December 2008 News

Oceania Chapter          Twilight Christmas          Montbel progress          MMC celebration           Sisters' 100 years          Suva ordinations       Secretary-General          Montbel foundations

Oceania Chapter begins soon

Superior of Marist College, Bomana, PNG, Fr Lote Raiwalui SM, calls at Brisbane and Sydney en route to the Provincial Chapter of Oceania beginning on Jan 04.

Fr Lote is one of the emerging number of local Marists holding leadership roles in the Province which spans eight countries of the South-West Pacific. In 2009 Marist College, Bomana, will hold a record twenty-four seminarians.

Australian Province's vicar-provincial, Fr Bob Barber, will be a representative at the two-week Chapter to be held at Pacific Regional Seminary, Suva, Fiji..

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Twilight Christmas at Villa Maria

Parishioners of Holy Name of Mary parish, Hunters Hill-Woolwich, NSW, gather in the grounds of historic Villa Maria monastery to celebrate the Eve of Christmas.

Parish priest, Fr Kevin Bates SM, presides at the open-air Eucharist attended by hundreds of parishioners - and a donkey!

                       

         

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Dec 30
  
'Montbel'

Pouring begins

The pouring of concrete foundations begins two days before Christmas.

Dec 23
                

Dec 18
      
Above left:  Regular site meetings have now commenced to review progress of the 'Montbel' retirement facility for the Marist Fathers at Hunters Hill, NSW. Right: Marist representative, Fr Garry Reynolds, with site administrator John Cristo.

Progress reviewed
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Monthly inspection tours of the 'Montbel' site allow local Marists and friends to see the development of the facility.
   
       

     

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Mission Centre celebration

Staff and supporters of the Marist Mission Centre gather for an end-of-year celebration on Dec 16 at the MMC office, Hunters Hill, NSW.

The Mission Centre continues to support the international missions of the Society of Mary as well as development projects in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Marist Sisters' 100 years
in Australia

        

   

A large crowd of laity, Marist Sisters, Missionary Sisters, Priests and Brothers filled St Charles Borromeo church, Ryde, on Dec 07 to celebrate one hundred years of the Marist Sisters' presence and mission in Australia.

Local leader, Sr Grace Ellul SM welcomed all to the liturgy led by Fr Michael Whelan SM. The Sisters reflected on a century of missionary work in various states of Australia.

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Three Marist ordinations in Suva

On Dec 06 three Marist deacons were ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Suva, by Archbishop Petero Mataca.

 


The new priests are Frs Mikaele Marisi, Iosefo Brandon Nakavulevu and Donato Kivi, pictured, right, with Marist Oceania Provincial, Fr Paul Donoghue SM, before the ceremony.

   
Left: The ordinandi lie prostrate as the Litany fo the Saints is prayed for them.
Right: Moments after their ordination the three new priests join Archbishop Mataca at the altar.


The newly-ordained priests are welcome by fellow priests outside the cathedral after the ceremony.

Fr Mikaele Marisi had been a deacon for 18 months and during the past year has taught at St. John's College Cawaci. Fr. Mikaele is from the parish of Holy Cross Wairiki on Taveuni.
 
Fr Donato Kivi has just completed his studies at Marist College Suva. He is from the parish of Sacred Heart, Levuka on the island of Ovalau.
 
Fr Iosefo Brandon Nakavulevu has just completed his studies in Good Shepherd College, Auckland. Fr Iosefo is from St.Peter's parish, Namosi on Viti Levu. A long serving missionary from England, Fr. Joseph Brandon who served many years in Namosi is the source of the name of this new priest.
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Visit of Secretary-General

After a short holiday break in his home province of Australia Fr Tony Corcoran SM returns to the General Secretariate of the Marist Fathers in Rome.

As well as looking after the affairs of the secretariate Fr Tony liaises with several Vatican congregations in his role as Procurator-General to the Holy See. He also oversees regular news bulletins from the Society of Mary's international headquarters to all corners of the Marist world.

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'Montbel':
foundations
take shape
Dec 16
    

Dec 05
  

Ground works reach areas of bedrock on the upper level of the site.

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Dec 05
Concrete footings will soon be poured on the lower level of theMontbel site.
Dec 01
Ground work is well advanced at the Hunters Hill site for the Marist aged care facility due for completion in late 2009.
                         
'Montbel' will be contsructed at two levels                Foundation markings have commenced
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