Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
mike.delaney@aohtas.org.au
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
pmccormack43@bigpond.com
Postal Address: PO Box 362, Devonport 7310
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street, Devonport 7310
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Pastoral Council Chair: Felicity Sly
Mob: 0418 301 573
fsly@internode.on.net
Mob: 0417 279 437
mike.delaney@aohtas.org.au
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
pmccormack43@bigpond.com
Postal Address: PO Box 362, Devonport 7310
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street, Devonport 7310
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Pastoral Council Chair: Felicity Sly
Mob: 0418 301 573
fsly@internode.on.net
Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Weekly Homily Podcast: mikedelaney.podomatic.com
Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
PLENARY COUNCIL PRAYER
Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Parish Prayer
Heavenly Father,
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.
Amen.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Benediction with Adoration Devonport: First Friday each month - commences at 10am and concludes with Mass
Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart Church Community Room, Ulverstone
Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – Mondays 7pm Community Room Ulverstone
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
Amen.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Baptism: Arrangements are made by contacting Parish Office. Parents attend a Baptismal Preparation Session organised with a Priest.
Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist: Are received following a Family–centred, Parish-based, School-supported Preparation Program.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: prepares adults for reception into the Catholic community.
Marriage: arrangements are made by contacting one of our priests - couples attend a Pre-marriage Program
Anointing of the Sick: please contact one of our priests
Reconciliation: Ulverstone - Fridays (10am - 10:30am), Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm– 5.45pm)
Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Benediction with Adoration Devonport: First Friday each month - commences at 10am and concludes with Mass
Benediction with Adoration Devonport: First Friday each month - commences at 10am and concludes with Mass
Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart Church Community Room, Ulverstone
Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – Mondays 7pm Community Room Ulverstone
Weekday Masses 3rd - 6th September, 2019
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
MINISTRY ROSTERS 7th – 8th SEPTEMBER, 2019
Devonport:
Ulverstone:
Penguin:
Latrobe:
Port Sorell:
PREGO REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
Readings Next Week: 23rd Sunday
in Ordinary Time – Year C
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Frank McDonald, Pam Lynd, David Cole, Norie Capulong, Shelley Sing, Joy Carter, Marie Knight, Allan Stott, Christiana Okpon, Peter Sylvester, Des Dalton & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Tom Jones, Piotr Solecki, Sr Aileen Larkin, Julie Clarke, Helen McLennan, Terry Casey, Adrian Sullivan, Ron Peters, John Kelly, Janine Jones, Mark Jones, Alberto Floresta Snr, Pat Elliott, Barbara Devlin, Jack McMahon, Shirley Bourke, John Doherty, Peggy O’Leary
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 29th August – 4th Sept.
Rita Stokes, Dulcie McCormack, Lynette Otley, Maurice Vanderfeen, Mary Adkins, Robert Sheehan, Ruth Healey, Margaret Newell, Laurance Kelcey, Terry McKenna, Warren Milfull, Dorothy Leonard, Margaret Hayes, Theodore Clarke, Maxine Milton, Audrey Enniss, Geoffrey Matthews, John Coad, Ronald Finch, Ken Gillard, Maria Jakimow, Jean Mochrie, Brian Astell, Len Bramich, Jack McLaren, Concisa Floresta, Andrew Kirkpatrick, Glen Clark, Henry Castles, Gordon Clark and all our Fathers who have gone before us.
May the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
God our Father, in your wisdom and love
you made all things.
May God bless all our
Dads!
We congratulate the children of our Parish who are receiving the Eucharist for the First Time and we continue to pray for them;
Joe Borlini, Imogen Charlesworth, Sienna Clarke, Paige Curran, Willow Farr,
Brandon Haeren, Niamh Kelly, Lily Kilvington, Oscar Lakeland, Wilf McGann,
Thomas Marshall, Peter Metz, Sadie Peters, Emily Phegan, Addison Phipps,
Georgie Phipps, Tess Radford, Oscar Smollen and Riley Webb.
Happy
Birthday to Marie Knight who turns 98 on the 31st August
and Doris
Hall who is celebrating 100 years on the 1st September.
Weekly
Ramblings
This is
another great weekend for our Parish as 18 children receive the Eucharist for
the first time at 3 of our Parish Mass Centres this weekend – one will make her
First Communion next Sunday (8th). I would personally like to congratulate
these children and their families for their wonderful participation in the
Sacramental Program and look forward to their continuing sharing and
participation in the life of our Parish. Again I would ask that all of us, as a
Parish Community, continue praying for these children and their families on
this next stage of their faith journey.
I’d also
like to add my best wishes to all the Dad’s in our community as we wish them
Happy Father’s Day. They are very special people and they deserve a very
special thank you, not just today but every day.
Just a reminder that there is no AFL Game this weekend so
anyone who purchased a ticket last weekend – the game is next Friday night.
There are still tickets available for that round as well as the $10 tickets for
the Grand Final. You can purchase them from OLOL or Sacred Heart Churches or by
calling the Parish Office.
Take care on the roads and in your homes,
ANNUAL ROSARY PILGRIMAGE 2019
The Mersey Leven Parish is holding its 17th Annual Rosary Pilgrimage around the 6 churches and mass centres of the Parish on Sunday 6th of October. All parishioners, families and friends are encouraged to join us as we pray for world peace, for the consecration of Australia and of Russia, for the conversion of sinners and for the Salvation of souls. You may either join us in the bus or take your own car, or come to the church near you whichever is convenient for you. Bus is available but booking is essential as seats are quickly running out. Itinerary will be posted at the foyer in all churches. For further details and bookings, please contact Hermie 0414 416 661.
KNIGHTS OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS
The A.G.M of the Mersey – Leven K.S.C. will be held this Sunday 1st September at the Sacred Heart Community Room, Ulverstone, at 5pm. Please bring a light meal to be shared. Any men from our parish who are interested are welcome to attend.
THURSDAY 5th September – Eyes down 7:30pm. Callers Rod Clark & Merv Tippett.
FOOTY MARGIN RESULTS:
Round 22 (Friday 23rd August) Collingwood won by 11 points. Congratulations to the following winners; Dale Jenkins (not a mistake – Dale won two weeks in a row)
GRAND FINAL FOOTY MARGIN TICKET
$10.00 tickets are now selling – hurry and get yours today! The winner of the $10 tickets will receive $500.00 and the holder of the ticket with the number either side of the winning number $100.00. The $10.00 tickets are available from Devonport, Ulverstone and Port Sorell Mass Centres or by phoning the Parish Office 6424:2783 The weekly $2.00 footy margin tickets will be sold (as normal) during the finals.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE
SICK AND AGED PRIEST FUND APPEAL
The Fund was established to ensure that all diocesan priests incardinated into the Archdiocese of Hobart would receive adequate accommodation, health care and support needed in their retirement, or should they become ill. Retirement expenses are currently met by the Sick and Aged Priest Fund via donations and bequests, and by priests themselves. There are no federal or state government grants to support clergy in retirement. The Sick and Aged Priest Fund helps to meet the following needs of our diocesan priests:
• A modest monthly allowance
• Nursing home and hostel care for frail priests
• Assistance in transitioning to retirement
• Assistance with out of pocket medical and dental expenses
• Assistance with board and lodging expenses
• Motor vehicle costs.
Please support our diocesan priests through the Sick and Aged Priest Fund Appeal during September. Your donation can be placed in an envelope which will be available from all Mass Centres.
DOMINICAN ANNIVERSARY
60 years ago the Dominican Sisters arrived in Hobart, to bring Catholic Education for girls to the Northern Suburbs. Dominican Anniversary will be celebrated with a special Mass on Sunday, September 15th at 10 am at St John’s Glenorchy. Morning tea will follow. All friends, old scholars and associates of the Dominicans are warmly invited to attend.
Reconciliation Of Opposites
This article is taken from the Daily Email sent by Fr Richard Rohr OFM from the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the email by clicking here
The dynamic union of opposites (humanity and divinity) that
the Christ Mystery is surpasses, undercuts, and has the power to resolve so
many levels of denominational argument and partisanship that have divided
Christianity over the centuries. We did not realize how large and reconciling
our own Christ was, despite being told that “God wanted all fullness (pleroma)
to be found in Christ, and all things to be reconciled through him and for him”
(Colossians 1:19-20).
Instead of the Great Reconciler, we made Jesus into a
clannish god who then had to compete with other world religions (even with his
own Judaism!) and with our very humanity—which made humanity hard to sanctify
or liberate. As St. Irenaeus (c. 130–202) reflected, “That not taken up within
the Incarnation, would not be redeemed.” [1] Without the dynamic terms of
incarnation being absolutely clear, Jesus remained only Divine, and we remained
only human, thus confusing, severely limiting, and diminishing the process of
redemption. We missed the major point which was that God had put the two
together in a dynamic way for all to see and trust, but we did not know how to
even imagine that either in Jesus or in ourselves. Yes, we had the will and the
desire, but did not trust the extraordinary incarnational method that God used,
nor its Perfect Exemplar, Jesus.
Truly great ideas, like the dynamic union of humanity and
divinity in Jesus, are invariably slow in coming, because the normal mind
prefers to think in static dualisms. It allows us to take clean sides and argue
from supposedly pure positions. Only contemplative prayer can overcome such
splits and artificial separateness. Only inner stillness can absorb and
comprehend paradoxes and seeming contradictions, which Eastern Christianity, at
least in its early period, seemed to understand much more than the Western
church.
I think Jesus was the first nondual teacher for the West,
but the West has unsuccessfully tried to understand him with our usual
dualistic thinking. Western theology adopted the Council of Chalcedon’s (451
CE) doctrine that Jesus was “made known in two natures.” As Amos Smith says,
“If Christ were two natures he would not be God the Son incarnate, but only God
the Son dwelling in a human. . . . [Christ’s] is a true mystical union, not a
nominal union of ‘two natures, two wills, and two natural operations.’ How can
there be union when everything is split in two.” [2]
[1] Irenaeus presents this key idea throughout his treatise
Against Heresies, particularly in Book 3, chapters 18 and 19.
A Lesson In Aging
This article is taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find this article and many others by clicking here
We live in a culture that idealizes youth and marginalizes the old. And, as James Hillman says, the old don’t let go easily either of the throne or the drive that took them there. I know; I’m aging.
For most of my life, I’ve been able to think of myself as young. Because I was born late in the year, October, I was always younger than most of my classmates, graduated from high school at age seventeen, entered the seminary at that tender age, was ordained to the priesthood at age twenty-five, did an advanced degree within the next year, and was teaching graduate theology at age twenty-six, the youngest member on the faculty. I was proud of that, achieving those things so early. And so I always thought of myself as young, even as the years piled up and my body began to betray my conception of myself as young.
Moreover, for most of those years, I tried to stay young too in soul, staying on top of what was shaping youth culture, its movies, its popular songs, its lingo. During my years in seminary and for a good number of years after ordination, I was involved in youth ministry, helping give youth retreats in various high schools and colleges. At that time, I could name all the popular songs, movies, and trends, speak youth’s language, and I prided myself in being young.
But nature offers no exemptions. Nobody stays young forever. Moreover, aging doesn’t normally announce its arrival. You’re mostly blind to it until one day you see yourself in a mirror, see a recent photo of yourself, or get a diagnosis from your doctor and suddenly you’re hit on the head with the unwelcome realization that you’re no longer a young person. That usually comes as a surprise. Aging generally makes itself known in ways that have you denying it, fighting it, and accepting it only piecemeal, and with some bitterness.
But that day comes round for everyone when you’re surprised, stunned, that what you are seeing in the mirror is so different from how you have been imagining yourself and you ask yourself: “Is this really me? Am I this old person? Is this what I look like? ” Moreover you begin to notice that young people are forming their circles away from you, that they’re more interested in their own kind, which doesn’t include you, and you look silly and out of place when you try to dress, act, and speak like they do. There comes a day when you have accept that you’re no longer young in in the world’s eyes – nor in your own.
Moreover gravity doesn’t just affect your body, pulling things downward, so too for the soul. It’s pulled downward along with the body, though aging means something very different here. The soul doesn’t age, it matures. You can stay young in soul long after the body betrays you. Indeed we’re meant to be always young in spirit.
Souls carry life differently than do bodies because bodies are built to eventually die. Inside of every living body the life-principle has an exit strategy. It has no such strategy inside a soul, only a strategy to deepen, grow richer, and more textured. Aging forces us, mostly against our will, to listen to our soul more deeply and more honestly so as to draw from its deeper wells and begin to make peace with its complexity, its shadow, and its deepest proclivities – and the aging of the body plays the key role in this. To employ a metaphor from James Hillman: The best wines have to be aged in cracked old barrels. So too for the soul: The aging process is designed by God and nature to force the soul, whether it wants to or not, to delve ever deeper into the mystery of life, of community, of God, and of itself. Our souls don’t age, like a wine, they mature, and so we can always be young in spirit. Our zest, our fire, our eagerness, our wit, our brightness, and our humor, are not meant to dim with age. Indeed, they’re meant to be the very color of a mature soul.
So, in the end, aging is a gift, even if unwanted. Aging takes us to a deeper place, whether we want to go or not.
Like most everyone else, I still haven’t made my full peace with this and would still like to think of myself as young. However I was particularly happy to celebrate my 70th birthday two years ago, not because I was happy to be that age, but because, after two serious bouts with cancer in recent years, I was very happy just to be alive and wise enough now to be a little grateful for what aging and a cancer diagnosis has taught me. There are certain secrets hidden from health, writes John Updike. True. And aging uncovers a lot of them because, as Swedish proverb puts it, “afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.”
Our Values: Hospitable
This article is taken from the Blog posted by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timoneum, Baltimore. You can find the original blog by clicking here
We are in the last week of a series of blog posts all about our values as a staff. This week, hospitality.
We define hospitality as “wow-ing” people with extraordinary service. We want each guest who steps onto our campus to feel like every aspect of the experience was designed with them in mind. Here are a few ways we try to make that happen:
Focus on the First Impression
Most parish hospitality strategies start when Mass begins. At this point, a volunteer (probably the cantor) might offer a greeting from the altar before prompting the congregation to introduce themselves to those around them. This approach may or may not be a good one (in some churches, it becomes awkward). However, first impressions are created long before a first-time guest ever gets to their seat.
Increasingly, first impressions are no longer physical but virtual. Nearly all potential visitors to your church have visited your website long before they step on your campus. Your website is essential because it can answer some questions every potential visitor has: “Are there people like me there?” or “Will this experience be relevant to my life?”
Additionally, your website can address more logistical subjects, such as:
What happens in a typical service?
What do I wear?
Is there anything for my kids?
How do I get to your church?
But perhaps the most critical question that your website can answer is: “Will I be welcome?”
If your site can successfully engage potential visitors by answering their initial questions, a first-time guest will be far more likely to consider visiting your campus.
Most likely, this visit will occur on the weekend. And that’s why, at Nativity, our primary focus is creating an attractive, even irresistible environment during our “weekend experience” (which is how we refer to everything we do on the weekend).
The first impression begins in the parking lot where our Parking Ministers welcome each and every car onto our campus. Visitors, if they so choose, can put on their flashers and park in reserved spaces in the front row. When they arrive at the front doors, they are welcomed into the entrance concourse by staff and ministry leaders, and, once inside the sanctuary, by our Host ministers. By the time an unchurched person gets to their seat, they have had four or five positive, welcoming experiences, and they’re probably smiling.
Know The Welcoming Paradox
When making our first impression, we are mindful of how first-time guests want to be welcomed. The manner of the welcome can convey just as much, if not more, than the reality of the welcome.
Contrary to popular practice, we have found that most guests do not want to be singled out at any point during their visit. Rather, they want to blend in and get comfortable. At Saddleback Church, everyone is greeted with “Welcome back!” For returning members, they feel right at home. For first-time guests, they feel relieved that they look like they belong.
At Nativity, this process extends to the sanctuary. First-time guests worry that they will stand out because they don’t know what to say or do. Because we now have the technology, during Mass, we project song lyrics, prayers, and responses onto large screens, so the unchurched don’t feel excluded. We even broadcast the Liturgy of the Word into our Café, for those who are not yet comfortable crossing the threshold of the sanctuary. The experience is not intended as a substitute for Mass attendance but an invitation back to it.
Define a Path
St Augustine of Hippo - Saint for all Seasons
As we celebrate the feast of St Augustine on 28 August, Bishop Michael Campbell looks at the Saint of Hippo’s continuing influence on the Church today. What is it about Augustine’s life story, as told in his Confessions, that can still captivate modern readers? Rt Rev Michael Campbell OSA is Bishop of Lancaster. He was the first Augustinian Friar to be ordained in England since the Reformation. You can find this and many other articles on the Thinking Faith website by clicking here
Although he lived in North Africa over sixteen hundred and fifty years ago, the figure of Augustine of Hippo appears ever relevant and continues to exercise a strong influence in the life of the Church. There are a number of reasons why this should be the case. As bishop and pastor for forty years of the Church of Hippo, in present day Algeria, Augustine has left us a rich and diverse legacy in writing. Best known of his written works are his Confessions, his books on the Trinity, and perhaps his supreme masterpiece, the City of God. Add to these his several hundred sermons and many letters, as well as the written record of his involvement in the great theological debates of his day, with the Donatists, Pelagians and Manichees, and we can see that the survival of the works of Saint Augustine has proved a rich blessing and resource for the Church through the centuries. Pope Benedict XVI has been a life-long student of Augustine and freely acknowledges his great debt to the unique theological vision and profound intellect of the Saint of Hippo.
Augustine lived and worked in an age so different from our own, and we may ask the question of why his influence is so enduring and appealing. Part of the answer surely lies in the personality of the man himself, and in the fact that in his intellectual and spiritual quest he is representative of people of every age. Where faith in God and Christ were concerned, the path of Augustine’s spiritual journey was far from smooth, and only when he received baptism from Bishop Ambrose in Milan at the age of thirty-three did he find peace of mind. His powerful description of his personal odyssey prior to his baptism is recorded for us in his Confessions, which remains an astonishingly modern book, one that continues to resonate with the twenty-first century reader.
Augustine was above all an avid searcher for the truth: the truth about himself and ultimately the truth which God himself is, and which alone can allay the deep stirrings of the human heart. Highly gifted academically as a young man, it was his reading of a work of the Roman orator and philosopher Cicero that fired him with a love of wisdom and ultimately truth itself. It would take the young Augustine many years of intellectual turmoil and suffering to satisfy himself that he had found the wisdom and truth he so desired. The restlessness and deep yearning for what endures which so marked his early life, and his ability to express this in words, help explain history’s fascination with the Confessions. The truth that was the object of Augustine’s quest was not simply an intellectual construct, but truth of a kind that needed to satisfy every level of his personality. That truth had to embrace what was spiritual, moral, philosophical and religious in his life. His exclamation on the first page of his Confessions, ‘You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you’, memorably encapsulates the final goal of his search.
Augustine had a marvellous gift for self-analysis, as is so evident from the pages of his Confessions. This outstanding apologia, the story of his early life and his conversion at the age of thirty-three, is an address to God from a confessing heart full of praise and thanksgiving. We might describe the Confessions as the drama of a soul before God. The deep and often wayward currents that course through the human heart are laid bare, often with searing honesty and humility. Augustine did not hesitate to acknowledge and chart the workings of divine providence active in this phase of his life, though he himself was hardly aware of it at the time. The modern reader is made to pause and reflect when confronted with Augustine’s firm conviction that human beings remain incomplete, an insoluble puzzle, when God is left out of the reckoning.
The Saint of Hippo realised just how almighty God was directing his life even when he despaired of finding that truth which would ultimately satisfy his unquenchable thirst. The unceasing prayer and fidelity of his mother, Monica left a deep impression on Augustine and his many references to her, especially her deathbed scene, are moving to read. The non-judgemental and sympathetic attitude of Bishop Ambrose of Milan was a further sign to Augustine of God’s unfailing care for him, which he always saw manifested through the Christian witness and behaviour of those he met on his journey. Yet Augustine does not disguise or diminish the pain and near despair of those years, from his late teens until his early thirties. He looks back with incredulity at his long association with the Manichean sect, and at how they duped him with their erroneous teaching about God, the origin of evil, and the creation of the world. The road out of such an intellectual and moral impasse would be long and arduous for him. When he finally succeeded in extricating himself from the clutches of the Manichees, he had all but abandoned hope of ever finding an answer to his intellectual and theological quest.
Only slowly and painfully did he finally move towards the acceptance of the Christian faith and the Catholic Church. His discovery of the works of Plotinus, the father of neo-Platonism, helped partly to dispel the philosophical shadows he had inherited from his years with the Manichees. Then he found himself listening to the preaching of Bishop Ambrose, which enabled him to view the Scriptures in an entirely different light, and proved a veritable revelation to him. He finally has to address his own moral life and the implications if he were to be baptised as a Catholic Christian. In book eight of his Confessions, Augustine has left us a quite unforgettable account of the final stage of his conversion in a garden of a house near Milan. Remarkably, it was the sound of nearby children singing a rhyme of some sort to ‘take up and read’ which the Saint took to be a sign from God. He immediately took up the letters of Saint Paul lying nearby, and the first text he laid his eyes on – ‘Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh’, from the letter to the Romans – finally laid to rest all remaining doubt. He was now ready for baptism.
We are so familiar with the path that Augustine’s future life took, that of priest, outstanding bishop and pastor, superb exponent of the faith, that we may cease to wonder at the marvel of it all. The inscrutable ways of divine providence at work through grace in the life of this unique North African has given the Church one of its most illustrious saints and teachers. Augustine lived in an age different in so many respects from our own, yet also with remarkable similarities. There were many dubious offers of salvation and happiness on offer, remedies which were and are ephemeral; yet none of them addressed or could satisfy the deepest needs of the human person, or the desire of the human mind for a truth which would not deceive. Augustine of Hippo stands as a witness to every age that in God alone do we find the answer to our most profound longings. That, I feel, is his outstanding contribution to subsequent generations both within and beyond the boundaries of the Church.
Weekday Masses 3rd - 6th September, 2019
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
12noon Devonport
Next Weekend 7th - 8th Sept, 2019
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
MINISTRY ROSTERS 7th – 8th SEPTEMBER, 2019
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: M Kelly, R Baker, B Paul 10:30am
F Sly, J Tuxworth,
T Omogbai-musa
Ministers of Communion:
Vigil B&B Windebank, T Bird, R Baker, Beau Windebank
10.30am: S Riley, M Sherriff, R Beaton, D Barrientos, M
Barrientos
Cleaners 6th
Sept: M.W.C. 13th Sept: M&L Tippett, A Berryman
Piety Shop 7th Sept: A Berryman 8th Sept: Tessy Omogbai-musa
Ulverstone:
Reader/s: S Lawrence
Ministers of
Communion: M
Byrne, D Griffin, K Foster, R Locket
Cleaners: M McKenzie, M Singh, N Pearce Flowers: M Swain Hospitality:
T Good Team
Penguin:
Greeters G Hills-Eade, B Eade
Commentator:
Y Downes Readers: A Landers, J Garnsey
Ministers of
Communion: M
Murray, S Coleman Liturgy: Sulphur Creek J
Setting Up: S Ewing Care of Church: M Murray, E Nickols
Latrobe:
Reader: S Ritchie Minister of
Communion: B
Ritchie Procession of
Gifts: Parishioner
Port Sorell:
Readers: G Bellchambers, L Post Ministers of Communion: T Jefferies Cleaners: A Hynes
Readings This Week: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
First Reading: Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29
Second Reading: Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24
Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14
PREGO REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL
I come to my place of prayer.
I relax and breathe slowly,
gently becoming aware of being in God’s presence.
I offer him this time,
perhaps asking for a particular grace.
Having read the text a couple of times,
I imagine Jesus at table with a leading Pharisee. He is at ease, observing
others as they watch him.
The parable is not a particularly moral one … but
what feelings, memories or associations does it cause to arise within me?
Are
there occasions when I have felt shame, embarrassment or humiliation?
Or, on
the contrary, have others helped me to feel good about myself?
Have I learnt
anything from this, for myself or for my treatment of others?
I spend time
speaking to the Lord about any of this.
Turning to the last paragraph, I receive
Jesus's clear teaching on welcoming the poor and needy.
I may consider they
have nothing to offer in return.
But the God of surprises will repay me in his
own time.
I thank the Lord for this time of prayer ... and end with a ‘Glory be
...’
Readings Next Week: 23rd Sunday
in Ordinary Time – Year C
First Reading: Wisdom
9: 13-18
Second
Reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
Frank McDonald, Pam Lynd, David Cole, Norie Capulong, Shelley Sing, Joy Carter, Marie Knight, Allan Stott, Christiana Okpon, Peter Sylvester, Des Dalton & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Tom Jones, Piotr Solecki, Sr Aileen Larkin, Julie Clarke, Helen McLennan, Terry Casey, Adrian Sullivan, Ron Peters, John Kelly, Janine Jones, Mark Jones, Alberto Floresta Snr, Pat Elliott, Barbara Devlin, Jack McMahon, Shirley Bourke, John Doherty, Peggy O’Leary
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 29th August – 4th Sept.
Rita Stokes, Dulcie McCormack, Lynette Otley, Maurice Vanderfeen, Mary Adkins, Robert Sheehan, Ruth Healey, Margaret Newell, Laurance Kelcey, Terry McKenna, Warren Milfull, Dorothy Leonard, Margaret Hayes, Theodore Clarke, Maxine Milton, Audrey Enniss, Geoffrey Matthews, John Coad, Ronald Finch, Ken Gillard, Maria Jakimow, Jean Mochrie, Brian Astell, Len Bramich, Jack McLaren, Concisa Floresta, Andrew Kirkpatrick, Glen Clark, Henry Castles, Gordon Clark and all our Fathers who have gone before us.
May the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
God our Father, in your wisdom and love
you made all things.
Bless all fathers who have accepted the
responsibility of parenting.
Bless those who have lost a spouse to
death, separation or divorce,
and who are parenting their children
alone.
Strengthen all fathers by your love
that they may be and become the loving, caring people
they are meant to be.
May God bless all our
Dads!
We congratulate the children of our Parish who are receiving the Eucharist for the First Time and we continue to pray for them;
Joe Borlini, Imogen Charlesworth, Sienna Clarke, Paige Curran, Willow Farr,
Brandon Haeren, Niamh Kelly, Lily Kilvington, Oscar Lakeland, Wilf McGann,
Thomas Marshall, Peter Metz, Sadie Peters, Emily Phegan, Addison Phipps,
Georgie Phipps, Tess Radford, Oscar Smollen and Riley Webb.
Happy
Birthday to Marie Knight who turns 98 on the 31st August
and Doris
Hall who is celebrating 100 years on the 1st September.
Weekly
Ramblings
This is
another great weekend for our Parish as 18 children receive the Eucharist for
the first time at 3 of our Parish Mass Centres this weekend – one will make her
First Communion next Sunday (8th). I would personally like to congratulate
these children and their families for their wonderful participation in the
Sacramental Program and look forward to their continuing sharing and
participation in the life of our Parish. Again I would ask that all of us, as a
Parish Community, continue praying for these children and their families on
this next stage of their faith journey.
I’d also
like to add my best wishes to all the Dad’s in our community as we wish them
Happy Father’s Day. They are very special people and they deserve a very
special thank you, not just today but every day.
Take care on the roads and in your homes,
ANNUAL ROSARY PILGRIMAGE 2019
The Mersey Leven Parish is holding its 17th Annual Rosary Pilgrimage around the 6 churches and mass centres of the Parish on Sunday 6th of October. All parishioners, families and friends are encouraged to join us as we pray for world peace, for the consecration of Australia and of Russia, for the conversion of sinners and for the Salvation of souls. You may either join us in the bus or take your own car, or come to the church near you whichever is convenient for you. Bus is available but booking is essential as seats are quickly running out. Itinerary will be posted at the foyer in all churches. For further details and bookings, please contact Hermie 0414 416 661.
KNIGHTS OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS
The A.G.M of the Mersey – Leven K.S.C. will be held this Sunday 1st September at the Sacred Heart Community Room, Ulverstone, at 5pm. Please bring a light meal to be shared. Any men from our parish who are interested are welcome to attend.
THURSDAY 5th September – Eyes down 7:30pm. Callers Rod Clark & Merv Tippett.
FOOTY MARGIN RESULTS:
Round 22 (Friday 23rd August) Collingwood won by 11 points. Congratulations to the following winners; Dale Jenkins (not a mistake – Dale won two weeks in a row)
GRAND FINAL FOOTY MARGIN TICKET
$10.00 tickets are now selling – hurry and get yours today! The winner of the $10 tickets will receive $500.00 and the holder of the ticket with the number either side of the winning number $100.00. The $10.00 tickets are available from Devonport, Ulverstone and Port Sorell Mass Centres or by phoning the Parish Office 6424:2783 The weekly $2.00 footy margin tickets will be sold (as normal) during the finals.
SICK AND AGED PRIEST FUND APPEAL
The Fund was established to ensure that all diocesan priests incardinated into the Archdiocese of Hobart would receive adequate accommodation, health care and support needed in their retirement, or should they become ill. Retirement expenses are currently met by the Sick and Aged Priest Fund via donations and bequests, and by priests themselves. There are no federal or state government grants to support clergy in retirement. The Sick and Aged Priest Fund helps to meet the following needs of our diocesan priests:
• A modest monthly allowance
• Nursing home and hostel care for frail priests
• Assistance in transitioning to retirement
• Assistance with out of pocket medical and dental expenses
• Assistance with board and lodging expenses
• Motor vehicle costs.
Please support our diocesan priests through the Sick and Aged Priest Fund Appeal during September. Your donation can be placed in an envelope which will be available from all Mass Centres.
DOMINICAN ANNIVERSARY
60 years ago the Dominican Sisters arrived in Hobart, to bring Catholic Education for girls to the Northern Suburbs. Dominican Anniversary will be celebrated with a special Mass on Sunday, September 15th at 10 am at St John’s Glenorchy. Morning tea will follow. All friends, old scholars and associates of the Dominicans are warmly invited to attend.
A Lesson In Aging
We live in a culture that idealizes youth and marginalizes the old. And, as James Hillman says, the old don’t let go easily either of the throne or the drive that took them there. I know; I’m aging.
Like most everyone else, I still haven’t made my full peace with this and would still like to think of myself as young. However I was particularly happy to celebrate my 70th birthday two years ago, not because I was happy to be that age, but because, after two serious bouts with cancer in recent years, I was very happy just to be alive and wise enough now to be a little grateful for what aging and a cancer diagnosis has taught me. There are certain secrets hidden from health, writes John Updike. True. And aging uncovers a lot of them because, as Swedish proverb puts it, “afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.”
Our Values: Hospitable
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE
SICK AND AGED PRIEST FUND APPEAL
The Fund was established to ensure that all diocesan priests incardinated into the Archdiocese of Hobart would receive adequate accommodation, health care and support needed in their retirement, or should they become ill. Retirement expenses are currently met by the Sick and Aged Priest Fund via donations and bequests, and by priests themselves. There are no federal or state government grants to support clergy in retirement. The Sick and Aged Priest Fund helps to meet the following needs of our diocesan priests:
• A modest monthly allowance
• Nursing home and hostel care for frail priests
• Assistance in transitioning to retirement
• Assistance with out of pocket medical and dental expenses
• Assistance with board and lodging expenses
• Motor vehicle costs.
Please support our diocesan priests through the Sick and Aged Priest Fund Appeal during September. Your donation can be placed in an envelope which will be available from all Mass Centres.
DOMINICAN ANNIVERSARY
60 years ago the Dominican Sisters arrived in Hobart, to bring Catholic Education for girls to the Northern Suburbs. Dominican Anniversary will be celebrated with a special Mass on Sunday, September 15th at 10 am at St John’s Glenorchy. Morning tea will follow. All friends, old scholars and associates of the Dominicans are warmly invited to attend.
Reconciliation Of Opposites
This article is taken from the Daily Email sent by Fr Richard Rohr OFM from the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the email by clicking here
The dynamic union of opposites (humanity and divinity) that
the Christ Mystery is surpasses, undercuts, and has the power to resolve so
many levels of denominational argument and partisanship that have divided
Christianity over the centuries. We did not realize how large and reconciling
our own Christ was, despite being told that “God wanted all fullness (pleroma)
to be found in Christ, and all things to be reconciled through him and for him”
(Colossians 1:19-20).
Instead of the Great Reconciler, we made Jesus into a
clannish god who then had to compete with other world religions (even with his
own Judaism!) and with our very humanity—which made humanity hard to sanctify
or liberate. As St. Irenaeus (c. 130–202) reflected, “That not taken up within
the Incarnation, would not be redeemed.” [1] Without the dynamic terms of
incarnation being absolutely clear, Jesus remained only Divine, and we remained
only human, thus confusing, severely limiting, and diminishing the process of
redemption. We missed the major point which was that God had put the two
together in a dynamic way for all to see and trust, but we did not know how to
even imagine that either in Jesus or in ourselves. Yes, we had the will and the
desire, but did not trust the extraordinary incarnational method that God used,
nor its Perfect Exemplar, Jesus.
Truly great ideas, like the dynamic union of humanity and
divinity in Jesus, are invariably slow in coming, because the normal mind
prefers to think in static dualisms. It allows us to take clean sides and argue
from supposedly pure positions. Only contemplative prayer can overcome such
splits and artificial separateness. Only inner stillness can absorb and
comprehend paradoxes and seeming contradictions, which Eastern Christianity, at
least in its early period, seemed to understand much more than the Western
church.
I think Jesus was the first nondual teacher for the West,
but the West has unsuccessfully tried to understand him with our usual
dualistic thinking. Western theology adopted the Council of Chalcedon’s (451
CE) doctrine that Jesus was “made known in two natures.” As Amos Smith says,
“If Christ were two natures he would not be God the Son incarnate, but only God
the Son dwelling in a human. . . . [Christ’s] is a true mystical union, not a
nominal union of ‘two natures, two wills, and two natural operations.’ How can
there be union when everything is split in two.” [2]
[1] Irenaeus presents this key idea throughout his treatise
Against Heresies, particularly in Book 3, chapters 18 and 19.
[2] Amos Smith, Healing the Divide: Recovering
Christianity’s Mystic Roots (Resource Publications: 2013), 289.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, “Afterword” in Amos Smith,
Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots (Resource
Publications: 2013), 237-238.
This article is taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find this article and many others by clicking here
We live in a culture that idealizes youth and marginalizes the old. And, as James Hillman says, the old don’t let go easily either of the throne or the drive that took them there. I know; I’m aging.
For most of my life, I’ve been able to think of myself as young. Because I was born late in the year, October, I was always younger than most of my classmates, graduated from high school at age seventeen, entered the seminary at that tender age, was ordained to the priesthood at age twenty-five, did an advanced degree within the next year, and was teaching graduate theology at age twenty-six, the youngest member on the faculty. I was proud of that, achieving those things so early. And so I always thought of myself as young, even as the years piled up and my body began to betray my conception of myself as young.
Moreover, for most of those years, I tried to stay young too in soul, staying on top of what was shaping youth culture, its movies, its popular songs, its lingo. During my years in seminary and for a good number of years after ordination, I was involved in youth ministry, helping give youth retreats in various high schools and colleges. At that time, I could name all the popular songs, movies, and trends, speak youth’s language, and I prided myself in being young.
But nature offers no exemptions. Nobody stays young forever. Moreover, aging doesn’t normally announce its arrival. You’re mostly blind to it until one day you see yourself in a mirror, see a recent photo of yourself, or get a diagnosis from your doctor and suddenly you’re hit on the head with the unwelcome realization that you’re no longer a young person. That usually comes as a surprise. Aging generally makes itself known in ways that have you denying it, fighting it, and accepting it only piecemeal, and with some bitterness.
But that day comes round for everyone when you’re surprised, stunned, that what you are seeing in the mirror is so different from how you have been imagining yourself and you ask yourself: “Is this really me? Am I this old person? Is this what I look like? ” Moreover you begin to notice that young people are forming their circles away from you, that they’re more interested in their own kind, which doesn’t include you, and you look silly and out of place when you try to dress, act, and speak like they do. There comes a day when you have accept that you’re no longer young in in the world’s eyes – nor in your own.
Moreover gravity doesn’t just affect your body, pulling things downward, so too for the soul. It’s pulled downward along with the body, though aging means something very different here. The soul doesn’t age, it matures. You can stay young in soul long after the body betrays you. Indeed we’re meant to be always young in spirit.
Souls carry life differently than do bodies because bodies are built to eventually die. Inside of every living body the life-principle has an exit strategy. It has no such strategy inside a soul, only a strategy to deepen, grow richer, and more textured. Aging forces us, mostly against our will, to listen to our soul more deeply and more honestly so as to draw from its deeper wells and begin to make peace with its complexity, its shadow, and its deepest proclivities – and the aging of the body plays the key role in this. To employ a metaphor from James Hillman: The best wines have to be aged in cracked old barrels. So too for the soul: The aging process is designed by God and nature to force the soul, whether it wants to or not, to delve ever deeper into the mystery of life, of community, of God, and of itself. Our souls don’t age, like a wine, they mature, and so we can always be young in spirit. Our zest, our fire, our eagerness, our wit, our brightness, and our humor, are not meant to dim with age. Indeed, they’re meant to be the very color of a mature soul.
So, in the end, aging is a gift, even if unwanted. Aging takes us to a deeper place, whether we want to go or not.
This article is taken from the Blog posted by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timoneum, Baltimore. You can find the original blog by clicking here
We are in the last week of a series of blog posts all about our values as a staff. This week, hospitality.
We define hospitality as “wow-ing” people with extraordinary service. We want each guest who steps onto our campus to feel like every aspect of the experience was designed with them in mind. Here are a few ways we try to make that happen:
Focus on the First Impression
Most parish hospitality strategies start when Mass begins. At this point, a volunteer (probably the cantor) might offer a greeting from the altar before prompting the congregation to introduce themselves to those around them. This approach may or may not be a good one (in some churches, it becomes awkward). However, first impressions are created long before a first-time guest ever gets to their seat.
Increasingly, first impressions are no longer physical but virtual. Nearly all potential visitors to your church have visited your website long before they step on your campus. Your website is essential because it can answer some questions every potential visitor has: “Are there people like me there?” or “Will this experience be relevant to my life?”
Additionally, your website can address more logistical subjects, such as:
What happens in a typical service?
What do I wear?
Is there anything for my kids?
How do I get to your church?
But perhaps the most critical question that your website can answer is: “Will I be welcome?”
If your site can successfully engage potential visitors by answering their initial questions, a first-time guest will be far more likely to consider visiting your campus.
Most likely, this visit will occur on the weekend. And that’s why, at Nativity, our primary focus is creating an attractive, even irresistible environment during our “weekend experience” (which is how we refer to everything we do on the weekend).
The first impression begins in the parking lot where our Parking Ministers welcome each and every car onto our campus. Visitors, if they so choose, can put on their flashers and park in reserved spaces in the front row. When they arrive at the front doors, they are welcomed into the entrance concourse by staff and ministry leaders, and, once inside the sanctuary, by our Host ministers. By the time an unchurched person gets to their seat, they have had four or five positive, welcoming experiences, and they’re probably smiling.
Know The Welcoming Paradox
When making our first impression, we are mindful of how first-time guests want to be welcomed. The manner of the welcome can convey just as much, if not more, than the reality of the welcome.
Contrary to popular practice, we have found that most guests do not want to be singled out at any point during their visit. Rather, they want to blend in and get comfortable. At Saddleback Church, everyone is greeted with “Welcome back!” For returning members, they feel right at home. For first-time guests, they feel relieved that they look like they belong.
At Nativity, this process extends to the sanctuary. First-time guests worry that they will stand out because they don’t know what to say or do. Because we now have the technology, during Mass, we project song lyrics, prayers, and responses onto large screens, so the unchurched don’t feel excluded. We even broadcast the Liturgy of the Word into our Café, for those who are not yet comfortable crossing the threshold of the sanctuary. The experience is not intended as a substitute for Mass attendance but an invitation back to it.
Define a Path
Finally, give your guests a clear path to follow up on their experience. We don’t ask visitors to raise their hands or stand up to be recognized because the last thing a nervous, unchurched visitor wants is to have unwelcome attention drawn to them. Instead, we invite them to visit our Welcome Center after Mass, where they receive a free gift package and more information about Nativity. Not everyone chooses to follow up, but we have given them an opportunity.
St Augustine of Hippo - Saint for all Seasons
As we celebrate the feast of St Augustine on 28 August, Bishop Michael Campbell looks at the Saint of Hippo’s continuing influence on the Church today. What is it about Augustine’s life story, as told in his Confessions, that can still captivate modern readers? Rt Rev Michael Campbell OSA is Bishop of Lancaster. He was the first Augustinian Friar to be ordained in England since the Reformation. You can find this and many other articles on the Thinking Faith website by clicking here
Although he lived in North Africa over sixteen hundred and fifty years ago, the figure of Augustine of Hippo appears ever relevant and continues to exercise a strong influence in the life of the Church. There are a number of reasons why this should be the case. As bishop and pastor for forty years of the Church of Hippo, in present day Algeria, Augustine has left us a rich and diverse legacy in writing. Best known of his written works are his Confessions, his books on the Trinity, and perhaps his supreme masterpiece, the City of God. Add to these his several hundred sermons and many letters, as well as the written record of his involvement in the great theological debates of his day, with the Donatists, Pelagians and Manichees, and we can see that the survival of the works of Saint Augustine has proved a rich blessing and resource for the Church through the centuries. Pope Benedict XVI has been a life-long student of Augustine and freely acknowledges his great debt to the unique theological vision and profound intellect of the Saint of Hippo.
Augustine lived and worked in an age so different from our own, and we may ask the question of why his influence is so enduring and appealing. Part of the answer surely lies in the personality of the man himself, and in the fact that in his intellectual and spiritual quest he is representative of people of every age. Where faith in God and Christ were concerned, the path of Augustine’s spiritual journey was far from smooth, and only when he received baptism from Bishop Ambrose in Milan at the age of thirty-three did he find peace of mind. His powerful description of his personal odyssey prior to his baptism is recorded for us in his Confessions, which remains an astonishingly modern book, one that continues to resonate with the twenty-first century reader.
Augustine was above all an avid searcher for the truth: the truth about himself and ultimately the truth which God himself is, and which alone can allay the deep stirrings of the human heart. Highly gifted academically as a young man, it was his reading of a work of the Roman orator and philosopher Cicero that fired him with a love of wisdom and ultimately truth itself. It would take the young Augustine many years of intellectual turmoil and suffering to satisfy himself that he had found the wisdom and truth he so desired. The restlessness and deep yearning for what endures which so marked his early life, and his ability to express this in words, help explain history’s fascination with the Confessions. The truth that was the object of Augustine’s quest was not simply an intellectual construct, but truth of a kind that needed to satisfy every level of his personality. That truth had to embrace what was spiritual, moral, philosophical and religious in his life. His exclamation on the first page of his Confessions, ‘You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you’, memorably encapsulates the final goal of his search.
Augustine had a marvellous gift for self-analysis, as is so evident from the pages of his Confessions. This outstanding apologia, the story of his early life and his conversion at the age of thirty-three, is an address to God from a confessing heart full of praise and thanksgiving. We might describe the Confessions as the drama of a soul before God. The deep and often wayward currents that course through the human heart are laid bare, often with searing honesty and humility. Augustine did not hesitate to acknowledge and chart the workings of divine providence active in this phase of his life, though he himself was hardly aware of it at the time. The modern reader is made to pause and reflect when confronted with Augustine’s firm conviction that human beings remain incomplete, an insoluble puzzle, when God is left out of the reckoning.
The Saint of Hippo realised just how almighty God was directing his life even when he despaired of finding that truth which would ultimately satisfy his unquenchable thirst. The unceasing prayer and fidelity of his mother, Monica left a deep impression on Augustine and his many references to her, especially her deathbed scene, are moving to read. The non-judgemental and sympathetic attitude of Bishop Ambrose of Milan was a further sign to Augustine of God’s unfailing care for him, which he always saw manifested through the Christian witness and behaviour of those he met on his journey. Yet Augustine does not disguise or diminish the pain and near despair of those years, from his late teens until his early thirties. He looks back with incredulity at his long association with the Manichean sect, and at how they duped him with their erroneous teaching about God, the origin of evil, and the creation of the world. The road out of such an intellectual and moral impasse would be long and arduous for him. When he finally succeeded in extricating himself from the clutches of the Manichees, he had all but abandoned hope of ever finding an answer to his intellectual and theological quest.
Only slowly and painfully did he finally move towards the acceptance of the Christian faith and the Catholic Church. His discovery of the works of Plotinus, the father of neo-Platonism, helped partly to dispel the philosophical shadows he had inherited from his years with the Manichees. Then he found himself listening to the preaching of Bishop Ambrose, which enabled him to view the Scriptures in an entirely different light, and proved a veritable revelation to him. He finally has to address his own moral life and the implications if he were to be baptised as a Catholic Christian. In book eight of his Confessions, Augustine has left us a quite unforgettable account of the final stage of his conversion in a garden of a house near Milan. Remarkably, it was the sound of nearby children singing a rhyme of some sort to ‘take up and read’ which the Saint took to be a sign from God. He immediately took up the letters of Saint Paul lying nearby, and the first text he laid his eyes on – ‘Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh’, from the letter to the Romans – finally laid to rest all remaining doubt. He was now ready for baptism.
We are so familiar with the path that Augustine’s future life took, that of priest, outstanding bishop and pastor, superb exponent of the faith, that we may cease to wonder at the marvel of it all. The inscrutable ways of divine providence at work through grace in the life of this unique North African has given the Church one of its most illustrious saints and teachers. Augustine lived in an age different in so many respects from our own, yet also with remarkable similarities. There were many dubious offers of salvation and happiness on offer, remedies which were and are ephemeral; yet none of them addressed or could satisfy the deepest needs of the human person, or the desire of the human mind for a truth which would not deceive. Augustine of Hippo stands as a witness to every age that in God alone do we find the answer to our most profound longings. That, I feel, is his outstanding contribution to subsequent generations both within and beyond the boundaries of the Church.
