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Nouvelles ->Le monde mariste -> Nouvelle-Zélande
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Le texte reproduit ici ne comporte ni mise en page, ni
image. Pour visualiser le texte tel que publié dans sa
version originale cliquer ici... Nouvelle de
Nouvelle-Zélande (version PDF) The
provincial’s mail is always full of surprises, not all of them
unpleasant. Last week we received yet another offer for St Kesters! We
also received a request from a Religious Education teacher in
Australia for permission to reprint Fr Bowler’s series of books, “Living
the Truth” in a MARIST
PROVINCE CENTRE PO
BOX 7167 NEWTOWN WELLINGTON 6039 NEW ZEALAND PH:
04 380-2060 FAX: 04 389-2845 E-MAIL: TERESA@SMNZ.ORG.NZ LIVING
THE TRUTH It is possible for anyone to find it and
have a complete grasp of it. For them searching for the truth means
entering into a process of discovery; it is a relationship not a
static abstract concept; neither is it absolute. It is ever changing,
hopefully for the better. I
f we are to be
effective evangelists in New Zealand it is essential that we
understand, even if we do not agree, that for many people the “human
mind now appears to be anything but a neat thinkingmachine, that when
properly operated poses the right questions and prints out the right
answers” and that “reality
is ordered in a way which can be laid bare by the human mind”. Pope
John Paul encourages us to look for new ways, adapted to the
contemporary situation, of preaching
Today women and men are much more convinced
by persons rather than by propositions. This provides us with a
wonderful opportunity because as Pope John Paul says, “Since the ‘Good News’is Christ, there is an identity between the
message and the messenger, between saying doing and being. His power,
the secret of the effectiveness of his actions, lies in his total
identity with the message he announces; he proclaims the ‘Good
News’ not just by what he says or does but
by what he is.” [Redemptoris Missio #13]. Pope John Paul
suggests that the first and sometimes the only
possible wayof being a missionary, and we are called to be
missionaries in our country now, is to be found in the life we live
and the community we live in. “The
missionary who despite all his or her human limitations and defects,
lives a simple life, taking Christ as the model is a sign of God and
of transcendent realities” [Redemptoris Missio #42]. 2.
Discover the New Areopagus In his sermon on the “unknown God” we
can see that St Paul started where the Athenians “were at”. He
took one of their own beliefs/interests and used this as a starting
place to explain the Gospel… a bridge from their world to the
Gospel. Healso went to where the cultural leaders were the Areopagus,
rather than asking them to come to the Jewish synagogue. Pope John Paul
invites us to take the Areopagus as a symbol for the new sectors in
which the Gospel must be proclaimed. In secularised societies the
spiritual life is being sought as an antidote to dehumanisation, this
phenomenon, not without ambiguity, also represents an opportunity. The
Church has an immensespiritual treasure to offer humankind, a heritage
in Christ, the way, the truth and the life. We are to build a bridge
between thesetwo realities. To build good bridges, not ones that will
fall down, we need to be asfamiliar as possible with contemporary
culture. There is nothing worse than being ‘trendy’ and failing
because you are out ofdate.Sources “Redemptoris Missio” John Paul
II“Postmodernism” G. Condrington “The New Areopagus” www.cpoonline.org SOON
Gospel Literature 2000 G Arbuckle 3 The
last General Chapter encouraged the superior general and his council
to see“pastoral plans are
developed, updated and implemented by the provinces,districts and
delegations in ways that are appropriate to the local situation.”
On 5th and 6th of August the provincial council had a meeting to
update our pastoral plan. Our mission vision and values are already
enshrined in our constitutions and our provincial documents. At our
meeting we simply applied them more specifically to the next three
years.Our mission provides a focus and direction: to proclaim the Gospel as Mary did so that it may be inculturated by the
people of our time. The vision describes who we want to be and is
partly reality and partly dream. We chose the following as a form of
self challenge for the provincial council: listening
in faith, deciding in hope, acting in love. We think this is an
amplification of the phrase “as
Mary did” because she listened to the angel in faith, said
“yes” in hope, and immediately set out on the journey in love. We
are still in the process of choosing the Marist values we want to pay
particular attention to in the next few years, but some of the ones we
talked about were: § Community… the basis from which we carry out
our mission Respect… the personal skills and
attributes of members… our senior confreres We recognised that we have an ever
decreasing number of men and we acknowledged that there are severe
limits to what we can commit ourselves to but we continue to look
forward with real hope, because of the many committed and talented
people we have in our province. These are the major categories of
ministry we work in: Youth,
Maori,Parish/Pastoral, Evangelisation/New Areopagus, Spirituality,
Social Justice and Administration. We identified the following
internal areas of need we have to address: Formation,
Care of the elderly, Skills training, Community life, Evaluation of
present ministries, Administration and Finance, Brothers, Vocations. The
Pastoral Plan is not something that is set in concrete - rather, it is
a living changing document that helps us make decisions in a
principled and coherent manner.I was determined to get this all onto
one page but in doing so I may have condensed the information to the
point of meaninglessness so I would really like your comments,
questions of clarification, or criticism. News FORMATION: PEOPLE Matt Cosgriff has
asked for six months for a private sabbatical and for some time for
personal reflection. He left Timaru on 15 August. Earl
Crotty has agreed to replace Matt as parish priest and superior at
Timaru. John Fitzsimmons will
take up an appointment at St Mary of the Angels in September. The
appointment is till the end of the year. Chris
Skinner, Bill Archer Andrew Cody and Brian
Cummings will be starting renewal courses in various parts of the
world during August and September. John Fitzsimmons, Thige O'Leary and David Moore
have recently returned from their renewal. Peter Roe and Robert Devlin will
be attending short courses in Australia this month. Peter is attending
the "Critical Stress Management" international conference in
Melbourne. Robert will be attending a course for returning
missionaries in Sydney and will be taking the opportunity to meet up
with people who are involved in the refugee ministry in Australia; in
particular, he will be talking to Jim Carty. Denis
O'Hagan will be attending a workshop for new provincials in Rome.
He will be away from 8 to 28 September. 62
Reunion The
Band of 62 During the first
weekend of July, forty years after driving between the plane trees at
The Mount, the band of 1962 re-assembled. Patrick Bearsley, whose
sudden death had stunned us all, had encouraged us to gather; a
photograph of Pat taken in Rome was a focus for the occasion. Barry
Malone stayed in Brazil to give a retreat and be present at the
ordination of a Marist. Philip Mears was caught by ill health but in
one form or another, by phone, fax, email, or in person, all 21
aspirants of that year were present.Another feature of the reunion was
the participation of six spouses; they seemed to fit in as much as
their husbands did. Chris Fulton, true to his title as band leader,
pre-surveyed the course and galvanised us. Marist Centre proved a
suitable marae for the opening night of the Hui and some localMarist
popped in to meet up with the band. On Saturday, we met at Emmaus;
this was a profound six hours where experiences were exposed and hopes,
fulfilled and dashed,revealed. This was no nostalgic return, although
the last hour had us howling at the clever slide show Chris had
prepared. That night during a meal at Il Casino copies of exam results
from 1962-68 were presented in sealed envelopes without apology for
their delay. One confrere, so delighted at his high grades, muttered
that if he had known how intelligent he was, he would have pursued an
academic career. Sunday saw us back at Emmaus for Mass, led by Michael
McVerry. Symbols and participation were features of this intimate and
very special liturgy. Lunch followed at Murphy’s Pub in Cuba Mall.
Twelve of the party traveled on Monday to The Mount, four of the party
visited Eileen Malone on the way. At Greenmeadows we were given a
guided tour of the gentrified main building; dinner followed, in the
Fathers’ Common Room and the night was spent in St. Blaise’s. A
simple breakfast there in the sunshine saw the completion of a
significant weekend. By visiting http://www.band62reunion.tripod.com,
you can share in the people, places, and camaraderie we experienced. A
fruit of the weekend may be the seeded idea of a development project.
There is now talk among us of another reunion in five years time! But
where on earth? Are other bands interested in reunions – maybe we
can help you. 1. 35 Michael O’Donnell e-mail: odonnellaboo@xtra.co.nz 2. 35 Chris Skinner e-mail: frchris@chrisskinner.org.nz web-site:
www.chrisskinner.org.nz
mobile: 025 286 7303 3. 34 Andrew Cody e-mail: andcodsm@yahoo.com 4. 35 Kevin Stewart: kevstewart123@yahoo.com SMNZ INDEX
2002 Amendment NO
4 6 Aboriginal
Catholic Ministry A personal reflection I have been working in the Aboriginal
Ministry for two and a half years now and only now am I feeling like I
am getting a “handle” on how things work in this very different
kind of ministry. A friend who also works in the ministry as a school
teacher described it as a bit like nailing jelly to a tree – you are
never really sure how you are getting on or if in fact you are making
any impact but you just keep trusting that you are. The people that we
work with and work alongside really are the most disadvantaged in
Australia as far as all the social indicators would indicate but they
are also some of the most spiritually aware and receptive. Despite so
much pain that seems to affect their lives, people in the Koori
community still manage to retain a sense of humour and a simple
enjoyment of life. Experience in ministry with Aboriginal people has
been very much a case of relearning everything all over again as far
as expectations, signs of success, pace of change and cultural
awareness goes. The process of becoming known in the community is a
slow one and the building up of relationships in this culture is seen
as a priority before you can begin any kind of ministry. So there is a
lot of sitting around and passing the time of day with people and just
letting them get to know you. Only then will they start to ask for you
to become involved in their lives. It is a much slower process than
white culture which presumes you are “up and running” the moment
you arrive, but it is also a view for the long haul too. Since we work
in a diocese the geographical length of half the North Island,
approximately 600kms there are many hours spent traveling and going
from place to place. I have been mainly involved in training of lay
leaders, Eucharistic ministersand the formation and support of a
Diocesan Elders Council. Other moments of importance was being
involved in the organizing of the smoking ceremony and “welcome to
country” for the newly ordained bishop last year – it was a
process of learning for all involved and some even commented that it
was better than the actual ordination itself. At present there are
four Marists working in the Aboriginal ministry: myself, Bob Barber an
Australian Marist recently returned from Cameroon, Bern Ryan who is
like the “founding father” of the Marist presence here who has an
“emeritus” status and Kevin Redmond, an Australian student in
formation currently on his pastoral year with us. In a world of so
many great emotional highs and lows we try to keep an even keel on a
rather rickety ship – we do a lot of bailing out at times but also a
lot of exhilarating work battling high seas and following winds,
knowing that it is not so much the destination that matters as the
journey. 7 T here have been times recently when I
haven’t known whether I’d make it through the day. More than ever
before in my life, I’ve been depending on my friends. I’m not
about to chuck in the towel – well not that easily, but the gaps
between the good bits and the bad bits sometimes get shorter and
shorter. I know you’re probably thinking that I’ve lost it – but
there really isn’t any need to worry – losing it happened a long
time ago, and the hair and teeth are following fast. What I’ve found
more recently though, is that the wealth of human kindness is
inexhaustible and what can be even more surprising to me is that
kindness also resides in the confreres. Good friends are not easily
acquired. I’ve never forgotten hearing Danny Kaye, the American
comedian, deliver the deadpan epithet. “A friend in need is a pest.”
Fair weather friends are easily acquired. I find them so often when I
have a car and they need a ride, when I have a skill they want
employed or when there simply is a need that anyone could fill but I
happen to be the one closest to the action. Upon thinking about
Kaye’s axiom I have to agree. A friend in need sure can be a pest.
What is astounding to me though is that when I’ve been in need
recently the kindness of others overflows. They simply do not seem to be as attached
to the Kaye Principle as I’ve sometimes been. People I did not even
realise still cared have been sending me notes and emails and ringing
me up and saying nice things and generally just “being there” for
me. Someone recently told me that Friendship is like Ministry –
it’s 99% just being there. And the more that I have thought about it
the more I think they might have discovered a truth after all.
Sometimes it is a kind word that means a great deal, sometimes it’s
a simple gesture or a meal invite or a card that makes the difference
between a feeling of isolation and sufficient motivation to stick at
it. Really good friends are even better. Finding someone you can have
a moan to, someone you can share a little more deeply with, finding
someone who just likes to hang out and be with you is really
important. My good friends make the difference for me between a life
which can be unbelievably hard and meaningless and a life which is
fulfilling and energetic. Not always, not every minute of every day
– not 24/7 as we say these days but much of the time and crucially
at the right time, they come to my aid – these saints of God. And I
have been stunned, like the legendary mullet, more recently when I’ve
been with men in the province gathered formally and informally and
discovered that the friendship between us as brothers is stronger than
I’ve ever seen it before. I’ve heard men speak more honestly,
moreopenly, more caringly to each other and I have to say I’m
heartened immensely. For me personally I’ve been touched by the
kindness of many guys in the province who have said or made a gesture
or inferred that there’s a place in their heart that might includes
some space forme. I remember a Chapter a number of years ago where we
spoke at length about intimacy and connectedness – since then I’m
opining, we’re doing a great deal more about the doing than we did
when we were doing the talking. The guys I live and work with too have
made huge efforts to show a kindness that I’ve not always known or
felt. And some whom I’ve not always seen eye to eye with (usually
through my stubbornness) seem to be saying that the small matters that
divide us are nowhere near as important as the bonds that unite. TD 8
Those who have died… Cyril
Taylor sm, who died in Christchurch on the morning of
Monday 12th August. The Requiem for Cyril was held at St Mary’s,
Manchester Street, and he was buried in the Marist plot at Waimairi
Cemetery. Tony Wall, brother of Peter Wall sm and Jim Wall sm,
who died 16th July at Home of Compassion, Silverstream.
Kathy Donnelly, sister of Michael
Donnelly sm, who died on Wednesday 14th August in Auckland. Fr Andre Chambon sm died in Puy-en-Velay,
France, on 19 June, aged 85. Fr Antoine Ivens sm died in Hulst in
Holland on 30th July, aged 85. Those
who are sick Peter
Blake sm, who is recovering steadily from prostate
surgery; Val Kennerley, mother of David
Kennerley sm, who suffered a stroke at home in Clive and after a
brief spell in hospital, is recuperating at home; John Holden and Phil King-Turner sm both have completed their radiotherapy treatment
and are in the post-treatment recovery period –still a painful time
for them both; With
my best wishes Yours
fraternally JW REMEMBER |
