In this edition:

Welcome Fr Laurence
A Natter with Noelle
What’s happening at Avila?
Farewell Frank
Anne Cole’s Story
A Star is Born
Men ALIVE Retreat
A Modern Place of Learning
Vinnies
What has the Berlin Marathon to do with East Timor?
Three Years On

Welcome Fr Laurence

H oly Family News (HFN), together with the parishioners of our parish, welcomes Father Laurence Cortez as the new Parish Priest.

The eldest of five boys, Fr Laurence grew up in the Cortez family home of three generations, in the province of Bulacan in the Philippines. Although his dad was a trained auto mechanic, the family’s main source of income was a jewellery business which was run by his mother with the assistance of his dad.

Fr Laurence’s entire school education, from kindergarten, where he started at age three, to the end of his High School year was at St Mary’s College in Meycauayan, Bulacan, which was run by the Religious of the Virgin Mary sisters. His next step was enrolment in a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Foreign Languages, at Letran Universtiy in Manila. After one year of his Arts degree, he decided that Medicine was his main interest and he enrolled in a degree in Medicine at the University of the Philippines. It was there that he met a girl who changed the course of his life. While he had one uncle an Archbishop and another an Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, he claimed that he was “not really religious”. However the girl he met introduced him to a more spiritual faith and he became actively involved in the church, particularly in youth groups. Fr Laurence believes that God was using both himself and the girl as instruments to each other, and both were to choose religious life as their calling. The girl became a nun and Fr Laurence gave up his study of medicine to enter a seminary.

Finding that he had a great interest in Philosophy, Fr Laurence had a break after five years of his studies towards the priesthood and completed a Masters Degree in Philosophy. In order to obtain money to live on, he worked three times a week as a “piano man” in a bar. There was no wage, only tips from patrons. He also worked part-time in the palace of well known church leader Cardinal Sin of Manila.

Fr Laurence enjoyed his life style so much that he almost forgot that he had been studying for the priesthood. He then heard that Archbishop Pell was seeking young men to train for the priesthood at Corpus Christi Seminary in Melbourne. Encouraged by Cardinal Sin he somewhat anxiously took up the place he was offered at the Seminary. However his nervousness left him when he was made so welcome by the Corpus Christi community, particularly by the Rector, Fr Michael McKenna, now Bishop of Bathurst. The then Vicar-General, Bishop Hart, was also helpful and encouraging. However there were still times when he had worries settling into his new cultural environment. His spiritual director encouraged him to see life as St Paul did in his letter to the Corinthians where Paul wrote that “we have put up with anything rather than obstruct the Good News of Christ in any way” (reflection of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:1-27). Fr Laurence persevered and now settled himself in Melbourne,believing that he is more fruitful here, even though (or ‘perhaps because’) he is still a little out of his comfort zone.

Fr Laurence was ordained at St Patrick’s Cathedral on 23rd July 2005 and took up his first appointment as assistant priest at St Monica’s, Moonee Ponds. This was followed by an 18 months term as an Assistant Priest at St Pat’s Cathedral where he also had the role of Master of Ceremonies for Archbishop Hart. During the above period he completed a Master of Theological Studies degree at the Catholic Theological College in East Melbourne. In 2009, Fr Laurence was given the opportunity to undertake a two year program of Liturgical Studies, which gained him a Master of Arts degree in Liturgical Studies at the Liturgical Institute which is part of the University of St Mary of the Lake in Chicago – “the coldest place on the planet”, according our new Parish Priest.

As a younger man, Fr Laurence played basketball and he still enjoys an occasional game of golf. During his “crazy days” he was a member of a Pop and R&B (Rock & Ballad) band taking his place mainly as a drummer but also on the keyboard and the guitar on occasions. He has a love of learning languages being fluent in five languages and able to read a sixth. He is currently learning Korean. He has no expectations of the parish and hopes that the parish has no expectations of him. His father used to say that “expectation is the twin brother of disappointment.” Fr Laurence believes that it is better to have faith in the Lord and faith in other people. “The Lord calls us to be faithful and therefore it is through faith that will lead us to our true goal in life.” HFN extends to Fr Laurence its warmest good wishes in his new role.

A Natter with Noelle

W ith Easter upon us and the year well underway, most Parishioners would have had the opportunity to meet our new Parish Priest by now. If not, make yourself known as Father Laurence is always happy to chat. Pastoral Associate in Christian Formation, Malcolm Lock, has an important date in his diary, of which Parishioners may like to make a note. Malcolm’s Ordination to the Deaconate will take place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday, 27th October, at 10.00 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend this special occasion.

Bi-monthly luncheons for retired Parishioners will continue throughout the year, but now on a THURSDAY as Father Laurence is available to celebrate a Healing Mass prior to the lunch , which is held in the Small Hall. Parishioners appreciate having Mass before lunch, and we hope many of you will keep the dates free and make these Parish get-togethers a big success. Entertainment which is organized deserves a good audience too, so mark the dates now and watch the Bulletin for further details. The next Mass and Luncheon will be on THURSDAY 3RD MAY, then 5th July, 6th September and the November date may be negotiated later in the month for a Christmas celebration. Wendy Hynes puts in much effort to continue these lunches, which were started by Sister Roma many years ago, and we need your support to keep them going successfully – please help! Grateful thanks to Community Care, who have offered to cater, as many ladies have made sandwiches for decades and will appreciate not having to do so any longer.

A recent television news item featured a beaming Brendan Cole, the fine athletic son of Anne and Barry Cole. We congratulate Brendan for qualifying for the 400 metre hurdles at the Olympic Games to be held in London later this year. A great achievement for one of our former Holy Family School students. Good Luck Brendan!

A sincere Thank You to Greta De Souza, for her loyal and steadfast dedication over the last 10 years, serving our Parish Community as Sacristan - one of those unseen, but necessary, voluntary positions in the Parish, which we all take for granted. Goodness knows how many hours Greta put in, only Willie would realize, so it was difficult to find anyone to replace her. Thankfully, a small group of ladies has offered to share this important task, which relieves the entire responsibility resting on just one person. God Bless you Greta, you have been a gem not only to several Priests, but to us all.

Dennis Yong, who conducts the 10.30 am Choir on the 2nd Sunday of each month, is really pleased to have welcomed many new young members to the choir recently. This gives the choir a big boost and ensures that we have regular music, apart from the Korean Choir. How marvellous to see the choir growing, and many thanks to Dennis for his enthusiasm.

How could the memory of the late Sister Ann Halpin pbvm ever be forgotten? Many of you will remember Ann from Spirituality in the Pub, but she made her mark in Dandenong with the care of migrant women at Wellsprings, for almost 20 years. In recognition of her service to the community, a street in Dandenong has been renamed Halpin Way. What a great tribute to a very special lady, from an immensely multi-cultural area. Sr. Ann was a close friend of Sr. Roma’s, and all who knew her, loved her. Tragically, Ann died of a brain tumour just over a year ago.

An issue of the Sunday Herald-Sun in late February featured an article on Val Worrall, a foundation Parishioner of Holy Family. Val moved to a retirement village not long ago, but prior to that held a ladies fitness class here for many years. Her move was a big loss to ladies in the Parish, but you will be pleased to know that Val continues her disciplined training and hammer throwing, and is still travelling and winning Gold medals. At 77, what a woman!

A big Thank You to Julie Pagliaro and her husband, Dominic, who have resigned as Parish Coordinators of Family Groups, due to work commitments. Julie put in enormous effort to ensure the ongoing success of our Family Groups, and we are grateful for her time. Anyone who feels they could take on this important role, please contact the Parish office as we need a replacement for Julie

Our “What’s happening at Avila?”

O ver the years, the Principals at Avila College have been generous with their time for HFN and this year was no exception. It is Louise Gunther’s second year as Principal and she welcomed me warmly for an update of College news.

A very attractive new flyer has been produced for prospective parents/ students and the Prospectus, which needs to be current, is being updated and will take about six months. Louise explained that there is intense competition amongst schools and with everyone on- line, access to information is necessary 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For this reason a new website is being developed which will re-brand and market the college. She explained that teaching is now an anywhere/ anytime situation, with access through technology such as WIKI and BLOGS forums for a class to dialogue and problem solve with each other and the teacher. Staff are available to interact out of school hours. The new role of E-Learning Leader, which is a staff appointment, supports both staff and students.

VCE results in 2011 were fantastic – three students attained an ATAR score of 99 and above and 17% of the class of 2011 gained ATARs above 90. Five students attained perfect study scores of 50 across a diverse range of subjects. In addition, three students have been invited by the Victorian and Curriculum Assessment Authority to audition for the prestigious Top Class Drama. Congratulations Avila on such high achievements!

The College newsletter, Avila News, is now emailed far and wide, and contains much more information from teachers. Avila is now featured in the Catholic Schools Guide, with a page of current information which gives a snapshot of the College and their results and education offerings. This is circulated to all Catholic Primary Schools.

Year 7 and 8 students will move into the new building at the start of Term 2. Comprising 16 classrooms, the building is fully climate-controlled, has flexible learning spaces, and is filled. It will be officially with vibrant colours and natural light. This building has been fully funded by the financial reserves of Avila, due to excellent management opened and named later in the year. Open Day tours are now held one morning each Term. The innovative Apple 1 on 1 laptop program has now extended to Years 7, 10 and 11 this year. In the busy life of the College, the week I visited found the Year 9s away on their Outdoor Camp, and Years 10 and 11 Politics students in Canberra.

Year 7 and 8 students will move into the new building at the start of Term 2. Comprising 16 classrooms, the building is fully climate-controlled, has flexible learning spaces, and is filled. It will be officially with vibrant colours and natural light. This building has been fully funded by the financial reserves of Avila, due to excellent management opened and named later in the year. Open Day tours are now held one morning each Term. The innovative Apple 1 on 1 laptop program has now extended to Years 7, 10 and 11 this year. In the busy life of the College, the week I visited found the Year 9s away on their Outdoor Camp, and Years 10 and 11 Politics students in Canberra. Settling into her second year, Louise said she works with a wonderful Leadership Team of six and they recently had time together away from the College planning. The College is certainly in good hands and HFN extends to Avila best wishes for a happy and fruitful year.

Noelle Sullivan

Farewell Frank

W ell known and popular parishioner Frank Bourke passed away on 27th December 2011, a few weeks short of his ninetieth birthday.

Frank came to Holy Family Parish about twenty-five years ago. He soon became recognised as a friendly fellow with a sharp wit. A ‘regular’ at the 8.45am Sunday Mass, he took his turn as a Reader and Commentator. Parishioners also saw him as the father of Sr Marie Bourke who, on occasions, came to the parish and spoke at the Sunday Masses about her work as a missionary in Uganda. After one of her visits Frank arranged for a collection of unwanted spectacles to be taken up and sent to Uganda to be ‘tried and used’ by parishioners of the parish at which Sr Marie worked. That exercise was very successful and Sr Marie sent back photos of people from her parish proudly wearing their ‘new’ glasses.

Frank led a very interesting life. His great grandfather came from Ireland and established a family farm at Nathalia where Frank grew up, playing football and cricket in local teams as a youngster. An outstanding country footballer Frank played one game with Richmond in 1943 before going overseas with the Australian forces. He served in both the AIF and the RAAF during World War II.

Rejoining the Tigers in 1946, Frank was on top of the League goal kicking list after nine games. He was 10 goals ahead of his nearest rival, St Kilda’s Sam Loxton, with Melbourne champion, Fred Fanning, further back. Frank had been selected to play for Victoria when tragedy struck. He badly injured his knee. This injury virtually ended his VFL career as his knee was never the same.

Although 1946 was a disastrous year for Frank’s football career, it had a silver lining in that he married a Sydney girl, Desiree Morrelle, at Xavier College Chapel on 22nd June in that year. Frank and Desiree had seven children, including Francis, the Richmond champion.

Although 1946 was a disastrous year for Frank’s football career, it had a silver lining in that he married a Sydney girl, Desiree Morrelle, at Xavier College Chapel on 22nd June in that year. Frank and Desiree had seven children, including Francis, the Richmond champion. Frank returned to Nathalia to farm work and played in a premiership team for Nathalia kicking nine of the team’s 12 goals when his team defeated Cobram in the 1949 Grand Final. He then took up a playing coach position at Ganmaine and kicked nine goals for that team in its 1950 Grand Final victory over Griffith.

Frank and Desiree’s eldest son Francis became a champion for Richmond and his son, David, also played football for the Tigers. With Frank’s career cut short after 16 games and Francis playing 300 games, David’s 85 games brought the family’s total for the club to over 401 games – an amazing performance and a club record for three generations of a family.

However Frank saw tragedy as well as success in his life. Desiree passed away in 1984 and he lost two of his seven children in accidents. In 1986 he married Joyce, whom he met whilst working in Francis’s newsagency. The couple then settled into their home in Talbot Road. Later they retired to the Corpus Christi village with many other former Holy Family parishioners.

Two funeral ceremonies were held for Frank, one at Holy Family on 5th January, with the other being at St Mary’s Nathalia on the next day. Frank was laid to rest at Nathalia.

Fr John Dowling was celebrant at the Requiem Mass held at Holy Family and in his homily he said he had known Frank as a sociable man with a great sense of humour. He noted that Frank was always early when he acted as commentator but unfortunately Mass often started late when this was the case. The problem was that Frank took time to have a chat with a number of fellow parishioners on his way to the lectern before Mass started. He then often made a few informal comments of his own after which he read the introduction to the day’s Mass. It was only then that Fr John could make his entrance.

Other speakers at the funeral, in particular his son Francis and his grandson David, spoke of the fine example Frank had been and how much he was loved by his children, 16 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.

The eulogists also spoke of Frank’s wit. A lover of all sport Frank used to say that it was his captain’s fault that he did not play Test cricket. His complaint was that “the captain always sent me in to bat, in the middle of a hat-trick.” In fact Frank was a very good cricketer and toured England in a Services team after World War II. He also had success at golf and had two holes-in-one in his golfing career.

A large crowd attended Frank’s funeral, including many friends from Holy Family, a large group of the Bourke clan and a number of representatives from the Richmond Football Club including former players Barry Richardson, Mike Perry, Emmett Dunne and John Nix.

Perhaps Frank’s life is best summed up by a bereavement notice from one of his grand children: “A cheeky Grandpa and true gentleman to whom his grandkids and great grandchildren can aspire.”

As the writer was saying good-bye to Sr Marie, who is still working in Uganda, she commented that she is taking another case of glasses back with her.

Holy Family parish extends to Joyce and the Bourke family their sincere condolences. We are grateful to have had a man such as Frank Bourke in our midst.

Kevin Reed

Anne Cole’s Story

M y stroke occurred in the early hours of 25th February 2009. This was a great surprise to all of us as I was a fit and healthy 60 year old with no risk factors for stroke apart from a slightly elevated cholesterol reading.

I had always undertaken regular exercise such as swimming, walking, squash and bike riding. Only days before my stroke, I had competed in 6 swimming events at the Aussie Masters in Geelong. In 2008, Barry and I did the 100km Round the Bay bike ride.

Communication has always been an important part of my life. I consider it essential to my marriage, a key part of my family relationships and of my life in general. It has been important for me to tell others how I am feeling about an issue. Talking about and even identifying feelings has been difficult since the stroke.

I have had to curtail a lot of my activities such as contacting friends and relatives, pastoral work in the church, and presenting to groups such as Teams. In groups where there is a lot of noise and simultaneous conversations it is almost impossible for me to follow what is being said. This includes family gatherings.

I still enjoy gardening and cooking. Fortunately, my stroke has not left me with severe physical limitations, so these are activities I am still able to do.

I love to knit and Barry brought my needles and wool into the hospital when I was at Kingston. I was still able to do this albeit slowly at first and have been knitting a wool blanket. I still do not have full strength in my right arm and leg and fine motor movement is still compromised.

Thankfully, we have still been able to travel around Australia, and last year spent 3 ½ months caravanning to new places in the eastern states.

My Stroke:

My stroke occurred at about 5am on a Wednesday morning, and I tried to get out of bed and fell to the floor. I was completely unresponsive to any stimuli, and apparently had a look of bewilderment on my face. Paramedics came but I could not talk to them. I do not remember getting into the ambulance. The first thing that I recall was being in hospital emergency, and Barry and Jacqui were there. We were entering the unknown, with no clear idea of what, if indeed anything was at the end of the tunnel. Barry was both very worried and scared, wondering where I had gone and who he was going to get back when this was over.

I do not remember having lunch although Barry tells me that he fed me as my right hand had severely limited function. I was not able to talk at all. I remember having tea which apparently I insisted on eating unaided. Tim had by this time arrived. Brendan flew in from Canberra that night and I saw him the following morning.

I was in Monash Medical Centre for 9 days, and then at Kingston Rehabilitation Centre for 3 weeks. By this time I could walk almost without a limp. I was allowed to go home at weekends and 1 ½ weeks after I had my stroke I went to the wedding of a dear friend of our eldest son, something that I really wanted to do. During this time, my friends and family were wonderfully supportive.

Since February 2009, I have made steady progress, with some rapid sprints, usually associated with intensive speech therapy. The first message for us from the professionals was that my recovery would be most noticeable in the first three months, and would then plateau. Fortunately, my experience has been different, and progress has not stopped, although at times has levelled for a while. Barry is delighted when he sees changes. We have continually worked towards improvement and this is paying off. Barry says that I am very determined, and that this has helped enormously in my recovery.

In 2010, we attended an aphasia conference in Sydney, and this was an enormous boost to my confidence. Aphasia is a condition that interferes with the ability to use language. All areas of language can be affected eg understanding, writing, reading, calculation, speaking, reading and gesture. People who have had a stroke are often affected in this way. At the conference, seeing the struggle that others had made from a position of not being able to speak at all, to presenting, although haltingly, had a profound influence on both of us. It gave us hope that with persistence and hard work, we could make a difference. We also became aware that the ‘3 month improvement’ rule was really a myth.

I joined “Stroke –a-Chord”, a choir for people who are stroke survivors, in September 2010 after we had attended a concert given by the choir. Barry was inspired by the happy and positive approach of all the choir members. I have found the aphasia people and the carers in the choir are a happy lot and are glad to see us there. It is a continually positive and reaffirming experience. Going to choir is now part of our week, and is a top priority for me. I am not sure what changes the choir has made to my speech, but there has been a steady improvement since I joined, although there are lots of other things that I do, and the therapy that I have had that has also helped. We have certainly noticed improvement in other choir members, both physically and in their speech. We keep going to choir because of the atmosphere and sense of belonging that we have there. Everybody, despite their speech and physical limitations are always cheerful!

One of the biggest challenges for people with aphasia is to maintain old, and make new friends. Communicating with a person with aphasia requires patience and understanding. Consequently, isolation can be an outcome that aphasia delivers. I am fortunate in this regard in that my friends have given me their time, and have worked hard to help when they can. People with aphasia have speech difficulties, but usually cognitive function is unimpaired.

This year my speech pathologist has told me that my major problem now is not aphasia, but apraxia, which is the difficulty in actually delivering the words that I have decided I want to use. This is different from aphasia, which is the difficulty in finding the words I wish to use when communicating. This discovery has meant we are now using different speech exercises. You may see Barry and I sitting in a cafe in Mt Waverley playing with specially designed picture cards. This is an exercise which helps speech, pronunciation and memory. The good news is that all the work we have done over the last three years has reduced the effects of aphasia on my ability to speak. I am getting there!

My dreams are that I would like be able to sing more at choir; I would like to be able to speak more, and to be able to say what I want to say.

Anne Cole

A Star is Born

Th’ unwearied sun from day to day Does his Creator’s power display; And publishes to every land The work of an Almighty hand.

I n the Hymn, The Spacious Firmament, our occasional poet Joseph Addison, displays no hesitation in his perception of our earthly beginning. It is not always so. Fresh evolutionary and scientific discovery, ancient bones unearthed and space exploration challengingly nibble at our Christian beliefs in a way that can seek to reduce Genesis to a joke and mutate Adam and Eve to become any number of original parents.

Although many Christians find no need to be concerned with repeated intrusions of the like, a recognized rebuttal of the theories of the ‘anticreation’ lobby has, in fact, emerged from the controversy. It developed under the title of Intelligent Design. The concept is that the universe and living things are best explained by acceptance of an intelligent cause, as opposed to a random evolving process. The strength of this defensive theory rests on the fact that there are many conditions of life on earth that simply cannot be explained by science.

For Christians, the need for such a defence is enigmatic. Is it supposed by non-believers, and the opponents of Christian belief, that we acknowledge an omnipotent God whom we hold to have created from nothing; the limitless universe, the living plants and creatures and human life itself; but a God of love that stands aloof from their inevitable evolutionary progress? Or a God of creation who fails to foresee the evolutionary development of His own handiwork? Or a vacillating God who actually expected His creation to remain moribund until He determines timing for the day described by A.E. Poe, as the day of universal dissolution?

Not at all. Steadfast faith remains undisturbed by evocative and conflicting scientific findings; it is the Christian bulwark against the ignorance of those who would scoff. Nevertheless, when we stop to ponder there are confounding questions that can arise in the matter of our beginning. For example: How do we link in our minds the time and existence of our first parents, Adam and Eve, with the discovery of ancient ‘human’ remains millions of years old? When did the transition from simple life hominids to human life with self-consciousness take place? (The latter of course, a prerequisite to Original Sin). When and how does the event of Original Sin fit into evolutionary biology – a science sometimes held by academicians as self-sustaining with no need for a creator?

Answers can be found in the two books mentioned in an earlier library note: THE GOD OF EVOLUTION. JESUS AND THE COSMOS.

Here, we deal with – Jesus and the Cosmos – again by theologian Father Denis Edwards. In this book, the author ‘attempts to capture the decisive meaning of Jesus for a new time and a ‘new cosmology’. Perhaps a kind of housekeeping reconciliation update between Christ’s coming so long ago and the apparently conflicting biological and evolutionary events that followed down through the years. Working through this labyrinth, the author maintains the reassuring assertion that ‘God is at the heart of the evolutionary process, empowering it from within’.

For a very long time the world-view assumed a kind of compliant, intuitive ‘static-creation’ attitude that did not seem to require a general re-think of conditions as they gradually changed and evolved since the death of Christ. It was that sneaky kind of change that proceeds mischievously like a bad tooth, subliminal until its presence commands undivided attention. It was also a change due surely to the universal, but understandable human preoccupation with the ‘here and now’. Jesus and the Cosmos fires up consideration of this phenomenon, directly linking the evolutionary progression to the purpose of the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

As a background to its commentary, the book contains plenty of those pithy snippets of science we need to recall in order to respond with understanding, to the author’s exposition of the updated ‘new time and new cosmology’. The probably long forgotten scientific facts are refreshed by him for reference and presented to assist, not perplex. Similarly, the supporting theology is not a heavily nuanced catalogue likely to bring on a fit of yawning.

This popular book is concluded by a ten point synopsis of insights developed from the text. Points that are succinct, helpful and thought provoking for Christians troubled by the beckoning mystery of the starry spacious firmament – the cosmos. To help, our poet calls on the stars themselves to define their origin as he writes majestically; ‘For ever singing as they shine, The hand that made us is Devine’.

A third publication from the pen of Father Edwards on a similar topic is also available at the library. It was donated by an uncle of the author, John Edwards, and is titled, Ecology at the Heart of Faith. We will discuss it in a later issue.

Jim Wells

Men ALIVE Retreat

F orty men from Holy Family Parish, another sixteen from surrounding Parishes and four from country Parishes did the menALIVE Retreat on the weekend of 5th and 6th November 2011. Most of us went because we were inspired by Danny Murphy’s experience at a similar Retreat in Sorrento earlier last year. To hear Danny speaking so obviously from his heart, of how meaningful the days were for him, it is not surprising that so many men attended here.

We spent the days listening to talks and to testimonies, working in groups and reflecting on the role of men in the Church. The talks were The Father’s Love, The Father’s Dream, The Father’s Son, What Then Must We Do and To Be A Man Of God. These were presented by the menALIVE team, two from Brisbane and one from Adelaide, who gave talks from the perspectives of their own lives and so were filled with meaningful anecdotes.

I was particularly moved by the talk on The Father’s Son. In this talk, we saw the parallel between the relationship we had with our own Father and the one we now have with God the Father. For me, this was most affirming and in the silent time on the Saturday afternoon, I found myself walking again with my Father who died back in 1983. What a wonderful time I had as I strolled through the Parish grounds in the sunshine talking to Dad and reflecting on his life.

Others had special moments of their own. Many shared these experiences in the small groups we were in for the Retreat. The Retreat finished with a Mass at midday on the Sunday. Fr Anjou, who attended much of the weekend, was able to tie his Homily so well into all that we had been through. Fr Pat Jackson, from St Christopher’s Parish, also attended as much of the Retreat as his Parish duties would allow. He was so impressed that there will be a Retreat held in that parish in August 2012.

To hear the sound of sixty strong voices singing “How great thou art” in the small Hall was an experience all of its own. We were not accompanied by music. We just sang. The deep sounds just reverberated around us all. Maureen and Veronica, who were preparing food for us in the kitchen, both commented on how full and moving it felt.

In the final talk, we were challenged to : ?? pray daily, possibly with the help of a journal ?? join with other men to meet and share our lives become active in the Church

We were given a pebble to carry in our pocket to remind ourselves of our commitments.

The positive feedback from all the participants was overwhelming.

Small groups are now meeting on a regular basis, weekly or fortnightly. We meet at the Parish House on Wednesday morning, Wednesday afternoon and Tuesday evening. These groups share their experiences and talk about the readings from the daily Mass.

We each have made personal commitments in relation to our own lives. Fulfilling these by oneself may be difficult, but by sharing some of these commitments with your group their support is there to make the task easier.

These groups are open for all men of the Parish to join at any stage. Attendance at the Retreat is not a requirement.

Kevin Delaney