GOOD NEWS FROM MSC VIETNAM - and more on Saturday

On the occasion of 12^th, January, 2018. We would like to share to you 2 good news

Lucky money - see below!

First, the celebration of Acceptance and Sending off our Postulants

Second – will be posted on Saturday!

We had a celebration of acceptance 4 new postulants

(from the left KHOA DANG VU – DAT THANH VU – VU NGOC TUAN NGUYEN – KIEN TRUNG PHAN)

and Sending off our 2 postulants

(from the left: VUONG THE LE NGUYEN –VUONG QUOC VU) to the Philippines for their Novitiate.

The celebration was at the Congregation of Benedictine Sisters.

Our celebrant was Fr. Hoang, MSC with the present of Fr. Chris Mc.Phee, MSC-Provincial Superior and Fr. Chris Chaplin, MSC Assistant General together with Fr. Ireneo, MSC-Assistant Novice Master and our MSC Fathers.

All our MSC Family: MSC Sisters, OLSH sister, Lay Associates and Parents of our 6 candidates also attended the celebration to pray for our candidates and to share the joy with us.

After the Eucharist, we had a buffet meal together in the same place with both reasons: a congratulation party for our 6 candidates and the ending of the Lunar Year party for all of our MSC Family.

A precedent, the Provincial handing out money!

After the meal time, We all received lucky money from our Fr. Chris Chaplin, Fr. Chris Mc.Phee, and Fr. Bob as tradition of Vietnamese on Tet Holiday (Lunar New Year)

And another precedent, the General Council handing out money!

All were full of joy and laughter in greeting all the best wishes to each other as well.

With thanks to our student correspondent from Vietnam, Bang Dinh MSC, for photos and text.

IN MEMORIAM, PETER EDWIN PRICE, 1941-2019.

Peter Price, valued member of the staff of the Yarra Theological Union, has died after some time of suffering with cancer.  He was buried from St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill.

As Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, we wish to honour him and remember our many bonds with him, mentioned below.

Peter was ordained for the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn in 1965. After some years in Ministry, he left the priesthood. For many years, he worked in business and at TAA.

He married Judy and rejoiced in his children and grandchildren.

Peter and Judy did Myers Briggs weekends at the Heart of Life Centre. Peter taught a Type course as the Melbourne Pastoral Centre. Judy also taught there. In the mid-1990s, Peter was the second Victorian President of the Australian Association for Psychological Type.

Peter also trained for Pastoral Industrial Chaplaincy and worked for some years in this field. This led to further studies and doctoral studies, obtaining his PhD in 2010.

He then taught at YTU: his University of Divinity CV read:

Peter lectures in Pastoral Theology and is currently chair of the Department of Theology: Mission and Ministry (Field D). Peter’s main interest is in Pastoral Planning. Besides lecturing in this area at YTU, he has provided planning consultancies to Parishes in Melbourne, to the Diocese of Ballarat, the Australian Bishops’ Conference Working Group on Parish Pastoral Councils, and to the National Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea.

His passion, however, is in Church History. Peter completed his PhD in History at Monash University in October 2009, graduating in April 2010.

Peter had many links with the MSC, teaching several of our students in recent years. He co-taught liturgical courses with Philip Malone. He supervised Brian Gallagher with Brian’s thesis. He worked with Peter Malone in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, especially in the 1980s and 1990s.

Philip, Brian, Khoi Nguyen (whom Peter taught) and Paul Castley were among the large number of relatives, friends and University of Divinity staff at the funeral Mass.

May he rest in peace.

BOB IRWIN MSC, VISIT TO THE MSC NOVITIATE, PHILIPPINES – AN INTERNATIONAL FORMATION VENTURE.

Entry to the Novitiate

Last week was something of an MSC India week on this site, three posts.

This week will be something on an MSC Vietnam week.

Preview of coming attractions – the new Vietnamese postulants; foundation stone of the new MSC house.

Meanwhile,

Bob Irwin writes: Last November, on the way back to Vietnam I interviewed the 7 Vietnamese novices in Manila.

The novices with local altarboys

They and the other novices there, were absolutely delightful, happy with their lot, and importantly, the novice master is happy with them!

Some of the novices

Really is an international novitiate with 7 Vietnamese, 4 Filipino, and 2 Koreans. Inspirational!

And the stone and the Jubilee tree

JOSEF SENJUK MSC - A MUSIC STORY

Southern Highlands Symphony Orchestra – Josef Senjuk

Second longest tenured member of our community at St Mary’s Towers at Douglas Park, Josef Senjuk, was recruited into the Southern Highlands Symphony Orchestra, having taken part in two public performances at the Bowral Memorial Hall in early December.

Josef was selected to play in the second Violin section, a testament of his skill and efforts over thirty years. He will feature in four more concerts in 2019, beginning in March.

Josef, from Adelaide, joined the MSC as a Brother candidate at the Croydon pre-novitiate in 1970. He has a background in the Ukrainian rite and, in 1972 went to Canada to join the Basilian congregation of that rite.  He returned to Australia some decades later and rejoined the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

WE HAVE HAD AN INDIAN MSC WEEK ON OUR SITE

This week our site has been featuring India (for non-indian and non-Australian visitors, you will not have experienced the cricket tests with India’s superiority over Australia, but no matter!!). There was the car accident in Paraguay and the naming of the new Superior for the Indian Union.

However, there is more.

During December there were quite a number of ordinations to the Priesthood, the new priests being ordained in their home Dioceses. Our congratulations. And some photos.

Malcolm Fyfe was present for the ordinations.

But he was also  invited to dedicate a shrine to our Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.  Also some photos.

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WINNERS, AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC FILM OFFICE

MSC Brothers and Priests, OLSH Sisters and many lay missionaries served indigenous people in Central Australia, at Arltunga, Santa Teresa, Alice Springs parish, for many decades.

Sweet Country offers an opportunity to raise Australian consciousness about black-white history – and to better appreciate contemporary aspirations.

Jirga is set in Afghanistan, again questions for Australians and issues of military presence. Religious educators will find it a helpful film for understanding the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

PRESS RELEASE

SWEET COUNTRY

named

‘Australian Film of the Year’

by the Catholic Film Office

The jury of the Australian Catholic Office for Film & Broadcasting has awarded its annual prize to Warwick Thornton’s SWEET COUNTRY.

The film is set in 1929 in the outback of Australia’s Northern Territory, and tells the story of an  Indigenous farmhand, Sam Kelly (Hamilton Morris), who kills a white man in self-defence, and goes on the run from a small posse group, led by Sergeant Fletcher (Bryan Brown), which pursues him to hunt him down. Sam is befriended by a concerned Christian preacher (Sam Neill).

The film is based on true events, and the director of the movie is Indigenous. It targets black humiliation and white racism, and depicts terrible injustice in a country hostile to Indigenous peoples. Warwick Thornton directs a movie with historical and emotive significance, the film suggesting strongly that racism is still prevalent in a “sweet country”, called Australia.

It has striking images of the outback, and its cinematography is exceptional. Under Thornton’s assured direction scenes of the outback capture the isolation and harshness of the land brilliantly.

This is a powerful film of Indigenous hardship and injustice at an important period in Australia’s history. The movie argues persuasively that Australians can live a much better life in the future by knowing and understanding the deep pain and tragedy of its past.

The Jury also commended Benjamin Gilmour’s Jirga.

Richard Leonard SJ, Director

Peter Malone MSC

Callum Ryan

Peter Sheehan

NEW MSC MAJOR SUPERIOR APPOINTED FOR INDIA

Some further news from Malcolm Fyfe MSC

Just today an announcement has come from the Generalate that a new Superior has been appointed for the MSC Indian Union. It is FATHER THATHEUS DARWIN. He will take office on February 15. Father Darwin succeeds Father Charles Babu who visited Australia last September at the time of the APIA Conference.

Father Darwin was born September 28^th 1980. He made his First Profession as an MSC on June 2^nd , 2001. He was ordained a priest September 9^th 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Education degree in Biology and an Master of  Science degree in the same field. During 2011 and 2012 he was Assistant Parish Priest at St Mary’s Church at Erode in Tamil Nadu State. For the last five years he has been a very successful Principal of our quite large Chevalier Academy at Dindigul in Tamil Nadu State.

The UNION of MSC INDIA is probably the fastest growing entity in our Congregation, comprising 68 priests and 12 Professed Scholastics. Additionally many aspirants are in training. Quite a number of MSC Indian priests are now working in Germany, France, the USA, Paraguay, with more on their way to those places. We have two working in the Australian Province: Father Arun John in Japan (currently looking after the Fukui parish) and Father Peter Antony at Randwick, NSW.

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CONGRATULATIONS OLSH SISTERS, PROFESSIONS - 70, 60 50 YEARS

Mass of Thanksgiving: Saturday 5^th January 2019

OLSH Chapel, OLSH Convent Kensington

In celebration of the following milestones in religious life:

70 years of Profession:

Margaret Sullivan FDNSC, Elizabeth Doyle FDNSC

60 years of Profession:

Ellen Egan FDNSC, Nora Hanrahan FDNSC, Therese McNamara FDNSC, Kathleen Moore FDNSC, Evelyn Page FDNSC

50 years of Profession:

Robyn Taylor FDNSC

Main celebrant: Bp. Terence Brady DD

MC: John Kelliher MSC

Concelebrants: Bp. Des Moore MSC, Albert Yelds MSC, Tony Arthur MSC, Claude Mostowik MSC, Isaac Koi MSC, Paul Jennings MSC, Martin Wilson MSC, Pat Austin MSC & Terry Herbert MSC

Other MSCs in attendance: Peter Harvey-Jackson MSC, Jos Beelen MSC, Tony Caruana MSC & Terry Naughton MSC

Bp. Brady spoke of his great admiration for the OLSH sisters, especially in their missionary endeavours serving the poorest and most marginalised people in our neighbouring countries. He iterated Pope Francis’ message in keeping our gaze firmly fixed on Jesus; that it is all about Jesus and it is all about love.    

INDIAN MSC PRIEST INVOLVED IN CAR ACCIDENT.

Father Anthony Prem Kumar

With thanks to Malcolm Fyfe MSC for this news.

One of our pluckier Indian MSCs, Father Anthony Prem Kumar, has been for some years now working alongside members of the Spanish Province in Paraguay. (Father Jaya Kumar Raju Pasala, also from MSC INDIA, has been working there even longer.)

On New Year’s Day, Father APK was involved in a car accident.

Dutifully he wrote to Father Charles Babu, his Union Superior in India, as follows:

“Hi Fr. Charles, How are you? I don’t know where to start but I met with an accident in the vehicle that I was driving while on my way to celebrate a Mass in one of the substations on 1^st January. Thank God I escaped with just injuries to my ribs, but I am fine. I am immensely grateful to the mercy of God that I am spared to live some more years. Please pray for me and I just want to let you know that I am doing OK and am having bedrest to get better. Thanks for your support and prayers. Kindly ask everyone’s prayers as well. Good luck for you in 2019.”

Father Jaya Kumar Raju Pasala

In announcing the event to members of the Indian Union and others, Father Charles writes:

Dear confreres. I write to inform you that Fr. Anthony Prem Kumar met with an accident in Paraguay. Fortunately, the accident was not fatal: by God’s Providence, he was almost miraculously saved with few injuries. Please keep him in your prayers for a speedy recovery…”

The photo tells it all! 

So what shall we say of Father Anthony Prem Kumar?  Plucky and lucky.

Reports I have indicate that both Fathers APK and JKRP are doing great work in Paraguay and are greatly appreciated and loved by the local people there.

Best wishes to both of them for the New Year and a rapid recovery for Father APK!

WHAT'S IN A VESTMENT? WHO'S IN A VESTMENT? OLDER ANSWERS

The photo below had some circulation on Facebook last week, eliciting some comments.  This led to our trying to check the date – which revealed that if you Google Cardnal Raymond Burke, who is central to the photos, an item appears ‘Cardinal Burke vestments’, quite an extensive range.

There was also a news item that in October last Cardinal Burke was in Australia to visit the new Benedictine monastery in Tasmania, to address the Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy and to confirm 32 young people and adults last Sunday at the John Henry Newman parish in Caufield North, Melbourne, for followers of the traditional Latin mass.

A further item from the US The Wanderer, January 2019 had a related article which may be of interest (and for some, disappointment).

PHOENIX — A large parish church of the Diocese of Phoenix reintroduced an ad orientem Mass to be one of its Sunday morning services in hopes this would help achieve the conscious, active participation in the liturgy called for by Vatican II.

The reintroduction of this Mass, in which the priest and people both face toward the Lord instead of facing each other, was explained in two letters in parish bulletins of St. Thomas the Apostle Church before this form of Eucharistic Celebration began on the Feast of Christ the King, November 25.

The chief aim of the Second Vatican Council in proposing a reform of the liturgy “was that ‘all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 14)’,” the letter in the November 18 issue of the parish bulletin said.

The letter added: “A proper understanding of participation, then, hinges not on more people doing more things, but on a deeper awareness of what it is that we are doing in the Liturgy, which is ‘the “logicizing” of my existence, my interior contemporaneity, the self-giving of Christ. His self-giving is meant to become mine’ (Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, 58).”

In summary: