Cosmic Awareness (International Earth Day)
April 20, 2023
The Eco-Spirituality Team of the Sisters of Saint Joseph offer you this reflection page as you journey towards International Earth Day on 22 April and beyond, while you Nurture Evolutionary Consciousness.
International Earth Day or otherwise known as International Mother Earth Day, was designated by the United National General Assembly through a resolution adopted in 2009. The original roots go back to the 1970s when environmental protection was not yet a priority of the national political agendas. (United Nations)
Walking with Jesus to Calvary
April 12, 2023
On the last day of term at Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College (Altona, Victoria), the entire College community stopped to retrace the final days of Jesus’ life which we refer to as the Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross.
As we encountered each station, we creatively contemplated the situation before moving on to the next station. This way the liturgy became a shared devotional act; we walked with Jesus as he walked to Calvary. It was an extremely reflective and moving event incorporating rich prayer, music, drama, imagery, and multimedia.
Easter Message 2023
April 5, 2023Let us rejoice in the gift of Easter and the blessing of hope it brings. This message of hope is especially important in our world today impacted by war and natural disasters. We see so many refugees risking the journey in search of a new life free from poverty, oppressive governments, climate change and countries where war and violence reign terror in people’s lives.
There are many people waiting at the tomb for signs of new life, sometimes trapped in an overcrowded boat seeking asylum or waiting at the border hoping for the possibility of a new life in a country as visas are processed. Others are weighed down by pain and suffering or hoping that the weapons of war will stop destroying their lives. Even amid this, we see signs of hope emerging – someone choosing to play a piano in a crowded train station, someone welcoming a fleeing family into their home, brave people working to find signs of life in the rubble of an earthquake, someone advocating on behalf of refugees or those volunteering to work in a soup kitchen.
Easter Reflections 2023
We share with you four reflections for Palm (Passion) Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday provided by Sr Michele Shipperley rsj.
Illness – a Painful Process of Defoliation
What amazing, spectacular creations our bodies are! Out of all the wondrous things that our Creator God brought into being, surely how we are structured is the most magnificent. We are made up of many living cells, neurons, chromosomes, hormones and DNA that all work together and enable us to exist, function and change over the life span. As if this is not impressive enough, we are also able to think, choose, create and experience emotion.
But what if this function goes wrong and our bodies don’t perform as they should? We have all suffered the effects of not feeling well or not feeling ourselves. At these times, we tend to wrestle with the condition that has laid us low and reach for the ambition of soon getting back to normal again so that we can carry on with our lives as we did before.
Uluru Statement from the Heart: Basic Truths
It was wonderful to receive a message from Sr Denise McKay recently describing the overwhelming sense of gratitude experienced by all those who attended the historic South Australian Voice to Parliament. They witnessed the Bill pass through both Houses of Parliament, with the Governor signing the Act into law “before our eyes”. In the hopes of so many who were there, Sr Denise reflected, “may it foreshadow the outcome of the referendum”.
In the face of such hopefulness and possibility, it’s been challenging to have been confronted in recent weeks by the voices of anger and antagonism which have emerged. It has reminded us of the urgency to keep returning to what is at the heart of this referendum and, in our conversations, to share these basic truths:
Doug the Dog
What a wonderful gift this cute, roly-poly, little, white dog is to the residents of MacKillop House at Norwest in New South Wales.
Rae, who was our manager, Fiona our Chaplain and myself as representative of the residents at MacKillop House, were invited to go on The Dog House, a heart-warming TV show where we were to select a dog suitable for our retirement home. What a privilege!
Recognising Father Julian Tenison Woods at MacKillop Catholic College
MacKillop Catholic College in Mornington, Tasmania was founded in 1994. At that time the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office approached the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Saint Joseph to administer the College. In its inaugural year, the College was led by Br Tony Smith as principal, and Sr Louise Cotton.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph in Tasmania have a particular connection with Fr Julian Tenison Woods due to his significant ministry in the state. In fact, Fr Julian often referred to Tasmania as ‘St Joseph’s Island’.