It’s this understanding that has helped us build a valued relationship of trust with the community we serve,” Mr Rush says. “It’s a trust that we never take for granted as we continually strive to grow and develop according to our clients’ needs. “We hope that our friends in the Church community will join us in celebrating the Centenary of Catholic Church Insurances and that together we can embark on a new century of Serving Church.”

Archbishop’s Message: THE 100th anniversary of Catholic Church Insurances is a time of celebration not only for CCI itself, but for the whole Church community in Australia. When the Bishops of Australia decided in 1911 to create their own insurance company to provide fire insurance for Church property, they could not have envisaged the sophisticated and diversified general insurance and financial services provider that Catholic Church Insurances has become. But despite its impressive growth and development over the years, CCI has never lost sight of its core mission – to serve Church. Anyone in the Church who has endured difficulty or hardship, whether it be fire, flood, theft, property damage, accident or injury knows that they can count on CCI to get them back on their feet again. This allows the various arms and activities of the Church to operate with confidence and to concentrate their efforts on the one great mission we all share: to actively love God and our neighbour, and to be God’s presence in our world.

I am delighted to congratulate Catholic Church Insurances on the occasion of their 100th anniversary. I thank them for their outstanding commitment to the Catholic Church in Australia and wish them every blessing as they embark on another century of service. Archbishop Philip Wilson President, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

After the fires: CCI gets Kinglake back on its feet THE only thing left standing at St Mary’s Church Kinglake when the Black Saturday bushfire swept through Victoria in February 2009 was the large old wooden cross out the front. Today, with the help of Catholic Church Insurances and the generosity of donors, the parishioners of St Mary’s have a new church and fresh hope. The Parish Priest of Diamond Creek at the time of the bushfire, Fr Grant O’Neill, says the prompt building of a new church for the devastated community was an important part in the road to recovery. “CCI went way beyond the call of duty,” Fr Grant says. “I felt that it was important to rebuild quickly because, while nobody from the parish had died in the fires, many did move away, so there was a real sense of people being disheartened and if we hadn’t rebuilt, then that parish community may have just drifted away.” Fr Grant says there was nothing that could have been done to stop the raging fire from engulfing the church as

it razed its way across the district. “The radiant heat was just unbelievable. The church only had domestic windows in it and they just popped. The amazing thing was that the old wooden cross that stood out the front never burnt. It’s still there today,” he says. Despite having no church, the St Mary’s Kinglake community only missed one Mass, the day after the fire went through. From the following week, Mass was celebrated in a local café, while plans for something more permanent began to be formulated. “CCI really stepped up to the plate,” Fr Grant says. “We were insured for building and contents with them, and we were also sent about $120,000 from various parishes, schools and individuals all over Australia. “It was important for us to honour that generosity, but the process of rebuilding small churches is extremely expensive and this is where CCI were very helpful and paid up the money on the policies to allow us to get on with the rebuild.”

As the new church began to progress, the St Mary’s parishioners met for Mass in a double portable classroom donated by the Salesian College, Chadstone. Many locals pitched in to help in various aspects of the rebuild, as well as by providing donated goods, including a donation of high quality timber which allowed for the construction of a new altar and lectern. “Where CCI really went above and beyond was with their payment of the full amount for contents, which was a big help in getting things back up and running,” Fr Grant says. Archbishop Denis Hart officially blessed and opened the new St Mary’s Church Kinglake on March 28, 2011 and presided at a Thanksgiving Mass, telling parishioners in his homily that the new church, risen from the ashes, is “a reminder that God’s love and presence are constantly with us”. RIGHT: The rebuilt St Mary’s Church, Kinglake. © Kairos Catholic Journal/photographer Jeremy Yuen

Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 11

Catholic Church Insurances Limited

Celebrating 100 years CATHOLIC Church Insurances has been protecting the interests of the Catholic Church in Australia for 100 years – making it one of the oldest insurance companies in the nation. CCI is a part of the Church that it serves and its story includes both a proud history and a strong plan for the future. For Catholic Church Insurances CEO Peter Rush, the thing that sets CCI apart from the crowd is its place within the Church itself. “We understand the Church,” he says. “The Church is a wonderful, dynamic, and complex body and its needs are often quite particular. “Right from the beginning, our founding principles have remained constant: to develop specialist products and services which are able to meet the needs of the Church; to keep control of insurance costs; and to retain the surplus within Church. “While building on its heritage, CCI also looks to the future, constantly evolving and introducing new products and services to meet the changing needs of the Church today and tomorrow.”

A proud history of ‘Serving Church’ It all started back in 1911 when the Catholic Bishops of Australia decided to create an insurance company to provide fire insurance for Church properties. These humble beginnings marked CCI out as being unique among insurance companies. It existed not to make a profit, but to protect the interests of the Church community and to return any surplus made back to the Church community – in this way helping to support the mission of the Church. Since 1911 CCI has evolved from being a company offering fire insurance for Churches, Catholic schools, convents and other properties, into a diversified general insurance and financial services provider. Today, CCI provides insurance products to Church and Religious Institutions in Australia, including property, motor vehicle, liability, workers’ compensation, as well as partnering to provide personal insurance to the broader Catholic community.

In 2000, CCI also began providing insurance to other church denominations and is also proud to offer a Church owned investment management service. In all its operations, CCI’s mission is to serve Church. CCI understands the Church because it is part of the Church. “We are owned by the Catholic Dioceses and Religious Institutes of Australia, which are represented on the Board of Directors,” Mr Rush says. “As a wholly Church owned business, our responsibility to our Church clients is much greater than that of a commercial insurer. Above and beyond meeting prudential and regulatory obligations, our responsibility extends to caring for our clients, our Church community.” With state offices Australiawide and dedicated account executives who travel the length and breadth of the country, CCI is committed to personally delivering its broad range of services to the Church community,

no matter where they are at. Insurance companies can sometimes get a bad rap, especially when it comes to paying out on claims. Catholic Church Insurances is a truly different type of insurance company – one that genuinely cares for its clients. “When Queensland and Victoria were hit by catastrophic flooding in January, CCI hit the ground running, activating our Catastrophe Claims Incident Response plan which ensured we were able to manage a larger number of claims enquiries than normal and process flood claims promptly,” Mr Rush says. But CCI’s care begins well before disaster strikes. “We seek to ensure that all Catholic Church organisations are adequately and fairly insured by providing a diverse range of insurance products to cover all insurable Church risks,” he says. “When our clients need us, we are there for them. In the event of a claim, we act promptly,

not only to restore or repair the loss, but also to support those affected.” Who could forget all the wonderful diocesan celebrations to mark the Canonisation of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop last year? CCI was delighted to help support these events to mark the canonisation of Australia’s first saint by providing a grant to each diocese in the country. Beyond its insurance operations, CCI actively engages with the wider Catholic community to help support the Church’s mission in pastoral, education, health and welfare work. Operating under mutual principles, CCI is able to put Church interests before company profits. When an operating surplus is achieved, a significant proportion is given back to the Church by way of dividends, distributions to Catholic Church entities, and grants. CCI has returned more than $223.7 million to the Church community in the last 32 years.

We see a school as an investment in the future... At CCI we understand that a school is so much more than just a building we insure. We see it as an investment in the hopes and dreams of the students who are educated there and in protecting the bricks and mortar we are ensuring that those students’ education will not be interrupted. One hundred years ago farsighted Catholic Church leaders dreamed of a company owned by the Church which would provide fire insurance to protect church property. Their vision has grown into a diversified financial services provider. CCI offers general insurance to Catholic schools, health and aged care, parishes and welfare organisations, investment management services to Catholic entities and superannuation services to more than 70,000 members. Over the past 32 years CCI has returned more than $223 million in distributions, sponsorship and grants from the surplus made from the operations of the company. We are a stable and financially secure company committed to continuing our support of Church. In this our centenary year we extend our sincere thanks to our loyal clients for allowing us to support their mission and thus fulfil our vision of serving Church. We’ll see you through now and into the future.

www.ccinsurances.com.au Catholic Church Insurances Limited ABN 76 000 005 210 AFSL 235415

Page 12 - Catholic Life, November 2011

Benedict points to moments of grace in Australia POPE Benedict XVI pointed to the World Youth Day in Sydney and the canonisation of Mary of the Cross MacKilllop as two examples of grace experienced by the Church in Australia in recent years. Addressing the Australian bishops during their ad limina visit to Rome, he said that the World Youth Day in Sydney enabled people to experience the youthful vitality of the Church. While this had not yet led to an increase in religious vocations, the young should continue to be encouraged to serve the Church. The Pope pointed to the example of Mary MacKillop as as a life being worth following. He told the bishops that their work had been made more difficult by the clerical sex abuse scandal but exhorted them to “repair the errors of the past with honesty.” “Yours is a pastoral burden which has been made heavier by the past sins and mistakes of others, most regrettably including some clergy and religious. “The task now falls on you to continue to repair the errors of the past with honesty and openness, in order to build, with humility and resolve, a better future for all concerned.” Pope Benedict also urged the bishops to embrace and promote the new translation of the Mass in English. THE full text of his address: “Dear Brother Bishops, I am pleased to offer you a warm welcome on the occasion of your visit ad Limina Apostolorum.

This pilgrimage to the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul provides you with an important occasion to strengthen the bonds of communion in the one Church of Christ. This moment is therefore a privileged opportunity to reaffirm our unity and the fraternal affection which must always characterise relations in the College of Bishops, with and under the Successor of Peter. I wish to thank Archbishop Wilson for his kind words on your behalf. My cordial greetings go to the priests, the men and women religious, and lay faithful of Australia, and I ask you to assure them of my prayers for their peace, prosperity and spiritual well-being. As His Grace pointed out in his address, the church in Australia has been marked by two special moments of grace in recent years. Firstly, World Youth Day was blessed with great success and, together with you, I saw how the Holy Spirit moved the young people gathered on your home soil from all over the world. I have also learned from your reports of the continued impact of that celebration. Not just Sydney but dioceses throughout the country welcomed the world’s young Catholics as they came to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ along with their Australian sisters and brothers. Your clergy and faithful saw and experienced the youthful vitality of the Church to which we all belong and the perennial relevance of the Good News which must be proclaimed afresh to every generation.

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I understand that one of the outstanding consequences of the event is still to be seen in the numbers of young people who are discerning vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. The Holy Spirit never ceases to awaken in young hearts the desire for holiness and apostolic zeal. You should therefore continue to foster that radical attachment to the person of Jesus Christ, whose attraction inspires them to give their lives completely to him and to the service of the Gospel in the Church. By assisting them, you will help other young people to reflect seriously upon the possibility of a life in the priesthood or the religious life. In so doing, you will strengthen a similar love and single-minded fidelity among those men and women who have already embraced the Lord’s call. The canonisation last year of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop is another great event in the life of the Church in Australia. Indeed, she is an example of holiness and dedication to Australians and to the Church throughout the world, especially to women religious and to all involved in the education of young people. In circumstances that were often very trying, St Mary remained steadfast, a loving spiritual mother to the women and children in her care, an innovative teacher of the young and an energetic role model for all concerned with excellence in education. She is rightly considered by her fellow Australians to be an example of personal goodness worthy of imitation. Saint Mary is now held up within the Church for her openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and for her zeal for the good of souls which drew many others to follow in her footsteps. Her vigorous faith, translated into dedicated and patient action, was her gift to Australia;

her life of holiness is a wonderful gift of your country to the Church and to the world. May her example and prayers inspire the actions of parents, religious, teachers and others concerned with the good of children, with their protection from harm and with their sound education for a happy and prosperous future. St Mary MacKillop’s courageous response to the difficulties she faced throughout her life can also inspire today’s Catholics as they confront the new evangelisation and serious challenges to the spread of the Gospel in society as a whole. All the members of the Church need to be formed in their faith, from a sound catechesis for children, and religious education imparted in your Catholic schools, to muchneeded catechetical programs for adults. Clergy and religious must also be assisted and encouraged by an ongoing formation of their own, with a deepened spiritual life in the rapidly secularising world around them. It is urgent to ensure that all those entrusted to your care understand, embrace and propose their Catholic faith intelligently and willingly to others. In this way, you, your clergy and your people will give such an account of your faith by word and example that it will be convincing and attractive. Peo-

ple of good will, seeing your witness, will respond naturally to the truth, the goodness and the hope that you embody. It is true that yours is a pastoral burden which has been made heavier by the past sins and mistakes of others, most regrettably including some clergy and religious; but the task now falls to you to continue to repair the errors of the past with honesty and openness, in order to build, with humility and resolve, a better future for all concerned. I therefore encourage you to continue to be pastors of souls who, along with your clergy, are always prepared to go one step further in love and truth for the sake of the consciences of the flock entrusted to you (cf. Mt 5:41), seeking to preserve them in holiness, to teach them humbly and to lead them irreproachably in the ways of the Catholic faith. Finally, as bishops, you are conscious of your special duty to care for the celebration of the liturgy. The new translation of the Roman Missal, which is the fruit of a remarkable cooperation of the Holy See, the bishops and experts from all over the world, is intended to enrich and deepen the sacrifice of praise offered to God by his people. Help your clergy to welcome and to appreciate what has been achieved, so that they in turn may assist the faithful as everyone adjusts to the new translation. As we know, the sacred liturgy and its forms are written deeply in the heart of every Catholic. Make every effort to help catechists and musicians in their respective preparations to render the celebration of the Roman Rite in your dioceses a moment of greater grace and beauty, worthy of the Lord and spiritually enriching for everyone. In this way, as in all your pastoral efforts, you will lead the Church in Australia towards her heavenly home under the sign of the Southern Cross. With these thoughts, dear brother bishops, I renew to you my sentiments of affection and esteem, and I commend all of you to the intercession of St Mary MacKillop. Assuring you of my prayers for you and for those entrusted to your care, I am pleased to impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of grace and peace in the Lord. Thank you.”

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Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 13

Pioneerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memorial dedicated

BILL Flannagan and Sr Rita Hayes, descendants of pioneer William Francis Flannagan, at the dedication of his memorial at Dargo cemetery. DARGO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Descendants of the ing story of how in 1919 the Jim Flannagan recalled stoFlannagan family, originally original cemetery was closed. ries from the early times and from County Clare, Ireland, Severe flooding had washed read from a minerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journal to gathered together at the Dargo bodies out of the shallow graves take those gathered back into Cemetery for a dedication of a which had been dug by hand the time and life of the early memorial to pioneer William in the rocky ground and a fire migrants. Francis Flannagan. in the building where records At the dedication service, It was a picturesque day with were kept had destroyed all re- visitors were welcomed by an amazing display of wild- cords so that no details of those Brendan Lee and Sr Rita Hayes, flowers throughout the hill buried before 1919 existed. a grand-niece of William Flancemetery. Eventually the remains of nagan, who led an introductory The granite headstone was those buried before 1919 were reflection on the gift of life and donated by David Hurley and re-interred at the new cemetery uniqueness of each person. erected by Brendan Lee and without identifying markers. Anne Holden read a poem by Ben Davies of Stratford Lions It was decided at a recent J.J. Rouse and on conclusion a Club. family reunion that a collection wee drop of Irish whisky was Bill Flannagan, a member of would be taken up to ensure that enjoyed by all, followed by the cemetery trust and a grand- a memorial stone and plaque lunch under a magnificent old nephew of William Flannagan, could be erected to honor the Dargo oak tree, and an aftertold those present the interest- memory of William Flannagan. noon of catch up talk.

Faith

...

AUST. BISHOPSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; STATEMENT:

An acceptance of Popeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision on Toowoomba bishop OUR letter to Bishop Brian Finnigan in May said that, during the ad limina visit in October, we would have discussions concerning the events which led to the departure of Bishop William Morris from the pastoral care of the Diocese of Toowoomba. That has been done. We had individual meetings with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Subsequently we had a joint meeting with Cardinal Ouellet and Cardinal Levada. As well, we ourselves met several times. We were very appreciative of the time given to us by the cardinals and the personal and pastoral concern which they expressed. Our discussions with them were substantial, serious and candid. These meetings have given us a more adequate understanding of what was done by the Holy See in an attempt to resolve the difficulties with Bishop Morris, which concerned not only matters of Church discipline but also of Church doctrine definitively taught, such as on the ministerial priesthood.

Learning

...

What the Holy See did was fraternal and pastoral rather than juridical in character. Although efforts continued over many years, a critical point came when Bishop Morris failed to clarify his position to the satisfaction of the Holy See and then found himself unable to resign as bishop of the diocese when the Holy Father made the request. What was at stake was the Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unity in faith and the ecclesial communion between the Pope and the other bishops in the College of Bishops. Eventually Bishop Morris was unable to agree to what this communion requires and at that point the Pope acted as the Successor of Peter, who has the task of deciding what constitutes unity and communion in the Church. We express our acceptance of the Holy Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exercise of his Petrine ministry, and we reaffirm our communion with and under Peter. We return to Australia determined to do whatever we can to heal any wounds of division, to extend our fraternal care to Bishop Morris, and to strengthen the bonds of charity in the Church in Australia.

Growth

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Page 14 - Catholic Life, November 2011

New book covers interesting history of Bass Strait IN The Book of the Bush George Dunderdale opens his account of Gippsland by describing the Ninety Mile Beach: “It has been formed by the mills of two oceans, which for countless ages have been slowly grinding into meal the rocks on the southern coast of Australia; and every swirling tide and howling gale has helped to build up the beach.” Bass Strait is at the junction of various weather systems created by the southern ocean and the Tasman Sea. The strait is shallow, and as a result tides swirl through it and water moves around in unpredictable and disturbed ways. This produces the changeable weather characteristic of southern Victoria and Tasmania. The islands of Bass Strait lie directly below eastern Victoria. All the islands are officially part of Tasmania, even those close to the Prom, because Tasmania was formed before Victoria. For the first 60 years of its European history, from 1800 to 1860, Bass Strait was an essential part of Gippsland, as people needed to get in and out of the province by ship - there was no overland route to Melbourne. But for the last 150 years Bass Strait has been neglected by Victorians, who are not a coastal people. Unlike other state capitals Melbourne is in the centre of its state, and Victorians face northwards towards NSW and the rest of the mainland, rather than to the south. Michael Veitch, a well-known ABC comedy actor and arts show presenter, has recently published a book, The Forgotten Islands, on his forays in the rough waters of the strait, and on his reactions to visiting the more important of its many islands. Bass Strait has become an exotic place, full of mystery and unexplained events. As Michael Veitch writes: “Bass Strait was stormy weather Australia, an Australia of shipwrecks and sealers, of brutality and extermination; of folly and heroism; of wild weather and explorers in flimsy boats; of thousand-foot cliffs and amazing birds and strange vegetation; of places well-trodden and others believed never to have felt the impact of a human foot. “This was a truly gothic Australia, as real and as valid as the gold and the drovers and the deserts, yet known to almost no one.” The strait has over 100 islands, ranging from big ones like Flinders and King Islands to mere outcrops of rocks. Many of the islands we see are in fact the tops of a mountain range long since drowned by the waters of the strait. During the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago, the waters flowed out of Port Phillip Bay and the strait formed a dry expanse known as the Bassian Plain, with the Yarra River continuing down the bay and emerging through the heads. When the ice melted and the water returned to fill up the strait once again, the moun-

Gippsland History with Patrick Morgan tain range running south-east from Wilson’s Promontory was drowned, leaving only the Glennie, Deal and Furneaux groups above the water. Some Gippsland Aboriginal legends seem to contain a remote tribal memory of this event. The folk tale of a frog which disgorges a great amount of water when made to laugh may symbolize the filling up of the strait after the Ice Age. King and Flinders Islands guard the western and eastern approaches to the strait. In the 19th Century ships from Europe had to navigate the gap between King Island and the Otways to reach Melbourne and Sydney. Ships coming from Sydney to Melbourne likewise had to find the gap between Deal Island and the rocks south of Wilson’s Promontory at the eastern entrance to the strait. Wild winds and strong tides drove some boats on to the sharp reefs of King Island. Veitch describes the worst wreck in Australian maritime history: over 400 people perished when the Cataraqui founded in 1845. The Neva wreck saw 225 lives lost on King Island in 1835. Bass Strait with its rough weather was a graveyard for ships in the colonial period. Today King Island with its main town of Currie has about 1700 people, and Flinders Island with its main town of Whitemark about 700 people, so there would be less than 3000 people living in the strait today. The main activities are farming and fishing. Lakes Entrance fishermen utilise the strait for their catches. King Island is best known for its cheese and other dairy products. In the 1970s some Gippsland farmers moved to King Island because the land was much cheaper than on the mainland. Whereas King Island is flat, Flinders Island has the majestic Strzelecki mountain range rising in the middle. On King Island shipwrecks caused tragedy. On Flinders the tragedy was the decline of the Tasmanian Aboriginal race. Its remnants had been brought to Flinders Island by the Protector George Robinson in the 1830s to save them, but they died out through respiratory infections, or just pined away longing for their original homeland. Europeans did not know that Tasmanian Aborigines traditionally thought of the Bass Strait islands as the homes of their dead. Veitch visited Wybelenna, the place where Robinson settled the natives, but little remains there today. Aborigines didn’t live perma-

nently on the islands, though they visited them occasionally, especially in summer. After Bass and Flinders discovered the strait, the area was soon populated by a motley crew of sealers, whalers, wattle-bark gatherers, sailors, escaped convicts, castaways and captured Tasmanian Aboriginal women. They were a lawless vagabond community known collectively as ‘Straitsmen’. A small number of their descendants survive on the islands today. One of their food sources on the islands has been the shorttailed shearwater, commonly known as the mutton bird. Somewhat like the Galapagos Islands off the South American coast, some islands in Bass Strait are so isolated from each

SEAL shooting in Bass Strait. other that they have their own unique flora. Veitch describes how Flinders Island has a special topaz rock, Three Hummocks Island has large stinging nettles, and another island its own variety of ti-tree. He found the Deal island group, with Erith and Dover Islands, the most spectacular and attractive location in the straits.

This book on the Bass Strait islands in enhanced by its informative photographs and maps. • Michael Veitch The Forgotten Islands: a personal adventure through the islands of Bass Strait, published by Viking Books, is available at bookshops for $32.95.

Learn about lives of the saints SAINTS OF OLD by Patrick Coffey, published by iUniverse, paperback, 157 pages, RRP $US12.95, Amazon ebook $US9.99. THIS new offering is a compilation of the life stories of 30 saints who lived in the first 10 centuries after Jesus. The author is a retired general surgeon who felt inclined to write about the courage of these remarkable saints. He acknowledges that not a lot is known about some of the saints. “What we do know is that they were men and women who were loved, revered and admired by their contemporaries and countless people through the centuries.” The book covers the saints in simple, matter of fact language and Coffey offers his thoughts in a series of endnotes after many of the stories. He also gives some personal stories which emanated from his research. Particularly interesting is a short appendix on St Brendan in which he tells the story of Tim Severin and friends who set out in a boat called Brendan to try to prove it was possible that this revered saint could have travelled to Iceland and the Americas 900 years before Columbus. Brendan was away seven years and came back to the Ireland with precious stones and fruits of a type never seen before. This book has been sent to us from the United States and may be difficult to find in local book stores but the Internet savvy can obtain a copy through Amazon. BIBLE STORIES JIGSAW BOOK AND NOAH JIGSAW BOOK, both published by Candle Books, distributed by Rainbow Books, hardback with heavy card pages, 12 pages, rrp $14.95 each.

Talking about Books IF you are looking for a gift for a young child for Christmas, one of these books could be just the thing. The stories are told on the left hand page while the accompanying picture on the right hand page is actually a jigsaw puzzle suitable for a child of 4-6 years. Each jigsaw contains nine pieces and children will have no difficulty completing each puzzle because the picture they are trying to produce is also printed underneath. Built from solid card, the books are virtually indestructible and a sure to be popular gifts. CHRISTMAS STABLE, published by Candle Books, distributed by Rainbow Books, hardboard, 12 pages, rrp $16.95 ALL youngsters like books that have something more than

just words and pictures. This greater little book tells the Christmas story with each page having a series of lift-up flaps. For instance when Joseph and Mary arrive at the inn to find it full you can open the doors to various rooms and see guests who arrived earlier looking out on the couple. In the stable, various panels open to reveal chickens, sheep and other animals to enchant youngsters who will want the book read to them night after night. BABY JESUS IS BORN, sticker book, published by Candle Books, distributed by Rainbow Books, 20 pages, rrp $6.95 ANOTHER great little book telling the nativity story. Kids will enjoy placing the stickers on all the characters.

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.

Phone (03) 9639 0844 custserv@catholicbookshop.com.au

Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 15

Quick calendar

Bishop’s Diary November 7 - 11 - Conduct retreat for Scalabrinian priests, Sydney. November 13 - Mass for deceased bishops of Sale, St Mary’s Cathedral, 9.30am. November 15 - Catholic College Sale governor’s dinner. November 16 - Staff reflection morning, followed by lunch. November 19 - Diocesan pastoral council meeting, Churchill, 10am. November 19 - Regional forum, Churchill, 1pm November 20 - Final Mass at Bruthen, noon. November 20 - Pilgrimage to Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St Mary’s Cathedral, 2.30pm. November 21 - Meeting of Bishops’ Commission

for Ecumenism and InterReligion, Sydney. November 21 - Meeting of Bishops’ Commission for Relations for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, Sydney. November 22-25 - Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference plenary session, Sydney. December 1 - Lead reflection day for Diocese of Parramatta priests. December 2-4 - Official parish visitation to Wonthaggi. December 4 - Mass and blessing of Jesus Youth National Leadership team, Lysterfield. December 9-11 - Parish visitation, Sale. December 13 - Lunch with Catholic Church Insurances.

What’s on & when November

December 14 - Council of Priests meeting and Consultor’s meeting, Sale. December 14 - Diocesan Finance Council and CDF board combined meeting, Sale. December 15 - Mass and lunch for golden jubilee of Sr Elizabeth Roberts MFIC, Sacred Heart, Morwell. December 20 - Attend 50th aniversary of ordination to priesthood of Archbishop Adrian Doyle, Hobart.

11 – Remembrance Day 15 – Central Region meeting, St Ita’s parish room, Drouin, 7.30pm 20 - Final Mass and decommissioning of Catholic Church at Bruthen, noon 20 – Annual pilgrimage to Shrine of Our Lady at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale, 2.30pm 21 – Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 22-25 - Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference plenary meeting, Sydney 23 – West Region meeting, St Michael’s new hall, Berwick, 10.30am 27 – First Sunday of Advent 28 – Deadline for December Catholic Life

December 1 – Valley Region Christmas break-up, Morwell Club, noon 3 – Feast of St Francis Xavier 4 – Advent reflection afternoon 6 - Heart region break up 7 - December Catholic Life published 8 - Immaculate Conception 14 - Meeting of Council and Priests and Consultors 14 – Joint meeting of CDF Board and Finance Council 15 - Golden Jubilee Mass for Sr Elizabeth Roberts, MFIC, Sacred Heart, Morwell 16 - Primary schools break-up 25 – Christmas Day 26 – Boxing Day 31 – New Year’s Eve

2012

January

ST Mary’s Cathedral parish, Sale, held a special thank you evening for altar servers last week. Pictured with some of the altar servers is assistant priest Fr John Speekman.

Aiding African drought appeal OFFICER - The senior grade at St Brigid’s Primary School worked hard over the past few weeks to organise a market day for their fellow students. All money raised through the market will be sent to Caritas, the Catholic agency for overseas aid and development, to support the East Africa Drought Appeal. The total amount raised from the market day was $477. The government will match dollar for dollar the amount raised, bringing the donation to a total of $954. The senior students donated pre-loved toys, football cards, magazines, and handbags to be sold. Students were also busy creating things such as jewellery and coloring books to sell. During the week there was also a “Guess how many jellybeans are in the jar” competition with each guess costing 5 cents. All items at the market ranged in price from 20 cents to $2. The week prior to the day,

the students were responsible for advertising by visiting the classrooms and putting up eyecatching posters. Principal Ken Gale was impressed with the students’ effort. “It has been great to see the students taking action and making a difference to others in the world,” he said. “‘The amount of money that was raised from a small school with only 100 enrolments was a direct result of the students’ hard work and dedication toward the cause.” The market day was a culmination of the grade’s learning and skills developed by the Earn and Learn program. Earn and Learn is a minicommunity in the classroom where children earn wages, pay taxes and bills and generally engage in all those budgeting, buying and banking exercises they will be using in the future. Through the market day, the senior students were encouraged to think beyond their

own needs and to help others in need. This philosophy was a driving factor in the work of St Mary of the Cross, our own Australian Saint.

1 – New Year’s Day 1 - World Day of Peace 2 – New Year’s Day public holiday 8- Epiphany 9 – Baptism of the Lord 17 – Memorial of St Anthony 24 – Memorial of St Francis de Sales 26 – Australia Day public holiday 28 – Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas 30 – Deadline for February Catholic Life

February 1 – First term begins 2- Presentation of the Lord 8 – February Catholic Life 11 – Our Lady of Lourdes 21 – Shrove Tuesday 22 – Ash Wednesday, beginning of Lent 27 – Deadline for March Catholic Life

March 7 – Catholic Life published 8 – St John of God Memorial 12 – Labor Day public holiday 17 – Solemnity of St Patrick (St Patrick’s Day) 19 – Solemnity of St Joseph 26 – Annunciation of the Lord 30 – First term holidays begin

April 1 – Passion Sunday 6 – Good Friday 7 – Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil 8 – Easter Sunday 9 – Easter Monday public holiday 10 – Deadline for April Catholic Life 15 – Divine Mercy Sunday 16-20 – Sale Diocese clergy retreat 16 – Second term begins 18 – Catholic Life published 25 – Anzac Day

May 3-10 – Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference plenary session, Sydney 7 – Deadline for May Catholic Life 11-18 – Bishop Prowse leading Catholic Education Office retreat to Rome 13 – Mother’s Day 16 – Catholic Life published 19-27 – Bishop Prowse at charismatic conference, South Korea 20 – Ascension of the Lord 24 – Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians 27 – Pentecost Sunday 28-31 – Bishop Prowse at Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania meeting, New Caledonia 31- Feast of the Visitation of BVM

Fundraiser for Nigeria CRANBOURNE - The Raise the Roof Committee of St Agatha’s Parish, Cranbourne, is holding a monster and continuous raffle in the parish centre off Scott St on Friday, November 18. It’s going to be a first ever in Cranbourne, commonly called a Cent Night because of the cost of the tickets. There will be over 200 prizes to be won, something for everyone, toys, linen, wine, books, perfume and much much more. The major prize will be a 107cm plasma color television. We want it to be a family friendly night so a gold coin will get you in and the kids are free.

We will have coffee and tea available but you can bring your own drinks and nibbles. We will also be having lots of other fun, including a toss the coin game, a candy corner for the kids and a stocking filler stall. You can do some of your shopping early. To book a table ring the parish office on 5996 1985 during 9am-3pm daily. This fundraiser is part of the parish’s commitment to the Sisters of the Nativity who serve in the parish as pastoral workers. It is a reciprocal program where they help the parish and it helps them. St Agatha’s aims to raise $65,000 for the building of a

two storey school block at the Bishop Murray Primary School in Lafia, Nigeria. This is the type of overseas program where we actually see our money at work. The ground floor is up and they are working on the second storey. The children are using the bottom floor for classes already. The addition will give another 300 impoverished children an opportunity to get an education, something we take for granted. This event will be the major parish fundraiser for the year so please help as a further $30,000 is needed to complete the building. - Contributed.

Page 16 - Catholic Life, November 2011

A Page for Youth

‘Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith’ (Col 2:7) SO once again we seem to be staring down the barrel of the end of the year. Gosh 2011 has gone quick! What is very exciting though is that there are so many youth ministry initiatives and activities being planned around the country over the summer and into 2012. Here’s just a few that you might want make the most of!

Youth Leaders’ Formation Course The YLFC is a unique opportunity, hosted by the Archdiocese of Sydney, for a small group of young people to live in community and engage in spiritual, pastoral, intellectual and human formation. Participants will explore a range of themes including Leadership, Faith, Life and Love and Witnessing to the World. The YLFC will commence on Monday November 21 and conclude on Saturday December 17. A few places are still available for the YLFC so if you are interested in participating please go to www.sydneycatholic.org/ylfc immediately!

God is with us – An Advent mini-retreat Young adults and teenagers are invited to spend a day in reflection, prayer and joyful preparation this Advent season. The “God is with us” is an opportunity for young people to take some time out together for a mini-retreat in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year. Participants are asked to bring a plate for a shared picnic lunch to conclude the retreat. Please join the Youth Ministry Office on Sunday December

4, 10.45am to 3pm, at St Agatha’s Catholic Church, Scott St, Cranbourne.

Graduate Certificate in Youth Ministry The Bishops’ Commission for Pastoral Life in partnership with the Broken Bay Institute is offering a collection of scholarships to the value of $10,000 for study in Catholic Youth and Campus Ministry in 20122013. Three scholarships are being offered (1 full and 2 part funded) and can be completed online. Details and applications for the scholarship can be found at www.youthministry.catholic.org.au. Course details can be found at http://www.bbi. catholic.edu.au/_uploads/rsfil/00046.pdf. Applications close December 2.

Stronger Retreat Stronger Retreat is a dynamic Catholic retreat for young people. It’s about gathering with other young people from across the Sandhurst Diocese and the rest of Australia for a common experience – encountering Jesus Christ and the Church, and being equipped, empowered and encouraged to impact the Church and the world. Stronger will take place December 9-11 at Harrietville. Registration details can be found at http://stronger.org.au/.

Summer School 2012 The Summer School of Evangelisation provides a chance to retreat for a week (January 8-15, 2012) into the powerful experience of the Holy Spirit of God. This Spirit opens up the possibilities for conversion, deepening faith, peace, healing, joy,

Good Youth News with Jess Denehy & Kelly Lucas

freedom and passion for the gospel of Jesus through lectures, seminars and prayer. Young Catholics (18-35) are invited to register online at www.summerschool.org.au.

Youth ministry Essentials Youth Ministry Essentials is an exciting week-long intensive training program (January 16 -20) for those involved in ministry with young people. Hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, the program is open to anybody wishing to further develop their skills and knowledge in minis-

YEAR 11 students from MaristSion College Warragul recently travelled to the outback town of Wilcannia for the school’s annual Remar Blue Solidarity Experience. The following reflection prepared by Jasmina Giardina, one of the student participants. Friday the third of September was the beginning of an enriching and spiritual journey for the Warragul Year 11 Remar Blue Caravel. We commenced our solidarity experience, ready to help out the indigenous community of Wilcannia, to grow spiritually and to become closer as a caravel. Wilcannnia is a remote Indigenous community located in outback New South Wales. St Therese’s Community School

ST Francis Xavier College Remar members get into character for their theatre restaurant nights. covered new and inventive ways of enjoying each other’s company. For most this was a life changing week. And just last fortnight Remar reds from Marist Sion and St Francis Xavier joined Remar students from other Victorian, Tasmanian and New Zealand

bane.org.au/BookingRetrieve. aspx?ID=163092 for all the details.

Catholic Youth Ministry Convention After the highly successful Australian Catholic Youth Ministry Convention in Melbourne 2010 which hosted over 400 youth ministers from parishes, diocese, schools and communities around Australia, the BCPL is preparing to host another in 2012. The next ACYMC will be at the Campbelltown Catholic Club from Friday September 21st – 23rd, 2012.

Student reflects on experience

It’s a theatrical SFX Remar REMAR students from St Francis Xavier College, at all levels have been very busy recently. Remar held its theatre restaurant over four nights. Guests were treated to an excellent meal courtesy of the St Francis Xavier College hospitality students as well as a ripping night of laughs set in the mythical Teddy Whitten Junior Senior High School. Rowers from all caravels combined with actors from STAR Players to provide a hilarious and memorable night. During the school holidays 27 blue rowers travelled to St Mary’s in the western suburbs of Sydney to work in the Don Bosco Youth and Recreational Centre and the Holy Rosary Parish. Students assisted the Salesian community in maintaining, cleaning and running the centre. They also experienced living and caring for each other as a community as well as praying as a community. Without the distraction of electronic devices rowers dis-

try with young people. The program will provide an opportunity for valuable personal growth and an experience that will deepen participants understanding and appreciation for this important ministry of the Church. The program itself is a tool, a developed series of sessions to assist you in developing yourself as a minister with young people. Much of the learning will occur in the interaction between participants over the course of the week. Go to http://www.cymbris-

schools for the Red Leadership Camp. Students spent a prayer and fun filled weekend exploring the four spokes of Remar, sharing their journey so far, as well as encountering new forms of prayer and the expression of their emerging faith.

was to be home for the next week; a place where we made new friends, learnt new ways of life and got the chance to immerse ourselves in the local indigenous culture. Seeing the smiles on the school children’s faces and spending time with them in class was an experience never to be forgotten. The St Therese’s students looked forward to us coming each year, and welcomed us into their school with open arms. The joy on their faces and their willingness to involve us in their learning or even just playing with us in the playground, made every day special as we grew closer to the kids and understood that little bit more about their lives, and their way of living. Who would have thought in such a remote community, with a tainted reputation, we would find not only such a lovely bunch of kids, but a lovely community? As we ventured out into the wider community, we realised our trip wasn’t simply about helping out a ‘less fortunate’ community. We also realised it was about experiencing something other than our home environment, living a week without an iPod or iPhone, without the internet or a comfy

bed. We realised it was about going openly into a community and learning new things, meeting new people, and removing the stereotypes often linked with the first people of our nation. Sure, we had made a few chairs and tables, planted a vegetable garden and had given them a bit of our time, but it was nothing compared to what we gained. This journey taught us about ourselves, our capabilities, made us new friends, and strengthened old friendships. This journey provided us with the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the Wilcannia community, with ourselves and importantly, with our God. This journey showed us a different way of life, and how much there is to give and gain when we ‘live as Christ’s Disciple’s’. On behalf of the caravel, we would like to thank James Mazzolini, Tracey Marsh, Hannah McPhee and Jason Blackburn for making it all possible and sharing this experience with us. Also, a big thank you to St Theresa’s Primary School for allowing us to come back, and add another fantastic year to the 11 year history our schools share.

Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 17

For the Young and Young at Heart Time for a Laugh AN elderly Italian lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament: “Dear Vincent, “I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over? I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days. Love, Papa.” A few days later he received a letter from his son. “Dear Pop, “Don’t dig up that garden. That’s where the bodies are buried. Love, Vinnie.” At 4am the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area, but without finding any bodies. They apologised to the old man and left. The next day the old man received another letter from his son. “Dear Pop, “Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances. Love you, Vinnie.” JACOB, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, are excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way they pass a chemist. Jacob suggests they go in. Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: “Are you the owner?” The pharmacist answers “Yes”. Jacob: “We’re about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?” Pharmacist: “Of course we do.” Jacob: “How about medicine for circulation?” Pharmacist: “All kinds.” Jacob: “Medicine for rheumatism, scoliosis?” Pharmacist: “Definitely.” Jacob: “Medicine for memory problems, arthritis, jaundice?” Pharmacist: “Yes, a large variety. The works!” Jacob: “What about vitamins, sleeping pills, antidotes for Parkinson’s Disease?” Pharmacist: “Absolutely.”

A scene from Bethlehem

Jacob: “You sell wheelchairs and walkers?” Pharmacist: “All speeds and sizes. Why do you ask? Is there something I can help you with?” Jacob says to the pharmacist: “We’d like to nominate your store as our Bridal Gift Registry.” HOSPITAL regulations usually require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. A student nurse, found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he didn’t need her help to leave the hospital. After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let her wheel him to the elevator. On the way down she asked him if his wife was meeting him. “I don’t know,” he said. “She’s still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.” A SAW mill advertised for a timber worker. A skinny little bloke showed up at the camp the next day carrying an axe. The head timber worker takes one look at the puny bloke and tells him to get lost. “Give me a chance to show you what I can do,” says the little guy. “Okay, see that giant red gum over there?” says the foreman. “Take your axe and cut it down.” The little bloke heads for the tree and in five minutes he’s knocking on the foreman’s door. “I cut the tree down,” says the bloke. The foreman can’t believe his eyes and says, “Where did you learn to chop down trees like that?” “In the Great Australian Forest,” says the little fella. “You mean the Great Australian Desert,” says the foreman. “Sure! That’s what they call it now!” A LONDON medical research group advertised for participants in a study of obsessive-compulsive disorder. They were looking for therapy clients who had been diagnosed with this disorder. The response was gratifying; they got 3879 responses one hour after the ad came out. All from the same person!

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Age . . . . . . Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Send entries to: Colouring Contest, c/- Catholic Life, PO Box 183, Sale. 3853

Colouring contest winner WINNER of our Christopher Columbus colouring contest last month is Kevin Thomas, 9, who attends St Catherine’s Primary School in Berwick. We will deliver the prize to him in the next week or two when we are in Berwick. Keep the entries coming in. There are certainly plenty of talented young artists around and we want to encourage them to keep entering this contest. Thanks also to the mums and dads for providing the stamps so the postie can de- TAYLA Dyke, from St Joseph’s Primary, Trafalgar displays the book she won in our colouring contest in September. liver the valuable entries.

Page 18 - Catholic Life, November 2011

Advent to herald launch of new Roman Missal By Sophy Morley ON the First Sunday of Advent (November 27), together with the other English-speaking Bishops Conferences across the globe, the Church in Australia will welcome the full implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. From now on, we will be using the 2010 edition of the Roman Missal. The 1975 Roman Missal that has served us so faithfully over the past 40 years will be put aside. This is a very special book launch with a difference! The use of the new texts reminds us that our worship of God as the community of faith and Body of Christ is why we gather for liturgy. It is appropriate to have a special blessing for the new Missal at your Masses, using the blessings for liturgical articles from the Book of Blessings. The Missal is the precious resource by which we articulate our Catholic faith and use the prayers within it to praise and thank God, to unite us as one in Christ and to help us to be sent forth to do the work of Christ for and with our families, community and the wider world. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal expresses the relationship between how we pray and what we believe. The Latin phrase, lex orandi, lex credenda, encapsulates

the centrality of worship for the identity and mission of the Church. Basically, it means the law of prayer, the law of belief, or in other words, how we worship expresses what we believe and how we live as disciples of Christ. The General Instruction says: The new Missal, while bearing witness to the Roman Church’s rule of prayer (lex orandi), also safeguards the deposit of faith handed down by the more recent Councils and marks in its own right a step of great importance in liturgical tradition. (GIRM #10) So we can see that the Roman Missal is a sacred book for our use, a repository of our faith, a treasure to be cherished and used often. On the First Sunday in Advent, the most noticeable changes in the Mass will be in the Eucharistic Prayers. This great pPrayer of thanksgiving and sanctification, offered by the priest on behalf of the whole community of faith, is the centre and summit of the entire Mass. The sentences are longer and more involved, and the vocabulary is broader. It will take a little while to grow familiar with the new texts but most of the new translations will follow the well-established structure for a Eucharistic Prayer. Take time to notice the new texts. What phrase or word has

settled in your heart? Which texts surprise you? Which seem difficult to understand? Use these moments of insight or struggle and let them work within you, by the grace the Holy Spirit. As we bring our attention to both the demands and the delights that these new texts will make upon us, let us be aware of their potential to draw us into the deeper meaning and beauty of the Mass. May they encourage and stir us to live our lives more faithfully as the People of God.

A place for liturgical silence Listening for God’s whisperings The new Missal gives us a great opportunity to reflect on how we celebrate Mass. Our liturgies can be very busy, full of song, prayers, dialogue and action. Do we intentionally include spaces for silence? Silence in the Liturgy seems like a difficult thing to achieve. Why do we want silence? When liturgy is too busy, we forget to stop and listen to God’s whisperings in our hearts. We need to spend a few moments in sitting still and letting what we have heard in God’s Word settle in our consciousness. Silence gives the Spirit of Jesus space to nourish our hearts with God’s Word. Sometimes, people can get nervous when they are not sure

Diocesan spirituality centre at Newborough named Emmaus NEWBOROUGH - After much discernment and consideration, the spirituality ministry for the Sale Diocese now has a name: Emmaus – Spirituality Ministry for the Catholic Diocese of Sale. Bishop Christopher Prowse is pleased to be able to encourage and support this ministry as it establishes in the Diocese. The centre will be located in Newborough at the old convent where the ministry will have an office and the team gather and be sent out on their mobile ministry within the diocese. The discernment team would now like to meet of any existing spiritual directors within the Sale Diocese and to establish a register of spiritual directors that might be available for this ministry. This list will be made available to all parishes. There will be an gathering of all trained spiritual directors within the Sale Diocese whether they are priests, religious or lay, or anyone who may be interested in training to become a spiritual director. This evening will be on November 22 from 7pm to 8.30pm at Newborough. The work of the spirituality team is well underway. The ministry is a mobile one with spiritual direction now available in Newborough, Sale, Bairnsdale, Pakenham and Leongatha and Korumburra. This service is available to all

and we encourage you to contact us if you would like further information. Twenty-one participants, from nine different parishes attended the part one of the four-week spiritual leadership program How do I Know what God wants of me? Participants were invited to come to a deeper awareness of their own personal vocation and call by exploring their relationship with God. Part two of the leadership program is now underway - Art of Prayer (leading small groups and prayer communities) with 25 parishioners from 12 parishes attending. Participants are learning of the many different methods of prayer and how to lead prayer and small groups. As a result, many are reporting that their own relationship with God is growing The support of Fr Bernard Krotwaar and parishioners hosting the program at St Jarlath’s Hall, Yarragon, has been greatly appreciated by all who have attended. The final two parts of this program will be held in March and June 2012 and all are welcome to do either or both of the upcoming programs. Part three will be held in March - Apostolic Leadership - Collaboration, Creativity and Leadership and part 4 - Prepar-

why we have silence and when we have silence. But, there are moments of profound silence in the Mass that are there to be used, particularly during the Liturgy of the Word, (between readings, the psalm, the acclamations and after the homily), at the Collect prayers (Let us pray…….) and in the thanksgiving time after Communion. Many parishes have silence after the homily and after Communion. Most parishes struggle with intentional silence during the Liturgy of the Word.

ing for the future – Creating a pathway forward in June. On the September 13 the team led a retreat day for parish workers within the diocese at the Marian Centre in Warragul. Organisers thank Fr Herman Hengel and parishioners for their generosity of using this centre. Some 34 people attended and enjoyed a day of prayer, silence and spiritual direction. Many claimed that they experienced God’s presence in a deeper and new way. The desire of the spirituality centre is to give spiritual direction, retreats, prayer days and weekends within the diocese. There will be many retreats, prayer days and weekends given in 2012. Flyers will be sent to your parishes so please look out for these exciting retreats and programs on your notice boards in your parish foyers. The team is also available to go to parishes, schools and groups and to work with them to design a program that meets their needs. As you can see the Spirit has been generous to the formation of this new ministry team in the diocese and there is a lot happening. You can contact Ruth Spierings on 9854 8110, 5998 2664 or email salespirituality@ hotmail.com.

Lectors should not be afraid of reading more slowly in proclaiming the Scriptures. A slight pause after the reading and before The Word of the Lord lets what we have heard resonate within us. Just as we do not applaud a musical performance whilst the music is still playing, so should we give space to let the Word of God find a home in us. Some moments of silence after each reading and before the psalm or acclamation is also desirable. We know from our own experience that God comes in various ways to us and often in the silence. As Meister Eckart said “there is nothing so much like God as silence.” Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta who taught her Missionaries of Charity about the importance of silence, in that silence “is God speaking to us.” Fr Laurence Freeman OSB in his address on “The Eucharist and Silence” in Melbourne in 2005 commented that: “Liturgy - like all ways of prayer - is essentially about attention. “At the Eucharist we train our attention towards God through the gift of self that Jesus made historically and makes continu-

ously through the Spirit both in our hearts and on the altar. Although our attention may wander, looking at new faces in the congregation or browsing the bulletin, the attention of Jesus directed to us never wavers and does not even condemn or dislike us for our distractedness. “Though we are unfaithful, he remains faithful because he cannot betray himself. This, at least to the believer, is the inexpressible mystery of the Eucharist and the ultimately irresistible and sweet attraction of the real presence.” Fr Freeman goes on to say that “Silence is work, the work of loving attention and its fruit is a heart filled with thanksgiving.” 1 We can appreciate liturgical silence, therefore, not as something devoid or meaning or where action is absent. Rather, silence is one of the privileged means and moments whereby we can experience the living presence of God. The General Instruction gives us some pertinent teaching on liturgical silence: “the Liturgy of the Word is to be celebrated in such a way as to promote meditation, and so any sort of haste that hinders recollection must clearly be avoided. During the Liturgy of the Word, it is also appropriate to include brief period of silence, adapted to the gathered assembly, in which, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the word of God may be grasped by the heart and a responses through prayer may be reached.” (GIRM #56) May the celebration of the Eucharist using the new Missal texts bring our Catholic community closer to God, produce much fruit in us and keep us ever more faithful to the Gospel. 1 Fr Laurence Freeman, Eucharist and Silence, Melbourne, 2005 http://afriarslife. blogspot.com/2007/08/eucharist-and-silence.html

Mini retreat for teenagers and young adults at Cranbourne YOUNG adults and teenagers are invited to spend a day in reflection, prayer and joyful preparation this Advent season. “God is with us” is an opportunity for young people to take some time out together for a mini-retreat in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year. The mini-retreat, on Sunday December 4, will begin with Mass with the St Agatha’s par-

ish community at 10.45am, and conclude with a picnic lunch. Participants are asked to bring a plate to share. Please join the Youth Ministry Office on December 4, 10.45am to 3pm, at St Agatha’s Catholic Church, Scott St, Cranbourne. For more information or to RSVP email Jess Denehy on jessd@sale.catholic.org.au.

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Catholic Life, November 2011 - Page 19

Classifieds bingo

situation vacant

Sacred Heart School

Parish / Pastoral Worker

Sacred Heart School Bingo

CHRISTMAS BINGO PARTY Friday, December 9, 2011 Morwell RSL Club, Elgin St., Morwell ROLLING JACKPOTS THIS WEEK

Jackpot 1 - $4000* Jackpot 2 - $4000* 5 CHANCES TO WIN 50 NUMBERS OR LESS

Eyes down 11am. Ticket sales 10.00am

Join our annual giant customer Christmas giveaway.

Win DVD players & giant food hampers Bingo will be closed from December 9, reopening January 27, 2012 Further details phone 0401 962 404 or 5133 7221 (AH) To our valued patrons, thank you for supporting the children of Sacred Heart School during 2011. Through your generosity we have been able to complete many projects this year. Have a joyous Christmas and festive New Year from all at Sacred Heart School Bingo.

St Mary’s Parish, Newborough is seeking to meet its ministry needs with the part-time employment of a parish worker. Teaching / pastoral experience is desirable but not essential. The main roles would include coordination of parish groups and the Sacramental program. The position is one day per week. Employment is for 12 months and will commence early 2012. Remuneration is under the Pastoral Associate (Rural) award. Applications in writing by November 30, addressed to the Parish Pastoral Team, c/o PO Box 103 Newborough 3825 Ph 5127 3260 or 5127 2342 For a job description, email Mira Renninson at stmarysnewb@bigpond.com

*Conditions apply

prayer THANK YOU St Jude. O Holy St Jude Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude pray for us and all who invoke your aid. Amen.

for sale

VOCATIONS

requires the service of an experienced

Priests & Deacons

BINGO CALLER Fridays only 60 game capacity. Resume/references required. Please send to: Permit Holder Sacred Heart School Bingo 16 Bunyip Court., Morwell 3840. Phone enquiries 0401 962 404

wanted known PHOTOGRAPHER covering weddings, baptisms, confirmations, debutantes, family portraits. CD purchase possible. Online purchase of big photographs for convenience. Covering Melbourne and outlying areas, though flexible. Please email info@sadaaqat.com for portfolio. Call 0430 188 200.

TRY our new Photo classifieds. Make your advertisement be a strandout. Just $10 more to include a colored photograph.

Are you considering a vocation as a priest or deacon for the Diocese of Sale?

GARDEN waste chipper. Electric and highly portable. Make your own mulch from pruned branches etc. $85. Can deliver. Phone 0407 213 328.

VESPA GTS 250 ie 2007 Model, 7800 kilometres. Extras include Top Box and Windscreen (Not fitted). Excellent Condition. $7500 or best offer. Phone 0408 516 892

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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.

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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.

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Page 20 - Catholic Life, November 2011

Oh what a great school fete! Festival of art and soul at Sale college SALE – The third annual Art and Soul Festival at St Patrick’s Campus of Catholic College Sale will be held on Saturday, November 19. The festival will run from 10am to 10pm with a host of artists performing on the stage. Artists include The Daniel Gavin Project, Rhys Crimmin and Tom Jones, The Pierce Brothers, GreenRoomAntix, Josh Cashman, and many more. There will be many stalls set up around the venue selling delicious food. There will also be face painting, an art and short film display. Refreshments including wine, beer and quality coffees will be served with cheese platters along the St Patrick’s verandah. In addition to these talented artists will be a variety of tal-

CALEB, Jesse and Jacob were game enough to ride the Cha-cha. NEWBOROUGH - St Mary’s Primary School community recently held a school fete…and what a fete it was! Organiser Michelle Nelson said fete was a tremendous success with everyone in the community pitching in to help and about $9000 was raised for the school. Principal Teresa Greenough

said “We pride ourselves on our sense of community at St Mary’s Newborough. It is a real credit to the organisers of the fete that we are able to put on such a big community event.” Everyone had fun at the fete. The cha-cha ride, a huge slide and the jumping castle on the school oval, entertained the

children. Some of the other attractions included the novelties stall, temporary tattoos, face painting and plaster painting. The spinning wheel was a draw card and this year’s newest addition ‘the plate throwing’ stall was a huge hit. The weather was just perfect and a great day was had by all.

ent from the Catholic College community, including various rock bands, concert and stage bands, strings, dancers, and much more. Don’t miss out of the event of the year! You may have heard up and coming local band Gerry’s Fifth Soul interviewed on radio recently, when they released their first album. This band is going from strength to strength and will be playing at the festival. This is an all ages event so get your friends and family together and get your groove on at this year’s Art and Soul Festival. Daniel Gavin is a former student of CCS who performs with a long time school friend and talented base guitarist. He toured nationally in recent years and has released a number of EPs.

Students learn about having clean hands

Catholic Life

INFECTION control nurse Suzi Marquez from St John of God Hospital, Berwick, uses the ultra violet light to show children which spots they’ve missed while washing their hands.

Aid to the Church in Need …. a Catholic charity dependent on the Holy See, providing pastoral relief to needy and oppressed Churches

BERWICK - Children at St Michael’s Primary School have been learning that clean hands save lives They were visited by representatives of St John of God Hospital to coincide with Global Handwashing Day last month. The annual day aims to increasing awareness about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and infections. Building on a hugely successful inaugural Global Handwashing Day in 2008 – it is anticipated that over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap to celebrate the event this year. Hospital staff provided hand hygiene lessons to 170 kids at St Michael’s school. In a fun and interactive session, the children learned how to correctly lather up in order to reduce lifethreatening diseases, such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory

infections. Ruth Sharkie, director of mission said, “Under the slogan ‘Clean hands save lives’, the driving force behind Global Handwashing Day is children and schools. Children acting as agents of change, taking the good practices of hand hygiene learned at school back into their homes and hopefully into their adult life”. The simple act of correctly washing hands with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrheal rates among children under five by almost 50 per cent, and respiratory infections by nearly 25 percent. Handwashing with soap - particularly at critical moments, including after using the toilet and before handling food – is a key cost effective and life-saving intervention. Yet research from the World Health Organisation illustrates that handwashing is often not performed at these critical moments.