In a world that glorifies youth, Old age is a time of grace PRIESTS FOUNDATION APPEAL 2014 SUPPORTING PRIESTS HEALTH AND RETIREMENT

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1 PRIESTS FOUNDATION APPEAL 2014 SUPPORTING PRIESTS HEALTH AND RETIREMENT The Catholic Leader Old age is a time of grace In a world that glorifies youth, growing older is often portrayed as a disease to be combatted rather than a gift to be embraced. Older people can be made to feel that they have outlived their usefulness and are of little or no value to our society. In the face of such negative attitudes toward ageing, Pope Francis reminds us old age is a time of grace in which the Lord will renew His call. Far from being a burden to society, They are wisdom people and with them one can move closer to the embrace of God, Pope Francis said. Drawing from Scripture, he singled out Mary who sought the counsel of her aged cousin, Elizabeth, when she was with child. It was in response to Elizabeth s greeting that Mary exclaimed the great prayer that we know as the Magnificat. continued page 2 The elderly have a capacity to understand the most difficult situations... and when they pray for these situations, their prayer is strong. It is powerful POPE FRANCIS ARCHDIOCESE OF BRISBANE 1

2 continued from page 1 This role as wisdom figures is especially true of our retired priests. They play a vital role as the keepers of the memory of the community. The insight they have gained as they have sought to walk with Jesus and faithfully serve our parishes is of inestimable value, especially for our seminarians and young priests. Pope Francis expressed his personal appreciation for his predecessor, It gives me great pleasure that he [Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI] lives here in the Vatican, because it is like having a wise grandfather at home. He added that, The elderly have a capacity to understand the most difficult situations... and when they pray for these situations, their prayer is strong. It is powerful. Here in the Archdiocese of Brisbane, we are grateful for the wisdom, experience and witness of faith offered to us by our fifty retired priests. We give thanks to God, not only for their selfless service prior to retirement, but for the gift they are to us today. As well as celebrating the gift of older people, Pope Francis reminds us that we have a responsibility to care for them. We Christians, together with all people of good will, are called to patiently build a more diverse, more welcoming, more humane, more inclusive society, that does not need to discard the weak in body and mind. On the contrary we need a society which measures its success on how we care for the elderly. This is especially true for our retired priests who have no family of their own to care for them. The Priests Foundation, with your help, exists to ensure our priests are not only cared for in their retirement, but are given every opportunity to thrive so that they remain, in the words of Pope Francis, living trees, that even in old age will not stop bearing fruit. Nudgee Rugby ARCHBISHOP EMERIT Nudgee Cricket John Bathersby (front row left) Priests in Retirement Jack Agnew Archbishop Emeritus John Bathersby Harry Bliss Brian Burke Leo Burke James Browne Kevin Caldwell Kevin Carey Ellis Clifford Brian Cooper Leo Coote Archbishop Emeritus John Bathersby laughs when he tells the story of how he was born, Feet came first and I ve been on them ever since! A photo of Mount Tibrogargan hangs on his wall. He tells the story of the day he was climbing the mountain and slipped, but was lucky enough to grab onto something during the fall which saved him. I absolutely love the mountains! he says with a smile. While his days of climbing the Glass House Mountains are behind him, he still gets out for walk by the creek each day, sometimes Bernard Costigan Walter Dethlefs John Dobson Brendan Dooley Patrick Dowd Martin Doyle 2

3 S JOHN BATHERSBY Nurse Peta Picone and Archbishop Emeritus John Bathersby joining other walkers along the way to share a story. Archbishop Bathersby, retired as Archbishop of Brisbane in He has transitioned from the hectic schedule of leading one of Australia s largest Archdioceses to a more reflective life. Peta Picone, one of the Priests Foundation nurses, keeps a caring eye on him. He keeps himself busy, often insisting on walking to the shops to pick up his own groceries. She comments that there are people in the complex where he lives who don t believe in God, but the Archbishop often brings conversations around to Jesus and caring for the poor, she says. And of course he loves Pope Francis and stays quite current with what is happening in the Church. Peta is quick to talk about how much she enjoys her work with the retired priests. I m privileged to have this job. There are very few areas in healthcare where you get to be with someone long term and form relationships. Of course there is the practical side of being a nurse which requires health assessments and helping them to be as independent as possible. Sometimes, the more subtle tasks involve accompanying them to a doctor s appointment or simply stopping in for a cuppa. Our catch cry is holistic health care and the Priests Foundation gives us the opportunity to provide this level of care for our retired priests. The Archbishop often brings conversations around to Jesus and caring for the poor. John Dwyer Vincent Dwyer John Egan Joseph Flannery Aux Bishop Emeritus John Gerry Peter Gillam Peter Grice Dan Grundy Vincent Hobbs Clement Hodge Edward Houlihan Raymond Kearney Denis Long Peter Luton Terence Madden Peter McCartin Joseph McGeehan William McKeown Dudley McMahon Desmond McQuaid Terence Moynihan Paul Murphy Van Vinh Nguyen Francis O Dea William O Shea Richard Pascoe Dennis Riley Paul Rooney Leo Skelly James Spence Patrick Stratford John Sullivan Paul Taubman Brian Taylor Patrick Tynan Bernard Wilson Ian Wren 3

4 Building a sanctuary for our retired priests More than a job Bishop Emeritus Ray Benjamin For the past five years, health care practitioner Lyn Fields has been enhancing the well-being of our retired priests. She describes her role as more than just a job. First, it is about building relationships and trust with the priest before it is about healthcare. Every day is different, and every priest is different. Lyn understands the importance of community to our retired priests and that is why she has made such a difference in their lives. It is so important that these men have a network around them. At Camp Hill and Southbank they maintain their independence and privacy but can easily connect with their fellow priests and the other people around them. It s incredible to see how much they support one another. After five years, Lyn has reluctantly decided to retire, but not entirely. While she is looking forward to having more time for bushwalking and spending time with her family, she has generously chosen to continue in a voluntary capacity to support the Priests Foundation. Lyn leaves her current position with many fond memories and cherished relationships. It has been an honour to work with the retired priests, she said, and the best job I ve ever had in my life. Thank you Lyn for your invaluable contribution to the lives of our retired priests over the past five years. We wish you all the best in your retirement, and are grateful you are not leaving us entirely. Good neighbours are a great blessing and there is no greater blessing for our retired priests than to live together in the new priest retirement complex in Camp Hill. Most of the residents there have friendships that go back some 50 years! Seven independent living units at St Thomas the Apostle Parish, Camp Hill accommodate priests when they finish in active ministry. The location is perfect for our retired priests. The Brisbane CBD is only 15 minutes away and public transport provides easy access to the Cathedral and other inner city parishes where the priests continue to offer support. Over the past years we have been working to refurbish the units to meet the needs of our retired priests. To date, the outdoor areas and six of the villas have been fully renovated to provide comfortable and secure accommodation. Each unit is designed to ensure the residents can retain their independence for as long as possible. They are equipped with a 24 hour call system for medical emergencies, giving the priests peace of mind knowing that help is always close Father Martin Doyle at his Camp Hill unit at hand. One of the units has recently been vacated and this gives us the opportunity to refurbish it. To undertake this project we have put together a Wish List based on the outlay for previous unit refurbishments. We invite you to help us by contributing toward the cost of the items below as we work together to create a new home for one of our retired priests. Can you help? WISH LIST Summary of estimated costs: Electrical upgrade $ 4,500 Painting $ 5,000 Floor Coverings $ 3,000 Curtains and Blinds $ 7,000 Plumbing $ 1,500 Carpentry $ 5,000 Appliances $ 5,500 4

5 Father Leo Burke keeping his hat in the ring Although their time as administrators of large congregations across South East Queensland may be over, many of our retired priests continue to offer mass and provide chaplaincy to hospitals, schools, prisons and social service groups. Fr Leo Burke, who has served as parish priest at Victoria Point, is one such priest who continues to joyfully serve those he is called to shepherd. St Rose of Lima, Gathensburg, Maryland, USA. Father Leo Burke (Centre) with Deacon John Liu (Left) I went straight from Gregory Terrace high school in 1957 to the Seminary at Banyo in 58. At one stage I was going to be an architect or an electrical engineer. The priesthood wasn t the only option that I considered. But one day an ex-student who was newly ordained came back to speak with the students about joining the priesthood and I was moved to also follow this path. Looking back I have enjoyed my time as a parish priest wherever I have been. I ve been at Maryborough, Cooloongatta, Kangaroo Point, Red Hill, Yeronga, Gympie and Daisy Hill. I was actually the first parish priest at Daisy Hill. I lived in a caravan for the first 6 months. We started the process of building John Paul College and I have been a patron of the college for 5 years now. The highpoints of my life have been administering the sacraments to people because you touch people s lives at very special times. I was appointed chaplain to Royal Brisbane Hospital for 14 years. In the hospital you are faced with many difficult circumstances. Sometimes in those final hours of a person s life, the individual would be by themselves except for me, as they had no family. Sometimes in an emergency I did not even know a person s name. The circumstances varied. One American family whose daughter was dying stayed in the hospital for three months. The daughter survived and I have stayed in touch and even visited the family in the USA. Now in my retirement, I ll be doing prison chaplaincy, and I m a chaplain for the Catholic Women s League. I m also looking forward to three months supply work in Ipswich. This probably sounds like I m not retired, but I want to keep my hat in the ring. I love it I m a people person. I m very happy to live at Camp Hill. I am thoroughly enjoying it I have a peaceful unit where I can just relax. It s great to live next door to other priests that I have known for a long time. Being in a parish is like having a big family, so I feel at home in a community. I am getting a lot of support from everyone that I know in my retirement. Already I have a lot more time to spend with family and friends and it s nice to have more time to pray. 5

6 FROM THE CHAIR We are committed to the responsible stewardship of gifts to make the greatest impact possible in the community that we serve. The Priests Foundation is committed, not only to caring for our retired priests today but also planning for the future. Estimates indicate that in ten years time we will be caring for the needs of approximately 85 retired priests in the Archdiocese. With your help, we are working toward building our capacity in terms of both accommodation and health care. In the last 12 months, the Foundation has completed refurbishments to a fifth unit at the Camp Hill retirement complex. We also employed a third part-time health care practitioner to assist with increasing numbers of retirees. The generosity of so many through both the Annual Catholic Campaign and direct gifts to the Foundation help us to meet the challenge of rising number of retirees and the increasing cost of senior care. Our senior, retired, and infirm priests needs range from low-care independent living to housing in high care facilities. Your gifts give us the means to provide basic living assistance, accommodation support, health care and transport assistance. Most importantly, it allows our priests to continue living with dignity. On behalf of the priests who benefit from your generosity, my fellow committee members, and all who are associated with the Foundation, I sincerely thank you. Yours in Christ, Fr Kevin Smith, Chairman 4.6 % 8.4 % 6% 32% Accommodation Costs Health Care Support Administration Fundraising* Transport Assistance Retreats and Other Support Total $1.4 million *2% expenditure carried over from % Message from Archbishop Mark Coleridge ARCHDIOCESE OF BRISBANE I would like to express my profound admiration for the priests of the Archdiocese who have retired from fulltime ministry. After giving their lives in service to God and the Church, they continue to actively work to support their brother priests and generously give of their time to celebrate the Sacraments within our faith communities. Many of them express their gratitude for this new phase of their priestly vocation. They clearly understand what Pope Francis means when he describes it as a time of renewal a time when, freed from the responsibilities of administration, they can get back to the core of their vocation: to prayer and to the people. The fruit of this renewal is evident to all who have the privilege of spending time with them. While they continue to give so much to our Archdiocese, our retired priests do have particular needs. Our Priests Foundation is second to none in the country and actively works to ensure the continued wellbeing of our priests in a manner that respects their independence whilst ensuring the highest possible care. The success of the foundation is a reflection of your generosity as members of the Archdiocese, and your genuine care for our priests. Your financial support to the Priests Foundation not only contributes to the care of our retired priests, it acknowledges and honours their lives laid down in service to God and the Church. For this, I offer you my heartfelt gratitude. In Christ Jesus, Most Rev. Mark Coleridge Archbishop of Brisbane Priests Foundation GPO Box 282 Brisbane Q 4001 (07) giving@bne.catholic.net.au 6

7 Imagine Your Gift Becoming a Legacy It is possible for your dedication and commitment to caring for retired priests can be continued beyond your lifetime. By making a tax deductible gift today or leaving a gift in your Will to the Priests Foundation Endowment Fund, you can make a difference today, tomorrow and forever. The Priests Foundation Endowment Fund is designed to function in perpetuity, ensuring that your gift brings long-term financial support to care for the growing number of retired priests in the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The endowment fund is invested and each year a percentage of the interest generated by the fund is distributed to the Priests Foundation for the care of retired priests. The endowment principal will be protected forever and retired priests will benefit from your generosity for generations to come. Please contact me regarding The Priests Foundation Endownment Fund For more information please contact the Catholic Foundation or visit