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Page 8 – www.sandpiper.org.au News April 2011 A time to join in prayer By Alannah Darmody, Director of Catholic Identity Bendigo – On Ash Wednesday, Catholic College Bendigo gathered as a whole school to acknowledge the beginning of Lent and take part in a liturgy. At this assembly we launched the awareness and fundraising campaign for Caritas’ Project Compassion. Each house has adopted one of the six main stories of the Caritas campaign. Project Compassion invites us into a partnership of prayer, selflessness and generosity. In the coming weeks, we will hear six stories of positive partnerships that are helping to bring about peace, justice and development. We are being invited to work towards hope, dignity and life for all. We are being invited to be partners making a difference in the whole community. At the assembly, principal Darren McGregor also acknowledged International Women’s Day. He asked the students to reflect upon the women who have been formative and inspirational in their lives. He also challenged them to be aware of the terrible plight of so many girls and women in our world who are denied basic human rights such as education, health care and personal safety. We are most grateful our College Chaplain Monsignor Mariott who led the liturgy and assembly, and reminded us of the true meaning of this special season for our Church, for our college community and for us as individuals. Caitlin Bowe and Tobias Kemp distribute ashes at Catholic College Bendigo’s assembly (above), as school captains Maverick Penman and Caitlin McGregor address the assembly (inset). The Broken Bay Institute in partnership with The Diocese of Sandhurst offers Theological Studies 2011 Program Biblical Studies – Foundations Rev Hugh Brown OCarm THEO1030/6030 Weekend Seminar: 19-20 February 9.00am – 4.00pm Faith, Theology and Revelation Dan Fleming THEO1040/6040 Weekend Seminar: 6 -7 August 9.00am – 4.00pm WOULD YOU LIKE TO ATTEND A SEMINAR? The weekend seminar is open to all with a serious interest in Theology. WOULD YOU LIKE TO STUDY THEOLOGY? Enrolment is available at undergraduate or post graduate level (for previous degree holders). Enrolled students complete the unit in distance education mode (readings provided for home study) and are supported by a BBI tutor available via email, and monthly meetings in a regional cluster group with a local mentor. Current course costs: Available on request. Commonwealth Fee-Help is available for all Australian citizens. For bookings and further information: Adult Faith Education Sandhurst PO Box 201 Bendigo Vic 3552 Contact Lyn Breen 03 5441 2544 Email: adultfaith@sand.catholic.org.au Seminar Venue: St Brendan’s Parish Centre, (behind St Brendan’s Church) Knight Street, Shepparton. Lunch: BYO or book catered lunches $10 ea. Seminar Fees: Enrolled BBI students: $55 per 2 day seminar. Others: $45 / day or $80 2 day seminar. Broken Bay Institute St Luke’s Year 6 students with the alleluia. St Luke’s bury the alleluia Michelle Hicks St Lukes Catholic Primary School Shepparton – The community of St Luke’s Catholic Primary School in Shepparton marked the beginning of the Church season of Lent by burying the alleluia – the word we do not say during this repentant season leading up to Easter. Monsignor Peter and the Year 6 children led a beautiful liturgy, where the ashes were distributed to all present, before the children walked reverently to an area of the school where a shallow “grave” had been dug. The eight letters of the alleluia had been earlier decorated by each of the eight Learning Community Areas and included the names of all children and staff at the school. Year 6 students carefully placed the letters into a small time capsule before Monsignor Peter and principal Stephen Hicks, buried the word. The sacred spot will be gradually marked by rocks and stones over the coming weeks until a joyous celebration after the holidays, when the stones will be removed and the alleluia unearthed. Sponsored by the Diocese of Sandhurst www.bbi.catholic.edu.au www.bbi.catholic.edu.au The Broken Bay Institute is proudly affiliated with the University of Newcastle School principal Stephen Hicks and Monsignor Peter bury the alleluia.
April 2011 Liturgy www.sandpiper.org.au – Page 9 The reasons behind the seasons of our Church Denise Braddon Sandhurst Diocese Liturgist There is always a reason and a season to celebrate in the Liturgical Year and that is a huge gift for the Catholic Church. The various liturgical seasons present celebratory options, as do our beautiful church spaces, sacramental events and community participation. Our Church gives us Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials to view the celebration of life through, and seasons to give context. Our worship spaces and people can be the witness of the celebration. Lent Even while sitting in the season of Lent, when things seem a little dormant there is still celebration ripe for the picking. The First Sunday of Lent saw the Rite of Election happen when our Catechumen and Candidates moved intensely into their preparation for the reception of the Sacraments at Easter. Even if a parish did not have any elect for this year it is well worth celebrating for those that exist in other parishes. This year the readings relate well to the RCIA process. The readings heading towards Easter – the woman at the well, the man born blind and the resuscitation of Lazarus – are all readings about joy and celebration. We can imagine that all three people featured in these stories went on to celebrate their meeting with Jesus. The things to celebrate are wisdom, sight and life – pretty excellent things to rejoice in. Easter With all that chocolate how can we not celebrate? The Resurrection of Jesus is a year-long celebration and a life-long festivity. The Easter season’s readings both challenge and console us. The feasts of Ascension, Trinity and Corpus Christi are great times for uplifting our hearts, and they define our Church and some of its core beliefs. The mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection is most powerful at this time. Easter calls us into discipleship with the Risen Christ so it is most appropriate that Pentecost finishes the Easter season. What a great opportunity Pentecost gives for the celebration of community, with the birthday of the Christian Church often associated with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Ordinary Time Ordinary Time is all about the ordinary journey of life. This is the season when we bring our lives with their joys and hurts to the Christian journey. We travel through the year celebrating the modest wins and commiserating with the little losses. The liturgical year paints the church with green, demonstrating the The front doors of Sacred Heart Church, Wodonga, were created by artist Janusz Kuzbicki and architect Richard Falkinger. growth that can happen within us and within our community. The feasts of All Saints and All Souls remind us both of the journey here but also the anticipation of the huge celebrations that is waiting for us in the next part of our journey. Advent and Christmas Advent is waiting and Christmas is celebrating. Big family events for some of us contain much of our Christmas joy. The birth and death of Jesus are the lamp stands that light the whole liturgical year. Australia has the Christmas Season during our time of most light, the longest day of the year is during this time, and we are most likely to be meeting and greeting people over Christmas. Our ultimate celebration happens with the meeting and greeting of Jesus in earth. Ministry We are all called to service for the mission of the Church, some people are called out of the community to take part in specific ministries of service. We are not all called, and we are not all called for everything. Ministry is a celebration of a gift given to us by God, we respond by putting that gift at the service of others. Many parishes have a celebratory event once a year when those in ministry are recommissioned in the worship and then are given a thank you celebration after the liturgy. Environment Have a look around your worship space at some point, and see the beautiful environment within our churches. Their beauty is a point of celebration, the coloured glass of the windows that flood the space with coloured light. Sometimes the little dust mites float through the stream of colour like little fairy lights giving movement to the air. Statues and windows are often given by a family in remembrance and celebration of family life, well lived. Often we will put elegant prayer focuses within our worship space to remind us of the season and the joy. Each Other While you are looking around your worship space cast your eyes over the beautiful people gathered to worship with you. We need to celebrate that there are other people who have Jesus as their grounding point. Sometimes those people gather in prayer with us, and sometimes their lives mean we do not intersect very often at our worship spaces but they are part of our whole Church. Other people help us to recall what we have to celebrate, even at times when gladness is far away. We can celebrate the generosity of others, and the wonder of human nature. Catholics know how to celebrate Whether it is picnic races, school fetes or chook raffles, Catholics can always find a celebratory moment. We like to get together and celebrate life. Our faith in Jesus is our common source of celebration; our liturgies are often called celebrations. Our liturgical year gives us plenty of opportunity to celebrate our lives with Jesus and our worship gives us words and music that help us in our festivities. Sometimes our worship brings into tension with others, but that can also be a point of celebration, because our Church is big enough for everyone. Christianity has a long history of divergence, we work through our lives in prayer with God and we move forward. Hopefully we remember what makes us the same rather than what divides. But always there is reason to celebrate. Especially to celebrate within the beauty that is our Church, our people, our worship and Our Lord. Celebrations are excellent things – so who has the streamers?
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