In this edition:

Fr. John´s Message
From The Editor's Desk
Congratulations to Confirmation Candidates
Confirmation Candidates – 2007
Choir Appreciated
Notes on 50th Anniversary of Holy Family
A Symphony in C
A Busy Month
Vale Brother Peter Swain
Keeping the Con from Conversion
PERSPECTIVES ON RUSSIA
KNITTERS WARM THE WORLD
Family Group Fun
Mount Waverley Catholics Cricket Club
ROSARY TRADITION CONTINUES AT HOLY FAMILY
Another School, Another Time
U3A WAVERLEY - A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN
The Art Show Opening: A Non-Artist´s Perspective
New Parishioners
Marriages
Baptisms
Obituaries
Classified

Fr. John´s Message

Next year, 2008, will be very significant for our Parish as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary. A small group of volunteers is already looking at ways in which we can acknowledge the contributions that many people have made over this time.

In the early 1950s, Mount Waverley was part of Sacred Heart Parish in Oakleigh, and then it became part of St Peter´s, Clayton and later, part of St Leonard´s, Glen Waverley. In February of 1958, Fr Curley was appointed as the first Parish Priest of Holy Family Parish.

Great progress has been made since then and this ought to be celebrated. Some of those who worked for the Parish or School in earlier times have moved elsewhere, but we hope that many of them can join us, particularly at the February celebration.

The history group is looking for early photos or records so that they can mount displays over the next twelve months. Another group is raising money so that we can have a permanent reminder of the anniversary. We would welcome suggestions of a suitable project.

We have a lot to be proud of at Holy Family, so 2008 should be a year to both give thanks and to look to the future with confidence.

Finally, I am sorry to report that Kevin Reed, who has been Editor of Holy Family News for the past six and a half years, is retiring from the position. I would like to thank Kevin for the conscientious way that he has carried out the role. We have a magazine of which we can be proud. Any parishioner who would like to take on the role should contact the Parish Office on 9807 9898.

From the Editor´s Desk

We heard on the grapevine that Malcolm Lock, our Pastoral Associate, celebrated a very big birthday recently. Congratulations Malcolm, we hope you enjoyed the special day. All our best wishes for the future – which we hope is amongst us.

***

Principal of our school, Lorraine Doig, enjoyed her overseas trip and is busy again this term with so much happening. Renovation of the original school building is planned to commence before the end of the year, and presently plans are going through the process of meeting Council requirements. Thirty-four Preps have already enrolled for 2008 – up to 40 children can be accepted. A matinee concert will be held on 19th September, and this will conclude the children´s celebration of the school´s 50th anniversary.

***

Parish Property Management Committee has applied to Monash Council for a "Keep Clear" sign to be painted on the roadway at the entrance and exit areas in Stephensons Road. This would alleviate some of the traffic problems during peak hours. Hopefully our request will be granted. The Committee hosted a "cuppa" after a 10.30am Mass in July. The only question asked of Committee members was, "Why can´t there be chocolate biscuits for morning tea?"!!!

***

Good news about Stephanie Sweeney: Following her surgery in June, and a very anxious time fighting an infection, Steph has made excellent progress. After a visit to her extraordinary surgeon recently, the Sweeney family had cause for celebration, as he was pleased with Steph´s results. Kathy spoke highly of Cabrini´s Hospital in the Home service, which they needed seven days a week for three weeks, with a doctor and a nurse calling. Stephanie is back at Avila in her wheelchair, and Kathy said the college staff and students have contributed to Steph´s progress, as they have gone beyond the call of duty, helping in so many ways. Now Steph can start swimming again and begin to put weight on her leg, building up strength through physiotherapy. She is very excited! Please keep up the prayers for continued good progress. Good Luck Steph, you are a brave girl!

***

In a recent newsletter from Centacare Catholic Family Services, we were proud to see a photograph of Avila students, who were volunteering to take part in Centacare´s annual appeal for funds. The girls are part of a pilot program, and will make direct appeals in their own parishes. As stated in the article, this is a wonderful example of young people supporting an essential service to the broader community. Well done Avila, you are leading the way!

Congratulations to Confirmation Candidates

On Friday 7th September those listed below received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Bishop Hilton Deakin.

On the Tuesday prior to Confirmation, the group attended a retreat for the whole day. This year the retreat was held at Holy Family Parish. The day began with Mass with the Holy Family parishioners and as a part of this Liturgy the candidates received their El Salvador crosses.

After Mass the candidates were given the chance to meet Bishop Hilton Deakin who, as a part of this meeting, examined the candidates, as is the tradition of the Church prior to Confirmation.

After morning tea, our candidates then had the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (second rite) with Fr. John.

Just before a sausage sizzle lunch and continuing after lunch the children were placed into four groups. These moved between four activities, including one where young people related how the Sacrament of Confirmation has helped them in their lives over recent times and another where the candidates explored life´s obstacles to loving God and neighbour. In a third activity the participants looked at examples of the Spirit at work today, whilst in the fourth activity candidates decorated family name plates, which reserved seating at the Confirmation Mass.

The retreat then concluded with a practice of the Mass in the church to aid in a smooth liturgical celebration.

Confirmation Candidates – 2007

Evelyn Andrews
Toby Bannon-Fitzgerald
Alexandra Bellizia
Adele Carrubba
Jessica Casley
Nicholas Coad
Bethany Coffey
Melina Cosentino
Joshua De Souza
Anthony Drew
Adi Djojopurnomo
William Ellis
Rachel Engellenner
Nayomi Fonseka
Julie Gill
Paola Guerra
Jessica Harianto
Josephine Head
Monica Hunt
Kate James
Gerald (Insung) Jeong
Stephen (Da Jin ) Jeong
Daniel Kieltyka
Inhye Kim
Jong-Chan Kim
Emer Lahiff
Ciara Larkins
Thomas Lunt
Luke Martinelli
Ben McGuinness
Madeleine Morgan
Darcy Morris
Amelia Olyar-Hogan
Shehani Paldano
Jung Hye Park
Edward Phung
Danielle Roberts
Carlie Saunders
Chantelle Seneviratne
Daniel Smith
Deanna Speranza
Ryan Tennison
Georgia Tormey
Mary An Tran
Joseph Viavattene
Nishitha Vissamraju
Jacob Walton
Brendan Wylie
Elysia Wylie
Jack Youden

Choir Appreciated

(We are fortunate at Holy Family in that we have a number of excellent choirs which sing for various liturgical celebrations. One parishioner, Jim Wells, particularly appreciates the difference and the beauty of our Korean Choir.)

Once per month it is our privilege to be joined by the members of the Korean choir at the 10.30am celebration of the Eucharist. Over time we have all experienced the uplifting reaction that follows as we respond inwardly to the beautiful poetry of Carl Boberg´s hymn, "How Great Thou Art". To hear it in Korean is something else. Listening to the line, ´I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder´, delivered with harmonic perfection in an unfamiliar tongue provides a new dimension. It is pleasantly different and it does nothing to reduce the compelling power of the words in the context of the hymn´s message. Again, the foot stamping power-throb of the Beethoven 9th symphony music in a Korean rendition of the modern "Gloria" is a joy to the ear, and one that must add much grace to the communal sacrifice. We acknowledge the contribution of the beautifully blending voices as they support our participation in the Mass in either language. We thank the singers and the hard working Choirmaster who continually seeks perfection and continually gets it.

Notes on 50th Anniversary of Holy Family

(With the 50th Anniversary of our Parish occurring next January, we asked Laurie Ryan to write a short article on our early history. Laurie was present to observe it all, living in the Ryan homestead, which is now the site of our Parish.)

To provide for the needs of the Catholic community in Mount Waverley, the church authorities purchased land south of the railway, and west of Stephensons Road. This land was subsequently zoned for commercial purposes, (and has now become the Mt Waverley shopping centre) and so this land was sold.

In 1956 the Mount Waverley area was part of the Glen Waverley Parish, and the Parish Priest, Father Leo Ryan, negotiated the purchase of two and five-eighth acres, the main part of the present church complex, from Mr and Mrs Matt Ryan. Development proceeded without delay and the first stage of Holy Family, comprising a sanctuary for Mass, three classrooms separated by folding doors, (which could be opened to provide for a temporary church), a fourth room and lunch room, were opened by Bishop Fox in 1957. The folding doors enabled the building to be used for Mass on Sundays, but the moving and replacing of school desks each weekend was a significant problem. Prior to this time, Mass had been celebrated at the Mt Waverley Primary School in Park Lane in 1952, and also from 1953 until 1957 in the Progress Hall at the south west corner of Stephensons Road and Virginia Street, which is now the Safeway Supermarket carpark.

Father Thomas Francis Curley was appointed Parish Priest in 1958, and his Presbytery was established in Kemp Avenue. The following year the land adjacent to the railway from Stephensons Road to Charles Street was added to the original site. In 1960 big extensions were added to the school, and the Presentation Sisters took over.

In 1961 the site was expanded by the purchase of four allotments with frontage to David Court, and two more fronting Stephensons Road (the latter two now the site of the Parish House, originally the Presbytery). The Presbytery building commenced in 1962. It was opened the following year and the Kemp Avenue property was sold.

A solemn Blessing by Bishop Fox in September 1966 marked the opening of the Parish Hall/Mass Centre (no more shifting of school desks) and Father Barry Gwillim was appointed our first Assistant Priest. Prior to this time a number of visiting priests, including several from the Salesian Community, assisted with Masses on Sunday.

The first Parish Council was installed in 1969, and four years later saw the completion of the school with 17 classrooms.

By early1973 interest in the building of a church was gathering momentum and later that year a Church Planning Committee was formed to report on guidelines to further this project.

A number of siting options was considered and Architects Smith and Tracey were involved in an advisory capacity. Considerable debate took place on the most desirable location. The choice of the site was complicated by the fact that the original site was zoned "Special Use" and hence suitable for church purposes, while the six allotments purchased later were zoned "Residential" and anything other than residential would require a planning permit.

In spite of being unfavourably regarded by the Architects, the present church site was recommended by the Committee and adopted by the Parish Council. Various objections to the David Court site were eventually overcome, the planning permit obtained, and with Smith and Tracey as Architects, and George Dore as Builder, the work proceeded soon after.

The building of the Holy Family Parish Church was the final major project of the church complex, and was blessed and opened in 1976 by Archbishop Frank Little.

Laurie Ryan

A Symphony in C

The lifeblood of Holy Family Parish, soon to celebrate its Golden Jubilee, has been a symphony in "C".

Co-operation was the hallmark of the fledgeling Parish. Everyone co-operated by helping out with sweeping and re-arranging desks in the church/school, since the classrooms of the school opposite what is now the Parish house were the sum total of our bricks and mortar.

Later, co-operation extended to the formation of Holy Family Credit Co-operative, run from a little shed beside the big hall, which was our second "church" building. After Mass, we would do our transactions.

Money was needed to pay for our share of the road making; after all, who wanted to continue living with dust in summer and mud in winter! Then there was the need for sewerage installations.

Care has always been a strong part of our Parish fibre. People cared for their neighbours; helped out when others needed help.

Then there was the third "C" - Community. The previous two "Cs" welded us into a vibrant community as the parish continued to grow.

A little "c" - cars, rather the lack of them in those early days - had a lot to do with this. Many people walked to and from Mass, often joining other Parishioners and bringing about Friendships that lasted a lifetime.

And where did this symphony in "C" lead us? To the most important "C" of all: Living Christianity.

George Gaertner

A Busy Month

July has been quite an active month for Family Groups at Holy Family. After a glorious, crimson gold sunset through the Mt Waverley gums on July 14, the evening of Holy Families Spit Roast Night turned crisp cold. That did not deter the 174 parishioners, who entered the Big Hall with its flickering tea lights and moved between tables, nibbling chips and nuts and catching up with friends in the leisurely way such nights permit. There was music playing, but if we´d had a quiz question to guess who was playing, I suspect none of us would have taken the chocolates home, such was the level of chatter.

Those who gathered round candle-lit tables were a significant cross-section of our parish: the Parish Team, Fr John and Fr Michael, Sr Roma and Malcolm (and his lovely wife) new parishioners, parents from our school community, groups of friends, groups from the Korean community and St Vincent de Paul as well as Parish Councillors and members from the nine Family Groups in our parish.

Pierre Chaperon, one of our Family Group members, sacrificed his celebrations of Bastille Day to be our intrepid Master of Ceremonies. He welcomed us all before inviting Fr John to say Grace and offering to accept bribes from tables eager to take their places in the line up for delicious food. The beef and pork were tender and succulent and the crackling superb. Those of us "more into our veggies" had plenty to choose from.

The noise generated from our chatter was considerable, but the sound system, thanks to the skills of Terry Payne was more than equal to the challenge, as we welcomed parishioners new to the parish in the last 12 months and drew the tickets for the door prizes. Again, as last year, it was a Catholic turn without a raffle, as the hope was that the evening would be cheap enough to enable everyone in the parish to come!

Thank you, all those wonderful people, especially the Group Leaders Noelle and Ted Sullivan, Kevin and Marj Reed, Kathryn and Terry Harrison, Dominic and Julie Pagliaro, Ann Moldrich, Eileen and Peter Savedra, Helen and Bernard Sowersby and group members, and also Pierre Chaperon, Terry and Kath Payne, Moira and Denis Fitzsimon, Les and Ann Quirk, Denise and Bill McDonald, Bridget Gill, John King and John and Margaret Kneebone, who did so much to help with selling tickets, setting up, clearing up and washing up on the night, and a special thank you to Tricia and Michael O´Shea, without whose contribution, the night would not have been possible!

The second Family Group activity for the month occurred on Sunday July 22. After Mass, over a splendid morning tea in the church foyer, we celebrated 15 years of Family Groups in the parish, and particularly enjoyed catching up with each other and the wider parish, including the Korean community that is now in our midst.

Margaret Clausen

Vale Brother Peter Swain

This year Salesian College, Chadstone, is celebrating its diamond jubilee as it was opened in 1947. One of the Salesians at Chadstone in that memorable year was Brother Peter Swain whose role was to teach young aspirants for the Salesian life.

In 1944, Brother Peter, a Melbourne-born Salesian, returned from England, where he had undertaken religious and secular studies, to work in the newly established community at Brunswick. His appointment to Chadstone in1947 began a long association with the College. Many men from the Waverley/Oakleigh district will remember Brother Peter very well. He had a unique ability to relate to boys which was helped by his love of sport.

I first met Brother Peter in the mid-sixties, on the cricket field when he was a solid batsman and capable left arm bowler for Salesian Old Boys in the Oakleigh District Cricket Association. I was playing with the newly re-formed Oakleigh CYMS at the time and we were going well until we met Brother Peter and his team. We were soundly beaten. I am sure members of the Mount Waverley Catholics team will remember Brother Peter´s cricketing skills also.

A few years later I came to know Brother Peter better as we worked together on the staff at Christ College, Chadstone, which was one of the two Catholic Teachers´ Colleges in Melbourne at the time. Peter was respected by staff and students alike for his knowledge, wisdom and his ability to relate to people.

Brother Peter was active in the community life of the Salesians. In 1972 he became a member of the Provincial Council and acted as Provincial Secretary from that time until he left to work in Rome in 1996 where his role was Secretary General for the Salesians of the Asia-Pacific Region. He very much enjoyed his time at the General House of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Rome. It was only illness which forced him to leave.

When he succumbed to cancer Brother Peter was 86 years old. At his funeral at Rupertswood, Fr Frank Moloney, SDB, commended Brother Peter´s life with the following words: "Brother Peter was an outstanding example to all of us of the Salesian Brother as Don Bosco saw it; a man for all seasons, able to turn his mind to everything and anything."

Kevin Reed

Keeping the Con from Conversion

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day´s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
C Rossetti.

In our reading of religious literature we are admonished, sometimes imperiously, by the doctors of the church that we embrace our faith as a gratuitous gift of God´s grace. It is evident that in receiving this grace those of us who were born and reared in the Christian Catholic tradition have been twice blessed.

Firstly, through no act of our own, the opportunity to live in faith has been freely bestowed on us as a kind of priceless personal birthday gift. Secondly, and again fortuitously, we have not had to rely solely on a self-motivated inner commitment to nurture our gift; those supervising our development provided the necessary encouragement and education. In a sense then, we are vaguely Christians by default because we have not been put to effort to acquire our most valuable possession. There are many who have not been so fortunate.

To do it the hard way and to have won the blessing of faith simply through an intrinsic personal need to seek and find truth, with no guiding external influence, is surely an evocation of holiness of the highest order. Is it any wonder then, that such achievers have so frequently become doctors of the church, renowned teachers, and even Saints? The thorny path that lay before them is the subject of this library note and the books it features.

In a book edited by a Catholic educationalist, Patrick Madrid, and titled Surprised by Truth, the stories of eleven converts are told as they give their separate ´personal biblical and historical reasons for becoming Catholic´.

Mr Madrid, an impressive writer and convert himself, has called on a colleague, a former clergyman and also a convert to Catholicism to write a Foreword to the book´s message. It is revealed therein that the title has been drawn from yet another acclaimed conversion story; that of the renowned Irish-born author, C S Lewis, who describes his own self-motivated conversion from atheism to Christianity under the title – Surprised by Joy. (The library has a copy). Both publications explore the quest for the truth of religious understanding and the surprise, even shock, revealed by it.

As the outcome of his own personal experience Patrick Madrid provides a bone shaking description of the conversion process for those who must go it alone. From one who has been there it could hardly be promulgated with more conviction. He says:

"Conversion is a form of martyrdom. It involves the surrender of oneself – body, mind, intellect, and faith to Christ. It requires docility and a willingness to be led to the truth, and for many the truth lies in a direction ´where you do not want to go". (John 21:18-19).

On due reflection, the surrender bit is not too difficult for Catholics to understand. It is after all, an affirmation of our own commitment. For him, a form of martyrdom perhaps, because conversion ripened without support and grew to resolution in the face of the loneliness of ridicule - even alienation - from those around.

It is noteworthy that these writers´ religious convictions of the past had their bases in painstaking adherence to bible interpretation; sometimes referred to as scriptural discipline – sometimes fundamentalism. (Library book; Catholics and Fundamentalists) This close and proud observance of scripture has precluded them (and indeed many sects) from accepting Catholic tradition and the church´s teaching authority.

It is therefore ironical that their scrupulously honest attitude to this same scriptural discipline often became the very reason for their reconciliation with Catholicism. They acknowledge an enormous problem with what we automatically embrace as sacred tradition. But inevitably, their deep study of scripture leads them to the shock realisation that the scriptural teaching of Christ was in fact provided to them and the world by the tradition they deny. It was, moreover, provided by the Catholic Church. This comes about because sacred scripture was not recorded by the various inspired writers until somewhere between 40 and 150 years after the death of Christ. In the interim, sacred tradition – the word handed down from the apostles - was the only teaching authority.

Have a read of this book. You will find every one of the stories presented by Mr. Madrid full of interest. Each author shares with you the winding uphill battle of a voluntary and painful departure from an established lifestyle, relegating friends and sometimes family, to an arm´s length relationship.

Surprised by Truth is an important book and one guaranteed to cement the faith of those who already possess it; and to disturbingly challenge those who treat it with indifference or voluntarily nurture doubt.

BY JIM WELLS

PERSPECTIVES ON RUSSIA

In mid May this year, we set off to Europe to see Vienna, Prague, Berlin, St Petersburg (where our son, Brendan, a past student of Holy Family and Salesian College was teaching English ) and Moscow with a short trip to London to see our daughter, Madeleine (Holy Family and Avila College). Rather than giving a detailed travelogue, we would like to share some other experiences and reflections which made this trip most memorable.

We saw the "must sees" especially imperial or royal palaces – both winter and summer – and our heads were full of the names of royal dynasties such as Habsburgs, Hohenzollerns and Romanovs. Of course we learned a lot of history some of which was less familiar to us with our Western European background.

The highlight of our trip was the visit to Russia. This was both because of its size, grandeur and history and also at the personal level where we had the opportunity to meet some of the locals through our son, Brendan, and our tour guides. We are of a generation that is just old enough to be aware of the end of World War II and the subsequent Cold War with its focus on the evils and threat of Communism and of course our Prayers for the Conversion of Russia at the start of Mass. Having experienced this in Australia, it was most enlightening to be actually in places that figured so strongly in our earlier lives.

In St Petersburg, Brendan´s landlady and her son invited us for a meal at home. Their welcome was very warm albeit limited by language. Our admiration flowed to these people as she, aged in her early sixties and not in good health, lived at the top of a 5 floor 19th Century apartment block with no lift and with other conditions which were marginal, and where she had raised her disabled son as a sole parent. However she did have a strong cultural life of literature, art and music, and on her laptop computer with broadband Internet, she was able show us pictures of her family. At the University in some basement offices on the banks of the Neva River, we met Brendan´s boss, Alexander, and some of his staff. Very interesting discussion with a refined academic followed during which we found out that he had learnt Portuguese for some Soviet initiative.

We also met through Brendan, a teacher in her forties. She came from Baku in Azerbaijan and when young her parents were posted by the Soviets to Cuba. She had also raised her children as a single parent. We met her in the Hermitage Museum and then she took us on a boat trip through the historic canals of St Petersburg past many of the palaces of the nobility such as Stroganoff, and Yusupov. Brendan also guided us through the old market area of St Petersburg where Dostoevsky´s novel, Crime and Punishment was set.

Our tour arrangements in Russia included individual guides, together with a driver in some cases. This gave us an opportunity to discuss Russian life in detail as we were with them for up to 4 or 5 hours per day. Our guide in St Petersburg was a friendly avuncular man in his fifties who told us stories about his father in the great siege of Leningrad in WWII where he was wounded three times. He also told us about recently guiding a former German soldier in his eighties to the forests near the Summer Palace of Peter the Great on the Baltic Sea close to Leningrad where the German had lost some of his comrades in the siege 60 years previously – a very emotional time. One of our guides in Moscow was a younger man, fluent in English and currently a PhD student. He was extremely enthusiastic and full of information for 5 hours about Russian history, Muscovite pride in repelling Napoleon and Hitler and more recent politics with Gorbachev and Yeltsin as seen through Russian eyes. What intrigued us was that the guides, as self proclaimed atheists, were seemingly at home in Russian Orthodox Churches explaining very knowledgeably these churches´ customs, saints and iconography and also the Western religious art in the Hermitage Museum. This was a tribute to their training as guides.

St Petersburg in June is the time of White Nights with the sun setting after 11pm. We have unforgettable memories of this city of 4 million people, vibrant and so busy at these late hours. The city traffic was wild with regard to speed limits and ignoring pedestrian crossings; a skateboarder with no helmet was hanging on to a car at about 60 km/hour in their main street, Nevsky Prospect, with other cars hooning around. There was a lot of street drinking but we found it quite safe except for the terrible footpaths.

One highlight in Moscow was a visit to the Cemetery adjacent to the Novodevichy Convent. The flowers were still around the graves of Boris Yeltsin and the cellist, Mstislav Rostopovich who had only recently been interred. The cemetery contained the graves, often with very evocative memorial monuments, of many major figures in Russian life including leaders such as Khrushchev, Gromyko and Molotov, the wives of Stalin and Gorbachev, writers Gogol and Chekhov, composers Shostakovich, Scriabin and Prokofiev, aircraft designers Tupolev and Ilyushin, and many others known internationally.

The underground rail system in Moscow is awesome both in the beauty of its stations and how the station concourses fill and empty with hundreds of people every 2 minutes in off peak. We were told that trains came every 55 seconds at peak hour. The Kremlin and Red Square were powerful symbols in our past with films of May Day Parades invoking strong fears; hence we were very surprised to see the Kremlin walls as attractive red brick often flanked with trees and enclosing very attractive cathedrals, palaces and government offices.

At the end of our short time in Russia, we had so many memories of great beauty in palaces, galleries and cathedrals. We felt the Winter palace and Hermitage Museum overshadowed other European palaces. We also gained an awareness of a country with a history of past great inequalities, terrible conflicts and wars but still in transition from the Soviet era. Equally memorable was the very warm welcome by individual Russians and hearing briefly about their lives.

Bernard and Trish Smith

KNITTERS WARM THE WORLD

This was the heading on an article in the Herald Sun on July 2nd, that told the story of Ken and Lyn Begley, the Cranbourne grandparents who started off the knitting project for the AIDS babies in Africa. More than 200,000 newly knitted jumpers have been sent overseas in a project which began from their home computer 11 months ago. Many wonderful knitters in our Parish have contributed to that effort! It was through meeting Elsie Mutton, of the Doncaster Parish, who knows the Begleys, that we became involved at Holy Family. The Begleys have been nominated for a Pride of Australia Award for 2007, and I believe that Elsie should be nominated for a medal also, because her involvement is enormous too.

Just on the small scale undertaken in our Parish, I have been overwhelmed by people´s generosity and efforts. Last month I delivered 200 jumpers, lots with matching beanies, bootees and dolls, all of which were so colourful, warm and woolly. Thank you to everyone – it is just wonderful of you to knit so much. The woollies are now going to Peru and Mongolia, as well as the Eastern European countries and other places mentioned previously, where the need is great. The latest news from Elsie is that we still need long sleeved jumpers, scarves and beanies, and blankets. The blankets can be either knitted or crocheted, and need to be large enough to wrap a small baby in.

The blanket can be done in any wool, 1.6 metres (63 inches) x 1.4 metres (56 inches) – knit 7 strips 20 cm (8 inches) – this is just a guide for you.

The patterns for both the large jumper, and large beanies, are available either from the Parish House, or from me (9806 0266). Keep knitting in the knowledge that the project is continuing to give warmth to both small and larger children in countries where the need is great. If you wish to make some dolls, they are still being sent as well. The pattern is available.

If anyone should know of an organization which is shipping containers overseas and has space available, please let Elsie know by phoning 9842 2192, as this is the most costly aspect of the whole project. As the weather warms up, no doubt the knitting will slow down, however, you can continue to delight children with your knitting by leaving your donations at the Parish House. Grateful thanks to you all.

Noelle Sullivan

Family Group Fun

Ever thought about joining a Family Group? Or why not start your own like we did? One of the best things about family groups is that you form great friendships along with having fun times with other people in the Parish.

Our Family Group consists of 12 families and includes 24 children. We all have young children ranging in age from 14 to 2. We gather together every 2 months and a different family organizes each activity. We began just over two years ago but in that time we have seen new babies born, children commence kinder and school, many of the men change jobs and some families enjoy travelling back home to their countries of origin to see their family.

Our activities are a mixture of child-friendly events as well as some adult activities such as a ladies dessert & coffee night and a men´s outing. We have enjoyed plays and bike rides in local parks, BBQs, swims at the pool, bowling, visits to Scienceworks and the Melbourne Museum, as well as the occasional dinner. Our intention is that functions be either no cost or very minimal cost. This has never prevented us from having a good time.

Being in a Family Group helps to make you feel part of the Parish and, in our case, become friends with other families who are around our age. The intention of Family Groups is purely social and non-Catholic partners are very welcome to participate. There are no AGMs, fundraising or extra jobs to do – just participation and having fun with other families. Come and join in!

Currently the Parish is in the process of developing a new Family Group. If you are not already a member and would like to join or find out more about our Family Groups, welcome! Just call Julie on 9803 2525 or Margaret on 9885 6083. Alternatively, you can leave your name at the Parish House and someone will be in touch with you in the next week or so. We look forward to hearing from you.

Julie and Dominic Pagliaro

Mount Waverley Catholics Cricket Club

Following the First X1´s resounding win in the A Grade (Menzies Shield) Final in the Southern District and Churches Cricket League last March, the Club looks forward with great anticipation to its 50th Birthday Celebration. This will be marked by a Dinner at Waverley RSL on Saturday, 17th November, starting at 7.30pm. Invitations for this major occasion have already been mailed.

It is hoped that several members of the very First X1 to take the field in the then Oakleigh District Cricket Association will be present on that evening. These players were: Quinton O´Loughlin (Captain and Club President), Joe Crohan RIP, Henry Donnelly RIP, Fred Field, Brian Long, Kerryn Mahoney RIP, Laurie Ryan (Club Secretary and now Life Member), Norm Short, Terry Simonds, Brian Smith and Paul Wheatley.

In the first season, the Club established a well earned reputation for its conduct and performance on and off the field of play, and this has been maintained throughout the Club´s history.

Over the years, the Club has annexed four A-Grade Flags (1963/64, 1964/65 and, more recently, 2004/2005 and 2006/2007), while attaining similar success on a number of occasions in its lower grade and under age teams.

For Club enquiries, including the Dinner, please contact Shane Griffin on 9872 4335.

John Gill

ROSARY TRADITION CONTINUES AT HOLY FAMILY

Many of our parishioners may not be aware that the Rosary is still alive and well at Holy Family. After morning Mass on Saturdays and on weekdays (except Fridays), a small group of people stay back and recite the Rosary.

Throughout the centuries, the Rosary has been prayed to Our Lady asking her to intercede with Our Lord for us in order to obtain help with countless problems in life. It has repeatedly proven its great power to overcome many problems, small and large.

The word ´Rosary´ comes from the Latin ´Rosarium´, meaning a ´rose garden´ or ´bouquet of roses´. Its origin dates back to the early 9th century Irish monasteries when it was common to chant all 150 Psalms. This was difficult for the laity so instead, they recited the Lord´s Prayer, counting each by removing pebbles from a pouch. This was later replaced by a rope with knots which eventually evolved into beads. The Psalms were attributed to be about the life, death and resurrection of Christ so phrases of meditations were developed to go with them. Over time, Mary was also recognized as being essential to the fulfillment of the prophesies in the Psalms so further meditations on her life were developed together with the first part of the ´Hail Mary´.

In 1214, Our Lady appeared to St Dominic asking him to teach the people the meditations of Mary and Jesus in order to dispel the Albigensian heresy which was spreading at the time. St Dominic combined the two versions of the meditations, forming the Mysteries of the Rosary. The second part of the Hail Mary then came into being and St Dominic is attributed to the first widespread teaching of the Rosary. Two hundred years later, the Rosary was revised and organized into its present form. In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light.

Numerous miracles have been credited to the public recitation of the Rosary.

In Lepanto in 1571, Christian soldiers, heavily outnumbered by the Ottoman Turks (who were about to attack Europe) prayed the Rosary prior to battle. They miraculously defeated the Turks and in gratitude Pope St. Pius V declared October 7th the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

In Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, Our Lady appeared to three children on multiple occasions, asking that they "pray the Rosary every day". As proof of her appearance, over 70,000 people witnessed an unexplainable miracle where the sun was described as ´dancing, trembling and making sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws´.

In 1945, eight Jesuit priests miraculously survived after the first atomic bomb exploded 8 blocks away from their home in Hiroshima. They believed they survived because they were ´living the message of Fatima in that house by praying the Rosary daily´.

In Austria after World War II, a Rosary crusade was launched whereby a Rosary procession was held to pray for the Soviets to leave their country. Also, one tenth of the population pledged to say the Rosary daily for this intention. In 1955, on the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, the Russians signed the agreement to leave Austria, and no blood was spilled.

In 1964, 20,000 Brazilian women opposing an impending Communist takeover recited the Rosary aloud and broke up a Communist rally. Later, 600,000 people praying the Rosary marched through Sao Paulo. This show of strength caused the president to flee, thus sparing Brazil from Communist takeover. Many of the saints and holy people in history have relied on the Rosary continuously for help and protection throughout their lives.

Our Lady herself, in one of her apparitions stated:

"I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune"

The Rosary is a simple and popular devotion for helping yourself, family and friends and is a ´powerful tool for helping achieve peace´. It costs us nothing to say the Rosary, only a few minutes of our day. It can be said privately or even better, in a group.

So let Our Lady give you a hand with life´s problems, dig out those Rosary beads and make the most of this priceless tradition.

If you´re free, come along to weekday morning Masses, which take about 20-25 minutes, and are followed by the Rosary. It´s a lovely, peaceful way to start the day.

There are also two prayer groups which meet regularly to say the Rosary. New members are welcome. If you are interested please ring Mary (9802 8736) or Rita (9807 4282).

Joyce Cesario

Another School, Another Time

The article in the June edition of Holy Family News which told of the visit of the Pyramid Hill Primary School caused me to reflect on my time teaching at a country school. My school was north-west of Bendigo on an unnamed dirt road, in the Mallee region somewhere between Wycheproof and Swan Hill.

It was in late January 1957 when I, just turned 19, received a telegram from the Education Department posting me to the position of Head Teacher, Cokum Reserve State School, via Lalbert. I was told of the name and address of the School Committee Secretary and was asked to inform him of how and when I would be arriving. My responses were that it would be by train and it would be the day before school started.

I duly arrived at the Lalbert station to be met by a farmer who told me that I would be boarding with him as it was his turn to have the teacher for six months. He then asked me if I played football. I said that I did and he commented, "Of course you´ll play for Lalbert." I later found out that his was the only family in the school that followed Lalbert. The others supported Nullawil, a town closer to where most of the pupils´ families lived.

The farmer then told me that he had six children and that I would be teaching four of them – three boys and a girl. The remaining two, a boy and girl, were teenagers and had left school. They helped around the home and farm.

The farmhouse was about 18 kilometres of gravel road from Lalbert. On arrival I found that, although it was around eleven o´clock, there were lights on in many of the rooms. Yes, the whole family had waited up to see the new teacher. But, rather than lights, kerosene lanterns were on, as electricity had not yet reached that part of the state. After a short chat over a cup of tea I was duly shown my room and went to bed.

The next morning I found myself, along with my four pupils, being driven to the school in the family Humber Super Snipe by the unlicensed teenage boy. These pupils were the only ones present on that day as the other four families, who contributed to the eleven pupils at the school, were on holidays and would return in a few days.

This was a welcome respite for me as it provided the oldest of my "family", a thirteen year old boy in Grade 7, with an opportunity to show me around the school. Of course there was no electricity at the school and no telephone. Nor was there a duplicator. Tanks supplied the drinking water. There was a no septic tank and it was the teacher´s role to dig a hole in which to empty the can. Cleaning the school was also the teacher´s responsibility. For these jobs the teacher received a monthly allowance.

A small garden area, with a few succulents, and a swing were in the school ground. This was about a hectare in area and much like the wheat paddocks around it – somewhat bare. The nearest building, a farmhouse, was about a kilometre away and my mentor told me that all of the children had to travel from about three to eight kilometres to get to school. The most common way of getting there was by car but other modes of travel included horse-back, horse and jinker, bicycle and sometimes tractor. One Grade 7 pupil drove his younger brother in a 1928 Dodge.

The building itself was timber, propped up by timber beams like guy ropes on all sides, and there was evidence of white ants. I would have felt despondent except for the helpfulness of my Grade 7 pupil who told me the normal daily routine. I felt that I could survive

On the following day I was awakened by the farmer knocking on my bedroom door and announcing, "You can sleep in today as there will be no school – we´ve had two inches of rain overnight." When I went outside I soon discovered the problem. With every step I took on the red earth, I grew taller as the mud stuck to my boots. Car tyres experienced the same problem, and as the school was five kilometres from the farm there was no possibility of anyone getting there, either on foot or by car.

I stayed home, the clouds disappeared and the day warmed up; so much so that by mid-afternoon I was invited by the oldest lad in the family to join him and the yabbies for a swim in the house dam.

Later that evening I made an entry in my diary. "Too wet to get to school, went swimming in the dam."

So began the first two days of my career as an educator.

I remained at the school for three and a half years. The number of pupils grew, in those baby boomer years, to 21 but I continued to be the sole teacher. The school, now well closed, served the community for over fifty years. I lived with my "family" all of the time I was there. We still keep in touch. The farmer passed away in 1993. I readily and proudly accepted the invitation to join the four sons and a son-in-law to carry his coffin at the funeral.

Kevin Reed

CLICK GO. THE NEEDLES WITH WARMTH AND GENEROSITY

Have you heard about U3A.? If not, then you are missing out on valuable information, for being a member of U3A can change your life in many ways! The University of the Third Age, or U3A, is an idea that developed in France in 1972. The idea spread world-wide and the first Campuses grew up in Melbourne in 1985. U3A Waverley is one of the original foundations, beginning over in Normanby Hall at Monash University. There are now more than 70 throughout Victoria. Our local members meet for classes in the Parish rooms of the Church of St. Stephen and St. Mary, in High Street Road, Mount Waverley, with entry off Park Road and Norman Court.

The target audience for U3A is people over 55, and especially those who have retired. However, if you are younger, don´t worry, as you will be just as welcome. While the majority of members at Waverley come from this area, others come from further afield, as U3A Waverley offers some courses that are not available elsewhere. Courses include Current Affairs, International Relations, Arts, History, Languages, Philosophy, Literature, Computer Classes, as well as social interaction such as Bridge, Chess, Cryptic Crosswords, and Tai Chi. Membership fees are $35 per year, for as many courses as you wish.

All office bearers are voluntary, and well known parishioner, Bill Burns, is currently President of Waverley. Bill has served on many Parish committees over the years, and has been a member of the Finance Committee for the past eight years. Since retiring, he has taken up this position at U3A. Bill does much of the work at home, but believes it is important to be around the Campus. This he does. He attends courses as well, along with several of our Parishioners who participate. Bill is busy setting up a new computer system, and undoubtedly, spends more time at U3A than people realize. Inevitably, office bearers wish to retire after a certain length of time, and people with time and computer skills are needed to take over these roles. Tutors are also voluntary, so to have a successful Campus means that many people give most generously of their time and skills. If you would like further information, just phone the office on 9807 4755, or look up the website on – home.bigblue.net.au/u3awav

The Art Show Opening: A Non-Artist´´s Perspective

For me it is one of the highlights of the year in the Holy Family community. I´m referring to the opening night of the Waverley Art Show held in the Holy Family parish Hall this year on 3rd August.

The doors opened promptly at 7.00pm, much to the relief of the many early arrivers who had been waiting outside in the rather stiff chilly breeze. But the wait was worth it as on entering the hall the patrons were greeted with a mass of colour as well as a glass of a beverage of their choice to cheer them up. What a great array of art was on display. The subject matter was varied and interesting, from birdlife, to rural scenes to city-scapes of places here and overseas, with a few portraits there for good measure. Where to start was the problem. A systematic approach seemed to be the best way to go.

The stalls were numbered and each had a variety of work displayed. Viewers could sip their bubbly as they moved from stall to stall. The program, provided on admission, was very useful. If a particular piece of art was of interest it was easy to locate in the program the work´s artist, its title, the chosen medium and also the price. This information enabled a non-artist like me to find work that appealed and to gauge the astuteness of my judgement by checking out the price. I was pleased to find that many of the works I liked were in fact the most expensive. My wandering through the stalls was interrupted only by stopping to have brief chats with friends and also by the waiters bringing many scrumptious morsels of food. I was pleased that I hadn´t eaten much before I left home.

Of course, an important part of the evening is the naming and presentation to the prize winners. To my eye the successful artists were deserving of their awards. These presentations were followed by the official opening of the show by well known designer, Sally Brown. Sally claimed that she was thrilled by the size of the exhibition and the standard of work displayed and said that artists within our community need to be encouraged. She also said that displays such as the Waverley Art Show are a great community enterprise with the involvement of many people from the artists themselves, to the committee of management, to the large number of volunteers who give their time so generously to mount the works and, of course, to the viewers. As Sally said, "Everyone´s a winner."

As the official opener of the show Sally then gave a cheque for $1000, donated by the Art Show Committee, to her chosen charity. In this instance the lucky recipient was the Flying Doctor Service.

After the official part of the evening was over there was more viewing, more sipping, more chatting and even more eating. One last task remained. This was voting for the People´s Choice Award. I had little trouble picking my selection. Recently some friends of my wife and I had joined us for a few days on a houseboat at Echuca. On display was an acrylic work depicting the wharf at Echuca. Perhaps the work received my vote because I had a fun time at Echuca, just as I had a fun time at the Opening of the Art Show.

Kevin Reed

New Parishioners

• Dennis and Angela BARTHOLOMEUSZ of Waverley Road
• Lisa, Peter and Megan CAMPBELL of Saxon Street
• Hubert, Ophelia, Gail and Gabbi LOBO of Stocks Road
• Anna, Khush and Mohan WADIA of Clive Street

Baptisms

• Jayden Riley CLARK son of Rebecca
• Cynthia-Marie FEKETE daughter of Valeria
• Layton James REID son of Melissa
• Nicholas James THOMSON son of David and Stella

Obituaries

• Anthony James CRIPPS
• Mimi (Wilhemena) DEGAN
• Valda HAMILTON
• Wayne HYDE
• Ruth JEAN (wife of Philip)
• Ernie KING (husband of Catherine)
• Vera METHERALL
• Winsome NEWTON

 

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