This issue of is also published on the Parish Website http://stanthonysmeltonsouth.wordpress.com/padua-news/ is the official quarterly Newsletter of Issue 37 September 1, 2015 An interview with Message Father from Fabian Father - 6 Fabian years on.. St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Cnr Exford & Wilson Roads Melton South, VIC 3338 Tel: 03 9747 9692 Fax: 03 9746 0422 Email: MeltonSouth@cam.org.au Parish Priest: Father Fabian Smith Assistant Priest: Father John-Paul Mount 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 email: paduanews@yahoo.com.au Thank you. Committee Dolores Turcsan Doris Bonello Edwina La Rose Lorraine Tellis Rebecca Comini Ken Dumandan Imalsha Silva Kim Barton Godwin Barton In 2009, you were posted as the Parish Priest to St Anthony of Padua parish in Melton South. At that time you told Parishioners that you hoped to be here for 12 years. You have now completed 6 years and have embarked on your second 6-year term here. What has been the highlight of your stay at St Anthony s over the past 6 years? My highlight has been the welcoming of adults into the Catholic faith through Baptism and the Profession of Faith. To see them grow in faith and understanding of God who loves them and calls them to share in His life and mission. This has been my highlight. What do you find the most rewarding about being a Parish Priest in Melton South? Sharing the lives of people the greatest privilege I have had in my past six years is to have shared in your hopes and dreams, your trials and struggles, your pain and loss and also in your joys and achievements. The most rewarding of all was to see you come closer to Christ. I have personally seen people s faith grow and deepen and that is very rewarding for me. What would you say is your greatest achievement in the past 6 years? I could not say what my greatest achievement has been. But the best work I have done is in the sacrament of Reconciliation. What has been the most challenging for you? There are many challenges in becoming a Parish Priest. At the age of 30, I was the youngest Parish Priest in Melbourne, and I am still the youngest Parish Priest. There is no manual for the work that is to be done and that, to me, is a challenge. I think I ve coped well. Trying to juggle my time has been the hardest although really, the most challenging would be to deal with the Parish Council President!!! But there is nothing a good holiday can t fix. At our Q&A when you first started here, you mentioned that one of your plans was to see the four Quadrants work effectively. How is the progress of that plan at this point in time? One of the Popes was asked when he was elected, how many people worked at the Vatican and the Pope said almost half! Thinking back and seeing how the quadrants have worked, I would say almost half efficient! We have a great Parish Council structure and I see great poten- tial in the Quadrant s structure, so if we work more efficiently we can certainly build the life of this parish even more. Six years ago your message to the people of our parish was Look after me and care for me so that I may be able to carry out my priestly office, that I may be able to care for you. Do you think that the parishioners have taken care of you? What message would you like to pass on to the Parishioners of St Anthony s at this point? I am deeply grateful for the great care and love you have shown me for the past six years. Please keep up the good work! Please allow me to care for you spiritually. Continued on next page
Issue 37 Page 2 An interview with Father Fabian - 6 years on.. (continued from previous page) Would you like to share with us a funny incident which you had been involved in? I celebrated the funeral of a woman some time ago and the photo that they brought, which many families usually do, was a photo of when she was much younger. I thought I knew who the person was but ten days later I visited the nursing home and low and behold, there was the person whom I offered Mass for and buried sitting in front of me! Moral of the story, I suppose, is to use a recent photo at funerals! Do you recall any embarrassing moments during your stay here? There must have been so many embarrassing moments that I have buried them all! There is one particular incident I would like to share with you which happened to me when I accompanied Archbishop Hart to one of our nursing homes during his parish visitation. During cuppa, one of the residents in conversation said to Archbishop, Father Fabian is always late for Mass - that was embarrassing! The Archbishop was very kind though, he said to the lady, we are always waiting in life for something, waiting for a cuppa, waiting for meals, etc, Father Fabian is new to being a parish priest and has so much to learn, so I suppose we ll have to wait for Father Fabian too. What are your plans for the next 6 years? While my plan is to stay in this parish for the next six years, and hopefully have a few holidays during that time, my desire and mission for the next six years in this parish is to journey with you closer to Christ. Encountering him through the proclaimed Word and in the celebration of the Sacraments, so that we may be able to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength in order that we may be able to love our neighbour as ourselves. To enable this to happen, together with Father John-Paul, I would like to visit all families who are registered in this parish. As Pope Francis says, the shepherd must get to know his sheep and that is my focus for the next six years - that we can get to know you better. Every priest shares in the three-fold mission of Christ to preach, to sanctify and to govern God s holy people. In the past six years to the best of my ability I have preached the word of God, I have taught the faith, I have helped you grow in faith through the Sacraments celebrated in this parish and I will continue to do my best to teach you more and to help you grow in holiness. I have my own spirituality but it s not the only spirituality. I have been conscious of that in the last six years. I have welcomed various groups into our Parish the Alliance of Two Hearts, the Neocatecumenal Way, the Legion of Mary, Holy Spirit Interactive School of Discipleship, St Vincent de Paul, the Youth Group, the Young Men s group, Altar Servers group, other choirs, etc. I have started various groups in our parish so that each of you can be more involved in the life of the church. In the last six years, I ve tried to give you every opportunity to enable you to grow in faith and put your faith into action. I trust that the God who has begun the good work in us will bring it to fulfilment. What plans do you have for the Youth Group which you have started at St Anthony s? Young people have so many challenges to face as they grow into adulthood. Our youth group provides our young people with many opportunities to learn to face these challenges with Christ in the Church. It is difficult to live a faith-filled life bearing witness to Jesus each day but the Saints in the Church have shown us that is possible. With Jesus at the centre of our young people s lives they will learn that all things become possible. Father Fabian, congratulations on the recent celebration of your 10th anniversary of Ordination. Would you like to share with us some of your thoughts, reflecting on this memorable occasion? I can t believe it has been 10 years since I ve been ordained a Priest! More than half of my priestly life has been in this parish. It is here in this parish that I ve learnt to be a good shepherd so I am truly grateful for the opportunity to celebrate my 10 years Ordination anniversary here and I hope to have many more here in this Parish. We never know the impact we have on people s lives. Occasions like this show that I am doing some good here - seeing the hall filled with parishioners, and how they have organised dinner and presentations - that is affirmation that I am cared for and loved in this parish. I am very blessed to have always been surrounded by people who love me and care for me and my 10 years Ordination Anniversary celebration was an expression of this love and care that people have for me in this parish and I would like to say Thank you to all of you. Is there anything else you would like to add? My first six years in the Parish have been a roller coaster ride. Hopefully the next six years won t be like the past six years. However, I have kept my word I have done my six years and I am looking forward to the next six years here in this parish in Melton South. Interviewed by: Kim Barton
Issue 37 Page 3 Celebration of Father Fabian s 10th anniversary of Ordination into the Priesthood Clockwise from Top left: Father Fabian processing into Mass; Father Fabian presenting his homily; Father Gerard Dowling; Father Fabian, Deacon Daryl and Monsignor Peter Kenny after Mass; Father Fabian with Stella and Sam Maurici, who tailored Father Fabian s Vestment for the Mass; Samoan dance performed by the Samonn ladies from our parish; Parishioners and invited guests enjoying the presentations of talented parishioners; Father Fabian cutting the celebratory cake; Youth choir at Mass. Congratulations to Father Fabian on his 10th anniversary of Ordination into the Priesthood
Issue 37 Page 4 Getting to know - Father John-Paul Mount It was suggested that I write a few words to introduce myself to St Anthony s and I am very happy to do so. My father, John, has recently retired as a teacher and is enjoying spending more time with my mother, Mary, in between games of golf. My mum spent much of her life looking after 7 children, of which I am the 4 th. My parents and grandparents were great witnesses of the Catholic faith and I grew up going to Mass each Sunday and praying the rosary in the evening. From Essendon where we lived, I travelled to St Kevin s College, where my father taught, and for the 10 years I was there I was mostly concerned with AFL football and the sciences. After finishing school in 2001, I began practising my faith more independently, mainly praying the rosary, going to regular confession and studying the faith. I studied Philosophy and English literature at Melbourne University and then did a Diploma of Education before entering Corpus Christi Seminary in 2007. There was no big influential moments in my discernment that God wanted me to become a priest, but rather, over the years it became ever clearer to me and the courage to commit to it ever stronger - all was done in God s time. In the seminary, surrounded by so many inspirational young men pursuing the same goal, I learnt so much about the faith. It was an extraordinary 8 years I spent in formation to become a priest, and it would take a book to summarise that story. I was ordained on the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, June 27, 2015. Words can t describe what a happy and emotional time it was for me and my family. I look forward to beginning my life as a priest at St Anthony s, and pray that I will faithfully cooperate with the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring you closer to Christ and the Most Holy Trinity. God Bless, see you soon! Submitted by: Fr John-Paul Mount Celebrating St Anthony s Feast with a feast of our own! St Anthony s parishioners were able to experience flavours of the world at the International Food Festival held on Sunday 14 June after the 10.30am Mass. Delicious cuisines from four countries -Australia, Malta, India and Samoa - were on offer to a big crowd of parishioners in the Padua Hall. Coordinated by the Social Committee, the celebration coincided with our parish feast day the Feast of St Anthony of Padua on 13 June. Entertainment in the form of dances was provided by our Samoan community. $2000 was raised on the day from food and raffle sales, with proceeds going towards the upgrade of the church s sound system. Submitted by: Imalsha Silva and Rebecca Comini
Issue 37 Page 5 Children s Liturgy Children s Liturgy - Why do I choose to be a part of it? Why do I choose to be rostered as a leader of Children s Liturgy? In a nutshell, my answer to these questions is, I take my baptismal promises very seriously. I love my God who loves me. My relationship with Him gives my life purpose and meaning. It fills me with joy and motivates me and I want to share this gift so that others may also discover this gift of faith within themselves, to develop their relationship with God so that they may have life. By developing my God given gifts I can evolve, use and share my talents and my time to help others and together we live and work to try to experience a spirit of love, acceptance, wonder and awe in God s presence so that we steadily make our lives more complete. This is a lifelong process, made up of little steps. My involvement in Children s Liturgy, is one of these steps. Every moment of my life is a prayer, an opportunity, a way I can be a living witness of God in this world and being part of the Children s Liturgy is another of these ways. I love children. I love their enthusiasm, curiosity, openness. I love working with them because they are like sponges. Through their innocence, wonder and awe they have the ability to experience God so powerfully. I love witnessing that twinkle in their eyes at the point of discovery and learning and being a part of what gets them to that point. By being a part of the Children s Liturgy, I hope to arouse their special qualities, to challenge and lead them to a deeper faith and knowledge of God through His Word. They in turn, keep me grounded and in touch with the child within me. Together we explore the reading(s) of the day, we talk about The Word, by focussing on a word that strikes us in the reading, or sharing an image that comes to mind as we read, or we may sing a song related to the reading. Through the shared activities, asking questions and listening to each other s responses we discover more about where we fit in to life and we develop our personal relationship with God, others, the world, our faith community and the wider Church. This makes me feel that I am actively living out my baptismal promises, taking up my responsibility within my faith community and fulfilling my purpose for being. Some say Mass is boring: I have never found it so. From a young age I have been actively involved in the Mass. I was fortunate to have people, who have shared their talents with me and encouraged me to take up ministries within the church. Balancing active involvement with quiet reflection and prayer kept the Mass alive and interesting. I want to share this interest with young people and help them to be involved so that they too may experience the power and beauty of our Mass and get the enjoyment and satisfaction I get so that it becomes a natural, normal, significant part of their lives. Being on the roster for Children s Liturgy enables me to have time to hear The Word of God in the usual adult form, hearing Fr Fabian s homily as well as giving me an opportunity to help break down the meaning of the scripture to a level that is easily understood by children, helping them to connect with the message of God and His People, doing my part in laying the foundations so that the seed of faith is sown amongst the young. When I was young I decided that I could best serve God by becoming a teacher. Through my daily work I could be devoted to educating people in His Way, lovingly, justly and humbly. I became a teacher and absolutely loved my work. Three years ago, during my 30th year of teaching, after unfortunate events that affected my health, I had to stop teaching. A while after that I moved to St Anthony s and I took up the invitation to be part of the Children s Liturgy, which has brought me healing. Once again, I am able to connect with my dream of leading young people to God and helping them to become the best version of themselves. It is very much a two-way process: as I give, I receive. I happen to have a background in teaching but you don t need a background in teaching to be part of Children s Liturgy. What is needed is a desire and openness to share faith, insight and understanding of the scripture. It requires time in reflection and prayer before the day, speaking with God and allowing God to speak to you. Where two or more are gathered in Jesus name He is present. With God s grace and blessing I hope to continue to be involved in Children s Liturgy. Your sister In Christ. Submitted by: Marian P Muller
Issue 37 Page 6 Winter Sleepout On August 7, 2015, CRC Melton held its annual Winter Sleep Out. Having also done it in the previous year, I learnt a lot, the experience is always an eye opener. To sit outside in the cold, alone, for an hour really gets to you. For that moment, you experience merely a snippet of abandonment and dejection. I couldn't imagine feeling that way for months and even years. There were guest speakers from the McAuley Community Services for Women, who explained the direct link between domestic violence and homelessness; with domestic violence being the biggest cause of homelessness. Their service is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to provide a safe environment to the women and children trying to escape domestic violence. Sleeping on hard floor with a blanket and a sleeping bag was not pleasant; with not much sleep, I had to wake up at 6am, to pack my belongings and leave the hall, which imitates how the homeless may have to move spots around that time due to the street cleaning or the council. We were served breakfast and dinner with the same variety of food that is served from the St. Vincent de Paul services. The experience only lasted for 10 hours, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, I went home and slept properly on my warm comfy bed. Meanwhile, these are a constant everyday experiences for the people who are homeless and the unfortunate reality. It makes you realise with gratitude how fortunate you really are. I can confirm that the $360 raised from the generous donations of the St. Anthony's Parish will be going to support the St. Vincent de Paul services. All 28 people, that I shared the experience with, raised a total of over $2500. I'm glad that everyone's contributions to that night will make a positive impact to lives of the homeless. Submitted by: Ken Dumandan Further discussions and activities were done; such as, having a random card, that was pinned on your back, which determined whether you would be accepted or rejected to form a group with the people around you, as the rounds progressed. This emphasises that sometimes we have no control over situations, it happens by chance, just as anyone of all ages and backgrounds can become homeless. What's worse, is to fall into this situation and thinking that no one cares about you. We hear their stories but we don't really listen. We need to remember those in need, they deserve much better. Ken Dumandan and Imalsha Silva participated in the Winter sleepout LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE! A man s conversation with God Man: God, how long is a million years?" God: To me, it's about a minute. Man: God, how much is a million dollars? God: To me, it's a penny Man: God, may I have a penny? God: Wait a minute Source: Unknown
Issue 37 Page 7 A Poem dedicated to the late Josephine Amachi Antony Josephine s Garden Dear Lord, I d like to share this important fact so that you may know, How much we all cherish Amachi s Garden, to watch its flowers grow, One by one, by one, by one, She planted her precious seeds, She turned the rich & heavy soil and was blessed for all her deeds, With her blood & bone, love, sweat & tears, She reaped the joy it brought her throughout her loving years, And as she set the foundation for the next generation to grow, Sweet smelling roses or strong tall trees only passing time did show, Be it Winter, Summer, Spring or Fall, She hugged her trees & flowers as she truly loved them all, She watched them growing slowly beneath her weary feet, Their fruit was rich & tender & its nectar sweet, These precious gifts we truly cherished like her sweet & gentle kiss, And now that we re so far apart we all shall sorely miss, Sadly now we must say farewell as it s time for us to part, But be reassured she still loves us all from the bottom of her heart, Please take care of Josephine for the short time that she s away, Until we all meet in Eden s Garden once again on a bright & sunny day, And when we all arrive there we ll seek her beckoning call, So that when we re altogether once again she can hug us all, Once more... Amen Josephine Amachi Antony is Ben Antony s Mother Poem composed by: Boris Troselj; Submitted by: Ben Antony 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 email to: paduanews@yahoo.com.au by October 31, 2015 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.
Issue 37 Page 8 WARRAWONG WOOLSHED 1200 Exford Road Eynesbury district Available for hire Unique heritage features and friendly environment - arrange and set up to suit your own needs for up to 120 people for a sitdown meal/family gatherings. For further details, or to arrange a visit and inspection, contact John Little at 0412 078 543 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. Adver sers for Wanted! 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 December 2015