2019, THE MSC YEAR THAT WAS - A RETROSPECT
Each year a report is sent to the General Administration about the life of the Province. Here is 2019.
THE PROVINCE
in many ways, 2010 was a “steady as she goes” year. The administration moved into its second year. A provincial conference was held in May, reviewing the life of the Province and its spirit. Provincial, Chris McPhee, was a member of the General Conference held in South Korea in September.
Province Manager, Rene Balboa, participated at the first MSC Bursars’ meeting in Rome.
GROWTH
Unlike the provinces, unions and regions with more recent development, the Australian Province has quite slow growth. Frank Dineen is Vocations Director and notes that most interest in MSC life comes from the different ethnic groups in Australia.
Kenji Konda, who had worked in the MSC Missions Office as well as in the parishes of Randwick and Coogee, made his novitiate, and his first vows on 14th of December.
Four young men joined the pre-novitiate in January (one leaving early). The three students for the year were Dean Fonseca (family from India, settling in New Zealand), Trieu Nguyen from Vietnam, Daniel Magadia (family from the Philippines, settling in Adelaide). Khoi Doan Nguyen was appointed pre-novitiate director. He organised quite a large number of members of the province and those associated with the province to conduct workshops with the students. Trieu continued his studies of the English language in the course at the Yarra Theological Union. He was joined there, as well as in the community, by Vietnamese student, Ahn, a pre--pre-novitiate student who is to enter the pre-novitiate in 2020. During the year, Khoi spent a month in Chicago, at the Institute of Sexuality Studies (associated with the Catholic Theological Union).
The three pre-novitiate men did a month’s pastoral work in October, Dean at Kippax, Thieu at Kensington, Daniel at Erskineville.
At the beginning of November the three men began their novitiate at Douglas Park with Peter Harvey-Jackson as Novice Master.
LOSS
There Is sadness each year with the loss of members of the province in death. We remember the five who died in 2020, men who were distinctive as well as distinguished in their MSC life and ministry.
Adrian Meany: Director of the MSC Mission Office for many years, fund-raiser extraordinaire, assiduous traveller, long time missionary in the Northern Territory and Papua New Guinea.
John Ehlefeldt: an archetype of the Brothers’ Life and ministry, 83 years professed, a long memory of life in the province, Pioneer on the Provincial Council, in Brothers Formation, age 102.
Greg McCann: his MSC life reflected changes in the province, his being professed as a brother and working in domestic communities, transitioning in the 1970s to teacher training, then studies for the priesthood, missionary activity, especially in Papua New Guinea as a priest. Age 102.
John Rate: longtime ministry in MSC parishes, studies in liturgy, decades-long national and international commitment to the Marriage Encounter movement, winner of their PMRC Impact Award in 2019.
Paul Stenhouse: editor of Annals for over 50 years, world expertise in Semitic languages, chaplain to Asian students and families in Sydney, many years on the international board of Aid to the Church in Need.
Boniface Perdjert, pioneer Married Deacon from Wadeye and serving there for many years, also died this year.
There were other areas of loss in 2019:
After 130 years, beginning in 1889, the Australian Annals ceased publication. Articles have been written about the magazine, its range of editors, its devotional and mission impact. A celebratory lunch was anticipated at the end of November. It did take place, but two days after Paul Stenhouse’s funeral. It was held at Kensington monastery, many contributors to Annals attending.
The Province also experienced the withdrawal from a parish, Hindmarsh in Adelaide, where the MSCs had been present for over a century. The parish was handed back to the Archdiocese with Paul Cashen as interim administrator. The principal MSC presence now in Adelaide is at the parish of Henley Beach. Paul McCormack has joined the parish team.
Many MSC who served on the staff of Daramalan College, Canberra, lived in the Residence. On December 8th, there was a celebratory mass in the college as the last three MSC men in the community were to move out, Harold Baker, James Littleton, John Walker, who transferred to Kensington.
And many MSC had holidays at The Cliffs, Shoreham, Victoria on Westernport Bay. In recent years, Brian Gallagher had transformed the buildings and the grounds into a Retreat Centre. The Victoria-Tasmania community gathered there for a farewell. The site is to continue as a retreat centre – which will probably be part of the Growth report for 2020.
PARISHES
As noted above, the MSC withdrew from Hindmarsh. However, 2019 saw some dependence of the Australian province, drawing on its sense of Internationally and collaboration, on MSC from India and Vietnam. Three priests came from India, Peter Anthony to Randwick, Michael Nithin to Kippax, Partholomai Panyadimai to Nightcliff. There had been hopes that Danh, from Vietnam would come as a deacon to the Tiwi Islands. Visa difficulties prevented this. However, he gained a Visa after his ordination and came to Bathurst Island, Wurrimiyanga.
NORTHERN TERRITORY/ POPULAR NEW GUINEA/JAPAN
The principal celebration occurred in October, 90 years of the MSC presence in central Australia. While the Divine Word Missionaries are present in the parish of Alice Springs as well as at Santa Teresa, they hosted a celebration for the MSC, and symbolic stained-glass windows for the church.
The Australian audience enjoyed the film Top End Wedding, noting by the end that much of the action took place on Bathurst island, a number of the population serving as extras, many scenes in the church (a wedding after all). And, just as we might have been wondering about the parish priest and the sisters, a final credit comes up acknowledging Father Pat Mara and Sister Anne Gardiner OLSH.
Bishop Rochus Tatamai MSC moved from Bereina diocese to New Ireland, the diocese of Kavieng. Few Australian MSC continue to work in PNG, Paul Guy as vicar general of Bereina, Ben Fleming as vicar general of Port Moresby, Assistant to Cardinal John Ribat, Paul Jennings in education. There have been significant changes in the diocese of Alotau, Eastern Popular, with Joe Ensing being moved out of administration as well as from the catechetical centre. Brian Cahill continues his work in Tarpini.
Meetings were held at the end of 2019 in Japan with plans for re-organisation.
EDUCATION
MSC colleges continue successfully. The principal of Monivae College, Mark McGinnity, has been appointed the Director of MSC education, succeeding Bob Irwin. Jonathan Rowe becomes principal of Monivae. The MSC presence is far less in our colleges, Vince Carroll in Downlands, Gerry Burke, John Franzmann and John Mulrooney at Chevalier, Barry Smith in administration at Daramalan, Ted McCormack resident of Monivae but working in parish supply. Kimi Vunivesilevu, Kippax, has part-time chaplaincy at Daramalan. He is also the Community Leader for Canberra and Chevalier.
SPIRITUALITY SERVICES.
Chevalier Institute continued its inservices with Alison McKenzie and Brett Adamson.
Michelle Vass was reappointed as the Director of the St Mary’s Towers retreat House. Dominic Gleeson and Ed Travers directed seminarians in the 30 Day Retreat, Dominic doing this in Fiji. Tony Arthur also gave a retreat in Fiji. Dominic is the new Community Leader at Douglas Park.
Director the Heart of Life Centre, Paul Beirne recuperated from cancer surgery with Philip Malone taking on MSC responsibility until Paul had recovered in mid-year. Siloam, the Spiritual Direction program, both full-time and part-time, continued. While most of the part-time participants were local, the full-timers came from Vietnam, the Philippines, China/Paramatta, and the former Superior General of the Columbans, Kevin O’Neill. Paul Castley joined the team directed the Spiritual Leaders program.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
In mid-year, provincial Chris McPhee issued an apology on behalf of the MSC for MSC offences. He also issued some items on court proceedings.
Later in the year came the announcement that the MSC had joined the national redress scheme set up by the government in the light of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
All these items were made public on the website, part of Current News.
Tim Brennan completed his term at the National Catholic Professional Standards Office, took up a position at the MSC General House on Professional Standards issues.
Meta Jackson, with background in Child Care, works on Professional Standards issues at Treand House.
LAY MSC
September 13th-15th saw a significant gathering at Douglas Park, a retreat weekend but also the Commissioning of the Australian National Council of the Laity of the Chevalier Family. Joining the Lay MSC were representatives of the congregations, MSC, OLSH, MSC Sisters. (Details of the Gathering can be found in the Who We Are, dropdown Lay MSC.) Alison McKenzie is the first General Secretary of the Laity of the Chevalier Family. Fred Stubenrauch heads the Australian Lay MSC.
KENSINGTON MONASTERY
Significant developments have occurred at Kensington with MSC Aged Care Partnership with St Vincent’s Care Services responsible for the health and well-being of the community. There will also be changes in 2020 at the Chevalier Resource Centre, headquarters of the Chevalier Institute. There will be no more university student borders. There are to be some developments with the MSC Mission Office and MSC Education.
NEWS ITEMS: PERSONNEL
After more than 30 years, Albert Yelds has returned from Kiribati and is at Kensington Monastery.
After even many more years in PNG, Neville Dunne has returned to Kensington.
Barry Smith also moves to Kensington and has responsibility for maintenance of MSC properties.
There were Golden Jubilee of ordination for Paul Cashen and Joe Ensing. Golden Jubilee is of profession for Henk Bosman, Paul Guy, Peter Hearn, Dennis Rochford.
Stephen Hackett, Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, accompanied the Bishops on their ad limina visit.
There were seven men in the province who turned 80 in 2019.
Malcolm Fyfe, vicar general of Darwin, continued his correspondence with politicians concerning the treatment of refugees.
VIETNAM
The MSC in Vietnam belong to the Australian province and, since 2003 and the foundation, there has been constant support from Australian personnel, MSC in short-term and long-term work with the Vietnamese confreres, many visits. Bob Irwin has spent part of the year in Vietnam for many years. Thoi Tran is there. Members of the Indonesian province also contribute.
Mark Hanns went to Vietnam for the students’ annual retreat.
In 2019, Danh was ordained to the priesthood. Two students made their final vows. Seven students renewed theirs. The novices go to the Philippines for their novitiate. Qui has completed biblical studies in Rome. Hoang is the local superior. Thang has done language studies in Australia and completed the Siloam, Spiritual Direction program, at the Heart of Life Centre, and is now on the staff at the retreat house at St Mary’s Towers. Quang has done studies in the Philippines.
2019 BUSHFIRES
From September, Australia experienced bushfires as never before, extent and intensity. Earlier they flared in Queensland and northern and central coast New South Wales. There were fires in Western Australia and, extensively, in South Australia.
By December and into January 2020, Northern and Eastern Victoria were ablaze. Around Christmas and New Years, the southern coast of New South Wales and the hinterland suffered severe fires.
MSC Connections: some Queensland fires were close to Toowoomba and Downlands; many fires near Chevalier and St Mary’s Towers (where some elderly in residential centres nearby were welcomed during the crisis). Canberra experienced some road isolation and the airport closing at times. Canberra also experienced long periods of heavy smoke cover blotting out the sky. Smoke cover extended to Sydney and Melbourne.
