Father Martin’s Message

Secondary S tory Head line

June 1, 2007 Padua News

Padua News The Padua News is the official quarterly

Newsletter of

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church,

Cnr Exford & Wilson Road Melton South, VIC 3338

Tel: 03-9747 9692 Fax: 03-9746 0422

Email: sapmsscc@netspace.net.au

Parish Priest:

Father Martin J Fleming

The 13th of June is the

feast of our patron, Saint Anthony of Padua. Ferdi-nand, as he was baptized in Lisbon, Portugal, originally became a religious of the Cannons Regular of St. Augustine. It was whilst he was studying at Coimbra, the capital of Portugal at the time, that he came into contact with the Francis-cans who had a house there and was moved to join them after four of their number suffered martyr-dom at the hands of the King of Morocco. He took the name Anthony after the fourth century Saint Anthony who was a hermit. Saint Anthony’s missionary intentions were thwarted by his ill health and he in-stead with St. Francis’s di-rection became instrumen-tal in the building up of the Franciscan Order at the time of the Rule being

approved by Rome. Saint Anthony was an elo-quent speaker and his study of scripture and Franciscan spirituality earned for him in 1946 the title, ’Doctor of the Church’. There were many miracles ascribed to him during his holy life and the image most popular is the one of him holding the baby Jesus. Saint Anthony of Padua has been our patron saint since the establishment of our Parish by Archbishop T. F. Little in 1983. The School was the place the faith-community gathered to celebrate the Eucharist until our parish Church-hall was built in 1985. Since then, our faith-community has gathered to celebrate Eucharist and other important moments of our life and has made

this a very sacred site. It is fitting that, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of our parish’s establishment, we formally have our Church consecrated by Archbishop Denis Hart. The consecration cere-mony will take place on the feast day of Saint An-thony of Padua on June13, 2008. Whilst the ceremony of consecration is of a build-ing, it is our place of gath-ering each weekend to celebrate the Eucharist. We have become a holy people and so our church is a sacred site for us.

Source: http://www.christart.com/verseart/

Editorial Committee Dolores Turcsan Lorraine Tellis

Kim Barton

Godwin Barton Edwina La Rose

If you are interested in being part

of the Editorial Committee, please contact any one of the

committee members.

Thank you.

Sister Mary McArdle & Sister Mary Gavaghan

Issue 4 Page 2 Padua News

every 2-3 years. On 21 August 2005, perched on a hill at Marienfeld outside Co-logne, Pope Benedict XVI invited the youth of the world to proclaim and celebrate the Holy Spirit at the 23rd World Youth Day to be held in Sydney, Australia in 2008. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Youth_Day_2008

In 1986, Pope John Paul II invited the youth of the Catholic Church to gather in St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday to celebrate their faith. This began a journey of faith for all young people of the world and the concept of pil-grimage towards World Youth Day was born. Every year, World Youth Day is celebrated at a Di-ocesan level on Palm Sun-day, with a massive inter-national gathering of youth in a "host city"

Getting to know …………...

In 1999, I was asked by

our Provincial to come to Melton as a companion for Sister Rita Malavisi who was a staff member of St. Anthony’s School and later a Pastoral Asso-ciate. We were part of a wider community with Father Werner Utri and Sister Carmel Crameri, meeting, weekly, sharing faith. I took part in the R.C.I.A. Lenten Programs and visitation of parish-ioners. Since that time I have vis-ited parishioners, taken communion to the sick and elderly, participated in the Planned Giving Program, prayed with the

Christian Meditation Group and celebrated with the Prime Timers. Each Friday, I am a volun-teer at our Josephite Aged Care at Camberwell. I am truly grateful for the ac-ceptance and the support that I have received from all priests and parishion-ers. I have been very en-riched by this. Mary McArdle RSJ

“We would like you to

go to Melton South” - these words from my Province Leader were very welcome - back to the Western Suburbs, home to

me! The vision of ‘Retirement’, living quietly among the people and enjoying being a quiet part of Parish life was very tempting. Five years later I am a wiser woman - still delighted to be here at Melton South but in-volved in many things; communion to the sick, Parish Council, Liturgy committee, Prime Timers, visiting - among other things. It is a privilege to belong to this parish and all its wonderful people who give so much of their time and talents, and who have made me so wel-come. Mary Gavaghan RSJ

World Youth Day 2008 XXIII World Youth

Day 2008

"You will receive power

when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you

will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8)

Location Sydney, Australia

Date July 15–July 20, 2008

And now, as the living presence of the Risen Christ in our midst nourishes our

faith and hope, I am pleased to announce that

the next World Youth Day will take place in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. We entrust to the maternal guidance of Mary most holy, the future course of the young people of the

whole world.

Pope Benedict XVI, WYD

2005, Marienfield

My experience at the Lenten program

Issue 4 Page 3 Padua News

Mass) while the remainder of the teams meet on Sat-urday mornings (at 8:30a.m.). As there are five teams, each team is ros-tered once every five weeks. As the cleaning and main-tenance co-ordinator, I ensure that the roster is maintained and mailed out to each volunteer. I also make sure that all the necessary cleaning equip-ment and chemicals are available for our volun-teers to use. I take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers, both past and present, for their tireless contributions over the years. I wish you,

Since the church of St.

Anthony of Padua in Mel-ton South was built, there have been teams of volun-teers who have rallied to-gether over many years to ensure that our sacred place of worship is kept clean. These volunteers have sacrificed their time and used their talents on a regular basis, making a special effort to prepare the church for special ceremonies particularly during Advent, Lent and Easter. This tradition continues as there are five teams currently on the roster. Team One gathers on a Friday morning, Team Two, on a Thursday (both after the 9a.m.

and your families, God’s Blessing. Anyone wishing to join one of the cleaning teams is most welcome. You may wish to join with two or three of your friends and create a new team, this is also most welcomed. Please feel free to contact the parish office or myself directly if you have any queries. Remember “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” Ritchie Fernandesz Cleaning and Maintenance Co-ordinator Ph: AH 9747 3263 Mobile 0431 676 383

Behind the Scenes at our Parish…...

Volunteer Cleaning Teams

In preparation for Lent,

our parish organized a Lenten Program. Starting from the February 22, 2007, the program ran for five, one-hour sessions each Thursday. Sessions were conducted during the day as well as in the eve-nings. There were 5 mem-bers in our group. The program focused on us meditating on the sec-ond reading of the Sun-days in Lent, which were from the Letters of St. Paul. Every week I came away

un-derstanding more about the reading for the next Sunday. It prepared me for the challenges in our daily lives and helped me to grow spiritually. The prayerful atmosphere at the sessions enabled us to respond with greater un-derstanding. Within the group we were able to share our thoughts on a personal level which led to a deeper understand-ing and new insights. It was a well-designed pro-gram called “Letters for

Lent” – Women & Men Transformed in Christ which came in a hard copy and a CD with prayerful music. Spiritually the program has enriched my life and I would recommend the program to other parish-ioners in the future. I am thankful for being given the opportunity to be part of the program. Stephen Fernandes

Issue 4 Page 4 Padua News

Submissions for next newsletter

All Parishioners are wel-come to give their sugges-tions. If you have any arti-cle of interest for the next

newsletter, please submit them to the Parish Office by August 1, 2007.

On April 29, 2007 at

10:30am, our Parish of St. Anthony of Padua, cele-brated “Pass It On, Message Stick”. The Message that is being passed on to partici-pating Churches nationally, is based on the Address given by our late Pope, John Paul II at the Meeting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at Al-ice Springs on November 29, 1986. By our celebration, we acknowledged the traditional land of the Wurundjeri Peo-ple, paying our respects to their elders and thanking them for sharing this won-derful country with us. The celebrations began with a slideshow of photographs portraying Aboriginal Peo-ple, Uluru, and native ani-mals that represented the four Compass directions (North, South, East, West). The slide show ran continu-ously while Didgeridoo mu-sic ran in the background. This continued until the commencement of our Mass.

Pass It On, Message Stick Celebrations in our Parish

Editorial Policy

The content of the articles contained herein may not necessarily reflect the offi-cial stance of the church or the committee and may

differ from the opinion of the editors.

The Padua News is ap-proved by Father Martin

Fleming prior to printing. The editors and Father Martin reserves the right to edit all articles submitted. Articles may be reproduced

with permission from the writer and editor.

Altar Servers led the pro-cession into the Church followed by a parishioner carrying the Message Stick and our celebrant Rever-end Father Martin Flem-ing. A few Parishioners also in the procession brought in fabric, in Abo-riginal colours, to dress the Altar. Included in the procession were Grade Six children from St An-thony’s School who clapped sticks together to produce an Aboriginal melody. Some of them also carried miniature flags of Australia, Torres Straits Island and the Aboriginal people. Once all reached the Altar, the parishioners dressed the Altar and the Lectern whilst the children placed the flags in troughs in front of the Altar. The prayer of the ‘Four Directions’ was then re-cited by all. At the intro-duction of each direction (North, South, East and West), two students walked in carrying a replica of the

Message Stick and a plac-ard displaying the respec-tive symbol of the direc-tion. At the end of the prayer the students walked down the aisles and handed the replica of the Message Stick to parish-ioners who passed it around to each other. This action was a sign of our acceptance of the Mes-sage. This Sign of ‘Pass it on’ follows and recognises the traditional way our Aboriginal brothers and sisters passed on messages to each other in the early years. After the celebration of the Mass, show bags with Abo-riginal brochures were dis-tributed to the Parishion-ers. A barbeque and the screening of the movie, “Rabbit Proof Fence” were held in the School Hall for parishioners. The above celebration was another successful event organised by the Liturgy Committee of our Parish and the Staff of St. Anthony’s School.

Dinner Dance 2007

((((Christmas in July)Christmas in July)Christmas in July)Christmas in July) July 28, 2007July 28, 2007July 28, 2007July 28, 2007

St. Anthony’s School St. Anthony’s School St. Anthony’s School St. Anthony’s School HallHallHallHall

Starting at 7.30pmStarting at 7.30pmStarting at 7.30pmStarting at 7.30pm All welcomeAll welcomeAll welcomeAll welcome

Price:Price:Price:Price:

AdultAdultAdultAdult - $25 Children Children Children Children

5-12 yrs - $10 Under 5 yrs - Free

Registration form

available at the back of the church.

For more information contact Tracey: 0413 127 926

Top: The Pass It On, Message Stick, displayed at the Altar

Left: The Altar after it was dressed

Issue 4 Pullout Page 1 Padua News

St. Anthony’s feast day is celebrated on June 13. Customary practices in various parts of the world on this day includes:

Source: http://www.fisheaters.com/customstimeafterpentecoststa.html

In some places, animals might be blessed today.

In Lisbon, his birthplace, it is a traditional day for getting married (women who get married on this day are called "brides of St. Anthony"). So popular are weddings on this day in Lisbon, that the city hall hosts them for free if the couple are poor. St. Anthony altars are built and decorated, parades are held, bonfires lit, grilled sardines and sangria are enjoyed.

In some places, it is customary to decorate with pots of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and to give some away to friends with prayers invoking our Saint.

On this day some priests bless lilies for parishioners to keep. The blessing of lilies, which remind us of St. Anthony's purity and have always been a symbol for him, stems from a miracle which took place in Revolutionary France: many priests and religious were murdered, so many churches and convents de-stroyed, but the faithful still showed up at a surviving church on the Feast of St. Anthony. Months later, it was discovered that lilies that had adorned the church at that feast were still fresh.

Another custom on this day is known as "St. Anthony's Bread" and goes back to A.D. 1263 when a child drowned near the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua as it was still being built. The mother be-sought St. Anthony and promised that if her child were restored to life, she would give to the poor an amount of wheat equal to the weight of her child. Of course her son was saved, and her promise was kept. "St. Anthony's Bread," then, is the promise of giving alms in return for a favor asked of God through St. Anthony's intercession (the custom also takes place throughout the year when parents give alms after placing their baby under the patronage of St. Anthony). In some places, the custom has a literal parallel in that loaves of bread might be blessed and given away at church or, generally, to the poor.

Because St. Anthony was buried on a Tuesday and many miracles accompanied his funeral, Tuesdays are special days of honoring him throughout the year. It is customary to pray a Novena to him on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays.

Because of St. Anthony's history of being invoked by single women in search of a husband, on the feast day, many single people who have a vocation to marriage make a visit to a church or shrine dedi-cated to St. Anthony!

Issue 4 Pullout Page 2 Padua News

Children’s Colouring page