Catholic Outlook March 2016
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<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong><br />
The official publication of the Diocese of Parramatta | www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
VOLUME 19, MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Schools<br />
celebrate diversity<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Schools Week <strong>March</strong> 6 - 12<br />
Visit your local<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> School<br />
and celebrate the<br />
Year of Mercy<br />
FR FERNANDO<br />
MONTANO: THE<br />
MEXICAN WITH<br />
THE AMAZING<br />
LEXICON<br />
page 8 page 20<br />
PARRAMATTA<br />
YCW PUTTING<br />
NEW LIFE<br />
INTO OLD<br />
COMPUTERS
FROM THE DIOCESAN ADMINISTRATOR<br />
Very Rev Peter G Williams<br />
CONTENTS<br />
DIOCESAN<br />
NEWS<br />
3, 5, 6, 16, 21, 23<br />
Dear Brothers and Sisters,<br />
INSTITUTE FOR MISSION<br />
DIOCESAN<br />
PASTORAL PLAN<br />
PARISH PROFILE<br />
FAMILY & LIFE OFFICE<br />
4<br />
7<br />
8-9<br />
10<br />
I have previously raised in this column<br />
the changing landscape in terms of<br />
modern communication. It is not only the<br />
omnipresence in our lives now of the World<br />
Wide Web, smart phones, tablets and the<br />
tools provided to communicate an instant<br />
opinion on everything through online<br />
channels such as Facebook or Twitter, but<br />
the fact that such exposure can make an<br />
ordinary person into a ‘social media’ hero<br />
or pariah in what sometimes seems like a<br />
nanosecond!<br />
Further to that, we see that overall such<br />
communication is often hostile and angry<br />
and we have witnessed the emergence of<br />
so-called internet ‘trolls’ and the destructive<br />
phenomenon referred to as ‘revenge porn’.<br />
‘Online’ bullying, particularly of schoolage<br />
children, continues to be a concern to<br />
parents and school authorities.<br />
Are we as a society becoming more<br />
discontented and angry about our lives and<br />
the world we inhabit? There is little doubt<br />
that rampant individualism has led to a selfobsessed<br />
and selfish cohort of people who<br />
show little regard for others and simply ‘live<br />
for the moment’.<br />
Some commentators would suggest that this<br />
has always been the case with the human<br />
race, and that we are only more aware of<br />
it now because of social media and the<br />
constant bombardment of information<br />
hitting us 24/7!<br />
The Church too has come into the<br />
foreground of comment in recent weeks,<br />
much of it connected to the Royal<br />
Commission and the attempt by some to<br />
close the Church down from participating<br />
in any debate relating to the social structures<br />
that underpin our way of life and which<br />
provide stability and social cohesion.<br />
It is true that Christianity, and in particular<br />
the <strong>Catholic</strong> Church, is under assault on<br />
various fronts, and given our vulnerability<br />
as a result of the proceedings of the Royal<br />
Our seminarians will, in time, be the future priests of our Diocese. Photo: Alphonsus Fok.<br />
Commission we are perceived to be in a<br />
position of moral and institutional weakness.<br />
The enemies of the Church know this and are<br />
exploiting the moment to inflict maximum<br />
damage on our credibility and our place in<br />
society.<br />
In the midst of all this we find ourselves<br />
once again on the journey of Lent and our<br />
annual walk to Calvary. It is a time for<br />
serious spiritual introspection, a time to<br />
review lifestyles and life choices, a time to<br />
focus particularly on the dignity of our own<br />
Baptism and how we have measured up to<br />
Christ’s call to each of us to be authentic<br />
disciples in the world.<br />
At the same time we look at our Church as a<br />
human institution and recognise that there<br />
have been serious deficiencies because of<br />
past mistakes and a certain inertia leading<br />
to cautiousness prevails as we look to the<br />
future.<br />
And some may rightly wonder, where is God<br />
in all this?<br />
But of course the Lenten journey doesn’t end<br />
with Good Friday, as important as that day is<br />
in the scheme of salvation, but rather it ends<br />
(or begins) with the empty tomb on Easter<br />
morning.<br />
On the First Sunday of Lent I had the<br />
privilege of presiding at the Rite of Election<br />
where 110 adult men and women were<br />
formally elected as catechumens to be fully<br />
initiated at the Easter vigil through the<br />
Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and<br />
Eucharist.<br />
What a blessing to the Diocese of Parramatta<br />
and our parish communities! God is still<br />
at work in drawing people into living faith<br />
through Jesus Christ.<br />
The Second Sunday of Lent saw the<br />
commencement Mass for our diocesan<br />
Seminary of the Holy Spirit. I was pleased<br />
to welcome two young men to begin the<br />
process of discernment that will hopefully<br />
lead them to the ministerial priesthood.<br />
They join our existing seminarians at various<br />
stages of formation who will, in time, be the<br />
future priests of our Diocese.<br />
These are signs of the new life that are<br />
celebrated liturgically in the ceremonies<br />
around the Easter Triduum.<br />
As I reflect on the life of the agencies,<br />
parishes and schools that constitute the<br />
Diocese of Parramatta it is very evident that<br />
many good things are happening on so many<br />
levels.<br />
There is clear evidence that the Spirit of God<br />
is alive and manifesting Divine Presence and<br />
working mysteriously as the lives of young<br />
and old are being transformed.<br />
In all this the Church of Parramatta remains<br />
committed to proclaiming the Good News<br />
of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. As we<br />
approach the holiest time of the year, may<br />
all the people of the Diocese encounter in<br />
their lives the risen Christ and take Him with<br />
them wherever they may go.<br />
With my prayers in this Holy Season,<br />
Very Rev Peter G Williams<br />
Diocesan Administrator<br />
OFFICE FOR<br />
SAFEGUARDING<br />
& PROFESSIONAL<br />
STANDARDS<br />
CATHOLIC<br />
EDUCATION<br />
CATHOLICCARE<br />
SOCIAL SERVICES<br />
CATHOLIC YOUTH<br />
SOCIAL JUSTICE<br />
NEWS & EVENTS<br />
CALENDAR OF EVENTS<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong><br />
The official publication of the Diocese of Parramatta<br />
Publisher:<br />
Very Rev Peter G Williams<br />
Diocesan Administrator<br />
Tel (02) 8838 3400<br />
Fax (02) 9630 4813<br />
PO Box 3066,<br />
North Parramatta, NSW, 1750<br />
Email: diocese@parra.catholic.org.au<br />
Website: www.parra.catholic.org.au<br />
Editor:<br />
Jane Favotto<br />
Tel (02) 8838 3409<br />
editor@parra.catholic.org.au<br />
PO Box 3066,<br />
North Parramatta, NSW, 1750<br />
Journalists:<br />
Adrian Middeldorp<br />
Elizabeth McFarlane<br />
Designer:<br />
Aphrodite Delaguiado<br />
School news:<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Education Office<br />
Tel (02) 9840 5609<br />
news@parra.catholic.edu.au<br />
Deadlines:<br />
Editorial and advertising<br />
– 10th of the month prior to publication<br />
11<br />
12-14<br />
15<br />
17-19<br />
20<br />
22<br />
23<br />
Mass of the Holy Chrism on Wednesday<br />
23 <strong>March</strong> at 7.30pm<br />
Principal Celebrant His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio to Australia,<br />
Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana<br />
St Patrick’s Cathedral, 1 Marist Place, Parramatta<br />
Everyone is invited to celebrate the Chrism Mass with Archbishop Yllana, Bishop Emeritus Kevin<br />
Manning, the Diocesan Administrator Very Rev Peter Williams, the priests, deacons and faithful.<br />
The Oil of the Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick will be blessed and the Oil of Chrism<br />
consecrated. These holy oils will then be given to the parishes for use during the year.<br />
During the Mass, the priests renew their commitment to priestly service.<br />
A listing of Holy Week ceremonies and Easter Mass times across the Diocese of Parramatta will be published at:<br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
Advertising:<br />
Tel (02) 8838 3409<br />
Accounts:<br />
Alfie Ramirez<br />
Tel (02) 8838 3437<br />
ARamirez@parra.catholic.org.au<br />
Printing:<br />
Rural Press Printing, North Richmond<br />
40,500 copies of <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>Outlook</strong> are<br />
distributed monthly through 47 parishes and<br />
86 schools. All material in this publication<br />
is copyright and may not be reproduced<br />
without permission of the editor. <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
<strong>Outlook</strong> is a member of the Australasian<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Press Association.<br />
2 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
By Michelle Davis, Chaplain at Nepean Hospital<br />
DIOCESAN NEWS<br />
MASS FOR WORLD DAY OF THE SICK ON 11 FEBRUARY<br />
Supporting carers and those for whom they care<br />
Concelebrating priests assisted with the<br />
anointing of the sick.<br />
Mons John Boyle gave the homily, which was<br />
signed by Daina Caruana.<br />
May the soothing balm of God’s love and mercy continue to radiate to the sick and aged and<br />
their carers. Photos Alfred Boudib.<br />
Archbishop Brian Barnes OFM with<br />
seminarians Chris del Rosario and Joe Murphy.<br />
Students from Our Lady of Mercy College<br />
Parramatta provided music and singing.<br />
On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, more<br />
than 450 people gathered in St Patrick’s<br />
Church at Blacktown for the 2nd annual<br />
diocesan Mass for World Day of the Sick on 11<br />
February.<br />
For this year’s theme, Pope Francis chose:<br />
Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like<br />
Mary: ‘Do whatever he tells you’ (Jn 2:5).<br />
The principal celebrant for the Mass was<br />
Mons John Boyle, Priest responsible for<br />
Health and Chaplaincies within the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta.<br />
The Mass was concelebrated by Rev Peter<br />
Confeggi, MC and Parish Priest of Mary, Queen<br />
of the Family Parish, and 18 priests of the<br />
Diocese who assisted with the anointing of the<br />
sick.<br />
In his homily, Mons John shared some of his<br />
experience as a hospital chaplain and elaborated<br />
on the Pope’s theme in his message for the 24th<br />
World Day of the Sick, in which he said:<br />
“Illness, above all grave illness, always places<br />
human existence in crisis and brings with it<br />
questions that dig deep. Our first response<br />
may at times be one of rebellion: Why has<br />
this happened to me? We can feel desperate,<br />
thinking that all is lost, that things no longer<br />
have meaning …<br />
“In these situations, faith in God is on the<br />
one hand tested, yet at the same time can reveal<br />
all of its positive resources. Not because faith<br />
makes illness, pain, or the questions which they<br />
raise, disappear, but because it offers a key by<br />
which we can discover the deepest meaning of<br />
what we are experiencing; a key that helps us to<br />
see how illness can be the way to draw nearer to<br />
Jesus who walks at our side, weighed down by<br />
the Cross. And this key is given to us by Mary,<br />
our Mother, who has known this way at first<br />
hand.”<br />
The prayer of the faithful was not only for<br />
the sick, their carers and those who work in<br />
health care but also for governments; that they<br />
continue to understand the importance of<br />
chaplaincy and holistic healthcare.<br />
The anointing of the sick was a special point<br />
in the Mass and one of the family members<br />
present said that, for her, the anointing “was<br />
a soothing balm, which will help me carry on<br />
caring for my husband”.<br />
She shared how caring could be tiring<br />
and stressful but this Mass showed carers<br />
are not forgotten. This is the main reason<br />
the Diocese initiated this Mass last year: in<br />
acknowledgement of the sick, their carers and<br />
all who work in health care.<br />
At the Mass were the Member for Granville,<br />
Julia Finn; the Member for Parramatta, Dr Geoff<br />
Lee, representing the Premier and John Ajaka,<br />
Minister for Ageing, Disability Services &<br />
Multiculturalism; and the Member for Prospect,<br />
Dr Hugh McDermott.<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> organisations included <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Health Care, St John of God Health Care<br />
(Richmond and Hawkesbury), the Ephpheta<br />
Centre for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People<br />
who provided signing during the Mass, Sr<br />
Georgina Sultana OP and residents of St<br />
Dominic’s Hostel, and Our Lady of Consolation<br />
Nursing Home.<br />
Chaplains from Nepean, Blacktown<br />
and Westmead Hospitals and healthcare<br />
professionals were also present.<br />
The Mass was a gathering of all age groups:<br />
45 girls from Our Lady of Mercy College<br />
Parramatta provided music and singing, 15<br />
students from Patrician Brothers College and<br />
15 students from Nagle College at Blacktown,<br />
supported the sick and aged into the church<br />
and assisted Blacktown parishioner Len and her<br />
generous crew in serving a light luncheon.<br />
Archbishop Brian Barnes OFM, Archbishop<br />
Emeritus of Port Moresby, and Fr Dan Neylan<br />
OFM, Franciscans who are residents at Our<br />
Lady of Consolation Home, provided great<br />
inspiration to the seminarians who were<br />
present. The seminarians also assisted with<br />
helping the residents safely on to the bus.<br />
Members of St John of God (Patron Saint of<br />
the Sick) Health Care were very generous in<br />
providing the aged and sick with a medal of<br />
St John of God, which came from Granada in<br />
Spain.<br />
May the soothing balm of God’s love and<br />
mercy continue to radiate to the sick and aged<br />
within our parishes and Diocese by the care and<br />
love we show.<br />
To view a gallery of photos from the Mass,<br />
visit www.flickr.com/parracatholic/albums<br />
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<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 3
INSTITUTE FOR MISSION IFMCONNECT IFMCONNECT IFMCONNECT<br />
The IFM’s logo and work<br />
What do a criminal act and a<br />
graduation have in common?<br />
By Rev Paul Roberts, Director of the Institute for Mission<br />
At the Institute for Mission, 55 people completed year-long programs in theology and pastoral formation. Photos: Alfred Boudib.<br />
Mons John Boyle congratulates a group of graduates.<br />
can you forgive this<br />
arsonist?” This was a<br />
“How<br />
challenging question<br />
asked of Rev John Boyle in 1996<br />
when he was Dean of St Patrick’s<br />
Cathedral in Parramatta.<br />
On behalf of Bishop Bede<br />
Heather, Fr John had just returned<br />
from a prison visit to offer<br />
forgiveness to the man who burned<br />
down the Cathedral. Some <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
people weren’t ready for this gesture<br />
so early in the piece. Some were<br />
never prepared to consider it.<br />
Such was the reflection Mons<br />
John Boyle used on 28 January this<br />
year to begin his homily at the Mass<br />
of graduation and commissioning<br />
for the 55 people who had<br />
completed year-long programs in<br />
theology and pastoral formation at<br />
our Diocese’s Institute for Mission<br />
(IFM) at Blacktown.<br />
He developed his thoughts<br />
from there, affirming the central<br />
importance of faith development<br />
and active lay leadership, in<br />
influencing the missionary challenge<br />
for the people who are Church, to<br />
more and more become a conduit<br />
of difference, of mercy and of<br />
alternative values in and for the<br />
world.<br />
A further 100-200 family and<br />
friends along with several priests<br />
of our parishes attended the special<br />
evening to celebrate with the large<br />
group that had completed the<br />
programs.<br />
After the beautiful liturgy,<br />
the music ministry for which<br />
was generously provided by the<br />
2Celebrate choir of Mary, Queen of<br />
the Family Parish, Blacktown, the<br />
IFM team hosted a ceremony and<br />
supper to commend and encourage<br />
The music ensemble from Mary Immaculate Parish.<br />
those being commissioned.<br />
An excellent musical ensemble<br />
of young adults from Mary<br />
Immaculate Parish, Quakers Hill,<br />
provided background entertainment<br />
and atmosphere.<br />
Being held at Mary Immaculate<br />
Parish was an example of the IFM’s<br />
priority to physically have some of<br />
its offerings and activities in parish<br />
communities, the support for which<br />
is a central reason for its existence,<br />
not only at its Blacktown centre.<br />
The IFM gives its energy<br />
to various once-off formative<br />
experiences and mini-programs,<br />
along with resources and events for<br />
the Diocese.<br />
The two programs from which<br />
participants were honoured at<br />
this special evening, however,<br />
run right across the year. As such,<br />
they provide an opportunity for<br />
IFM Director Rev Paul Roberts.<br />
IFM Associate Director Donnie Velasco.<br />
participants to take significant steps<br />
to further their faith, insights and<br />
capacity for ministry leadership and<br />
mission.<br />
Acknowledgement was given at<br />
the graduation/commissioning night<br />
to some associates of the IFM who<br />
generously contribute their time<br />
and talents to presentations and<br />
mentoring.<br />
Cecilia Zammit, Rev Wim<br />
Hoekstra, Rev Paul Slyney and<br />
Daniel Ang are treasured associates.<br />
New mentors in 2015 were Paul<br />
Worthington and David Bourne.<br />
Offering small group processing<br />
support were Margaret Wiseman,<br />
Bronwyn Dollin, Angel Penano and<br />
Fran Jackson.<br />
To view a gallery of photos from<br />
the evening, visit www.flickr.com/<br />
parracatholic/albums<br />
The new logo of the IFM is a<br />
cog that invites our connection. It<br />
recognises that it is God’s mission<br />
into which we are all invited.<br />
For us <strong>Catholic</strong> Christians, that<br />
connection has a sacramental<br />
centre and so you’ll notice that the<br />
centre of the logo doubles with<br />
the appearance of the Blessed<br />
Sacrament at Mass or in a time of<br />
adoration.<br />
And you’ll notice the cross of<br />
Christ as central. As well you can see<br />
some blank lines, some boundaries,<br />
representing the boundaries across<br />
which the very meaning of ‘mission’<br />
calls us.<br />
The boundaries might be<br />
across hearts and minds, across<br />
backgrounds and experiences,<br />
across the street or parish or city, or<br />
indeed across the world.<br />
As Pope Benedict XVI said:<br />
“Mission is a workshop that has<br />
room for all!” This catchy phrase<br />
recognises our variety of vocational<br />
responses in faith and mission and<br />
makes priority for our own learning,<br />
growing and receiving of grace.<br />
It recognises that as we grow in<br />
participation in God’s mission, it isn’t<br />
about having the answers top down.<br />
Rather, it’s about entering into the<br />
life of the world and learning to<br />
more and more recognise God’s<br />
presence there; God’s presence<br />
in others, in ourselves and in life’s<br />
situations, calling us to engage<br />
with that presence and develop as<br />
responders in grace.<br />
In brief, these are some of the<br />
driving principles of the IFM’s work<br />
for faith formation in our Diocese.<br />
Currently, among the IFM’s high<br />
priorities are initiatives for the Year<br />
of Mercy, development of a further<br />
mini-program of spiritualty sessions<br />
for parishes, an extension program<br />
and network for younger adult<br />
leaders across the Diocese and a<br />
dramatically increased move into<br />
online resourcing and social media<br />
engagement.<br />
Visit us at www.ifm.org.au or on<br />
social media @ifmconnect<br />
CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL<br />
WOMEN’S DAY AT ACU<br />
Join us on 8 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> in North Sydney<br />
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from influential and engaging speakers<br />
such as our graduate Melina <strong>March</strong>etta, author of Looking for Alibrandi<br />
Are you an ACU alumni?<br />
Please update your details and connect with ACU<br />
www.acu.edu.au/iwd<br />
CRICOS registered provider: 00004G<br />
Artwork by Cassandra Gibbs<br />
4 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
Mass for commencement of the seminary year<br />
DIOCESAN NEWS<br />
NEW APPOINTMENTS<br />
The Diocesan Administrator,<br />
Very Rev Peter G Williams,<br />
has confirmed the following<br />
appointments in the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta:<br />
Appointed for three years:<br />
Rev Mr James Phelan<br />
Deacon assisting St Anthony of<br />
Padua Parish, Toongabbie<br />
Rev Mr Nicephorus Tan<br />
Deacon assisting St John XXII<br />
Parish, Stanhope Gardens<br />
For the Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral, 13<br />
seminarians joined their Rector Very Rev John<br />
Hogan, Very Rev Peter Williams, Deacon Willy Limjap<br />
and Very Rev Bob Bossini, Dean of St Patrick’s<br />
Cathedral. Photos: Alphonsus Fok.<br />
Rev Mr Owen Rogers<br />
Deacon assisting Mary, Queen<br />
of the Family Parish, Blacktown<br />
Mass for the commencement of the<br />
year for the Seminary of the Holy<br />
Spirit was celebrated on 21 February.<br />
The Diocesan Administrator, Very Rev Peter<br />
Williams, presided at the Mass in St Patrick’s<br />
Cathedral in Parramatta.<br />
“I was pleased to welcome two young<br />
men, Tom Green and David Sebastian, who<br />
are beginning the process of discernment that<br />
will hopefully lead them to the ministerial<br />
priesthood,” Fr Peter said.<br />
“They join 11 fellow seminarians in various<br />
stages of formation who will, in time, be the<br />
future priests of our Diocese.”<br />
Seminarians for the Diocese of Parramatta<br />
are: Chris del Rosario, Jack Green, Joe Murphy,<br />
Andrew Rooney, Shinto Francis, Adam Carlow,<br />
Matthew Dimian, Galbert Albino, Jack Elkazzi,<br />
Jessie Duan Balorio, George Stanton, Tom<br />
Green and David Sebastian.<br />
Situated in cosmopolitan Harris Park, the<br />
seminary is centred on historic Kenilworth<br />
House. The heritage-listed Italianate building<br />
has been restored to its former glory to meet<br />
the needs of the growing cohort of seminarians.<br />
The construction of accommodation for<br />
up to 22 seminarians is well under way and<br />
due to be completed in coming months. In the<br />
meantime, seminarians share accommodation<br />
in several rented homes nearby.<br />
The precinct will also include residential<br />
facilities for retired priests and is located<br />
adjacent to St Oliver Plunkett Parish, Harris<br />
Park.<br />
The entry procession in St Patrick’s Cathedral.<br />
In general, the formation of a <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
priest takes seven years. This may seem like<br />
a long time but it goes by quite quickly. It’s<br />
true that there is much to learn in theology,<br />
philosophy and associated subjects.<br />
Just as import is the development that<br />
occurs within the individual to help in their<br />
personal and spiritual maturity. This is a slow<br />
but rewarding process.<br />
Our seminarians are given every support<br />
in this journey of personal transformation. It<br />
is a shared endeavour and the seminarians can<br />
count on one another for help in this work.<br />
With the years in seminary and the close<br />
living that is experienced, the men make close<br />
friendships that continue after ordination as a<br />
support throughout priesthood.<br />
As seminarians come to recognise more<br />
deeply that Christ is the unifying principle of<br />
their lives as individuals and their common<br />
life together, they devote themselves more<br />
wholeheartedly in the brotherhood of disciples<br />
sharing the one vision.<br />
Seminarians (from left): Tom Green, Jack Elkazzi and<br />
David Sebastian.<br />
If you feel as though God may be<br />
calling you to the priesthood, the Diocese<br />
welcomes the opportunity to help you with<br />
your discernment. The Director for Priestly<br />
Vocations, Rev Warren Edwards, is the first<br />
point of contact.<br />
Fr Warren is always available to listen, offer<br />
guidance and explain the four-step admissions<br />
process:<br />
• Inquiry;<br />
• Discernment;<br />
• Aspirancy; and<br />
• Recommendation and acceptance.<br />
To find out more about priesthood, please<br />
contact Fr Warren tel 0409 172 700 or send an<br />
email to vocations@parra.catholic.org.au<br />
Every third Thursday of the month at 7pm<br />
a holy hour takes place in St Patrick’s Cathedral<br />
to pray for vocations. This is a time of prayer<br />
and reflection before the Blessed Sacrament in<br />
adoration and concluding with benediction.<br />
The next holy hour will be on Thursday 17<br />
<strong>March</strong>.<br />
Rev Mr Leon Decena<br />
Deacon assisting Mary<br />
Immaculate Parish, Quakers<br />
Hill, and the Filipino Chaplaincy<br />
Rev Mr Anthony Hoban<br />
Deacon assisting Christ the<br />
King Parish, North Rocks<br />
Rev Mr Joseph Ledang<br />
Holy Family Parish, Granville,<br />
and the Vietnamese Chaplaincy<br />
Rev Mr Willy Limjap<br />
Deacon assisting St Patrick’s<br />
Cathedral Parish, Parramatta<br />
Rev Mr Robertus Kim<br />
remains on leave for a further<br />
12 months<br />
Mr Joe Cashman<br />
Acting Chief Executive Officer<br />
of <strong>Catholic</strong>Care Social Services<br />
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<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 5
DIOCESAN NEWS<br />
PROJECT COMPASSION <strong>2016</strong>: Learning more, creating change in Malawi<br />
The launch of Project Compassion in the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta took place at St Mark’s <strong>Catholic</strong> College at<br />
Stanhope Gardens on 8 February. Project Compassion is<br />
Caritas Australia’s annual Lenten appeal.<br />
This year’s overseas guest was Martin Mazinga from Malawi.<br />
Martin spent the morning with students and staff, sharing how<br />
donations to Project Compassion are making a real difference to<br />
the people of Malawi.<br />
Martin joined diocesan Caritas Director Sr Louise McKeogh<br />
FMA and students for a pancake toss, heralding the start of Lent<br />
on Ash Wednesday.<br />
Lent is a penitential period of penance, abstinence and<br />
almsgiving. Making pancakes is traditionally a way of using up<br />
the household butter and eggs that are associated with rich food<br />
before Ash Wednesday.<br />
Running each year throughout Lent, Project Compassion<br />
is Caritas Australia’s annual fundraising and awareness-raising<br />
appeal that links thousands of Australians in solidarity with<br />
the women, children and men most vulnerable to poverty and<br />
injustice, who are rich in the eyes of Jesus.<br />
This year marks 50 years of Project Compassion. Every year<br />
since 1965, members of the Caritas family across Australia,<br />
have supported the six-week Lenten appeal in an extraordinary<br />
demonstration of faith, love, generosity and compassion. You<br />
can show your support for Project Compassion with the hashtag<br />
#projectcompassion<br />
Year round, Caritas Australia’s team works with dedicated<br />
partners, inspiring program beneficiaries, and compassionate<br />
supporters to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.<br />
Every year, Caritas Australia staff and their international<br />
partners take time to visit Australian schools and parishes to<br />
share their experiences with the people who make their work<br />
possible.<br />
Martin Mazinga is the National Programs Coordinator of the<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM),<br />
Caritas Australia’s local partner. Martin oversees Caritas<br />
Australia’s initiatives under the Australian NGO Cooperation<br />
Program (ANCP), and the Australia Africa Community<br />
Engagement Scheme (AACES) supported by the Australian<br />
Government.<br />
Martin began working with CADECOM in 2012. He brings<br />
a wealth of experience in project management, community<br />
engagement, capacity building and research from his roles at the<br />
Women’s Legal Resources Centre, the University of Malawi, and<br />
the <strong>Catholic</strong> University of Malawi.<br />
Martin and his team at CADECOM ensure that Caritas<br />
Australia’s programs create meaningful and sustainable<br />
development opportunities for the most marginalised<br />
communities. With a focus on food and water security, Martin’s<br />
work tackles inequality at its roots, empowering people to<br />
develop livelihoods, earn an income, to learn new skills and<br />
access education.<br />
Martin is passionate about working at the grassroots. To<br />
him, Malawi has some of the richest communities in the world.<br />
Through Caritas Australia’s partnership with CADECOM,<br />
Martin works with communities to harness their unique<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Super – providing superannuation<br />
services for more than 40 years<br />
Martin Mazinga and Sr Louise McKeogh FMA joined students at St Mark’s <strong>Catholic</strong> College for the launch of Project Compassion in the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta. Photo: Elizabeth McFarlane.<br />
strengths, skills and natural resources and to realise their vision<br />
of a just and equal world.<br />
This year, Project Compassion celebrates learning and<br />
Caritas’ work with local partners to ensure all children, women<br />
and men can harness the power of education, training and<br />
shared knowledge.<br />
As Pope Francis says: “Education is an act of hope.” Project<br />
Compassion is a reminder of how education can empower the<br />
most vulnerable communities to realise their hopes for peace,<br />
equality, dignity and justice.<br />
To make a donation to Project Compassion pick up a<br />
collection box from your parish or <strong>Catholic</strong> school or visit:<br />
www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion<br />
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6 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
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CS106 150915 <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>Outlook</strong> 260wx165h_v1.indd 1<br />
16/09/2015 12:48 pm
Make a connection this Easter – you can do it!<br />
By Richard McMahon, Director of Pastoral Planning & Implementation<br />
DIOCESAN PASTORAL PLAN<br />
An elderly lady rang me<br />
recently. Her husband passed<br />
away last year and she is very<br />
isolated. She just wants to connect<br />
with someone. We all know someone<br />
who needs a friend: at work, in our<br />
family circle, in our neighbourhood.<br />
But we sometimes get stuck when it<br />
comes to the next step.<br />
Here are some tips that may help<br />
you to invite them to an Easter cup of<br />
tea (offer to assist your parish, school,<br />
workplace or neighbourhood group<br />
to organise something). You may also<br />
invite them to an Easter Mass, or just<br />
to share a conversation. By the way, if<br />
you are feeling isolated, the following<br />
applies to you too!<br />
No more excuses<br />
I am too shy. Maybe they will<br />
reject me if I make contact with<br />
them. Maybe someone else is better<br />
placed to make a connection. All<br />
these things may be true. But deep<br />
down, they are all excuses. The truth<br />
is, if you have noticed someone, or<br />
have been thinking about someone,<br />
then they have already connected<br />
with you on some level. Maybe if you<br />
don’t make the connection, no one<br />
will.<br />
Pray for support<br />
Okay, it can take lots of courage<br />
to make that first step. Ask God to be<br />
with you. Start praying for the person<br />
you have in mind to approach.<br />
Make a commitment<br />
Commit to God your decision<br />
to connect and tell a close friend.<br />
Ask them to hold you to account.<br />
Be specific. Set a day and a time for<br />
making contact.<br />
Be safe<br />
If you are approaching a person<br />
from your parish who you don't<br />
know well, do so in a public place<br />
and let someone know what you are<br />
doing. If you are uncomfortable in<br />
an encounter, politely break it off or<br />
don’t initiate it. Your safety comes<br />
first.<br />
What will you say?<br />
If you don't know the person,<br />
introduce yourself. Seek common<br />
ground. Are you at the same place for<br />
a reason such as sport, Mass or work.<br />
Ask their opinion: “What do you like<br />
best about living around here?” is<br />
better than, “Have you lived in the<br />
area long?”<br />
What are you inviting them to do?<br />
People are naturally suspicious.<br />
Be quick to explain the purpose of<br />
making contact. You may invite them<br />
to an event, share a prayer card (see<br />
top right), or just make a connection.<br />
If inviting them to an event such<br />
as Easter Mass, Easter cup of tea,<br />
street party, be sure to give clear<br />
instructions. People usually want to<br />
know what to wear, what to bring,<br />
if it costs anything, how long it will<br />
be. Also reassure them you will meet<br />
them there and sit with them. On the<br />
day, introduce them to two or three<br />
others if possible.<br />
Worried about if they ask faith<br />
questions?<br />
If we identify ourselves as a<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong>, we can sometimes fear<br />
getting questions we may not know<br />
how to answer. It is okay to respond<br />
by affirming their questions and<br />
experiences, for example, “That is a<br />
good question. To be honest, while<br />
I love God and my faith, I don’t<br />
know the answer to that. If you are<br />
interested, I could find out more.”<br />
Or “I am sorry to hear that you have<br />
had a bad experience. I understand if<br />
you don’t want to come to the Easter<br />
cup of tea. But I would still like you<br />
to come.”<br />
Using our Year of Mercy cards<br />
One great initiative is the pocketsized<br />
Year of Mercy cards available<br />
at your parish and also in some<br />
diocesan schools. Each card comes<br />
with a beautiful image and quote,<br />
and a space for someone’s name, your<br />
name and a short message to tell<br />
someone you are praying for them<br />
for a certain reason.<br />
How would an approach work?<br />
It’s a simple idea that allows us in a<br />
non-threatening way to share our<br />
faith, for example, “Hi Emily. You<br />
were telling me about your brother<br />
being sick recently and I thought<br />
of you with one of these message<br />
cards. It’s just something to let you<br />
know that I’m keeping you and your<br />
brother in my prayers.” Think of<br />
people outside of the faith/Church<br />
circle and write a special message on<br />
these cards as an appealing way to<br />
share your faith.<br />
Following up<br />
It is best to keep follow-up<br />
contact as natural as possible. Jesus<br />
invites us to love one another. He<br />
does not ask us to force people or<br />
pretend to be their friend. Once we<br />
#mercyhasaface<br />
mercyhasaface.org.au<br />
have made initial contact, sometimes<br />
a wave or a “hello” helps keep the<br />
connection going, rather than racing<br />
across for an in-depth chat every<br />
time. Allow the connection to grow<br />
at its own pace.<br />
As we prepare for Easter, let us<br />
bring the resurrection to one other<br />
person through the simplest of<br />
interactions! Smile and say “hello” to<br />
someone new.<br />
If your parish would like a<br />
workshop on ways to reach out,<br />
contact the Pastoral Planning Office<br />
tel (02) 9831 4911, rmcmahon@<br />
parra.catholic.org.au<br />
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<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 7
PARISH PROFILE<br />
Fr Fernando: The Mexican with the amazing lexicon<br />
By Joseph Younes<br />
While living in Hong Kong, Fr Fernando was invited to<br />
Australia in 2006 by the then Bishop of Parramatta,<br />
Bishop Kevin Manning. The invitation was simple<br />
enough, to lead the Chinese Chaplaincy in the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta.<br />
Fr Fernando took up the offer and quickly settled into his<br />
dual role at St Monica’s Parish, North Parramatta, initially as<br />
assistant priest under Fr Brian Rooney and by 2008 as parish<br />
priest.<br />
“Initially, I struggled with the Australian language, people<br />
speak so fast here,” the jovial Fr Fernando said.<br />
Fr Luis Fernando Montano Rodriguez MG, affectionately<br />
known as Fr Fernando to his parishioners, has a well-travelled,<br />
multilingual history.<br />
Ordained a priest in 1991 by the Guadalupe Missionaries<br />
(see panel below), Fr Fernando was born into a devoutly <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
family in Mexico City, Mexico. He recalls his tender upbringing<br />
as laying the foundation for him wanting to become a priest.<br />
“From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a priest. The idea<br />
of being a priest was natural as I come from a devout practising<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> family. This was normal, like someone wanting to<br />
become a lawyer or an engineer, I wanted to become a priest,” Fr<br />
Fernando said.<br />
“I want people to know who God is and what God can do for<br />
them. People need to know who Jesus is.”<br />
Undeterred by his initial hurdle in trying to understand<br />
Australian English, Fr Fernando puts his language skills to good<br />
use in his “highly, highly diverse, very highly diverse” parish.<br />
“We are small in geography, but a tight-knit community. I<br />
have people from all over the world; Australians, Europeans,<br />
South Americans, Lebanese, Indians, Sri Lankans, Filipinos,<br />
Chinese,” Fr Fernando said.<br />
“I speak Cantonese, Spanish, English, and Chinese signlanguage.<br />
My parish and chaplaincy are very close. We are a<br />
friendly <strong>Catholic</strong> community and are proud of being <strong>Catholic</strong>.”<br />
Fr Fernando’s ability to speak many languages is a gift to his<br />
parishioners at St Monica’s and the 300 faithful who make up his<br />
Chinese <strong>Catholic</strong> community.<br />
“People want to pray in their own language. The number<br />
of people from Hong Kong and, more recently, from China has<br />
The Guadalupe Missionaries<br />
The Guadalupe Missionaries ‘MG’ (Spanish: Misioneros de Guadalupe) are<br />
a missionary society from Mexico City, Mexico. Founded in 1949, they are<br />
dedicated to foreign missions around the world and have a presence through<br />
150 priests in Mexico City, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Kenya, Angola,<br />
Mozambique, Brazil, Cuba and Peru.<br />
“As Guadalupe Missionaries we go to countries in need. As a society, we are<br />
dedicated to giving out of the little we have,” Fr Fernando Montano MG said.<br />
“Our work is in foreign countries where there is a need.”<br />
Fr Fernando Montano MG. Photos: Elizabeth McFarlane<br />
increased. Me speaking to them in their own language is a huge<br />
experience, especially as some people have not heard the Gospel<br />
preached in their native tongue before,” Fr Fernando said.<br />
As for his chaplaincy work, Fr Fernando believes “there is<br />
always a need to minister”. “Language is important for people to<br />
speak to God. All chaplaincies are trying to be a bridge between a<br />
local ethnic community and the Church in Australia.”<br />
As a priest, Fr Fernando believes his work is about Jesus and<br />
His message of love, regardless of who the person is. “I want to<br />
help Jesus establish the Kingdom,” Fr Fernando said.<br />
What’s the secret to his ability to communicate with so many<br />
different groups of people with seemingly little in common other<br />
than a shared faith?<br />
“People come to church to hear the word of God, and for<br />
me, it’s about how I break down that message to such a diverse<br />
community. I try and use plain, simple, language” Fr Fernando<br />
said with a smile.<br />
Fr Fernando with the Southern Lion mask.<br />
The lion dancers pose for the 'eye opening' ceremony.<br />
Fr Fernando is the sole MG representative in Australia.<br />
Sr Angeles Melero MN practising using chopsticks.<br />
Music of<br />
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and Sacred Readings for Good Friday<br />
Friday 25 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong> at 7.30pm<br />
The Blue Mountains Chorale<br />
Robert Ampt<br />
Conductor and Organist<br />
Amy Johansen<br />
Choir Accompanist<br />
Readers from St Finbar’s Parish and neighbouring Christian Churches,<br />
Fr Jolly Chacko – St Finbar’s Parish Priest<br />
at<br />
St Finbar’s Church<br />
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8 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
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PARISH PROFILE<br />
Chinese community<br />
welcomes New Year<br />
By Elizabeth McFarlane<br />
The Chinese community gather in St Monica’s Church, North Parramatta.<br />
Krystal Au and Tony Ng.<br />
Young families attended the celebration.<br />
There was a flurry of noise and colour as the Chinese<br />
New Year celebrations unfolded in St Monica’s Church,<br />
North Parramatta, on 14 February.<br />
St Monica’s Parish Priest and Chinese Chaplain, Rev<br />
Luis Fernando Montaño Rodriguez MG, was the principal<br />
celebrant for the Mass, which was concelebrated by Mons John<br />
Boyle and Rev Clement Hill.<br />
The church was adorned with the sights and sounds of<br />
China, with hanging Chinese lanterns adding a splash of red<br />
and orange to the milieu.<br />
Members of the Chinese community welcomed each other<br />
with a Happy New Year greeting: “Kung Hei Fat Choy!”<br />
A banquet lunch followed at Phoenix Restaurant located in<br />
Westfield Shopping Centre, Parramatta.<br />
“It was a big celebration of life, joy, community spirit and<br />
the richness of the Chinese culture,” Fr Fernando said.<br />
In China, families gather for the New Year to take part<br />
in a 15-day festival and enjoy meals, gift exchanges, parades,<br />
fireworks and theatre.<br />
Making wishes for luck, prosperity and good fortune, and<br />
warding off evil spirits, are central to the Chinese New Year<br />
celebration.<br />
Every year, a zodiac animal is featured; <strong>2016</strong> is the year of<br />
the fire monkey.<br />
Enjoying the cultural experience of the Lunar New Year<br />
festivities and dressed in Chinese attire, Fr Fernando took<br />
part in the traditional Chinese ‘eye opening’ ceremony of the<br />
dramatic lion dance.<br />
There was a burst of sound in the restaurant as the Chinese<br />
drum rolled.<br />
Two young women donned helmet doll masks, as two<br />
others stepped into the lion costume.<br />
As the lion sat on the ground, Fr Fernando dotted the lion’s<br />
eyes to wake him from his slumber and imbue his spirit.<br />
The Southern Lion represented in the performance is<br />
associated with the legend of a mythical monster called Nian.<br />
The lion worked its way around the tables, interacting with<br />
diners. The rhythmic and sprightly music continued as the lion<br />
operators danced in unison.<br />
Spectators fed the lion with red envelopes filled with<br />
money to help fundraise for the youth of the Chinese<br />
community attending World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, in<br />
July.<br />
Tony Ng and Krystal Au represented the youth and<br />
directed the running of the day.<br />
The day’s activities not only offered an up-close and<br />
personal view of the country’s customs and culture, but also<br />
provided a hands-on opportunity for the non-Chinese present<br />
to practise eating with chopsticks.<br />
Sr Angeles Melero MN of the Missionary Daughters of<br />
the Holy Family of Nazareth and her fellow Spanish Sisters<br />
relished the opportunity.<br />
Guided by onlookers, they learnt quickly, diving into the<br />
bowls of delicious Chinese cuisine with the chopsticks at hand.<br />
Originally from Mexico, Fr Fernando is the first non-<br />
Chinese Chaplain for the Chinese <strong>Catholic</strong> community at St<br />
Monica’s.<br />
He speaks Spanish, English and Cantonese, and knows<br />
Chinese sign language.<br />
As he engaged with those who attended the New Year<br />
lunch, he could be heard speaking all three languages.<br />
Parishioners were eager to get a photo with the energetic<br />
young priest.<br />
Allison Hamilton, Parish Secretary of St Monica’s, said<br />
Fr Fernando makes the parish unique. “He is very clever. He<br />
is brilliant in everything that he does. He gets involved with<br />
everyone,” she said.<br />
“He is the best boss I have ever had. He is so caring and he<br />
would do anything for anyone!”<br />
The parish is a cultural hub with 40% of the congregation<br />
being Chinese. Mass in Chinese is celebrated every Sunday at<br />
11.30am in St Monica’s Church, North Parramatta.<br />
To view a gallery of photos from the event, visit<br />
www.flickr.com/parracatholic/albums<br />
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in grace by its colourful history of holy men<br />
and women.<br />
Featuring: Venice • Padua • Florence<br />
• Assisi • Loreto • San Giovanni Rotondo<br />
Also departing 9th April and 29th September.<br />
Rome extension available.<br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 9
FAMILY & LIFE www.parrafamlife.org.au @parrafamlife parrafamlife<br />
Mercy: Not just a matter for<br />
judges but for families as well<br />
By Ben Smith, Director of the Family & Life Office<br />
To help families enter more deeply into the Year of Mercy<br />
it is important that we unpack the meaning of the word<br />
mercy. In our popular culture, the word mercy is often<br />
used in association with pleas for clemency for people facing<br />
the death penalty.<br />
This use of the term mercy is connected with the idea that<br />
someone who has power shows compassion by reducing the<br />
level of a person’s punishment.<br />
In this context, mercy can be seen by some as a form of<br />
judicial weakness stemming from a ‘bleeding heart’.<br />
However, this understanding of mercy only captures a<br />
small part of its full biblical meaning.<br />
The Old Testament used two particular words to express<br />
the mercy of God: hesed and rahamim.<br />
Hesed refers to God’s faithful love of Israel and is connected<br />
with a form of generous love that does not depend on whether<br />
it is deserved.<br />
It is also related to a self-sacrificial love that remains<br />
strong despite the challenges that might test the relationship.<br />
This aspect of mercy is associated with the image of God as a<br />
bridegroom who loves Israel His bride.<br />
Rahamim is a word that means womb-compassion. It is<br />
connected with the heartbreaking love that a mother has for<br />
her children. This sense of mercy portrays a feminine aspect<br />
to the mercy of God. It is also an aspect of mercy that is<br />
connected with strong feeling that springs from deep within a<br />
person.<br />
These two aspects enable us to gain a deeper appreciation<br />
of the word mercy if we apply this richer meaning to works of<br />
mercy. One dimension (the hesed dimension) of these actions<br />
is that as all human beings are created in the image and likeness<br />
of God, they have a dignity that needs to be respected.<br />
Consequently, as we are all human beings we have a<br />
responsibility to care for each other, especially the vulnerable.<br />
This care for the vulnerable should not stop at just an annual<br />
donation to Project Compassion or the Diocesan Works Fund.<br />
The rahamim dimension of a work of mercy is that it<br />
should also be heartfelt. The more personal a work of mercy is,<br />
the more this dimension can operate.<br />
For most people, it is in the family that we become acutely<br />
aware of the suffering of others. Our familial bonds make a call<br />
on us to provide help, but sometimes it can be harder to show<br />
mercy in our families compared to a stranger. The old saying<br />
“charity begins at home” also applies to mercy.<br />
Pope Francis recently identified the family as “the first and<br />
most important school of mercy, in which we learn to see God’s<br />
loving face and to mature and develop as human beings.”<br />
He sees that the family provides an antidote to<br />
individualism that creates a “kind of indifference towards our<br />
neighbours which leads to viewing them in purely economic<br />
terms.”<br />
Family life is extremely busy but we should regularly make<br />
some time as a family to visit the less fortunate in our extended<br />
family or our local community.<br />
This exposure will help form our children so that they will<br />
be less likely to spend too much time on Facebook and give<br />
mercy a face in the family and the community.<br />
For some ideas on how your family can perform works<br />
of mercy check out: www.parrafamlife.org.au/lent<strong>2016</strong>/<br />
worksofmercy<br />
Polyptych with the Seven Works of Charity, Master of Alkmaar.<br />
Source: Rijksmuseum (www.rijksmuseum.nl)<br />
Our Our Lady of of the Rosary Parish, Kellyville<br />
Sunday 3 rd April<br />
1:00pm Eucharistic Procession<br />
Rosary Rosary in 5 in 5 languages in in church for those who cannot join the procession<br />
Blessed Sacrament street procession<br />
with the Relic of St. Faustina<br />
Exposition of the<br />
Blessed Sacrament<br />
Divine Mercy Novena<br />
Divine Mercy Chaplet<br />
Benediction<br />
Confessions<br />
Holy Mass 3:00pm<br />
Jesus I I Trust in You<br />
+ Veneration + Veneration of of St. St. Faustina’s Faustina’s Relic Relic<br />
+ Religious items items will will be be on on<br />
takes<br />
takes<br />
place<br />
place<br />
after<br />
after<br />
Mass.<br />
Mass.<br />
sale<br />
sale and<br />
and<br />
blessed<br />
blessed<br />
after<br />
after<br />
Mass.<br />
Mass.<br />
St.<br />
St.<br />
Faustina’s<br />
Faustina’s<br />
Relic<br />
Relic<br />
permanently<br />
permanently resides<br />
resides<br />
at<br />
at<br />
Our Our Lady Lady of of the the Rosary Rosary Parish, 8 Diana Ave, Ave, Kellyville Kellyville<br />
Bring your family and friends, refreshments afterwards<br />
Bring your family and friends, refreshments afterwards<br />
Enquiries: Steve Boland 0405 206 695<br />
Enquiries: Steve Boland 0405 206 695<br />
10 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
www.safeguarding.org.au<br />
OFFICE FOR SAFEGUARDING & PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS<br />
Driving a cultural shift: ‘Child protection is everybody’s business’<br />
By Elizabeth McFarlane<br />
Claire Pirola is the new Manager of the<br />
Office for Safeguarding and Professional<br />
Standards. She comes to the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta from the <strong>Catholic</strong> Education Office<br />
in the Archdiocese of Sydney, where she worked<br />
for three years as part of the Safety, Wellbeing<br />
and Professional Services Team.<br />
Claire’s role includes general oversight of the<br />
Diocese’s engagement with external authorities<br />
including the NSW Ombudsman’s Office, the<br />
Office of the Children’s Guardian and NSW<br />
Police.<br />
“I have a passion for being a voice for<br />
minorities and for those who are vulnerable,”<br />
Claire said. “Children are one of a number of<br />
vulnerable people in our community. I want to<br />
ensure that they are seen and they are heard.”<br />
Claire said she wants to be part of the vision<br />
of the Office of Safeguarding and Professional<br />
Standards. “It is breaking new ground in setting<br />
up structures and models that I have not seen<br />
elsewhere.”<br />
The needs and the work of the office are<br />
constantly changing and Claire said one of<br />
their main roles is to drive a cultural shift in the<br />
community.<br />
“We can do the best that we can here but<br />
unless that’s supporting a shift in the community<br />
and in our parishes, then nothing much is going<br />
to change. “We all have a responsibility. Child<br />
protection is everybody’s business.<br />
“The only way we’re going to see a cultural<br />
shift is by giving a voice to survivors and the<br />
people who are close to them. They hold us<br />
accountable and tell us what we missed or have<br />
done wrong previously.”<br />
Claire Pirola: “The only way we’re going to see a cultural shift is by giving a voice to survivors and the people who<br />
are close to them.” Photo: Elizabeth McFarlane.<br />
Claire’s role has its emotional and personal<br />
challenges, but it’s the growth she can see in the<br />
community and in survivors that affirms her<br />
work.<br />
“Listening to people and walking with those<br />
who have suffered trauma is hard. We need to<br />
ensure that that sharing is not immobilising but<br />
that it mobilises us.<br />
“When you see a change in how people<br />
respond to the topic it is affirming. People<br />
can now talk about abuse and the abuse in the<br />
Church. Only by being able to talk openly about<br />
it can we begin to prevent it.<br />
“Many people identify with the Church<br />
and so when they see people in the Church<br />
have abused children or covered up abuse, and<br />
the reputation of the Church is harmed, it is<br />
personal for them. They personally feel harmed<br />
or their own personal faith feels harmed.<br />
“We have to acknowledge that this is part of<br />
our Church and who we are – as painful as that<br />
may be.<br />
“The change in the community is two-fold in<br />
that there is now a conversation about the abuse<br />
in the Church and because of that survivors<br />
are now able to seek healing and the Church<br />
leadership has opportunities to make change.”<br />
Claire said that because of the Royal<br />
Commission into Institutional responses to<br />
Child Sexual Abuse it was now permissible to<br />
talk about abuse. “Some people haven’t spoken<br />
about it for almost 50 years. We need to invite<br />
people to come forward and support them when<br />
they do.”<br />
Claire’s role will involve responding to<br />
referrals or calls from people within the<br />
community who have concerns about abuse and<br />
to report any allegations of abuse.<br />
“We assess the issue and we look at the most<br />
appropriate response. It’s about managing that<br />
and making sure it goes to the correct authorities<br />
and avenues within the Church and outside the<br />
Church.”<br />
Claire is looking forward to getting to<br />
know the different parishes and agencies in the<br />
Diocese.<br />
“I’m not from the Diocese so I don’t know<br />
everyone yet. I’m looking forward to working<br />
with and getting to know the parishes and<br />
agencies to see how best to support them in<br />
achieving the vision of a cultural shift and clearer<br />
response.<br />
“I won’t be working alone. We’ll be working<br />
closely with the other dioceses and looking state<br />
wide and nationally so that people don’t slip<br />
through systems. It’s a global issue and we are<br />
working to stand together.<br />
“The team here is fantastic and it’s been an<br />
easy transition. They have made me feel very<br />
welcome.”<br />
Celebrate the Holy Year of Mercy by supporting<br />
priests, religious sisters and brothers wherever<br />
the Church is poor, persecuted or threatened<br />
A priest visiting the<br />
sick in Peru<br />
Through their hands, God’s hand caresses the earth ...<br />
Priests and religious are above all the apostles of Divine<br />
Mercy - and not merely during the extraordinary Year of<br />
Mercy that Pope Francis has proclaimed for the whole<br />
Church. They feed the hungry, comfort the grieving, endure<br />
injustice. They promote reconciliation and absolve the<br />
repentant from their sins. Day by day, through the works<br />
of spiritual and corporal mercy, they show people the Face<br />
of the Merciful God. ‘They’ are the priests and religious<br />
of the <strong>Catholic</strong> Church. Pope Francis has proclaimed an<br />
Extraordinary Year of Mercy, which is intended to be “a<br />
time of grace for the Church and to help render the witness<br />
of the faithful stronger and more effective.” It is surely also<br />
an occasion to reflect with great gratitude on the witness of<br />
those who proclaim this Mercy with their whole lives.<br />
Throughout the world wherever the Church is poor, persecuted or threatened, there are<br />
tens of thousands of priests and religious daily living the ‘Yes’ they have already given<br />
to God. It is vital that the indispensable work of priests and religious in Christ’s Holy<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Church and throughout the missions worldwide continues. You can help this<br />
important work by donating online to the <strong>Catholic</strong> charity Aid to the Church in Need.<br />
A complimentary ‘Year of Mercy’ rosary designed<br />
by the Vatican Rosary makers and blessed by<br />
Pope Francis will be sent out to all those who<br />
donate $15.00 or more to help this cause.<br />
The inspiration behind the rosary design<br />
Every confessor must accept the faithful as the father in<br />
the parable of the prodigal son. Confessors are called<br />
to embrace the repentant son who comes home and to<br />
express the joy of having him back. Chosen to be the<br />
Mother of God, Mary from the outset was prepared by<br />
the love of God to be the Ark of the Covenant between<br />
God and man. She treasured divine mercy in her heart in<br />
perfect harmony with her Son Jesus. The red and white<br />
beads represent the rays of light of the Divine Mercy.<br />
Donate on line at www.aidtochurch.org<br />
ENROLLING<br />
now for 2017<br />
Catherine McAuley is a <strong>Catholic</strong> girls' secondary<br />
school, located at Westmead. Our broad curriculum<br />
encourages young women to pursue independent<br />
lifelong learning.<br />
OPEN NIGHT<br />
Tuesday 15 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
4.00pm - 7.00pm<br />
This school open event will give visitors the opportunity to tour the school and<br />
view facilities as well as meet our School Principal and School Leadership Team<br />
CONTACT OUR SCHOOL ON 9849 9100 FOR AN ENROLMENT PACK.<br />
APPLICATIONS CLOSE 1ST APRIL <strong>2016</strong><br />
Catherine McAuley, 2 Darcy Road, Westmead | www.mcauley.nsw.edu.au<br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 11
CATHOLIC EDUCATION<br />
www.parra.catholic.edu.au @<strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra <strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra<br />
Everything’s<br />
Connected<br />
When Pope Francis’<br />
long-awaited encyclical,<br />
Laudato si’, was published<br />
last year, media reports<br />
tended to focus on its<br />
strong environmental<br />
message. Yet Pope Francis’<br />
key focus, ‘Everything<br />
is connected’ is much<br />
broader: “Concern for<br />
the environment … needs<br />
to be joined to a sincere<br />
love for our fellow human<br />
beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the<br />
problems of society,” the Holy Father teaches.<br />
On 21 January, school leaders from across Western<br />
Sydney and the Blue Mountains gathered at Rosehill<br />
Gardens for ‘Everything’s Connected’, an inspirational<br />
System Leadership Day. The event featured speakers<br />
including Rev Chris de Souza PP; Neal Murphy, Director<br />
of Mission at St John of God Health Care and former<br />
student and Triple J newsreader Nas Campanella.<br />
Together we watched a powerful short film on the<br />
inclusion of people with disability, The Interview,<br />
featuring local actor Gerard O’Dwyer. It’s available on<br />
YouTube from Bus Stop Films and it’s a must-watch.<br />
Inclusion of people with disability is an important feature<br />
of Pope Francis’ message: “When we fail to acknowledge<br />
as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human<br />
embryo, a person with disabilities – to offer just a few<br />
examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature<br />
itself; everything is connected.”<br />
As Neal Murphy from St John of God Health Care<br />
reminded us, the experience of belonging (including<br />
in school communities) is often denied to people with<br />
disability. Neal’s passion about schools’ role in the<br />
healing mission of Christ is an inspiration.<br />
We also had a real-life example of the power of inclusion<br />
in Nas Campanella, a graduate of Sacred Heart Primary,<br />
Mt Druitt; St Agnes <strong>Catholic</strong> High School, Rooty Hill,<br />
and Loyola Senior High, Mt Druitt. Triple J newsreader<br />
Nas, who is blind, shared her personal story of the lifechanging<br />
impact of teachers.<br />
Pope Francis has also declared <strong>2016</strong> the 'Year of Mercy'.<br />
We had the opportunity to reflect on mercy in our<br />
communities and were asked three searching questions:<br />
How will you be the merciful face of Christ to students,<br />
colleagues, parents and community; when will our<br />
students and teachers experience mercy this holy year;<br />
and when will our students be the merciful face of Christ<br />
to others?<br />
It’s a call not just to be Christ-like but to see Christ in all<br />
members of our communities, especially those on the<br />
fringes. That’s why I asked every school leader to love<br />
most those so-called ‘difficult’ students, who struggle to<br />
belong not just in the playground and classroom but in<br />
everyday life.<br />
I’ve often said that the time for improvement in<br />
education has passed, that our focus must be<br />
transformation. Pope Francis’ vision of connectedness<br />
is a sublime challenge to educators, to really transform<br />
schools and ‘Our Common Home’, the earth.<br />
A challenge to create communities without outsiders, to<br />
see Christ in the other, especially when it’s tough. I think<br />
it’s a challenge that we’re not just equal to, but made for!<br />
Greg Whitby<br />
Executive Director of Schools<br />
@gregwhitby<br />
blog: bluyonder.wordpress.com<br />
Everything’s Connected at S<br />
Rev Chris de Souza, Delegate of the Diocesan Administrator, focused on what leaders need to be thinking about in their work as <strong>Catholic</strong> school leaders<br />
and educators.<br />
More than 450 school and education office<br />
leaders in the Diocese of Parramatta gathered<br />
at Rosehill Gardens on 21 January <strong>2016</strong><br />
for the annual system leadership day, prior to the<br />
commencement of the new school year.<br />
Opening the day with a focus on student diversity,<br />
Executive Director of Schools Greg Whitby said the<br />
theme ‘Everything’s Connected’ was taken from Pope<br />
Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato si’,<br />
which calls for humanity to accept shared responsibility<br />
for the care of nature and our human relationships in a<br />
changing world.<br />
At the end of last year, Greg spoke at the Vatican World<br />
Congress in Rome delivering a keynote address, ‘How<br />
do we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land’. He shared<br />
some of the key points with school leaders, highlighting<br />
the need for <strong>Catholic</strong> schools to transform learning and<br />
teaching, not just improve.<br />
“We’re learning to sing a new song in a strange land but<br />
we’ll be well positioned in the work that we do,” Greg<br />
said.<br />
“Improvement has had its time, we now need to talk<br />
about transformation – to go about the re-imagination<br />
process,” he said.<br />
Greg launched the System Strategic Direction <strong>2016</strong>-19<br />
outlining five key priorities:<br />
• Forming committed disciples of Jesus Christ;<br />
• Focus learning and teaching to meet the needs of<br />
each student;<br />
• Build capacity to use data to inform teaching and<br />
system decision making;<br />
• Develop new ways to partner with parents and<br />
families; and<br />
• Develop innovative learning environments.<br />
Rev Chris de Souza PP, Delegate of the Diocesan<br />
Administrator, focused on what leaders need to be<br />
thinking about in their work as <strong>Catholic</strong> school leaders<br />
and educators.<br />
“We need to ask ourselves, do I see everything; engage<br />
with everything; have I left anything out; can I do that<br />
through engaging with colleagues – what do you hear;<br />
what do you understand?” Fr Chris said.<br />
“(The) challenge to be inclusive means everything is new<br />
and the gift that is Jesus can keep on challenging us to<br />
see new possibilities in the present moment,” he said.<br />
A highlight of the day was the moving address from<br />
keynote speaker Neal Murphy, Director of Mission<br />
at St John of God Health Care, ‘To belong, I have to<br />
be missed’. Neal shared his vision of schools’ work<br />
towards the healing mission of Jesus Christ through<br />
involving disabled students and their families in school<br />
communities.<br />
Neal, who works with children and young people with<br />
disability and their families on a regular basis, challenges<br />
established mindsets about disability education.<br />
His address provided meaningful insights into the<br />
daily struggles families advocating for a disabled child<br />
experience. “Parents are always asking ‘why are people<br />
not interested in my child belonging?’,” Neal said.<br />
“To be successful as teachers, we have to see inclusion as<br />
an act of love,” he said.<br />
Describing himself as ‘an encourager’, Neal’s message to<br />
school leaders is that inclusion is not easy but achievable.<br />
Schools have a powerful role to play in modelling the<br />
inclusion of people with a disability with dignity in<br />
mainstream education and society.<br />
Team Leader Student Services Mary Creenaune spoke<br />
about the work of schools in making ‘diversity the norm’.<br />
“I am inspired by passion in schools to create ‘Diversity<br />
is the Norm’,” Mary said.<br />
12 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
www.parra.catholic.edu.au @<strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra <strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra<br />
CATHOLIC EDUCATION<br />
ystem Leadership Day <strong>2016</strong><br />
Keynote speaker Director of Mission at St John of God Health Care Neal<br />
Murphy challenged leaders’ established mindsets about disability education.<br />
The Executive Director of Schools Greg Whitby launched the System Strategic Direction <strong>2016</strong>-2019.<br />
Triple J newsreader and graduate of <strong>Catholic</strong> schools in the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta Nastasia Campanella.<br />
“Leaders need to consciously continue to create an<br />
inclusive culture for students seeking a <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
education that is attainable for students with disability.<br />
“I urge leaders to recognise each person as unique, rather<br />
than being identified by their disability,” she said.<br />
Triple J newsreader Nastasia Campanella is a graduate of<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> schools in the Diocese of Parramatta. Nastasia,<br />
who was blind from the age of six months, spoke to<br />
educators and leaders about managing diversity from a<br />
student perspective.<br />
From her own experience of being blind and unable<br />
to read Braille due to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease,<br />
which affected the sensation in her hands, Nas recalled<br />
the challenges she overcame in her schooling and<br />
professional life.<br />
Nas was introduced to screen-reading software called Job<br />
Access with Speech (Jaws) and the use of audio books to<br />
help her to read.<br />
"Suddenly that child who hated<br />
reading and used to cry herself to<br />
sleep every night for feeling like a<br />
failure, wanted to do nothing more<br />
than sit with a book."<br />
"I hope that from having me as a student my teachers<br />
have learnt how to be resilient and creative in their<br />
teaching.<br />
“I can’t stress enough how important the beginning of<br />
term meetings were to me; they allowed us to set goals<br />
and discuss issues honestly and openly, and at the end of<br />
the term have another meeting to evaluate the strategies<br />
that we had used and to evaluate how we could do things<br />
better.<br />
“I was asked every step of the way what I wanted and I<br />
believe that has contributed to my success,” she said.<br />
Director of Evangelisation and Religious Education Ian<br />
Smith spoke about the Year of Mercy.<br />
“Pope Francis has reminded us that we are living in the<br />
time of Mercy, the time to heal wounds,” Ian said.<br />
Ian asked attendees to reflect upon times God has shown<br />
His mercy, and attendees will be the merciful face of<br />
Christ to their students, colleagues, parents and the<br />
community during the Jubilee Year.<br />
Throughout the year, school leaders and education staff<br />
will have further opportunities to participate in their<br />
professional learning such as the Principals Masterclass<br />
and the <strong>Catholic</strong> Education, Ann D Clark lecture.<br />
For more school news, visit:<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra<br />
@<strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra<br />
www.parra.catholic.edu.au<br />
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS<br />
WEEK 6-12 MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
I belong. You belong. We belong.<br />
Find a <strong>Catholic</strong> school near you, visit catholicschools.nsw.edu.au<br />
Proudly supported by<br />
CELEBRATING THE<br />
YEAR OF MERCY<br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 13
CATHOLIC EDUCATION www.parra.catholic.edu.au @<strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra <strong>Catholic</strong>EdParra<br />
Hub Schools provide pathways for creative and<br />
performing arts<br />
CAPTIVATE Hub Schools provide pathways for Music, Dance and Drama students.<br />
In 2015 <strong>Catholic</strong> Education Diocese of Parramatta established Hub Schools, providing<br />
pathway for deep learning in Music, Dance and Drama for students in years Years 7-10.<br />
CAPTIVATE’s Artistic Director David Russell said the courses are designed to bring together<br />
students interested in excellence in performance.<br />
“They are highly practical courses with a heavy emphasis on learning through performance<br />
preparation,” David said.<br />
“Theoretical knowledge and technical skills are developed, however assessment is on the<br />
practical demonstration of knowledge and skill as a performer,” he said.<br />
For more information about CAPTIVATE Hub Schools, visit http://captivate.parra.catholic.<br />
edu.au/hub-schools<br />
More Reading Recovery teachers to support literacy<br />
On 3 December 2015, the Reading<br />
Recovery Graduation ceremony<br />
was held at St Francis of Assisi<br />
Primary, Glendenning, where<br />
33 teachers completed their first<br />
year of training and 38 completed<br />
their second year and received<br />
their registration number. Seven<br />
teachers also graduated with L2<br />
qualifications, which are integrated<br />
with Year 2 comprehension and<br />
writing.<br />
Reading Recovery teachers at their graduation.<br />
Reading Recovery is an early<br />
literacy intervention that provides<br />
one-to-one teaching for children who need greater assistance in learning to read and write<br />
following their first year at school.<br />
Our Lady of the Angels Primary’s Reading Recovery teacher Frances Eisenhuth said that<br />
when reflecting on the group's learning she was reminded of the story of the butterfly who<br />
was assisted out of its cocoon by a well-meaning human cutting the cocoon open, making it<br />
easy for the butterfly to escape its confines.<br />
“We know not to cut their ‘cocoons’ but work with them to develop a self-extending system,”<br />
Frances said.<br />
“Teachers aim to produce independent readers whose reading and writing improve whenever<br />
they read and write,” she said.<br />
St Patrick’s Marist student wins UNSW Women in<br />
Science 50:50 award<br />
St Patrick’s Marist College,<br />
Dundas Year 12 student In Hee<br />
(Christy) Baek.<br />
St Patrick’s Marist College, Dundas, Year 12 student In Hee<br />
(Christy) Baek won the University of NSW (UNSW) Women in<br />
Science 50:50 competition for 2015.<br />
Christy developed a filter mask and skin lotion that reduces the<br />
level of micro-dust penetration.<br />
The UNSW Women in Science 50:50 award meant Christy also<br />
received $4000.<br />
Christy thanked St Patrick’s Marist College’s Leader of Learning<br />
for Science Michael McFarland for teaching her science for two<br />
years.<br />
Michael said it was a wonderful achievement. “It is wonderful to<br />
see Christy win this prestigious prize,” Michael said.<br />
“The skill set that she has developed at St Patrick's Marist has<br />
certainly come to the fore,” she said.<br />
Religious Education leadership program forms ‘disciples’<br />
Religious Education Coordinator graduates of the Forming Intentional<br />
Disciples in Every School (FIDES) Leadership Program.<br />
On Monday 30 November<br />
2015, 33 Religious Education<br />
Coordinators graduated from the<br />
Forming Intentional Disciples in<br />
Every School (FIDES) leadership<br />
program.<br />
The ceremony was led by Director<br />
of Evangelisation and Religious<br />
Education Ian Smith who said<br />
FIDES was a transformational<br />
program.<br />
“FIDES focuses on Christian<br />
discipleship, collaborative leadership, evangelisation, mentoring and formation,” Ian said.<br />
“This annual program includes eight days of professional learning, an intensive pilgrimage<br />
and being partnered with a peer-mentor,” he said.<br />
Holy Family’s Maths Challenge Club<br />
Holy Family’s Maths Challenge Club.<br />
On 2 December 2015, Holy Family<br />
Primary, Emerton’s Math Challenge<br />
Club had their end-of-year celebration<br />
after a successful year of Maths<br />
Challenges.<br />
Teaching Educator (Numeracy)<br />
Tammy Roosen said this year students<br />
from Stage 3 at Holy Family chose<br />
to join Maths Challenge Club every<br />
Wednesday after school.<br />
“The weekly one-hour session<br />
was run by tutors from Australian<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> University, as a way to create<br />
a partnership between the school<br />
community and the university,”<br />
Tammy said.<br />
“Students enjoyed the club and were able to describe how learning during Maths Challenge<br />
Club helped with their classwork,” she said.<br />
<strong>2016</strong><br />
Calendar<br />
Parents Representative Council, Parramatta Diocese (PRC)<br />
ALL PARENTS WELCOME!<br />
Term Meeting Date & Time Venue Presentation Topic Presenters<br />
1 Mon 29 Feb <strong>2016</strong>, 7pm Patrician Brothers’ College, Blacktown Setting up for Success for your child in <strong>2016</strong><br />
Sue Veling, Principal Our Lady of the Way Primary, Emu Plains<br />
Kathy Ferrari, Teaching Educator, <strong>Catholic</strong> Education,<br />
Santo Passarello, Principal, Patrician Brothers’ College, Blacktown<br />
2 Mon 30 May <strong>2016</strong>, 7pm Diocesan Assembly Centre, Blacktown<br />
Special Needs classes in our schools including<br />
ASPECT Western Sydney School Satellite Classes<br />
ASPECT Western Sydney School<br />
3 Mon 22 Aug <strong>2016</strong>, 7pm Nagle College, Blacktown Helping your child manage Anxiety<br />
Anoushka Houseman, Clinical Psychologist/Lead counsellor,<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Education<br />
4 Mon 14 Nov, <strong>2016</strong>, 7pm Diocesan Assembly Centre, Blacktown Future Directions/Where we’re heading Greg Whitby, Executive Director of Schools, <strong>Catholic</strong> Education<br />
14 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
ALL presentations occur during the PRC General Meeting
www.ccss.org.au CCSSParramatta<br />
CATHOLICCARE SOCIAL SERVICES<br />
Providing compassionate, professional and relevant support to the people in our diverse community<br />
Offices at Blacktown, Emerton, Parramatta, Penrith, Springwood, call (02) 8822 2222<br />
Baulkham Hills Family Day Care<br />
Are you looking for high quality and<br />
affordable accredited child care?<br />
Baulkham Hills Family Day Care (BHFDC) has been<br />
providing child care to the local community since<br />
1979. Providing individualised education and care for<br />
children, BHFD supports the provision of home-based<br />
child care.<br />
Family Day Care offers childcare for children aged from<br />
six weeks to 12 years. Care is provided in the homes of<br />
registered educators, who are trained, supported and<br />
monitored by the qualified staff in the coordination unit.<br />
Family Day Care provides children with the opportunity<br />
to play and learn in a small home-like environment.<br />
Activities provided are targeted at children's interests<br />
and needs. Children are able to interact socially within<br />
a small group as well as establishing a one-on-one<br />
relationship with the individual educator.<br />
May is one of many BHFDC Educators who has been<br />
praised on numerous occasions. One client commented:<br />
“May is an amazing educator and carer. My two love<br />
going to May’s every day. May is not just an educator, she<br />
is like a second mum and she treats all her kids like they<br />
were her own. We can't speak highly enough of May.”<br />
Flexible hours, overnight care, weekend care, and care<br />
for school-aged children is available. Child care benefit<br />
is available to assist with childcare fees, and parents are<br />
also eligible to receive the Child Care Rebate.<br />
Educators provide an educational program for children,<br />
and are working within the National Quality Standards,<br />
which include the Education and Care national<br />
regulations and Education and Care National Law<br />
and Early Years learning Framework and School years<br />
Framework.<br />
Family<br />
RELATIONSHIPS<br />
SERVICE<br />
When life presents challenging personal, family or unexpected events,<br />
the experienced and qualified counsellors at <strong>Catholic</strong>Care’s Family<br />
Relationship Service are there to provide support, counselling and<br />
education to individuals, couples, parents and their children.<br />
Children are able to interact socially within a small group.<br />
BHFDC covers the Baulkham Hills Shire area including:<br />
Winston Hills, Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista, Kellyville,<br />
Rouse Hill, Stanhope Gardens, Beaumont Hills, Rouse<br />
Hill, Castle Hill, Kenthurst and Glenwood.<br />
This is an expanding service and we are currently<br />
looking to increase our areas of operation. Any inquiries<br />
are welcome, whether you are seeking care for your<br />
child or children, or interested in becoming an educator.<br />
Please contact (02) 9639 1346 for further information.<br />
BEREAVEMENT<br />
SUPPORT<br />
PROGRAM<br />
For men and women who grieve the death of<br />
their spouse or partner.<br />
COURSES & EVENTS<br />
Responsible Gambling Support Group ̶ this group is free<br />
and is held every Saturday, 9.30am-11am. CCSS Centre, 38<br />
Prince St, Blacktown. Tel (02) 8822 2222.<br />
Financial Literacy for Youth ̶ would you like to know more<br />
about managing your money and strategies to achieve your<br />
financial goals? <strong>Catholic</strong>Care Social Services in partnership<br />
with The Hills Community Aid & Information Service Inc<br />
and Blacktown Youth Services Association are holding<br />
sessions on 'Financial Literacy for Youth'. 9 & 16 <strong>March</strong>,<br />
3.30pm-5pm, 15 First Ave, Blacktown. Tel (02) 9639 8620.<br />
Couple Evening ̶ 'Text, Twitter, Tweet - Couples, the<br />
Internet and Social Media', Friday, 18 <strong>March</strong> at 7.30pm.<br />
Shane Smith, Director of Prepare/Enrich Australia and<br />
Vice President of the Marriage and Relationship Educators<br />
Association of Australia, will give an address on the impact<br />
of the internet, mobile technology and social media on<br />
couple relationships, and how digital technology matters<br />
in the lives of Australian couples. Free event. St Paul the<br />
Apostle Parish Hall, 40 Buckley's Rd, Winston Hills. Light<br />
supper served. To register tel (02) 8822 2222, marriage@<br />
ccss.org.au<br />
Blacktown Neighbour Aid ̶ can you volunteer one hour<br />
a fortnight to brighten the life of an elderly person in<br />
Blacktown? To find out more tel (02) 8822 2222, bna@ccss.<br />
org.au<br />
Stepping Beyond – Post Separation Support is on the last<br />
Tuesday of the month, 7.30pm-9.30pm. CCSS Centre, 38<br />
Prince St, Blacktown. Fee: $5 per meeting. Tel (02) 8822<br />
2222, soloparentservices@ccss.org.au<br />
Younger Widowed Support Group ̶ third Tuesday of<br />
each month, 7pm-9pm. OLOL Parish Centre, 1 Canyon Rd,<br />
Baulkhan Hills. Fee $5 per meeting. Tel (02) 8822 2222,<br />
soloparentservices@ccss.org.au<br />
Bereavement Support Program ̶ for men and women who<br />
grieve the death of their spouse or partner. Fortnightly on<br />
Tuesdays, 10.30am-12.30pm. CCSS Centre, 38 Prince St,<br />
Blacktown. Fee $5 per meeting. Bookings essential. Tel (02)<br />
8822 2222, soloparentservices@ccss.org.au<br />
Natural Fertility Awareness Evening ̶ learn about natural<br />
fertility methods. Wednesday 4 May, 7.30pm, Holy Spirit<br />
Parish, St Clair, 5 Todd Row, cnr Moore St, St Clair. Free<br />
event, supper provided. To register tel (02) 8822 2222,<br />
nfs@ccss.org.au<br />
Circle of Security ̶ program designed to enhance<br />
attachment security between parents and children.<br />
Help parents raise their children with love, warmth and<br />
emotional intelligence. Thursdays from 28 April – 16 June,<br />
10am-12.30pm, Blacktown CCSS Centre, 38 Prince St,<br />
Blacktown. Tel (02) 8822 2222.<br />
Our Groups Include<br />
KEEPING KIDS IN MIND (KKIM) for separated parents.<br />
Next group starts Wednesday 11 May in Parramatta for 5 weeks<br />
MY KIDS AND ME for parents whose children are in kinship or<br />
out-of-home care. Next group starts Friday 29 April <strong>2016</strong> in Penrith<br />
ROLLERCOASTERS FOR KIDS support primary-aged children and<br />
their families struggling with family separation. Next group starts Monday<br />
23 May at Blacktown<br />
COOL KIDS for primary and pre-school children experiencing anxiety<br />
Next group starts Wednesday 11 May in Springwood.<br />
For further information on any of the groups, please contact<br />
Trish Nowland | Phone: (02) 8822 2222<br />
A series of eight workshops providing<br />
an opportunity for those who are<br />
widowed to further understand the<br />
ways grief impacts on their lives.<br />
TUESDAYS FORTNIGHTLY<br />
5 April - 12 July <strong>2016</strong><br />
10.30am to 12.30pm<br />
38 Prince Street (cnr First Ave)<br />
Blacktown<br />
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL<br />
Ph (02) 8822 2222<br />
or email soloparentservices@ccss.org.au<br />
Springwood Drop-in Centre ̶ Drop in for a cup of tea<br />
and a chat, public use computers, WiFi and study space,<br />
community information, volunteering and bushfire support,<br />
counselling services and referral. Open Monday to Friday,<br />
10am-4pm. To arrange an appointment for counselling tel<br />
(02) 4751 4956 or visit the Drop-in Centre, Shop 3/163<br />
Macquarie Rd, Springwood.<br />
Recover Wellbeing ̶ recovery oriented program and<br />
support groups for people living with depression and<br />
bipolar and their families. Monthly get togethers 4<br />
Wellbeing include Drum4Wellbeing, Dance4Wellbeing,<br />
Sew4Wellbeing, Create4Wellbeing, Splash4Wellbeing.<br />
Further information tel (02) 8822 2222, julie.webster@<br />
ccss.org.au<br />
CreateAbility Day Options ̶ provides a service for people<br />
with disability. Offers opportunities and programs tailored<br />
to fulfil individual needs and aspirations. For further<br />
information tel (02) 9670 5321, createabilityenquiries@<br />
ccss.org.au<br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 15
DIOCESAN NEWS<br />
Maria Lette celebrates 100 years of life<br />
By Elizabeth McFarlane<br />
The lines on her face tell the<br />
story. It was her smile that<br />
drew me in, shortly followed<br />
by her piercing blue eyes.<br />
Maria Christina Lette has<br />
an enduring gaze and her wispy,<br />
silver hair can be said to match her<br />
silver-tongue.<br />
After another flash of the<br />
camera, she quipped: “Have you got<br />
your money’s worth yet?”<br />
It was a lively jest.<br />
Maria’s youngest child, Theresa<br />
Brazell, and her second eldest,<br />
Alphons Lette, quickly chimed in.<br />
Maria Christina Lette celebrated her 100th birthday last month with more than 200 family<br />
members. Maria’s secret to a long life could be a large and loving family.<br />
Photo: Elizabeth McFarlane.<br />
“She’s always had such a<br />
great sense of humour!” Theresa<br />
exclaimed.<br />
“She’s never given up the fun,”<br />
Alphons said with a chuckle.<br />
Maria celebrated her 100th<br />
birthday on 6 February at St<br />
Anthony’s Church, Toongabbie, with<br />
more than 200 family members. She<br />
was presented with a Papal Blessing<br />
from the Parish Priest, Rev Arthur<br />
Bridge.<br />
With 12 children, 56<br />
grandchildren and 99 greatgrandchildren<br />
(and the 100th on<br />
the way), Maria’s secret to a long life<br />
could very well be a large and loving<br />
family.<br />
“We mix so much together. To<br />
keep in touch with each other we<br />
had a family newsletter going out<br />
every fortnight for quite a few years,”<br />
Alphons said.<br />
Maria was born in 1916 in<br />
the Netherlands, growing up in a<br />
town called Hengelo, which is east<br />
of Amsterdam and close to the<br />
German border.<br />
Her parents, Maria and Hendrick<br />
Boevink, had 11 children.<br />
It was a different time. Maria<br />
grew up hearing the clattering<br />
hooves of horses pulling bread and<br />
milk carts in the early morning.<br />
She would ride her bike around<br />
the town, passing corner stores and<br />
the market in the town square where<br />
her family would buy fruit and<br />
vegetables.<br />
She was 19 when she attended<br />
the local dance hall and met<br />
Herman, the love of her life and the<br />
father of her 12 children. Herman<br />
was a machinist who made silk<br />
stockings.<br />
When Maria was 23 they married<br />
and went on to raise 10 children<br />
before deciding to migrate to<br />
Australia.<br />
“In the mid-1950s, nylon was<br />
invented. It went from silk stockings<br />
to nylon stockings and the factory<br />
my Dad was working in started to<br />
install the new machines," Alphons<br />
said.<br />
"But that meant they would need<br />
less than half of the staff. Six of the<br />
machinists, including my Dad, came<br />
to Australia because Holeproof<br />
in Sydney was still making silk<br />
stockings."<br />
Once in Australia, Maria and<br />
Herman had two more children<br />
and in 1959 they bought a house in<br />
Toongabbie, just a 10-minute walk<br />
from St Anthony’s Church.<br />
“We’re very involved in the<br />
parish. Prayer and church were<br />
foremost with both our parents.<br />
Toongabbie Parish means a lot to<br />
us,” Theresa said.<br />
Almost all of Maria’s children<br />
were married in St Anthony’s<br />
Church, as well as many of her<br />
grandchildren. Even some of<br />
her great-grandchildren have<br />
been baptised and received other<br />
sacraments in the parish.<br />
Maria and Herman were married<br />
for 32 years before Herman died of a<br />
heart attack in 1971 at the age of 57.<br />
“It was sudden. I was 11,” Theresa<br />
said.<br />
“Mum did it pretty rough at the<br />
time,” Alphons said. “But she kept us<br />
all together."<br />
Theresa said Maria's biggest<br />
regret was that Herman was not<br />
there to share this special occasion.<br />
"She always says, ‘My family is<br />
wonderful but Dad should be here<br />
with me,’” she said.<br />
Maria’s 100th birthday was an<br />
opportunity for her extended family<br />
to come together to celebrate her<br />
long and blessed life.<br />
“There was a lot of catching up<br />
to do between the cousins and the<br />
grandkids,” Alphons said.<br />
The celebrations concluded<br />
with lunch at a restaurant in Seven<br />
Hills where Maria was presented<br />
with congratulatory letters from<br />
the Queen, the Prime Minister,<br />
the Governor-General, the NSW<br />
Premier, and other political<br />
dignitaries from both houses of<br />
parliament.<br />
Diocesan Development Fund<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Diocese of Parramatta<br />
Supporting the<br />
growing needs of the<br />
institutions and agencies within<br />
the <strong>Catholic</strong> Diocese of Parramatta<br />
www.parra.catholic.org.au/ddf<br />
Disclosure Statement<br />
The Diocesan Development Fund <strong>Catholic</strong> Diocese of Parramatta (DDF) is not subject to the provisions of the Corporation Act 2001 nor has it been examined or approved<br />
by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.<br />
Deposits with the DDF are guaranteed by CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian <strong>Catholic</strong> Bishops Conference for this purpose.<br />
We welcome your investment with the DDF rather than with a profit oriented commercial organisation as a conscious commitment by you to support the Charitable,<br />
Religious and Educational works of the <strong>Catholic</strong> Church.<br />
Neither the DDF nor the Trustees of the Roman <strong>Catholic</strong> Church for the Diocese of Parramatta are prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority;<br />
contributions to the DDF do not obtain the benefit of the depositor protection provisions of the Banking Act 1959; the DDF is designed for investors who wish to promote<br />
the charitable purposes of the DDF.<br />
ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL<br />
MASS TIMES AND REGULAR SERVICE<br />
Weekend Masses<br />
Saturday 8am, 9:30am<br />
(Mass in the Extraordinary Form – Latin),<br />
6pm (Vigil) Sunday 8am, 9.30am (Family<br />
Mass), 11am (Solemn Mass), 6pm<br />
Weekday Masses<br />
Monday to Friday 6.45am,12.30pm<br />
Public Holidays 8am<br />
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament<br />
Monday to Friday 11.15am-12.20pm<br />
First Friday of the month 6pm-7pm<br />
Sacrament of Penance<br />
Weekdays 11.15am-12.20pm<br />
Saturdays 8.30am-9am, 5pm-5.30pm<br />
Devotions<br />
Morning Prayer of the Church<br />
Monday to Friday 6.30am<br />
Saturday and Sunday 7.30am<br />
Angelus<br />
Monday to Friday noon<br />
Rosary<br />
Monday to Friday after Angelus at noon<br />
Canticle of Our Lady’s Marian Movement<br />
Friday 1pm<br />
Christian meditation<br />
Tuesday 9.30am-10.15am<br />
Baptism - Sunday 12.45pm by appointment<br />
Marriages - By appointment<br />
Contact the Parish Secretary<br />
tel (02) 8839 8400 or email<br />
1 Marist Place, Parramatta<br />
16 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
DIOCESE OF<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong>YouthParra @cyp_parramatta @<strong>Catholic</strong>YouthParra<br />
CATHOLIC YOUTH<br />
PARRA-MATTERS! PALM SUNDAY AND POLAND<br />
By James Camden, Director of <strong>Catholic</strong> Youth Parramatta<br />
Parra-Matters! Strengthen your team for <strong>2016</strong><br />
In late February, we gathered a number of team leaders from<br />
various <strong>Catholic</strong> youth teams that provide youth ministry<br />
services to schools, parishes and movements in Sydney.<br />
Their wisdom and experiences gave much-needed formation<br />
on how to foster a positive team approach and get the right<br />
people in the right jobs for our important ministry with young<br />
people. A great way to start <strong>2016</strong>! Thanks to the young people<br />
of St John XXIII Parish, Glenwood-Stanhope Gardens, for a<br />
wonderful evening.<br />
Palm Sunday & Good Friday Night Walk<br />
Join us on Palm Sunday at Parramatta Town Hall at 5.15pm<br />
when Church Street will be closed as we process to St Patrick’s<br />
Cathedral on 20 <strong>March</strong>. Following the Mass, there will be an<br />
event in the cloister celebrating World Youth Day and the WYD<br />
<strong>2016</strong> raffle will be drawn.<br />
The Good Friday Night Walk will again begin at St Patrick’s<br />
Church in Blacktown at 10pm. The Youth Council has developed<br />
a program that will deepen our appreciation of the Year of Mercy<br />
in the context of Holy Week and the Passion of our Lord.<br />
LIFTED Live! Fr Rob Galea and his Band<br />
LIFTED Live! is the new name for our large-scale<br />
evangelisation events for young people here in the Diocese.<br />
We’re proud to announce that we will be hosting Fr Rob Galea<br />
and his Band for a two-hour concert at the Riverside Theatre on<br />
Friday 8 April. The concert is open to people of all ages. Tickets<br />
are $30 and selling fast. Make sure you don’t miss out! Book<br />
online at: www.riversideparramatta.com.au<br />
The Youth Mission Team at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Photo: Elizabeth McFarlane.<br />
Welcome to the Sydney Youth Mission Team<br />
Members of the Youth Mission Team are giving up a year<br />
of their lives to take the Gospel to our high schools. They’ve<br />
put work, their career or tertiary study on hold for the sake of<br />
reaching out to young Australians. The Sydney team resides in St<br />
Michael’s Parish in Baulkham Hills.<br />
Each team member commits to living with their teammates<br />
in a radical lifestyle of prayer, simplicity and mission for one year<br />
at a time.<br />
They spend two days a week in the regular workforce and<br />
pool their wages to cover their basic living expenses, leaving<br />
Wednesday to Sunday available for full-time ministry in schools<br />
and youth groups and on retreats and camps.<br />
This year’s team consists of Peter Dominish (manager),<br />
Jacqui Holden (Sydney), Jenelle Xerri (Melbourne), Eric Della<br />
Bosca (Melbourne), Catherine Lee (Adelaide), Paul Fam<br />
(Sydney) and Grace Barclay (Canberra).<br />
We look forward to working alongside these talented and<br />
generous young adults as they carry out the mission of the<br />
Church here in Sydney. For more information, check out<br />
www.ymt.com.au<br />
WYD <strong>2016</strong> Krakow Poland Update<br />
There has been a remarkable response to our pilgrimages<br />
with registrations and deposits coming in every day. We now<br />
expect in excess of 300 pilgrims making this epic journey of<br />
faith.<br />
Our current projections indicate that the two pilgrimages<br />
will consist of approximately:<br />
• 120 young adults from 22 parishes;<br />
• 90 Year 11 school students;<br />
• 70 young teacher pilgrims (under 35YO) from primary &<br />
secondary schools; and<br />
• 50 support staff, Diocesan Leaders and Chaplains.<br />
As the WYD raffle will be drawn on Palm Sunday, we<br />
encourage parishes to support young people in selling their<br />
tickets at Mass up to a week before.<br />
To be in the barrel for the draw, all purchased ticket butts<br />
must be returned to Tony Jose, diocesan Director of Financial<br />
Services & Development, at the Chancery by Monday 14 <strong>March</strong>.<br />
Follow us on @cyp_parramatta<br />
Join us on <strong>Catholic</strong> Youth Parramatta<br />
CATHOLIC YOUTH PARRAMATTA<br />
PRESENTS<br />
Put those you love<br />
in the hands<br />
of those who care<br />
FR ROB GALEA<br />
LIVE IN CONCERT<br />
FEATURING GARY AND NATASHA PINTO<br />
FRIDAY 8 APRIL <strong>2016</strong><br />
7.30PM<br />
RIVERSIDE THEATRES<br />
CNR CHURCH & MARKET STREETS<br />
PARRAMATTA<br />
TICKETS $30.00*<br />
*TRANSACTION FEES MAY APPLY<br />
CATHOLIC PRIEST • SINGER • SONGWRITER • YOUTH WORKER • THE X-FACTOR AUSTRALIA 2015<br />
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM<br />
MAJOR SPONSORS<br />
ENDORSED BY<br />
8839 3399<br />
RIVERSIDEPARRAMATTA.COM.AU<br />
BROKEN BAY<br />
SOCIAL MEDIA<br />
FRROB.COM<br />
@FRROBGALEA<br />
Sydney (02) 9519 5344 | Parramatta (02) 9687 1072<br />
wnbull@wnbull.com | www.wnbull.com.au<br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 17
CATHOLIC YOUTH<br />
Palm Sunday Procession<br />
WYD Mass & After Party<br />
Friday <strong>March</strong> 25<br />
Sunday 20 <strong>March</strong><br />
5pm Blessing of Palms at<br />
Parramatta Town Hall<br />
5.30pm Procession through<br />
the Parramatta CBD<br />
6pm World Youth Day Mass<br />
followed by an After<br />
Party with Filipino<br />
and Polish Food,<br />
Dancing, WYD updates<br />
and Drawing of the<br />
WYD Raffle<br />
Good Friday Night Walk<br />
10pm Gather in St Patrick’s Church,<br />
51-59 Allawah St, Blacktown<br />
Overnight Walk overnight from Blacktown to<br />
Parramatta<br />
6.30am Arrive at St Patrick’s Cathedral for<br />
pancake breakfast<br />
get updates on <strong>Catholic</strong> Youth Parramatta<br />
James Camden - CYP Director<br />
tel (02) 8838 3428, JCamden@parra.catholic.org.au<br />
www.parrawyd.org<br />
Gala dinner raises more<br />
than $100,000 for WYD16<br />
pilgrim project in Philippines<br />
A<br />
rebuilding project on the<br />
earthquake-devastated<br />
island of Bohol in the<br />
Philippines was the focus of a<br />
fundraising dinner hosted by<br />
the Diocese of Parramatta on 19<br />
February.<br />
More than 600 people filled<br />
the Grand Ballroom of the<br />
Westella Renaissance Reception<br />
House at Lidcombe. On the night,<br />
over $100,000 was raised due to<br />
enthusiastic support for a silent<br />
auction, the purchase of Year of<br />
Mercy candles and ticket sales.<br />
Money raised will directly<br />
fund a Learning Centre at the<br />
Sacred Heart Academy and other<br />
smaller projects in the Parish of<br />
Loon.<br />
The work will be undertaken<br />
in July this year by 350 young<br />
people taking part in the Diocese<br />
of Parramatta’s pilgrimage<br />
to World Youth Day (WYD)<br />
in Krakow, Poland, via the<br />
Philippines.<br />
In welcoming guests, the<br />
Diocesan Administrator Very<br />
Rev Peter Williams said that<br />
participation in WYD had been<br />
life changing for many pilgrims.<br />
“To engage in a pilgrimage<br />
is a very ancient practice of the<br />
Church, and for many it is not so<br />
much the destination that matters,<br />
but rather the journey to get<br />
there,” he said.<br />
“For one group of pilgrims<br />
this will involve a ‘stational’<br />
experience in the Philippines.<br />
Many of you will be aware of the<br />
recent devastation in parts of the<br />
Philippines due to the earthquake.<br />
“The destruction has seen<br />
essential infrastructure destroyed<br />
and, in particular, parish churches<br />
and schools.<br />
“In supporting this evening,<br />
you will make it possible for<br />
young people from our Diocese to<br />
participate in a rebuilding project<br />
that will have a lasting effect upon<br />
one Filipino community.”<br />
The after-dinner address was<br />
given Hon Madam Mayor Leonila<br />
Montaro of Panglao Island. Guests<br />
included Madam Anne Jalando-<br />
On Louis, the Philippines’ Consul-<br />
General in Australia; and Rev Fr<br />
Joel A Ruyeras, Parish Priest of<br />
Our Lady of Light Parish in Loon<br />
in the Diocese of Tagbilaran.<br />
Entertainment was provided<br />
by singer and comedian Adam<br />
Scicluna.<br />
"In supporting this<br />
evening, you will<br />
make it possible for<br />
young people from our<br />
Diocese to participate<br />
in a rebuilding project<br />
that will have a lasting<br />
effect upon one<br />
Filipino community."<br />
Background to the project<br />
On the morning of 15 October<br />
2013, when many residents were<br />
on their way to work and school<br />
on Bohol Island, a 7.2 magnitude<br />
earthquake, energy equivalent to<br />
32 Hiroshima bombs, shook the<br />
region.<br />
The earthquake killed 222<br />
people, with eight declared<br />
missing and more than 900<br />
injured. As well as the human toll,<br />
73,000 buildings were damaged –<br />
14,500 destroyed. Many parishes<br />
and schools in the region were<br />
completely devastated.<br />
As part of the first leg of<br />
our diocesan WYD pilgrimage,<br />
pilgrims will assist seven of the<br />
parishes in most need and will be<br />
working alongside Filipino youth;<br />
teaching, mentoring, painting,<br />
preparing vegetable gardens,<br />
feeding malnourished children<br />
and completing minor repairs.<br />
The major project is the<br />
building of a learning centre for<br />
Sacred Heart Academy with 756<br />
students in Our Lady of Light<br />
Parish. Students in schools in the<br />
area are still receiving lessons in<br />
makeshift classrooms.<br />
Diocese of Parramatta<br />
pilgrimages<br />
The Diocese will be taking two<br />
pilgrimages to WYD in Krakow –<br />
one via the Philippines and one via<br />
Poland, the homeland of St John<br />
Paul II.<br />
Current projections indicate<br />
that the two pilgrimages will<br />
consist of approximately:<br />
• 120 young adults from 22<br />
parishes;<br />
• 90 Year 11 school students;<br />
• 70 young teacher pilgrims<br />
(aged under 35) from primary<br />
and secondary schools; and<br />
• 50 support staff, Diocesan<br />
Leaders and Chaplains.<br />
Full travel details, including<br />
pricing, are now available online.<br />
Young people aged 16-35 are<br />
invited to register at http://<br />
parrawyd.orwg/the-pilgrimage/<br />
For more information contact<br />
Mark Tuffy, Executive Officer<br />
for WYD <strong>2016</strong> in the Diocese<br />
of Parramatta: mtuffy@parra.<br />
catholic.edu.au<br />
James Camden, Director of<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Youth Parramatta:<br />
JCamden@parra.catholic.org.au<br />
To view a gallery of photos from<br />
the evening, visit www.flickr.com/<br />
parracatholic/albums<br />
theLMent.com<br />
Our retired Priests have always been a part of<br />
your FAMILY,<br />
in your celebrations, unions,<br />
happiness & sadness<br />
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PARRAMATTA CLERGY SUPPORT FOUNDATION<br />
In their retirement,<br />
they can still remain a part of your<br />
FAMILY<br />
CARING FOR THOSE WHO CARED<br />
Please support our sick and<br />
retired Priests through the Clergy<br />
Support Foundation.<br />
Donations are welcome at any<br />
time – amounts of $2 or more are<br />
tax deductible.<br />
If you are preparing or changing<br />
a Will you may consider<br />
bequeathing a donation to the<br />
Foundation.<br />
For more information please call<br />
(02) 9639 0598 or donate online<br />
at www.parra.catholic.org.au<br />
18 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
<strong>Catholic</strong>YouthParra @cyp_parramatta @<strong>Catholic</strong>YouthParra<br />
CATHOLIC YOUTH<br />
WITH GRATEFUL<br />
THANKS<br />
Guests included: Hon Madam Mayor Leonila Montaro of Panglao Island; Madam Anne Jalando-On Louis, Philippines' Consul-General in<br />
Australia; and Rev Fr Joel A Ruyeras, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Light Parish in Loon in the Diocese of Tagbilaran. Photos: Alfred Boudib.<br />
Fr Joel A Ruyeras (left), Parish Priest of Our Lady of Light Parish,<br />
with Fr Ruben Elago MSP, Parish Priest of Mary Immaculate Parish,<br />
Quakers Hill.<br />
James Camden, Director of <strong>Catholic</strong> Youth Parramatta.<br />
Hon Madam Mayor Leonila Montaro of Panglao Island<br />
Sr Rosie Drum, Deputy Director of <strong>Catholic</strong> Youth Parramatta.<br />
Dinner guests purchased Mercy Has a Face candles.<br />
The Diocese of Parramatta is grateful to the sponsors and<br />
supporters of the WYD Gala Dinner on 19 February. Their<br />
generosity made it possible to raise more than $100,000 for<br />
our WYD pilgrim project in the Philippines.<br />
The money will directly fund a Learning Centre at the Sacred<br />
Heart Academy and other smaller projects in the Parish of<br />
Loon on Bohol Island.<br />
Diamond sponsors<br />
Deloitte, ME Document Solutions, Patrician Brothers’ College<br />
Blacktown, Terry Shields Toyota, FAL Construction Group,<br />
Western Sydney Plumbing, Celestin, Oz Fashions, Cisco Secure<br />
Agility, Austwide Property Maintenance Services, Diocese of<br />
Parramatta, Diocesan Development Fund, <strong>Catholic</strong> Education<br />
Diocese of Parramatta<br />
Platinum sponsors<br />
Reitsma Constructions<br />
Gold sponsors<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Commission for Employment Relations, Cingle Vue<br />
Silver sponsors<br />
Dance Fever Multisport, Friends of Bohol,<br />
Emmaus <strong>Catholic</strong> College, Kemps Creek<br />
Our thanks to<br />
Westella Renaissance, the Institute for Mission, CAPTIVATE and<br />
Parramatta Marist High, Westmead students and staff for their<br />
support on the night.<br />
To those who made donations<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Church Insurance, CPL Architecture, Baxter Bus Lines,<br />
Australian Turf Club, Parramatta Leagues Club & Parramatta Eels,<br />
St Dominic's College Kingswood, HelloWorld Tamworth, GWS<br />
Giants, Hawkesbury Fine Dental, St Bernadette's Primary, Dundas,<br />
Master Bathrooms & Kitchens, St Aidan's Primary, Rooty Hill, and<br />
El-Phoenician Restaurant.<br />
Diamond sponsor Oz Fashions is providing our WYD pilgrim merchandise.<br />
Hawkesbury Youth Parish Action (HYPA) Group is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic part-time<br />
Youth Ministry Leader who will be responsible for leading the faith formation program for youth in the<br />
Hawkesbury area.<br />
The successful applicant must have a strong desire to develop a successful youth ministry program<br />
within the Hawkesbury parishes and be a practising <strong>Catholic</strong> who is knowledgeable in his/her faith.<br />
The applicant should also possess excellent communication and organisational skills needed to work<br />
both independently and cohesively with parish and diocesan organisations, schools and families.<br />
Demonstrated experience in youth ministry or currently studying/completed study in a relevant field<br />
would be an advantage.<br />
For further details and an application package send an email to irenegalea@bigpond.com<br />
Applications close Friday 11 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
Child protection legislation requires preferred applicants to be subject to employment screening.<br />
www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 19
SOCIAL JUSTICE<br />
Parramatta YCW putting new life into old computers<br />
By Elizabeth McFarlane<br />
"...the service fulfils<br />
a greater mission<br />
than simply reducing<br />
waste. It engages<br />
young people to<br />
use their gifts and<br />
talents to help others.<br />
The more suppliers<br />
we have, the more<br />
volunteers we will<br />
need."<br />
Greg Tsiamoulis, Rafael Tordilla and Phillip Tsiamoulis hope the services will help to transform lives.<br />
Photos: Elizabeth McFarlane.<br />
Phillip Tsiamoulis and Greg Tsiamoulis (right) have a passion for computers and volunteering.<br />
The Parramatta Young Christian Workers<br />
(YCW) is calling on parishes, schools and<br />
organisations to donate older or unwanted<br />
computers that can be refurbished for re-use.<br />
The demand for refurbished computers is high<br />
but the service requires suppliers to be able to<br />
run.<br />
Located at 25 Union Street, Granville, the<br />
Parramatta YCW House is filled with the gentle<br />
hum of computers.<br />
Every Saturday, young volunteers can be found<br />
inspecting the cavities of old machines.<br />
They are currently refurbishing old computers<br />
from St Joseph’s Parish in Kingswood to send to<br />
East Timor where 60% of the population is under<br />
25 years of age. The majority of these young<br />
people are considered unemployed.<br />
One young woman who will benefit from the<br />
refurbished computers is Elia, whose university<br />
studies were interrupted when she gave birth and<br />
became a single parent.<br />
When she is able to work, it is low paid or<br />
unpaid work in the hospitality industry.<br />
The refurbished computers will be utilised<br />
to provide Elia with support in monitoring job<br />
advertisements, updating her resume, writing<br />
applications for relevant jobs and preparing for<br />
interviews.<br />
The YCW is also running similar services in<br />
our Diocese in Parramatta and Granville.<br />
The YCW is a <strong>Catholic</strong> movement with the<br />
mission to engage young people and form them<br />
in the faith through community action, reflection<br />
and review.<br />
Rafael Tordilla, the Project Worker for the<br />
Parramatta YCW, coordinates Computer Classes<br />
and Job Club Services in Parramatta Library<br />
and Granville Library, as well as the Computer<br />
Refurbishment service.<br />
The services work to transform the lives<br />
of disadvantaged people in the community.<br />
Together they provide resources, training in the<br />
use of those resources and insight into how to use<br />
those new skills to find employment.<br />
“The Computer Refurbishment service aims<br />
to make sure nothing goes to waste and that the<br />
resources go to a good place,” Rafael said.<br />
“But the service fulfils a greater mission than<br />
simply reducing waste. It engages young people<br />
to use their gifts and talents to help others. The<br />
more suppliers we have, the more volunteers we<br />
will need.<br />
“It is important to engage with more young<br />
people so that we can support them in reflection<br />
on how their faith plays out in the volunteer work<br />
they undertake.”<br />
Without the dedicated volunteers, the services<br />
would not run and it is their willingness to<br />
give up their time to give back that Rafael finds<br />
inspiring.<br />
Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy<br />
Penrose Park<br />
Fatima Day: Sunday <strong>March</strong> 13<br />
Principal Celebrant: Fr Suresh Kumar<br />
Assistant Priest at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Greystanes<br />
Divine Mercy Devotions - First Sunday of the Month<br />
Fatima Family Sunday: <strong>March</strong> 20<br />
“We need passionate and dedicated volunteers.<br />
The services wouldn’t exist without them. The<br />
services belong to them. The way they run and<br />
how they are organised is largely dependent on<br />
them,” he said.<br />
“I see their faith being put into action. They<br />
choose to be here on a Saturday morning and<br />
that passion to make a difference is inspiring.”<br />
One of the key volunteers is Phillip Tsiamoulis,<br />
a software developer for the Australian Securities<br />
and Investments Commission (ASIC).<br />
“Phillip is basically the lynchpin for the<br />
service. If he ever goes, he will be very<br />
difficult to replace. His skills are not limited to<br />
computing. He has electrical skills and he trains<br />
other volunteers to sustain the service,” Rafael<br />
explained.<br />
Phillip has a great passion for computers and<br />
volunteering.<br />
“Computers have always been a part of me. It’s<br />
just something I really enjoy. The fact that I can<br />
share what I enjoy with other people and that<br />
they also want to learn is rewarding,” he said.<br />
Phillip installs open source software on to old<br />
hardware. This allows the old computers to run<br />
smoothly.<br />
“To put it simply, open source software<br />
means you’re provided with all of the code so<br />
you can develop the operating system. Linux<br />
is free open source software, and you can run<br />
multi-functional operating systems like Zorin OS<br />
on it,” he said.<br />
“Once installed, you can use old hardware.<br />
Microsoft is closed and therefore you can’t see<br />
how it runs. It’s also more expensive and more<br />
susceptible to viruses.<br />
“This refurbishment revitalises old hardware<br />
and overrides all of the issues associated with<br />
using Microsoft on old hardware.”<br />
But volunteering for the Computer<br />
Refurbishment service does not require a<br />
thorough understanding of operating systems.<br />
“It helps if you know a bit about the<br />
components of a computer. But having said that,<br />
if you’re dedicated, a good listener and have some<br />
Lego-building skills, you can volunteer for this<br />
service,” Rafael said.<br />
“The issue is not the number of volunteers we<br />
have. We have the volunteers. We need suppliers<br />
to maintain this service.”<br />
For more information on the services provided<br />
by the Parramatta Young Christian Workers,<br />
please contact:<br />
Rafael Tordilla<br />
Project Officer<br />
Parramatta YCW<br />
E-mail: rafael.tordilla@ycw.org.au<br />
Tel: (02) 9682 6719<br />
Mobile: 0412 536 753<br />
Upcoming celebrations in Our Shrine:<br />
Passion Play starts at 11am on Good Friday 25 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
The moving Re-enactment of Our Blessed Lord’s sufferings will<br />
commence at the front entrance of the Shrine. Please note that the<br />
gates will close at 10.45am so the Passion play may begin without<br />
traffic coming through.<br />
Address: 120 Hanging Rock Rd, Sutton Forest, NSW, 2577<br />
For map please see our website www.penrosepark.com.au<br />
Pauline Father’s Monastery<br />
Address: 120 Hanging Rock Road, Berrima, NSW, 2577 Phone: 02 4878 9192<br />
Email: paulinefathers@yahoo.com.au<br />
Website: www.penrosepark.com.au<br />
20 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
Liturgical Ministry Formation<br />
Course commences<br />
By Sr Mary Louise Walsh ISSM, Liturgy Educator in the Office for Worship<br />
DIOCESAN NEWS<br />
Are you called to a<br />
ministry of pastoral care<br />
in hospitals?<br />
By Joy Bowen, Hospital Liaison Manager<br />
The first participants commenced the course at the Institute for Mission in Blacktown. Photos: Adrian Middeldorp.<br />
Last month’s diocesan Mass for World Day of the Sick was an acknowledgement of carers<br />
and those for whom they care. Photo: Alfred Boudib.<br />
During the course the participants develop practical and pastoral skills.<br />
A<br />
course that provides<br />
participants with the<br />
opportunity to deepen their<br />
faith through their understanding of<br />
liturgy and ministry commenced in<br />
Blacktown and Penrith last month.<br />
The Liturgical Ministry<br />
Formation Course in the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta focuses on formation for<br />
readers of the Word, extraordinary<br />
ministers of Communion,<br />
Communion to the sick either at<br />
home, in a nursing home or hospital,<br />
adult altar servers (senior servers)<br />
and acolytes.<br />
Participants from across Western<br />
Sydney commenced the course at<br />
two venues: the Institute for Mission<br />
at Blacktown and St Nicholas of Myra<br />
Parish at Penrith.<br />
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During the course the<br />
participants develop practical and<br />
pastoral skills. The awareness of<br />
duties involved in these ministries is<br />
also covered.<br />
The ministry of acolyte, available<br />
to male applicants, provides the<br />
participants with a practical<br />
understanding of how to assist the<br />
celebrant at the Eucharist.<br />
The preparation for this role also<br />
includes preparation for the ministry<br />
of the Word as the role of the acolyte<br />
demands that the person ministering<br />
as an acolyte is also responsible to<br />
ensure that the reader knows exactly<br />
how and what to do during the<br />
liturgy of the Word.<br />
In a similar way, the acolyte<br />
must be aware of the role of the<br />
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The awareness of duties involved in these<br />
ministries is also covered.<br />
extraordinary minister of the<br />
Eucharist. Therefore, the candidate<br />
for this role will complete the whole<br />
course.<br />
Senior servers (who may be<br />
females) will also need to know and<br />
understand the roles of extraordinary<br />
minister of the Eucharist and the<br />
participants in the ministry of the<br />
Word.<br />
The Liturgical Ministry<br />
Formation Course is held twice a<br />
year. The next course will take place<br />
in August <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
For further information contact<br />
the Office for Worship tel (02) 9831<br />
4911 or ofw@ifm.org.au<br />
If you would like to consider<br />
being involved in liturgical ministry,<br />
please contact your parish priest.<br />
$1299<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> pastoral care volunteers<br />
and extraordinary ministers<br />
of the Eucharist visit<br />
hospitals throughout the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta, providing comfort and<br />
care to <strong>Catholic</strong> patients and others.<br />
Many of our volunteers have been<br />
committed to this ministry for years.<br />
Would you like to join the team?<br />
If you are a person who loves<br />
practical learning, gathering with<br />
like-minded people and meeting new<br />
friends, this course is for you. You<br />
can make a very real difference, while<br />
earning a recognised qualification.<br />
The NSW Department of Health,<br />
recognising the importance of this<br />
ministry, asks that prospective<br />
volunteers undertake 40 hours of<br />
training in order to minister to those<br />
in public hospitals.<br />
At present, this is the only<br />
40-hour course officially endorsed<br />
by the Civil Chaplaincies Advisory<br />
Committee and the Diocese of<br />
Parramatta.<br />
The course is open to those<br />
who already volunteer in a hospital<br />
context, those who might be deciding<br />
if they are suited to this ministry or<br />
anyone who just wants to improve<br />
their life skills.<br />
The first step for each participant<br />
is to speak with their Parish Priest<br />
and have him complete a letter of<br />
recommendation. A template can be<br />
provided.<br />
The program is organised by<br />
Ms Joy Bowen, a Hospital Liaison<br />
Manager who has worked for more<br />
than 15 years in chaplaincy, including<br />
as a full-time chaplain at Westmead<br />
Adults Hospital and The Children’s<br />
Hospital at Westmead.<br />
The course is offered over five<br />
evenings and is complemented by<br />
written tasks and course readings.<br />
For further information, please<br />
call Joy on 044 88 22 625.<br />
To register for the program,<br />
please send an email to JBowen@<br />
parra.catholic.org.au<br />
Course dates for <strong>2016</strong><br />
Five Mondays: 4, 11 and 18 April,<br />
2 and 9 May <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
Time: 7pm-9.30pm. Cost: $50<br />
Venue: St Nicholas of Myra<br />
Parish Meeting Room, 326 High<br />
Street, Penrith.<br />
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www.catholicoutlook.org<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 21
NEWS & EVENTS<br />
Divine Mercy Holy Year in<br />
Upper Blue Mountains<br />
Church network<br />
critical to Fiji response<br />
The Parish of St Mary of the<br />
Cross MacKillop, Upper<br />
Blue Mountains, has entered<br />
into the Jubilee Year of Mercy with<br />
various celebrations.<br />
Before every Mass on Sundays<br />
and weekdays the Divine Mercy<br />
prayers are said. On the first Sunday<br />
of every month beginning at 3pm<br />
there is a 90-minute Divine Mercy<br />
celebration at St Bonaventure’s<br />
Church at Leura, with song, music,<br />
prayer, readings and at times a<br />
special talk, all before the Blessed<br />
Sacrament exposed.<br />
A first-class relic of St Faustina<br />
is often present. It ends with<br />
benediction in time for the Sunday<br />
evening Mass at 5pm.<br />
Every Friday at 5.15pm there is<br />
a special 30-minute Divine Mercy<br />
devotion at St Bonaventure’s Church<br />
at Leura. During Lent there are<br />
weekly Stations of the Cross in both<br />
St Canice’s Church at Katoomba<br />
and St Francis Xavier’s Church at<br />
Wentworth Falls.<br />
The several Lenten groups have<br />
the divine mercy as their theme, and<br />
daily Confessions are available.<br />
On 20 February, the parish<br />
hosted a day-long seminar at Leura,<br />
presented by a special Divine Mercy<br />
team from Sydney.<br />
As a follow-on, on 4-5 <strong>March</strong><br />
the parish will celebrate 24-hours<br />
for the Lord. Planning has begun to<br />
take the Divine Mercy to the streets<br />
on Winter Magic Day in the Blue<br />
Mountains in June.<br />
In preparation for Divine Mercy<br />
Sunday on 3 April, the Divine<br />
Mercy Novena will begin in the<br />
parish on Good Friday. On Divine<br />
Mercy Sunday the special afternoon<br />
of celebration at St Bonaventure’s<br />
Church at Leura will start at<br />
3pm, and all visitors will be most<br />
welcome.<br />
There will be exposition of<br />
the Blessed Sacrament, prayer,<br />
praise, music, organ and choir,<br />
adoration and sung chaplet of<br />
Divine Mercy. Confessions will<br />
be available throughout, finishing<br />
with benediction and then the Feast<br />
Day Mass at 5pm. There will be<br />
refreshments and conviviality in the<br />
parish hall after Mass.<br />
A new parish initiative for<br />
the Year of Mercy is a monthly<br />
series of faith-formation seminars<br />
at Katoomba, featuring visiting<br />
speakers.<br />
This series was launched on<br />
6 February with four Sydney<br />
speakers: Robert Haddad, Charbel<br />
Raish, Madeline Vella and Simon<br />
Carrington. All visitors are welcome<br />
for these monthly seminars.<br />
On Saturday 19 <strong>March</strong>, we<br />
will welcome Sarah Swafford, the<br />
first of our international speakers.<br />
Sarah is from the US and has been<br />
seen regularly on the international<br />
EWTN <strong>Catholic</strong> network and is<br />
featured in the Chastity Project<br />
range, available through Parousia<br />
Media in Australia.<br />
Sarah Swafford event in<br />
St Canice’s Parish Hall:<br />
10am: Mass in St Canice’s<br />
Church, Katoomba.<br />
11am: Talk 1 – Emotional<br />
Virtue. Men and women today<br />
are faced with a constant<br />
assault on their emotions from<br />
the media or the environment<br />
around them. Sarah targets this<br />
battle within by setting forth<br />
a vision for virtue in the 21st<br />
Century, one that focuses on<br />
beginning with the end in mind<br />
and building what will last.<br />
12.40pm: Lunch (BBQ at the<br />
parish hall)<br />
1.20pm: Talk 2 –<br />
Understanding Emotional<br />
Virtue by parents and friends.<br />
As a parent, relative, friend,<br />
or anyone close to a young<br />
woman or man passing<br />
through stages of life, it can be<br />
hard to watch your loved ones<br />
go through this challenging<br />
time. How can someone help<br />
and not just stand by? Sarah<br />
offers an understanding of<br />
Emotional Virtue for the friend<br />
or carer.<br />
3pm: Finish.<br />
Time for some sights at<br />
Katoomba, with Sunday<br />
Vigil Mass at 5pm in St<br />
Bonaventure’s Church at Leura.<br />
Our parish churches<br />
St Canice’s Church, 158<br />
Katoomba Street, Katoomba;<br />
St Bonaventure’s Church, cnr<br />
Railway Parade & Hartley<br />
Esplanade, Leura; and<br />
St Francis Xavier’s Church, Day<br />
Street, Wentworth Falls.<br />
Tropical Cyclone Winston left<br />
a trail of destruction in Fiji<br />
and the Tongan islands of<br />
Vava'u and Ha'apai last month. The<br />
category five storm is thought to be<br />
one of the strongest to have hit the<br />
Southern Hemisphere with winds<br />
gusting to 300km per hour.<br />
In Fiji, the Archdiocese of Suva<br />
through the Commission for Justice<br />
and Development is assessing the<br />
damage and planning a coordinated<br />
response.<br />
Shelter is a major priority<br />
and there are an estimated 750<br />
evacuation centres around the<br />
country.<br />
The <strong>Catholic</strong> Church, supported<br />
by Caritas Oceania agencies<br />
including Caritas Australia and<br />
Caritas Aotearoa NZ, is responding.<br />
The Caritas network, part of<br />
one of the largest humanitarian<br />
networks in the world, remains<br />
ready to respond in Fiji as needs<br />
become clearer.<br />
Caritas Australia’s Pacific<br />
Programs Manager, Stephanie Lalor,<br />
said preparing communities to be<br />
first-responders in emergencies was<br />
a fundamental part of the overseas<br />
aid and development agency’s<br />
humanitarian work.<br />
“Our thoughts and prayers are<br />
with all the communities, friends<br />
and partners in Fiji and the region<br />
where the cyclone has made landfall.<br />
We remain in close contact with<br />
our partner organisations on the<br />
ground, ready to provide support<br />
where necessary,” she said.<br />
Caritas Australia’s partner<br />
Peoples Community Network<br />
(PCN) in Fiji, works in informal<br />
settlements where many of the<br />
poorest and most marginalised have<br />
been impacted. PCN is urgently<br />
assessing the damage but initial<br />
reports indicate these low-lying<br />
communities have been hit hard.<br />
The Church plays a key role in<br />
reaching out to the most vulnerable<br />
Supported by Caritas Australia, education<br />
and training gave Eric and Ma the tools they<br />
needed to overcome a life of uncertainty in<br />
Fiji. Photo: Caritas/Drew Morrison.<br />
communities, particularly those on<br />
the margins in the outlying islands.<br />
Iosefo Nainima, the Archdiocese<br />
of Suva’s Director for Justice and<br />
Development, said Cyclone Winston<br />
had caused extensive damage to<br />
homes, public offices, businesses,<br />
trees, crops, roads, electricity lines,<br />
telephones and bridges.<br />
“Most of the villages along its<br />
path are completely destroyed with<br />
sea walls washed away. The most<br />
immediate need is for tarpaulins,<br />
blankets, food, farming equipment<br />
and seedlings for vegetables,” he<br />
said.<br />
After responding to immediate<br />
needs following the cyclone,<br />
Caritas Australia is committed to<br />
accompanying Fiji and Tonga and<br />
other Pacific nations that remain<br />
vulnerable through the cyclone<br />
season.<br />
“We are encouraging our<br />
supporters to raise funds for the<br />
current Project Compassion Lenten<br />
Appeal, which helps vulnerable<br />
Pacific communities such as Tonga<br />
and Fiji respond to emergencies<br />
build back stronger and prepare for<br />
future disasters,” Ms Lalor said.<br />
You can make a donation<br />
today at: www.caritas.org.au/<br />
projectcompassion<br />
Thursday 17 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
Holy Hour for Vocations<br />
St Patrick’s Cathedral, 1 Marist Place, Parramatta<br />
Everyone is welcome to join the Holy Hour for Vocations from<br />
7pm-8pm on the 3rd Thursday of each month for an hour of<br />
adoration, prayer, music and quiet time in the Blessed Sacrament<br />
Chapel in St Patrick’s Cathedral.<br />
To find out more about priesthood in the Diocese of Parramatta<br />
contact Fr Warren Edwards, Director of Priestly Vocations<br />
Tel 0409 172 700 or email vocations@parra.catholic.org.au<br />
Calling for nominations<br />
for 3 diocesan awards<br />
Nominations are now open for three diocesan awards:<br />
The Diocesan Medal of Honour<br />
The Diocesan Medal of Honour seeks to encourage<br />
and recognise outstanding contribution and service<br />
by members of the Parramatta diocesan community<br />
in work on behalf of the Church and society. The<br />
Diocesan Medal of Honour is awarded for outstanding<br />
service to parish, Diocese and community.<br />
The Diocesan Citation of Merit for Youth<br />
The Diocesan Citation of Merit for Youth seeks to<br />
encourage and recognise youth between the ages of 18<br />
and 25 who have shown outstanding contribution and<br />
service to the parish, Diocese and community.<br />
The Diocesan Certificate of Recognition<br />
The Diocesan Certificate of Recognition seeks to<br />
encourage and recognise outstanding contribution by<br />
non-<strong>Catholic</strong> members of the Diocese of Parramatta<br />
community, for work supporting the parish, Diocese<br />
and community.<br />
An overview for how to make a nomination and<br />
notations are available from:<br />
Rev Dr Arthur Bridge AM PP<br />
Chairman of the Diocesan Honours<br />
Committee<br />
Tel (02) 9631 3316<br />
arthurbridge@arsmusica.org.au<br />
22 <strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong><br />
www.catholicoutlook.org
The inter-church law service was held in St Patrick’s Cathedral. Photos: Elizabeth McFarlane.<br />
Inter-church service for law year<br />
An inter-church service to<br />
mark the commencement of<br />
the <strong>2016</strong> law year was held in<br />
St Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta<br />
on 3 February. The service is an<br />
opportunity to pray for guidance for<br />
those seeking or dispensing justice<br />
during the coming year.<br />
Participants included magistrates,<br />
judges and members of the legal<br />
fraternity, Members of Parliament<br />
and other civic leaders and<br />
dignitaries, members of the NSW<br />
Police Force, representatives and<br />
members of local Christian churches<br />
in the Parramatta region.<br />
The Dean of St Patrick’s<br />
Cathedral, Very Rev Bob Bossini,<br />
presided at the service. The readings<br />
were proclaimed by Rev Neil Atwood,<br />
representing Rt Rev Ivan Lee, Bishop<br />
of the Western Region, Anglican<br />
Diocese of Sydney, and His Honour<br />
Justice Foster.<br />
The Gospel was proclaimed by<br />
Rev Keith Hamilton, Senior Minister,<br />
Uniting Church in Australia, and<br />
Group CEO of Parramatta Mission.<br />
The prayer of intercession was<br />
prayed by Supt Dean Smith of NSW<br />
Police and Mr Chris Maley.<br />
Other participants included<br />
Most Rev Kevin Manning, Bishop<br />
Emeritus of Parramatta, and Rev<br />
Fr Chris de Souza, Delegate of the<br />
Diocesan Administrator, Very Rev<br />
Peter Williams.<br />
The address was given by Rev<br />
Fr Paul Roberts, Director of the<br />
Institute for Mission in the <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Diocese of Parramatta. Fr Paul spoke<br />
of the relationship between justice<br />
and mercy as “not two contradictory<br />
realities but two dimensions of a<br />
single reality that lead us higher”.<br />
He said that in encouraging a<br />
Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis<br />
stresses justice as both a necessity<br />
for civil society and as that which is<br />
rightly due to each person.<br />
“In his background document,<br />
Misericordiae Vultus, … he also<br />
highlights, as in our religious history,<br />
that law as legalism rather than for<br />
serving and embracing a higher<br />
possibility misses the boat,” Fr Paul<br />
said.<br />
“Francis paints a picture of<br />
religious leaders whose righteousness<br />
lacks any abandonment to the higher<br />
gift that is the source of good. Mercy<br />
on the other hand is the way of<br />
reaching out gratuitously to offer<br />
transformation.”<br />
Fr Paul went on to say that “Pope<br />
Francis makes the big call that if God<br />
limited Himself to only justice, He<br />
would cease to be God, and would<br />
instead be like those who ask merely<br />
that the law be respected.<br />
Superintendent Dean Smith of NSW Police<br />
chats to Fr Paul Roberts.<br />
Rev Neil Atwood proclaims the first reading.<br />
“And limited only to this<br />
appeal he points out will lead to the<br />
destruction of the law, for it needs<br />
also the transformation it serves.<br />
So from a faith perspective, God<br />
doesn’t deny justice but holds it and<br />
then surpasses it with mercy and<br />
forgiveness.”<br />
“Let’s ask blessing on the<br />
endeavors of our work; especially the<br />
various roles and works of the law<br />
that are represented here and likewise<br />
by our networks of colleagues and<br />
friends,” Fr Paul said.<br />
“For most people exercising<br />
these roles and works there was an<br />
ideal that led them there, a hope that<br />
life would be influenced and made<br />
different, lifted and imbued with<br />
possibility. And yet the shine can<br />
quickly dull and the pressure or even<br />
the mundane can overwhelm.<br />
“And may our service of others,<br />
in the midst of their hopes and goals,<br />
and our service of others amidst some<br />
of their more dramatic and broken<br />
experiences of life, hold and continue<br />
to reorient them.”<br />
Members of the legal profession<br />
joined together in praying the prayer<br />
of commitment.<br />
To view photos from the<br />
service, visit www.flickr.com/<br />
parracatholic/albums<br />
11<br />
12<br />
17<br />
19<br />
21<br />
23<br />
8-10<br />
MARCH CALENDAR<br />
PENITENTIAL SERVICE<br />
The Church recognises the Call to Continuing Conversion of<br />
Candidates who are preparing for Confirmation and/or Eucharist<br />
or Reception into the Full Communion of the <strong>Catholic</strong> Church.<br />
Time: 7.30pm in St Patrick's Cathedral, Parramatta, followed by<br />
supper.<br />
MERCY AND THE FEMININE GENIUS<br />
The Anima Women’s Network invites you to explore how women<br />
can make a unique contribution to the Year of Mercy. Speaker<br />
Karen Doyle is the co-founder of CHOICEZ MEDIA, an author<br />
and speaker. She is also the co-founder of Sisterhood, a national<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> women’s movement. From 9.30am-noon in St Patrick’s<br />
Cathedral Hall, Parramatta. Cost: $5 students & $10 adults. RSVP<br />
by 9 <strong>March</strong>: famlife@parra.catholic.org.au Details: http://goo.<br />
gl/2nFQFp<br />
HOLY HOUR FOR VOCATIONS<br />
Everyone is welcome to join the Holy Hour for Vocations from<br />
7pm-8pm for adoration, prayer, music and quiet time in the<br />
Blessed Sacrament Chapel in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta.<br />
FEAST OF ST JOSEPH MEN’S BREAKFAST<br />
Learning from St Joseph – Living purity of heart in a porn<br />
saturated culture. Speaker Paul Ninnes is the Managing Director<br />
of Real Talk Australia, an organisation that focuses on the topics<br />
of sex, relationships and personal identity from a Christian<br />
perspective. Mass at 8am in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta,<br />
followed by breakfast with speaker, ends 10.30am with morning<br />
tea. Cost: $15 students, $20 adults. RSVP 16 <strong>March</strong>: famlife@<br />
parra.catholic.org.au www.parrafamlife.org.au/category/events/<br />
THE OFFICE OF TENEBRAE<br />
Join the Diocesan Administrator, Very Rev Peter Williams, for<br />
a special meditation liturgy during Holy Week. Tenebrae is a<br />
Liturgy of Psalms, Chanting, Motets and Scripture celebrated in<br />
the shadows of candlelight at 7.30pm in St Patrick's Cathedral,<br />
Parramatta.<br />
CHRISM MASS<br />
The Apostolic Nuncio will preside at this year’s Chrism Mass. The<br />
Oil of the Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick will be blessed<br />
and the Oil of Chrism consecrated. These holy oils will then be<br />
given to the parishes for use during the year. During the Mass,<br />
the priests renew their commitment to priestly service. Everyone<br />
is welcome. Mass at 7.30pm in St Patrick’s Cathedral.<br />
APRIL CALENDAR<br />
WEEKEND FAMILY CONFERENCE<br />
The National Association of <strong>Catholic</strong> Families is hosting a family<br />
conference at Merroo Christian Centre, Kurrajong, with talks and<br />
activities for all ages. Speakers include Bishop Peter A Comensoli.<br />
Family catechesis and prayer, evening social entertainment and<br />
the company of other <strong>Catholic</strong> families. Registration closes 11<br />
<strong>March</strong>. Details: nacf.sydney@hotmail.com or tel Mary (02) 9875<br />
3664 or Karen 0413 539 378. Register at: www.trybooking.<br />
com/159690<br />
For more events visit: http://catholicoutlook.org/event/<br />
Free e-book for computer, e-reader, tablet or iPhone<br />
Son of God:<br />
The Daily Gospel Year C-2<br />
This e-book is authored by Father Ted Tyler, Parish Priest of St<br />
Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish, Upper Blue Mountains. Copies<br />
may be downloaded free of charge to a computer or e-reader or<br />
tablet.<br />
The e-book offers the Gospel for every day of this Liturgical Year<br />
C-2 (Sundays Year C, weekdays Year 2), together with a reflection<br />
of some 750 words on each daily Gospel. This Liturgical Year C-2<br />
continues till November <strong>2016</strong>.<br />
The e-book contains the Gospel passages not only for this present<br />
Liturgical Year, but for any C-2 Liturgical Year in the future,<br />
together with their reflections.<br />
It may be passed on to friends or acquaintances as desired. It<br />
carries the Imprimatur of Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP, Archbishop<br />
of Sydney.<br />
Son of God: The Daily Gospel Year C-2 may be accessed at:<br />
www.catholic-thoughts.info/ebook/<br />
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<strong>Catholic</strong><strong>Outlook</strong> | MARCH <strong>2016</strong> 23