The Open Door Community News

In this issue:

•Myanmar

•An Interview with…..

•Jo‟s Journal

•Kid‟s Club

•Luke‟s Gospel

•Mornington

•Talks On Spirituality

•Our Favourite Artist

•Books we love

•Art of Soul

•A John of God Story cont.

December 2011

The Open Door: A Centre for Creative Spirituality

WHY IS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL— OR IS IT?

(Sr Columba, The Open Door Centre Coordinator)

At a family function I once suggested that we do away with

holidays at Christmas and leave it to those who believe in

it, to celebrate in Church. My young male prospect for

sainthood to whom I was speaking replied: “Oh, I would

keep the holidays.” I think he illustrates my point. But I may

be wrong in saying that for many of us, Christmas doesn‟t

mean much beyond the holidays and how much fun we

can pack into them.

What does Christmas 2011 mean to Christians who are

being subjected to systematic terrorism? What does it

mean to those people in the Middle East, whose parishes

no longer exist? Where communities of faith have been

annihilated? What does it mean to Christians who live their

faith in places where the birth of Christ is practically

irrelevant, where there are no reminders of Shopping Days

till Christmas, no Christmas carols in the local markets and bazaars? No Christmas trees. How

can Christmas be special there?

How is Christmas special for you?

The song that tells us „God is watching us from a distance‟ is not quite true. The divine presence

is both within & beyond all created beings. But imagine that distance - the boundlessness of God

in space where stars, planets, black holes and galaxies move endlessly into unimaginable

vastness.

Was there divine, cosmic anguish - when that mystery we call God, took the form of human

life - a tiny life whose skull you could have crushed with one hand*. Was it difficult? Were there

vast upheavals in inter galactic space?

I imagine that in a similar way, the people of God who are suffering this Christmas are bringing

from the upheavals in their lives the God-presence into our traumatized world. We can all do

it - bring a little light into the darkness and take part in its transformation.

In our part of the world we will celebrate Christmas when we sing carols, decorate our Christmas

trees, attend church services and nativity plays, give each other gifts and do our best to see that

people who are lonely get at least, a Christmas dinner.

It‟s a wonderful festival – have a great holiday.

*Buechner F – Secrets in the Dark Harper One, 2007

For the next twelve months, our social Justice Outreach

project is to raise money for the children of The “Sacred Heart

Church” Orphanage for boys in Kyaukthan in Myanmar

(formerly known as Burma).

Our meditation leader, Ellie Chatto, visited Myanmar

recently and was shown around the Sacred Heart

Church in Kyauktan by Father Mathew. He explained a

lot of the children had lost their parents to illness, or the

harsh military regime and when Ellie shared their story

with us here at The Open Door it prompted us to take

action to do what we can to help.

Our Oak‟s Day Fun Day was a fantastic

start to raising some funds. We raised

over $200 and had a fun filled day in the

process. Thanks to all those great friends

of ours who supported this day.

We are also raffling a hand made wooden

billy cart, donated by a very good friend.

It‟s full to the brim with toys, puzzles and

books, among many other goodies.

The raffle will be drawn before Christmas.

When we put this Social Justice

Outreach to the kids of our Kids Club,

they were very keen to help their

Myanmar counterparts.

“It‟s good to help out because there is

always someone who is worse off than

you” (Hayley, 14 years)

They came up with some terrific

fundraising ideas: a „walkathon‟ around

Lysterfield Lake, a „stair climb‟ at the

1000 steps in Ferntree Gully and car

washes were also a popular idea.

We plan to place all the money we get for

workshops in March („Mad March for Myanmar‟)

in the collection for the needy kids – so if you

give a bit extra know it will go to a good cause.

So, when you see us with raffle tickets, buckets

& sponges, sponsor sheets etc., be assured that

the money we raise is going to someone we

know and there are NO administration fees.

FUNDRAISING FOR THE CHILDREN OF MYANMAR

An interview with…

Sr Josephine

In one sentence what advice about life would you give your 16 year old self?

If I was 16 in today‟s world, while utilizing well all the modern technology for communication and

entertainment, I hope I would give priority for sharing and caring for all others, including the

elderly, respecting the values and social skills modelled by my parents, teachers and mentors.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title would be?

“Loyal Friend”

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not, living or dead,

real or fictional, who would it be?

I‟d like to trade places with my sister, Monica Therese who went to Heaven at two and a half

years when I was only eight months. Sadly, she was drowned in a post hole on the farm at

Yambuck.

What is the best thing about being a sister of St John of God?

It is the deep joy within that comes from our charism “the love of Christ urges us”, the

Pomegranate emblem (lived out) and the example of our Patron, St John of God.

We „John of Gods‟ are down to earth, human, practical and community minded in our approach

to daily life. We are „open‟ to change (and believe me, we have done the whole turn around!!)

Wherever I have been on the mission of Jesus, I experienced joy within, namely at Subiaco,

Mosman Park, Northam, Rivervale, Bunbury, Warrnambool, Brighton, Chadstone, East Bentleigh

and now Dandenong where I support The Open Door ministry which I love. My nursing

background, love of music and the Irish humour, despite the ups and downs, enabled me to feel

fulfilled as a Sister of St John of God.

When you meet God what will be the first question you would ask him?

Lord, may I have my potatoes roasted, please?

Food for the body

is not enough.

There must be

food for the soul.

Dorothy Day

Websites we love:

www.ted.com - Go to this site and

find inspirational talks by amazing

people.

www.youplay.com - This is a good

website if you are in the mood for a

crossword, trivia, Sudoku or word

puzzle.

www.flixy.com - If you feel like a

chuckle, we recommend „My black-

berry is not working‟ starring Ronnie

Corbett & Harry Enfield.

Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.

~Oren Arnold

JO’S JOURNAL

It‟s hard to believe that 2011 is nearly at it‟s

end, isn‟t it? Time really does fly when you

are having fun.

And we‟ve had so much fun in the four

„Writing for Fun‟ workshops that we‟ve held

this year. We‟ve met some wonderfully

creative friends and shared many laughs

(and even some tears, too).

I have come away from each workshop in

awe of the imagination of the participants.

The stories grow from a single sentence as a

starter, or a visual prompt or another random

activity, and the willingness of these people

not only to write, but then share their blooms

with the rest of the group always inspires me.

A lot of the time the results have been fun and

light, but on occasions, the prompts have

delved deep and the results have been

emotive for both the writer and the audience.

And for me, that‟s the beauty of writing.

Letting your imagination free-fall and seeing

where it takes you, and knowing you are in a

safe environment where you won‟t be judged

is liberating. The group dynamic is very

rewarding and sews enthusiasm.

I wish you and your family a very merry and

safe Christmas and look forward to sharing

more inspiring times with you in the new year.

KID’S CLUB

(Kelly Heath, Kid’s Club Coordinator)

The Kid‟s club holiday workshops have been a

blast. The new format we are following is great,

not to mention, most importantly for the kids,

very successful. We have changed the way we

do things a bit to grow with the needs of the

families of The Open Door and our wider

community. We now have one workshop per

week during the school holidays that runs for a

longer time so we can fit more in. This alleviates

pressure for busy families to try and squeeze us

in on their hectic weekends. We still have our

traditional Mother‟s Day, Father‟s Day and

Christmas party workshops on the weekends

which the kids still love attending.

During the holidays we offer workshops such as

creative writing; where the kids can explore their

imaginations; art where they can express their

creativity; drama where they have fun and build

confidence skills, and they have also taken a

keen interest in our Social Justice Outreach,

which this year is the children in a school in

Myanmar. They are very eager to help out and

have come up with some wonderful projects

they think will raise much needed funds for

those children who have less than they do. Keep

an eye out for upcoming fundraisers organised

by our kids where you can show them your

support.

Thanks

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

- Dr Seuss PICTURED:

TheatreSports -

Kid‟s role

playing and

interviews.

ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

(Keith Donovan)

Once a month, Luke's Gospel is read aloud and

discussed at The Open Door.

We are guided in our thinking by Tom Wright who,

although not present, adds clarity and insight as we

wrestle with the relationship of Old and New

Testament.

The Old Testament prefigures what God

accomplished in the fullness of time in the person

of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ.

Columba brings new prayers and questions

designed for discussion. The atmosphere is a

relaxed one, where we trust one another and

delight in each other's company.

Saint Therese of Lisieux wrote, "But above all it's

the Gospel that occupies my mind when I'm in

prayer; my poor soul has so many needs, and yet

this is the one thing needful. I'm always finding

fresh lights there, hidden and enthralling meanings."

God gave us Scripture so that we could understand

His greatest gift to us, His Son. As the two disciples

put it, as they walked to Emmaus with Jesus, "Did

not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us

on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"

(Luke 24:32)

So what do we receive at The Open Door.

A fuller understanding of the Bible.

A richer appreciation of the faith tradition of the

Church.

A stronger understanding of the connection

between faith and life.

A deeper more personal relationship with God.

A wider social concern and desire for service and

A fuller experience of Christian Community.

All are welcome to come and join our community

of goodwill, fellowship, openness and

friendship.

Mornington

The renovations have now been

completed and we‟ve already

begun our Mornington workshops.

So far we‟ve held:

Core Group retreat

Women‟s Wisdom Retreat

Writing for Fun Retreat

Our next upcoming workshop in

Mornington will be:

Trish‟s Table

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

‘Talks on‟ with special

guest speakers

Tracking Group Meeting

Trish‟s Table (Mornington

Campus)

Kids Club

“My actions are my

only true

belongings.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Talks on Spirituality (Trish Eklom, Program Director)

One of the many programmes we hold at The

Open Door is called Talks on Spirituality,

which we have fondly shortened to “Talks On”.

We‟ve been lucky enough to have had some

beautiful people share their Spirituality with us,

and in their stories they have taken us on

some amazing journeys.

Some of these wonderful stories include; a

lady who works with refugees, where we learnt

of their circumstances and traumatic journey‟s.

A kinder teacher who works with children with

disabilities, a lot of the kids can‟t even speak

English - some can‟t speak at all. A young

woman who is living with Aphasia after a

severe stroke, she was only thirty years old at

the time, and now she is getting on with life.

What a powerful story, and a powerful lady.

A man who has M S, wow! What an impact he

had and still has on all of us at The Open Door

and a lady spoke on Human Trafficking - could

anyone living in Melbourne these days believe

there are slaves here, or anywhere in the

world for that matter?

We‟ve also had talks on our creative side such

as; quilting where we saw some inspiring

quilts, as well as music therapy now that was

fun, and also a fabulous session on how to

treat our precious earth.

One doesn‟t have to go far to find God when

they come to these sessions.

I want to thank all these wonderful people who

have given so generously of their time, and

allowing me to be part of their journey.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New

Year.

Our Favourite Artist

PETER J HILL was born in 1937.He is a self

taught artist and started painting when he

was 19 years old. Turning professional in the

1970s, Peter‟s Art now hangs in various

collections in Australia and all around the

world. During a television interview a

journalist asked Peter how he would describe

his Art, Peter answered “When I paint a

horse it looks like a horse and when I paint

cattle they look like cattle so I guess you

would call me a Traditional Artist. I paint my

paintings the way I see them, which is why

so many people can relate to the places and

scenes that I paint.”

Peter‟s paintings can be purchased at

P.J.ART Gallery

Mt Tamborine Gold Coast Qld where he and

his wife Judy operate their Art Gallery.

www.pjart.com.au

The Open Door would like to thank Peter and

Judy for their wonderful art donations over

the years. We know the lucky winners are

thrilled to hang P.J.Art in their homes.

Books we love… by Pat Donovan

There are so many good books that our lively reading group enjoyed over the

year.

I‟ve chosen 3 books that gave us insight into the diverse, multicultural country

Australia now is and how we have broadened our understanding of what it

means to be Australian

The ABC Sisters by Monica McInerny. A heart warming novel set in

South Australia. It explores the relationships, hardships and secrets of a

modern family.

Love Song by Alex Miller. A moving novel set in Paris and Australia which

examines the relationship between a young Australian man and a woman of

Tunisian background as they strive to build a new life in Melbourne. They

overcome cultural differences to create an enduring love.

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do. Much enjoyed humorous

autobiography of a young Vietnamese comedian whose family overcomes

many trials to successfully make a new life in Australia.

ART OF SOUL

(Mary Rampant)

I have always loved looking at beautiful landscapes, both in wild places and in galleries and

dreamed of the day when I might try to capture some of the beauty that I see.

I have had some watercolour tubes and sketch pads for a few years, but as I was told that I was a

failure at art at school, I have only kept admiring the scenes, leaving the tubes unopened!

I was very excited when I heard late last year that the garage was to be developed by Dandenong

East Rotary Club as an art studio and that Sister Columba was planning to conduct a painting

workshop in 2011. My name was down very quickly!

Art of Soul commenced in June, a program that I‟ve found much more than a painting class!

Columba has used the book “Art of Soul” by Regina Coupar as a direction for much of the

theoretical component for the group. I was not expecting theory. I have found this just as

interesting as picking up the charcoals, watercolour pencils, watercolour paints, pastels and oils

that previously I had no idea how to use. I am no longer tentative about trying new art materials.

I can even clean a paint brush properly now! I have learnt that using our creative right brain we

see objects as they are in the present whereas our left brain is used in the logical evaluation of

our work as it is the linear, logical side, and uses memory rather than the present. I have learnt

about perspective, lines and shapes, primary, secondary and tertiary colours.

“Art gives us creative tools to express our thought: our soul gives us inspired content for artistic

expression. Time spent creating art is time spent on spiritual development” says Regina Coupar.

I believe that we are all benefiting from our Wednesdays together in all ways.

There is a great spirit of friendship in our group, admiring and commenting on each others

projects. The quiet, relaxation and creativity reaches deep into our selves. Some of us have a real

talent, but we all love the time spent whatever our ability. (I doubt I‟ll be exhibiting at the Art

Gallery so you can guess the group I fall into!)

Thank you Sister Columba and all at The Open Door.

A JOHN OF GOD STORY

Continued...

John Cidade is always identified with Granada and Spain but he

probably spoke with a Portuguese accent. He was taken from his

family from Montemor O Novo, in Portugal, to Spain when he was

eight years old. He would have learned to respond to „Juan‟ the

Spanish form of John rather than „Joáo‟ the Portuguese form which his Mother would have

called him. The reason for the removal from his family has been a bit obscure but in recent

times scholars have conjectured that his family surname „Cidade‟ indicated Jewish origins. In

the „ethnic cleansing‟ of Jews on the Iberian Peninsula in the 16th century, children were

sometimes removed from their families – not necessarily to a safer place – but to ensure their

proper upbringing in the faith. Even those Jews who converted – the so-called Conversos - were

treated with enmity and suspicion. Anti-Semitism did not begin in the 1930‟s! When Pope John

Paul 2, visited Israel in the year 2,000 he made a public apology for the persecution of Jews by

Catholics over the centuries. He placed a note in a crack in the Western Wall pleading for

forgiveness.

I imagine that as John grew up, he felt more Spanish than Portuguese. I know people here who

are like that – born elsewhere, and though they never lose the nostalgia and love for their

homeland, they feel Australian. Others I know have found it more difficult – especially if like

John, they find it impossible to return home.

Despite the hardships of his time John became so well loved that when he

died in Granada on March 8 1550, the city was swept into mourning. The rich

people had lost a friend but the poor were asking: „Who will look out for us

now?‟ It‟s still a good question, today.

Ref: John of God Father of the Poor. Brian O‟Donnell O.H.

About The Open Door

The Open Door is a Ministry of the Sisters of St John of God which seeks to develop a community where

people feel safe to explore their own creativity and spiritual journeys.

The centre is family friendly, offering affordable programs for adults and children in a range of creative and

spiritual themes including meditation, tai chi, creative writing, kids workshops, art, line dancing, book club,

gospel workshops, guided walks, and a number of retreats.

For more information please contact Trish, Jo or Kelly on 03 9791 8664, email theopendoor@ssjg.org.au,

visit our website at http://ministries.ssjg.org.au or drop in to visit us at 110 Ann Street Dandenong.

Christmas Closures:

The Open Door Dandenong

will be closed from Dec 22nd to

Jan 16th.

The Open Door Mornington

will be closed from Dec 22nd to

Feb 1st.

Why not join our social club?

There is no cost to join, just pay as

you go. This is a great way enjoy the

company of others meet new

friends.

To join call or email Jo or Kelly

on 9791 8664 or

theopendoor@ssjg.org.au