2021: The Year That Was (and often wasn’t).
Annual Report from the Australian Province for the MSC General Administration, Analecta.
Coronavirus
The key word for both 2020 and 2021 has been Coronavirus. And, this in its Covid-19 variants, especially Delta and its severity and spread in 2021, with Omicron emerging in the last months of the year. For most of the two years, Australia has been blessed with fewer infections although these started to increase in the middle of 2021, reaching high daily statistics towards the end of the year, especially New South Wales and Victoria. The only report of a member of the Australian province, apart from in Vietnam, having Covid was Tony Young in Eastern Papua. (Too soon – by the end of the first week of 2022, three confreres are reported with the infection,)
2020s saw substantial lockdowns, especially in Melbourne, limiting a great deal of active ministry. While the earlier part of 2021 saw some greater movement, by midyear and onwards there was more substantial lockdown. In the latter part of the year, there were changes of policy, some restrictions lifted, some interstate travel more open.
On the provincial level, the provincial was unable to travel much around Australia and not, as customary, visiting Vietnam for ordinations and profession. Zoom was used for Provincial Council meetings as well as the General Conference sessions. However, with a lull in restrictions, the annual Provincial Conference took place live in May.
Vietnam also had increasing cases during 2021 and some lockdowns, some members were infected. But, the government appeal for voluntary workers to deal with the pandemic, meant that a number of students worked in the hospitals. However, by the end of the year, there was a slight freeing of travel between Australia and Vietnam, which allowed Dahn, who had been in Australia for two years, a year on Bathurst island and the year at the Heart of Life Centre and the Siloam Program, to return. Long, our student from Hanoi, was able to come to Sydney to begin English-language studies at the Yarra theological Union (where he had been studying during 2021 by Zoom). Two more, Deacon Chung and student Hoa, are expected from Vietnam in 2022.
The life of the Vietnam section of the province can be found in much more detail in the Vietnam Report.
Formation
At the end of 2020, Daniel Magadia MSC and Trieu Nguyen MSC, made their first vows at Douglas Park and began their studies at YTU, living in Cuskelly House, Blackburn, Daniel doing theological studies, Trieu studying English (as he had in 2019), graduating in midyear and then moving to theological studies. Mark Hanns was formation director.
Vincent Phan and Anh Tuan Nguyen, who had a pre-novitiate year in Blackburn in 2020, much of it in lockdown, began their novitiate. However, it was decided that Anh should continue with his English studies and he returned to Melbourne, continuing as a novice. Vincent made his profession in December, Peter Harvey-Jackson as the director. (Vincent is to return to Melbourne for 2022 and Anh will begin his canonical novitiate again in Melbourne, Khoi Nguyen his Novice Director.)
During the year there has been vocation promotion, with Frank Dineen and with Thang Nguyen (with an outreach to the Vietnamese in Australia), an organisation of retreats and meetings in Melbourne, in person and by zoom, as well as Trieu and Daniel working on the Australian Vocations Facebook Page.
Deaths
There were deaths in the province during 2021:
Reyer Flapper, Dutch born, lay missionary, late vocation, more lately at Douglas Park. 22nd February.
Harold Baker, education, Principal of Downlands, latter decades at Daramalan. 14th March.
William Cunningham, veteran missionary in Eastern Papua, historian of the mission, more lately at St Joseph’s home. 18th June.
Bernard McGrane, veteran missionary in Eastern Papua, more lately at St Joseph’s home. 22nd July.
Walter Black, philosopher, ethicist, moral theologian, more lately in Perth. 20th August.
Aged Care
As the members of the province age, the province has appointed Catherine Molihan, with studies in Health Leadership and management, to supervise care for the aged, especially at Kensington monastery, and for those in care at St Joseph’s. Her main focus is to provide every person with compassionate care and the necessary supports to maintain their independence and wellbeing within the comforts of their own home.
Another feature of the life of the province is the diminishing number of Australian, confreres working in PNG, Japan, the Northern Territory.
Safeguarding
A great deal of time and energy goes into safeguarding issues, compassionate, legal, financial. Meta Jackman is the director, Professional Standards and Safeguarding (and is also a member of the International team coordinated by Tim Brennan from the General House). Documentation is continually updated. Historical cases on Melville Island led to apologies and statements from the MSC, the OLSH sisters, the diocese of Darwin.
In July, this policy was issued:
The Australian Catholic Safeguarding Limited (ACSL) which absorbed the Catholic Professional Standards Limited (CPSL) was formed as a result of the Royal Commission to, amongst other duties, develop National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.
A publicly visible Commitment Statement is one of several criteria that is important in developing and promoting a culture of safety.
The MSC Commitment Statement was and all future MSC Safeguarding Policies and Procedures will be developed by the following process.
A draft document is prepared by Meta Jackman (Director of Professional Standards and Safeguarding), Chris McPhee MSC (Provincial) and Peter Hendriks MSC (Deputy Provincial). This document is developed from a number of sources, including CRA templates, the ACSL Safeguarding Standards and documents from other institutions.
The document goes to an MSC Working group, then to the MSC Professional Standards Advisory Board (members not MSC), then to the Provincial Council.
Education
During 2021, MSC colleges experienced quite a deal of lockdown. Downlands College, where there were fewer restrictions, celebrated 90 years. Chevalier College, experiencing considerable lockdown in New South Wales, celebrated its 75 years. Monivae College and Daramalan also experienced long lockdown periods. Rachel Davies was appointed the incoming Principal at Daramalan. Former Principal, Rita Daniels, has been appointed member of the MSC Education Members’ Council.
Also a sign of the times is the diminishing MSC presence in our colleges: Vince Carroll at Downlands, Gerry Burke, John Franzmann, John Mulrooney at Chevalier, Ted McCormack in residence for parish supply at Monivae. Bob Irwin, confined by lockdown for some time, contributed to Monivae ministry for several months. Kimi Vunivesilevu, parish priest of Kippax, with Michael Stephen, assistant, exercise chaplaincy outreach at Daramalan.
Parishes
The parishes continued their ministry, providing masses and liturgy online during the lockdowns and beyond. Qui Duc Tran, who had been appointed to teach at the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva but was prevented entering Fiji because of Covid, resided at Our Lady of the Rosary, Kensington and delivered classes by Zoom. Pat Mara also stayed there during his course in Sydney in Aboriginal Studies. In Adelaide, with the closure of MSC ministry in Hindmarsh, Paul Cashen is superior of MSC in Adelaide, and Peter Hearn arrived to take up his role as parish priest. Kenji Konda, was appointed to Henley Beach for parish ministry as well as continuing theological studies. John Kelliher moved from being superior at Kensington monastery to parish priest in Nightcliff, Darwin.
Spirituality Ministry
For the Chevalier Institute and for the Retreat House at Douglas Park, lockdowns meant restricted ministries, with some courses and retreats conducted online. At the Heart of Life Centre, in its new accommodation at the Brigidine Centre, Kildara, in Malvern, there was a mixture of face-to-face sessions and Zoom, Zoom prevailing in the last three months of the year although, happily, restrictions were lifted for a face-to-face graduation ceremony. Numbers were strong at Heart of Life, for the full-time and part-time Siloam Program, and for the part-time program, Spiritual , Leaders. For Siloam, Dahn Doan and Tru Nguyen participated full-time with Khoi Nguyen in the part-time program. Mark Hanns participated in Spiritual Leaders. The MSC member of the staff was Peter Malone, responsible for the Religious Experience course.
Heart of Life also farewelled Paul Beirne after eight years as director, a strong achievement in being able to move Heart of Life from its former home at the Franciscans, Box Hill, through a year courtesy of the Anglican Church in Malvern, and then to Kildara (with a contract for five years). Clare Shearman who, with her husband Artie, manage the retreat centre at Shoreham, is the new director of Heart of Life, MSC Spirituality and Pastoral Formation 2022.
With two MSC students at YTU, the MSC presence is diminishing with the retirement of Philip Malone after 22 years teaching Moral Theology and liturgical courses.
Lockdown did not diminish the publishing and media Ministry of the province which is the subject of a further report.
