RIP, DEACON BONIFACE PERDJERT, WADEYE.

Malcolm Fyfe MSC, Vicar General, Diocese of Dawin, has written:

I write with sadness to inform you that Deacon Boniface Perdjert died about 1 pm today surrounded by family members, after having spent the last 3 weeks or so in the Royal Darwin Hospital. Many priests and religious have visited him and prayed with him during these final weeks.

Father Leo Wearden has indicated that the funeral at Wadeye may not take place for some time.

Just prior to Deacon Boniface’s 80^th birthday on May 14, 2016, I received the following article “A Leader and an Inspiration” from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) in acknowledgement of the outstanding contribution Deacon Boniface has made over the years to Indigenous and Catholic life.

You may like to read it again.

Sympathy to his family and the Wadeye community.  May he rest in peace.

Boniface and Benedict XVI at World Youth Day, 2008

INTRODUCING PETER ANTONY MSC, FROM INDIA TO RANDWICK

Fr Peter Antony is the new Assistant Priest.  We learn about him in this interview from the Randwick parish bulletin, with thanks to Tony McNamara and Debra Lawrence,

Tell us about your family

Both my parents are in their 60s. My father, Antony is a builder and my mother, Mary is a traditional housewife.  I have two brothers – Printo and Prince. I am the eldest, being born in 1985. It’s a traditional Catholic family where we try to attend Mass everyday and not miss Sunday Mass and say the Rosary in the evenings. My primary and secondary schooling was at local parish schools – St Joseph’s Primary and St Sebastian High School.  I finished schooling in 2002.

The family’s home is in Vellarappilly a city in the Indian state of Kerala.  Interestingly Kerala was the first state in the world to democratically elect a communist government in 1957.   Kerala has a diverse population, with 56% Hindus, 25% Muslims and 19% Christiwickans.

Thoughts of being a priest?

Well, from an early age I wanted to be a priest but had not thought whether I wanted to be a diocesan priest or a member of a priestly Order. I have an Aunt who is a Sister of the Divine Saviour (the Salvatorians whose priests are in Gosford and Western Australia). But being part of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Order happened by chance – perhaps by God’s Providence.

How? I met a Carmelite of Mary Immaculate Nun who mentioned that there was a MSC seminary nearby my home town. I knew little of the MSCs as the Order first came to India only in 1985.  I enquired about what the Order did and I felt attracted to their ways of serving God by sharing the message of God’s love to everyone so I applied to join them. I was accepted and entered their Seminary in Bengaluru in July 2003. I spent the early part of 2003 working in my home town.

Training to be a priest in India

It’s a little different and a little longer. Developing a broad education is important so at the CMI College I did concurrent Bachelor studies, first in Philosophy, and Theology and I did my Bachelor’s in Arts in a Jesuit College. And in the Seminary my Novice Master was Fr Tony Bolt, now at Kensington Monastery but at OLSH in 2003.

And during my formation years my tutors included Fr Prassad and Fr Joshua each of whom spent some years at OLSH too. They told me how much they enjoyed being at OLSH so I was delighted when I learnt that it would be my parish in Australia.

You were ordained in 2016

Yes, on 27 November 2016. So my journey to being a priest was 13 years. I took a break from my studies in 2012. Why? Partly because my family needed help and it was also an opportunity for me to be certain of my vocation. At the end of that year there was no doubt of my desire for a priestly life. And there was no doubt either of my family’s support for me of my choice. I was ordained along with six other priests. Two are in France, one in Japan, two remain in India and me in Australia.

And after your ordination in 2016?

I was working in one of the Dioceses in Kerala until February 2018.

You arrived in Sydney in  August 2018. First thoughts in comparing Ausralia with India??

Australia is more of a secular nature and India has more religious diversity. Australia is cleaner and less populated than India. Both the countries are very strong in playing cricket. Here communication is easy with one language but back in India each state has their own languages though Hindi is the national language.

Impressions of Randwick?

The first feeling I had of Randwick was feeling at home. People are very kind and friendly. I feel it’s a vibrant place with different cultures. And in a year’s time I’ll have firmer views but I’m sure they will be positive.

Do you prefer Fr Peter or Fr Antony?

Either is fine but in order to avoid confusion Fr Antony would be better.

INTERVIEW WITH CARDINAL JOHN RIBAT MSC

crdinal Ribat stressed his country is facing one major problem that can't wait for a solution: climate change.

“It is really the biggest issue for us. We cannot keep quiet about it. We have to come out with it,” he said, noting that the “king tides, king waves” and rough winds “belting” the island nation are already forcing many people from their homes.

These are the things “we cannot stop. They continue to come, and they are more powerful than us,” the cardinal said, explaining that while temporary sea walls have been set up, “they won't hold.”

“Our situation, it's timely, you either talk about it or you see these people finished...There's not timing for it. The time is either now or never.”

Cardinal Ribat, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was one of the 19 prelates that got a red hat from Pope Francis in November’s consistory, and is a prime example of the Pope’s affinity toward the global peripheries.

Not only does Ribat come from a small island nation with an equally small Catholic population, he is the first prelate from the country to ever be named cardinal, giving voice to a sector of the Church whose concerns might otherwise go unheard.

The cardinal said he didn’t know that he had been named a cardinal until the country’s nuncio came and told him.
 
“For me it was absolutely unexpected. I never dreamt about it, never, I never wrote for this. It just came. So it was really a shocking news for us,” he said, explaining that the appointment sent “a great message” to Papua New Guinea.

Not only did he get congratulations from the country's Catholics, but he also received celebratory calls and messages from other Christian denominations as well as the nation’s small Muslim minority. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill also offered his congratulations in local papers and on TV.

For the cardinal, his appointment is “timely and it gives us a chance to come to the center and hear our voice, to listen to our voice.”

“It's really looking at the small Church, the small area, and bringing it to the center. So the periphery, bringing us to the center where we are listened to, we are recognized, where we are appreciated, where our situation is also understood.”

Ribat said his red hat was timely above all because it allows him to have more heft when voicing the country’s concerns, particularly on the issue of climate change.

The phenomena is something new that most islanders have found themselves entirely unprepared for, he said, explaining that “we were happily living and it was not a concern for us. But at this time we cannot be quiet.”

“It’s happening at this time and we don’t know where it is coming from and why it is happening...we have islands disappearing, being washed because of the high-rise sea level and people there, they have to move,” he said, noting that many of the smaller islands “are not able to sustain themselves” for much longer.

Papua New Guinea is among the nations considered most at risk for the effects of climate change. For several years the country has been affected by rising sea levels and changes in temperature, rainfall patters and the frequency of tropical storms.

According to the Australian Government’s 2011 Pacific Climate Change Science Program report, temperatures in the capital city of Port Moresby have increased since at a rate of 0.11 degrees Celsius per decade since 1950, causing sea levels to rise at a rate of 7mm per year since 1993, since water expands as it gets warmer.

Predictions for the future look grim, anticipating that the trends will carry forward as temperatures continue to increase, leading to hotter days and more volatile rainy days, with sea levels continuing to rise.

Islands such as Carteret and Tuvalu have reportedly already begun to feel the sting, with rising sea levels leaving food gardens flooded while homeowners seek to transfer to higher ground. Coconut farms – the country’s primary agricultural product – have so far been most heavily affected.

The report also states that inconsistent weather and rain patterns have already led to more frequent onsets of malaria and the common flu, and will soon start to have an impact on the economy, since the country’s agricultural production is being affected.

In his comments to CNA, Cardinal Ribat, who met with Pope Francis right before coming to the interview, said he brought the issue up with the Pope during their meeting, and that Francis was sympathetic to their plight.

“His response was that the nations are not listening, that’s what he said,” Ribat explained, recalling how the Pope told him that while “we do our best, we try to voice our concerns,” the answer ultimately depends on other nations.

Pope Francis has often spoken out about the need to make more firm commitments in trying to find solutions to climate change, focusing on the issue at length in his 2015 environmental encyclical Laudato Si.

Speaking of Laudato Si, Cardinal Ribat said the encyclical helped the world to see “the importance” of the problems they face not just in Papua New Guinea, but “in the whole Pacific.”

Ribat called on nations to take greater action, specifically asking “powerful” countries in the West “to respond in a positive way to help us, because this high-rise sea level, we’ve never experienced it before (and) we are wondering what is happening to us, why all this is happening.”

For those who doubt the effects of climate change or think that it’s a myth, the cardinal said his response would be to “come and see” if they “really want to be sure about what is happening.”

“This is where you really see the effect of what is happening,” he said. “So when you talk about climate change, maybe here because you have a big land mass you are talking about it and waiting for it to come in the future. For us, it is right now.”

JUBILEE DINNER AT KENSINGTON, PHOTO MEMENTOS

While there were several men celebrating profession anniversaries at the Mass and dinner at Kensington, the Golden Jubilee was that of Henk Bosman. He celebrated with his brother, John, who preached the homily, and other members of his family and with the Kensington community.

Martin Wilson celebrated 70 years of profession.

With Ashley Wilcox, grandniece of Dennis Murphy

Denis Uhr celebrated 60 years.

With Des Moore MSC

Barry Brundell celebrated 60 years.

With thanks to John Kelliher for sending the photos.

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MARCH 13th. POPE FRANCIS AFTER SIX YEARS?

Elected March 13^th 2013.  Changing the Church?

How? Some ideas from Thomas Reese SJ.

The pope has called for a new way of evangelizing. He tells us that the first words of evangelization must be about the compassion and mercy of God, rather than a list of dogmas and rules that must be accepted. He speaks daily of the compassion and love of God. Our response, he says, is to show compassion and love to all our brothers and sisters, especially the poor and marginalized. He not only talks about it; he does it by reaching out to refugees, the homeless, and the sick.

Previous popes wrote about the "new evangelization" in an abstract and boring way. This pope communicates in a way that grabs people's attention with his words and actions. His message is the message of the Gospel — it is about the Father's love for his people and their responsibility to love one another. He does not obsess over rules and regulations. He is more interested in orthopraxis (how we live the faith) than orthodoxy (how we explain the faith).

Pope Francis is allowing open discussion and debate in the church. He is not scandalized by disagreements, even over doctrine. It is impossible to exaggerate how extraordinary this is. Only during Vatican II was such a debate possible. Ironically, conservatives who attacked progressives as dissenters under earlier papacies have now become dissenters to the teaching of Pope Francis.

Under Francis, synodal participants were encouraged by the pope to speak their minds boldly and not worry about disagreeing with him. The result is a freer exchange of views, public disagreements, and even outright criticism of the pope by some conservative cardinals. All of this would never have been allowed under earlier popes.

He is moving the church away from an ethics based on rules to one based on discernment. Facts, circumstances, and motivations matter in such an ethics.  

Under this approach to moral theology, it is possible to see holiness and grace in the lives of imperfect people, even those in irregular marriages. Rather than seeing the world as divided between the good and the bad, we are all seen as wounded sinners for whom the church serves as a field hospital where the Eucharist is food for the wounded rather than a reward for the perfect. Gone is any attempt to scare people into being good.

He is trying to change the culture of the clergy, moving them away from clericalism to a vocation of service. He wants bishops and priests to see themselves as servants of the people of God, not princes.

And…

TIM BRENNAN: NEW POSTING AT MSC GENERAL HOUSE

The Australian contingent at the MSC General House in Rome is about to be increased with the recent appointment of Tim Brennan. His task is to establish a specialist  Safeguarding Desk at the General House. 

Tim Brennan, following a stint as the Australian Provincial, has served seven years as an Executive Officer of the National Catholic Professional Standards Office {NCPS]; initially alongside Sr Angela Ryan CSB and in recent years with Sr Annette Cunliffe RSC. 

The NCPS has existed for nearly thirty years, but in the post-Royal Commission world it has been replaced with a number of separate structures. 

The NCPS was a joint initiative of the Australian Bishops Conference [ACBC] and Catholic Religious Australia [CRA]. Besides engaging with those impacted by sexual abuse, it sought to promote best practice among dioceses and religious institutes. It was the NCPS that proposed policies to the Australian Church. Under Towards Healing it was charged to assist State Professional Standards Offices to develop uniform best practice. In the event of a complaint against a person currently in Church Leadership, these cases were handled in the National Office. It also served as a Review Panel for people dissatisfied with the treatment of their complaint at the State level. 

Tim observed that while the States of Australia have struggled to develop a coherent national approach to the safeguarding of minors and vulnerable adults, for an international religious institute the challenges, of language, culture, and civil legal systems bring further complexities.  He pointed out that his task is to build on the progress made at the last two MSC General Chapters and at MSC General Conferences.       

Congratulations to Tim for his past work and anticipation of his coming world ministry,

ACKNOWLEDGING ELIZABETH (LIZ) PHELAN

On our site we have been acknowledging MSC priests and brothers as they turn a significant age, and upwards.

Perhaps taking a cue from our post for International Women’s Day last Friday and the focus on the women in the Chevalier Family, it is important to acknowledge the women who have been a significant presence in MSC life and ministry.

With this in mind, we offer a tribute to Liz Phelan who turned 80 on December 11^th last.

During the 1970s, Liz and her late husband, Michael, lived in Melbourne and had close associations with the Scholasticate at Croydon.

Then they moved to Toowoomba and had a decades-long association with Downlands College, with the MSC Community, with the life and activities of the school, many close friendships with members of the Province.

A note and a vote of thanks.

BISHOP ROCHUS TATAMAI MSC AT PORT MORESBY MEETING ON VATICAN MEETING.

Rochus Tatamai was present at the Vatican Meeting as President of the Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

The following meeting took place a week after the Vatican meeting. An immediate response - with speakers, both women and men.

Bp Rochus Tatamai MSC, Catholic Bishops Conference President spoke to a packed conference centre at CBC Gordons on Sunday 3 March, 2019. Present at the Press Conference and discussion were Archbishop Douglas Young, Archbishop of Mt Hagen; Bishop Anton Bal, Bishop of Kundiawa; Bishop Gilles Côté, Bishop of Daru Kiunga; Priests, sisters, religious, seminarians and lay faithful.

Bp Rochus shared the highlights of what took place recently in Rome when the Presidents of all the Catholic Bishops Conferences gathered in response to a call from Pope Francis. In a letter, August 2018, the Pope called for a meeting to find a way forward at this time of crisis in the Catholic Church. ‘Learn first-hand from those in your own place who have been victims of sexual abuse,’ he instructed each bishop ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together with it …’ 1 Cor 12:26. “Church leadership depends on authenticity. Leaders are now under scrutiny by victims of sexual abuse, the public, the wider society,” he said.

Five testimonies from North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia opened the summit. These awful testimonies; these very heart-rending stories were difficult to come to terms with. Most painful was often the fact that the leadership in the Church did not regard the victims as believable; rather the leadership accused them of being ‘enemies of the Church’. Cardinal Taglia in his opening presentation recalled the story of Jesus inviting Thomas to touch his wounds and learn from the Risen Lord. “Go forth on a mission of reconciliation”, concluded the Cardinal.

Bp Rochus, in referring to the summary of the work done in the discussion group, highlighted that there was clear recognition that they were not considering isolated cases but were dealing with sexual abuse as a global issue. It is essential then to call on the talents of laymen and women to contribute to a response. This concern was, later, emphasised during discussion time by Mr Paul Harricknen, who has himself served as Director of the Bishops’ Conference Commission on Right Relationships. Other lay people present expressed the desire to see ‘synodality’ – based on the principle that all can make a contribution.

Fidelity to our baptismal call and that families play a major role to protect their children. There was also the need to reach out to survivors and not drive them away. Women and their distinctive voices should be welcomed as they have the major role and are the ones who care for children.

Bp Gill Cote was emphatic in the fact that all Bishops and priests are fully aware of their calling and are committed to follow the protocols that are in place. Recurring was the call for credible leadership that will elicit trust and increase faith. The need for qualified psychological counsellors to accompany seminarians as well as at institutions to accompany and deal with the family issues of every young person. With misconduct in rural areas, kept under wraps and a difficult geographical terrain, the needed capacity to ensure that points of contact are available and a proper follow up is undertaken.

While there may still be gaps, this time of grace is a step in the right direction. The afternoon was though provoking and emotional for all present.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’ DAY – CELEBRATING THE CHEVALIER FAMILY

Acknowledging and celebrating International Women’s Day -  beginning at home: the Chevalier Family.

Jules Chevalier had a broad vision for his mission – and the women and men called to it.

There are more women than men in the Chevalier Family, OLSH Sisters, MSC Sisters, Lay MSC – and we can celebrate all the women who collaborate with the mission, in parishes, schools, on missions…

And we can offer heartfelt thanks.

OLSH SISTERS

Marife V. Mendoza, Superior General

Tess Ward, Provincial Superior, Australia

MSC SISTERS

Barbara Winkler, Superior General

Mary Drum, Provincial Superior, Australia

LAITY OF THE CHEVALIER FAMILY

Alison Mackenzie, First Secretary General of the Laity of the Chevalier Family

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RIP, DENIS EDWARDS

The Missionaries of the Sacred  Heart offer sympathy and prayers to the Archdiocese of Adelaide on the death of their priest and theologian, Denis Edwards.

Msgr Edwards, 75, died at the Royal Adelaide Hospital after suffering a stroke on the weekend.

A senior lecturer in theology with the Australian Catholic University’s Adelaide campus, Msgr Edwards was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2012 for his contribution to the Archdiocese and to theological education.

A founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion, he wrote 14 books on the dialogue between science and faith and was a sought after speaker around the globe, particularly in the area of ecological theology and the papal encyclical Laudato Si’.

He was appointed a monsignor by Pope Francis in 2015 and the same year was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

 Msgr Edwards chaired the Adelaide Catholic Diocesan Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission for five years.

Denis Edwards had many contacts wth the MSC. For over 40 years, he contributed articles and book reviews to Compass Theology Review, beginning in 1976, many in the 1980s - and the last in 2011.

He also was guest lecturer at seminars at the Heart of Life Centre in Melbourne - 

from our archives:

"The MSC Spirituality Services held its annual conference at the Heart of Life Centre, Box Hill. Members of the Spirituality Services are the staffs of the three MSC Spirituality works: St Mary’s Retreat Centre, Douglas Park, The Heart of Life Centre, Box Hill and The Chevalier Institute, Kensington, NSW.

Staff of the three centres attended the conference as well as invited members from the Melbourne MSC community, including the students in formation.

The guest speaker was Denis Edwards of the archdiocese of Adelaide who has a worldwide reputation as a theologian exploring issues of the environment and Divine Action in our world. He spoke of the biblical perspective on creation and nature as well as linking this theological reflection with a theology and practice of the Eucharist."

Adelaide's Southern Cross notes tributes:

Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ, Adelaide's Apostolic Administrator and Port Pirie Bishop, described his death as a great loss to the archdiocese and said he was revered by all the priests and those who knew him.

“Denis has been a wonderful contributor and mainstay of the archdiocese, a rock of strength for many. His writings gifted the Church across the world. He carried with him a prayerfulness and humility that clothed his scholarship," Bishop O'Kelly said.

“The word ‘loss’ conveys so much to us with the sudden death of Denis. With the saints, in the fullness of life, may his prayers strengthen us.”

Administrator Delegate Fr Philip Marshall said the Church had been “blessed by his faith, his love and his presence among us”.

He said there had been many moving and beautiful tributes sent to the Archdiocese and they were a “powerful testimony to the grace-filled impact of Denis’ life on us all”.

Mgr Edwards was born on December 10, 1943, in Port Pirie and was ordained priest on July 9, 1966, in Adelaide's St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral.

May he rest in peace.