June 1, 2009 Issue 12

Padua News The Padua News is the official quarterly Newsletter of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Cnr Exford & Wilson Road Melton South, VIC 3338 Tel: 03-9747 9692 Fax: 03-9746 0422 Email: sapmssec@netspace.net.au Parish Priest: Father Martin J Fleming Pastoral Associate: Sr. Patricia Stone

Editorial Committee Dolores Turcsan Edwina La Rose Lorraine Tellis Kim Barton Godwin Barton Publishing Team Anne Consiglio Doris Bonnelo If you are interested in being part of the Editorial Committee, please contact any one of the committee members or email paduanews@yahoo.com.au Thank you.

Message from Sr. Patricia Stone

Secondary St ory Headline

The Assembly of the People of God - gifted by the Holy Spirit

As we celebrate the great Feast of Pentecost, I think of those who were baptized or received into the Church at Easter time. They have been focused on what it means to be baptized and the changes this brings to their everyday life. Twenty-four young parishioners were confirmed with the Holy Spirit in the Sacra-ment of Confirmation re-cently, making their profes-sion of faith in the pres-ence of the whole assem-bly. Other parish ministry groups have participated in sessions in which we revis-ited the meaning of Liturgy – the how and the why we do what we do during the Sacramental Rites of the Catholic Church. In the Christian tradition, ‘Liturgy’ means the ‘participation of the peo-ple of God’ in ‘the work of God’. The rites of the Sacraments remind us that belonging to the Christian Community is at the heart of our baptismal call. Through our Baptism we are called to the Ministry of Hospitality. Each one of us

is called to exercise this ministry to those in our world, our locality, our parish, our home and to ourselves. The strength of the sign of the church present in our Parish of St. Anthony’s will depend on the gener-ous response and sincere commitment of each one gathered at the assembly, to reflect the living and united Body of Christ. In other words, we allow Je-sus present in us to reach out to Jesus present in each other. When we gather as a parish we take the time to acknowledge each other thereby remind-ing everyone that we meet as the People of God. The Second Vatican Coun-cil reminded us that ‘The church has one mission: to be Christ in the world and to make Christ present in the world’. What does this mean? How do we do this? As we travel life’s journey, we continue to learn more about the be-liefs, traditions and rites of the church, the language we use – in the context of the Catholic Church. Hospitality flows through all Parish Quadrants: Proc-lamation, Service, Commu-nity and Worship. We each have the right and the

responsibility to exercise this ministry – we each have a role to play. On the second Tuesday of the month at 9.30am, or Thursday evening at 7.30pm, we will explore more of the meaning of Catholic Beliefs, Rites and Traditions and the impact of these in our lives. Pa-rishioners are invited to suggest Topics or Themes to be covered in the ses-sions which begin on 9th June. All Parishioners and those in our community interested in learning more about our Faith are in-vited. ‘May the gifts of the Holy Spirit reign in your heart.’

Sr. Patricia Stone Pastoral Associate

Sr Mary Gavaghan - celebrating 50 years of religious life

Looking back over 50 years of religious life and beyond that to my earliest memories, I have an over-whelming feeling of LOVE – always being sur-rounded and supported by love. Growing up in a simple Irish Catholic home, we learned that our faith was very precious. Being a Catholic family in a small non-catholic coun-try town was very difficult. Our house was always full of relatives and friends; aunts and uncles with their families from Ireland and England stayed with us until finding work and homes of their own, so family, love and hospitality were the normal way of life. As a young woman, I trained as a mothercraft nurse at Broadmeadows Babies Home with the Sisters of St. Joseph and continued nursing. The Sisters were wonderful women, dedicated to car-ing and loving the babies in the Home. My life was very full. I loved life and looked forward to marry-ing and having my own family. (I had even chosen my children’s names!) Al-though, at school, Sisters would often ask me if I would like to be a nun, I was very firm in my reply “NO!” To me it was a lonely, sad life, so “NO!” In 1955 I was living at home for a year helping in the new Sacred Heart Pri-

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Sr Mary’s picture

mary School – everything was wonderful; home, work, girlfriends, boy-friends, dancing, riding – we had a great sense of freedom and enjoyment in those days. I revelled in this and intended to continue. GOD had other plans!! His words, “You have not chosen Me, I have chosen you” were clearly demon-strated when I was on a weekend retreat. (I had tried to avoid attending this retreat!) He made it quite clear through a number of events that I was called to religious life. I resisted strongly!! I felt I was being asked to leave everything I loved – family, friends, freedom and the life I wanted, to ‘enter’ a world of seclu-sion, rules and loneliness. I was devastated – yet knew I had to answer “Yes”. Telling my family and friends was hard – very mixed reactions. My par-ents were delighted, brothers and sisters ‘hoped I knew what I was doing!’ but were, and still are, very supportive. My friends couldn’t believe I was serious. They were amazed, appalled and there were bets laid as to how long I would stay, or be allowed to stay! I entered the Sisters of St. Joseph as a postulant (trainee) and taught in school for 12 months.

The world had changed in 1956 but the Convent seemed to me to be pre-historic! A group of fifteen young women entered with me and a bond of friend-ship, which has strength-ened over the years, still holds today although many did not continue in reli-gious life. After two years training as a novice, I came back to Victoria trained as a teacher (and, as all teach-ers must, have continued to study all my life!) The changes that came after Vatican II were, for me, very welcome and I have lived with great women who, although they found the changes in lifestyles and wearing of habits very hard, adapted well. Looking back, there is nothing I would change. God has blessed me every day of my life and I have indeed received the hun-dredfold He promised. In every parish I have been Cont’d on Page 4 Cont’d from Page 2 sent to, I have been wel-comed, accepted and have felt at home. It’s always difficult to leave a parish,

Two favourite scripture passages of mine are, “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” and “I go before you always, be not afraid.” and these seem to sum up my whole life. Thanks be to God for the wonderful gift of a joyful, fulfilled life in my religious vocation.

God has blessed me

every day of my life

and I have indeed

received the

hundredfold He

promised.

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Centenary of the Death of Blessed Mary MacKillop

‘This year is the Centenary of the death of Blessed Mary MacKillop. Mary was born in 1842 in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, and, in 1866, together with Fr. Julian Tenison Woods, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart in Penola, South Australia. Since her death in 1909 and particularly in recent years, Mary’s life and good-ness have attracted much interest and veneration. In July last year, Pope Bene-

dict XVI prayed at her tomb during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day. At that time he said, “Mary MacKillop is one the most outstanding figures in Australia’s history.” To date Mary is the only Australian to be beatified, and, together with many other Australians, we await her canonisation as a Saint for the Universal Church. On Saturday, August 8th, 2009, the 100th Anniversary of the death of this great Australian woman and role-model will be marked by a celebration of Eucharist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, a short distance from Mary’s birthplace. The Mass, which will begin at 10.00am will be preceded by a 30 minute celebration of Mary MacKillop’s life and story.’

- Extract from communication to Parish Priests by Sr. Josephine Dubiel, Province Leader – for the Vitcorian Sisters of St. Joseph.

Mary MacKillop Prayer

Most loving God, We thank you for the example of

Blessed Mary MacKillop, who in her living of the Gospel, witnessed to the human dignity

of each person. She faced life’s challenges with

faith and courage. We pray through her intercession

for our needs.. May her holiness

soon be acknowledged by the universal Church.

We make this prayer through Jesus the Lord.

Amen.

At St. Anthony’s Parish, Melton South, Blessed Mary MacKillop will be honored at weekend Masses 8th/9th August, 2009. Parishioners will be invited to a ‘Cuppa’ after each Mass. For more information about Mary MacKillop you might like to browse the website of the Sisters of St. Joseph or simply Google ‘Mary MacKillop’ for a great variety of interesting websites.

Contributed by: Sr Patricia Stone

WEBSITE Explore the Josephite Website for Information, photos, news and prayer: www.sosj.org.au Or simply google ‘Mary MacKillop’ to explore further

Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre 362 Albert Street, East Melbourne 3002 Phone: (03) 9926 9300

Mary MacKillop Place 7-11 Mount Street North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia Ph: (02) 8912 4800

Also of special interest: Catholic Museum Convent Lane, Bacchus Marsh Drive up the laneway opposite the Bacchus Marsh C.F.A. in Main St. Entry: Gold coin donation Open: 1 – 4 pm on 4th Sundays Ph: Vicki 0407 67 1954 or Christine 0412 65 4858

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Previous events in church…….. but that is our life – to go where we are called. Our vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, freely taken, give us a freedom to love and be loved in the all-embracing love of God. Yes, there have been hard times when I have felt lonely, sad and hurt, but these are life experiences that help us grow. In every walk of life there are these experiences which make us the people we are. To the question, “What would you say to a young person interested in the priesthood or religious life?” I would answer, “Listen to the voice of God in your heart!” If He has chosen you, He will call you and I can assure you if you re-spond generously, He will make His will known to you and will support and love you. Two favourite scripture passages of mine are, “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” and “I go before you always, be not afraid.” and these seem to sum up my whole life. Thanks be to God for the wonderful gift of a joyful, fulfilled life in my religious vocation. Contributed by: Sr Mary Gavaghan RSJ

Children’s Liturgy during Lent

During the Easter period, a Childrens Liturgy was held for the younger children so they can understand the word of the lord in a more simple text. It was an experience I'll never forget. To have the opportunity to work with the kids and help them understand what the word of the Lord is actually telling us. It was so great to see the kids so excited to take the candle and the word of the Lord with them as they moved into MacKil-lop room to listen to the Gospel. The Gospel was read out, explained, then questions were asked to the children to see what they understood from it. It was so great to hear the answers that came from the kids es-pecially when they put so much meaning into it, to see them really listen-ing when the Gospel was read out really made me so happy. When it was time to leave, activities were given out for the kids to take home and complete. Once again this was a really great opportunity to be with the children and help them to understand the Gospel in a more simpler view for them. I would like to thank Sr. Patricia, Lorraine Tellis, and Father Martin for their help. I look forward to helping out again. Emily Bonello

Anointing Mass

On 19th March 2009, St. Anthony of Padua Church was packed by parish-ioners and visitors celebrating both St. Joseph’s day and an Anointing Mass. The morning was enjoyed by all catching up with friends sharing such a special occasion. Lunch was served by senior students from St. Anthony’s primary school – a task well done. Congratulations and thank you to all who helped! Colleen O’Meara

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Rock and Roll Night

On Saturday the 9th May the wonderful members of the Social Committee held a Mothers Day Social Night….. which included a DJ and light refreshments. What a fabulous evening it turned out to be. It brought together a great mixture of both young and mature. We all joined in to the old favourite ‘Bus Stop’ and ‘Nut Bush’ dances. Those who could dance and those who were willing to learn, and yes, there were lots of lessons given in dancing, particular by our lovely young people. Awards were also given to the best dancer of the night, and believe you me the competition was tough. However no pressure, those who where content to tap their feet away certainly also enjoyed the evening listening to their favourites. The atmosphere was relaxed and easy going, every one had a smile on their face. I know for me it was a great opportunity to really have the chance to talk with my fellow parishioner and also to see them in a dif-ferent light. Everyone who attended certainly enjoyed the evening and will no doubt be looking forward to the next social occasion. I know I certainly will! It was a bonus to be able to have such a lovely evening and so close to home. We were also very spoilt with the delicious cakes and slices baked by our volunteers, to compliment the tea and coffee at the end of the evening, which concluded around 11 pm. So next time don’t be shy come out for the night, all welcome…….. Have a great time, share, dance laugh and relax be happy and make others happy too. God Bless and I look forward to seeing many more on our next social night. Contributed by: Natalie Howard

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Most Gracious Heavenly Father, We thank You for our mothers to whom You have entrusted the care of every precious human life from its very beginning in the womb. You have given to woman the capacity of participating with You in the creation of new life. Grant that every woman may come to understand the full meaning of that blessing, which gives her an unlimited capacity for selfless love for every child she may be privileged to bear, and for all Your children. Watch over every mother who is with child, strengthen her faith in Your fatherly care and love for her and for her unborn baby. Give her courage in times of fear or pain, understanding in times of uncertainty and doubt, and hope in times of trouble. Grant her joy in the birth of her child. To mothers You have given the great privilege and responsibility of being a child's first teacher and spiritual guide. Grant that all mothers may worthily foster the faith of their children, following the example of Mary, Elizabeth, and other holy women who follow Christ. Help mothers to grow daily in knowledge and under-standing of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and grant them the wisdom to impart this knowledge faithfully to their children, and to all who depend upon them. Assist all "spiritual mothers", those who, though they may have no children of their own, nevertheless self-lessly care for the children of others -- of every age and state in life. Grant that they may know the joy of ful-filling this motherly calling of women, whether in teaching, nursing, religious life, or in other work which rec-ognizes and fosters the true dignity of every human being created in Your image and likeness. We beseech You to send Your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to all mothers who sorrow for children that have died, are ill or estranged from their families, or who are in trouble or danger of any kind. Help grieving moth-ers to rely on Your tender mercy and fatherly love for all your children. We ask your blessing on all those to whom You have entrusted motherhood. May Your Holy Spirit con-stantly inspire and strengthen them. May they ever follow the example of Mary, mother of Our Lord, and imitate her fidelity, her humility, and her self-giving love. May all mothers receive Your Grace abundantly in this earthly life, and may they look forward to eternal joy in Your presence in the life to come. We ask this through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. AMEN.

http://www.wf-f.org/Mothers.html Illustration: Madonna and Holy Child with Fledgling Dove - pencil drawing - hhhitchcock

Prayer for Mothers

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Youth Catechism - Sunday, 17th May 2009

event, which presented a very important message of just how important it is for us to have God in our lives. Both young and old, need to be constantly conscious of the way we live our lives in terms of sin and just how important it really is to turn to God when we have fallen. We need to realise that we can live in the state of Grace as much as possible. After the skit, Bishop Prowse took the audience through an in depth bible study of the Gospel of John 20:1-18; the Resurrection of Jesus. Through the study of this gospel passage, I was able to take home with me a few messages. One being "Believing is Seeing". In or-der for us as Christians to see God in our lives we must first truly believe in God and His son Jesus Christ with all our heart, mind and soul, only then will we see God in our lives. After the bible study an-other skit was performed by the youth followed by praise and worship. From the overall experience of the

night I took home the mes-sage of hope. We, the youth of the parish, the youth of the church and our faith have a very im-portant role to play. We are the future of the church and it's our duty as Catho-lics to spread the word of God to others and to open people's eyes to God, as we live in a world today where many people have not received the mes-sage of Christ. I would like to give a spe-cial thank you to Godwin Barton for inviting me to this event and I would like to encourage all the youth of our parish to listen to God's call in your life. God has a task; a mission for all of us in our lives, it’s up to all of us together to answer His call. Contributed by: Charlie Schembri

On Sunday the 17th of May I, amongst others from our Parish, was invited to attend a youth catechism presented by Archbishop Christopher Prowse, held at St Peter Channel parish in Deer Park. The event was organised by a team of youth from the Archdiocese of Melbourne who dedicate their time to the evangelise of the Word of God. The theme of the event was ‘hope’. Hope in our world, in our faith, in our lives and in the youth of our church. We, the youth, represent the future of our church. The event started with a talk from Fr. Borg. He delivered a talk on the challenges that our youth face in the world of today in terms of our faith. I found his talk to be very inspirational. Although the youth of the church face many chal-lenges with our faith in the present and in the future, we have God on our side, and with God, how can we fail? After Fr. Borg's talk we watched a skit from the youth who organised the

… although the youth of the church face many challenges with our faith in the present and in the

upcoming future, we have God on our

side, and with God, how can we fail?

Submissions for next newsletter All Parishioners are wel-come to give their sugges-tions. If you have any arti-cle of interest for the next newsletter, please submit them to the Parish Office or email to: paduanews@yahoo.com.au by August 1, 2009.

Editorial Policy The content of the articles contained herein may not necessarily reflect the official stance of the church or the committee and may differ from the opinion of the edi-tors. The Padua News is approved by Father Martin Fleming prior to printing. The editors and Father Martin reserve the right to edit all articles sub-mitted. Articles may be re-produced with permission from the writer and editor.

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News from Catholic Regional College Melton

Premiers Spirit of Anzac Award Last Friday Matthew Caldow of Year 10 was presented with the Spirit of Anzac Award by the Premier of Victoria, Mr John Brumby in a ceremony attended by over 200 people. Matthew, who is Co-Captain of the College, was one of ten Year 10 stu-dents from across Victoria to win this prestigious award. He continues a CRC Melton tradition as Caitlin Latter won this award in 2008. As part of this award, Matthew will travel to Turkey and Korea in April this year on a 15 day tour. He will be accompanied by ten students, including three other students from Catholic schools, and accompanying teachers and officials from the Victorian government. The group will be at Gallipoli for the dawn Anzac day ceremony. In addition to receiving his Award, Matthew had the honour of speaking ‘a word of thanks’ on behalf of all recipients. Matthew’s parents Maree and John and his sister Lauren were all present for this prestigious ceremony.

Source: CRC Newsletter 31st March 2009

Principal, Mark Sheehan, Premier John Brumby and Anzac Award winner, Matthew Caldow

Athletics Meet - Congratulations to Alexandra Bulic Congratulations to Alexandra Bulic who won three medals at recent Athletic events held at Brisbane, Melbourne and Warrnambool. Alexandra won the Under 14s 400 meters and Long Jump and was a member of the Under 14 4 X 100m relay team. Alexandra also received a letter from the Hon Julia Gillard MP. Source: CRC Newsletter 19th May 2009

Joke Corner

Jamie: God how long is a million years to you? God: It is but a second Jamie Jamie: God how much is a million dollars to you? God: It is but a penny to me Jamie: God can I have a penny God: Just a second

 http://www.javacasa.com/humor/sermon.htm

Issue 12 Children’s Pullout Page 1 Padua News

Padua News

Bible Facts The Bible is unique among “Holy Books;” it is rooted in and intertwined with actual human history. The Bible is actually a collection of books, some long, some short. This book of books is the world’s all-time best seller and the world’s most translated book. The Bible’s two major sections are the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Issue 12 Children’s Pullout Page 2

The Old Testament has… 39 books 929 chapters 23,214 verses 593,493 words Longest book: Psalms Shortest book: Obadiah (3rd shortest book in the Bible)

The New Testament has … 27 books 260 chapters 7,959 verses 181,253 words Longest book: Acts Shortest book in the Bible: 3 John (fewest number of words / 2 John has more words, but one fewer verses.) 5 history books (Acts and the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) 21 letters (epistles) 1 book of prophecy (Revelation)