Holy Spirit Province PROVINCIAL NEWSLETTER

Date 22/08/13 Edition 039/2013

Dear Brothers, Sisters and Friends in the Passionist Family Fr Graham Orwin CP As many know, on Monday this week Fr Graham died in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. He was admitted last week with a clot on the lung and seemed at first to improve but, sadly, died of heart failure. You would have seen photos of him in previous bulletin looking much improved, bright and well in his new home at the Maronite Sisters Holy Family Village. He was able to get out and about, came home to the monastery on Saturday nights for Eucharist in the parish and a meal. Two weeks ago he was home with Br Gary Clarke to join the community for Br Martin and Fr Kevin Tuituus joint birthday celebrations. Graham grew up in Bendigo, one of eight children. As a teenager Graham followed a calling and decided to become a Catholic. He joined the Passionist and was professed as a Brother in 1957 by the then Provincial Fr Gerard Mahoney. After five years cooking and farming in Australia, Graham volunteered for our mission and spent many years in our mission on Vanimo, Papua New Guinea. In Lote Graham began the first training centre for Catechists who were the Priests Right Hand Man in the many villages in the bush. The Catechists were the local Lay Pastors.

He asked to transfer to the priesthood, returned to Australia, did his HSC and then priestly studies and was ordained in 1974. He returned to Papua New Guinea, and began the first Pastoral Centre educating people for lay ministries in the parishes. Eventually he went to the Philippines to do a Masters in Pastoral Studies degree, his thesis being: Participative Ministry in a Lay Cantered Church. He taught in Indonesian in the seminary in Irian Jaya when our PNG students studied there. He also taught in the National seminary in Port Moresby. In our Vicariate he served as Parish Priest and was elected also to the Vicariate Council. Ill health brought Graham back to Australia. Graham worked in our Adelaide community, and eventually in 2005 as Community Leader in our Hobart community where he revelled in restoring the artwork in the Church. Eventually ill health again brought him back to Sydney to our St Brigids Community, and then to the Holy Family Village earlier this year. Grahams funeral is held at St Brigids, on Friday August 23rd and he is buried in our Passionist section of Rookwood cemetery May he res tin Peace Rob and Lynn Hill -25 Years Passionist Family Groups, New Zealand Last Saturday in the city of Hamilton, New Zealand, I gathered at the Cathedral with the Regional Directors, Parish Coordinators and many members of Passionists Family Groups. We were celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Passionist Family Groups in New Zealand and especially the inspiration, leadership, drive and energy of Lynnette and Rob Hill who have guided the Movement all these years. Rob and Lynn were attended the Parish Mission at Paeroa, a small country town in NZ. It was lead by Brian Traynor and Stephen McGarry. Theirs was the home for the first home mass leading up to the Mission. They kept in touch with Brian and 9 years later asked him to come and establish the first Passionist Family Group. And then the movement took off to over 120 parishes at its peak, but as parishes now amalgamate to over 70 parishes. During the Saturday, the Regional Directors met with Brian Traynor and myself and shared their stories every one moving and inspiring, of how they recognised the presence of the Passionist charism in themselves and felt called to live the Charism and share it. And all of them spoke of how central Lynn and Rob are in their stories. We celebrated a wonderful Eucharist in the Cathedral and then an equally enjoyable dinner together. Rob and Lynn, of course, said repeatedly Dont thank us we all did together. This is true, but, after we professed Passionists left New Zealand, our Passionist story would never have begun again nor been nurtured and

and promoted if it wasnt for the generosity, faith and living charism of these two great disciples of Paul of the Cross. The Passionist Family and the Passionist Family Groups are in their debt. Frs Aidan and Pat at St Marys Blenheim After the celebrations on the North Island, I paid an official visit to our newest parish and home at Blenheim, on the South Island, in the middle of the Marlborough wine region. our two Kiwi brothers, Aidan Kay and Pat McIndoe are both now settled into this new parish, taken at the invitation of the Archbishop of Wellington, His Grace, John Dew. The parish has three other churches, one of which Seddon, featured in the news after the recent earthquakes. Crucifixes fell from the walls as Aidan held the statue of Mary in place. Such was the power of his preaching! During the earthquakes last weekend a second church at Ward was damaged beyond repair. Eventually it is foreseen that Blenheim will join with two other parishes which have their own branch churches. The vision for Aidan and Pat is to build up a lay lead Church, forming the people and putting in place the structures needed. Below is the Mercy Room, formerly the chapel on the top floor of the Mercy Convent now used for daily mass in winter.

Blenheim itself is a beautiful city in the valley with mountains down both sides. The Parish is 150 years old next year, 140 of the those years under the care of the Marist Fathers. The Church is absolutely exquisite and the parish would easily be the best resourced parish in terms of facilities of any of our parishes in the Province.

And the icing on the cake is that Pat and Aidan after almost a lifetime away from their own country are now at home in their own country and close to family and friends.

Fr Brian Gleeson CP Visiting Lecturer Fr Brian is community leader of our Endeavour Hills Community and a member of our Provincial Council. Brian retired last year, at 75, from his ministry of theological teaching at the Yarra Theological Union and other institutions. Fr Brian was asked to come out of retirement this term and to take up teaching at YTU again due to their recent needs. Brian is also leaving this coming week for 5 weeks of teaching at the Bomana Seminary in Port Moresby. Brian is not only going to Port Moresby to teach, he has been asked to teach two brand new subjects. Those of us who know Brians thorough going professionalism, will know that this entails for Brain months of focused effort and study. And to be offering to live for five weeks in the seminary has its own challenges as well. Brian generosity is greatly appreciated. Welcome Home Over these couple of weeks, we welcome home Fr Kevin Dance and Fr Jim Elmore who have been preaching the annual Mission Appeal in the United States - Kevin for 5 weeks, Jim for 3 months. Every weekend they have been travelling from parish to parish, often travelling hundreds of miles, to raise money for our works in Papua New Guinea. Our mission and especially our formation for young PNG men are both so dependent on these appeals. As well Fr Jefferies Foale gets home soon after 4 months preaching around the United Sates for our Vietnamese mission and formation program. At 81 years young, that is a magnificent effort. Fr Jeff was joined for a number of weeks by Fr Thomas, an Indian Passionist also working in Vietnam.

Yours in Christ Crucified

Tom McDonough CP
Fr Tom McDonough CP Provincial Superior

PRIDE BEFORE A FALL: 21ST SUNDAY C

Brian Gleeson CP

Once upon a time there was a dad who prided himself on his driving skills. He wouldn't let the mum of the family drive when he was in the car. Never! Nor would he let their one teenager with a licence drive. They were simply not competent enough, he would say, or careful enough, or responsible enough. Only he could be trusted to drive the family car. Moreover, as he drove along he would give his family a running commentary on the mistakes of other drivers. The mum and the kids had long ago learned to tune out on these commentaries. They thought: 'Away from the car, he can be a nice man, really, and anyway you have to put up with certain things in dads, don't you?'

Well, one public holiday, on their way back from a picnic, they called in at a milk bar for an ice cream. When they were backing out of their parking space the Dad didn't see a car that was coming behind him and ploughed into it. The car was a brand new Jeep Cherokee. It had the right of way. The Dad was furious, because he knew it was really his fault. Just the same he jumped out of the family car and cursed the young man who was driving the Cherokee.

All the young man could say was: 'Sir, you've wrecked my twenty-first birthday present!' The Mum said to the Dad: 'He had the right of way, didn't he?' Then the young man heaved a sigh and made sure that the Mum and the kids and the dog were all right. 'I guess I can get it fixed,' he said, as he walked away. But the Dad wouldn't apologize; though everyone, himself included, knew he was in the wrong. Yet, like God, the young man forgave him anyway.

The Dad in that story was basically a good man. But, a bit like some of the people Jesus had to deal with, he had become proud and conceited and complacent, and just a bit too ready to put others down. When disagreement and conflict arose in the family, his opinion had to

prevail, he himself had to come first, had to be numero uno, had always to be the one in the right. But in this incident he came a cropper, and found himself on the outer with his family. The words of Jesus came true, 'the last will be first and the first will be last'.

In the Jesus story today, an anonymous person asks him the question that you and I might also like to ask him: - 'How many people will be saved? A lot or only a few? And will I be among that number when the saints come marching in? Jesus refuses to answer the question directly. But it gives him an opening to warn us against complacency, to advise us not to take our spiritual health for granted, and to urge us to keep on striving and struggling to consistently live his values and standards and teachings. We might be tempted to think: 'I'm all right, Jack, I'm not a saint but I'm pretty good. I don't do anybody any harm. I'm a regular at Sunday Mass, where I listen to the words of Jesus and receive him in Holy Communion.'

But is that automatically good enough? Perhaps that's being just too like those people Jesus spoke about in our gospel today, the ones who come knocking on his door and saying: 'Lord, open to us. We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets.' Too like the ones that, sad to say, Jesus has to turn away from his company at the coming feast of the kingdom of God: 'I'm sorry about this. But you stopped being my friend. You stopped trying to live like me. You let the love in your heart dry up. At home and at work you became proud and selfish, arrogant and complacent, impossible to live with. You know, you and I have become strangers to each other. I really don't know you any more. You and I simply don't belong here together. Better be on your way!'

Could that really be Jesus talking, the kind and merciful Jesus? The Jesus who makes allowances? The Jesus who walks the extra mile? The Jesus who welcomes loses to his table? The Jesus who tells the story of the prodigal son? The Jesus who dines with Zacchaeus and tells him, 'today salvation has come to your house'? The Jesus who forgives the repentant thief? The Jesus who prays for his executioners, 'Father, forgive them'?

Yes, it is the very same Jesus. For the Jesus who is kind and merciful, is also the one who has great expectations of us, who wants us to stay with him, who wants us to keep walking life's journey with him, who wants us to not only hear his words, but also to heed them, who wants us to not only receive him in Holy Communion, but to renew our friendship with him every time and commit ourselves to follow him with faith, hope and love. Did not this same Jesus say: 'From those to whom much has been given, much will be required?