Provincial Greetings

Greetings to all our Breastplate readers !

Quite a few significant happenings since last publication in March. April was a time when it felt good to be a Catholic when the eyes of the world were on Rome and there was an unprecedented outpouring of affection  and admiration for Pope John Paul II in his illness and death. For a change, the media was generous and respectful in its coverage and one got the impression that the Church has many ‘closet admirers’ from beyond its own members.

The Brothers welcome our new Pope Benedict XVI, and pray for him in his transition from his watch-dog role as head of the Congregation for Doctrine and Faith, (God’s rotweiler !) to his more pastoral role as leader of the Church (German Shepherd!)

There is another transition underway closer to home, sign of the times. At the end of this school Term,  1 July, Bro Patrick Lovegrove, will step down after a long and illustrious innings as Principal at Patrician Brothers College, Blacktown. Patrick has been the last secondary school Patrician principal ‘left standing’. The end of an era. Thanks, Pat, for taking the curtain call on a high note.

In the second half of the year Patrick’s initial stepping out of the role will include a spell with the Patrician Brothers in California. Recent deaths among the small contingent of Brothers there have depleted the ranks. Patrick will be a pastoral presence among the Brothers in the Midway City community for a few months. He was a member of that community in the late 1980’s when he completed a year’s postgraduate studies after his term as Superior General. (Much more on Patrick in the next issue.)

Another member of our ‘little tribe’ who is on the move is Bro Paul O’Keeffe. Paul, who has just about finished his studies in a Master of Theology course, will study Scripture differently in a month’s stay in Jerusalem during June. He will then spend some time with the Brothers in Kenya where he hopes to do a bit of teaching and to participate in aspects of the Novitiate program. He will arrive in Ireland in August where he will engage in a year long course to prepare religious who are going to be involved in formation work with young religious. On completion of that course, Paul will go to Papua New Guinea to work with the Novices and young Brothers there.

Meanwhile, two ‘elders of the tribe’, Basil Downey and Cronan O’Meara are visiting families and friends in Ireland as part of their Diamond Jubilee (60) celebrations. Joseph Guidera is off to Thursday Island to take Cronan’s place while he is in Ireland.

Thanks to Stephen Sweetman who has assumed to role of photographer, reporter, editor, publisher….etc. in bringing Breastplate to our Patrician Network of friends.

Aengus Kavanagh (Bro)Provincial.

Gathering of Principals

Back (L-R): Br Stephen Sweetman - Mr Tim LogueMr Kevin Jones - Mr Michael Krawec - Br Philip MulhallBr Mark Ryan - Br Bernard Bulfin - Br Patrick Lovegrove    Front:  Br Aengus Kavanagh - Mr Allan McManus Mr Garry Williams - Br Charles Barry

In 1995 we had six Brothers as school Principals, as well as a reasonably healthy presence of other Brothers on the different staffs. Today we have two Brothers as Principals and just a few Brothers still specifically active in schools. However, the Province is doing its best to work with the current principals and their staffs to maintain a Patrician spirit in the schools which were once “ours”.  The iniative for this was mutual between the Brothers and the schools. Over the years there have been several gatherings of  Principals with the Brothers to further develop strategies to keep the Patrician charism something perceived within the school communities. This year’s gathering took place on the 10th and 11th of March at The Entrance. School Principals Allan McManus (Narellan), Tim Logue (Liverpool), Michael Krawec (Fairfield), Kevin Jones (Granville), Br Patrick Lovegrove (Blacktown), and Garry Williams (Ryde),  gathered around the table with Provincial Brother Aengus and Brothers Philip Mulhall, Charles Barry, Mark Ryan, Matthew Mahoney, Bernard Bulfin, and Stephen Sweetman, to discuss such matters as a common Mission Statement for the schools and to look ahead at the bi-centenary celebrations  (2008) to see how the schools can be involved in the celebrations.

It is was indeed a most productive time together. Principals went away with many suggestions on the content of a Mission Statement based on the Patrician charism. The Principals will take these back to their respective schools to work on possible statements.
 
Also, some very concrete suggestions were made in relation to the bi-centenary, some of which are already being looked into.

The short time together was for all uplifting and encouraging. Not just because of the meetings, but also because of the prayer time and social time. As a component of the second day prayer, the gathering was inspired by a PowerPoint presentation of “The Deer’s Cry” put together by the REC at Holy Cross, Mr Mathew Peck.

Thank you to Br Aengus, Michael Krawec, and Garry Williams who did all the preparatory work for the discussions. A big thank you also to all those who worked in the background preparing the accommodation and meals: Patricia Makin, Val Hood, Tom Greally, Matthew Mahoney, Mark Ryan, and Philip Mulhall.

The principals agreed that it would be good to enshrine the Patrician legacy in schools where the Brothers had served by means of a common Belief or Mission Statement. Having reflected on the General Chapter document as presented by Bro Philip Mulhall and having integrated these insights with the policies and aspirations of the school communities, the Brothers and principals came up with the following Belief Statement  (Draft only) which each ‘Patrician’ school might adopt.

Founded in the traditions of the Patrician Brothers and committed to     their ideals, we are a school community that CELEBRATES Our Patrician heritage and takes inspiration from Christ’all-presence as expressed in the Breastplate prayer WELCOMES All who come to our school and seeks to build a community of inclusion and hospitality where differences are respected and partnerships strengthened EXPECTS Staff and students to develop a strong learning community where effort and achievement are affirmed and where all are encouraged and supported in reaching their full potential.CHALLENGES Our school community and its members to reach out to people in special need, to work for justice for those at the margins, and to honour God’s presence in the works of creation. CHALLENGES Our school community and its members to reach out to people in special need, to work for justice for those at the margins, and to honour God’s presence in the works of creation.

St Pat's Day at Ryde

All the different Patrician communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea have their own traditional ways of celebrating our patron saint’s day. Over the past few years at Ryde, the Brothers have made it a part of their community goals that each year they would invite the local male religious and priests to the monastery to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with them, and this is what happened in 2005. (Photo: Ryde community (Bernie, Stephen, Mark, and Aengus)

Thirty-five Brothers and Priests (local Christian Brothers, Marist Brothers and Fathers, Priests of the nearby parishes, and some FSPs from other communities) assembled at Ryde at 7:00pm on Saturday the 12th March for pre-prayer eats and drinks, prayer, pre-dinner eats and drinks, and a wonderful BBQ and drinks and spontaneous entertainment. A tour of the tower was also a popular highlight of the evening, as well as a visual presentation of “The Deer’s Cry”.

Phil the story-teller	Patrick (centre) on tower tour

The guests were most grateful for the opportunity to gather and celebrate and have come to regard it as an integral part of their social calendar for the year. So, expect it all to happen again in 2006.

Well done to the Ryde community members for the preparation and work put into the evening, and to visiting barbecue master Br Philip, and after-dinner helpers Brs Patrick, Charles, and Gerard.

Transfer of Congregational Leadership

Left: Peter Ryan and Jerome Ellens - 2004.... Right: Philip Mulhall & Jerome Ellens - 1998 - 2004

At the 19th General Chapter of the Patrician Brothers held in Kenya in August 2005, Brother Jerome Ellens from the Indian Province and Brother Peter Ryan from Australian-Papua New Guinea Province were respectively elected Superior General and Vicar General. It was in November that they assumed these positions. However, there had been no formal ceremony to mark this transfer of leadership.

With the coincidental presence of Jerome in Sydney at the same time Peter Ryan was passing through from Aitape on his way to Los Angeles for the meeting of the Patrician Congregational Leaders, Br Aengus Kavanagh (Provincial) decided it was an appropriate time and place to celebrate the handing over of Patrician Congregational leadership.

So, on Saturday the 2nd of April, the Brothers gathered at Fairfield monastery, and with a wonderfully symbolic paralitugy organised by Aengus the succession of Jerome and Peter was formally marked. (Photo: Jerome washing the feet of Nicholas.)

The emphasis of the prayer service was one of being commissioned for service. As a sign of this both Jerome and Peter were anointed with an oil blessed by the gathered Brothers and they washed the feet of oldest and youngest Brothers. After the ceremony, the Fairfield community (Nicholas, Charles, Richard, Gerry, and Domenic) hosted the Brothers to a very pleasant lunch. During this partaking the Brothers were able to wish Jerome and Peter bon voyage with Jerome flying out on the following Monday and Peter on Wednesday. (Photo: The Brothers in full choir.)

The Move to St Therese Primary School

At the beginning of the 2004 school year Brother Nicholas Harsas was appointed Principal of St Therese Primary School. The school is the parish primary school of Sadleir – Miller, in the Liverpool local government area and the south-west of the Archdiocese of Sydney. Brother Nicholas took up this appointment after seven years as Principal at Patrician Brothers’ Primary School, Fairfield.

The school has an interesting history. Green Valley was an area of pasture and bushland on the western outskirts of Liverpool. In the early 1960s it was transformed into satellite townships crammed with Housing Commission houses and young families. The Catholic parish of Sadleir – Miller was established in 1963 with Father Francis Muldoon as Parish Priest. There was no Catholic church or school, only a church – hall. Catholic instruction was provided by a Motor Mission run by the Sisters of Charity. (Photo: Principal Br Nicholas Harsas addresses the school during the patron saint feast day.)

Parishioners and Fr Muldoon were anxious to have a parish primary school. In 1966 the first classrooms were built. The Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart agreed to staff the school and St Therese School opened in 1967 with 150 children in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 and five Sisters on staff. Sr Betty McMahon, rscj, was the first Principal. The school over the years continued to expand and a new school was built in 1970 to cope with the growing enrolments.

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart had been the pioneer staff of St Therese School. In 1996 the Sisters withdrew from the school, with Sr Nancy Fitzgerald the last Sister as Principal. The Catholic Education Office, Sydney then appointed the first lay principal, Mr Michael McGovern. Under his leadership, with the cooperation of the CEO and the parish, the school undertook a building project which comprised the total refurbishment of the school and new classrooms, library and landscaping of the school grounds.

In July 2003 Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney, blessed and opened the new and refurbished school buildings.

2004 saw the return of Religious leadership to St Therese School with Brother Nicholas Haras appointed as Principal. This was the first time a Patrician Brother had been on the staff of St Therese School, however, Brother Basil Downey had been a Parish Assistant in the Sadleir – Miller Parish after his retirement from teaching some years ago. Of course there was a close connection between St Therese School and Patrician Brothers’ Liverpool as for many years the boys on leaving Year 4 at St Therese School went onto Year 5 at Liverpool.

St Therese School has a current school population of 360 students and is a two-stream school, Kindergarten to Year 6. There is a strong community spirit resulting from the excellent cooperation of children, families, staff and parish.

The Staff and students of St Therese School have made Brother Nicholas very welcome to the school community and he is thoroughly enjoying his ministry there. There are a number of pressing social needs in the Sadleir – Miller area, and so the school provides a most suitable opportunity for the Patrician apostolate.

Br Peter Higgins Helping Hand & Hands

In many different ways the Brothers are called to respond to the needs of the marginalised: in the Gospels, in Chapter documents, and in community goals. And there are many different ways to respond to this call. Here are just two taken on by our Br Peter Higgins.

Peter retired from the classroom at the end of 2003 after forty-four years of dedicated service, but he is certainly not retired. During the past few years Peter has been busy collecting cans for recycling. Through this project Peter and his many helpers at Patrician Brothers’ College Blacktown have been able to raise $1080.00 and this has gone into helping to educate twenty-one students at the Paulist Fathers’ School in Pakistan. This project was begun by Mr Joe Mangion, a teacher at the school, who tragically died in 2003. Peter decided to carry on this work in his honour.

Another project of Peter’s has been to help out the Brothers in their new venture at Kabonga, Kenya. After reading a letter from Br Paul Brennan in Kabongo and reading of the work he is trying to do for the people there - building a school for around 225 students and a dispensary to try to meet the health needs of the 6,000 people of the area - Peter decided to do what Paul suggested in asking people to adopt a child to be educated there.

Due to the generosity of the staff  and friends of the college at Blacktown, donating $50 each, a total of $1,350.00 was raised. This money will be used to educate twenty-seven students in the Kabongo school.
Peter is very grateful to all those people who have assisted him in both these ventures: the students at the school, especially his band of can collectors; parents and friends of the college; and the college staff.

Well done to you too, Peter. Your efforts are certainly an inspiration and challenge to us all. Maybe something more can be done in the way of sponsoring very needy children at the Brothers’ school at Kabongo.

May They Rest in Peace

In April much of the world united to mark the passing on of our pontiff for twenty-six years, Pope John Paul II. Also over the past months the Patrician family in Australia and Papua New Guinea was able to unite with several of our members who lost dear ones.

On Holy Thursday (March 24), Ted Carroll, husband of Br Matthew Mahoney’s sister Carmel, was laid to rest at New South Wales country town of Boree Creek.

Ted had not enjoyed good health for several years, still his death caught us all by surprise.Seven Brothers were with Matthew and his family on the day of the Mass and burial (Photo). After the burial they retired to the local hall where in true country fashion the ladies had prepared sufficient refreshments to feed the proverbial army.

A second death was that of Br Richard Doheny’s sister, Kitty (Kathleen) Sherry. Kitty passed away on Thursday the 31st of March, in Denver, Colorado, USA.

We pray for the souls of Ted and Kitty,  and for Matthew and Richard and their families.

Saint Patrick's Days

So what happened at the Patrician schools on St Patrick’s Day? All the schools marked the day in their own way, some having class-group paralitugies on St Patrick with others having large-scale Eucharistic celebrations (Fairfield’s Mass was even featured in the local weekly Catholic newspaper).

At all the schools Brothers were present, some on staff and others invited to join in. Matthew joined in with his old school at Liverpool; Philip joined the Blacktown Brothers for the school’s celebrations there; Mark flew the flag at Holy Cross; Stephen joined Charles at Granville; and St Patrick’s Day at St Therese Primary School took on a new dimension with Nicholas as its first Patrician Principal. (Photo: Brothers Aengus, John, Richard, and Bernard, at Fairfield.)

All reported on very fine ceremonies with staff and students alike delighted to celebrate the day. Some Brothers were greatly uplifted to hear the triumphant “Hail Glorious St Patrick” being sung by students whose ancestry is about as far removed from the Irish culture as humanly possible.

And so it begins....

At the St Patrick’s Day celebration of Delany College, Granville,  the staff, students and invited guests had more on their minds than just St Patrick. They wanted to mark another most significant occassion for their College: the Golden Anniversary of Religious Profession of Br Charles Barry, their school counsellor.

Towards the end of the St Patrick’s Day Mass, College Principal Mr Kevin Jones, addressed the congregation and told them something of the life, times, and achievements of their own Brother Charles. No doubt the students and staff regard Charles as someone special, but after Kevin’s address they were only probably starting to appreciate a whole other dimension to Charles they had no idea about. (Photo: Charles with Ann Benjamin)

A unique component to this introductory recognition of  Charles’s Golden Jubilee Year was when the staff stood and blessed Charles with a sung rendition of an Irish blessing - it was indeed something special.

Ann Benjamin, the Executive Officer of the Parramatta Catholic Education Offcie, also played a part as she presented Charles with a plaque recognising his service to education in the Parramatta Diocese.

<>It all came as a complete surprise to Charles, and he looked a little stunned during the small ceremony. But we are sure that by August when his celebrations begin in earnest he will well-prepared for it all. (Photo: Charles with Principal Kevin Jones, Ann Benjamin, and College school captains.)

Some of Paul's PNG scenes with Marcellus Broderick and Peter Seiwo

Recently Paul O’Keeffe travelled to Papua New Guinea to represent Australian religious at a meeting in Mt Hagen and to visit the Brothers in Aitape. Here Paul let’s us know what’s happening in Aitape.