Padua News. It continues to be a big year of celebration for us here at St. Anthony of Padua Parish Melton South. Father Martin s Message

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1 he is the official quarterly Newsletter of St. nthony of Padua Catholic Church, Cnr xford & Wilson oads elton South, VIC 3338 el: Fax: mail: Parish Priest: Father artin J Fleming ditorial Committee Dolores urcsan dwina a ose orraine ellis Kim arton odwin arton If you are interested in being part of the ditorial Committee, please contact any one of the committee members or paduanews@yahoo.com.au hank you. Issue 9 Father artin s essage It continues to be a big year of celebration for us here at St. nthony of Padua Parish elton South. When you enter our newly consecrated church you can t help notice that things are different. Our Church has become exclusively a place of gathering for prayer and worship. he new stone ltar gives you a sense of strength and beauty. he renovations have made the church both more comfortable and appropriate to the sacred business conducted within its walls. However all of this means nothing unless we as a parish continue to build ourselves as living stones into a temple of the body of Christ. wenty-five years is a decent amount of time for a community to come to a sense of its own identity. s we look back and give thanks for all that has been, we thank our od for his continued blessings. hese blessings are a spring-board to possibilities of what can be in the future. I have been really amazed by the stories coming from the Para-Olympics in eijing. Stories of courage and ability to strive and achieve much. Our participation in the Days in the Diocese as part of World Youth Day in Sydney this year also has been a great encouragement for us as people of faith. September 1, 2008 ast weekend a number of our young parishioners made their First Communion. It was wonderful to see their sense of the sacred as they participated in the ass. et us continue to celebrate Him who is present when two or three gather in His name. ll the best. ev artin Fleming, PP Congratulations - St. nthony of Padua Church, elton South on its Jubilee Year celebrations as a parish. Congratulations to Father artin on his 25 th nniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood.

2 Issue 9 Page 2 St nthony of Padua Jubilee ass It was a privilege to be part of the St. nthony s Parish Jubilee celebrations held on the 13 th of June this year. We gathered, not only to commemorate twenty-five years of sharing the ucharist and being part of a Parish community, but also to witness the Consecration of the ltar and the Walls of the Church. his moving ceremony for many of us was a once in a life time experience. he consecration of the ltar and the Church gave us the opportunity to celebrate the sanctity and tradition of the Parish. he symbols of water, oil and fire were a powerful imagery of the wonder, awe and mystery of the isen Christ in our liturgies. rchbishop Denis Hart in the presence of Father artin and fellow priests acknowledged the work of the pioneers of the Parish and duly passed on to the present community the stewardship of maintaining what we have. Celebrating together tells the story who we are as a people and the importance of this identity in our world today. s staff members of the Parish Primary School, it was invaluable to be immersed in this experience. It brought to life the links between our Parish and School and the traditions that we embraced together. his is our Parish story. s teachers, we bring this to life with our students. We must have the commitment to take St. nthony s into the twenty first century where the integrity of the Church and our faith in the future depends on our leading the way. Damien Schuster

3 Issue 9 Page 3 Dinner Dance On the 15th of June 2008, St nthony s parish celebrated its 25th jubilee year and what a wonderful night it was. his special occasion was held at uxor eception Center located on Keilor elton oad, aylors akes. he night turned out to be fantastic with a great bunch of people of all ages, quality food and lots of fun and dancing. It was a great feeling to be part of something so special and meaningful, I couldn t have asked for anything more. Congratulations St nthony s! David onello

4 Issue 9 Page 4 VxÄxuÜtà Çz H çxtüá Ç CCK t mass one Sunday morning, ernadette, then about 4 years old, needed to go to the adies room. Father Utri began his homily and all of a sudden, the whole church could hear singing coming from the toilet. Father announced that an angel had arrived. dwina o the Parishioners of the future, may you share a family environment in St. nthony s and encourage and teach the young all you know about your faith. Share the stories with them so that our history and faith are carried forward. isten to the children who will teach you innocence and purity. est wishes. argaret We participated in family clusters organized by arg Counahan Family s get together to share a meal, and their family s experiences, its aim was to support each other. We played games, we laughed, we shared, we grew together. obyn and ick Hello to you all, we hope you enjoy life at St. nthony s just like we did with our kids and the friends we made through the Parish. od less you. he Coyne Family o our arg here was a lady who rode a bike Who would visit around elton in the dead of night lways looking to help solve a plight Unfortunately giving many a massive fright She d knock at any door where there was a light uch to everyone s delight We lost the bike and now she s leading another life Oh, How we miss those long dark nights WSN SUUS On one of our many collections for the auction at St. nthony s, Fr James Peter athews and myself were traveling through Kew Junction with a Dressing able and a 7 ft high mirror. Next thing the mirror went into the air and broke into a hundred pieces. What will we do I said to Father Peter. Keep Driving was his answer! en Wonderful to see all the old and young faces here tonight. It is wonderful being here for all of the 25 years of our Parish and being part of St. Dom s before that. Veronica 3 yrs in the Parish have been very welcoming. oday s celebrations are a credit to those involved. od bless St. nthony s in the years to come. Frances and ernie wonderful celebration of 25 years, although we have only been part of the community for 15 years. od less and guide us over the next 25 years. nn and Dennis he celebrations have been blessed in a special way. he solemn dedication of church and altar exuded special grace. his, no doubt was aided with the special attention to the church. he well attended and fun dinner dance is a festive finale. We, as a group decided to have a social night and make some money at the same time. he gambling nights at ernie avery Farm Shed was born (had three)! om his parish has welcomed us eight years ago and we share a lot of happy memories. Stephen

5 VxÄxuÜtà Çz H çxtüá Ç CCK wenty years ago (approx) arg C. organized for women of the parish to get away for a weekend of rest and recuperation leaving husbands and fathers to carry the load at home. his group is still going strong although we live apart from elton now. 2 weeks ago we went to Carisbrook and are still going strong. Pat Congratulations St. nthony s. If it wasn t for you, we would not have a job. What a fantastic Parish. any thanks. he eachers, St. nthony s staff he Family holidays at t liza were a wonderful time for all. he Women s weekends away organized by argaret Counahan were shall we say memorable over the last 20 years, still gong strong, hopefully will keep going. ary and artin Congratulations on reaching 25, looking forward to celebrating 50! ellis family onight I have been reminded of the great Foundation of Faith we have because of dedication and generosity of people who were part of our beginnings. John Congratulations! St. nthony s! Congratulations on your 25 th St nthony s! If it wasn t for you I wouldn t have a job either. Damien, the Principal Congratulations to all involved in the celebrations! Spiritually, socially it s a wonderful time (especially the dancing!). ary hree wishes for 25 years down the track: 1. St. nthony s grows into a thriving multicultural community. 2. St. nthony s cricket club still going. 3. he Western ulldogs have won a premiership. WSN SUUS t liza family camps were a wonderful time for both mums and dads and all the kids. We have fond memories of those days and lots of laughter, lots of talk and just a few drinks or two or three. ay and rish t one of the evening masses in 1994, during Fr Peter Finn s procession into the church, Nathan our 3 yr old exclaimed in a loud voice, ook ummy, Jesus is coming! Father Peter beamed from ear to ear. He commented, Yes, he is! en and Joan Congratulations on the 25 th nniversary of St nthony Parish and I join you in praying for the future success of all your endeavours. reat to be here and take part in the all. ut better yet nice to just be in it all. hank you for the wonderful evening. From food, music and fellowship with others. It is just a wonderful time at least catching up with friends and an enjoyable night. Congratulations to St. nthony s. ayette I was so proud on the Friday the church was dedicated because I felt so happy and so part of the parish. ock On St nthony s Parish! J It has been a wonderful experience knowing all such supportive and nice people. Helen Warren Issue 9 Page 5

6 Issue 9 Page 6 St nthony of Padua Church, elton South - the Window and the Cross Of all churches in every denomination in ustralia, there is only one church that has had two entries in the lake Prize for religious art and that church is our own St. nthony of Padua in elton South. ind you we did not win it, but we had two worthwhile entries our igrant Window to the Holy Spirit and our Stainless Steel Cross that faces up xford oad towards elton. rchbishop Frank ittle, when he was visiting elton South to bless the Cross to commemorate the 20 th anniversary of the establishment of St nthony s, confided to me that he was elated by our proposed entries in the lake Prize for eligious art. He said the entries if successful would provide a boost for the Parish. Unfortunately they were not successful, but have provided the Parish with two great works of art and the Parish received a boost in that its new Parish Priest was Father artin. he igrant s Window to the Holy Spirit had a very interesting birth. Father Werner suggested to me that he would be very pleased if we had a Window contributed and blessed and dedicated to the Holy Spirit. On a survey trip to Hobart I managed to get the name of an eminent asmanian glass sculptor llen Harris who operated from rooms in the rts Complex in Salamanca Place in Hobart. I told Fr. Werner about her standing in her profession of glass sculptors and Fr. Werner then visited her and she showed him copies and photos of works commissioned from her. pparently the coloured glass necessary in the Window was very difficult to get. Fr. Werner persisted with the commission and llen Harris duly provided the lass Window a true work of art. he Window to the Holy Spirit was blessed by ishop ark Coleridge on the 1 st of ay here was a large crowd of parishoners who attended ass and participated in the celebrations. On the left of the Window is an explanation provided by rs. Harris that clearly states that her concept of the Holy Spirit being a tree of fire and water growing out of the earth. Father oni Szewczyk, the then administrator of the Parish after Father Werner Utri, approached several parishoners (myself included) and pointed out that St nthony s didn t have a Cross to distinguish itself as a Catholic Church. I approached a friend of mine, an architect, to get the names of sculptors who specialised in religious themes. he architect warned me that his nominee, Keith Wiltshire, a Victorian, was a little out of the ordinary. I interviewed Keith and briefed him. Keith after some time, contributed three models of Crosses suitable for erection in the front of St. nthony s. competition was then held by which every parishioner voted for one of the three models proposed by the sculptor. he model of the stainless steel one was chosen from the models that Keith submitted. he magnificent Stainless Steel Cross was mounted on the 18th September 2003 and it was blessed by rchbishop Frank ittle on the 2nd November 2003 to commemorate the 20 th anniversary of the founding of St. nthony s. he sculptor was paid out of 50% by direct donations from the parishoners whose names appear on a plaque inside the church and 50% out of parish reserves. he sculptor s comments on the concept of the Cross are featured in the plaque inside the church. hey make worthy his comments on a truly great work of art. he Parish of St nthony s is truly blessed by possessing a holy Parish Priest who is attuned to the wants of not only his parishoners but also the needs of the church of St nthony s. He has Con td on Page 7 Cont d from Page 6 fine tuned by renovation and cajoling the church authorities the actual church of St. nthony s he Holy Spirit window

7 Issue 9 Page 7 Cont d from Page 6 fine tuned by renovation and cajoling the church authorities the actual church of St. nthony s itself. It possesses a beautiful essurection Window to commemorate its first Parish Priest. It possesses an altar of history worthy of a fine cathedral. It possesses Stations of the Cross which turns a memory of a bush church into a living history. nd it is not done yet!! Father artin acquiesced to my suggestion (encouraged by rchbishop ittle) to enter the Window to the Holy Spirit and the Stainless Steel Cross in the lake Prize for Julian Samy and I packed up the samples one of the models submitted by Keith Wiltshire, and a photographic display of the Window in a 3D display which Julian s sister and her boyfriend had mounted. It was very effective. We drove all the way to Sydney University, where the judging of the lake Prize was held. We were not too late. he art room was like a large warehouse full of paintings and sculptures and all on religious themes. here were artists and sculptors everywhere. Some of the paintings were far out and I didn t think they would get a prize in a bush market. So we filled in the forms, deposited our entries and left. We were notified after the results came out that a prominent Sydney artist got the First Prize. pparently there is a coterie of Sydney artists that have a stranglehold on the prize and certainly on the judges. oth the Window and the Cross are religious works of art and the church in elton South is fortunate that it has at least three works of art on display: he esurrection Window he Holy Spirit Window he Cross in front of St. nthony s. eorge Hamm he esurrection Window he Cross in front of St. nthony s Priests at St. nthony s St. nthony s Parish says hank You to all our Priests who have assisted us on our journey in faith Peter James Francis ellett Phillip O Donnell Peter Finn ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) Werner Utri ony Szewczyk artin Flemming ( ) ( ) (2004-present)

8 Issue 9 Page 8 St. nthony of Padua Parish, elton South. rian arker he first Sunday ass as a parish was held in the school foyer. s organist for St Dominic s church for several years, I remember setting up the organ for my new parish of St nthony s in the only available space, just outside the toilets! Father James got a good reception and was meeting with everyone after ass. He soon became noted for short sermons and got straight to the point. he transition from St. Dominics to St. nthony s was a little rocky, as a St. Dominic s council member I was unable to be on the St. nthony s Parish Council. hey did, however, allow me to sit in on meetings as an observer. he sacrificial counting was done in one of the prep school classrooms on prepsized chairs (not very comfy, unless you re a prep). ll the money was taken to om Dagge, who was the banker for some time. I remember we had a combined church fete in the early days which was very popular and a good money spinner! rian arker racey rewis he thing I remember most about the early days at St. nthony s parish was Father Peter James. eneath his gruff exterior was a kind and generous man who could have you in and out of church in only 35 minutes! Word got around and his popularity soared! y brother and I loved it when mum and dad were rostered on for counting the sacrificial offerings. We were allowed to sort all the coins, we had never seen so much money! We left confident that the Priest could afford to buy heaps of lollies. I remember nervously standing up to the microphone for the first time to be the commentator and as my confidence grew under r Davies tutelage I was later allowed to do the readings. I also graced the choir with my presence for a while. y apologies to Stella Cochrane - singing was not to be my future! racy rewis itchie, arian and argaret Fernandesz y name is itchie Fernandesz and I was born in Colombo, Sri anka on the 13 October y family tried since 1973 to migrate to ustralia, however we were not successful. In July 1984, I started working and near to my work place was a well known church, famous for its miraculous powers. any catholics and non-catholics patronised this little church and it was dedicated to St nthony, and the little town was called Kochikade and the name of the church was St. nthony s Kochikade. On uesdays, I used to visit this little church and I started a novena to St. nthony, praying for his intercession that would enable me and my family to migrate to ustralia. Cont d on Page 9 Cont d from Page 8

9 Issue 9 Page 9 St. nthony of Padua Parish, elton South. I maintained this novena to St. nthony and within 12 months I, along with my brother, was asked to attend an interview at the ustralian mbassy in Colombo, Sri anka. ven though my brother was not successful in his attempt to migrate to ustralia, I was given this opportunity. I know that without the help of my prayers and my novenas to St. nthony I too would not have been successful. I arrived in elbourne, ustralia in September 1988 and settled in with my uncle and aunt in len Waverley. However, as some of my classmates were also in ustralia and attending the parish of St. nthony s in Noble Park, I too attended Sunday ass at this Church. few years later in 1991, I met my wife, arian who was living in elton South and her Parish was St nthony of Padua, elton South. I started attending mass at this parish whenever I was in elton South and in pril 1995, I made the big move and married arian. Since then, my Parish has been St. nthony of Padua, elton South. Is it coincidence that has led me to be involved in parishes that bore the name of St. nthony? I do not think so. o me it is far more than a coincidence. I firmly believe that od had a definite hand in all of this. It was His way of showing me that my prayers through the intercession of his servant, St. nthony, were heard by him. What does this mean to me? I used to ask this question a lot and finally one day while I was in the church I found the answer to this question. Help out in the Parish of St. nthony of Padua elton South. I started as a volunteer, assisting John rewis in arranging the chairs for the Holy Week and aster iturgies. Since then I have taken a more active role in participating in many of the inistries in y Parish, including, ass Coordinator, ucharistic inister, Commentator, eader, Co-ordinator of the Volunteer Cleaning Committee, aintenance Co-ordinator, member of the hanksgiving Committee and assisting in many of the other areas within the Parish community. I also am involved with external activities that the Parish has been involved with, like raising funds by selling candles at the Carols by Candle ight organised by all the Churches in elton and the Shire of elton. In participating in these activities I have found a way to say thank you to St. nthony for all he has obtained for me in my life. I have introduced m y 11 year old daughter, argaret (aggie) into the parish way of life too. She has received the Sacraments of aptism and First Holy Communion in this parish. She is now a very active member of this parish. She has been a member of the Children s iturgy, Children s Choir, ltar Server, and a ember of the reeting Committee at the 10.30am ass. It is by our own participation in our parish life, that we can introduce our family members, friends and newcomers to Our Parish. Our parish is not made up of just a few people carrying out od s work but, the whole community that belongs as one family in our parish at St. nthony of Padua, elton South that has made this parish such a vibrant, caring, and growing parish. In conclusion, I wish to say that I and my family have been greatly nourished, spiritually, mentally and socially by being active members of the Parish of St. nthony of Padua elton South. I pray that this parish will grow from strength to strength in the years to come as it has done in the last 25 years, since ev Fr. Peter James was at the helm as the First Shepherd of the Flock at this Parish. itchie, arian and argaret Fernandesz

10 Issue 9 Page 10 St. nthony of Padua Church, elton South. Colin and nne Consiglio In December 1974, my wife, baby daughter and I moved to elton South from lenroy. In those days, elton was known as a Satellite City, and to our parents we may as well have moved to the moon. It was such a long way from where we had started. y 1981 our family had grown to a total of 6 people. Our first daughter was a member of the first group to attend St nthony s Primary school from Prep through to rade 6. he majority of the activities that we became involved with were in some way triggered through our children. he school was a centre of parish life. Sunday morning ass was held in the school foyer, a crying baby here and there, just added to the common bonds between the young families. Sitting on the small school chairs was a real experience. When it was clear that the area would soon become a parish in its own right, we all realised that much of the shaping for our journey would come down to the people. It was through r. om Dagge s encouragement that I again took up the role of eading and eading at Sunday ass, something that I had done during my primary and secondary years. o be involved in the early years of the parish was an honour and privilege. It was very satisfying being involved with the iturgy group, and to have the opportunity to learn more about some of the details and meanings of our church. I think the highlight was our involvement with the inaugural aptism roup. his was created to reach out to the newer families who had decided to have their children welcomed into the church. It was a marvelous opportunity to either re-establish or maintain a religious contact with young families. Still having a very young family at the time made it very easy to relate to these people. he relevance of church versus the world was always high on the list for discussion at this time. I hold that time dearly in my heart. nne and I were also involved with the NW program, Confirmation, econciliation and Communion preparation and of course numerous fetes, picnics and outings. When I think of these I conclude that my family and I received more from having been involved than the effort we put in. he ship of St nthony s of elton South has travelled some stormy waters. We have been fortunate to be passengers and the close bond with other families has seen us through the journey safe and sound. Our children have all left home. nne and I still find comfort when we again meet up with some of the original families. Seeing new faces appear at church and becoming involved makes me feel happy, knowing that the Parish of St nthony s will be in good hands in the future. Colin and nne Consiglio he steadfast love of the OD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "he OD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." amentations 3:21-24