Current News
Tuesday, 05 May 2020 22:31
Frank Natale MSC becoming pastor/ parish priest of Watertown, New York.
Frank Natale MSC becoming pastor/ parish priest of Watertown, New York. Frank Natale MSC is a member of the US province. Many in Australia will remember him since he did some of his formation in Australia, especially his novitiate at Douglas Park. In fact, his novice director was Chris McPhee.…
Monday, 04 May 2020 22:18
Letter to the Province, Chris McPhee MSC
Letter to the Province, Chris McPhee MSC Chris McPhee has been re-elected as Provincial of the Australian Province. The ballot was conducted by mail. The re-election was ratified by the General Administration. See the letter below. The second term begins on January 1st 2021. Monday, 4 May 2020 Dear brothers…
Sunday, 03 May 2020 23:10
Memoir of Fr Chevalier, written after his death by Brother Jan van Heugten MSC, Fr. Chevalier’s valet
Memoir of Fr Chevalier, written after his death by Brother Jan van Heugten MSC, Fr. Chevalier’s valet MANUSCRIPT, BY BROTHER BERNARDIN (Jan van Heugten msc) On a winter evening towards the end of 1905, when everybody, Father Chevalier included, was getting ready to go to bed as usual, I was…
Friday, 01 May 2020 22:56
A range of MSC stories – Australia, PNG, India.
A range of MSC stories – Australia, PNG, India 2020 MSC communication, visually. The community that Zooms together, stays together. From Blackburn to Kew to Mont Albert to Northcote to Moonah. Roger Purcell is speaking on the MSC Mission Office site, Mission Alive. Chevalier Institute hosted the Webinar on “God…
Thursday, 30 April 2020 22:33
first friday, may 2020, message from chevalier family justice and peace.
first friday, may 2020, message from chevalier family justice and peace. Chevalier Family JPIC sends out its monthly poster. It makes mention of World Diversity Day, May 22nd. We can also note that Pope Francis has invited us all to join him to celebrate Laudato Si week, May 16th-24th Claude…
Wednesday, 29 April 2020 23:29
SOME SIGNIFICANT MAY DAYS FOR THE CHEVALIER FAMILY 2020
SOME SIGNIFICANT MAY DAYS FOR THE CHEVALIER FAMILY 2020 A reminder, May 6th, that the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Randwick was opened in 1888, only a few years after the arrival of the first MSC in Sydney. The parish in those days extended to Botany.…
Tuesday, 28 April 2020 22:30
THE HEART OF LIFE CENTRE, MOVE TO MALVERN, COVOID-19, REPORT
THE HEART OF LIFE CENTRE, MOVE TO MALVERN, COVOID-19, REPORT The Director of Heart of Life, Paul Beirne, makes a report on what has happened at Heart of Life, the first months of 2020. HEART OF LIFE Centre for Spiritual & Pastoral Formation __________________________________________________________________ The Vicarage St Georges Anglican…
Monday, 27 April 2020 22:18
AN OLSH SISTER'S STORY. FROM THE OLSH RANDWICK PARISH BULLETIN. SISTER MARY RUTH.
AN OLSH SISTER'S STORY. FROM THE OLSH RANDWICK PARISH BULLETIN. SISTER MARY RUTH. FROM A GRATEFUL HEART – A GLIMPSE OF MY LIFE. My story begins by saying that never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the various paths my life would take. It has been enriched by…
Sunday, 26 April 2020 23:32
APPOINTMENT: VOCATIONS, AUSTRALIAN PROVINCE: THANG NHU NGUYEN MSC
APPOINTMENT: VOCATIONS, AUSTRALIAN PROVINCE: THANG NHU NGUYEN MSC On Friday May 1st, Thang Nhu Nguyen will begin his appointment as Vocations Director. He will be based at St Brigid’s Coogee Presbytery. Thang made his profession in Vietnam, 2008, and was ordained in 2016. From the archives. Final Profession. Thang…
Friday, 24 April 2020 23:10
SOME LIGHT TOUCHES IN LOCKDOWN TIME
SOME LIGHT TOUCHES IN LOCKDOWN TIME Have you been receiving cartoons in your email box? Video clips adapting songs: How do you solve a problem like Corona (The Sound of Music), Stayin' Inside (The Bee Gees) or Her Majesty singing We'll Meet Again? We are trying to cheer one…
Thursday, 23 April 2020 22:28
TO BE A REMEDY FOR THE ILLS THAT HUMANITY SUFFERS TODAY
AN OLSH PRAYER IN COVID-19 TIMES - AND A REFLECTION FROM ABZALON, MSC SUPERIOR GENERAL TO BE A REMEDY FOR THE ILLS THAT HUMANITY SUFFERS TODAY In times of the COVID-19, some of the more classic phrases that reflect our Spirituality and our MSC missionary tradition have become more…
Wednesday, 22 April 2020 22:16
ACKNOWLEDGING TERRIBLE HISTORY IN THE DOUGLAS PARK AREA: APPIN MASSACRE, 1816
ACKNOWLEDGING TERRIBLE HISTORY IN THE DOUGLAS PARK AREA: APPIN MASSACRE, 1816 In 1816 under the command of various military leaders three detachments were dispatched by Governor Macquarie to `inflict terrible and exemplary punishments` on the Aborigines of the Appin area. Early in the morning of 17 April 1816 the military’s…
Tuesday, 21 April 2020 22:27
MARTYRS OF QUICHE
MARTYRS OF QUICHE The beatification of our MSC Martyrs and 7 indigenous laity from Quiché (Guatemala) was confirmed for December 4, 2020. The Prefect of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints will be the representative of Pope Francis to preside over the Beatification. The celebration will be held in…
Sunday, 19 April 2020 21:50
SOME NEWS ITEMS
SOME NEWS ITEMS Leo Wearden has sent this item from Wadeye. Tribute to Ted Merritt MSC Frank Brennan SJ writes: I am presently watching the funeral in Darwin of Brother Ted Merritt MSC, one of the greats, who ministered in the NT assisting remote Aboriginal communities for most of his…
Saturday, 18 April 2020 08:07
IN MEMORIAM, TED MERRITT MSC, REQUIEM MASS AND FUNERAL AT WADEYE
IN MEMORIAM, TED MERRITT MSC, REQUIEM MASS AND FUNERAL AT WADEYE The first MSC Requiem in this covid-19 era. It was filmed and the ceremony is available on YouTube. With thanks for Malcolm Fyfe for texts and Peter Hendriks for the photos. Greeting. Dear Friends and all of you…
Thursday, 16 April 2020 22:35
ACKNOWLEDGING DENIS UHR MSC, 80
ACKNOWLEDGING DENIS UHR MSC, 80 Denis Uhr turns 80 on April 19th. Denis did his secondary studies at Downlands College. He made his novitiate in 1958, professing first vows on February 26th, 1959. His studies were at Sacred Heart Monastery, Croydon, and Sacred Heart Monastery, Canberra. During the years at…
Wednesday, 15 April 2020 22:16
ACKNOWLEDGING RENE BALBOA, ENDING HIS TERM AS MANAGER
ACKNOWLEDGING RENE BALBOA, ENDING HIS TERM AS MANAGER. For the last decade, Rene Balboa has served the Australian Province at Treand House as Business Manager. He has given reports at Provincial Chapters and Provincial Conferences. Many of us have worked with Rene on budgets and on individual cases. Rene is…
Tuesday, 14 April 2020 22:46
REQUIEM MASS, TED MERRITT MSC, THURSDAY APRIL 16th
REQUIEM MASS, TED MERRITT MSC, THURSDAY APRIL 16th. The Requiem at St Paul's Church, Nightcliff, can be seen on YouTube - live at Darwin time, then available. Perhaps our covid-19 lockdown experience could be setting a precedent for future Requiems.
Monday, 13 April 2020 22:36
A MESSAGE FROM THE IRISH MSC PROVINCE, CARL TRANTER, PROVINCIAL
A MESSAGE FROM THE IRISH MSC PROVINCE, CARL TRANTER, PROVINCIAL We can compere notes with our Irish confreres. On Tuesday of this week the Superior General was supposed to have arrived in Dublin to commence his four-week visitation of Ireland and England over the Easter period. He was also…
Saturday, 11 April 2020 21:43
EASTER BLESSINGS, 2020 STYLE
EASTER BLESSINGS, 2020 STYLE All over the world, Holy Week ceremonies have been streamed. Our Australian MSC parishes have celebrated in this way (links to some of them on the Province Facebook page). St Thomas, Blackburn, is the MSC parish in Melbourne along with Cuskelly House, the formation house. A…
Thursday, 09 April 2020 17:22
RIP, TED MERRITT MSC
RIP. TED MERRITT MSC Steve Dives writes: We just received the sad news that Ted Merritt passed away at 3pm NT time today, Holy Thursday, April 9th. Ted’s suffering is over and he has gone to his God whom he served so well. We pray for Ted and also his…
Wednesday, 08 April 2020 23:04
TRIDUUM 2020
TRIDUUM 2020 We have been reminded that the early Christians did not gather in Churches but in small and home groups to celebrate the Eucharist. We are in lockdown finding ways to pray and to celebrate in ways we never anticipated. Our MSC parishes are providing ceremonies on line. For…
Tuesday, 07 April 2020 22:29
BOTH SADNESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT IN THIS COVID-19 LENT
BOTH SADNESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT IN THIS COVID-19 LENT We are posting Chris McPhee’s letter of encouragement of the Province in these lockdown Coronavirus times – how we might manage it well. But, first, a sad postscript to yesterday’s news from Abzalon, Superior General. This message arrived today. “We communicate to…
Monday, 06 April 2020 21:54
SOME MSC CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: VIETNAM, EUROPE - FRANCE, BELGIUM, SPAIN
SOME MSC CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: VIETNAM, EUROPE - FRANCE, BELGIUM, SPAIN A message from Fr. Hoang, MSC Superior in Vietnam on the situation there. “Greeting from Việt Nam, How are you? And our dear MSC confreres? I hope that all of you are safe there. In this email, I just would…
Sunday, 05 April 2020 22:54
ACKNOWLEDGING JOHN BOSMAN MSC, 80.
ACKNOWLEDGING JOHN BOSMAN MSC, 80. John Bosman was born on April 6th 1940, a month before the Nazi invasion and occupation of the Netherlands, May 1940 The Bosman family migrated to Australia in the 1950s, settling in Adelaide. John made his novitiate in 1959, profession on February 26th 1960, last…
Friday, 03 April 2020 22:33
LAUGHTER, THE BEST MEDICINE? SOME MORE HELPFUL DOSES!
LAUGHTER, THE BEST MEDICINE? SOME MORE HELPFUL DOSES! With a positive response to last week's selection of cartoons, we thought we should post some more cheer in these difficult, physical distancing times. And a selection for dog lovers. And practical for the housebound...
Thursday, 02 April 2020 22:53
CHEVALIER FAMILY JUSTICE AND PEACE, FIRST FRIDAY - AN INTNTENTION FROM MSC AFRICA
CHEVALIER FAMILY JUSTICE AND PEACE, FIRST FRIDAY - AN INTENTION FROM MSC AFRICA The First Friday of April 2020 is not what we anticipated. We have the monthly poster. However, below the poster is a letter from our Cameroun confrere, Jonas Hassan Mouchi MSC, writing from the formation house in…
Wednesday, 01 April 2020 22:42
KENSINGTON MONASTERY LOCKDOWN – BUT PHOTOS STILL ACCESSIBLE
KENSINGTON MONASTERY LOCKDOWN – BUT PHOTOS STILL ACCESSIBLE Back Row: Ted Merritt, Roger Purcell, John Kelliher. Front row: Herman Kooyman. As noted on the site last week, Kensington is in lockdown. You won’t be able to visit for some time – and the community can’t visit you. However, community leader,…
Tuesday, 31 March 2020 22:45
SOME SIGNIFICANT APRIL DAYS FOR THE CHEVALIER FAMILY, 2020
SOME SIGNIFICANT APRIL DAYS FOR THE CHEVALIER FAMILY, 2020 Some emphasis on buildings during this month – and mission outreach. However… In years to come, March-April, 2020, will be remembered as the months in which covid-19 moved to rapid expansion around the whole world. We remember March already –…
Monday, 30 March 2020 22:19
REMEMBERING THE GREAT FLU AND OUR LADY’S NURSES
REMEMBERING THE GREAT FLU AND OUR LADY’S NURSES Masked influenza relief workers outside Blackfriar’s Depot, Chippendale, Sydney, 1919. Randwick City Library, local history collection. Recalling the Great Flu of 1919 and the Heroism of Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor Mary O’Connell In 1919 Australian soldiers returning from the War…
