LAUDATO SI Our response to Pope Francis call By Fr Fred. Pope Francis

Transcription

1 Adelaide Hills Catholic Parish Community The Bridge September 2015 Issue 364 LAUDATO SI Our response to Pope Francis call By Fr Fred Pope Francis has been a man on a mission since he chose the name Francis at his election! I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e Prayerful Reflections 2 Migration Journeys 3 Mary Way OAM 6 As everyone is aware, St Francis of Assisi was a saint who was so close to creation and so close to the poor. So it was not a surprise that Pope Francis has made the poor, the environment and the proclamation of the Gospel his mission. Laudato Si is the first encyclical letter of Pope Francis which speaks on ecology and climate, in other words to care for our common home our planet. In Laudato Si, Pope Francis does not limit himself to people of goodwill, rather he intends to address every person living on this planet. In his first paragraph, Pope Francis describes the earth as a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. Further on he states There is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person s face. Our relationship with God, our neighbour and the environment is a single integrated and interconnected reality. For Pope Francis, care of the poor and care of the environment are thus two sides of Pope Francis the same coin in an integral ecology. In other words, Pope Francis is asking us about making radical decisions to reverse the trend of global warming and attain the goal of eliminating poverty. When Pope Francis speaks of the environment he says that what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it. We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a St Catherine s News 7 Cemeteries History 8 Social Issues 10 Betty s Brief 11 solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded while, at the same time protecting nature. Adelaide Hills Parish together with St Catherine s Catholic School accepted the challenge of Pope Francis to care for our common home. We have not only embarked on a journey to continue to protect the environment but also together are trying to at least restore some dignity to those who are less fortunate than us. As a result the parish has taken steps to establish a Social Justice Group to look beyond our parish community and, together with the school, help a missionary Maltese priest in the Philippines. He has set Continued on page 2 St Matthew s Bridgewater St Joseph s Lobethal St Matthew s Birdwood Our Lady of the Rosary St Catherine s School Stirling

2 The Bridge Page 2 These young people have one thing in common, their love for music LAUDATO SI Our response to Pope Francis call Continued from page 1 up a youth orchestra supported by the parish in Dinalupihan, Bataan in the Philippines called Jose Depiro Kabataan Orkestra, Kabataan Orkestra translating into Youth Orchestra in Filipino. This is the project s title, aiming to improve the lives of many youths in the Bataan region. These young people have one thing in common, their love for music. However they lack the resources needed to develop their talents. I share with you here just one short story on how music has changed the life of a young kid. When I m praying for God s help, I sense His love and peace in a very real way. By identifying and sharing my petitions with Him and then trusting them completely to His care, for His tenderness and compassion to consume, I feel lighter in my heart. Afterwards, it is difficult to concentrate on and to cherish all the good we are continuously shown, as we pray and continue to hope in God s answer to us. On many occasions, I have asked God to show me, through a small tangible sign, that He understands that I particularly need His help yet again and He has not failed in answering me to show He is always listening. There is this kid who loved listening to music. He lives in the province and his exposure to it was to the barangay band (the one used in Catholic processions and stuff). He loved it and the band leader gave him a chance and let him play the trumpet for them. His family didn't have much money so a trumpet is quite heavy for them to buy. With the help of some relatives, he was able to get one and started his trumpeting with the band. He then learned how to read notes, he played the pieces with the band and (trust me) he is one of the best players of the band right now. The other older kids don t have the same spirit he does and it shows in their playing. He is Signs of God s Love and Peace By Anne Coghlan Charlton During a special moment in prayer, one Sunday morning in Mass, I prayed for a sign to help strengthen my faith and hope. One little candle in the centre of a huge candle holder began to flicker for a few seconds and then became still again like all the candles surrounding it. Recently, a little bird flew against my lounge room window and stayed a while at a time when I felt quite alone. I have seen a baby magpie being fed by its mother, the first bud on the rose bushes and had a call from a friend when I needed it most. I feel without any doubt that God heard me pray and he answered me. really a good kid and kids coming from a background like his have it hard. He is now going to high school and he is getting good grades, he is still good at the trumpet. Now I believe it is irrelevant whether he chooses a music career or not but I want just to make a point about the enormously positive impact it has had on him. So our aim is to raise money to buy instruments for the kids, allowing the many volunteers who are ready and eager to give them music lessons every Saturday to do just that. Some will say these special moments were coincidences; some will say they would have occurred naturally anyway. I know these responses also, but the difference for me is that each time I had actually asked God for His message. As I listened for Him to answer, he did. Yesterday, I did not ask for help, so I heard not His reply. I heard not His kookaburra, nor saw His butterfly.

3 Page 3 Issue 364 Migration journeys from Ireland and South Africa During the Birdwood and Bridgewater Masses on Migration Sunday, 30 August, Bernadette Davis and Paul Robinson shared their migration stories from their home countries of Ireland and South Africa respectively. We share these journeys with our readers I love being Irish but Australia s home By Bernadette Davis I just wanted to give you some insight into the decision I made to emigrate from Ireland to Australia. I've always had the travelling bug in me, always. When I left college I worked for an airline and travel became readily available to me so in one way that helped with one part of my dream. However, I had always wanted to live somewhere outside Ireland and experience a different type of life. When I met my husband JP we travelled together for a while on holidays and we debated uprooting and moving to New York to give that a go. It never happened when or how we expected it would, so the move to New York never materialised. Then my sister, Pamela, met Tim and moved to Australia. We came here on holiday and from the first moment we stepped off the plane, we just loved it. It was everything we expected it to be and more. As soon as we went back to Ireland we started investigating and planning to see if we could make the move to Australia. It was a long, expensive process and it depended on JP finding sponsorship through work. Eventually he found a job in Australia but it was in Derby, Western Australia. The decision to move to Australia wasn't easy. It was Signature Service since 1867 Dedicated to Faith-centred Funerals At-need Funerals and Repatriations Pre-planned and Pre-paid Services (08) All the time... Every day 49 Wakefield Street, Adelaide admin@frankjsiebert.com.au 100% South Australian family owned for four generations something we debated about but I had always been an adventurer and I knew JP was more cautious so I left the final decision up to him. He agonised for a while and then he decided that we should do it. We sold everything we owned in Ireland and arrived in Derby with five suitcases and that was it! It was a huge culture shock for us going from suburban Dublin to remote Western Australia but we loved it from the beginning. A lot of people told us we were crazy, that the risk was too big but we never saw it like that. We looked at it as a big adventure and a huge experience for ourselves and our boys. We knew if it didn't work out we could go back to Ireland. Mam and Dad left us in no doubt that if we needed to come back, that we would always have a place to stay. So we threw ourselves into it and got involved with the community, at the pool, at toddler groups. After two months the opportunity came up to move to Broome, which is two hours from Derby. We jumped at it. Broome is right Continued on page 5 A lot of people told us we were crazy, that the risk was too big

4 The Bridge Page 4 How can anyone live without cricket??? By Paul Robinson I felt more South African than ever and dreamed of a bright non-racial future For those who don t know me, my name is Paul Robinson and I migrated from Johannesburg, South Africa to Adelaide in November I do hope you can all understand my accent if a dear old South African friend is right, you ll be good; if, however, my 14-year-old Adelaide born daughter Julia is right, you could be in for a spot of bother But more of that later! When Jo Burton called me late last week to ask whether I d spend five minutes sharing my migration story, my initial reaction was why me? Mine was quite a cushy journey, really, and nothing compared with the tribulations of many other migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. After all, I was a young professional, English was my mother tongue and I loved cricket! But I guess we all have our stories and this is mine When I reflected on my experiences, I remembered it wasn t that easy. In fact, I don t think anyone can ever say leaving family, familiarity and friends behind for the vast unknown is easy. And I was a reluctant migrant, not to mention a bit of a softy. I d never thought of leaving my home country, all the more so when we held our first democratic elections in 1994, Nelson Mandela assumed the presidency and there was palpable excitement about a better life for all. I wanted to be part of it, I felt more South African than ever and dreamed of a bright non-racial future. But then life got in the way. I married a German woman, Corinna, in early 1996, we had our first child, Emma, in July 1998 and suddenly she got jittery about the crime rate. We d kinda lived with it as a couple but with a young child pretty much wholly dependent on us, the migration question arose. Australia was a compromise destination. I would go, but not to wet and cold Europe. Not to North America. I had three non-negotiables English, which I needed for my profession, lots of space and sunshine, which I d grown up with, and cricket. How can anyone live without cricket??? So Australia it was, and as the move was primarily for our family, we didn t wish to recreate the big city headache in Sydney or Melbourne so settled for Adelaide. It was tough. I was doing well professionally, a partner and shareholder in a corporate communications business in Johannesburg. I would be leaving my entire family behind, my ageing parents, my sister Mary and her family, my brother Stephen and his not to mention the decades-old friendships, some dating back to my very first day at school. I can still picture the departure day, leaving my parents home and looking back to see my father standing on the front lawn, cat in his arms. Stoic as ever but clearly hurting deep down and little did we know he had less than nine months to live. I can clearly see the departure lounge at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, where I wept unashamedly waiting to board the plane that would take me, my wife and my two-and-a-half year old daughter to a new life, a new beginning. I remember, too, the grilling I got from my future boss, who spent weeks looking into my past, chasing up my referees and deliberating over whether to employ this new arrival. That was when I understood that what I d done, achieved elsewhere in the world counted for nothing. I would start with a clean slate.and a good few rungs down from where I left off in Johannesburg. But I had a job, we could buy a house in the Adelaide Hills and life could proceed.

5 Page 5 Issue 364 So what have the past 15 years been like? I can honestly say the positives outweigh the negatives and the scales keep tipping more favourably towards the positives with each passing day. Yes, we miss family and friends. Yes, it s tough on all when there are no parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews to share life s joys and challenges with. I often wonder what impact it has had on my children as I know my paternal grandmother, Nora Robinson, was the best human being around during my childhood endless love, patience, generosity and a great cook to boot (which my mother never was!). But I only have to look at how happy and contented indeed, how Australian my daughters Emma and Julia are to know we made the right decision. They love the footy, too, and are avid Port Adelaide fans how much more local can you get than that? This is now home, thanks in no small measure to the warmth, humour, fairness and generosity of the Australian people, so you can all take a bow. Seriously, thank you very much, you re a wonderful lot of people, you have a lovely home and you have welcomed us into it. Yes, I still carry a degree of guilt for leaving a country so in need of all the skills it can lay its hands on. But then I m a Catholic and guilt comes with the territory! Yes, South Africa does and always will occupy a special spot in my heart and yes, I do still support the Proteas (and then the Aussies) but I now own an Australian passport too and I m proud to call myself Australian. Ah, the accent mention I made earlier. Well, when I was ill earlier this year, I received a call from a dear old South African friend shortly before going into hospital and she said: God, Paul, you sound so Australian? I was brought back down to earth with a thud about a month or so ago when I asked Julia to help me take out the bins for the Thursday garbage collect. She gave me that know-all look that 14-year-olds seem to have the mortgage on before saying: It s a been, Dad, not a bun! Thank you But then I m a Catholic and guilt comes with the territory! I love being Irish but Australia s home Continued from Page 3 by Cable Beach and there are a lot more people and opportunities there. Again we loved it instantly. We had so much family time together. When we lived in Ireland we both had full time jobs working shifts. JP would work the early shift, I would work the late shift and we would hardly see each other with very little family time. In Australia, I didn't work for a while and then when I did it was part time. The quality of our life increased exponentially we were at the beach every night and the boys were able to dance in the rain with no clothes on because of the tropical weather. It was there that we had our third son, Leo, and we were delighted. After 15 months, we became permanent residents and the opportunity came up to move to Adelaide. This had always been the end goal so we were delighted. Again, we sold everything we owned except our clothes and our car and moved to Adelaide within a month. We arrived two weeks before Christmas and with the love and support of Pamela, Tim, Ann, Tommy, Sue and all of our other Adelaide friends, we settled in quickly. Now we have the life we've always wanted for ourselves and our children. We are surrounded by amazing family, friends and have the best support network imaginable. Sometimes I think we were too busy to make memories in Ireland, but here all we do is make memories We have invaluable quality family time that we didn't have in Ireland. People always ask me, 'will you ever go back to Ireland' and I always answer 'no' without even a second hesitation. And that's not because I don't love Ireland, I do. I love being Irish and telling people I'm Irish and I will always be Irish. And I love going back to Ireland on holiday. But when I'm there, after a time I find myself saying 'I'm ready to go home now', and then I come back to Australia.

6 The Bridge Page 6 it wasn t so much about the food; it was all about Mary s kind, caring, connecting personality Our very own Mary Way has been honoured for her long, loving and distinguished years of service to the community of Adelaide through numerous volunteer roles with an Order of Australia Medal. The medal presentation was conducted by the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AO at Government House in Adelaide on Thursday 27 August, with four of her children Tony, Margaret, Carmel and Stephen there to share the achievement and celebrations. The real celebrations, though, got underway a few days later when on Saturday 29 August, Mary and her family that s Tony and Anita, Margaret and Peter, Carmel, Stephen and Daisy, Emma and Michael and their young son James entertained friends and family at a thoroughly enjoyable Afternoon Tea at Stangate House in Aldgate. Mary had invited a few from each of the volunteer groups that she has been a part of over a very long period of time. Mary finally gets her medal! By Pam Broadbridge Volunteering came easily to husband Les and Mary and they were both keen supporters of the Catholic Parish Primary School, then known as Mt St Catherine s and the beautiful Convent on Arkaba Road in Aldgate. The parish has also played a big part in her life, with Mary playing the organ at both Our Lady of the Rosary in Stirling East and St Matthew s in Bridgewater. She was also president of the CWL Stirling Branch for a period, is part of the SVdP Sewing Group, was a leader at Probus and spent some 40 years serving Meals on Wheels. Daughter Margaret made a bright, happy speech about her mother enjoying volunteering and mentioned that she had been with Mary to Meals on Wheels once. Margaret recalls that the minute they knocked on a client s door, it was immediately apparent that it wasn t so much about the food; it was all about Mary s kind, caring, connecting personality that made the visit worthwhile. Margaret reminisced about the busy, full life that the family were given and she said I honestly thought that all families were like ours. Granddaughter Emma also made a speech about Mary the Matriarch and how much love and fun is shown to everyone. Mary then spoke about her love for Les, the family, the church and music. Mary loves music, learnt the piano at a very young age and is an accomplished pianist. She also recounted a delightful little story about how Les would return home from work and ask Mary: How was your day? She would reply Don t ask, before providing him with minute details of just about her every move, recalling how she went there, did, this, and then that Les stock response was Did you get paid? and when Mary invariably replied in the negative, he d say: Do you want a medal for that? Well, Mary, you ve got your medal and you deserve it, for a life well lived. God bless. That s the way to celebrate an OAM the Way family gathered at Stangate House to toast Mary on her achievement. From left, Anita, Tony, Margaret, Peter, Daisy, Mary, Michael, James, Stephen, Emma and Carmel

7 Page 7 Issue 364 St Catherine s News By St Catherine s Emily Wight We welcome new St Catherine s correspondent Emily Wight to the team and thank Tanya Stott for her many years of sterling service! In her first contribution, Emily gives an insight into the Sacramental Program before sharing the school s celebration of the World Day of Prayer Sacramental Program gets underway Tuesday 8 September 2015 will go down as an important day in the lives of 12 young St Catherine s students as they embarked on their sacramental journey. Together with their families, they began the Sacrament Cycle for 2015/2016 and we congratulate the following students and wish them all the very best for the exciting times ahead. Elka Bribbs Eliza Looyestyn Ryan Cream Gabriel Lugg-Restall Arabella Farrugia Alexandra Morrison Isabella Feijen Jordan Moulding Charlotte Gibbons Seamus Robinson Tahlia Hill Georgiana Simes World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation On Tuesday 1 September, the whole school gathered to celebrate the Inaugural World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation with a prayer service run by the Kids on the Case students. During the prayer service the students read the book For all Creatures by Glenda Millard and Rebecca Cool, which encourages us to think about and give thanks for all of God s creation. The students also set up a sacred space in the walkway to honour the occasion. Our Lady of the Rosary Church The sacred space created by students I will leave you this month with a prayer from the prayer service written by the Kids on the Case. Caring Father, you sent your son Jesus to show us how to care for the wonderful creations you have produced. Help us to follow in his footsteps. Without nature our beautiful world would not be the same and we must keep it beautiful. Help us to appreciate our earth and all that lives on it. Amen. which encourages us to think about and give thanks for all of God s creation is an attractive, historic (1881) stone church in a lovely garden setting. It is available for weddings. The church has seating for eighty to a hundred. To make a booking or to enquire, please call Colleen on

8 The Bridge Page 8 Our centuries old cemeteries in Birdwood and Aldgate As with all cemeteries, Elisabeth Anderson ponders on what tales must lie beyond the headstone inscriptions as she takes her history of the Adelaide Hills Parish to our two cemeteries at Birdwood and Aldgate..seem clear that infant deaths were once heartbreakingly common With the history of the two Catholic cemeteries in the Adelaide Hills Parish stretching back well over a century, what tales must lie beyond the inscriptions on these graves? Many will remain a part of personal family history but it does seem clear that infant deaths were once heartbreakingly common. In Birdwood s burial register one is sharply reminded of the suffering of the early pioneering families. On one page which contains 20 deaths, only three were adults, the rest children. Many young mothers tragically are listed as well. Also in Aldgate, at the southern end of our parish, six of the first ten burials were of infants. The Birdwood Catholic graveyard, known at St Matthew s Cemetery, adjoins the land on which St Matthew s Church stands. It was consecrated by Bishop Reynolds in March 1883 on the same day that he blessed and laid the corner stone of the church s new chancel. The Bishop dwelt on the sacredness of these grounds, the duty of praying for the dead and the immunity of cemeteries in the ages of faith. The first burial occurred there two years later. It was that of an infant, Margaret Ellen McMahon of Cudlee Creek who had died two months before Christmas 1885, aged three or four months. The cemetery has continued to be used by the local Catholics since that time and recently a section was also set aside for the interment of cremated remains which parishioners are currently beautifying with a rose arbour. The Gumeracha and District History Centre holds a list of burials at the cemetery and updates it records regularly with help from our Parish Office. An overview of the cemetery at Birdwood with St Matthew s Church in the background The Hynes family vault at Birdwood, recently cleaned up by Tim Morley In July this year Fr Fred received a letter about one of the Birdwood grave plots from a former parishioner, Patrick Hynes, who grew up at The Willows in Gumeracha and now lives in California. Patrick was delighted to reconnect with the parish and to be reassured by Fr Fred that he would see to the restoration of the Hynes family graves in St Matthew s Cemetery. Patrick wrote: Your church at St Matthew s was the only church we ever knew growing up. Our Hynes family pew was the front pew on the left hand side (opposite the Formby s on the right). My parents were married in the church and I and my brother, Michael, and sister, Kathleen, made our first Holy Communion and Confirmation in St. Matthew s. I have such fond memories of arriving late (or just on time) from The Willows, Gumeracha, to see my Grandma and Aunty Molly already there an

9 Page 9 Issue 364 hour early! I have fond memories of standing around after Mass under the olive tree, catching up on all the local news and agricultural reports. We would always try to make a visit to our Hynes Vault at the top of the cemetery. It s how I learned of the names of all my departed relatives, including my Great Grandfather, also Patrick Hynes, who was somewhat of a big shot in the Blumberg Community (they say his funeral procession was a mile long). I only regret that I, too, will not be buried there some day. I will be laid to rest in the Gumeracha Cemetery overlooking The Willows, beside my parents graves. I remember, with pride, the day that my Dad, Darcy Hynes, and our neighbours, the Chappie Guthries, donated the two stained glass windows behind the altar. I also remember how surprised we all were the first time Fr Moore celebrated Mass actually facing the congregation! I hope to visit again soon. But Birdwood seems a very long way from California sometimes, though I still have my memories of growing up in such a salubrious part of the world. Across on Strathalbyn Road in Aldgate, the Stirling District Catholic Cemetery has been in existence since February It is part of the Stirling District Cemetery, with bushland and a memorial garden separating the two areas. It was set aside after an application from the local Catholics. They would have liked a separate lease of the cemetery but when a request for this was made in 1911 it was rejected by the Cemetery Trust and today continues to be managed by the Adelaide Hills Council. The first grave is that of Harry McCaffrey, the sixth of eight children of the Head Teacher at Mylor School, Bernard McCaffrey and his wife Winifred. Harry died of pneumonia at the age of six weeks on 9 January 1906 and he was buried on the same day. The McCaffrey family eventually left the district and over years Harry s grave deteriorated to such an extent that evidence of it virtually disappeared. However, it was identified once more with the help of the burial register and the plot was restored and Harry McCaffrey s was restored and blessed in a special ceremony in 2003 Leon & Leonie Holmes provided music at the rededication of Harry McCaffey s grave at Aldgate, while Kathryn Anderson held steady their sheet music. blessed in a special ceremony in The restoration of the grave was made possible by a grant from the Adelaide Hills Council s memorials fund, a great deal of goodwill and generosity from various businesses and individuals, the support of the Mt Lofty District Historical Society and the skills of parishioner Laurie Manna. A number of McCaffrey descendants were among those present for the rededication of the grave. The cemetery is today close to being full and Fr Fred has approached the District Council with a request that further land be opened. It lies on sloping ground overlooking the David Whibley Memorial Rose Garden. This garden is used for the interment of ashes and also has a memorial to all infants and especially those for whom there are no burial records. The restoration of the grave was made possible by the skills of parishioner Laurie Manna Adelaide Hills Parish mass times St Matthew s Church at Bridgewater 1 Wembley Avenue Saturday Vigil Mass 6.30 pm Sunday Mass am St Matthew s Church at Birdwood Shannon Street First, Third & Fifth Sunday 8.30 am Church of St Joseph the Worker at Lobethal Ridge Road Second and Fourth Sunday 8.30 am Our Lady of the Rosary Church Stirling East 135 Old Mount Barker Road Sunday evening 5.30 pm

10 The Bridge Page 10 Where nature suffers, so too do the poor and marginalised Leonie Holmes shares with readers a précis of an article by Melbourne Archbishop and President of the Australian Catholic Bishop s Conference Denis Hart, which appeared in the Weekend Australian following Pope Francis release of his encyclical. This is not an encyclical for the fainthearted In his encyclical Laudato si, Pope Francis condemns an economy based on consumerism and waste while championing the values of thrift, sharing, generosity and love for our fellow human beings. The headline of the encyclical is that climate change is real, significantly man-made and we need to take action. The Pope wants coal, oil and gas phased out as a power source over time, in favour of renewables. It is a thoughtful reflection on how we, as humans, interact with each other and the broader environment. It recommends ways to improve how we live our lives. The planet we live on is a gift from God. It has been given to us freely and we have an obligation as its custodians to hand it on in good condition to those who follow. The natural world is not only important for its own sake but also because, where nature suffers, the poor and marginalised suffer too. He warns our common home is falling into serious disrepair. So many of us live very comfortable lives and have little contact with the poor. We have little understanding of their lives. Every day, unsafe water results in many deaths and the spread of water-related disease. Unless we reform how people relate to one another, we will not be able to truly address the problem. Individualism, consumerism and technology, without appropriate boundaries, are some of the forces destructive of a healthy human ecology. A self-centred individualism can dismiss the interests of others and take advantage of people. Consumerism can be very destructive, where people take more than they need. We need to develop rich relationships to fill the void that drives the need for things. We must guard against technology taking over in our lives. Pope Francis suggests little daily actions like putting on extra clothes, rather than turning on the air conditioner and taking every opportunity to offer care and friendship. He recommends grace at meals in gratitude to God for our food and concern for those less fortunate. This is not an encyclical for the faint-hearted. He wants all of us to engage, from the government, civil society, business and individuals, to protect creation. We should tread lightly on our world, share our good fortune with others and leave the world a better place. You can t get more Christian than that. Deadlines for forthcoming issues of The Bridge If you re planning on submitting material to The Bridge over the next few months, please note the deadlines for our next three issues: October Friday 25 September 2015 November Friday 30 October 2015 December Friday 27 November 2015 Thank you. Paul Robinson and Jeremy Roberts (co-editors)

11 Page 11 Issue 364 Roasting and baking s on Betty s menu This month our queen of the kitchen, Betty White, shares a number of all-time favourites, starting with a roast chicken (but with an appetising twist) and following it up with a cheesy eggplant bake My Lemon Feta Roast Chicken adds a few great elements to this classic dish. You will need: 4 desiree potatoes, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons of olive oil 2 teaspoons of finely grated lemon rind 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 100 grams of feta cheese 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh (or dry) oregano leaves 4 chicken drumsticks 3 chicken thigh cutlets 250 grams of tomatoes About a cup of drained pitted kalamata olives (or more or less to taste) Fresh oregano leaves to serve Then preheat the oven to 220 C and place the potato slices in a single layer in a large roasting dish before drizzling with oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Combine the lemon rind, lemon juice, feta and oregano in a bowl. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin away from the chicken flesh before placing two teaspoons of the mixture under the skin of each piece. Rub the chicken to spread the mixture evenly, arrange the chicken on the potato and roast for 30 minutes. Place the tomatoes and olives on the chicken, season with pepper and roast for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Top with oregano and serve to four hungry people! Moving on, here s a cheesy eggplant bake. Take a large eggplant and slice it into 1cm rounds. Your additional ingredients include: 1 teaspoon of olive oil 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons of tomato paste 2 400g cans of chopped tomatoes ¼ teaspoon of dried ground oregano 2 teaspoons of sugar 500g of good ricotta cheese ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg 1 cup of grated cheese Ingredients gathered, preheat the oven to 200 C. Lay the eggplant on absorbent paper, sprinkle with salt and stand for 15 minutes. Turn over and repeat the exercise before rinsing, patting and drying. Heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add the undrained tomatoes, oregano and sugar, simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces by about a third. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the ricotta and nutmeg and season with salt and white pepper before brushing the eggplant with olive oil. Cook the eggplant on a heated grill or barbecue for two minutes on each side until brown and tender. Oil an ovenproof dish, spread half of the tomato sauce in the dish and top with half the eggplant, the ricotta mixture and the cheese. Repeat layers and bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until browned lightly and heated through. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread if desired. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread if desired

12 Adelaide Hills Catholic Parish Directory This directory is constantly changing. If you want to volunteer for any of the Parish activities please contact the Parish office. 1 Wembley Avenue (PO Box 718), Bridgewater SA Telephone: Facsimile: adelaidehillsp@oz .com.au Parish Priest - Fr Alfred Farrugia Pastoral Associate - Pamela Morley Parish Manager - Jo Burton Baptism Teams Helen Cantwell Maria Thompson Anne Moore Sue Streich Deb Stapleton Pam Broadbridge Claudine Clark Orma Paine Catholic Women's League Barbara Mott (Bridgewater) Eileen O Dea (Northern Area) Parish Pastoral Council PPC Chair Philip Schultz Secretary Christine Farrugia Parish Atrium - Sue Sachse Youth Group - Sue Sachse Play Group - Forest Friends (Monday mornings) Sophie Hage Sarah Pfitzner Prayer Group - Christina Way Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Pamela Morley St Vincent de Paul Society - Martin Klavins St Matthew s Sewing Group - Mary Way Children s Liturgy Jane Van Mierle Choir - Damien Mansfield Christian Life Communities Helen Cantwell Finance and Maintenance Committee Chairperson & Lobethal Contact - Simon Cox Birdwood Contact - Leon & Leonie Holmes Hills Combined Christian Churches Rosalie Jenner Leonie Holmes (Birdwood) Liturgy Bridgewater Pamela Morley Birdwood - Anne & Francis McEvoy Lobethal Pamela Morley Young Men of God/menALIVE Music Coordinator Sean Van der Linden Sisterhood In Recess In Recess Social Justice Group Patricia Brady Our Lady of the Rosary Community Rep Debbie Somers St Catherine s School 22 Ayers Hill Road, Stirling SA 5152 Principal - Jason Mittiga School Board Chairperson - Helen Strachan Sacraments Baptism (please contact Parish House) Weddings (by appointment) Reconciliation (by appointment) Communion to the Sick (please contact Parish House) Religious Education - to enrol in Sacramental programs and other activities, please contact Parish Office Adelaide Hills Council sets and administers charges for the Catholic Cemetery in Aldgate. Please see Adelaide Hills Catholic Parish Cemetery St Matthew s Church, Birdwood Parish Priest Parishioner/Parish Family All enquiries should be made to the Parish Office Nil $ Parish Office adelaidehillsp@oz .com.au The Bridge thebridge@oz .com.au The opinions expressed in The Bridge are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Parish Priest, Pastoral Coordinator, Editor or the Parish.