It was announced this week that Fr Frank Brennan (ASL) will lead a public consultation on Australia’s opinion on human rights. The consultation will ultimately decide if Australia will have its own bill of rights. The announcement, made by Attorney-General Robert McClelland, came with high praise from many circles, including the legal profession and all sections of the media. (Source: Social Apostolate Headlines, December 2008)
MAGiS has launched an extensive, worldwide review of the MAGiS08 programme, inviting participants of the World Youth Day Ignatian programme to take part in it. By gathering together comments, stories, and memories of MAGiS08, the ministry hopes to build an invaluable archive of the programme and to acquire guidance for the ministry’s direction.
With just over two months to go before the arrival of pilgrims in Sydney for World Youth Day, the Ignatian World Youth Day program, MAGiS08, has almost filled its registrations with young adults from 26 countries around the world. The MAGiS Provincial Delegate, Fr Edward Dooley, says he is thrilled that the East Asia and Oceania Assistancy will be well-represented during World Youth Day.
Fr General has officially appointed Fr Desmond Dwyer the new treasurer of the Australian Province. Fr Des is the parish priest of Hawthorn (Melbourne, Victoria). He is 65 years old, and has been a long-standing member of the Province Finance and Building Committee. Fr Des has been on the Consult of a number of Provincials. He has a special interest in business ethics, and advises a number of significant entities about ethical principles.
Fr. Richard Leonard (ASL), Director of the Australian Catholic Film Office and the Catholic Church Television, came to Hong Kong on November 12-18 and conducted a one-week program on Mass Media and Ignatian Spirituality.
Over the past six months seven newcomers from East Timor, Korea and Vietnam have been welcomed into the community at Jesuit Theological College in Melbourne where they will study theology at the United Faculty of Theology.
Fr Pham Minh-Uoc (ASL), JCEAO Socius and Vice Superior of Theologians in Arrupe International Residence, and Fr Pham Van Ai (ASL), Vice Superior of Juniors in Arrupe, will take their final vows on April 21, to be received by Fr Mark Raper, at the 4:30pm Eucharist in the Chapel of the Holy Name, St Ignatius’ College, Athelstone, Australia.
From July 28-30, Jesuit Theological College in Melbourne sponsored a conference on Evangelisation and Culture in a Jesuit Light at Australian Catholic University (ACU) in Melbourne. It was a major jubilee event for the Australian Province, co-sponsored by ACU and the Melbourne College of Divinity.
Every year, a festive event called Maytime Fair is held at Xavier College, Melbourne, Australia, in which every stall and attraction donates one hundred percent of its profit for the work of Jesuit Mission. The Maytime Fair consistently contributes over $100,000 each year for vital work in the developing world.
Money raised in last year’s Maytime Fair was sent to the Jesuits in Madurai Province in India, the Jesuit program in Sri Lanka and to the Jesuit Refugee Service program in Aceh in Indonesia to help the tsunami victims.
We are very excited to be able to inform you the the Australian Province of the Society of Jesus has just launched a website for our Centres of Ignatian Spirituality in Australia. As a joint ministry, we plan to work together, program together and share our resources. So now if you are interested in making a retreat in Australia, you need only go to one site.
The address is http://www.cis.jesuit.org.au