This issue. spring 2011 VOL 6 NO3. Archbishop Hart with Melbourne religious and diocesan chaplains at the post WYD retreat in Salamanca, Spain.

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1 photo by mary ferlin Archbishop Hart with Melbourne religious and diocesan chaplains at the post WYD retreat in Salamanca, Spain. This issue 2 From the director: Planted and built up in Jesus Christ 3 World Youth Day: from Melbourne to Madrid 4 World Youth Day: Changed and renewed 5 Local news: Diaconate ordinations 6 School visit: Listen for God s heartbeat (St Monica s College, Epping) 7 Vocations promotion: Seminarian poster Come and see 8 Vocations promotion: New vocations resources spring 2011 VOL 6 NO3

2 planted and built up in Jesus Christ After many months of preparation, more than 220 pilgrims from Melbourne attended the 26th World Youth Day in Madrid. Before arriving in Madrid, some of the pilgrims had the chance to follow the Footsteps of Jesus in Jerusalem; some visited various significant places in Italy and some visited the convent and birthplace of St Teresa of Avila. On the Tuesday of the World Youth Day week, there was a gathering of more than 4000 Australian pilgrims together with 24 Australian bishops and many priests. The gathering included testimonies from several young people who had attended WYD in Sydney. They all agreed that WYD has deepened their faith and they are more willing to share their faith with others. Bishop Christopher Prowse of Sale Diocese, in his final speech, challenged the pilgrims not to have an attitude of self-centredness but instead to make a difference in the world by living out the values and teachings of the Gospel. He encouraged the pilgrims not to run away from but rather to embrace joyfully the cross of Jesus Christ, through which salvation of humanity is obtained. It is the cross of Jesus Christ that our faith has been planted and built upon. The Catechesis sessions were aimed at helping the pilgrims to understand further what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ; what it means to be a Christian and how to be Christ s witnesses in the world. Pilgrims were reminded that Christian faith is not only a matter of believing that certain things are true but above all having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a relationship that gives meaning, purpose and completion to our life. Fr Binh Le outside the cathedral of Ávila, Spain. This personal relationship with the Son of God can only be cultivated in faith, deepened through reading reflectively the Word of God and nurtured and sustained in the Eucharist. Further, this personal relationship with Christ will empower us to make him known to others. We need to share with others the joy of our faith. We cannot keep Christ to ourselves! Many pilgrims would undoubtedly agree that the highlight of this World Youth Day was the concluding Mass at Cuatro Vientos Airport. For me, however, there was another high point and it occurred at the Saturday night Prayer Vigil. Pope Benedict XVI had just begun his homily when a strong wind sprang up and heavy rain came pouring down. At that instance, the Pope omitted his prepared reflection and moved to the Eucharistic adoration. As soon as the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, all the noise and chaos were stilled by an impressive prayerful atmosphere of silence. WYD pilgrims knelt silently in the mud to adore the Lord. All eyes were fixed upon the Lord! At that moment, I realised that even rain and storm cannot shake our faith when it is planted and built up in Jesus Christ. World Youth Day, for many pilgrims, is a special occasion to reflect, discuss, exchange experiences, and, above all, to pray together and recommit their lives in Christ. Many pilgrims, as a result of WYD, have created new friendships that cross the borders of cultures and countries. Pilgrims no longer feel isolated but part of a great community of believers in the world. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, World Youth Day creates friendships, opens borders, makes visible that it is beautiful to be with God and that God is with us. photo by mary ferlin Fr Binh Le Director of Vocations 2

3 from Melbourne to Madrid Two hundred and fifty World Youth Day pilgrims descended onto the University town of Salamanca, Spain, to reflect on the experience of World Youth Day, Madrid 2011, to internalise the experience and explore where to from here. On Tuesday, 23 August, Catholic Vocations, Archdiocese of Melbourne were thrilled to facilitate a Vocations Forum, similar to those which are held in youth groups and schools around the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Locally these forums have been a great success. From WYD, many seeds are planted and pilgrims begin to explore their call to priesthood, religious life & married life. The vocations forum offers opportunities for participants to hear the panel members share their joys & challenges in a real and candid way. Members of the panel included: Archbishop Denis Hart (diocesan priesthood), Sr Rita Malavisi, Sisters of St Joseph (religious women), Br Isuru Weliwatte, Missionaries of God s Love (religious men), Jeremy Yuen (married life) & Jonathon Zarb (single life). Each shared passionately about their discernment story and how they are living out their vocation today. Fr Binh Le, Vocations Director ably led the forum and explored the notion of discernment, stressing that each person through their baptism is called to holiness. He comfortably used images and symbols to explore the concept of pathways in life. Melbourne pilgrim Megan Anderson said The Vocations Forum allowed me to recognise that we all have a calling from Vocations forum held at Salamanca, Spain. God, which may not always be clear at times. But we should consider all Vocations and find the one that leads us to the most peace. We thank the Archdiocesan Office for Youth for the invitation to hold the Vocations Forum in Spain. To book a Vocations Forum for your School or parish youth group please contact: Jonathon Zarb, Special Projects Officer Jonathan Zarb Special Projects Officer photos by mary ferlin 3

4 changed and renewed Brandon Walker and Vinh Nguyen. photo courtesy of brandon walker Pilgrims await Pope Benedict XVI at Cuatro Vientos Airport, World Youth Day 2011, Madrid. photo by jeremy yuen Whilst being in Madrid already seems like a dream now that I am back into the swing of everyday life, there is no doubt that the many experiences I shared with my fellow pilgrims and with youth from every corner of the world, have left me in a changed and renewed state. And it is an amazing thing to discover for yourself and to witness others discover the new life; the joy, the purpose and the calling which is the very essence of our Catholic faith and the foundation of our beliefs. It is impossible for anyone attending World Youth Day to not encounter Christ. The greatest treasure I brought back with me from Madrid is a much more real and tangible awareness and sense of who Christ is. I discovered Christ as a man, living life as a man, through a very moving Way of the Cross service. By imagining the great suffering he endured, the uncertainty he faced, the fear he wrestled with and the death he overcame, I am able to live with him and through him, to really follow the way he lived as a man. I also came to know Christ as the Church, and through the kindness, integrity, faith and humility of those who I met and formed great friendships with. The experience that I find myself coming back to when I reflect upon that fleeting time in Spain, is the night we slept out at Cuatro Vientos, where over 1.5 million youth gathered to meet the Pope. What is significant about this moment is how a great storm gave way to a sudden stillness; a calm that descended upon us all during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. My mind keeps flicking back to the Psalm of David when I recollect the peace and restoration we all felt; an experience that unified us in prayer and adoration of our Lord. That moment is one I will never forget and when I reflect upon my time in Madrid, it reassures me again and again of the power and beauty of God s presence in the Holy Spirit which fills us with the courage and the trust in God to do his will. And, from talking to many about their experience in Madrid and past World Youth Days, I am certainly not alone in this. By discovering the power of God s love at this great event, so many have been able to discover where God is calling them and have followed his voice with courage, determination and love; it is a truly humbling thought. What I and many youth from around Melbourne, Australia and throughout the world experienced in Madrid was a modern miracle. Brandon Walker 4

5 Diaconate Ordinations On Saturday 10 September in St Patrick s Cathedral, Archbishop Denis Hart ordained three men to the diaconate as they enter the final stage of their road to the priesthood. Andrew McCarter, Benneth Osuagwu and Jerome Santamaria were joined by fellow seminarians, family, friends and priests of the Archdiocese in a wonderful celebration of their decision to give their lives in the service of God and his Church. photos by casamento photography 5

6 listen for God s Heartbeat This year our Year 10 students were encouraged to reflect upon our annual theme of Listen for God s Heartbeat and consider ways those who work within the Catholic Church enact the Gospel message. St. Monica s College was pleased to host the following guests: Fr Binh Le Vocations Director, Archdiocese of Melbourne Sr Katherine Stone and Melanie Edwards Missionaries of God s Love Sr Rosalie O Malley Sisters of Nazareth Br Tony Caddy Marist Brothers Jack O Sullivan Archdiocesan Office for Youth Sr Emma Garol Daughters of St Paul Melissa Um (10 Orange): On Friday July 29th, 2011, we had 8 guest speakers from different backgrounds and different vocations present to the Year 10 students. My class, 10 orange, had the pleasure of having Sisters Katherine Stone and Melanie Edwards, from the Missionaries of God s Love Sisters and Father Binh Le, Vocations Director present to us. It was a great experience and an opportunity for us to discover another possible pathway we could follow. They explained to us what a vocation was and how it related to everyone; they explained the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, that sisters and brothers take when they join the consecrated life or priesthood. They also told us about their journey into priesthood or sisterhood and about their life there. It was very successful in helping the classes learn more about vocations and the religious way of life, with many students participating and asking lots of questions to help further their understanding. Fr Binh and speakers at St Monica s Vocations forum. Jessica De Vincentis (10 Indigo): We were fortunate to have several religious guest speakers who visited St Monica s College to explain to the Year 10s what life is like as a priest or religious sister. My morning began when 10 Green and Indigo were first spoken to by Fr Binh Le, who Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. He provided us with a lot of information about himself and good advice about decisions we will need to make in the future. During the second period we moved on to another two guest speakers, Sr Katherine Stone and Sr Melanie Edwards who were from the Missionaries of God s Love. They were enjoyable and gave the students a quiz on various questions. Overall, it turned out to be a great day that provided a lot of valuable lessons and teachings toeveryone involved. photos courtesy of bernadette harris Matthew Mission (10 Blue): It was a wonderful experience to be part of the Vocations workshops. I learnt about the different ways of believing in God and heard how others listen to God s Heartbeat. One guest spoke about how she truly believes in God through miracles, while another speaker found who God is by praying and God answering his own dilemma. Overall it was a good morning and I m looking forward to hosting another event like this. Rachael Fenech (10 Mauve): On Friday 29 July, the students from Year 10 were visited by many special guests who informed us about Religious Vocations and also about the journey that their own life had taken them on. My class was visited first by Sr Rosalie O Malley from the Sisters of Nazareth. She was kind enough to inform us and discuss with us the various different religious vocation paths that girls could embark on. Not only did she tell us about the paths we as students could take in our future, she also shared her life with us. She shared many stories from her childhood, right up until she got her calling from God to become a sister. Sr Rosalie also took the time to explain to us in much detail exactly what she and the other Sisters of Nazareth do. Then, my class was visited by Br Tony Caddy from the Marist Brothers. He informed us about the work he does with the Marist Brothers not only in Australia, but also globally. He asked the class many different questions that made everyone really take a step back and think about what they want to do with the rest of their life. His presentation was also extremely informative and eyeopening. At the end of the two presentations, everyone was left with questions in their mind: What do I want to do with my life? What is God calling me to do?. 6

7 COME and SEE IS G O D C A L L ING YO U TO T HE P R IE S T H O O D? PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SEMINARIANS THERE ARE CURRENTLY 110 SEMINARIANS IN VICTORIA AND 337 IN AUSTRALIA DESIGN BY JEREMY YUEN (CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE \ CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS) PHOTOS BY CASAMENTO PHOTOGRAPHY COME A ND S EE... C O R P U S C H R I S T I C O L L E G E REGIONAL SEMINARY 2011 Poster produced by Catholic Vocations for National Vocations Awareness Week Of 1,000 printed, less than 100 remain. The success of the poster may be explained by the following comment from one parishioner: I had no idea we have so many seminarians. It is wonderful. Pray that many more young men will join their ranks. 7

8 new Vocations promotion resources This year the Vocations Office has embarked on an ambitious program to update our resources. The major plank of this platform will be a DVD (approx 12 minutes) to promote the different vocations to young people in schools and youth groups. An extraordinary young film maker David Collins has been assisting us. The film challenges young people to see the priesthood as more than a collar, consecrated life as more than a habit, marriage as more than a wedding day and single life as one but not alone in their life of service. The film is Melbourne-centric but timeless using images and music with minimal text and no dialogue. We are developing a resource to go with the film which will include more information about the different vocations and lesson plans/ discussion questions. A new set of brochures is being developed to complement the DVD we have had wonderful assistance from many of the religious orders who have sent in testimonies and photos (see some above) which will be used in the brochures and on the vocations website. It is also planned to redesign the website to simplify the navigation. We plan to launch our new promotion resources in 2012 watch this space! Contact us Catholic Vocations Cardinal Knox Centre 383 Albert Street (PO BOX 146) East Melbourne VIC Australia 3002 (8002) vocations@cam.org.au DESIGN Jeremy Yuen (Communications Office, Archdiocese of Melbourne) Environmental Profile Vocations News is proudly printed in Australia on mill accredited ISO14001 Environmental Management System (EMS), Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), Acid Free stock using soy-based inks (EcoMark Certified). 100% Environmentally Friendly. 8