Josephite Justice Network Gathering: September 2024
October 8, 2024
The recent Josephite Justice Network gathering at Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney from 20-22 September was a profound experience of connection and renewal. As members arrived, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation, a collective energy fuelled by our shared commitment to justice and compassion.
Tri-diocesan Young Adults Pilgrimage to Mary MacKillop Place
A group of young adults from the Dioceses of Broken Bay, Sydney and Parramatta recently embarked on a meaningful pilgrimage to Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney. This journey was a chance to learn about the life of Australia’s first canonised saint, and an opportunity for participants to reflect on their own paths and how they might embody her values in their lives.
Love of God, love of neighbour, love of common home
October 6, 2024
Joy and Suffering
One of the greatest joys I have experienced through the Josephite charism is the beauty of relationship between Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods. Jan Williamson captured it wonderfully in her painting The Vision. But joy and suffering often go together.
I remember suffering when I first learned of Mary and Fr Julian’s estrangement. That luminous Vision of them both suddenly felt like a naïve fairytale. The realisation shook my confidence in the goodness of the charism. Feelings arose like those I had experienced as a young adult when my parents each explained to me how they were considering separating from one another. My response was fearful denial. I didn’t want to believe it could happen in our family. Thankfully, it didn’t. But the experience revealed the difference between a beatific vision of my family and the reality.
A Visit with Fr Julian
Father Julian Tenison Woods died on 7 October 1889 in Elizabeth Street, Sydney. Since May 1887, he had been cared for by a community of women who, under the leadership of Gertrude Abbott, would later found St Margaret’s Hospital. With their help, he was able to sort out his notes and dictate them into articles and papers, answer letters and record his memoirs. He also received many visitors, including Mary MacKillop.
I invite you to imagine being one of those visitors – making your way to Elizabeth Street and finding Fr Julian in poor health, but still welcoming and ready to talk. What would you talk about?
Julian Tenison Woods: A many-sided mind
Photo of Julian Tenison Woods taken in Perak, Malay Peninsula in 1883.
Father Julian Tenison Woods died on 7 October 1889. He was in his fifty-seventh year and extremely unwell. Julian had returned to Sydney after extensive and exhausting field work in parts of Australasia and the Northern Territory.
Many of the letters and reports he wrote while abroad have survived. In letters to his friends and family, he describes the various style of his accommodations which range from a canoe, to the homes of those representing the face of the British Empire and royal palaces. He includes observations of the local flora and fauna he encounters, or in the case of the tigers narrowly avoiding an encounter. He tells of joining the missionary priests whenever circumstances permitted and celebrating the sacraments in exotic settings. In articles destined for Australian newspapers, he writes an account of the causes and aftermath of the eruption of Krakatoa. The reports he prepared for the government commissions detail his observations and surveys of minerals and other natural resources.
The Gift of Fr Julian Tenison Woods
As we celebrate Father Julian Tenison Woods’ day (7 October) in our Josephite story, we give thanks for his gift to us, our Church and our world. Julian was a noted pastor, missionary, scientist, musician and writer.
Julian had a deep love for nature and often encountered experiences of the Divine in his contemplation of nature. In a letter he wrote to Mary MacKillop, he said:
St Joseph’s Spirituality and Education Centre in Kincumber
September 26, 2024
St Joseph’s Spirituality and Education Centre in Kincumber on the NSW Central Coast, nestled in a natural bushland setting and a sacred place visited by Mary MacKillop, is embracing a renewed focus on providing accessible and enriching spiritual experiences through a range of shorter reflection days, workshops, events and retreats. This shift is designed to meet the diverse needs of individuals seeking moments of peace and contemplation in today’s fast-paced world.
Fr Julian and the forests of Tasmania – his own words
Father Julian Tenison Woods was born on 15 November 1832 in England and entered eternal life on 7 October 1889 in Sydney. A young Julian arrived in Tasmania (from England) on 30 January 1855 and was a priest there from 25 February 1874 until 15 November 1876.
Let us celebrate, in his own words, Fr Julian in Tasmania, as he experienced the forests on this beautiful island…