Mary MacKillop

From the ABC News website:

"Mary MacKillop, a nun revered for her work with needy children as much as for her rebellious streak, is to become Australia's first Roman Catholic saint on October 17, Pope Benedict XVI said."

Read more here

The website of the Sisters of St Joseph
 
The Mary MacKillop Story



Quotes of Mary MacKillop:
“Remember we are but travellers here.”
“We must teach more by example than by word.”
“Do all you can with the means at your disposal and calmly leave the rest to God.”
“Courage, courage, trust in God who helps you in all things”
“We feel our crosses hard at times, but our courage should rise with them.”
“Let God’s Spirit guide you in your choice.”

Mary’s motto for life:-“Never see a need without doing something about it”

The Rush Hour

Our Pastoral Associate, Sue, in a recent reflection wrote:
“In our everyday lives, as we go about our business, it is all too easy to lose sight of the small things that bring us joy and pleasure. If we lose sight of them, then we can forget them. We can also lose sight of the fact that God gives each of us our own particular gifts, to use for others.”

By pure coincidence I came across an article that reinforced in many ways what Sue is reflecting on.
Washington Post

It is the story of a famous violinist busking in a busy Washington railway station during the morning rush hour. The reactions of the commuters were observed and described.
In the article someone was quoted:

“If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that -- then what else are we missing?”

What a powerful question!

The Stations of the Cross

During Lent we invite you to contemplate the Stations of the Cross as depicted in our church.
You can download and view it as a Flash file [you may need to adjust the volume of the sound track] Click the screen to move from station to station.

Link [5.2Mb]

You can view it as a Powerpoint file. It has no sound. Click the screen to to move to the next station.

Link [2.6Mb]

You can view it as a PDF file.

Link [2.8Mb]

Lenten Study Program

Spiritual nourishment for Lent!
Join with other members of our parish family for six weeks of faith development and renewal with the new Lenten program – "Remember me".

You and your group will engage with Luke’s gospel. Jesus is often portrayed at a meal in Luke’s Gospel till finally we witness Jesus at the Last Supper where he asks us to ‘do this in remembrance of me’.
Through the weeks of Lent you are invited to be fed and nourished by the Word of God.

The first session will be week commencing 15th February at 7:30pm in the Parish Hall.

The Southern Cross online

This Catholic monthly newspaper from South Australia is now available in full as a digital edition on the internet.

It contains a wealth of information, great stories and photos.

Link

Examples of great and sensitive stories are:
'Communities Mourn'
'... Saintly Sites'
'Dudley defies the odds'
'Building peace in a new land'

Stories from the Parliament

The Parliament of the World's Religions was held in Melbourne last December.

It is easy to dismiss the event as another 'talkfest', but the summer edition of the Australian Catholics magazine contains some wonderful and thought-provoking stories and impressions.

Definitely a very worthwhile read!

Link

Contributor Michael McVeigh writes:

"We often begin conversations with Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, or those of traditional Indigenous beliefs, because we want to deepen our understanding of God. Christ might not be the source of these traditions, but as Christians we believe that he is present in them, shaping them with his grace. Just as travelling to other cultures helps us better understand our own culture, looking for what is good in other faiths helps us to better understand the goodness of God."

Charter of Compassion

Karen Armstrong is a British author, who writes about comparative religion. In 1993 she published her highly successful A History of God. 

A former Catholic nun, she says that, "All the great traditions are saying the same thing in much the same way, despite their surface differences." They each have in common an emphasis on the transcendent importance of compassion, as epitomized in the so-called Golden Rule: Do not do to others what you would not have done to you.

In February 2008, Armstrong called for a council of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders to draw up a Charter for Compassion which would identify shared moral priorities in order to foster global understanding.

The Charter was unveiled in November 2009. 

Its signatories include Prince Hassan of Jordan, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Sir Richard Branson.

The Charter

Vatican III?

This is Fr Hans Kung.
He was a very influential theologian at the time of the Vatican II Council in Rome in 1962/1965.
In December 2009 he attended the Parliament of the World's Religions, held in Melbourne, to launch his manifesto for a global economic ethic, asserting that a global economy needs a global ethic in which a fair society and the environment accompany profits.

Towards a Global Ethic: identifies four essential affirmations as shared principles essential to a global ethic.
· Commitment to a culture of non-violence and respect for life
· Commitment to a culture of solidarity and a just economic order
· Commitment to a culture of tolerance and a life of truthfulness
· Commitment to a culture of equal rights and partnership between men and women

He said the Church needs another Vatican Council to move reforms forward.
What do you think?
What would be your top reforms for the Catholic Church? 

Hans Kung will be heard on ABC Radio National in the program "The Spirit of Things" at 6:00pm on Sundat February 7
Link