Refugee Week 2023: Finding Freedom
June 8, 2023
Refugee Week in 2023 will take place from Sunday 18 June – Saturday 24 June, with the theme being ‘Finding Freedom‘.
Across the ages, freedom has held a place of importance in our society. It’s a multifaceted concept, but here, we delve into the deep connection between freedom and psychological health, focusing on liberation from psychological distress.
For a world that needs love: Mary MacKillop and the Sacred Heart
In a world where relationships so often fail, Mary MacKillop’s understanding that her consecration in Religious Life bound her to Christ as closely as marriage does can inspire. She used to call herself ‘Christ’s spouse’, and so wrote that, as such, she should “be equally interested in all that is dear to his Heart”. [1]
Feast of the Sacred Heart 2023
The Feast of the Sacred Heart (16 June) invites us into a deepening awareness that all of life is held in the loving embrace of God. This spirituality of the heart calls us to honour that Christ dwells in our hearts through love and we in turn are to ‘clothe ourselves in love’ (Colossians 3:12) so that we may radiate this love to others.
Throughout Jesus’ life, the gospels show us that he acted from his heart, that place of union with God. He confronted injustice, shared meals with those who were considered outcasts and allowed himself to be moved with compassion as he encountered the sick, lonely, heartbroken and wounded.
Corpus Christi: Here in Hiding
Many years ago, the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins translated the Latin hymn Adore te devote into English. His first verse began:
Whom I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows
Shape and nothing more.
In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop – Bookings for Pilgrimage Now Open
June 6, 2023
Bookings are now open for pilgrims to participate in the popular Australian National Pilgrimage: In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop run by Mary MacKillop Place and the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
The next pilgrimage will be running from 17 – 28 October 2023 and will visit many places associated with Mary MacKillop’s life and ministry in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.
A Day in the Life of an Eco-Hero
May 24, 2023
Meet Bridgette Barrett
Bridgette lives in Adelaide, South Australia and has been a committed Eco-Hero for many years. Bridgette’s first encounter with the Sisters of Saint Joseph was when her daughter attended Mary MacKillop Primary School in Wallaroo. In the 1980s, the hole over the Antarctic was in the media and Bridgette made sure that the school knew about this issue and the impact of CFC gases.
Bridgette’s connection with the Sisters of Saint Joseph has grown over the years and Bridgette is now a very active Josephite Companion, as well as being a regular volunteer in a Meals on Wheels kitchen, Treasure Boxes (a South Australian children’s not-for-profit which provides vital essentials to babies, children and teens living in disadvantage); in her local parish and at the Mary MacKillop Precinct in Adelaide.
Julian Tenison Woods and his Early Days in Bathurst Diocese of NSW
May 23, 2023
In a little book entitled Memoirs of Our Founder Rev Julian Edmond Tenison Woods [1] written by one of the first members of the Josephites, we find:
The foundation in Bathurst was a source of great joy and consolation to him. He hoped that there the Institute could be established according to the original Rule. However, he was obliged to make some alterations to suit the Bishop’s (Dr Quinn’s) views, which were to form the Bathurst Sisters into a Diocesan Community. In the early days of the Institute, when it may be said to have had no existence except in his mind, his prayer to God was that while it might accomplish all the good he desired, none of the credit of it might be given to him.
Due to illness Julian experienced after four years of superhuman exertion [2] in Adelaide and a serious fall from his buggy, he was sent to New South Wales (NSW) by the Bishop to rest. It appears that Julian interpreted ‘resting’ as an opportunity to facilitate missions and retreats in the Bathurst and Sydney Dioceses! Perusing a list of dates where Julian visited the Bathurst Diocese between 1871-1883, it is obvious that he took a great interest in what might provide an avenue for his priestly ministry. Arriving in Bathurst it is noted that he preached on 19-20 August 1871. [3] It appears that this began his sojourn within the Bathurst Diocese, as well as other places.
May Prayer Intention: Ecclesial movements and groups
Pope Francis has named his prayer intention in May for the ecclesial movements and groups in the Church. He states that they are a “gift” and “treasure” to the Church, and, I believe, to the wider world. These ecclesial movements and lay associations spread the Gospel message of love, in many and various ways, and are a sign of renewal within the Church.
Pope John Paul II stated that: