September 1, 2008 Issue 9

Padua News The Padua News is the official quarterly Newsletter of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Cnr Exford & Wilson Roads Melton South, VIC 3338 Tel: 03-9747 9692 Fax: 03-9746 0422 Email: sapmssec@netspace.net.au Parish Priest: Father Martin J Fleming

Editorial Committee Dolores Turcsan Edwina La Rose Lorraine Tellis Kim Barton Godwin Barton If you are interested in being part of the Editorial Committee, please contact any one of the committee members or email paduanews@yahoo.com.au

Thank you.

Father Martin’s Message

It continues to be a big year of celebration for us here at St. Anthony of Pa-dua Parish Melton South. When you enter our newly consecrated church you can’t help notice that things are different. Our Church has become exclusively a place of gathering for prayer and worship. The new stone Altar gives you a sense of strength and beauty. The renovations have made the church both more comfortable and ap-propriate to the sacred busi-ness conducted within its walls. However all of this means nothing unless we as a par-ish continue to build our-selves as living stones into a temple of the body of Christ.

Twenty-Five years is a de-cent amount of time for a community to come to a sense of its own identity. As we look back and give thanks for all that has been, we thank our God for his continued blessings. These blessings are a spring-board to possibilities of what can be in the future. I have been really amazed by the stories coming from the Para-Olympics in Bei-jing. Stories of courage and ability to strive and achieve much. Our participation in the Days in the Diocese as part of World Youth Day in Sydney this year also has been a great encourage-ment for us as people of faith. Last weekend a number of our young parishioners made their First Commun-

ion. It was wonderful to see their sense of the sa-cred as they participated in the Mass. Let us continue to celebrate Him who is present when two or three gather in His name. All the best. Rev Martin Fleming, PP

Congratulations to Father Martin

on his 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood.

Congratulations - St. Anthony of Padua Church, Melton South on its Jubilee Year celebrations as a parish.

Padua News

It was a privilege to be part of the St. Anthony’s Parish Jubilee celebrations held on the 13th of June this year. We gathered, not only to commemorate twenty-five years of sharing the Eucharist and being part of a Parish community, but also to witness the Consecration of the Altar and the Walls of the Church. This moving ceremony for many of us was a once in a life time experience. The consecration of the Altar and the Church gave us the opportunity to

celebrate the sanctity and tradition of the Parish. The symbols of water, oil and fire were a powerful imagery of the wonder, awe and mystery of the Risen Christ in our liturgies. Archbishop Denis Hart in the presence of Father Mar-tin and fellow priests ac-knowledged the work of the pioneers of the Parish and duly passed on to the pre-sent community the stew-ardship of maintaining what we have. Celebrating to-gether tells the story who we are as a people and the importance of this identity in our world today. As staff members of the Parish Pri-mary School, it was invalu-

able to be immersed in this experience. It brought to life the links between our Parish and School and the traditions that we embraced to-gether. This is our Parish story. As teachers, we bring this to life with our students. We must have the com-mitment to take St. An-thony’s into the twenty first century where the integrity of the Church and our faith in the fu-ture depends on our lead-ing the way. Submitted by: Damien Schuster

St Anthony of Padua Jubilee Mass

Issue 9 Page 2

Dinner Dance

On the 15th of June 2008, St Anthony’s parish celebrated its 25th jubilee year and what a wonderful night it was. This special occasion was held at Luxor Reception Center located on Keilor Melton Road, Taylors Lakes. The night turned out to be fantastic with a great bunch of people of all ages, quality food and lots of fun and dancing. It was a great feeling to be part of something so special and meaningful, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Congratulations St Anthony’s! Submitted by: David Bonello

Padua News Issue 9 Page 3

ABLEGRAM=TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM=TABLEGRAM

WESTERN SUBURBS

TABLEGRAM

BLEGRAM=TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM

VxÄxuÜtà|Çz EH çxtÜá |Ç ECCK

Padua News

At mass one Sunday morning, Bernadette, then about 4 years old, needed to go to the Ladies room. Father Utri began his homily and all of a sudden, the whole church could hear singing coming from the toilet. Father announced that an angel had ar-rived. Edwina

To our Marg There was a lady who rode a bike Who would visit around Melton in the dead of night Always looking to help solve a plight Unfortunately giving many a massive fright She’d knock at any door where there was a light Much to everyone’s delight We lost the bike and now she’s leading another life Oh, How we miss those long dark nights

A wonderful celebration of 25 years, al-though we have only been part of the com-munity for 15 years. God Bless and guide us over the next 25 years. Ann and Dennis

On one of our many collections for the auction at St. Anthony’s, Fr James Pe-ter Mathews and myself were travel-ing through Kew Junction with a Dressing Table and a 7 ft high mirror. Next thing the mirror went into the air and broke into a hundred pieces. “What will we do” I said to Father Pe-ter. “Keep Driving” was his answer! Len

To the Parishioners of the future, may you share a family environment in St. Anthony’s and encourage and teach the young all you know about your faith. Share the stories with them so that our history and faith are carried forward. Listen to the children who will teach you innocence and purity. Best wishes. Margaret

The celebrations have been blessed in a spe-cial way. The solemn dedication of church and altar exuded spe-cial grace. This, no doubt was aided with the special attention to the church. The well attended and fun dinner dance is a fes-tive finale.

We participated in family clusters or-ganized by Marg Counahan Family’s get together to share a meal, and their family’s experiences, its aim was to support each other. We played games, we laughed, we shared, we grew together. Robyn and Mick

Wonderful to see all the old and young faces here tonight. It is wonderful being here for all of the 25 years of our Par-ish and being part of St. Dom’s before that. Veronica

Hello to you all, we hope you enjoy life at St. Anthony’s just like we did with our kids and the friends we made through the Parish. God Bless you. The Coyne Family

We, as a group decided to have a social night and make some money at the same time. The gambling nights at Bernie Lavery Farm Shed was born ( h ad three) ! Tom

This parish has welcomed us eight years ago and we share a lot of happy memories. Stephen

3 yrs in the Parish have been very welcoming. Today’s celebrations are a credit to those involved. God bless St. Anthony’s in the years to come. Frances and Bernie

Issue 9 Page 4

ABLEGRAM=TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM=TAB

WESTERN SUBURBS

TABLEGRAM

BLEGRAM=TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TABLEGRAM= TA

VxÄxuÜtà|Çz EH çxtÜá |Ç ECCK

Mt Eliza family camps were a won-derful time for both mums and dads and all the kids. We have fond memories of those days and lots of laughter, lots of talk and just a few drinks or two or three. Ray and Trish

The Family holidays at Mt Eliza were a wonderful time for all. The Women’s weekends away organ-ized by Margaret Counahan were shall we say memorable over the last 20 years, still gong strong, hopefully will keep going. Mary and Martin

Twenty years ago (approx) Marg C. organized for women of the parish to get away for a weekend of rest and recuperation leaving husbands and fathers to carry the load at home. This group is still going strong although we live apart from Melton now. 2 weeks ago we went to Carisbrook and are still going strong. Pat

Congratulations St. Anthony’s.  If it wasn’t for you, we would not have a job.  What a fantastic Parish.  Many thanks.  The Teachers, St. Anthony’s staff 

At one of the evening masses in 1994, during Fr Peter Finn’s procession into the church, Na-than our 3 yr old exclaimed in a loud voice, “Look Mummy, Je-sus is coming!” Father Peter beamed from ear to ear. He commented, “Yes, he is!” Ben and Joan

Congratulations! St. Anthony’s!

Congratulations on your 25th St Anthony’s! If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have a job either. Damien, the Principal

Thank you for the wonderful evening. From food, music and fellowship with others. It is just a wonderful time – at least catch-ing up with friends and an enjoy-able night. Congratulations to St. Anthony’s. Mayette

Tonight I have been re-minded of the great “Foundation of Faith” we have because of dedica-tion and generosity of people who were part of our beginnings. John

Three wishes for 25 years down the track: 1. St. Anthony’s grows into a thriving multi-cultural community. 2. St. Anthony’s cricket club still going. 3. The Western Bulldogs have won a premier-ship.

I was so proud on the Friday the church was dedicated because I felt so happy and so part of the parish. Rock On St Anthony’s Parish! J

It has been a wonderful experience knowing all such supportive and nice people. Helen

Congratulations on reaching 25, looking for-ward to celebrating ‘50’! Tellis family

Congratulations on the 25th Anniversary of St An-thony Parish and I join you in praying for the fu-ture success of all your endeavours.

Congratulations to all involved in the celebrations! Spiri-tually, socially it’s a wonderful time (especially the danc-ing!). Mary

Great to be here and take part in the Ball. But better yet – nice to just be in it all. Warren

Padua News Issue 9 Page 5

Padua News

Of all churches in every denomination in Austra-lia, there is only one church that has had two entries in the Blake Prize for religious art and that church is our own St. An-thony of Padua in Melton South. Mind you we did not win it, but we had two worthwhile entries – our Migrant Window to the Holy Spirit and our Stainless Steel Cross that faces up Exford Road towards Melton. Archbishop Frank Little, when he was visiting Mel-ton South to bless the Cross to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of St An-thony’s, confided to me that he was elated by our proposed entries in the Blake Prize for Religious art. He said the entries if successful would provide a “boost” for the Parish. Unfortunately they were not successful, but have provided the Parish with two great works of art and the Parish received a boost in that its new Par-ish Priest was Father Mar-tin. The Migrant’s Window to the Holy Spirit had a very interesting birth. Father Werner suggested to me that he would be very pleased if we had a Win-dow contributed and blessed and dedicated to the Holy Spirit. On a sur-vey trip to Hobart I man-aged to get the name of an eminent Tasmanian glass sculptor Ellen Harris who operated from

rooms in the Arts Complex in Salamanca Place in Hobart. I told Fr. Werner about her standing in her profession of glass sculp-tors and Fr. Werner then visited her and she showed him copies and photos of works commissioned from her. Apparently the col-oured glass necessary in the Window was very difficult to get. Fr. Werner persisted with the commission and Ellen Harris duly provided the Glass Window – a true work of art. The Window to the Holy Spirit was blessed by Bishop Mark Coleridge on the 1st of May 2003. There was a large crowd of paris-honers who attended Mass and participated in the cele-brations. On the left of the Window is an explanation provided by Mrs. Harris that clearly states that her concept of the Holy Spirit being a tree of fire and wa-ter growing out of the earth. Father Toni Szewczyk, the then administrator of the Parish after Father Werner Utri, approached several parishoners (myself in-cluded) and pointed out that St Anthony’s didn’t have a Cross to distinguish itself as a Catholic Church. I approached a friend of mine, an architect, to get the names of sculptors who specialised in religious themes. The architect warned me that his nomi-nee, Keith Wiltshire, a Vic-torian, was a little out of the ordinary. I interviewed Keith and briefed him. Keith after some time, con-

tributed three models of Crosses suitable for erec-tion in the front of St. An-thony’s. A competition was then held by which every parishioner voted for one of the three mod-els proposed by the sculp-tor. The model of the stainless steel one was chosen from the models that Keith submitted. The magnificent Stainless Steel Cross was mounted on the 18th September 2003 and it was blessed by Archbishop Frank Little on the 2nd November 2003 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the founding of St. Anthony’s. The sculptor was paid out of 50% by direct dona-tions from the parishoners whose names appear on a plaque inside the church and 50% out of parish reserves. The sculptor’s comments on the concept of the Cross are featured in the plaque inside the church. They make wor-thy his comments on a truly great work of art. The Parish of St An-thony’s is truly blessed by possessing a holy Parish Priest who is attuned to the wants of not only his parishoners but also the needs of the church of St Anthony’s. He has Con’td on Page 7 Cont’d from Page 6 fine tuned by renovation and cajoling the church authorities the actual church of St. Anthony’s

St Anthony of Padua Church, Melton South - the Window and the Cross

Issue 9 Page 6

The Holy Spirit

window

Issue 9 Page 7 Padua News

Cont’d from Page 6 fine tuned by renovation and cajoling the church authorities the actual church of St. Anthony’s itself. It possesses a beau-tiful Ressurection Win-dow to commemorate its first Parish Priest. It pos-sesses an altar of history worthy of a fine cathedral. It possesses Stations of the Cross which turns a memory of a bush church into a living history. And it is not done yet!! Father Martin acquiesced to my sugge s t i on ( e n c o u r a g e d b y Archbishop Little) to en-ter the Window to the Holy Spirit and the Stainless Steel Cross in the Blake Prize for 2003. Julian Samy and I packed

up the samples – one of the models submitted by Keith Wiltshire, and a photo-graphic display of the Win-dow in a 3D display which Julian’s sister and her boy-friend had mounted. It was very effective. We drove all the way to Sydney Univer-sity, where the judging of the Blake Prize was held. We were not too late. The art room was like a large warehouse full of paintings and sculptures and all on religious themes. There were artists and sculptors everywhere. Some of the paintings were “far out”’ and I didn’t think they would get a prize in a bush market. So we filled in the forms, deposited our entries and left. We were notified after the results came out that a

prominent Sydney artist got the First Prize. Ap-parently there is a coterie of Sydney artists that have a stranglehold on the prize and certainly on the judges. Both the Window and the Cross are religious works of art and the church in Melton South is fortunate that it has at least three works of art on display: “The Resurrection Win-dow” “The Holy Spirit Win-dow” “The Cross in front of St. Anthony’s”. Submitted by: George Hamm

The Resurrection Window

The Cross in front

of St. Anthony’s

Priests at St. Anthony’s

St. Anthony’s Parish says ‘Thank You’ to all our Priests who have assisted us on our journey in faith

Peter James Francis Bellett Phillip O’Donnell Peter Finn

(1983-1986) (1986-1989) (1989-1990) (1990-1996)

Werner Utri Tony Szewczyk Martin Flemming

(1996-2003) (2003-2004) (2004-present)

Padua News Issue 9 Page 8

The first Sunday Mass as a parish was held in the school foyer. As organist for St Dominic’s church for several years, I remem-ber setting up the organ for my new parish of St An-thony’s in the only available space, just outside the toi-lets! Father James got a good reception and was meeting with everyone after Mass. He soon became noted for short sermons and got straight to the point.

The transition from St. Dominics to St. Anthony’s was a little rocky, as a St. Dominic’s council member I was unable to be on the St. Anthony’s Parish Coun-cil. They did, however, al-low me to sit in on meetings as an observer. The sacrificial counting was done in one of the prep school classrooms on prep-sized chairs (not very comfy, unless you’re a prep). All the money was taken to Tom Dagge, who

was the banker for some time. I remember we had a com-bined church fete in the early days which was very popular and a good money spinner! Submitted by: Brian Barker

Memories @ St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Melton South….

The thing I remember most about the early days at St. Anthony’s parish was Father Peter James. Be-neath his gruff exterior was a kind and generous man who could have you in and out of church in only 35 minutes! Word got around and his popularity soared! My brother and I loved it when mum and dad were rostered on for counting the sacrificial offerings.

We were allowed to sort all the coins, we had never seen so much money! We left confident that the Priest could afford to buy heaps of lollies. I remember nervously standing up to the micro-phone for the first time to be the commentator and as my confidence grew under Mr Davies’ tutelage I was later allowed to do the read-ings.

I also graced the choir with my presence for a while. My apologies to Stella Cochrane - singing was not to be my future! Submitted by: Tracy Brewis

Tracey Brewis

Ritchie, Marian and Margaret Fernandesz

My name is Ritchie Fer-nandesz and I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 13 October 1963. My fam-ily tried since 1973 to mi-grate to Australia, however we were not successful. In July 1984, I started working and near to my work place was a well known church,

famous for its miraculous powers. Many catholics and non-catholics patronised this little church and it was dedicated to St Anthony, and the little town was called Kochikade and the name of the church was St. Anthony’s Kochikade. On Tuesdays, I used to visit

this little church and I started a novena to St. An-thony, praying for his in-tercession that would en-able me and my family to migrate to Australia. Cont’d on Page 9 Cont’d from Page 8

Brian Barker

Padua News

Padua News Issue 9 Page 9

Memories @ St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Melton South….

I maintained this novena to St. Anthony and within 12 months I, along with my brother, was asked to attend an interview at the Australian Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Even though my brother was not successful in his attempt to migrate to Australia, I was given this opportunity. I know that without the help of my prayers and my novenas to St. Anthony I too would not have been successful. I arrived in Melbourne, Aus-tralia in September 1988 and settled in with my uncle and aunt in Glen Waverley. How-ever, as some of my class-mates were also in Australia and attending the parish of St. Anthony’s in Noble Park, I too attended Sunday Mass at this Church. A few years later in 1991, I met my wife, Marian who was living in Melton South and her Parish was St Anthony of Padua, Melton South. I started attending mass at this parish whenever I was in Melton South and in April 1995, I made the big move and married Marian. Since then, my Parish has been St. Anthony of Padua, Melton South. Is it coincidence that has led me to be involved in parishes that bore the name of St. An-thony? I do not think so. To me it is far more than a coin-cidence. I firmly believe that God had a definite hand in all of this. It was His way of showing me that my prayers through the intercession of his servant, St. Anthony, were

heard by him. What does this mean to me? I used to ask this question a lot and finally one day while I was in the church I found the answer to this question. Help out in the Parish of St. An-thony of Padua Melton South. I started as a volunteer, assist-ing John Brewis in arranging the chairs for the Holy Week and Easter Liturgies. Since then I have taken a more ac-tive role in participating in many of the Ministries in My Parish, including, Mass Co-ordinator, Eucharistic Minis-ter, Commentator, Reader, Co-ordinator of the Volun-teer Cleaning Committee, Maintenance Co-ordinator, member of the Thanksgiving Committee and assisting in many of the other areas within the Parish community. I also am involved with exter-nal activities that the Parish has been involved with, like raising funds by selling can-dles at the Carols by Candle Light organised by all the Churches in Melton and the Shire of Melton. In participating in these ac-tivities I have found a way to say thank you to St. Anthony for all he has obtained for me in my life. I have introduced m y 11 year old daugh-t e r , Margaret (Maggie) into the parish way of life too. She has received the Sacraments of Baptism and First Holy Communion in this parish. She is now a very active member of this parish. She has been a member of the Children’s Liturgy, Chil-dren’s Choir, Altar Server,

and a Member of the Greeting Committee at the 10.30am Mass. It is by our own participation in our parish life, that we can in-troduce our family members, friends and newcomers to Our Parish. Our parish is not made up of just a few people carrying out God’s work but, the whole community that belongs as one family in our parish at St. An-thony of Padua, Melton South that has made this parish such a vibrant, caring, and growing parish. In conclusion, I wish to say that I and my family have been greatly nourished, spiritually, mentally and socially by being active members of the Parish of St. Anthony of Padua Melton South. I pray that this parish will grow from strength to strength in the years to come as it has done in the last 25 years, since Rev Fr. Peter James was at the helm as the First Shep-herd of the Flock at this Parish. Submitted by: Ritchie, Marian and Margaret Fer-nandesz

Padua News Issue 9 Page 10

Memories @ St. Anthony of Padua Church, Melton South….

Colin and Anne Consiglio

In December 1974, my wife, baby daughter and I moved to Melton South from Glen-roy. In those days, Melton was known as a Satellite City, and to our parents we may as well have moved to the moon. It was such a long way from where we had started. By 1981 our family had grown to a total of 6 people. Our first daughter was a member of the first group to attend St Anthony’s Primary school from Prep through to Grade 6. The majority of the activities that we became involved with were in some way triggered through our children. The school was a centre of parish life. Sunday morning Mass was held in the school foyer, a crying baby here and there, just added to the com-mon bonds between the young families. Sitting on the small school chairs was a real experience. When it was clear that the area would soon become a parish in its own right, we all realised that much of the shaping for our journey would come down to the people. It was through Mr. Tom

Dagge’s encouragement that I again took up the role of “Reading and Leading” at Sun-day Mass, something that I had done during my primary and secondary years. To be involved in the early years of the parish was an honour and privilege. It was very satisfying being involved with the Liturgy group, and to have the opportunity to learn more about some of the details and meanings of our church. I think the highlight was our involvement with the inaugu-ral “Baptism Group”. This was created to reach out to the newer families who had decided to have their children welcomed into the church. It was a marvelous opportunity to either re-establish or main-tain a religious contact with young families. Still having a very young family at the time made it very easy to relate to these people. The relevance of church versus the world was always high on the list for discussion at this time. I hold that time dearly in my heart. Anne and I were also in-volved with the RENEW program, Confirmation, Rec-onciliation and Communion preparation and of course numerous fetes, picnics and outings. When I think of

these I conclude that my fam-ily and I received more from having been involved than the effort we put in. The ship of St Anthony’s of Melton South has travelled some stormy waters. We have been fortunate to be passen-gers and the close bond with other families has seen us through the journey safe and sound. Our children have all left home. Anne and I still find comfort when we again meet up with some of the original families. Seeing new faces appear at church and becoming in-volved makes me feel happy, knowing that the Parish of St Anthony’s will be in good hands in the future. Submitted by: Colin and Anne Consiglio

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

Lamentations 3:21-24