MSC, 90 YEARS IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA, CELEBRATIONS IN ALICE SPRINGS.
The celebrants for the day wearing stoles painted for the occasion by Delores Furber, Kathleen Wallace and Therese Ryder. Among those present as concelebrants was Rev Chris McPhee, MSC, Provincial, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
Fr Raess SVD, parish priest of Alice Springs writes:
Yes, it went really well. Fr Chris MSC and 600 plus were there for the Golden Jubilee of the Church building and 90 Years of sacramental life in Central Australia. Of couse, the unveiling of the MSC and OLSH Sisters Memorial Window was the highlight. Here is the story picked up by the ABC.
I wanted to remember all the MSCs and OLSH Sisters who worked tirelessly to establish OLSH Parish since 1929. We the Divine Word Missionaries simply wanted to honour all of them and keep the spirit and love of the Sacred Heart alive in the hearts of all.
Raess
Here is an explanation of the new window which was unveiled at a separate ceremony on October 12th
Kathleen Wallace the artist of the stained glass window presenting the painting (that the window was based on) to the parish, being accepted by the Parish Priest Fr Asaeli Raass and Mr Manfred Casseeram, President of the Parish Council.
URTAKWERTE ATYWERRENGE ANTHERRE
God the Father created the world for us to live in, for all the people. God created all human beings.
We Arrernte people called him AKNENENTYE. He said his name in our language, His name means "Always been and always will be,” God spoke to the ancestors through dreams. He taught them to live a good life, sharing everything they were given from the land.
AKNENENTYE left footprints for us to follow, we followed the light.
AKNENETYE, gave us 8 skin names, he showed this to our ancestors through
ALTYERENGE, dreams. Our ancestors were given the ANPERNIRRRENTYE, skin names as our commandments for how to live a good life, which we still use today. They told how to do things like caring for one another, how to grow up the young men, and tell stories to pass on the culture.
The mother and child are surrounded by designs showing 8 skin names.From the bottom left, going clockwise, they are
Perrurle, Kngwarraye, Penangke, Angale, Peltharre, Ampetyane, Kemarre, Pengarte.
AKNENETYE was there in the beginning. He breathed his spirit into us. Our ancestors passed down the knowledge of the spirit but they had to work out what it meant. My grandfather, through his ancestors was given a dream of three circles. The circles are
ARENGE, AKNEYE, and UTNENGE grandfather, father and totem spirit. I realized later when the Sisters of the Sacred Heart read to us from the bible, it was like the trinity father our creator, son and the holy spirit.
My other grandfather had a design of one big circle, which is liken the earth for everyone to live in. I was given permission to use these designs.…… they are at the top of the window and behind the cross.
The many dots represent everything in the world. You see all those colours on the land, brown for the rocks, green are plants and seeds, it shows the tiniest little seed the food we get from the land. The land is our mother. The land is like Mother Mary. She gives us many things.
The tracks lead to the middle where Our Lady of Sacred Heart and the child Jesus wait for us. Mother Mary is holding Jesus heart because she loves him and he loves all people and she also loves us all. Her heart is full of love and so is the Heart of Jesus.
URTAKWERTE ATYWERRENGE ANTHERRE
Jesus was given for everyone Aboriginal people included. I painted Mother Mary and Jesus as Arrernte. Mother Mary and Jesus are painted up in the way we used to do for ceremonies. All the people joined together singing and dancing for celebration night after night. These were happy times and important events. Men and women and children took part. This painting is about celebration, it is praising God, AKNENENTYE
Mother Mary had the Holy Spirit in her so she knew one day her son would die to save the people of the world . Later, when he was dying on the cross Jesus gave Mary to all people.
Mother Mary was standing under the cross when Jesus gave her to everyone. She is now everyone's mother.
They are standing on a sandhill, on the earth. Jesus hands are open to give light to the world. The light is there for people to follow.”
