Padua News. Greetings from the Eternal City!

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1 is the official quarterly Newsletter of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Cnr Exford & Wilson Roads Melton South, VIC 3338 Tel: Fax: Parish Priest: Father Fabian Smith If you are interested to help in any of the tasks in the production of the, please contact any one of the committee members or Thank you. Committee Dolores Turcsan Doris Bonello Anne Consiglio Colin Consiglio Edwina La Rose Lorraine Tellis Kim Barton Godwin Barton Issue 31 Message Message from our from Parish Father Priest Fabian Greetings from the Eternal City! It s about seven weeks since I have left you. My time so far has been richly blessed. Thank you for your prayers and I have continued to pray for you. I have completed my first module on Spiritual Direction and I have embarked on the second - a study tour of St Paul s footsteps here in Rome and on to Turkey. I was invited by Totto, Catechist in the Neocatechumenal Way from Sydney, to attend an audience with the Holy Father at Paul VI Hall on February 3, In the morning of the 3 rd, I went with Mgr Antony Figuerado, Director of the Institute where I am staying and studying, to St Peter s to celebrate 8am mass in the chapel of St Sebastian where the body of Blessed John Paul II was laid to rest. It was an awesome experience. I prayed for all of you, especially for those who are sick. Photo source: This issue of is also published on the Parish Website When mass was ended, all those at mass, about 150 of us, made our way to the audience hall to gather at 9am. Before we knew it the hall was packed with young people, priests, seminarians, itinerant catechists and families. Also present were 50 Bishops and 11 Cardinals, among them Cardinal Vallini, the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Llovera, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Cardinal Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow. When the Holy Father arrived he was joyfully greeted by 10,000 people from the various communities of The Way from many parts of the world, a number of people from Australia, I may add, with some of whom I lunched with a couple of days later. There were a 1000 or more outside because the audience hall was filled to capacity. Three things stood out for me at this gathering - the blessing, the address and the sending. March 1, 2014 The Blessing The Holy Father was so happy to see so many little children with their parents that no sooner had he greeted everyone, with full of affection he asked: "Can we see them?" At that moment, the mothers and fathers lifted their little ones, some of whom were only a few weeks old, to have his blessings reach their tiny heads. The Address The Holy Father began his address by expressing his gratitude to the members of the Neocatechumenal Way for "the joy of your faith and for the ardour of your Christian witness." "The Church is grateful for your generosity! I thank you for all that you do in the Church and in the world." The Holy Father spoke words of great encouragement to all present and in continued on next page Welcome to Father Cyril Fr Fabian is currently on Sabbatical leave until May. In his absence, we are very fortunate to have a visiting priest, Fr Cyril Stanislaus from India.

2 Issue 31 Page 2 Message from our Parish Priest (continued from previous page) particular to the 417 families going on mission. He reminded them that the Lord always goes ahead of them. "Wherever you may go, it would do you well to think that the Spirit of God always gets there ahead of us." Pope Francis The Sending Concluding his address, the Holy Father encouraged the 417 families who will be embarking in their respective missions to China, India, Vietnam and Mongolia to evangelize that God loves man as Healing Mass he is "even with his limits, with his mistakes, with his sins." This sending -out, for me, was the highlight of the gathering. After the address, groups of families came up with their priest and their responsible and received a crucifix from the Holy Father and they all knelt down for his blessing. The camera was on these families all the time and we could see the great joy on the faces of these families as they greeted the Holy Father and received his blessing as they were sent out on mission. I thought to myself that these families will leave everything behind, all that is familiar to them to go out on mission. Like those of the apostles and martyrs, they will truly experience many a hardship as they go out to proclaim the good news and bear witness to Christ, and yet they go out joyfully. As members of the Body of Christ, may we keep in our prayers our brothers and sisters on mission and ask our Lord for grace, that we in St Anthony s Parish, as we go about our daily living, may also bear joyful witness to Christ knowing always that the Lord goes ahead of us. May God Bless you! Father Fabian Smith Parish Priest What a blessing and grace it was once again to participate in the biannual healing mass here at St. Anthony s parish on Thursday, November 21, The Mass was well attended compared to previous years. Fr. Fabian celebrated the mass with great solemnity. Together with my husband, Ben, we have been attending this Mass over the years, often accompanied by my mother, Frances and mother in law, Josephine. Unfortunately this time round, my mother was too frail to attend. This time though, the healing mass had a significant impact on me personally as I was diagnosed with a serious illness last July. Though I am on the road to recovery, these last few months have been difficult. Upon reflection, I can honestly say that we should not take our health for granted. God allows moments of suffering in our lives for a reason. My experiences have shown me the immense love and healing power of God in the sacrament of the Eucharist and the anointing of the holy oil for the sick. I feel the love of the church for me, which is the people of God, the community of Melton South. I would like to thank Fr. Fabian, the wonderful ladies who put on the lovely lunch after mass, the grade six students from St. Anthony s led by Bernadette Cameron and the ladies who served us lunch. It was great to catch up with many of the parishioners who were present and share with them our lives. Submitted by: Joan Antony

3 Issue 31 Page 3 Saint Anthony - our Patron Saint (Part IV) We have followed Anthony s life over its thirty six years from nobleman s son at the court of the Portugese King, Alfonso II, to a monk with the Canon Regulars of St Augustine in Lisbon and then to his life as a Franciscan Friar in Italy and France. Nearly eight hundred years have passed since he was named a saint merely one year after his death in Popular acclaim and reputation, such as we have witnessed in our time for Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul II, brought him more quickly to canonization that it did them. He continues to live on, across the world and across many cultures, in people s minds and devotions. Cities, such as St Antonio in Texas, boulevards, streets and churches have all been named in his honor. Art-work abounds. Yet, on reading more about Anthony and his life, I am left somewhat unmoved by the more popular representations, since they convey little of the noble strength and character of the man. The familiar symbols associated with Anthony, of lily and the baby Jesus that are usually part of this imagery, (although they convey rich concepts of integrity, innocence and the Incarnation itself) convey little of his manly strength, courage, commitment, learning, poverty, humility and unstinting service. Nor do they convey anything of his eloquence that could captivate thousands and bring many to fresh and vital faith. Nor of his ability to deal skillfully with doctrinal errors prevalent at the time and to bring calm and peace to the faithful. Nor of his initial (but thwarted impulse) to sacrifice his life in reaching out to preach to the Muslims in Northern Africa. Anthony had two nicknames Ark of the Covenant, that signified his deep biblical scholarship; and Hammer of Heretics, which represented his great oratorical skills in dealing with doctrinal error. A painting by Giotto in Assisi, Apparition at Arles, tells of Francis appearance at Arles, engaged with Anthony and his brothers. Taking a close look at the left side of the painting, one can see Anthony and something of his character. His gaze is strong, his neck is solid and his manly features striking. Here is a man who is holding something deep and true, worthy of the title he was later to be given, a Doctor of the Church. I wonder, by way of contrast, why the more sentimental imagery is used to portray him. The traditional images appear soft and saccharine, pious and mild, hardly fitting representation for who this man really was. Furthermore, what is not commonly known is that Anthony is the patron of the Army. Two events following his life are attributed to him, in an account given by the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, who has done much research on the lives of saints. The first was when a Spanish fleet was besieging the Muslim city of Oram and facing a long and fruitless siege. In such circumstance, the Spanish Admiral went to a statue of St. Anthony to ask his intercession. He told St. Anthony that he, the Admiral, could do nothing more without some extraordinary help. Then he turned over his insignias of command to the statue and placed his Admiral's hat on its head. Then he asked St. Anthony to take command of the siege against Oram and conquer the city. Soon after this, the Moors suddenly left the city. Some who were captured and interrogated related that they had seen a Friar coming from Heaven with an Admiral's hat on his head. He threatened the Moors that he would send fire from Heaven upon them unless they left the city. In face of this peril, the Muslims found it more prudent to leave. The second incident took place in Rio de Janeiro when it was being attacked by the French Calvinist fleet. continued on next page

4 Issue 31 Page 4 Saint Anthony - our Patron Saint (Part IV) (continued from previous page) The Calvinists had a great advantage over the Brazilian Catholics, who could no longer offer an effective resistance. At that point, the Franciscan Friars took a statue of St. Anthony from their monastery to a central square in Rio and set it on a column. The simple presence of the statue began to provoke a general enthusiasm for the fight. Very soon a large number of young men entered the army. With this, it was possible to retake lost positions, reorganize the resistance and make an efficacious counter-attack. In a short time, the Calvinists were defeated and left the Brazilian shore. The fact that Brazil did not become a Calvinist country is due in no small part to that marvelous presence of a statue of St. Anthony. Here, finally, is an image by Benozzo Gozzoli, showing St Anthony threatening the Church s enemies with heavenly fire. It supports his worthy title of Patron of the Army. Perhaps such images are not well received today. Have we lost something of the heavenly drama in which we are all immersed? But, lest we forget! Anthony was a living witness to Christ Himself and of his unwavering fidelity to what he felt called by Christ to be and do. All of our reflections on the qualities of Anthony point us ultimately to the same qualities he could find in Christ. For Christ has sweetness and gentleness, but also immense authority and skill in oratory, converting many thousands who followed him across the hills of Galilee. So, in our local parish church where Anthony of Padua is honored and devotions to him continue, let us also invoke his intercession that the big issues of our day similar to those which he addressed in his, namely a loss of certitude in faith and the increasing unrest amongst our Muslim brothers in many societies across the world. Let us recall also, that our new Pope chose the name of Francis whom Anthony had also chosen to follow as a way to the Lord, particularly as a way of poverty and simplicity of life. Submitted by: John Little We would love to hear from you. What are your memories of St Anthony? In what way has he influenced your lives? How is his memory held and honored here in our pews? News from around the World... Pope's Harley and leather jacket auctioned for over $350,000 On February 6, 2014, Pope Francis autographed Harley Davidson motorcycle and leather jacket were auctioned in France. Presented to the Pope last June when Rome hosted the 110th anniversary celebration of the iconic American motorcycle, the Harley Davidson autographed by the pontiff was auctioned off at 210,000 euros plus fees, which is nearly 15 times its normal retail price. Following the sale of the motorcycle, a leather jacket, also signed by Pope Francis, sold for more than 50,000 euros. When the Pope announced last autumn that he would be auctioning the Harley Davidson set, he also revealed that all proceeds will be given to fund the renovation of Caritas Don Luigi di Liegro Hostel and Soup Kitchen at Rome s Termini train and metro station. The two projects have operated since 1987 to help relieve the suffering of close to 1,000 people every day, Caritas Rome reports. Source:

5 Issue 31 Page 5 Christmas Pageant 2013 Just as the shepherds from the local hillsides of Judea left their flocks for a little while and went down to the small township of Bethlehem on Christmas night, as did three wise astrologers from the East make their journey to Bethlehem, a long one from afar, so also did three St Vincent de Paul members from St Therese's Parish Essendon make their 35km cross country journey to witness one special holy night to be remembered. Following a truly inspiring and reflective 5.30pm vigil Mass with Fr Fabian on Saturday evening, December 21, we witnessed what was a brilliant Christmas Pageant presented by the children in the Padua hall. Our Melbourne entertainment icons could not have done better. We enjoyed choreography at its best. Such was the energy, enthusiasm and delight these children injected into their acting parts any discerning stage director would have been most impressed. We certainly were. Thank you to Fr Fabian and Lorraine Tellis for presenting a magnificent show, slick stage direction, terrific scenes and a great 'cosmic' script. All this certainly riveted our attention and surely would have captured the imagination of all those who came along to see this. Well done children. You are to be congratulated. The message is a wonderful one. It is our faith. Keep it going every year. Submitted by: Therese Hanna, Carmen Merrigan and John O'Connor Hi, - I am Elise Muller, I am 16 and was part of the Parish Christmas Pageant as the narrator. This was a great opportunity to overcome my fear of public speaking and it gave me a chance to have a kick around with the other kids before rehearsals. The night enabled me to get into the spirit of Christmas and to share it with my parish. Submitted by: Elise Muller My name is Isaac, I am 13 and played the role as the Alien Interviewer in the Christmas Pageant. For four weeks a group of children, including myself practised every weekend, so we could perfect our performance. It was about Jesus' birth. Two of us who acted as Aliens, arrived on planet Earth in our spaceship, from our planet Galactica and interviewed Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the three Kings and as we learned more about the birth of Jesus through our questions and their responses, the other children acted out the Christmas story. The outcome was splendid and it was worth the time. I loved it and would recommend everyone to try out for it next year. I made friends and had the best time so that's why I am doing it again next year. Thank you Submitted by: Isaac Muller

6 Issue 31 Page 6 World Youth Day 2013 Be not afraid. The Church needs you young people Bring the Church to the people! shouted Pope Francis to the three million youth who faithfully gathered in Rio, Brazil for the WYD Pope Francis said this in his homily at the closing mass held at Copecabanna beach, which was commonly called the Popecabana beach by the young people. "Go against the tide!" Pope Francis told the crowds on several occasions during the six-day celebration. "I ask you to be revolutionaries.... Go beyond the church's walls.... Go onto the streets, to poor communities. Don't be afraid to go and bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem the farthest away." Together with 500 other pilgrims from the Neocatecumenate communities of Australia, I made my first overseas WYD pilgrimage to Brazil. My elder brother, Nathan was the first to attend the World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany in 2004, followed by Jonathan in Spain in The whole family attended the 2008 WYD in Sydney. The pilgrims also found international friends in the faith. Many stayed with host families and were humbled at their generosity. Many pilgrims noted each family s desire to share what little they had with the pilgrims and be of service at all hours of the night. I can t believe how generous simple people were. They gave us their own beds to sleep whilst they slept on the floor, said one pilgrim. They kept feeding us food all the time even though they were quite poor. One pilgrim said My host mother cried when we left her home. When asked why she was upset, she replied, Because you are Jesus Christ for me! pilgrims. Many pilgrims loved the challenge the Holy Father, Cardinals, Bishops and Priests gave: to go out into the world and make a mess. They repeatedly challenged the youth to stir things up for the sake of the Gospel and engage those on the margins of society. The Vocational meeting held on the last day after the closing ceremony of the WYD, drew more than 100,000 pilgrims from the Way. Cardinal Pell together with other cardinals from around the world were present at this meeting. Kiko, the initiator of the Neocatecumenate Way, called on the pilgrims to offer themselves as missionaries for Christ. More than 3,000 young men answered the call to priesthood whilst about 1500 young girls offered themselves for religious lives as nuns. Submitted by: Christopher Antony The entire journey energized the

7 Issue 31 Page 7 Working Bee On Saturday, November 16, 2013, Brendon Boyle and a team of volunteers we got up really early and got ready also replaced the for the St Anthony s Church Workgarden beds around ing Bee. We had breakfast at about 8am and left home at 8.30am. When the Cross at the we arrived at 9am, some people had front of the church with difalready started weeding the grass in the front garden of the Church. We ferent coloured got started with the carpark gardens gravel. It was near the school. We were keen to get a huge effort by all of them. the job done and started straightaway. We were given tools to help us When we finished our side, we and some gloves to keep our hands used a parishioner s ute to put into it clean. In no time we finished one all the rubbish, dead grass and half, Father Fabian had arrived just in weeds. My cousin drove the ute to time to see the stones arrived where we had piled up the rubto decorate the front bish while my mum, the owner garden. of the ute and I used our hands and shovels to get it into the ute. When we finished that, we decided to head over onto the garden bed near the carpark at the side of the shed. Someone had already started one side of the garden bed. So we decided to help him. We had a friendly chat with him, and finished our work. We finished off by putting the rubbish into the ute. As soon as we finished putting the tools back into the shed, we were called to the church canteen to have an ice cold drink and a sausage sizzle. We stayed back for a while and had a little talk with parishioners. We all went home feeling tired after a long day of hard work. We look forward to another day to participate in St Anthony s working bees. Submitted by: Elena Taunuu Equality - A poem by Joe Schembri EQUALITY Imagine a world where there are no wounds to mend, No racism and discrimination would be a godsend. We shouldn t be judged by the colour of our skin, We should learn and grow together as kin. We are all human; we re in it as one, Our friendships are important, second to none. Why are some people more valued than others? We should all stand together as sisters and brothers. We need an end to all injustice it seems, Sadly the idea is that of distant dreams. Where did our sense of humanity disappear to? Finding it now is something we must do. Let s rebuild the world on friendship and good will, All races at peace and war at nil. Wri en by Joe Schembri in Year 9, Catholic Regional Col

8 Issue 31 Page 8 WANTED Adver sers for Would you like to advertise your business? Do you know someone who runs their own business? Wide circulation, including publication on the WEB. Next issue due in June 2014 Contact Anne on or paduanews@yahoo.com.au Please support our sponsors, without their generous support would not be possible. Mention you saw their business in our newsletter and let them know we are working for them. 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 April 1, 2014 Editorial Policy The is approved by Father Fabian Smith prior to printing. The editors and Father Fabian reserve the right to edit all articles submitted. Articles may be reproduced with permission from the writer and editor.