In the Northern Territory, Andre Claessens visits, Darwin, the Tiwi Islands, Wadeye

The Tiwi Museum

Guided by Anne Gardiner OLSH

Fiona, Anne and Andre - gifts for Rome

Hosted by Bishop Charles Gaucci in Darwin, Deacon Dean, Bishop Eugene Hurley, Malcolm Fyfe MSC, Tom Jose…

Andre and the Bishop

Celebrating Mass at Wadeye   

And in Darwin with John Kelliher

Bob Irwin MSC, anticipating his Golden Jubilee of Ordination.

On May 12th, Bob and Phil Hicks will celebrate their Golden Jubilee - in Randwick (Bob being a Randwick boy), and beyond.

With the delegates from Vietnam in Australia for the Chapter,

remembering Bob was Provincial at the time of the establishing of the MSC in Vietnam, 2003, Thoi Tran (on Bob's left) and Peter Huan

they joined some of the locals at Erskineville for Mass

and dinner

Watch this space for more celebrations.

May 1^st, May Day, Workers and St Joseph

Traditiones Monastiques

Each morning at the Chapter, we prayed, St Joseph, Our Patron, Pray for us.

Jules Chevalier bequeathed Heart Spirituality, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and a devotion to St Joseph to the Chevalier Family – Model and Patron of those who love the Sacred Heart.  Here is some background and some different St Joseph pictures.

San Jose Latin America

Was Joseph a ‘carpenter’?  Did you know: Joseph's description as a "tekton" (τέκτων) has been traditionally translated into English as "carpenter", but is a rather general word (from the same root that gives us "technical" and "technology") that could cover makers of objects in various materials. The Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone. But the specific association with woodworking is a constant in Early Christian tradition; Justin Martyr (died c. 165) wrote that Jesus made yokes and ploughs, and there are similar early references.

Catholic Ireland

Other scholars have argued that tekton could equally mean a highly skilled craftsman in wood or the more prestigious metal, perhaps running a workshop with several employees, and noted sources recording the shortage of skilled artisans at the time. Geza Vermes has stated that the terms 'carpenter' and 'son of a carpenter' are used in the Jewish Talmud to signify a very learned man, and he suggests that a description of Joseph as 'naggar' (a carpenter) could indicate that he was considered wise and highly literate in the Torah.

Seeds of Faith

Weekend Chapter Photos, Part 2: Who’s who at the microphone.

Packing up

There were others who spoke - in alphabetical order - but there were some who spoke, shall we say, ‘not infrequently’.

Russell Andersen - second senior at the Chapter, professed 1955

Tim Brennan

Paul Browne

Brian Cahill

Vince Carroll

Paul Cashen

Paul Castley, senior at the Chapter, professed 1955

Danh

Michael Fallon, third senior at the Chapter, professed 1955

Dominic Gleeson

Hoang

Bob Irwin

Paul Jennings

John Kelliher

Peter Malone

Philip Malone

Greg McCann

Gerard McCormick

Chris McPhee

Claude Mostowik

John Mulrooney

Khoi Nguyen

Roger Purcell

Kimi Vunivesilevu

Weekend Chapter Photos, Part I. Who was there ?

An opportunity to check out the delegates and the Chapter chapel, the foyer, the grounds – and some candid camera shots.

And a relaxing moment or two.

And the symbolic tree, now planted as a memento at St Mary's Towers

Out for air

And in again

And there were coffee and tea breaks

At the Chapter 2023 from overseas

From the General Administration, Andre Claessens, from Japan Bern and Rey, and our confreres from Vietnam (and Tim Brennan).

An initial note of appreciation for the presence of Andre Claessens MSC from the General Administration,

participating, leading liturgy, the Chapter Dinner speaker… very good company.

Bern, Japan (from Indonesia) 

Rey, Japan (from the Philippines) - and thanks for all the photos we used on the site. 

Andre promoting our martyrs.

and acknowledging the Vietnamese presence.

Stephen Hackett election, Cathnews Report

General secretary elected provincial, to leave Bishops Conference

Fr Stephen Hackett MSC has been elected provincial superior of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Australia, and will conclude him time as general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in July.

Fr Hackett’s ministerial background included appointments within secondary and tertiary education, as a parish priest in several Australian dioceses and as vicar general in the Diocese of Darwin.

He took over the role of general secretary, leading the day-to-day operations of the Bishops Conference, in 2016.

He currently chairs the National Liturgical Architecture and Art Council and is a member of the Australian Catholic Council for Pastoral Research – two advisory bodies to the Bishops Conference. He is also a member of the ecumenical Australian Academy of Liturgy.

Fr Hackett was elected provincial superior during the recent Missionaries of the Sacred Heart provincial chapter in Sydney. He will replace Fr Chris McPhee, who has served as provincial of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Australia since 2017.

Bishops Conference president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said Fr Hackett has led the General Secretariat during a period of significant change.

“The bishops have undertaken some major projects in recent years and have been fortunate to have Fr Hackett’s significant ecclesial experience and understanding,” he said.

“The 10-year review of Conference, a major financial review and restructure, the conclusion of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the review of diocesan and parish governance are just some key moments in the past seven years.

“At the same time, the operations of the General Secretariat have been built up anew.

“On behalf of the bishops, we thank Fr Hackett for his contributions and wish him well as he undertakes this new ministry.”

Fr Hackett said some of those tasks had been challenging, but he felt that he had been part of positive change within the Conference.

“The Bishops Conference has an important place in the life of the Church in Australia, enabling bishops, and sometimes dioceses, to collaborate on issues where a national approach makes sense for the benefit of all,” he said.
“With the support of a committed group of colleagues at the Conference, I believe we had made major strides in recent years, always focused clearly on Christ and the mission of the Church.”
Fr Hackett said he looks forward to the next phase of his ministry.
“My vocation came through the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and while I enjoyed serving in a variety of capacities in the Church, it is a privilege to take on this leadership role within my province for the next several years,” he said.

RIP, Brian Johnstone CSsR

Those of us who were students at the Yarra Theological Union or who were on the faculty remember Brian Johnstone as a fine lecturer and a good colleague

From the YTU: We are saddened by the death of Emeritus Professor Fr Brian Johnstone CSsR. Brian taught moral theology at YTU in the 1970's and then went on to teach at Catholic University of America in Washington and at Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome.

He had been living in the Redemptorist community in Kew in recent years where he kept up his interest in moral matters and became a very keen gardener. He is fondly remembered by former students Chris Monaghan and Michael Kelly among many others.

The issues as related by the cardiologist were that the main artery to his heart was blocked 98-99% and he had very low blood pressure. He was also put on a ventilator Michael Kelly was able to anoint and absolve Brian and inform family, confreres and mission partners. Nine were present when Brian went home to the Lord to share the fullness of the resurrection. He did a lot of research and speaking on the lack of consideration of the resurrection in moral theology. He died peacefully at 9:37 pm Sunday 16 April.

May our colleague and confrere rest in peace.

Our own MSC link with the sinking and discovery of the Montevideo Maru

Br Clifford Brennan and Fr David McCullagh were among the 1054 Australians who died in this disaster.

We have a gravestone at St Mary’s Towers, but no grave. Now we know where it is.

Here are some details from Jim Littleton’s first book on Deceased MSC. He notes that, three years after the sinking with the confirmation of their deaths, a Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated for them at OLSH Randwick, December 5^th, 1945

Clifford Brennan,

born 1916, professed October 17^th, 1933. Trained as a cook by Sister Rita RSJ, he was appointed to Downlands, 1934-1936, 1937 at Kensington, 1938, to Douglas Park. In 1941 he went to Eastern Papua with the arrangement that he spent a year or more Vunapope,, New Britain, working with the German Brothers in the various workshops. He was captured, interned, sent on the Montevideo Maru.

David McCullagh,

born 1911, professed 2nd February, 1932, ordained 30^th of November, 1937. Born at Kalgoorlie, educated by the Christian Brothers there and, later, at St Patrick’s College, Ballarat. After ordination, he went to Hammond Island, transferred to New Britain in 1941. As we know, Father Ted Harris stayed and was killed. The others refused to escape, remaining with the local people, and then transferred on to the Montevideo Maru.

Some details from Wikipedia:

Montevideo Maru was a Japanese auxiliary ship during World War II. It was sunk by the American submarine USS Sturgeon on 1 July 1942, drowning 1,054 Australians aboard—prisoners of war and civilians who were being transported from Rabaul to Hainan. The sinking is considered the worst maritime disaster in Australia's history.

She was proceeding without escort to the Chinese island of Hainan, when she was sighted by the American submarine USS Sturgeon near the northern Philippine coast on 30 June 1942.

Sturgeon pursued, but was unable to fire, as the target was travelling at 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph). Montevideo Maru slowed to about 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) at midnight, to facilitate an expected rendezvous with an escort of two destroyers. Unaware that the ship was carrying Allied prisoners of war and civilians, Sturgeon fired four torpedoes at Montevideo Maru before dawn on 1 July 1942. At least one torpedo hit, causing the vessel to take on water and sink 11 minutes later. Australians in the water sang "Auld Lang Syne" to their trapped comrades as the ship sank beneath the waves.

There were more POWs in the water than crew members. The POWs were holding pieces of wood and using bigger pieces as rafts. They were in groups of 20 to 30 people, probably 100 people in all. They were singing songs. I was particularly impressed when they began singing Auld Lang Syne as a tribute to their dead colleagues. Watching that, I learnt that Australians have big hearts.

— Eyewitness Yoshiaki Yamaji, interviewed October 2003.

• 22 Salvation Army bandsmen, the majority being members of the Brunswick Citadel band. The bandsmen had enlisted together and comprised the majority of the band of the 2/22nd Battalion.

• In 2012, the Japanese government handed over thousands of POW documents to the Australian government. The Montevideo Maru's manifest, which contained the names of all the Australians on board, was among them. The translation of the manifest was released in June 2012, confirming a total of 1,054 Australians, of which 845 were from Lark Force. The new translation corrected a longstanding historical error in the number of civilians who went down with the ship. There were 209, not 208 as previously thought. This is not an additional casualty. Rather, the historical number was simply inaccurate.

2023 - SS Montevideo Maru was found after 12 days of searching in the South China Sea, off the coast of Luzon, by a team led by not-for-profit Silentworld Foundation, deep-sea survey specialists Fugro and supported by the Department of Defence.

The wreckage will not be disturbed, and no human remains or artefacts will be removed. The site, which sits deeper than the wreck of the Titanic, will be recorded for research purposes.

Chapter   Yes. We have brought our Chapter work to a close...   And behind the scenes

A Deo Gratias that we have finished the 2023 MSC Chapter (and a day early!).

If you can't wait to see the group photo, it is right at the end!   We were 65 voting members, 6 professed and pre-novitiate students also present. And we were glad and privileged to have 9 of our ministry Directors, lay women and men, sharing reflection and prayer with us, our Assistant General, Andre Claessens, and our facilitator, Graham Neist. We are grateful to the Sisters of St Joseph and the staff at Baulkham Hills for making life easier for us.

On the last day, we affirmed our Chapter Statements: Voice of the Heart, St Mary’s Towers, Vietnam, Japan, Laudato Si, Senior Living, Re-Visioning Mission, Safeguarding, Finances.

After thanks to so many for their work at the Chapter and behind the scenes, and Peter Hendriks speaking of Chris’s time as Provincial, Chris McPhee declared the Chapter closed.

Stephen Hackett then presided at the final Mass with Michael Hangan as deacon.

So….     Some of the workings behind the scenes  

Help desk, with out students, Trieu, Hoa, Daniel

Photography, baggage carrying, microphone rushes to speakers.....  

Vincent, Long, (they didn't get the opportunity to stand with Bishop Vincent Long!)

and with camera, Nang Thanks to Rey from Japan whom we will feature later in the week with Delegates from Asia

The secratariat, Narita, Michael, Marian, Dom 

Logistics and management with Barry Smith, Kenji.    

Statements Committee, Tony Arthur, Mark Hanns, Peter Malone, Krish Mathavan  

Scrutineers, Bartha, Thien, Phil, Pat.   

Choir, Gerard at the piano    

And for our Vietnamese hymns     

And the big one, those at the Chapter

and what you have been waiting for