May the Blessing of the Lord come down upon all of us as we seek to walk in the footsteps of St Vincent de Paul.
We especially give thanks to the Lord for the Daughters of Charity, as they celebrate the foundation of their Community for working with the poor (November 29, 1633). For many, many years they have been, and still are, beacons of the love of Christ made real in the lives of the oppressed, the poor and the alienated.
On November 30th, 2013, in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Vincent Manehoua will be ordained priest in the Congregation of the Mission. You are asked to keep him in your prayers, especially as he begins ministry in the near future. Watch this space for some photos of the celebrations.
We continue to place our Provincial, Mick Walsh, in the hands of our God during this time of illness and give thanks that his recovery from surgery is going well. We continue to give Greg Brett our support in his role of Provincial Leader.
We celebrate the collaboration of many people in our ministry, especially those who advise us. Thanks to all the members of the Vincentian Fathers Advisory Board for their support, friendship and advice.
As we journey towards the coming of the Christ – the Word made flesh – we are reminded of how much we need to take on the life of Christ in our ministry and community. The Royal Commission into the Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse begins public hearings in Sydney on December 9th. A reflection on the Church by Fr. Walter Burgardt, a Jesuit scholar who was tortured by the Nazi regime and interrogated by the then “Holy Office” for his views on theology and scripture might assist everyone in this time.
“In the course of half a century, I have seen more Catholic corruption than you have read of. I have tasted it. I have been reasonably corrupt myself. And yet I [take] joy in this Church – this living, pulsing, sinning people of God, love it with a crucifying passion. Why? For all the Catholic hate, I experience here a community of love. For all the institutional idiocy, I find here a tradition of reason. For all the individual repressions, I breathe here an air of freedom. For all the fear of sex, I discover here the redemption of my body. In an age so inhuman, I touch here the tears of compassion. In a world so grim and humourless, I share here rich joy and laughter. In the midst of death I hear an incomparable stress on life. For all the apparent absence of God, I sense here the real presence of Christ.”
Donald Cozzens “Notes from the Underground”
Orbis Books, Maryknoll, USA, 2013. pp. 36 – 37
Please share the journey with us and support us through your prayers.
