Hobart's Archbishop Adrian Doyle with Federal Member for Braddon, Sid Sidebottom, and Marist College principal, Mrs Sun Chen / The archbishop with parish priest, Fr Tony Kennedy SM, and college captains, Ashleigh Baird and Sam Wood. |
Blessings, goings and comings at Burnie
Recent days have seen a succession of events at the Marist parish of Burnie-Wynyard, Tasmania.
On Feb 18 Archbishop Adrian Doyle blessed the new multi-purpose 'Chanel Centre' at Marist Regional College, while a long-term Mercy presence came to an end with the departure of Sr Kathlyn O'Brien RSM.
In addition Fr Fred Kado SM arrived to take up his post on the parish staff while Fr Ray Chapman SM attended a meeting of the Marist College board. |
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Marist formators at 'Marymount' |
Three Pacific Marists are amongst participants in the six-month formators' program 'Journeying with new members' at the 'Marymount Centre', Castle Hill, NSW.
Pictured from left: Fr Soane Ahohapo SM (Tonga), Sr Vilomena Ruru SM (Fiji) and Fr Justin Ratsi SM (Bougainville, PNG). |
After priestly ordination in 2003 Fr Soane worked for four years in Vanuatu before two years of study in moral theology at Rome's Alphonsianum University. He is likely to teach moral theology at the Pacific Regional Seminary, Suva, as well as being on the formation staff of Marist College there.
Sr Vilomena hails from
Ovelau, Fiji, and since missionary work in Gambia, Africa, (2002-2008) has been principal of Levuka Marist Convent School, Fiji. She will join the Marist Sisters' formation team in the Asia-Pacific region. |
  
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| After ten years of pastoral leadership in Kanosia (PNG) and Buin and Koromira (Bougainville) Fr Justin joined the formation staff at Marist College, Bomana, PNG, in 2010. He will be part of the team of a Marist Asia-Pacific renewal program in Sydney in late 2011. |
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New web site for USA Marists
The Marist Fathers' province of the USA announces the redevelopment of their web site: http://www.societyofmaryusa.org/
The reconfigured USA province comprises the former provinces of Atlanta and Boston. |
'On whatever distant shore'
  
Left: 'On whatever distant shore' features Shannon Smith's image of the 'young Colin'. Right: A drawing of the Founder ca 1870.
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Work on the cause for beatification of the Founder of the Society of Mary is proceeding.
Resources to promote the 'fama' of Fr Jean-Claude Colin are now being developed, including a leaflet biography 'On whatever distant shore'. The phrase was one used by Fr Colin in assuring the Vatican authorities of the 1830s that Marist missionaries were willing to go to any place on the globe.
A variety of English-language resources are being produced by Australian Marist, Fr Ron Nissen. They are submitted for the 'imprimatur' of the Superior-General, Fr John Hannan, and the Cause Postulator, Fr Carlo-Maria Schianchi, before they become 'official'. |
PhD
for school transition studies
Fr Ray Chapman, SM, PhD
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Fr Ray Chapman SM has been awarded a Doctorate in Philosophy from Australian Catholic University for his work investigating the complex transition from a single-sex small boarding school of two hundred and seventy students to a coeducational day school with a role of over five hundred.
The doctoral case study looked at educational change and leadership at St John’s College, Woodlawn, NSW, between 1994 and 2000. During this period Fr Ray was principal of the college and prepared the school and its community for the transition from seventy years of ownership and management by the Marist Fathers to management by the Lismore diocesan Catholic Education Office in 2001.
In announcing the PhD award on Feb 16 staff from ACU's Banyo, Qld, campus commented on the ‘highly commended’ and ‘summa cum laude’ level achieved in the thesis.
Fr Ray is presently parish priest of St Patrick’s city church and Eucharistic shrine, Church Hill, in Sydney’s historic Rocks area. |
St John's College, Woodlawn, NSW. |
Curatiba, Brazil /
Fr Alejandro Munoz |
Worldwide vocations planning
International coordinator of vocations for the Society of Mary, Fr Alejandro Munoz, has announced a four-day meeting in Brazil in May. Convoked by Superior-General, Fr John Hannan, the International Vocation Directors meeting will be held at the Marist Brothers' 'Marcellin Champagnat Centre' in the city of Curatiba, May 17-20.
An initial goal of the meeting will be to get a better picture of the Marist vocations
scene internationally and then to identify challenges and opportunities. The gathering will take up issues of the 2009 General Chapter concerning collaborative efforts to establish an international web site, a Year of Prayer for vocations, a network for local vocation directors and Marist involvement in World Youth Day. |
'It can be done!'
From left: Srs Celina Gavia (PNG), Doreen McOscar (Marian House) and Cathy Sariman (PNG) |
Ninety-six year old Marist, Sr Doreen McOscar SM, is a living witness that religious life can be lived for the long haul. She is pictured at Marian House, Woolwich, NSW, with Marist novices, Srs Celina Gavia and Cathy Sariman.
Both young women are from the Marist mission parish of Kanosia near Port Moresby, PNG, and are novices with the Marist Sisters in Davao, Philippines.
They will spend three months experiencing the world of aged care amongst the senior sisters of Marian House and are hopeful that they will be called to religious profession as Marists towards the end of this year. |
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Fr Fred Kado arrives
As part of the Marist Asia-Pacific (MAP) program, Fijian-born Marist, Fr Fred Kado, has arrived in Australia to take up a post in the Marist parish of Burnie, Tasmania. He will work there with parish priest, Fr Tony Kennedy, for an initial period of two years.
Fr Fred hails from the village of Namuka in the Lau group where the first Mass in Fiji was celebrated by Marist missionaries in 1844. He has extensive pastoral experience in the province of Oceania as well as ten years' ministry in the Philippines Marist Mission District. Welcome, Fr Fred! |
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USP chaplain returns
Following holidays in his native West Australia, Fr John Bonato SM, returns to Suva, Fiji, for the new academic year.
Fr John is chaplain to the Suva campus of the University of South Pacific where he has worked for thirty-four years as lecturer in Earth Sciences and Geology. He is also chaplain to Catholic students and staff at USP.
The University has over twenty-thousand students from more than twenty-five Pacific and other nations. |
 
Left: Fr John Bonato with USP students at Sunday Mass.
Right: USP's Suva campus / the chaplaincy minibus |
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Fr Justin for Marymount program
Bougainvillean Marist, Fr Justin Ratsi, has arrived in Australia for the 'Marymount' formators' program beginning soon at Castle Hill, NSW.
After ten years of pastoral leadership in Kanosia (PNG) and Buin and Koromira (Bougainville), Fr Justin joined the formation staff at Marist College, Bomana, PNG, in 2010.
Marymount's six-month 'Journeying with New Members' program commences Feb 13 and concludes Aug 07.
Fr Justin will soon be joined by Tongan Marist, Fr Soane 'Ahohapo. Religious from other Marist family branches will also participate in the course. |
Healthcare in Chaos
Fr Gerry Arbuckle is presently in the U.K. to deliver the annual Martin D'Arcy lectures. The five-lecture series ('Healthcare in Chaos: Models in Conflict') runs throughout February at Campion Hall, Oxford. |
The 2011 Martin D’Arcy Memorial Lectures are being delivered by Sydney-based Marist, Fr Gerald Arbuckle.
Fr Gerry's focus is on the turmoil in contemporary public healthcare systems, such as the National Health Service in England, and the need to re-emphasize the importance of values such as compassion, solidarity, and social justice that originally inspired the foundation of these systems.
The D’Arcy Lectures allow scholars to explain particular issues of their research and how these relate to Christian values. Martin D'Arcy, former Jesuit Provincial, a philosopher and public figure was Master of Campion Hall for more than a decade. 
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