Catholic Life October 2015

Catholic Life Publication of the Diocese of Sale

Free

ISSUE 190

October 2015

Record youth at camp

PHILLIP ISLAND - During the second week of the school holidays, 85 young people and leaders gathered together in Phillip Island for the annual Sale Diocese youth camp.

This year saw the largest attendance to date with young people coming from all regions of the diocese.

The camp was a huge success with the assistance of the Melbourne NET Team who

facilitated the sessions.

A highlight of the two night camp for most young people was sharing morning prayer at Cowes beach and watching Sr Faustina from St Agatha’s Parish in Cranbourne have a go at the giant swing!

Special thanks to The Island CYC for providing a fantastic venue and to all our volunteer leaders for helping make this camp possible.

TOP: Participants on the camp gather for a beach snap.

ABOVE and RIGHT: Antics on the trampolines.

Thanks for your generosity

Trinity We thank the many individuals, schools and parishes who have supported us FAMILIES

in recent months with generous donations. You are helping us to fund vital welfare programs and services for families in our region.

To donate visit www.trinityfamilies.org.au or phone (03) 5622 6688 for a credit card deduction form.

Page 2 - Catholic Life, October 2015

Communion indeed - The Church experienced “COMMUNION” is such a Catholic word! We forget it at our peril!

So familiar are we with it that we use it to describe so many differing things that help to describe the gift of faith.

We use it to describe a most life-giving part of the celebration of the Eucharist; we use it to describe what our great tradition of Catholic Social Teaching has taught down thorough the ages that we ought be in communion with our sisters and brothers (The word favored by the late St Pope John Paul II was ‘solidarity’); we use it to desire our belonging to the church itself.

‘Communion’ can also describe that for which we are made, namely to be in communion with God, with our neighbor, ourselves and, as Pope Francis has recently reminded us of the implications of the biblical teaching, in communion with the whole of creation.

“Communion”, a ‘commonunion’. We know when its there and we are profoundly aware when it is not. It doesn’t happen by chance. It is to be worked at and desired for.

It is one of the deepest longings of the human heart, in short we are made for communion.

It is a word which describes the fact that we can join two things together as one, but at the same time they can retain their unique characteristics. Think of marriage, they two become one; think of good friendships That’s all very nice you might say but so what! Well I’m writing

this article to the diocesan family of Sale shortly after having attended the colloquium for newly appointed bishops and the pilgrimage to the tomb of St Peter in Rome.

The word that came to mind straight away to describe such as experience is the word ‘communion’.

I enjoyed the 11 days together in Rome with the 120 other bishops from around the world including two other Australian bishops from Melbourne, Bishops Terry Curtin and Mark Edwards OMI. The days were well organised and the earnest efforts of all to communicate were valiant, if at times frustrating as they were amusing.

I use the word ‘communion’ to describe this experience for it was a powerful experience of just that, a common union.

It was a communion with others who have recently been named as bishops and a communion with the Good God. Apart form the talks to the whole group, the smaller language groups provided a chance to speak together.

The Australians joined together with four bishops from the Philippines, two from England, and one each from India, Ireland and Scotland.

Both these forums gave the chance to listen to the great wisdom of others, but also the opportunity to give the other bishops a chance to listen to the world from a less European view.

Catholic Life PO Box 1410, Warragul Vic. 3820 Phone: (03) 5622 6688

catholiclife@sale.catholic.org.au www.sale.catholic.org.au

There were many experiences that we held in common, many that were completely different.

Communion indeed The most moving talks were those given by the bishops from Syria and Baghdad. They spoke of what they are experiencing at the moment, of their difficulties and of the fact that they have lost everything, buildings, people, everything that is but the gift of faith.

It was a powerful witness of what the gift of faith can be, and a humbling moment for us who have so much and have it so relativity easy.

Our promise and assurance of prayer seemed so little and so empty in the face of such human tragedy.

The bishops encouraged us, can you believe it, however to look upon the situation ‘with the eyes of God’ and to not stop thinking about the Catholics of Syria and Baghdad. Let’s not!

Communion indeed.

Other highlights included a meeting with Pope Francis; Mass and a visit to the tomb of St Peter, in St Peter’s; a retreat day and a visit to the Sistine Chapel.

Latrobe alley V uneral F Services

Published 6 times a year

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

Printed by Express Print, Morwell.

Member of Australasian Catholic Press Association

❏ Qualified, experienced and caring staff ❏ Modern chapels ❏ Refreshments and catering facilities available

PAUL McINNES Director

❏ Secure, guaranteed, pre-paid and pre-arranged funeral plans ❏ Over 70 years of service to the Latrobe Valley

MOE 5126 1111

JOHN GALBRAITH Consultant

MORWELL 5134 4937 TRARALGON 5174 2258 Owned and operated by Paul and Katrina McInnes Proud member of the Australian Funeral Directors Association and the Australian and British Institutes of Embalming

+ Bishop Pat O’Regan Bishop of Sale

Twilight carnival

Editor: Colin Coomber

Deadline for advertising copy and editorial contributions for our final issue is of the year is November 23.

Issues distributed free through parishes and schools from December 3.

The normally packed chapel was thrown open to us for a guided tour. Marvellous. Even more marvellous was the fact that Pope Francis had asked us to finish our tour by 11.30am, for he wanted to show the chapel to 30 prisoners from one of the local gaols. Communion indeed.

I learned a lot! A constant theme being that the bishop is the minister of communion within the diocese; keeping the household of the faith together.

In whatever time God gives me here in Sale, my deepest hope is that I can do the that, and do that well. God gives the increase!

Communion indeed.

As I write this the Synod of Bishops on the role of the family is meeting in Rome.

What better vehicle for creating and promoting this gift of communion that the family.

Let us continue to join in prayer for this wonderful moment in the life of the Church.

And finally, my special thanks to all who promised to pray for me while on this pilgrimage.

Be assured that at all the holy places I have visited the Diocese of Sale, its clergy, religious and all of God’s Holy People have been remembered in prayer. God is good indeed.

MARK RIDDLE Consultant 2002900

CRANBOURNE NORTH -There’s a buzz about the corridors of St Therese’s Primary School.

Students, teachers and parents have begun the countdown to their inaugural twilight carnival, which will be held on Friday, November 6.

In the past the school has teamed up with sister school St Agatha’s for such events.

This year, however, they have stepped out on their own for what promises to be a fantastic night of fun and festivities.

“We’re really excited about our carnival”, principal Terry Cahill explains, “This is an opportunity to connect with and unite the wider community.

We’d love everyone to come along and share in what we hope will become a permanent fixture on our school calendar.”

Mr Cahill said the carnival committee, made up of parents and friends of the school, have worked tirelessly, planning and coordinating all aspects of the fundraiser to ensure everyone

has a great time.

The carnival will feature rides, animal nursery and popular stalls such as cake and sweet stall, mystery bottles, lucky dip, plants, white elephant and face painting. Test your aim at the dunking machine (yes, you can dunk the principal!) or be entertained by various dance, gymnastics and martial arts displays on the entertainment stage.

Food will be in abundance, with options from the multicultural food stall, barbecue, donuts, coffee and fairy floss available. A spinning wheel and silent auction offer generous prizes donated by local businesses.

Mr Cahill said the school children have already begun working on decorations and signs for their stalls.

The twilight carnival will run from 4pm to 9pm at the school, 131 Endeavour Drive, Cranbourne North. For more information visit facebook. com/StTheresesCarnival.

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 3

Bishop Pat meets the Pope A Yarram centenary YARRAM - St Mary’s Catholic Parish Yarram will be celebrating the centenary of the laying of the Memorial Stone of the church on Sunday, November 1.

Parishioners will be joined by the Bishop of Sale Pat O’Regan for this event which celebrates the laying of the foundation stone on October 10, 1915.

It will be a busy weekend in the parish as on Saturday, October 31 there will be a Mass for All Souls Day at the Greenmount Catholic Cemetery at 3pm.

On the following day Mass at St Mary’s Church will be at 10am, followed by a spit roast lunch in the Mary MacKillop Hall, at St Mary’s School.

The parish hopes to have as many past and present parishioners as possible, as well as former students of St Mary’s School to help it celebrate this wonderful milestone.

To assist with catering could those attending please reply immediately to PO Box 59, Yarram, 3971 or phone the office next Tuesday on 5182 5028.

O’Mara House sold BISHOP of Sale Pat O’Regan met Pope Francis while in Rome where he attended the colloquium for new bishops. This annual event provides vital training for priests who have been appointed bishops during the previous 12 months. Since then the bishop has been enjoying his first holiday in more than 18 months and returns to Australia at the end of next week.

- All image rights and copyrights reserved to the Photographic Service of L’Osservatore Romano.

Trinity Families has difficult task in allocating funds TRINITY Families has an extremely difficult task in allocating funds to charities this year.

It is currently considering 20 requests for funding totalling $413,000, but has only a third of that amount to disburse.

Executive officer Colin Coomber said that some hard decisions would have to be made in the next couple of weeks.

“All of these projects are worthy of support but the fact remains that there will be some disappointed charities.”

He said that the projects for which funding was sought had a total value of more than $1.5 million which was far greater than in any previous year.

It was predicted that the demands on Trinity Families resources might be greater this year because charities were finding it harder to access traditional funding sources through the government.

“Fortunately many of these charities have indicated that their proposed programs will be able to continue, albeit

scaled back, if they didn’t get our funding. In order to spread our resources, we will probably be forced to provide partial funding to some projects.”

Mr Coomber said the only real answer was boost the size of the Trinity Families trust so that earnings could be increased.

Trinity Families operated like a philanthropic trust in that it only distributed the earnings from its investments.

“However, with interest rates at near record lows we are fighting a battle to maintain the value of our investments and still provide a service to the many charities supporting families in the Greater Gippsland area.”

He said Trinity Families was grateful for the strong support this year from parishes and schools in the diocese but what it really needed was a major boost from large corporate donations and bequests which would quickly swell the trust fund.

If the current $2.1 million of investments could be swelled to $5 million or more then the

Donate on line to seminar appeal CORPUS Christi College is currently conducting a major appeal to raise funds for an extension to enable more seminarians to be accommodated.

The college is the seminary for students for the priesthood from throughout Victoria and Tasmania.

An upsurge in seminarians means the college has to build

rooms for six more students and four staff.

The appeal was launched a few weeks ago and you can donate by going to our web page www.sale.catholic.org.au and clicking on Seminary Appeal in the quick links section.

There is a short film clip about the seminary which includes a message from Bishop Pat O’Regan.

region would be much better off.

Mr Coomber said Trinity Families did not distribute funds to individuals or do any charitable work itself.

It was a support service for charities already operating in the area covered by the municipalities of Casey, Cardinia, Baw Baw, Latrobe, Wellington, East Gippsland, Bass Coast and South Gippsland.

“These charities are doing magnificent work in providing services for families. Without the programs run by these charities, many people would miss out or have to travel to Melbourne to try to access services.”

Successful applicants will be announced early November and cheques will be presented to them at a function in mid November.

O’MARA House residential aged care facility in Traralgon has been sold by St Vincent de Paul Society to large Victorian not-for-profit carer Mecwacare.

The property was one of six sold by VincentCare to Mecwacare last month.

Mecwacare has been operating for 55 years, growing out of services provided by Malvern City Council which established an elderly citizens centre and then the Malvern

Elderly Citizens’ Centre Welfare Association in the 1950s.

Mecwacare cares for more than 10,000 people right across the metropolitan area and into country regions. Its only other centre in Gippsland is Rivendell House in Pakenham.

Services provided include residential aged care, respite care, in-house support, community programs, and disability and nursing services.

Help where it is needed Show your support by donating today

www.trinityfamilies.org.au

John Lania & Associates Protection for parish schools and churches • Property Mobile Patrols • Alarm and CCTV Systems • Emergency Security Guards • Accredited Security Advisers For friendly service and advice contact:

Ph: 0411 710 924

Fax (03) 9036 3010

watching@internode.on.net www.cardiniasecurity.com.au Guardwatch Cardinia Security Services Helping protect our community Member of Australian Security Industry Assoc. Ltd

Police Lic. 634 249 50S

H A R V E S T P I LG R I M AG E S JOURNEY OF CHRIST 6 201 URE CH BRO MING CO O N !

SO

A 16 day pilgrimage departing 24th April 2016 with Fr Angelo Ison OFM Experience the very land where Jesus lived and worked His ministry and gain a privileged insight into His life as the child of Nazareth, healer of Galilee and our Saviour on Calvary.

Featuring: Dead Sea • Bethlehem Nazareth • Sea of Galilee • Jerusalem Also departing 29th May, 4th September and 14th October 2016 Lic. 2TA 003632

Toll Free: 1800 819 156

www.harvestpilgrims.com

Page 4 - Catholic Life, October 2015

A giving mission

CATHOLIC Mission’s annual report makes for interesting reading.

It raised $20.45 million from Australian dioceses in the last year, down on the previous year by about $30,000.

The figure that jumps out is the amazing $5.7 million raised in Melbourne Archdiocese, which was $2.1 million more than the previous year.

Sydney trailed well behind with $2.4 million and although it is a much smaller archdiocese in area, you could add the combined totals from Parramatta, Broken Bay and Wollongong to it and still not match the Melbourne donations.

Here in Sale Diocese we contributed $89,261.

It is currently Missions Month and Catholic Mission is running its annual appeal.

Blaze of color

MOTORISTS travelling through Gippsland have been amazed by the vast seas of yellow canola crops fronting the Princes Highway between Rosedale and Sale.

The bright yellow stretches as far as the eye can see.

Scorching weather last week caused many of the blooms to wither.

And if you are into wildflowers, there is a great display of thriptomene flowers along roadsides in the sandier areas of South and East Gippsland.

Year of Mercy begins with Immaculate Conception One of the best displays is along the road from Longford to the Gippsland Lakes town of Loch Sport.

Locals feature THE recent St Vincent de Paul publication A Call to Serve features five stories of people who have given great service to the organisation.

Sale Diocese is honored that two of those stories are about people from our diocese.

The first honors Leongatha stalwart Mario Croatto, who is a local doctor, and the second honors Isabel McLean, Drouin, and her late husband John.

Both articles run to 6-7 pages and make good reading if you can lay your hands on a copy.

Misdiagnosis SALE gent who has experienced health problems for a few years saw his specialist last week and was told that he wouldn’t have to make another appointment.

Feelings of joy at an unexpected prognosis of much improved health was dampened when the specialist added “I’ve decided to retire!”

THE Year of Mercy proclaimed

by Pope Francis will begin on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception The Jubilee of Mercy will begin when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica on the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council and concludes when he closes that same door on November 20, 2016.

Pope Francis says, “We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace.

“Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us.

“Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.

“At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

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

as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective.”

The motto for the year, Merciful like the Father, serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of God who asks us not to judge or condemn but to offer love and forgiveness instead.

Plans are still be finalised for ways in which the Sale Diocese and parishes will mark the beginning of the Year of Mercy. Full details will be on the diocesan website www.sale.catholic.org.au in coming weeks.

Bishop Pat O’Regan will lead a teaching day on the Year of Mercy in Warragul on Saturday, November 14.

It will be held at the Marist Sion College hall foyer and is being organised by Catholic Charismatic Renewal for Sale Diocese.

Welcome and registration is at 9.30am, followed by praise and worship and the first session led by the bishop at 10.30.

Following a break, there will be a second session at noon,

followed by lunch at 1pm.

There will be a praise and worship session at 2pm and the day will conclude with Mass at 2.30pm.

Participants are asked to bring their own lunch or a lunch to share. Drinks will be provided.

More information about the day can be obtained from Michael Power on 5678 2271 or 0488 680 681.

Away for a weekend and need to check local Mass times?

Use the QR scanning app on your smart phone and it will take you directly to the Diocese of Sale website

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

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

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

Funeral Directors

Barry and Bradley Lett offer care, compassion and service with dignity for the people of Gippsland.

Caring and personal 24-hour service.

Prepaid and prearranged funeral plans available.

67 Macarthur St., Sale 3850

(03) 5143 1232

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 5

Century up for Roma as she chases down Moses

By Colin Coomber A CENTURY is a milestone in cricket but when it comes up in the game of life, it is certainly worth celebrating.

Roma Bratby, a resident at Shangolden, Pakenham, celebrated her 100th birthday with Bishop of Sale Pat O’Regan, family and the residents and staff of the nursing home.

Bishop O’Regan celebrated Mass, noting in his homily that Roma only had 20 years to go to catch up to Moses, who died in his 120th year.

After a special blessing from the bishop, everyone joined in singing Happy Birthday as she cut the cake and then she rejoiced in the playing of Good Old Collingwood Forever, theme song of her beloved Magpies.

Roma was the youngest of four children, born at Queenstown, Tasmania, where her father worked in the Mt Lyell copper mine, narrowly surviving the 1912 disaster which killed more than 40 miners.

Shortly afterwards the family moved to Melbourne while her father worked in the Broken Hill mines. She became a Collingwood barracker mainly because the famous Collier

brothers who played for the team, originated in Mt Lyell.

The family finally settled in Yallourn where he worked the brown coal mines but young Roma experienced ongoing health problems which meant regular costly trips to Morwell to see a doctor.

The doctor suggested that to reduce the financial hardship on the family that Roma should be taken to St Joseph’s Convent in Morwell to live.

She stayed with the sisters from age seven until she turned 15, only going home every second weekend. Her first job after leaving school was as a waitress at the Yallourn Hotel where she worked up until she married former air force pilot Frank Bratby at age 19.

Frank had gone to school with Richmond football legend Jack Dyer and was a keen Tiger’s supporter, so early on in their marriage they decided they would never discuss football when Richmond and Collingwood played.

Roma laughs when she recalls she once broke the pact by mentioning that Richmond had given her team a drubbing and Frank was so upset, it caused an argument.

Their only son Frank was born in 1935, then a year later

Roma gave birth to triplets, all girls, who tragically died about eight hours later.

Her husband died at age 46, leaving Roma, then 43, and their one son., Roma says she never remarried because she had such a good husband first time around, and did not want to take any chances on another.

They moved to Richmond with Roma’s parents and Roma found employment at the Jex where she worked for almost 12 years.

Roma lived independently in Coburg and Hawthorn, but finally moved into St Joseph’s, Hawthorn for respite care, but liked it so much she stayed on.

She moved to Shanagolden in 2013 and was saddened when her son died last year, age 82.

His death prompted her to reflect that the drawback of living to be 100, is that you outlive all your longtime friends, and in her case, her family.

“I had a good childhood, and a very difficult adulthood – everyone has gone now. If you live a long time, everyone has gone before you, you don’t have anyone.”

Roma says that throughout her life she has had a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary and had always asked her for help in the difficult times of her life.

Roma Bratby

A catholic boarding option for Gippsland families

THE special centenary cake was decorated in the colors of Roma’s beloved Collingwood, who much to her disappoinbtement, failed to make the finals.

Assumption College Kilmore A Catholic Coeducational 7 to 12 Day and Boarding School in the Marist Tradition

Enquire now!

Boarding vacancies are available in Years 7–12 for 2016.

To arrange a personal appointment to discuss what Assumption College can offer your family please contact Bernie Jephson on 5782 1422 or

BISHOP of Sale Pat O’Regan presents Roma Bratby with a Papal Blessing from Pope Francis.

256ASS/YC

AdPlace

email registrar@assumption.vic.edu.au

www.assumption.vic.edu.au

Page 6 - Catholic Life, October 2015

Investigating future Celebrating newness of communications eflections

BISHOP Pat O’Regan has appointed a communications consultant to review diocesan media and communications and develop a sustainable way forward in the digital age.

Liz Roberts is completing the review and developing the strategy for the future.

She has worked in the local media and communications sector for over 15 years and has experience in social media use, website content development and local news reporting.

She is a parishioner in the Pakenham Parish and has recently completed the Young Catholic Women’s Interfaith Fellowship which is run and endorsed by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“The days of people seeking news just from one local news source such as a regular diocesan newspaper have passed.

“Catholics, like the general community, source news and information in many different ways and are more likely to actively engage and share the news they are interested in through social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” Liz said.

“With a diverse diocese like ours new ways need to be adopted to let everyone know what is happening in all our Catholic communities.

Liz Roberts This has to be done in the context of our local circumstances and resources.

It is time to look at how we can broaden the ways we communicate and in turn spread the Gospel.

That’s a key part this investigation,” she said.

Liz is keen to hear from anyone in the diocese who may want share how they now communicate and seek news and where they feel the diocese should direct its communications efforts.

Liz can be contacted through the Bishop’s Office on 5622 6690, mobile 0407 104 358 or by email lizroberts@westnet. com.au.

SPRING is well and truly in the air – it is a wonderful season where new life emerges all around us.

Gippsland gifts us with extraordinary diversity of ‘newness’ at this time of year.

But it is not just nature that offers us this gift – life itself presents us with new opportunities, new surprises and experiences every day.

Perhaps our plans fall into place or we just heard great news quite unexpectedly.

There’s good news about a family member.

The letter we thought would never come arrives. The opportunity we never dreamed is offered to us. Life seems suddenly different.

Pope Francis often reminds us to leave room for ‘the God of Surprises.’ God always brings ‘newness,’ he says, and that newness always brings a fulfilment that gives true joy, true serenity because God loves us.

But life simply keeps intruding on our plans, doesn’t it?

Just when we think we have things organised, all the decisions made, everything certain and straightforward, something happens.

The twists and turns of life can be surprising and unsettling.

But even then, being alert to God’s call is always rewarding and challenging.

Thinking we are in control can lead us to take life for

Your help is needed Donate now to help support families Trinity Families needs your financial support to ensure that it can continue to meet the needs of families in our region.

We need to greatly enlarge our financial base so we can continue our support to charities providing vital welfare services.

Direct debits can be made to Trinity Families BSB 083-879 A/c 84343 9687 or you can use the form below to make a credit card donation.

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale Charitable Fund

✄

ABN 51486 581 500

Donation form: Trinity Families I/We enclose $............ towards the work of Trinity Families Please find enclosed a cheque/money order payable to Trinity Families or debit my

❑Visa ❑ Mastercard.

❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑ /

Expiry ............ ...............

/

/

Signature ................................................................................. Date ......... ......... .........

Name ....................................................................................................

Address ................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................

Postcode............................

Please provide address so receipts can be issued PLEASE POST COMPLETED FORM TO: TRINITY FAMILIES. PO Box 1410, Warragul 3820.

R

by Jim Quillinan granted and, if we do that, we begin to miss the little things, the small daily blessings and gifts that are so important in life.

We soon begin to take love and friendship and blessing for granted. Perhaps we even miss them entirely.

“Newness always makes us a bit fearful, because we feel more secure if we have everything under control, if we are the ones who build, program and plan our lives in accordance with our own ideas, our own comfort, our own preferences....

“Are we open to “God’s surprises”? Or are we closed and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit?

“Do we have the courage to strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new?”

- Pope Francis Pentecost Homily 2013 We would do well to ask ourselves these questions.

Life can astonish us. But we can become regimented, set in our ways, needing everything under our control.

Sometimes in quite unexpected ways the God of Surprises can often call us to

go deeper, to change the way we think or react, to respond in new ways to God’s invitation to be a vehicle of compassion and blessing for others.

Cultivating a sense of surprise, a sense of gratitude, even for the smallest things brings us closer to God. We come to realise that everything we have is a gift, beginning with life itself.

Without a healthy sense of gratitude our hearts can go sour and our souls go blind.

We come to see things as our right rather than as gift, we can become judgmental rather than being ready to welcome and forgive, we can become comfortable and complacent rather than being generous and open.

Saying ‘thank you’, even for the smallest things, can make us see life from quite a different perspective.

If we learn to give thanks for a little, we will always find a lot more things deserving of our gratitude.

We will begin to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

If we practice giving thanks, we will learn to place the needs of others before our own. If we practice giving thanks daily, we will become less fearful and more secure, less of needing to be in control and more of being open to the Spirit and the God who delights in surprising us.

Protect adoption service - Archbishop ARCHBISHOP of Melbourne Denis Hart has urged the Parliament to protect the Catholic Adoption Service of 80 years, CatholicCare as it prepares to deal with a Bill changing the Adoption Act of 1984 to permit the adoption of children by same-sex couples.

Archbishop Hart said he was hopeful that if the proposed changes were accepted as law, protection would be provided to CatholicCare to continue its valuable work as had occurred in New South Wales.

The Catholic position on marriage and family holds that the well-being of the community and children are best served when they experience the love of both a mother and father in a safe, secure and stable relationship.

He said he completely understood that some people would disagree with the Catholic position but had appealed for ‘fair play’ to ensure the many children (Catholic and non-Catholic) who continued to benefit from the outstanding work of CatholicCare were not unnecessarily disadvantaged.

CatholicCare commenced as an adoption agency in 1935 and had built an enviable reputation for acting with great integrity in finding stable and loving homes for some of the most disadvantaged children in society, especially children with complex needs and disabilities.

The Archbishop said he acknowledged the alternative point of view and while not agreeing, was asking for the mutual respect of those arguing for same-sex adoption that any changes in the law would still allow CatholicCare to continue its outstanding work in the community within the tradition of the Catholic Church.

Easter early in 2016 EASTER is early next year and so Ash Wednesday will be on February 10.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 20, Good Friday is March 24 and Easter March 27.

School holidays will begin the day before the Easter break.

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 7

Tours held of historic St Mary’s Church, Bairnsdale BAIRNSDALE - St Mary’s Catholic Church has long been a landmark building of historic interest, a building with a great story and tourist attraction in the Bairnsdale region.

A visit to St Mary’s church has been a popular choice for many tourists and bus companies as they travel through the East Gippsland region.

Many people have no doubt visited churches and other buildings of interest when they have travelled around Australia or overseas.

These often include a tour of the church by volunteers or tour guides.

There are often pamphlets or small booklets with details on the history and significant features of the church. These usually make for a more interesting, informative and memorable visit.

It was with this in mind that a group of St Mary’s parishioners got together to see if conducting guided tours of St Mary’s church was a possibility.

This would enhance the experience for tourists and make their visit to the church and surrounding area all the more enjoyable.

After a number of meetings and a preparation period that involved investigating how tours could be run, seeking volunteers to conduct the tours and training them, working out what to say when conducting a tour and putting in some signage and infrastructure the tours commenced towards the

end of last year.

The tours have gone very well since then and are becoming well-established.

Albert Pruscino and John Spirason have played a pivotal role in training and preparing the tour guides.

In many ways Mr Pruscino says it is a fairly simple task to take someone on a tour.

The tourists have appreciated finding out about some of the many interesting things about the church and having someone local to talk to.

Tours are conducted on most days of the week from 10am to 3pm and a sign on the church door indicates when there is a tour guide on duty. Most tours begin with a simple conversation about where the tourist comes from and why they decided to visit the church.

It has been both surprising and interesting how many international visitors we have in our region and how well known the St Mary’s church is.

Mr Pruscino also commented on how locals have started bringing guests they have with them on a tour of the church. A typical tour takes about 10 or 15 minutes with most tourists purchasing a small souvenir booklet to remember their visit.

Perhaps two of the key people of interest in the history of the church are Fr Cornelius Cremin and Francesco Floreani.

Fr Cremin was parish priest for almost 50 years and oversaw the planning and construction

of some significant buildings at St Mary’s (both in the church and presbytery). Floreani was the artist Fr Cremin engaged to paint the murals that are such a feature of the church.

It is the stories behind the various murals and the stained glass windows and how they came to be built that people find so interesting. It is obviously an impressive building to visit and tourists leave with fond memories of their tour.

Tours are still being conducted by the small band of volunteers. Both Mr Pruscino and Mr Spirason commented how enjoyable it has been to conduct tours and are hoping for more people to volunteer to spread the load.

DAVID and Eva Want from Sydney visiting St Mary’s Church.

They were very impressed with the church and enjoyed its history and stories told by the guides.

Catholic Super – providing superannuation services for more than 44 years.

OFFICES IN BRISBANE, CANBERRA, DARWIN, GEELONG, HOBART, MELBOURNE, PERTH & SYDNEY Industry super fund returning all profits to members Superior long term investment performance Fees well below Industry average Flexible investment options Superannuation and pension products Low cost personal insurance Financial planning advice

1300 655 002 | www.csf.com.au Authorised by CSF Pty Limited (ABN 30 006 169 286; AFSL 246664), the Trustee of the MyLifeMyMoney Superannuation Fund (ABN 50 237 896 957).This information is about the Fund and is general information only. It has been prepared without taking into account your personal investment objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not intended to be, and should not be construed in any way as, investment, legal or financial advice.

CS101 140515

Home help in a hurry 12 months’ Emergency Home Assistance now included Purchase any new home building, contents, or landlord insurance policy from CCI Personal Insurance prior to 27 November 2015, and get access to 12 months’ Emergency Home Assistance at no extra cost.* 24/7 concierge support, with access to a panel of preferred suppliers Help for the 10 most common home emergencies; from burst pipes and gas leaks, to being locked out of the house Receive up to $250 for each of the first 2 call-outs - that’s up to $500 in value!

catholicinsurance.org.au/homeassist 1300 655 003 join our community

Home

Contents

Car

Personal Accident

Travel

Landlord

Caravan

* Promotion runs 01/10/15 - 27/11/15 and is valid for new CCI Personal Insurance Home Building, Contents or Landlord policies purchased. Emergency Home Assistance (EHA) membership provided by AGA Assistance Australia Pty Ltd ABN 52 097 227 117 trading as Allianz Global Assistance (AGA). Full Terms and Conditions available at allianz.com.au/EHA. Catholic Church Insurance Limited ABN 76 000 005 210, AFS Licence No. 235415 (CCI) arranges personal insurance as promoter of the underwriter Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFS Licence No. 234708 (Allianz). We do not provide any advice on this insurance based on any consideration of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Before deciding please consider the product disclosure statement (PDS) available by calling 1300 655 003; or from www.catholicinsurance.org.au. If you buy this insurance CCI may be paid a commission that is a percentage of the premium depending on the product. Ask us for details before we provide you with any services. View the Financial Services Guide (FSG) for further information.

Page 8 - Catholic Life, October 2015

Principal resigns to take education office role KEVIN Greenwood, has resigned as principal of St Mary’s Primary School, Bairnsdale, to take up an acting education consultant role in the Catholic Education Office, Warragul.

He began work at the start of this term, replacing Michael Hanney who is now principal of St Peter’s Primary School, Bentleigh East.

Director of Catholic Education Maria Kirkwood said the decision to appoint an acting education consultant, pending a review later this year into the role of consultants

following on from the CEO’s strategy plan.

Mr Greenwood accepted the offer to take on the position until the end of term one next year.

Ms Kirkwood said she was grateful for him agreeing to the request and felt confident that his wealth of experience as a principal, and also having been a former education consultant with the CEO, would assist a smooth transition of support to the schools served so well by Mr Hanney.

Liz Dwyer is acting principal at Bairnsdale and

Scott and Sharon Anderson With care & dignity we serve South Gippsland and Phillip Island Main Office: WONTHAGGI/INVERLOCH 176-178 Graham Street, Wonthaggi, 3995

(03) 5672 1074 Fax: (03) 5672 1747

PHILLIP ISLAND (03) 5952 5171 15 Warley Avenue, Cowes, 3922 (by appointment only) email: enquiries@handleyandandersonfunerals.com.au Pre-paid & pre-arranged funeral plans available.

CARING & PERSONAL 24 HOUR SERVICE www.handleyandandersonfunerals.com.au MEMBER OF AUSTRALIAN FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION

Michelle Garbutt has returned to the school as acting deputy principal, from her role as acting principal at Orbost.

In other school news Peter McKenna has been appointed as principal of St Kieran’s Primary School, Moe from the beginning of term one, 2016.

He has considerable experience as a teacher and leader in Catholic Schools including his most recent position as deputy principal at St Ita’s Drouin.

Kevin Browning has been appointed principal of St Catherine’s Primary School, Berwick, from the start of term one.

He has considerable experience as a leader in Catholic education having served as a principal in Queensland and Tasmania since 1999. He is currently principal at St Therese’s Primary School, Bentley Park, which is a large school in the Diocese of Cairns, Queensland.

Mr Browning will replace Patricia Stabb.

New principal of St Gabriel’s Primary, Traralgon, next year will be Roslyn Joyner who has been principal at St Brendan’s, Lakes Entrance for the past three years and before that principal at St Joseph’s, Orbost for five years.

She replaces Paul Mulqueen.

The process to appoint a new Lakes Entrance principal has begun in consultation with the parish administrator.

St Patrick’s sculptured cross STRATFORD - An unique sculpture has been erected on the student and parent entrance of St Patrick’s, Stratford.

Local parishioner, artist and sculptor, Gavin Roberts designed and created the cross as a wall feature for the school.

After many months of planning and creating, the school has a permanent and exceptional piece of artwork that captivates the Catholic identity of the school.

RIGHT: With the new cross are (from left) religious education coordinator Rose Lee, liturgy leaders Serrin Norris and Anna Boyd and principal Damien Hogan.

The central symbol is a Greek symbol for Jesus Christ in the form of an acronym and is very prominent in the Catholic side of the local cemetery.

The prominent S is also a soft symbol in Edwardian text symbolising Stratford and St Patrick’s.

Gavin thought to use the old symbol and revive it with a modern touch of design. An integral part of the design is in respect to our Aboriginal

heritage with the colors of the sun and red earth appearing around the central symbol.

Gavin used wrought iron along with a piece of historic red gum donated by the local Luxford family. The red gum originally came from one of the first settlers slab huts milled by white settlers in the mid 1880s and was removed in the 1980s from McMillan St.

Resolve marriage debate AUSTRALIA’S Catholic bishops have urged politicians to resolve the divisive debate on proposals to redefine marriage.

A Senate report on holding a popular vote on marriage was tabled several weeks ago, recommending there not be a popular vote, but that the issue be dealt with by Parliament..

In a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the chair of the Bishops Commission for Family, Youth and Life, Archbishop Anthony Fisher, asked senators to uphold the traditional understanding of marriage.

“Marriage is a fundamental institution for all societies because of its importance in uniting spouses as potential parents and in providing for the upbringing of their children”, said Archbishop Fisher.

“The Commonwealth has an interest in ensuring that children have the benefit of those connections. To

recognise these facts is not to criticise or demean other relationships; to define marriage in ways that recognise the essential connections between male-female bonding, child-bearing and child-rearing is not to discriminate against other relationships which have other goals.

“Many marriages do not involve children, but where children are born they have the right to grow up with their mother and father and marriage helps achieve that.

“Australia’s Catholic bishops want marriage as traditionally understood to continue to be supported in our laws and social policies,” said Archbishop Fisher.

“A process should be found to resolve this divisive issue that involves the whole community in an open and respectful debate. Recognising this is an important matter for all Australians, we encourage all of the parties to work together towards an acceptable solution.”

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 9

faith … learning … growth

From The Director…

Catholic Identity in Schools.

IN 2006 the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) entered into a Contract with the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium - Katholieke Universitiet Leuven (KUL) to undertake a research project titled Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (ECSIP). This project involved senior staff from the Catholic Education Offices in all four Victorian dioceses engaging with senior theology staff at KUL to develop survey tools that would assist

schools to empirically measure the Catholic identity of their schools. The survey tools were originally developed in Flemish and then need to be translated in such a way as to be of benefit to English speaking participants in the Australian context. For those of us engaged from the beginning of this project there are many funny stories to tell, as well as many hours work, involved in the translation phase.

In Leuven, Professor Didier Pollefeyt and Dr Jan Bouwens have been the primary researchers and both have visited Australia on several occasions since 2006 to provide targeted professional learning opportunities for priests, principals and religious education leaders. As well as this, several senior staff involved in RE leadership in each diocese have visited KUL for both short and intensive courses as well as longer immersion studies in the theology under-

pinning ECSIP. One of the staff from the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Sale (CEOSale), Ms Bernadette Tolan spent three months last year in Leuven under the direction of Professor Pollefeyt working on a publication to assist in the teaching of the Sacraments using the particular theology underpinning ECSIP. The Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project involves three theoretical models of scales that show attitudes and beliefs of the participants that when quantified allow for a Catholic school to identify the Catholicity of the school in a statistically accurate way. Those parents who have taken part in the surveys in their children’s schools may remember these. The first scale (Post Critical Belief) looks at understanding various styles of religious belief.

The Melbourne Scale leads to an understanding of the ways Catholic Schools

give shape to their identity theologically and the Victoria Scale looks at how schools perceive themselves in the realm of specific Catholic learning and teaching. The surveys ask participants to view their school’s situation from the perspective of how it is right now – their individual experience of the school – and also how they would like to see their school in the future.

Staff, students and parents are all invited to take part in the ECSIP surveys at the time of the Catholic School Renewal program, which occurs every four years. Primary students in grade 5 and 6 are involved and all students in secondary schools have the opportunity to complete the surveys. The surveys are confidential to the individual and when completed are sent to KUL where the information is collated and each school receives a comprehensive document which gives parish priests

and principals significant information about how that school’s Catholicity is experienced by those closely associated with it, as well as indicators of how the school community wants to engage into the future.

At the recent Sale Diocese Clergy Conference, staff from the Catholic Identity and Religious Education Staff group of CEOSale presented some of the aggregated data for schools in the diocese.

From a collective perspective it is important that we all keep a close interest on how our Catholic schools are responding to the pluralist society in which we live and keep focus on the need to maintain our Catholic traditions in such a way as to remain engaged and in dialogue with our world.

Maria Kirkwood Director Catholic Education Office Diocese of Sale

Learning About the Past at St Mary’s Maffra THE Grade 1/2 students at St Mary’s Maffra have been investigating aspects of life in Australia from the past. They have explored a wide range of learning activities to develop their understanding of different aspects of community life such as gathering information about housing, schooling, clothing, communication, transport and daily life.

The Grade One/Two students consolidated their learning beyond the classroom by travelling to Coal Creek Historical Village and expe-

riencing first-hand what school life was like in the early 1900s.

Students have also learnt about Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop and the role she had in creating the fundamental foundations of St Mary’s Primary School.

St Mary’s students visited Coal Creek Historical Village in Korumburra.

Catholic Educa on

faith … learning … growth

Page 10 - Catholic Life, October 2015

VicSpell Hosted by St Francis Xavier Beaconsfield Inside this edition

ST Francis Xavier College in Beaconsfield recently Page 1 hosted the VicSpell Maria Kirkwood Western Zone Final. The Director Diocese of Sale VicSpell competitions aim St Mary’s Maffra to find the best spellers in Learning About the Past each year level in Victorian schools from Page 2 Year 5 to Year 8.

St Francis Xavier Students from 11 other Beaconsfield schools competed in the VicSpell Western Zone Final which St Catherine’s Berwick included: Personalised Learning Bass Valley Primary Beaconsfield Primary Page 3 Berwick Primary Columba Bunyip Brentwood Park Primary Growing Wellness Coral Park Primary Derinya Primary St Patrick’s Pakenham Independent Learners James Cook Primary Kilberry Valley Primary Page 4 St James Primary Wonthaggi Primary Mary MacKillop Keysborough Sec College Leongatha Lego Robotic Engineering St Francis Xavier College.

Presiding judges were Trinity Narre Warren VicSpell Committee South Fundraising for Catholic- members Norman Care Gippsland McLennan and Trevor Sowdon.

The College Learning Enhancement students prepared and served a barbeque for competing students and guests.

The top two students in each year level from each Zone Final progress to the State Final to be held in September at Lavalla College, Traralgon.

Two St Francis Xavier students qualified for the State Final – Tayla Gordon (Year 7) and Chailyn D’Souza (Year 8). Brydie Engellener (Year 7) and Omair Siddiqi were runners-up and will compete in the State Finals if Tayla or Chailyn are unable to attend.

As well as enjoying participation in VicSpell all students enjoyed meeting students from other schools who share their passion for spelling.

Tayla Gordon (right) accepts the award for Year 7 Champion

Pictured with St Francis Xavier College teacher Adam Gordon.

Chailyn D’Souza (below) accepts the award for Year 8 Champion.

Personalised Learning at St Catherine’s Berwick A year on from the creation of our Strategic Plan which saw the development of learning and teaching goals, St Catherine’s is a place of personalised learning. During this time we have seen and are continuing to learn how powerful integrated inquiry can be!

The Integrated inquiry units this year are interestbased and student owned.

Learning experiences are rigorous and engaging. Excursions and incursions are not limited by teacher directed activities but see students identifying where they need to visit or who they need to speak to in order to achieve their own learning goals.

Internal and external staff professional development in the area of inquiry-based learning and teaching has enabled the teachers of St Catherine’s to engage in many cross level experienc-

es. These experiences have opened their creative minds to different approaches to the integrated inquiry process. Learning walks and informal classroom visits have given teachers opportunities to see authentic inquiry in action.

In the classrooms, teachers are moving through the phases of inquiry which are driven by student voice. It is not at all rare to hear at the ‘Tuning In’ stage “What do you want to learn about?” culminating at the end of an investigation with authentic ‘actions’. Earlier this year, inspired by the Master Chef craze, students in Year 5 put their learning into action by creating a cooking segment highlighting their food science knowledge and integrating digital technologies.

Recently as part of the ACMI Screenit 2015 competition, six students from

Catholic Educa on

Year 6 organised their own excursion to Freshfield Alpacas in Somerville. The students emailed their ‘expert’, organised the excursion forms and confirmed their attendance via email to the farm for their filming. Year 5 teacher, Ondine Bradbury says, “Our students are using experts in their community to find out what they need to know. They are using this skill to inquire about their interests within the curriculum”.

Students are empowered to take control of their learning which is resulting in high student engagement and achievement: “When I’m in charge of my learning I feel there are no limits to what I can do”- Jemima, Year 5 student.

Students arrange activities and excursions to meet their own learning goals.

faith … learning … growth

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 11

Growing Wellness at Columba Primary School in Bunyip AT Columba our focus has been to embed Social and Emotional learning into all areas of the Curriculum - 100% of the kids 100% of the time.

Using CASEL’s model of Social and Emotional Learning, Columba staff have been assisting students to engage in all their learning opportunities. We have implemented the following activities across the school: Maths: volume & area: erecting garden beds.

Literacy: recipes for happiness with ingredients of emotions and feelings.

Art: Drawing therapy.

Music: learning songs: “Don’t Worry Be Happy”, etc. and discussing the way music connects to our

emotions.

Inter-Personal Development: Smiling Mind app to increase mindfulness.

Lunchtime Clubs: focus on team work, inclusion and fun: Boardies, Chess Club, Book Club, Drama, Technology.

We are looking forward to a two day workshop on Yoga and relaxation techniques with Martz Yoga next term.

Each class has developed a particular focus to explore. In Year 4/5 our “Growing Wellness” theme started off with an audit of our gardens. The question was posed “What do we need to do next?” Students wrote to local community members

asking for help and negotiated ways to solve problems. Amy Ellis from Bunnings Warragul gave expert advice about propagation, when to plant and treating pests and diseases.

She has inspired the students to become actively involved in gardening.

A key breakthrough of our “Growing Wellness” topic was when the students identified that our learning was not just about gardening, but was really about how we treat people and grow as a person.

Amazing responses include: - we should be delicate with plants, just like we should be delicate with people’s feelings and emotions like: - planting skills, people need all types of skills to

make them happy.

- let’s plant seeds of kindness and compassion.

As we continue to develop our Wellbeing Policies we want to ensure that Columba continues to be a

united, thriving, innovative and exceptional learning community.

“LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE” in all you do!

Independent Learners at St Patrick’s Pakenham APPROXIMATELY two years ago, St Patrick’s embarked on a new teaching and learning journey which continues today and will continue to grow and enrich the students’ future learning. The main beneficiaries of this journey were, and are, of course, and rightfully so, the students. Our goal was and continues to be: TO BUILD INDEPENDENT LEARNERS WHO ARE REFLECTIVE, DEEP THINKERS, RISK TAKERS AND EMPOWERED. Good learning behaviours such as ‘selfmonitoring’ and ‘good learning tools’ such as Venn Diagrams and the Lotus strategy, form part of our students’ natural learning language. Students are au fait with concepts of ‘action plans, personal learning goals and productivity pie charts.

They continue to impress us at assemblies which they design, coordinate

and deliver. We have seen an increase in resilience in their approach to learning hurdles. Rarely does a teacher hear: I can’t do this. Engagement is at an all time high and the level of excitement is obvious to those new families coming to our school.

Our students have written “Class Home-Learning” policies which are well thought out and meaningful – in these classes, home-learning is no longer an issue.

We are and continue to be very proud of the confidence displayed by the students in regard to their learning; we are well on our way to building INDEPENDENT LEARNERS WHO ARE REFLECTIVE, DEEP THINKERS, RISK TAKERS AND EMPOWERED.

Catholic Educa on

St Patrick’s goal - to build independent learners who are reflective, deep thinkers, risks takers and empowered.

faith … learning … growth

Page 12 - Catholic Life, October 2015

Lego Engineering at Mary MacKillop Leongatha THIS year, Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College has introduced Lego Robotic Engineering to Year Seven, Eight and Nine students.

The subject is based on the Lego Mindstorm Education Kit from Lego. The kit consists of Lego parts, motors, sensors, special software and an intelligent brick. The brick can be connected to the computer and programmed by the special software. It is an elective for Year 8 and 9 which allows students to use a wide variety of skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) when working on different tasks.

The primary focus is to allow students to develop their own solutions when working on a specific problem. The solution can be unique from different students. Creating a unique solution allows the student to easily remember the steps/processes required to complete the task as it came from himself/herself.

Team work is also promoted. Students work, usually in pairs, to build a specific robot and program it. They are encouraged to

check their friends’ work to gather ideas. This allows for natural conversation on the topic to happen in class.

The nature of the subject also allows students to see the practical use of maths/ science concepts. A simple example is measuring the radius of a wheel and then calculating its circumference to determine the number of rotations required by that specific wheel to cover a specific distance. Students do come up with various ways of measuring distance but they eventually see the use of knowing and using the formula when building different moving robots.

More importantly, students have become more resilient towards ‘failure’ as failure in this subject has a different meaning. It is no longer an end in itself as students will then investigate to find out why it is not working or what went wrong. Robotics is a subject which develop valuable skills and attitudes in students.

Lego Robotic Engineering for Year 7, 8 and 9 students introduced at Mary MacKillop College.

The Lego Mindstorm Education Kit includes Lego parts, motors, sensors, special software and an intelligent brick.

Students and parents built a life-size igloo from empty milk cartons as part of the schools Learning Expo.

Trinity Fundraises for CatholicCare Gippsland DURING the last week of Term 3, the students and families at Trinity Catholic Primary School celebrated the importance of being part of a loving and supportive family.

Many family members gathered with the students each morning to celebrate Class Prayer and Circle Time. They also had the opportunity to contribute to the family display in the school atrium, join in with the fun of Footy Day and assist with cooking and serving a Footy Day lunch.

The week of activities was organised by the Social Justice Group and the SRC, who selected Catholic Care

Gippsland as their charity to raise money for. On the last day of term, the children came dressed in their “Footy” themed clothes and kindly made a gold coin donation. The day involved footy rotations, handball and longest kick competitions, art activities, AFL club song singing, a footy lunch and concluded with a whole school assembly.

Trinity Primary School students enjoying Footy Day

The students raised $586 that will be presented to Catholic Care Gippsland.

Catholic Educa on

Family display in the school atrium

faith … learning … growth

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 13

Project Compassion CWL conference held in Albury sets new record

By Moira Kelly

CARITAS Australia, the Catholic Church’s international aid and development agency, has thanked thousands of generous supporters, including schools and parishes across Australia for helping raise a record-breaking $11.57 million during Project Compassion 2015.

Caritas Australia’s major fundraiser is held annually for six weeks during Lent. Money raised will help thousands of vulnerable communities in more than 30 countries globally in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific and Australia.

This year’s theme for Project Compassion was Food for Life and focused on Caritas Australia’s support for the world’s poorest people to establish sustainable food sources for life. Caritas walks with them as they free themselves from the burden of food insecurity and develop new, improved income streams for a better future.

Head of community engagement Helen Forde said Project Compassion was an extraordinary, ongoing demonstration of the faith, love and generosity of caring supporters, all in the name of justice and peace. “Pope Francis last year said in response to the global food crisis that it is truly scandalous. The Australian Catholic community has responded to that call, through their overwhelming generosity to Project Compassion in solidarity with those facing global injustice and extreme poverty,� Ms Forde said. “Words can’t actually describe how I feel, because not only have our supporters, parishes, schools, Bishops, clergy, volunteers, and staff all given so much during Project Compassion, this time they’ve also responded generously with millions of dollars in support for communities affected by Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu and the devastating earthquakes in Nepal.�

Caritas education manager Jane Woolford said Just Leadership Days held across Australia demonstrated exceptional student and teacher leadership on global social justice. Just Leadership Days encouraged students to become leaders for justice, in their schools and their communities, for both local and global change. “Schools across Australia held the most extraordinary events during Project Compassion from cake stalls, to book fairs and sponsored solidarity walk events,� Ms Woolford said. “This money raised really helps us enable those communities globally to transform their lives, but by participating in learning more about global poverty,

the students and teachers fundraising or participating in Just Leadership Days are they themselves changed for the better.�

Find out more about Just Leadership Days or how you, your school or parish can get involved in Project Compassion in 2016 by phoning 1800 024 413 or visiting www.caritas. org.au/

MEMBERS of the Catholic Women’s League from Sale Diocese attended the 2015 annual general conference hosted by Wagga Wagga Diocese at Albury in August.

About 100 members attended from Victorian branches.

Opening Mass was celebrated

by Bishop of Wagga Wagga Gerard Hanna along with four priests at St Patrick’s Church Albury.

General president Anita Toner opened the conference followed by Wagga diocesan president who welcomed all.

Reflection was given by Francis Murphy on Mothers Prayers which began in England in 1990 and is now worldwide. Bishop Hanna spoke of signs of hope in the church. The church is a community not an institution.

Guest speakers were Peta Evans from Women’s Life Centre which is a place of welcome and comfort.

Counselling for women before and after abortion is available and Danielle Hanlon from Nurses in Action spoke of the extreme poverty in Kenya.

Jane Munro gave a report on the United Nations re child

trafficking to Australia.

Sylvia Neaves gave her WUCWO report and a collection was taken up for WUCWO which raised $56880. Fr Dan Strickland told of how he became a Missionary of God’s Love and his life with the order.

Guest speaker at dinner was Fiona Power who showed pictures and stories of CWL founder Dr Mary Glowrey.

The second day began with Mass celebrated by Fr Strickland. Reports were given, Roll of Honor and committee for 2016 installed.

Invest in Faith and watch it grow

Your investment in knowledge will shape our future

Health & Aged Care Worth investing in

BUILDING OUR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SINCE 1956

"5 5 3 " $ 5 * 7 & * / 5 & 3 & 4 5 t 0 / - * / & " $ $ & 4 4 t / 0 ' & & 4

C D F e SAV E R & TE R M I N V E STM E NTS CONTACT CDF TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT CDF Melbourne CDF Sale p: 9411 4200 e: invest@melbcdf.org.au Q F DEG!TBMF DBUIPMJD PSH BV

www.melbcdf.org.au Your investment enables CDF to assist with the funding of building projects in: t $BUIPMJD 1BSJTIFT t $BUIPMJD 1SJNBSZ 4DIPPMT t $BUIPMJD 4FDPOEBSZ $PMMFHFT t $BUIPMJD IFBMUI BOE BHFE DBSF The Archdiocese of Melbourne – Catholic Development Fund (CDF) is designed for investors who wish to promote the charitable purposes of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. We welcome your investment with CDF rather than with a proďŹ t oriented commercial organisation as a conscious commitment by you to support the Charitable, Religious and Educational works of the Catholic Church. CDF is not subject to the fundraising provision of the Corporation Act 2001 nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Neither CDF nor the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Trusts Corporation for the Archdiocese of Melbourne is prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. Contributions to CDF do not obtain the beneďŹ t of the Depositor Protection Provision of the Banking Act 1959. The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne has indemniďŹ ed the CDF against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the CDF through CDPF Limited, which is a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. In essence, this means that your deposit, investment and any interest payable is guaranteed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.

Page 14 - Catholic Life, October 2015

Pioneer priests are featured PIONEER PRIESTS OF AUSTRALIA 1800-1870,

by Fr Ted Cooper SDB, published and distributed

by St Paul’s Publications, paperback, 138 pages, rrp $22.95.

THIS book was written by the late Fr Cooper who is well known in this diocese, having served with the Salesians at Bairnsdale and in later life often relieving in various parishes when priests were away.

He was a well-known raconteur with a keen sense of humor. His other great love was the history of the Church in Australia and so in retirement he set about writing about some of the dedicated pioneer priests.

He chose to write about 17 men, all done laboriously by longhand as he confessed to being computer-illiterate.

From those transcribed notes comes this book which former Nagle College principal Fr Frank Freeman SDB praises on the back cover.

He says the book has much to recommend it as Fr Cooper trains a spotlight on the various personalities and their differences.

“Here we have a group of men, drawn from diverse cultural backgrounds, with

Talking about What’s on & when Books OCTOBER

was in the production stage.

He is buried alongside other Salesian priests in Sunbury.

CALL AND RESPONSE - An Introduction to the Catholic Faith, by Catholic Inquiry Centre, published and distributed by St Pauls Publications, paperback, 152 pages, rrp $21.95.

different and often confronting personalities, facing the hardships of a hostile physical and cultural environment with great courage.”

The book is well written with the subjects portrayed in simple language and it is a good read for anyone interested in the early Church in Australia.

Sadly, Fr Cooper died in September 2013 while his book

THIS book is not only for those interested in becoming Catholics but it is also a brief synopsis of what Catholics believe.

The basis for the teachings within are the Catechism of the Catholic Church which is a confronting tome for most people not used to the heavy language of the Church.

It goes through the meanings of each statement in the Creed, then outlines the various Sacraments and then finally ways to respond to God’s call and some common prayers.

New book on end of WW2

By Marcus Hill ANYONE who reaches 80 years of age will have been a witness to history in one way or another. Having spent my childhood in Sale during WW2 I have an acute sense that there is a story to be told while memories are still alive.

That is why I have written a book - A Town at War, Sale in

Quick calendar

Gippsland, 1939 – 1945.

Among my strongest recollections was the day the war ended. It was August 15, 1945, and morning Mass was underway in St Mary’s Cathedral for the Feast of the Assumption. During the war there was much to pray for and church services were generally packed-out.

This day was no exception

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

but it was going to be an extra special occasion.

Near the end of Mass there was an explosion of noise from somewhere in Raymond St. Four years earlier we would have assumed it was the expected Japanese invasion – but not this time! Someone rushed into the back of the cathedral and shouted “The war is over, The war is over”!

What happened next still amazes me. As a 10-yearold I was accustomed to the traditional, prayerful quiet of the Latin Mass. But Bishop Ryan understood this was not the moment for solemnity.

We received the quickest blessing on record and out we went – running towards the hullabaloo in Raymond St., where day-long festivities were starting up.

In my book I mention a number of the faithful. Bishop Ryan, of course, was known far and wide. He had some rather forthright things to say from the pulpit but, in casual conversation he was a charming person who had the twinkle of the Irish in his eyes. Fr Kevin Moriarty was my favorite. He once gave me the Last Rites when appendicitis almost took me. He died in 1949.

And then there were our teachers. Sr Jeanne (Brigid Cunningham) and Sr Bennet (Louisa Dwyer) at St Mary’s Primary got me started in English. And Bro. Marcellin (Tom Kivlighon) at St Patrick’s gave me a love of the language that has never died. A Town at War is available at Collins Booksellers in Sale and Bairnsdale or by phoning 9699 8417.

15 – Valley region meeting, St Mary’s Church meeting room, Newborough, noon 18 – Mission Sunday 22 – St John Paul II 25 – St Mary’s Newborough parish and school fete, 10am to 2pm 25 – St Sofia Festival, Koo Wee Rup, commencing with Mass at 9.30am 31 – Greenmount Cemetery Mass, 3pm

8 – Immaculate Conception 8 – Year of Mercy begins 14 – St John of the Cross 18 – School year ends 24 – Christmas Eve 25 – Christmas Day 26 – Boxing Day 27 – Holy Family 27 – Boxing Day alternate holiday 31 – New Year’s Eve

2016

NOVEMBER 1 – All Saints Day 1 – St Mary’s, Yarram, centenary celebration 1 – St Mary’s Church, Newborough 60th anniversary Mass 10.30am, followed by morning tea and open day at school 2 – All Souls Day 3 – Melbourne Cup holiday 4 – West region meeting, St Agatha’s, Cranbourne, 10.30am 10 – Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting, St Michael’s Parish Centre, Traralgon, 9.30am 14 – Teaching Day with Bishop O’Regan. Preparing for the Holy Year of Mercy, Marist Sion College, Warragul, 9.30am – 3.30pm 17 – East region meeting, Orbost, 10.30am 19 – Special anniversary Mass for Bishop Jeremiah Coffey, St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale 22 – Christ the King 23 – Deadline for December Catholic Life

JANUARY 1 – New Year’s Day 1 – Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 3 – Epiphany 10 – Baptism of the Lord 26 – Australia Day 27 – Start of Term One (there may be local variations due to staff only days, etc.)

28 – St Thomas Aquinas

FEBRUARY 1 – St Brigid 2 – Presentation of the Lord 5 – St Agatha 10 – Ash Wednesday 10 – Start of Project Compassion Appeal

DECEMBER 2 – Catholic Life published 2 - Mass to celebrate end of Year of Consecrated Life, St Michael’s Church, Traralgon, 11am 3 – St Francis Xavier 3 – Valley region Christmas lunch, Morwell Club, Helen St., noon 3-5 – Australian Catholic Youth Festival, Adelaide

MARCH 7 – Labor Day public holiday 8 – St John of God 17 – St Patrick’s Day 20 – Palm Sunday 24 – The Lord’s Supper 24 – End of Term One 25 – Good Friday 26 – Easter Vigil 27 – Easter Sunday.

APRIL 11 – Term Two begins

2015 Quilts in the Garden Sunday, November 15, 2015.

1pm to 5pm 132 Princes St. (Highway) Traralgon. $10 entry includes tea/coffee & cake.

Display of Quilts by local quilters.

Quilt raffle, plant sales, trading table. All funds raised will go directly to educating under-privileged children in Timor Leste.

Further information : Carole McLennan 5175 0725.

Assistance to Timor Leste Inc.

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 15

Volatility - An ogre or an opportunity to invest?

FOR the last few months share markets have seemed volatile, or should I say, the daily press have promoted that the markets have been volatile.

The commentary combined with the real market movements have meant that some people have been deterred from investing, or the market has been seen as “scary”.

Taking the last six months record of the Dow Jones Average (DOW) and the Australian All Ordinaries Index (XAO) to illustrate that, there is some truth in the matter.

The All Ords has had in the last three months, 14 days where it rose by more than half of the current Cash Management rate and 17 where it fell by similar margins.

The DOW on the other hand had 13 up days and 11 down days of a similar sized movement.

In the three previous months, from April, the Australian market wasn’t as volatile, with 13 up days and 13 down days.

DOLLAR$ & SENSE with David Wells

The Dow was calmer yet again, with only 11 up days and six down days. This was nowhere near the volatility of 2011 and 2013 where movement even greater than these occurred on up to 50 percent of the trading days in a six month period.

In this period the All Ords dropped 4.97 percent and the Dow dropped 4.22 percent.

Our markets these days are not generally the long term investment holding now, with the average holding period in the USA and in the UK now less than seven months.

This information isn’t available for the Australian market but the last survey (for 2013) indicated that individual

shareholders traded an extra 50 percent when compared with the previous survey in 2005.

In the USA high frequency trading, which may constitute 70 percent of trades, the average holding length in July 2012 was only 22 seconds.

While these trends continue. The volatility we’re experiencing could well be the new normal There are some strategies for handling this volatility.

The first is time. If you measured your share portfolio once a year, similarly to your property when you get a rates notice, there would be little or no volatility.

The graph would be a straight

St Kieran's takes out double

THE choir members celebrating their Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod win.

MOE – St Kieren’s Primary School has won the Interschool Debating Competition and the choirs section at Latrobe Valley Schools Eisteddfod!

The choir is a mix of Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students under the guidance of Rose Howell, accompanied on piano

by Hilma Gould and guitar by David Blackman.

The choir sang two contrasting songs. The first was the blessing May God Be In Your Heart sung at the 25th Anniversary of Fr Harry Dyer’s ordination earlier this year.

The second song was the very lively Best Day of My Life made popular by pop band American Authors.

The choir was affirmed by the adjudicator for its attention to detail and focus on their conductor.

The winning debating team comprised Year 6 students – Nicola, Ben and James.

The Interschool Debating Championship is an annual event for schools in the Latrobe Valley. This year St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School, Morwell, was the host.

The competition saw St

Vincent’s, Sacred Heart Morwell, St Kieran’s and St Mary’s Newborough competing for the top prize.

Judges included the Member of Parliament for Morwell, Russell Northe.

Topics saw children debating

the merits of social media, alongside the growth of soccer as Australia’s premier sport. Speakers from all schools deserve high praise, demonstrating excellent research and presentation skills.

line between dates.

The numbers would be positive or negative, but there would be no fluctuation in the chart line itself. If you measured your property on a daily basis as to what someone would pay for it that day, it would probably be even more volatile than the share market.

The share market is little more than a daily auction.

Even if markets go up and down rapidly in short periods, the long term trends are still upwards. If you are prepared to hold good investments for a long period then the volatility becomes irrelevant, until you need to realise it.

That’s why volatility can be a retiree’s enemy but a younger investor’s opportunity. Warren Buffet presents as an excellent example of this approach – buying good businesses at a fair price and holding. But even he has made some blunders in his day, too.

The opposite approach is to use the volatility as a trading opportunity, to buy low and sell high. Given that every time you make a change there’s an increased risk of error, this strategy is best applied to sound businesses.

After all, you may be left holding an investment for a while. Of course, an investor should always retain a core portfolio of good shares that aren’t for trading. These will lead the market upwards on any recovery.

Is the volatility your opportunity or your ogre?

As a further aside, much of the volatility in the

Maffra Sale Heyfield

5147 1954 5144 1954 5148 3354

www.semmensfunerals.com.au 24 Hour Service

Australian market is caused by international funds coming and going.

Australia is less than 2 percent of the world’s share markets value, so if a fund manager in Europe or in the USA needs to cover their positions, it’s easier to sell down the Australian investments as they may not be material to the overall position of the fund.

To protect against this happening to your investments look for growing businesses based in Australia, not so big that they are on the Big Radar, and small enough to be doing things that make a real difference to their business regardless of the market; but that’s another article.

I am now working from an office in Warragul one day per week, usually Wednesday so if any Catholic Life readers want to catch up I’m available. Call 5622 1947 to make a time.

• This report is intended to provide general advice and figures used in this instance are for indicative purposes only. In preparing this advice, David Wells and Shaw and Partners 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.

Our Family Caring For Your Family Since 1979 Member Of The Australian Funeral Directors Association

Investments made simple.

Personal advice Unrivalled experience Buy and sell shares, portfolio managememt Investment research and daily market information Investment advice for self managed super funds For all your investment needs please contact: David Wells W , Senior Investment Adviser on 03 9268 1157 or toll free 1800 150 009 or dwells@shawandpartners.com.au

HAPPY debaters with their shield.

Page 16 - Catholic Life, October 2015

Celebrating century of dedication of the cathedral THE centenary of the consecration of St Mary’s Cathedral has been celebrated in Sale with Masses and tours of the diocesan historical display.

Bishop Pat O’Regan was in Rome at the time of the events and so sent a message which was published in bulletins in Sale.

The cathedral was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour by the first Bishop of Sale James Corbett on October 8, 1911, while the sanctuary was being added to the western end.

He was looking forward to consecrating the building at a later date when it was clear of debts but died on May 29, 1912.

He was buried beneath the floor in the right hand side of the unfinished cathedral near Our

Lady’s chapel.

The completed cathedral was opened to parishioners and visitors on Rosary Sunday, October 1912.

Shortly after Bishop Patrick Phelan became the second bishop he travelled to Rome to make his ad limina report on the state of the diocese. While there World War 1 began, then Pope Pius X died and so Bishop Phelan waited until Benedict XV was elected before returning to Gippsland.

Bishop Phelan consecrated the cathedral on September 26, 1915, in a ceremony which took nearly five hours.

Small brass crosses with attached candle holders mark the 12 places where he blessed the walls with holy oil.

Bishop O’Regan wrote:

FR Brian O’Connor (second from right) leads a tour of the diocesan historical display in the front of the former Bishop’s House behind the cathedral. Looking on are (from left) parishioners Peter Synan, Brian Cantwell, Ann Neville, Elizabeth Staberhofer and Brenda Bowden.

“I am sad that I shall not be able to join you for the centenary celebrations of the consecration of our Cathedral, St Mary’s Cathedral Sale, as I shall be finishing up in Rome at the Colloquium for newly appointed Bishops. Please be assured of my prayerful support at this time. If things were otherwise I would of course be with you.

“The opportunity to celebrate the centenary of the consecration of our Cathedral, consecration gives us a chance to do two things.

“First, it offers us the opportunity to look back in thanksgiving and to admire the faith of those who have gone before us. We appreciate the fact that they incarnated their faith in bringing about St Mary’s as a place of worship and beauty, of which we are the proud inheritors.

The foundation stone was laid in 1886; it was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help by Bishop Corbett in 1911, and on Sunday 26th September, 1915 it was consecrated by Bishop Phelan.

“We see here a great reminder that good things take time. It took nearly 30 years from the laying of the foundation stone to that which we are celebrating today, its consecration. I’m sure there were many difficulties and triumphs during that time.

We think of the optimism of the Solemn High Mass beginning of the stroke of midnight 1st January 1901 to mark the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia;

St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale we think that during September 1915 the world was being ravaged by “the war to end all wars”. As always the Cathedral stood as a sentinel bringing hope.

“Second, it invites us to look forward in faith and to imitate that same faith one hundred years on. A lot has changed in that time and we face together new challenges of enlivening the gift of faith and bringing about its energetic expression in the lives of our people.

“While a lot has changed in one hundred years, one thing has not, our patron, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, or as it is sometimes described, Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

“In his book, Embracing the Icon of Love, Br Daniel Korn CSsR, speaks of Mary’s role in the life of the Church as he quotes the final chapter of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium where it speaks of the place of the

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the mysteries of Christ and the church in this way, ‘The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honoured as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer.’ (LG #53) “He adds, ‘Devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help is always understood in the light of this statement.’

“May our centenary celebrations be guided in this way. And finally a prayer, “O Mother of the whole world, worthy of all praise. You begot Christ in our souls. Accept from us, your spiritual children, this earnest prayer and keep in the love of your Son all of us who have submitted to to the Will of God. Lead us to everlasting Glory in heaven as we sing in your honor: Alleluia!”

Cathedral parish schools gather to celebrate SALE – Students from the three Catholic primary schools in the Cathedral Parish celebrated the centenary of the dedication of St Mary’s Cathedral.

Fr Peter Bickley, Bairnsdale, celebrated the Mass in the absence of administrator Fr Aju Puthupally who was on leave.

Principal of St Patrick’s Stratford, Damien Hogan gave the students a brief history of the cathedral at the start of the service.

Fr Bickley said that the cathedral was the mother church of the diocese and while the original building had been

completed in 1887 it was later extended by the addition of the large curved sanctuary area.

He pointed out many of the features including the bishop’s chair and the architecture which had been highly praised in the local newspaper when the cathedral was completed.

He talked about the various stained glass windows, stations of the cross and the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

He also reminded the students that they were sitting on the same pews where many of the current church and community leaders had sat when they were

a similar age.

“You can find those people as leaders in your parish, leaders in your schools, a teachers, catechists and community roles.”

Fr Bickley urged the children to visit the cathedral often, to sit, say a prayer and to attend Mass.

After Mass, the students and parishioners gathered outside the Cathedral to watch Fr Bickley cut the anniversary cake. The students and parishioners then enjoyed refreshments of fruit, cake and cordial provided by the parish.

World Mission Day dual focus this year is a first FOR the first time ever, Catholic Mission’s hallmark celebration of World Mission Month has a special joint focus on two mission areas.

World Mission Month, celebrated annually in October by millions of Catholics, is profiling the work of dedicated missionaries in Madagascar as well as remote Indigenous Australia.

The month-long celebration traditionally profiles just one country.

Catholic Mission national director Martin Teulan says the new approach will better enable Australians to witness the incredible work of mission

happening in places all around the world.

“It is expected that around 1100 appeals will take place in parishes around Australia during October” he said.

“At the heart of these appeals will be the story of Sr Alma Cabassi and other missionaries providing spiritual and practical support to Indigenous Australians in remote dioceses such as Broome and WilcanniaForbes.

“Meanwhile, students in Catholic schools around Australia will learn about Madagascar, where efforts are being made to provide children with clean water for drinking

and sanitation, while also enlivening their faith.”

Sr Rose Rasoavololona, a missionary working in the island nation off Africa’s east coast, has overseen the installation of six water pumps and eight toilet blocks at the Catholic school where she has been a principal for 12 years. She also provides the ‘Living Water’ the children need, through the provision of religious education materials.

Catholic Mission’s schools fundraising campaign ‘Socktober’ encourages school students, their teachers and their families to ‘Sock it to poverty’ by raising funds for Madagascar and other areas in

need through creative, sockthemed initiatives. These can include a ‘Crazy Sock Day’, a ‘Rock Your Socks Off’ disco, or a sock puppet theatre.

In addition, resources are available online to anyone wishing to learn more about mission, or who would like to fundraise, advocate or pray for people in need in Madagascar, Indigenous Australia, and all around the world. These resources include the powerful DVD, ‘I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink’, which tells Sr Rose’s story.

Mr Teulan says the resources and the parish appeals will encourage all Australians to

take up Pope Francis’ call to be missionary disciples.

“Pope Francis says in his World Mission Day address, ‘Mission is a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people’”, said Mr Teulan.

“The stories that flow through this year’s World Mission Month appeals show the often unsung work of these wonderful, dedicated missionaries of Jesus, both overseas and here in Australia.”

You can access the school resources, including the DVD, at http://www.catholicmission. o rg. a u / w m m / 2 0 1 5 - w o r l d mission-month.

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 17

Sion Sisters arrive in Australia 125 years ago SALE - 2015 marks 125 years since the first Sisters of Our Lady of Sion arrived in Sale.

Seven sisters of French, Irish and English origin answered the invitation of Bishop Corbett to set up a secondary school in his newly formed diocese, arriving in March 1890.

Initially in temporary accommodation, the first stage of the Convent of Notre Dame de Sion on York St. was opened in 1893, with the opening of the chapel the highlight for the leader of the group, Mother Raphaela in 1901.

The Gippsland Times in August 1901 reported the following extracts of the Very Rev. Fr O’Farrell who gave the sermon at the chapel dedication and who had also been in Sale assisting with the laying of the Foundation Stone.

“It was only nine years since

he had been in Sale assisting at the ceremony of laying of the foundation stone of the magnificent institution that had since sprung up as if by magic. … a day not to be forgotten, for the idea of erecting a convent such as had been planned and intended on that day was looked upon by many as a hopeless task, as something that would never be accomplished.

"There was in the midst of the little family of Sion a treasure of courage, of confidence and of energy that the people, and even the priests little suspected on that day (Mother Raphaela).

Later on, that energy and that courage were revealed ... the people came to know it; they rallied round them; they gave them encouragement and helped them in every way, till, in less than a year after the date to which he had referred

CATHOLIC College Sale students gather to spell out the anniversary for this aerial photograph at Sion campus.

the beautiful convent was opened and revealed itself to the public eye as a thing of real architectural beauty, for many who had seen it had been heard to declare that not in any part of Australia in the present day was there a more beautiful, a more perfect, a more striking piece of architecture as a convent than that which was in their midst.

“The bishop, the priests and the people began to understand the treasure that they had amongst them. Visitors who came to the town and saw the convent and watched the beautiful grounds laid out with such skill and taste, found that it was indeed a holy place, a place where they would desire to see their children trained and brought up in the same cultured instincts that were found in this community. The school began to increase, and when the public examinations were held year after year, the pupils of this convent came to the front and carried away passes and honors, so that the whole of Victoria began to wake up to the fact that there was here a magnificent educational institution.. a splendid convent … a refined, a cultured and capable community that could hold its own with the oldest and most distinguished educational establishments in the whole of Australia.

“The nuns ... in the execution of their design produced something that would be an object of admiration, not only to this district, but would draw visitors from every part of Australia if it were only to see the beautiful niche…

“Not in the whole of Australia was there anything like it, and they were there that day to congratulate the good nuns on having placed in the midst of them, something that was calculated to complete the education of the children, by giving to their minds an elevation, a polish, and a culture that only a grand and beautiful and tasteful building of this kind was able to achieve.”

On the weekend of the November 7-8 the college will open its doors to celebrate 125

years of secondary Catholic education in Sale.

Tours of the coinvent building will take place on the Saturday from 11am to 3pm for a gold coin donation and afternoon tea will be available in the front garden.

On the Sunday there will be a gathering of Friends of Sion beginning with 9.30am Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, celebrated

by Bishop Pat O’Regan.

At 11am there will be registration and refreshments at the Sion Campus in the Marcellin Room, followed by a picnic lunch in the gardens at noon. Please note reservations are required.

At 2.30pm there will be a prayer service in the chapel led

by Bishop O’Regan.

Rotary keeps water flowing in Project Ochobo WHEN Bishop Michael Ekwoki Apochi from the Diocese of Otukpo, Nigeria, visited Loch in June of 2014 the 14 team members of Project Ochobo presented the final $1400 of a $18,000 donation to further the water project that the bishop was overseeing in the village of Ochobo.

At a dinner following a concelebrated Mass, Bishop Apochi announced that, at the end of stage two, 2500 villagers were able to collect clean and disease free water from a set of taps positioned in the centre of the village on a rotation basis. In less than two years of fundraising Ochobo residents had access to clean running water.

Fr Joseph Abutu from the village of Ochobo introduced himself as the newly appointed assistant priest to Leongatha and Korumburra parishes in November 2011.

After becoming aware of Fr Abutu’s background story; his meagre life and schooling in his village, a small group of parishioners from St Vincent’s Loch decided to raise enough money to purchase vestments and altar vessels for his home town Church.

Amazingly and with tremendous support the Project Ochobo team raised over $3000 at two market stalls held in Loch. Fr Denis at St Michael’s Church, Ochobo, happily received $600 to make his purchases.

But .... ‘from small things big things grow’: after a meeting with Fr Abutu the team became

VILLAGERS queue for water at one of the new taps in Ochobo. aware of the dire situation of the manner in which Ochobo villagers coped with collecting, and moreover, relying on the use of contaminated and polluted water that caused illnesses such as typhoid, cholera and dysentery.

Subsequently, people in Ochobo died.

The team made the bold decision to increase the balance of the money to the point where they could fund a supply of clean, disease free, uncontaminated water to Ochobo villagers. The first contact was made with Bishop Apochi.

Fundraising became a whole parish project. The team became formalised with a committee, publicity was sought; local newsletters and newspapers being extremely generous with their space. People from outside the Church and Parishes contributed, organisations donated, the biggest of which was Mary MacKillop College

supporting the project in their 2012 walkathon. Within a few months $8000 was raised.

This money was remitted through the secure account of the Sale Diocese directly to Bishop Apochi's Okputo Diocesan account.

Furthermore, every cent raised went to Ochobo for the Water Project. With grateful thanks to an anonymous benefactor and generous team members absolutely no overheads were taken out of any fundraising events.

With Bishop Apochi personally overseeing stage one of the water project and with local labor, a 12m water tower (holding 50,000 litres of water) was soon constructed.

Raw, contaminated water from the small river was pumped to eight 1000 litre ground tanks, the water was treated and passed through industrial filtration cylinders before a small electric pump

was used to pump the water to the water tower.

Finally, water was distributed to the seminary housing 150 staff and students and then piped to a set of taps centrally located in Ochobo for 2500 villagers to collect water only twice a week.

Bishop Apochi conveyed his gratitude to Project Ochobo team members in saying “lives have been saved”. There was already evidence of less illness amongst the villagers.

Word spread to outlying villages.

Women with wheelbarrows and containers walked 3 or 4km for the privilege of collecting clean water, then carrying their load back to their village. The demand for water became much higher than its supply, forcing women to still source contaminated water at the river.

At the 2014 dinner in Loch Bishop Apochi explained that the 40 year old diesel pump sited at the river had maximum capacity to pump two hours at a time before overheating.

The Project Ochobo team recognised a pressing need to upgrade the quality of the pump, a generator and more piping to increase the daily supply of water to Ochobo people and also to approximately 3000 people in an outlying village.

Fundraising recommenced with more publicity throughout the parishes, and a further $3750 was sent in January 2015.

Following a meeting and presentation to Leongatha Rotary Members, late in 2014,

the Project Ochobo president, Ken Loughnan was invited to present a submission for funding. In June Rotary presented a cheque for $2000 to assist upgrading the water supply facilities in Ochobo and the outlying village.

A further commitment was undertaken by the Rotary Club and six weeks later it presented a further $800.

Mr Loughnan said this money would enable Bishop Apochi to purchase a new, larger pump and associated infrastructure.

The donation would not only provide a more frequent and reliable water supply to the existing five taps in the village, but also an extended reticulation to service up to another 3000 people in surrounding areas.

BISHOP Apochi climbs the new water tower.

Page 18 - Catholic Life, October 2015

For the Young and Young at Heart Moses in the bullrushes

Time for a laugh A woman decided to have her portait painted.

She told the artist “Paint me with diamond earrings, pearl necklace, an emerald bracelet and huge ruby ring.

I also want you to paint them large.”

The artist asked why she wanted the jewellery included when she wasn’t wearing any.

She replied “It is just in case I die before my husband.

I know he will remarry right away and I want his new wife to go nuts looking for the jewellery.”

DO You know the story of how baby Moses was left by his mother floating in a basket hidden in some bullrushes and how he was found by the Pharoah’s daughter?

The full story of this great leader of the Israelites is in Exodus.

An easy crossword for you

ACROSS: 3. Kitchen furniture 5. Frothy 6. European tree 7. Burns 9. Part of roadway 11. Wise man 12. AFL premiers 15. Part of flower 16. Aged 19. Insect 20. Country

22. Hard bodied reptile 24. Popular aquarium fish 26. Gippsland cave town 29. Australian lizard 30. Milk source 31. Part of the body 32. Remembrance Day flower DOWN: 1. In touch with the road 2. Male witch 3. Resting place 4. Australian Infantry Force

8. Ball game 10. No charge 13. - honeyeater, Victorian bird emblem 14. Female goat 17. Water body 18. Irish saint 21. Herb 23. Aussie band 25. Woman’s partner 27. Bee product 28. Toy on a string

Sie Deutsch sprechen?” he says.

The Aussies just stare at him.

“Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francaise?”

Again they just stare.

“Parlare Italiano?”

No response so he says “Hablan ustedes Espanol?”

Finally, the Swiss man gives up and drives off.

The first Aussie turns to the second and says “You know perhaps we should learn a foreign language.”

“Why would we waste our time?” says the second.

“That guy knew four and it A grasshopper walks into a didn’t do him any good!” bar, and hops up on a stool.

The barman says “Hey, A man is sure his wife is we’ve got a drink named losing her hearing but she after you!” refuses to go to the hearing “Really? Why would you specialist. call a drink Kevin?”

So he goes to see the specialist and asks his advice.

You can always recognise The specialist tells the man the employee playing golf to go home and start talking with his boss. to his wife from various He’s the one who says distances, getting closer until “Oops” when he hits a hole she can hear him. in one.

He goes in the front door and yells out “What’s for In a psychiatrist’s waiting dinner?” room two men are having a There’s no reply so he goes conversation. into the lounge and calls One asks the other “Why again “What’s for dinner?” are you here?”

Again he hears no reply, The second replies that he so he goes right into the is Napoleon and he had no kitchen and says “What’s for idea why he is there except dinner?” his doctor suggested it might “For goodness sake,” be a good idea. replies the wife. “For the “How do you know you are third time, it’s lambs chops.”

Napoleon?”

“God told me,” comes the A truckie walks into a bar reply. and the barman says “Sorry At this another man on the mate, this is a formal bar. other side of the room shouts. You have to have a tie on to “That’s a lie! I said nothing be in here.” of the sort.”

The truckie goes back to his truck, searching for A man dies and is taken to something which might pass hell to be tormented by the as a tie. devil.

He finally, grabs the jumper As he passes sulphurous leads and drapes them around pits and shrieking sinners, he his neck. sees a man he recognises as He goes back in and asks his financial adviser with a the barman “How’s this?” beautiful woman at his side.

“Much better. But I don’t “That’s not fair,” complains want you starting anything.” the man. “I face torment for all eternity, and that con man Jesus is strolling through gets to spend time with a Heaven when he sees an old beautiful woman.” man crying.

“Be quiet,” barks the Devil, The man explains that he jabbing the man with his was a carpenter but his son pitchfork. “Who are you had gone away and he had to question that women’s been looking for him in punishment.”

Heaven for years.

Thinking it might be A Swiss gentleman looking Joseph, Jesus says tentatively for directions pulls up at a bus “Father?” stop where two Aussies on a The old man looks up and trip to Europe are waiting. says “Is that you Pinnochio?”

“Entschuldigung, koennen

Catholic Life, October 2015 - Page 19

Medjugorje decision still long way off?

Classifieds prayer

prayer

bingo

MIRACULOUS infant Jesus, we prostrate before your image and beseech you to cast a merciful look on our troubled heart. Let your tender heart so inclined to pity be soften by our prayers and grant us that grace for which we ardently implore you (intention) Take from us all affliction and despair all trials and misfortunes with which we are laden for your scared infancies sake. Hear our prayers, send us consolation and aid that we may praise you with the Father and the holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen Lord Jesus by faith in your merits, I now take your precious blood and sprinkle it over myself and my family.

Right from the crown of my head to the very soles of my feet. I claim total and complete protection for my life and my family. Lord Jesus keep me free today from evil, sin and temptation. Satan's attractions, fear of darkness, fear of man, sickness, diseases, doubts, anger, all calamities and from all that is not of thy kingdom.

Fill me Lord Jesus with the gift of your Holy Spirit and grant us wisdom. So that I will live today in your glory by doing that which is right. I praise you Jesus, thank you Jesus, adore you Jesus, I love you Jesus.

Holy spirit you who makes me see everything and shows me the way to reach mi ideals.

You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me. And you who are in all instances of my life with me, I in this short dialogue I want to thank you for everything and affirm once more that I never want to be separated from you, no matter how great the material desire may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory (intention) Thank you Holy Spirit for your love towards me and to my loved ones, Amen.

READERS please note that published prayers reflect the beliefs of those who place the advertisements. We ask readers to judge for themselves, especially in regards to suggested fulfilment of requests made in these prayers.

Sacred Heart School

MAY the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, loved and glorified throughout the whole world now and forever more.

Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us, St Jude helper of the desperate pray for us.

public notices MONSIGNORS W. Caffrey and J. Allman wish it be known they acknowledge with prayers and thanks the greta kindness, many prayers and good wishes given to them on the occasion of their recent 90th birthdays.

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

If so please contact

Fr Peter Bickley 5152 3106 vocations@sale.catholic.org.au

BINGO Every Friday

Morwell RSL Club 11am Phone 5134 8484 ROLLING JACKPOTS TOTALLY $6150

wanted known

Your will be done Trinity Families asks you to consider assisting our work in funding charitable projects across the diocese.

Remembering Trinity Families in your will by making a bequest is an effective way of ensuring that you do something to help those struggling families in our midst.

If you need more information on bequests contact: PO Box 1410, Warragul 3820 Ph: 56 22 6688 ABN 51 486 581 500

Please donate generously to the appeal for

Trinity Families.

The Sale Diocese charity serving the families of Greater Gippsland.

THE Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith which is looking into the Medjugorje apparition claims is still believed to be months from making any decision or statement.

Speculation arose that a decision was imminent after Pope Francis told a Bosnian journalist in June that the decision would be “soon,” but how long soon is in the life of a 2000 year old institution is anyone’s guess.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said any decision was still likely to be months away.

Most commentators believe Medjugorje will not achieve the same status as Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe and Knock, to name some of the better known approved Marian sites.

The congregation set up a commission at the request of Benedict XVI in 2010 to investigate the phenomenon of Medjugorje. and the congregation has been reviewing recommendations.

The alleged apparitions began in 1981 when six children in Bosnia-Herzegovina, then part of Yugoslavia, started to experience what they claimed to be apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to the four girls and two boys, the daily apparitions contained a message of peace for the world, a call to conversion, prayer and fasting, and certain secrets regarding future events.

Catholic Life

Classified Ads 1, 2, 3 step advertising 1...Fill in form, one word per square

2... Check cost at right hand side

3...Post form with appropriate amount.

Please send cheque or money order with advertisement to:

CATHOLIC LIFE CLASSIFIEDS CATHOLIC MEDIA GIPPSLAND PO BOX 1410 WARRAGUL VIC 3820 $10 minimum for first 24 words.

Add $1.20 for additional six words or part hereof

Closing date for next issue is November 23

Add a photo for just $10 more!!

Talk to

Catholic Life about our special deal of placing credit card sized advertisements in three consecutive issues for a pre-paid total of $150.

A cost-effective way of promoting your business

Phone 5622 6688

$10.00 min $11.20 $12.60 $13.80 $15.00

Name: ...........................................................................................................

Address: ....................................................................................................... ........................................................... Phone: ...............................................

Page 20 - Catholic Life, October 2015

St Catherine's finds gold on the Gold Coast numerous fundraisers to fly the girls over to the Gold Coast for the event. Many planning meetings, emails, cupcake stalls and training sessions later and the girls were off to the sunny Gold Coast!

On August 15 the girls stepped out onto the stage at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in front of a large audience and a panel of judges watching their every step.

They walked away feeling elated at what they had achieved, and overwhelmed with joy at the overall experience, not knowing at the time that they had achieved an amazing total score of 80.09 and were now the national champions!

The school community of St Catherine’s are thrilled with their Quick Stepin Cuties, to reach a National competitive level at the age of 12 is an amazing achievement, to come back to Berwick as national champions exceeded all hopes!

Cameroon

Nagle boys are state hockey champs again

A priest in the Andes annointing the sick The Centrepiece of the Year of Consecrated Life rosary, is inspired by the Gospel passage “He said to them, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men”. Matthew 4:1920. Peter, drops the nets and follows Him. The Cross of the rosary is inspired by the word “YES” in faithfulness to His Call and to His Mission.

The different languages represent an answer to the Love that knows no boundaries. The centre of the Cross depicts The Annunciation where Mary answers “YES” and from that moment Mary’s faith receives new light. The heart is inspired by the words of St Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you”.

Cath Life Sale

BERWICK - St Catherine’s Primary School’s aerobics team the Quick Stepin Cuties have won gold at the School Aerobics National Championships on the Gold Coast.

Taelyn Prince, Ebony Peak, Ashlee Duhau, Christy Thomas, Phoebe Newman and Alicia Swaris represented Victoria in their division and their win makes them number one in Australia in the Primary Stage 1 Classic Section.

The girls started training in March under head coach Rebecca Keating, assistant coach Claire Culpitt and head of sport Elisha Langdon.

The girls trained long and hard before school, lunch times and on their holidays. They competed first at Geelong in May at the preliminaries where they achieved second place.

The girls, inspired by their high placing, headed back to school for further training and choreography changes. They returned to Geelong for the state championships in June where their hard work paid off winning gold and being given the opportunity to represent Victoria at the nationals.

The school community of St Catherine’s has been enthusiastic and eager in their support of the girls, hosting

THE victorious Nagle team - (Back from left) Jordan Gibbs, Zach Coulton, Jack Neal, Riley Simpson, Darcy Willowhite, Oscar Crunden-Smith, Jack Bowden, Darcy Simpson, coach Bryan Smith, (front) Kurtis Geier, Alex Crowe, Chas Newcomen, Sam Parwata, Ben Howden.

BAIRNSDALE - Nagle College Parwata and Oscar Crundensenior boys’ hockey team has Smith with one goal each. won the state final of the School In the final, Nagle played Sport Victoria Hockey.

Warrnambool College. In a The team was comprised of very tight game Oscar Crundenstudents from Year 11 and 12 Smith scored a penalty stroke in who travelled to the Footscray the first half to give Nagle the Hockey Club for the finals. lead.

In their first game Nagle Excellent defence from Chas College defeated Blackburn Newcomen and goalkeeper High School 7-1. Goal scorers Darcy Willowhite stopped a were Alex Crowe 3, Oscar number of scoring opportunities Crunden-Smith 2, Sam Parwata from Warrnambool College.

Nagle’s defensive effort was the 1 and Jack Bowden 1.

The second match saw Nagle building block to an excellent College defeat St Arnaud 1-0 win.

This is the third state Secondary College 6-0. Goal scorers were Darcy Simpson championship win for this group 3, Riley Simpson 1, and Oscar of boys who also won the junior championship in 2011 and the Crunden-Smith 2.

In the last pool match, Nagle intermediate championship in College were up against a strong 2013.

They were runners-up in 2012 Maribyrnong Sports Academy team. Nagle came out on top and 2014 and were the Catholic winning 3-1. Scorers for Nagle All Schools Champions in were Darcy Simpson, Sam 2010.