Displaying items by tag: Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Australia

Some Monday photos from around the province

Pat Mara preached at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, on the feast of St Patrick.

A memorial Mass for those who died at Westfield, Bondi Junction, at Cuskelly House, Blackburn. 

Breath courses have not harmed John Bosman.

Albert Chan moved to Kensington Monastery,

his farewell

Heart-Centred Leadership: Anne McAtomney, Director of the Chevalier Institute, sent us this photo of their most recent program. She writes, “Pictured moments ahead of returning home are participants in the Chevalier Institute’s most recent programme conducted at Douglas Park – Heart-Centred Leadership – along with Bob Irwin MSC, who generously attends towards the end of the programme for a session involving the sharing of his school leadership wisdom in response to retreatants’ questions. This was a wonderful week in all respects.”

Paul Jennings MSC, Photos, Mass and Funeral.

Thanks to John Walker MSC for Mass screen shots and funeral photos and to John O'Connor for Mass captions

The Mass took place in Holy Rosary Church, Kensington, because of covid infections at Kensington Monastery.

Paul passed away on Wednesday - the middle of the octave week of Easter. His funeral on the following Wednesday - perhaps a further octave day, was a day of celebration of the risen Christ. John O’Connor, eulogy.

Despite their sore throat and grief, Tom A’afa made such an impact - speaking from the heart at the vigil's sharing.

His commitment to his task of serving the needs of the people in Catholic Education.  John Jennings.

Family and the generations.  Peter Jennings.

Testimony from PNG

St Mary’s Towers, Douglas Park, cemetery.

Steve Dives MSC presiding

The burial

A tribute from PNG

Our deepest condolence to the family of Late Fr. Paul Jennings We all have truly lost a remarkable person with a beautiful and generous heart. "One of the best boss we ever worked with" from all who have worked under his great leadership. We refer to him and will forever remember him as "Our Fr. Paul" From all Staff, Students at St. Joseph's International Catholic College, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Late Fr. Paul once said "That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest" Thank you Fr. Paul for all your service to Papua New Guinea, service to the Catholic Church and service to Education. Thank you again and we salute you. Really sad to let you go but we find comfort and confident in Our Lord knowing that you have walked into His Paradise. So for now its.....Good bye to Our Fr. Paul, 'til we meet on that glorious morning. R.I.P From: Hoi Kirsten Taunao St. Joseph's International Catholic College, Papua New Guinea

St Thomas Parish, Blackburn, 70 years’ celebration.

This is the 17^th year of MSC service, so, almost a quarter of the history of the parish.

The parish is also the location for MSC Formation since 2009. Our parish priests have been Chris Murphy, Terry Bowman, Alo Lamere.

Our students and formation director live in Cuskelly House, Formators live in Naughton House and the novices at 77 Central Road where Brian Gallagher lived before moving into St Thomas’ care in nearby Forest Hill.

The celebration was the 10.30 parish mass on March 17^th.  Celebrants were Alo, Mark Hanns, Khoi Nguyen

and the invitation to Paul Castley, Peter Malone, Philip Malone to concelebrate to acknowledge their contribution to parish supply at St Thomas.

A plaque was dedicated to acknowledge the presence of the Loreto sisters in the parish.

The group of Loreto Sisters

The parish then hosted a sit-down lunch in the school hall (with tours of the school for past students and visitors).

Such were the numbers at the lunch that extra tables were set in a marquee in the school grounds.

Speeches, videos of interviews, history quizzes during the lunch, a booklet with testimonies from parishioners, a happy celebration.

Beginning the Novitiate, Long and Nang

In the afternoon of March 1th, we continued our spirit of celebration from the morning, the parish Bicentenary Mass, the MSC, OLSH, MSC Sister, Laity of the Chevalier Family, with Jules and his passion to spread the human and unconditional love of Jesus everywhere, by celebrating the beginning of our Novitiate March 2024-May 2025.

Nang Dinh VU and Van Long TRAN were officially received into the Novitiate by Fr Khoi Nguyen msc, the Director of Initial Formation and Novice Director, on behalf of the Australian Province.

During this reception liturgy, Khoi reminded Long and Nang of the ‘radical’ invitation of Jesus to each of them at this stage of their formation, and urged them to be open, to be ready to take risks with God, and with God’s grace, to go out of their comfort zone, their own security, and to find God in new ways, beyond their expectations and imagination.

Fr Stephen Hackett msc, the Australian Provincial, who could not be there in person conveyed his greetings and best wishes, his prayer and support, to the novices, as they embarked on this unique and important journey.

Many MSCs, parishioners of St Thomas’ Blackburn parish and friends to Long and Nang, were present at the church to show their love and support to them. We continue to keep them and Khoi, their director, in our prayers and thoughts.

Khoi Nguyen MSC

Jules Chevalier Bicentenary celebrations, Melbourne.

Our bicentenary celebration took place in the parish church of St Thomas, Blackburn, which the MSC serve.

We celebrated on the day itself, the Friday 10 o’clock mass followed by refreshments. It was a combined celebration for members of the parish, for the MSC in Melbourne,

for Elizabeth Taylor and the OLSH sisters, for Sister Tess Veenker, MSC Sisters Provincial, Laity of the Chevalier Family, Margaret O’Loughlin and Lee Toll.

Mark Hanns MSC presided at the Eucharist.

Lee Toll offered her homily reflection

communicating the experience of the January gathering of the Laity of the Chevalier Family in Cebu, Philippines, memories of Jules Chevalier, the Internationality of the gathering – illustrated with many slides by Lee as were the parts of the mass and the hymns, concluding the celebration with what has become our Chevalier anthem, James Maher’s Woman of the Sacred Heart, illustrated with a wonderful collection of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Heart images.

And, a significant part of the refreshments, a birthday cake – and the cutting of the cake, in the photo above: Sister Relida OLSH, Lee Toll, Michael Sims MSC, Elizabeth Taylor OLSH, Mark Hanns MSC - and glimpsed, Margaret O'Loughlin and Philip Malone MSC.

Appreciation to Trieu and Hoa for photos

And a welcoming greeting from the Bishop of Darwin, Charles Gauci:

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fr Jules Chevalier MSC, the founder of OLSH and MSC.

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart - Australia and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart congregations have given so much to our Diocese. So many of them have poured blood, sweat, and tears in the service of God and God’s people. The first 3 bishops and most of the priests and sisters in our Diocese have served here for many years because of this man’s inspiration and vision.

We thank God for them all and for him. In what they have given to us, we are forever grateful.

+Charles

MSC acknowledgement of women working with us on International Women’s Day

International Women's Day is observed annually on March 8, all around the world. It is a day to reflect on and celebrate the social, political, economic, and cultural accomplishments of women.

We take the opportunity to remember all the women who have contributed to the life of the Province, from Mary Agnes Finn of Randwick, editing the Annals in the 1890s, so many through the decades, our OLSH and MSC sisters and the Laity of the Chevalier Family.

Today, some acknowledgement of some of those women working in the Province:

Treand House

Finance: Joan Fernando

Safeguarding, Meta Jackman, with Anne Marie Snelling

Spirituality Centres, Colleges

Anne McAtomney, Chevalier Institute, Director

Clare Shearman, Heart of Life Centre for Spiritual and Pastoral Formation, Director

Rachel Francis-Davies, Daramalan College, Principal

Sacred Heart Monastery, Kensington

Catherine Molihan, Aged Care

Parish formation team  

Marian England  

Narita Perotta

Chevalier Family

Philippa Murphy, and our OLSH Sisters, Provincial

Tess Veenker, and our MSC Sisters, Provincial

Alison McKenzie, Laity, General Secretary

And all those women working in our parishes and schools today.

MSC Victoria/Tasmania 2024 opening gathering.

The Community has 18 members, 16 in Melbourne, 1 in Hamilton, 1 in Hobart.

A reminder of who’s who!

Blackburn: Dominic Gleeson, new Community Leader; Khoi Nguyen, Novice Master; Mark Hanns, Student Director, Alo Lamere, PP St Thomas parish; professed students: Trieu Nguen, Daniel Magadia, Hoa Quoc Tran, Vincent Phong Phan; novices (from March 15^th, Van Long Tran, Nang Dinh Vu.

Kew: Paul Castley, Peter Malone, Philip Malone

Northcote, Little Sisters of the Poor, Michael Sims

St Thomas, Community Retirement Village, Forest Hill, Brian Gallagher

Mont Albert: Frank Andersen

Hamilton, resident at Monivae, Ted McCormack (absent)

Moonah, parish priest, Parthalomai Panlyadimai (Bartha) (absent)

Peter Curry moved last week to St Mary's Towers after 23 years

The community gathered at Cuskelly House on March 1^st, time for prayer and reflection, a renewal of vows to begin 2024 (with Krish Mathavan visiting for sessions at Heart of Life),

our meal, and the students going to the opening Mass for the year

at YTU,

The Yarra Theological Union.

At YTU,  Hoa, Daniel, Vincent, Geralyn (Gigi) Anderson, Blackburn parishioner, Communications manager, Heart of Life Centre.  (Absent, Trieu, sick)

Thanks to Hoa for photos.

MSC Australia, 2023, the year that was. Publishing and Media Report.

For the General Administration, Analecta. The tradition has been to name the books and further publications of the province. However, worldwide readership of books has been diminishing, greater reliance on social media. This is reflected in the life of the province.

BOOKS.

Brian Gallagher

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS: REFLECTIONS ON A RUBY ANNIVERSARY, (Editor), Heart of Life Centre for Spiritual and Pastoral Formation, Melbourne, 2023, pp.79.

GRACE AND GRATITUDE: A WAY OF LIFE, Coventry Press, Bayswater, 2023, pp. 58.

James Littleton

MANY BLESSINGS, AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Coogee, 2023, pp. 75.

Peter Malone

DEAR MORE DEAR MOVIES, Coventry Press, 2023, pp. 266.

HEART OF LIFE SPIRITUALITY CENTRE. A History (continued) 2016-2022, Heart of Life Centre for Spiritual and Pastoral Formation. 2023, pp. 43.

WORDS TO IMAGES TO DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS, MSC AUSTRALIA, Ebook, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, 2023, pp. 112.

CINEMA: TYPEWATCHING AT THE CINEMA. Ebook,  British Association for Psychological Type/ BAPT, 2023, pp.95.

Magazines

Quarterly, Be on Earth the Heart of God, from Treand House. Glossy paper, colour photos, original articles as well as downloads from the Province website. This has continued through 2023.

Articles

Michael Fallon

THE SWAG, Quarterly magazine of the National Council of Priests of Australia.

Homosexuality in the Scriptures. Autumn 2033.

Brian Gallagher

A monthly contribution of spirituality and reflection for the Heart of Life site and Facebook page.

Peter Malone

THE SWAG, Quarterly magazine of the National Council of Priests of Australia.

 The Pope’s Exorcist. Winter 2023.

 The New Boy. Spring 2023.

2023… The Year of cinema exorcists. Summer, 2023.

TYPEFACE, British Association for Psychological Type.

Typewatching at the Cinema:  Living – Mr Williams, ISTJ, and a move to Individuation. Summer 2023.

Film reviews.  While monthly reviews appear on Peter Malone's website (on the misacor site), the reviews appear for Jesuit Communications on the Australian Catholics website. There is a monthly Visio Divina post on the Heart of Life Facebook page and a weekly Radio Broadcast on Radio Maria, Film and Faith review.

Podcast

MSC Mission Office

From the MSC Mission office, Roger Purcell does a daily podcast talk, around six minutes, sometimes inviting other MSC, Colin Sinclair, Greg McCann, and OLSH sisters.  This has continued through 2023.

Websites and Facebook pages.

The Province Website, MISACOR. au, established in 2006, in its present form since 2010, has six postings per week. And, automatically, the posting appears on the province’s Facebook Page. This has continued through 2023

Trieu Nguyen and Hoa Tran manage MSC Vocation Australia  Facebook page with daily postings on vocation themes from the MSC congregation and stories and photos promoting vocations. Established in 2021, the page has developed strongly through 2023.

MSC parishes and colleges all have websites as well as Facebook pages. The same for The Chevalier Institute and Heart of Life. Heart of Life shares many of the MSC posts.

Provincial Secretary, Peter Hendriks, reaches most of the province with up-to-date news and information through email.

Many of the members of the province have their personal Facebook pages. Prominent among these is that for Claude Mostowik and the Justice and Peace office.

John Walker has an active Facebook page, often posting photos and memories of Sydney’s past

Khoi and Thang have sites/Facebook pages in Vietnamese.

MSC pioneers in Aboriginal ministry, Menindee-Wilcannia, NSW.

Some weeks ago we posted Pat Austin MSC’s parish supply in Balranald. He mentioned MSCs in the 1930s and 1940s in the Broken Hill diocese.  We Googled and found a summary which turned out to have been written by Martin Wilson MSC in his magazine, Nelen Yubu, in 1982. So, thanks to Martin and Google.

Martin writes (and photo-information from Jim Littleton's obituaries:

Between founding the missions on Palm Is. and Alice Springs, Fr Moloney was asked in 1934

by Bishop Fox of Wilcannia-Forbes to give a mission at the black settlement conducted at

Menindee on the Darling, 625 miles west of Sydney, by the Government Aborigines’ Welfare

Board. Fr Carmine used to come to Menindee every second month to say Mass. but that was

not much, even though it was all that was possible. Fr Moloney gave the blacks a fortnight’s

mission, and at the end baptised 129. Bishop Fox was delighted. Fr Moloney stayed for a short

time and then had to go on to found Alice Springs mission.

A priest came regularly from Broken Hill to say Mass, and the blacks remained remarkably

faithful, in spite of the efforts of the parson, a well meaning man, to get them back. After

Bishop Fox’s repeated requests, we agreed to send a permanent man there: first of all Fr

Ormonde in 1936. In Menindee township he added two sacristies to the church, and worked

amongst the whites of the town and district, soon multiplying the number of Catholics there

(three) by ten. At the blacks’ camp about eleven miles from town he built a temporary church

out of wool-packs. There were at a maximum 300 Aborigines in the camp, dissociated from

their tribes and tribal life, helping in the upkeep of the camp by their work on the stations and

orchards around Mildura.

Two OLSH nuns arrived 1941 and used to go out regularly to the camp from Menindee and

give catechetical instruction. 1942 Fr V. Dwyer replaced Fr Ormonde. During Fr Dwyer’s time

a galvanised iron church took the place of the one out of wool-packs.

1943 Fr Dwyer was succeeded by Fr A. Guest, and Fr Guest in 1946 by Fr Toohey. Any real progress was held up

until the government decided about the transfer that was projected. The camp was moved

finally to just outside Wilcannia 1949, Fr Toohey still in charge. The nuns go out to the camp

each day to teach in the church-school, and Fr Toohey says Mass in it on Sundays.

2023, the MSC year that was…

Each year we post the overview of the province requested by the General Administration – an opportunity to look back at some of the highlights of the year.  For a weekend read...

On the world stage, 2023 was a very sad year – wars in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Gaza and the Middle East. There could be no 2023 Nativity celebrations in Bethlehem.

On the other hand, 2023 was a very positive year for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. General Chapter, Provincial Chapter.

April saw the Provincial Chapter held at the Josephite Centre at Baulkham Hills, Sydney. There were 65 voting participants, nine from Vietnam. The students in pre-novitiate and in temporary vows were present staffing the chapter, an opportunity to appreciate something of the life of the province and hopes for the future.

Andre Claessens from the General Administration was the delegate at the chapter. Not only were the MSC present, but quite a number of lay women and men involved in the life of the province, at provincial administration, secretarial, finance, safeguarding, education, aged care, Chevalier Institute, Heart of Life Centre.

There was an atmosphere of Communal Discernment, days opening with prayer and reflection, a range of celebrants for the daily Eucharist, the Eucharist and meal with Bishop Vincent Long OFM.Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, the diocese where the Chapter took place.

There were formal presentations but much of the discussion took place in groups made up of the cross-section of the province, findings formulated, coordinated by the secretarial group, worked on for final statements by the Resolutions Committee. Amongst the key issues were support for the Indigenous Voice, issues of Senior Living, Laudato si, safeguarding, the future of St Mary's Towers, administration in Japan, Vietnam. The agenda came from the report from Provincial, Chris McPhee.

Delegates were elected for the General chapter: John Mulrooney, Peter Carroll, substitutes Peter Hendriks, Chris McPhee.

Stephen Hackett was elected the new Provincial Superior. He later appointed as his council: KimI Venivesilevu, First Councillor, Phil Hicks, Dominic Gleeson, Pat Mara, Thoi Tran and Peter Hendriks as Provincial Secretary.

The Australian presence at the General Chapter: Stephen Hackett, Provincial Superior, delegates, John Mulrooney, Peter Carroll, General Councillor, Chris Chaplin, responsible for Safeguarding, Tim Brennan.

There were three deaths in the province in 2023: Tony Young who died in Eastern Papua aged 87 and was buried there; John Conroy who died at the Little Sisters of the Poor, Randwick, aged 88;

 and the senior member of the province, Albert Yelds, 53 years professed, 70 years ordained, aged 98, a veteran promoter of Devotion to the Sacred Heart, missionary in India, missionary decades in Kiribati.

Much the 17^th saw the ordination to the diaconate of Kenji Konda at Kensington monastery. December 2nd saw the making of Final Profession by Trieu Nguyen and Daniel Magadia at St Thomas’, Blackburn.

After some time living in the community at Blackburn, Nang Dinh Vu and Van Long Tran began their pre-novitiate training at Douglas Park, under the direction of Dominic Gleeson.

2023 was also the year of celebration of 25 years of the MSC Australian Mission Office, under the direction of Roger Purcell, Sean Donovan member of the office for many years. Celebrations included a Mass at Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, presided over by Cardinal John Ribat, with the presence of a number of international delegates from Asia and the Pacific who had come for the Mission Office conference and formal meetings. There were items in the Mission Office Newsletter (in print and on-line), a booklet on the 25 years, and many episodes of the daily podcast, Mission Alive.

As regards missions and the Australian MSC presence, there are now only three Australian MSC in Japan, in their 80s, Brian Taylor, John Graham, Keith Humphreys. With the death of Tony Young and Russell Anderson and Paul Guy coming south, there are only two Australian MSC in PNG, Joe Ensing in Eastern Papua, Brian Cahill at Tarpini. With the SVD coming to the Tiwi Islands and Peter Huan moving from Daly River, the MSC in the Northern Territory are: Malcolm Fyfe, vicar general, resigning in September after many years, John Kelliher, parish priest of Nightcliff, Leo Wearden, parish priest of Wadeye, and Peter Huan at The Ranch. Colin Sinclair is in Fiji.

The MSC spirit in the Colleges is very strong, witnessed, for instance, by the significant celebrations for the Feast of the Sacred Heart and Chevalier Day. Mark McGinnitty is representative for MSC education. The Chevalier Institute, under the direction of Anne McAtomney, runs programs for our schools and staffs. There are College Board meetings, MSC Education Board meetings. For some years, interrupted by Covid, there have been MSC Education pilgrimage tours in Issoudun.

The MSC presence in colleges: Downlands, Vince Carroll; Chevalier, John Mulrooney, (John Franzmann transferring to Kensington); Ted McCormack in retirement at Monivae; chaplaincy at Daramalan with Kimi Venivesilevu, parish priest of Kippax.

With the diminishment in numbers in the province, the MSC withdrew from Henley Beach at the end of 2022, from Kings Meadow, Launceston, at the beginning of 2024. Our Indian confrere, Bartha, is parish priest of Moonah. Our other Indian confrere, Michael Nithan, is on the staff at Randwick parish. Thang Nhu Nguyen, Chaplain at the Prince of Wales Hospital, moved from Coogee to Randwick. We continue to serve the four parishes in Sydney. Our other southern parishes are in the ACT, Kippax, and in Victoria, Blackburn.

One of the key challenges to the province is the future of St Mary’s Towers, Douglas Park. Situations have changed, especially since Covid, with those coming to make retreats, diminishing numbers. Consultants offered some plans for consideration at the Provincial Chapter. A committee will consider options, possibilities, plans during 2024.

Most of the Australian MSC are located in New South Wales, especially at Kensington monastery which includes the Chevalier Resource Centre as well as St Joseph’s Home for aged care, as well as at Douglas Park. Key to the care of those at Kensington, is the presence of Catherine Molihan, responsible for aged care in the province. There is a significant increase in the numbers of men in the province who have Aged Care packages of government support. There are also 20 MSC in the Victoria-Tasmania community, most in Melbourne, six in their 80s, and, students and formator, five in their 30s. And some in between.

A highlight of 2023 was the celebration of 40 years of the Heart of Life Centre, renamed in 2017 the Heart of Life Centre for Spiritual and Pastoral Formation. MSC on staff are Peter Malone and Khoi Nguyen. Robyn Reynolds OLSH finished years of lecturing and, sadly, died in October.

There were several special events and special programs offered. However, the main celebration took place on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, a large gathering of former participants in programs, the staff, an MSC presence including Provincial Superior, Chris McPhee, and, guest of honour, the founder of Heart of Life, Brian Gallagher. Chris McPhee provided at the Eucharist, a book of testimonies to the impact of Heart of Life and, especially, of Siloam, the Spiritual Directors Program, Celebrating 40 Years: Reflections on a Ruby Anniversary, edited by Brian Gallagher, was launched, as was the continuation of the previous History of Heart of Life, by Peter Malone.

In the 40 years of Heart of Life, the centre has rented premises from different religious congregations. In the latter part of 2023, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart bought the Croydon property (where priests at the Scholasticate celebrated daily masses) of the Family Care Sisters, popularly known as the Great Sisters. Their farewell Mass was celebrated at Croydon Parish Church which is the former Chapel of the Scholasticate, enlarged. And, the 2023 graduation ceremonies were held there as well.

This means that Heart of Life now has a permanent home, owned by the MSC. The move from the previous premises, Kildara, Malvern, took place in December after finalising of the sale on December 1st. At year’s end, some repairs and renovations are underway, the academic year 2024 beginning at Kewn Kreestha, name of the property, the Rest of Christ, the Family Care Sisters’ name for their home for care for mothers.

This is the Australian report. There is a separate report on the MSC Vietnam, written there.