Looking back, towards the future An Interview with Father Martin. Moving on -

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1 is the official quarterly Newsletter of Issue 13 September 1, 2009 St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Cnr Exford & Wilson Roads Melton South, VIC 3338 Tel: Fax: Parish Priest: Rev. Martin J Fleming Pastoral Associate: Sr. Patricia Stone rsj Committee Dolores Turcsan Edwina La Rose Lorraine Tellis Kim Barton Godwin Barton Anne Consiglio Doris Bonnelo If you are interested in being part of the Committee, please contact any one of the committee members or paduanews@yahoo.com.au Thank you. Looking back, towards the future An Interview with Father Martin Father Martin, when you arrived at St Anthony's, what were your first impressions of the parish, the school and local community? I saw a community that is very much alive, doing a lot of things, a number of different people involved in activities - it was a busy Parish. What were your visions for St Anthony s Parish six years ago and have these been met? The community had gone through a bit of disruption and the Archbishop was concerned about the welfare of the community so I was sent to try and settle things down. My immediate vision was to help people see the value they could be for each other. Over the last 6 years, people have worked together, moved on from that hiatus and the Parish is now running smoothly. What has been your most rewarding experience at St Anthony's? Ultimately, the 25 year Parish celebrations as it was an opportunity for the community to celebrate 25 years of faithfulness, worship, working together and growing as a people of God. Celebrating it with the community along with my own celebration of 25 years as a Priest, made my personal celebration so much more significant it was a big milestone. Working with the Jubilee Committee for 12 months beforehand and the preparations for the celebrations during the actual year was a very rewarding experience. Tell us about one of your most humorous moments during your term with St Anthony s Parish. I found it quite amusing having to put the ceiling fans on to get rid of the smoke from the incense and the fire at the Altar during the Consecration ceremony, although it was still a very sacred moment. Tell us about one of your most unforgettable moments. The consecration of our Church and dedication of our Altar that was a very sacred ceremony and unforgettable. Having the Archbishop here to solemnly dedicate the Altar and bless the Church officially saying and recognising that this is indeed a sacred place, making the community a sacred people is a very unforgettable thing. The Altar from the seminary, all the time I was there, and now having it here, makes it very special every time I celebrate Mass here. Cont d on next page What do you consider some of your greatest achievements at Moving on - Father Martin is transferring to Braybrook and Maidstone parishes effective from September 23, We wish Father Martin all the very best for the future. From: St Anthony of Padua Parish

2 Issue 13 Page 2 Looking back..., towards the future An Interview with Father Martin (Cont d from Page 1) Keep ahead of challenges in life as they come along, and create a community that is faithful, faith-filled and generous St Anthony's? The introduction of the Quadrant structure, a model of Parish organisation from my previous Parish the model impressed me as it provides a structure that enables information flow, enables people to fill their part and have a place and a voice, and know that there is somewhere and someone they can turn to for help introducing that, seeing it grow and people getting involved, and knowing that when I go away, there is a structure which will function well. St Joseph s statue - a blessing things happening at the moment but more could be done working together with people, the Council and the School. What is your advice to the parishioners at St Anthony s? To rejoice and be thankful for what you are as a people, to recognise the talents and gifts of each other and continue to be generous in all that you are. What will you miss the most? I will miss all the faces and the people that I ve got to know, and miss what has become familiar in terms of the people and situations here. If your tenure at St Anthony's was longer, what more would you have liked to do for the parish communitything to the volunteers/ Would you like to say any- I would have done a lot more committees volunteering at in the area of Youth Ministry, St Anthony s? Adult Education in faith, First of all, I would like to more outreach to the faithless in our community. and work in the various thank all those who volunteer Are these suggestions you groups because it certainly would offer to the Community before you leave? the people. I am grateful for promotes the faithfulness of There have been a lot of the generosity of those people who give their time and energy because it is indicative of God working in their lives. Their giftedness and generosity to spread that gift is indicative of God in their lives and to where God is leading them, and that is a wonderful thing. Would you like to add any other thoughts? This is a mature community and Parish that has celebrated 25 years there is a lot of wisdom, strength and will in the people. A lot has been achieved in 25 years and there is great capacity to achieve much more in the next 25 years. Keep ahead of challenges in life as they come along, and create a community that is faithful, faith-filled and generous. Interviewed by: Dolores Turcsan & Kim Barton The statue of St Joseph, carved in Bethlehem where Jesus was born, out of olive wood from ancient olive trees like the ones in Gethsemane, was purchased for our Parish by Father Martin whilst in the Holy Land. The statue was blessed on Sunday, August 9, 2009 during our celebration Mass of the centenary of the death of Blessed Mary MacKillop. Pictures: Above - Father Martin blessing the statue with Sr Mary and Sr Patricia looking on Left - The statue of St Joseph

3 Issue 13 Page 3 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land My recent Pilgrimage to the Holy Land took me to Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Territories to visit Bethlehem. We call these places the Holy Land because it is the cradle of our Faith beginnings. God revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses a long time ago. He also went on to reveal himself in his Son Jesus of Nazareth. Our Bible is a rich tapestry of our Faith history beginning with Abraham and moving to Jesus and on through to the early church. My pilgrimage started at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv in Israel. We went on to visit the old city of Jerusalem and the first panoramic view from Mt Scopus was breathtaking. Closer inspection took us to the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian quarter, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount which is a very special place for both Jews and Moslems. I stood at the Western wall which is the base of the old Temple and was able to spend a quiet time in prayer along with other pilgrims. At the edge of the old city of Jerusalem is Mt Zion where you find the church of Mary s Dormition or literally Mary s falling asleep. It was decorated with various images of Our Lady. We went to the Cenacle or Upper room which is over the place where Jesus apparently celebrated the Last supper with his disciples. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher contains the place where Jesus was crucified and was buried. It was identified by Helena, the mother of Constantine, and after the Moslem destruction it was won back and rebuilt by the Crusaders. It is quite an extraordinary place with bits and pieces of rooms and stairs all over the place. It was quite a wonderful feeling to be there over Calvary and Christ s Tomb. The Israeli museum has the shrine of the book which contains what are called the Dead Sea Scrolls with ancient Scriptures written on them. These were found in Qumran near the dead sea in clay baked Jars by a shepherd boy. We went to the ruins of Qumran where you can see Father Martin at the Wailing Wall how the community lived out in the desert away from the Secular religion of the Temple in Jerusalem. The community there were called the Essenes. John the Baptist had some link with this group. We visited Ein Karem which is the place of the birth of John the Baptist and the church of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. We celebrated Mass after climbing up a road with an almighty amount of stairs. We went to the Mount of Olives where Jesus and his disciples walked to from Jerusalem. It is quite a distance and quite a hike as well. We all came to the conclusion that Jesus and his disciples were great walkers both over long distances and also up big hills. The Pater Noster church which is French territory has the Prayer the Our Father in a great number of garden walls. Cont d on next page the world s languages on its A pilgrimage is a journey but you find yourself discovering the journey within. Temple Mount in Jerusalem

4 Issue 13 Page 4 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Cont d from Page 3) Our visit to Bethlehem and to the Church of the nativity was exciting because this church was the original church erected by St Helena. It was not destroyed by the Moslems because they saw on the walls a picture of the three wise men who were dressed just like them. The Franciscan Fathers & Brothers had a church and guesthouse next door. They were always very hospitable to us whenever we went to the churches and chapel where we celebrated Mass. Our visit to the fortress of Massada took us up a cablecar to the summit to see where the Jews held out against the Romans for two years before the walls were breached and an earth ramp built up to access the place was completed. Everyone there committed suicide rather than be taken into slavery by the Romans. I was able to swim in the sea of Galilee and float in the dead sea or as it is called the salt sea!! Tabgha is the place where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes. It has a nice ancient church there with the loaves and fish motif in the mosaic floor. We visited Beersheeba where the Australian and New Zealand soldiers are buried. Abraham s well is nearby. Jordan was an interesting place. Jerash is one of the Decapolis or Ten towns where Jesus travelled by. It has a huge number of Roman ruins which have been excavated including a 5 th century Christian Church dedicated to Cosmas and Damian who were doctors. We were able to visit Mt Nebo where Moses looked in the distance to see the promised land before he died. A pilgrimage is a journey but you find yourself discovering the journey within. Being able to walk the holy places of the Scriptures enables a deeper understanding when I now read or listen to them. All the very best! Rev. Martin Fleming PP A tribute to Father Martin Fleming News of Fr Martin s departure from our church of 'St Anthony of Padua - Melton South', to take on the role of Parish Priest at the 'Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Maidstone', should be met by us, his grateful parishioners, with joy, support and prayers. Whilst we will feel sadness to lose such a prominent and central member of our Parish, we should feel privileged to have had the benefit of Fr Martin s guidance and leadership these past years. Fr Martin has administered many changes to accomplish smooth operations between our parish church and school, including the establishment of the Four Quadrants of the Parish Council. The completion of Padua Hall (with its excellent sound system - his pride and joy) and the new canteen have proved mighty successes. The Hall has been a wonderful welcome place as host of many happy parish functions, in addition to housing our weekly Tuesday night bingo, and has served its purpose for the school as well where it is used for drama and gym. Some of Fr Martin's notable achievements include installation of the baptism font, the new cross on the preparatory side of the altar and the glass window behind the Tabernacle. Additionally, the administration offices, including the MacKillop room (used for prayerful meditation and reflection, meetings and children liturgies) have been of great benefit to the general operations and functions of the parish centre. Not to be forgotten, the surrounding grounds received a spruiking, a much needed facelift. The establishment of Padua Hall has enabled us to create a more sacred House of Prayer which we now proudly call our "Church of St Anthony". We were privileged to watch this beautiful transformation unfold through its various stages of refurbishment, commencing with the laying of new carpet, new Altar floor, chairs for the church and the installation of the Stone Altar. The Stone Altar was from the Seminary Cont d on next page

5 Issue 13 Page 5 A tribute to Father Martin Fleming (Cont d from page 4) Chapel where the seminarians met for the celebration of Mass each day and private prayer - our own Fr Martin being one of the Seminarians. Therefore, it was fitting that, Fr Martin celebrated his 25 years in the priesthood by saying Mass on this same Stone Altar, in our midst. The Stone Altar, with its meaningful history for our Parish, is the pièce de résistance of Fr Martin's achievements at St Anthony's. The symbolism attached with this Altar seems to have given us the spiritual boost we needed. Even more importantly, the continual development has coincided with a passionate involvement from our parishioners with choices and selections to further the growth of our Church. In time, we also saw the dedication of the Altar to Our Blessed Mother and a peaceful prayer area dedicated to St Anthony of Padua and Blessed Mary MacKillop. Fr Martin is a man of few words and calls himself an introvert, yet he has in his quiet way proven his command over situations. Most of us are aware that Fr Martin prefers not to be disturbed before or during Mass but on the same note, he does not bat an eyelid at the sound of a child's cry or the odd running around of a gleeful toddler. This gentle side is also noticeable when he speaks with the youth and the elderly of our parish. He takes great pride in simplicity and keeping to tradition with organising the liturgies for marked events of Easter, Christmas, Dedication Masses, etc, often enjoying the task of dressing the Altar himself on such occasions. On his recent trip to the Holy Land, Fr Martin purchased a statue of St Joseph for our parish. He believed it would be fitting to have a statue of St Joseph in our church as we celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the death of Blessed Mary MacKillop, who founded the Josephite Order, and as we have the privilege of the Josephite nuns providing much support in the parish. The statue is carved out of olive wood from the olive trees of Gethsamane by a local artist/sculptor. Fr Martin related this to us with a great sense of pride; our hearts swelled too at this poignant gesture which clearly indicates the love and care Fr Martin has poured into our parish. Fr Martin hoped for the statue of St. Joseph to arrive in time for us to celebrate Blessed Mary MacKillop's anniversary and his prayers were answered as we had the induction of the statue on the 9th of August. The statue now graces the prayer area of our church. Our parish will be forever grateful to Fr Martin and his many achievements throughout his tenure at St Anthony s. He has been instrumental in so many of this Parish's achievements; celebrating our Silver Jubilee together as a Parish in 2008, the Parish Anniversary Ball, World Youth Day and many other memorable events which will live with us always. It is difficult to give complete justice to everything Fr Martin has accomplished in our Parish, though hopefully this tribute has provided insight into his many achievements, both great and small. We certainly render a multitude of thanks to Fr Martin for, with his wise intuitions and enduring efforts, he has managed to quietly steer our Parish into calmer and more comfortable waters. These are the hallmarks of Fr Martin and will leave us with rich reminders of his time with us. Our prayers, hopes and best wishes remain with you, Fr Martin, as you accept the helm of your next challenge and journey through another phase of your wonderful vocation. Do not lose the twinkle in your eye or your mischievous smile... Lorraine Tellis Our prayers, hopes and best wishes remain with you, Fr Martin.. Submissions for next newsletter All Parishioners are welcome to give their suggestions. If you have any article of interest for the next newsletter, please submit them to the Parish Office or to: paduanews@yahoo.com.au by November 1, Editorial Policy The content of the articles contained herein may not necessarily reflect the official stance of the church or the Committee and may differ from the opinion of the editors. The is approved by Father Martin Fleming prior to printing. The editors and Father Martin reserve the right to edit all articles submitted. Articles may be reproduced with permission from the writer and editor.

6 Issue 13 Page 6 St Anthony s Prime Timers We are a social group with approximately 50 members (56 this year). We began in 2002, thanks to Joan Arnold, our Pastoral Associate at the time. Top: Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre Bottom: Sr. Patricia hosting Morning Tea at the Centre We have a monthly activity and have enjoyed many wonderful outings, lunches and visits to very interesting places, such as Werribee Zoo, Tessalaar Tulip farm, The Willows and Eynesbury. Our funds are raised by a small annual membership subscription and a $2 raffle each month. We make a donation from any surplus funds to the Combined Churches Food Bank at least once a year. The highlight of our year is the annual Early Christmas Lunch, held on the last Tuesday of November, which has been at the Rupertswood Mansion in Sunbury for the last two and will be again this year, hopefully. We started 2009 with a visit to Serendip Sanctuary at Lara for a picnic lunch and a walk in the bushland to observe the native plants, birds and animals. Our March outing was to the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre East Melbourne. This truly was a most rewarding experience for all, as we discovered more of the story and background of Mary, her family and the sisters of St. Joseph s order which she founded. In April, we took a boat cruise from Williamstown to Southgate and return, listening to the Captain s amazing stories of the life and times around Melbourne s busy Ports, and enjoying the many interesting sights along the way. Our May outing was a lunch at the new Tabcorp Park. Thanks to the TEAM who take the time to scout around for places to go to, etc, and the committee who keep things going so smoothly. Lois Brewis St Anthony s Annual Dinner Dance - June 26, 2009 On the Saturday evening of June 26, we celebrated the Feast Day of St Anthony of Padua with a Dinner Dance. Unfortunately, Fr Martin could not attend as he was overseas, but Fr Redfern was in attendance to help us celebrate. Approximately one hundred people were in attendance. Padua Hall was transformed with table cloths and centrepieces on each table, along with bowls of nibblies. Balloons were also spread around the hall to give it a festive feel. We certainly enjoyed the spit roast meal which was supplied, with many returning for seconds. As we sat and ate and drank, there was a buzz going around the hall with people enjoying themselves. Charlie the DJ supplied the music once again, which was a great hit, with plenty of dancing for young and old. Our congratulations went to Mary and Sam Vella, who celebrated their Fortieth Wedding Anniversary on the evening along with two tables of family and friends. An enjoyable evening was had by all who attended. The Social Committee would like to thank those who attended for their ongoing support. St Anthony of Padua Social Committee

7 Issue 13 Page 7 Samoan Mass at St Anthony of Padua, Melton South - June 21, 2009 Talofa lava and Greetings to you all my fellow parishioners in the holy name of our Savior Jesus Christ. First of all, I d like to take this opportunity to say thank you very much to our Parish Priest Father Martin for allowing us to have this Mass, and to Father Neru Leuea who has taken the time out to travel all the way from Wagawaga, New South Wales, so that we can celebrate God s love through a Holy Mass in our Samoan language and culture. We pray for God s blessings upon you both always. Secondly, I would like to thank all our fellow parishioners who supported this Mass by being present. A special thank you to Sr Patricia and Godwin Barton who put up with all our cultural events that went on during the feast afterwards. The Mass started at 12.30pm, led and conducted by our very own St Anthony s Samoan Choir, supported by the Samoan choirs from the St Paul s Parish in West Sunshine and Resurrection Parish of St Albans. All the readings of the day and the prayers of the faithful were done by a Catechist from Samoa and New Zealand le susuga a le fa afeagaiga ia Teofilo Iakopo. A special word of thanks to him. The whole service went beautifully and was very spiritually fulfilling for us Samoans, as we have hardly ever had the chance to celebrate in this way due to no Samoan priest being available. After the Mass, we had lunch in the Padua Hall with all our other Samoan friends and families as well as our fellow parishioners from St Anthony s. Finally, we would like to Some of the members of St Anthony s Samoan Choir thank each and every one of you who have helped us in any way possible in making this day special, memorable and a success. It was and still is, a privilege and an honor to have this Samoan Mass here in our own parish. May God bless you all abundantly and may His peace be with us all. Thank you and God Bless. Soifua ma Ia Manuia. St Anthony s Samoan Choir 100 th Anniversary of the death of Blessed Mary MacKillop The children of St Anthony s Primary School have been busy celebrating the Feast of Blessed Mary MacKillop in this, the 100th year after her death. Standing amongst some of the displays seen in the church for this celebration are Christine Fitzgerald, St Patricia Stone and Maria Wytkamp You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses Acts 18

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