The Watch

The Watch

SMP Donovan

Dumb, mute eyes that watch.

A watch that tells the time.

And only time will tell.

PNG Photo's link to YouTube

Hi,

It seems I've been having some trouble sending gmail messages for a couple of months (some mail has been disappearing into the ether). You may have missed emails from me during that time.

In case you missed it before, here is a link to a Youtube video of my photo's from PNG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPhh-mKjctY

Enjoy!

Sean

The Poet Lorikeet (Part 1)

The Poet Lorikeet (Part 1)

SMP Donovan

It is a hot winter.

My eyes are parched

like sand blown rocks.

Chapped lips, arid nostrils,

a tiredness hangs

heavy on my face.

The sun strikes

warm against the ground.

And yet, here and there, shadows

spread a dark chill

hiding nefariously the

secrets half untold.

A voice tries to speak.

Clouds appear, a leaden grey

to mock the winter blue.

Silence.

Biscuits and Cake

Biscuits and Cake

SMP Donovan

Biscuits are hard, but after they go stale they get soft.

Cakes are soft, but after they go stale they get hard.

Are you a cake or a biscuit?

Faith and Life News May 2011

 

	Faith and Life News | Catholic Diocese of Wollongong May 2011 1 – 9 May Spirituality of Journey – Walking with Jesus The Spirituality for Journey – Walking with Jesus retreat explores our relationship with God within the context of the moment of our life's journey. This retreat is composed of: daily input session, the opportunity of a daily meeting with a Prayer Companion; daily celebration of Eucharist and opportunity for individual sacramental Reconciliation. All retreats commence with the evening meal at 6.00pm followed by the Eucharist on the first day.Retreats conclude following an early afternoon Eucharist on the last day. Accompanied by the Retreat Team. St Mary's Towers, Douglas Park. 4630 0233. Email towersretreat@bigpond.com 1 – 9 May 8 Day Directed Retreat Come to the silence, there to hear your God speaking deep within. All retreats commence with the evening meal at 6.00pm followed by the Eucharist on the first day. Retreats conclude following an early afternoon Eucharist on the last day. Accompanied by the Retreat Team. St Mary's Towers, Douglas Park. 4630 0233. Email towersretreat@bigpond.com 2, 9 & 16 May Partnership Course (Marriage and relationships Wollongong. 6.30pm – 9.30pm. CatholicCare. Tel 4628 0044. 35a Cordeaux Street, Campbelltown 7 May Day Retreat Eucharistic Spirituality We celebrate Mass frequently but how does our celebration connect with our life? Today we will explore the mystery of the Eucharist and its consequences for our lives as disciples. Fr Aloysius Rego OCD. Mount Carmel Retreat Centre, Varroville. Tel 9603 1433 7 May Good News Prayer and Leisure Program Good New Community. jeanieh@materdei.org.au 9 May Spirituality in the Pub Changing Consciousness – clinging to history or grasping the future. Fr Kevin Burke Jamberoo Pub. Commencing at 7.30pm. Meals are available from 5.30pm – 7.30pm. 9, 16, 23 & 30 May and 6 & 22 June Level 2 Course for Catechists CCD Centre, Micah House, Campbelltown. 9.30am – 2.00pm. Jude Hennessy 4253 0987 11 – 19 May 8 Day Healing Retreat Open the doors of hurt and let the goodness of God's light shed new warmth upon your pain. The Healing Heart - life's healing journey is a silent retreat which draws on the spirituality of the Heart of Jesus. Any hurtful life experience, loss or painful memory can be headed and transformed through the grace and power of God. There is no hurtful or limiting experience of ours which Jesus has not shared. The Life's Hearing Journey Retreat is a blend of: daily input session; daily meeting with Prayer Companion; daily celebration of Eucharist; celebration of Reconciliation and celebration of Anointing. All retreats commence with the evening meal at 6.00pm followed by the Eucharist on the first day. Retreats conclude following an early afternoon Eucharist on the last day. Accompanied by the Retreat Team.St Mary's Towers, Douglas Park. 4630 0233. Email towersretreat@bigpond.com May 11 – 19 8 Day Directed Retreat Let God take you deeper into love. Accompanied by the Retreat Team. St Mary's Towers, Douglas Park. 4630 0233. Email towersretreat@bigpond.com 13 May World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO) Mass at 12.10pm. (Catholic Women's League). St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Wollongong 13 May Life Ascending Bookclub – study of books related to religion Life Ascending is for Catholics and other Christians in their middle and later years. Spirituality: to deepen awareness of God in their lives. Friendship: to enjoy and create close and lasting friendships. Loving Service; to share their wisdom and concern for all those in need. Simonette Bunder 4227 5637 13 – 15 May God's "Absence" in our Culture! How does one believe? The Focolare spirituality of "Jesus forsaken and Mary desolate" can give meaning to a secular world. Fr Brendan Purcell. Mount Carmel Retreat Centre, Varroville. Tel 9603 1433 13, 20 & 27 May and 3, 10 &17 June Level 2 Course for Catechists Xavier Centre, Bellambi. 9.30am – 2.00pm. Jude Hennessy 4253 0987 15 May DIOCESAN MASS to launch the new musical setting of the Mass. A diocesan Mass to launch the new musical setting to be sung throughout the Diocese will be held on Sunday, 15 May at 3.00pm in St Thomas Aquinas Church, Bowral. Bishop Peter Ingham will be the main celebrant. The Mass, composed by Irish priest, Fr Liam Lawton incorporates the new translation of the Mass and was introduced with critical acclaim at a Diocesan workshop in February. Parishioners from around the Diocese are invited to attend this Mass to hear how the Mass will sound with full choir and orchestra. Following the Mass food and drink will be served in the parish grounds. Anyone wishing to sing in the choir at this Mass is asked to attend a practice on Wednesday, 4 May at 7.00pm in the Parish Meeting Room, St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Wollongong or on Thursday, 5 May at 7.00pm in St Paul's Church, Camden. To register attendance for the choir practice please contact the Diocesan Offices on 4253 0900. 17 – 23 May Guided Retreat An Unfathomable Love A guided retreat exploring the depths of God's love for us. Fr Chris Chaplin MSC. Hartzer Park Centre, Eridge Park Tel 4861 3223 hartzprk@bigpond.net.au May 21 – 29 8 Day Directed Retreat Listen in the silence, with no other light but that which in your heart burns for God. Accompanied by the Retreat Team. St Mary's Towers, Douglas Park 4630 0233. Email towersretreat@bigpond.com 24 May Pilgrimage to Marian Shrine, Unanderra Catholic Women's League 27 May Prayer Around the Cross Drawing inspiration from the prayers and music of Taize in France. A key element of Taize prayer is that it is ecumenical Christian prayer, a prayer for which Christians of all traditions are given an opportunity to gather together in the spirit of the Risen Lord …to offer a quiet atmosphere for prayer and reflection. Cambewarra Union Church, Main Road, Cambewarra. 7.00pm. Contact Gabrielle Fogarty 4232 2735 or email gfogarty@exemail.com.au 27 – 29 May Art Retreat – Nurture Growth in the Spiritual Life What seeds need to be sown to nurture growth in the spiritual life? This question will be explored through the artistic process in conjunction with encountering the teachings of the mystics. No previous experience in artistic work is required. Cost: $170. Mr John Charadia and Fr Greg Burke OCD Mount Carmel Retreat Centre, Varroville Tel 9603 1433 31 May Wollongong Spirituality in the Pub We are believers who are attempting to establish a forum for conversation within the Catholic Church in Australia. Our aim is to prompt open exchanges among the community of believers, mindful of the diversity of expression of faith in contemporary Australia. Catalyst for Renewal Mission Statement. Bulli Heritage Hotel, Bulli. 7.30pm – 9.00pm. Simonette Bunder 4227 5637 or wollsip@gmail.com CONFRATERNITY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE Come join our Catechists for some Training and Faith Formation. The following training courses for catechists are not far away. if you are not a catechist but would like to complete the course of studyfor personal faith formation, you are most welcome to join us and will still receive a certificate on completion of the course. Level 2 Course. Topics includeChild Development, Teaching Children with Special Needs, The Story of God's People, Helping Children Learn about Church and the Liturgical Year, The Christmas & Easter Story, Living our Faith, Moral Development, Values Education, Creative arts in the Classroom, Faith Development in Children and Young People, Christian Initiation of Children, Celebrating Sacraments of Initiation and Ecumenical Cooperation. Where and When: Illawarra & Shoalhaven: (Venue: Xavier Centre, 2 Bond Street Bellambi) Dates: May 13, 20, 27, June 3, 10, 17 (9.30am-2.00pm) and Macarthur/Southern Highlands: (Venue: Micah House, 35a Cordeaux St Campbelltown) Dates: May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6 & 20 (9.30-2.00pm) Berekah Retreat: 5 day Retreat of renewal and prayer conducted by CEO Wollongong with two spots for Catechists. May 15-20 Venue: Mt St Benedict Centre Hull Road, Pennant Hills If you are interested in attending any of these courses, please contact Illawarra Catechist Regional Coordinator Leonie Green on 4225 0137, leonie.green@woll.catholic.org.au, Peter Gilmore 4640 8549, peter.gilmore@woll.catholic.org.au or Helen Bennett 4253 0934 helen.bennett@woll.catholic.org.au
Catholic Diocese of Wollongong, 86-88 Market Street (PO Box 1239), Wollongong NSW 2500. For more information, please call (02) 4253 0900 or email info@dow.org.au

Broken People

Broken people everywhere.

Tinny beat, stuck in your ear, sends you deaf.

Song by song, sends you death.

Lost lives wasted that could have been much more.

Moments lost from lives, that add up year on year.

Remembered dreams, forgotten futures, and a now that seems unclear.

 

Silly systems created by ignorant peasants to control,

giving up control to the system.

The machine says: "Go", you go;

says: "Stop", you stop;

or pay the penalty.

Too fast, too slow, you stayed, you go.

Whatever, doesn't matter, the system says: "You fail".

Comrade No. 1 is just doing his job,

the system says it is so.

 

Neanderthal youth, barely able to speak,

shouts out in a guttural, foreign tongue.

To the tunnels! Hide from the sun.

Humanity is lost, and with it, God.

Greens promote things most unnatural, in the name of nature.

The Guttural Youth laughs and swears with glee -

not of joy, but of something more primitive.

 

Deaths' victory draws near.

But with its' win he dies too!

Who wins when Death has died?

Broken People, put together the pieces of your battered past.

Break open the last breath.

 

 

[Sean Donovan from Scattered Notes and Lost Pages]

 

Youth and Social Justice

Macarthur Social Justice Network presents Graham West, Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in NSW to speak about "Youth and Social Justice!".

 

St Thomas More Parish Hall
43 Acacia Avenue, Ruse
Saturday April 9th
starting at 2.30pm

 

Graham West is well known to residents of Macarthur as the state member for Campbelltown from 2001 to 2010 and more widely in his ministerial roles including that of Minister for Juvenile Justice, Volunteering and Youth.

Now the CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society in NSW, Graham West is in an ideal position to talk about this topic.

"As I have got more involved in juvenile justice I have seen the many young people who have so much more to offer society, when given the right support. The voices of these young people and their communities are seldom heard - it is we who must be that voice."

In this talk Graham West will discuss "Youth and Social Justice" and expand on what he sees as the key issues for the St Vincent de Paul Society in the coming years.

 

Contact Michael on 46206047 or secretary@msjn.org