Marist Action

Sr Vivienne participates in National
e-Conference: Mary First Disciple
The Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Broken Bay Institute recently hosted a National e-Conference entitled Mary First Disciple. The conference was streamed live via internet. It is estimated that more than 30,000 participants from from at least fifteen countries participated in this conference. The keynote speake, Fr Frank Moloney SDB, spoke on Mary as disciple, woman and mother.

Sr Vivienne facilitated a conversation on the gospel account of Mary at Cana. A student, a parent, the son of a teacher and a teacher from Marist Sisters' College Woolwich formed the panel. Vivienne invited the panel to share on their impressions of this incident in the life of Mary and the challenges that it held for them in their own lives. In concluding the panel discussion, she invited all of us to let "Mary nudge us to listen to the One Voice that matters". Sessions from the e-Conference are available for viewing at http://www.mary.vividas.com/

Child and Family Health Care

Sr Ruth has spent many years working as a nurse in areas from midwifery through to aged care. Presently she works in the Child and Family Health area at CatholicCare in Campbelltown which is situated in the south west region of Sydney. Part of the mission of CatholicCare is to bring hope, justice and professional care to those on the margins.  This fits very well with the mission of Marist Sisters. Ruth believes that as a Marist Sister what she does at work and the support she gives in our local area is very much doing the work of Mary.

In her daily work she meets families who, for various reasons, are having difficulties in caring for or relating to their children and in building a safe and happy family life. A number of the parents she works with have a mental illness, are struggling with drug and alcohol issues, have an intellectual disability, are dealing with the grief of having their children in foster care and the process of regaining custody, are separated or  just find coping with the pressures of family life and caring for their children difficult.

Her work includes running in-service days on managing challenging behaviours and discipline strategies for foster carers and early childhood staff.  As a Certified Instructor she teach Mental Health First Aid to professionals from government and non government organisations and to high school teachers in the area. Mental Health First Aid teaches a person to identify emerging mental health problems, informs them of available resources and suggests strategies for dealing with a mental health crisis.

 As a Marist Sister, she lives in a community with two other sisters.  The community tries to support families in the public housing estates in their local area, many of whom have mental health problems.  These people are often isolated and alone and so the sisters offer a listening ear and refer them to other avenues of support where necessary.

Refugee Support

The House of Welcome in Carramar, a project of the New South Wales Ecumenical Council, supports refugees and asylum seekers during their time of transition into life in the Australian community. A number of Marist Sisters have offered their services at this centre over the years. In the photo at right Sr Grace can be seen with some refugee women from Kenya and Uganda during a recent visit to the House of Welcome from Jason Clare, Federal Member for Blaxland.

A Pastoral Story

For twenty years Sr Gemma worked as a pastoral associate at St Brigid's Millers Point. This church is part of the inner city parish of St Patrick's Church Hill in Sydney. Sister's ministry was varied and challenging. Assited by the St Brigid's committee she organized liturgies, taught religion in governmnet schools and prepared these children for the sacraments. The aged and infirm found a compassionate and supportive friend in Gemma. When they were in hospital she visited them, even when this meant travelling to other areas of Sydney, and she helped them to find nursing home care when they were no longer able to stay in their own home. Gemma's sense of justice found her liaising with government and voluntary organisations to find accomodation for the needy. It was with much gratitude, and also a sense of sadness, that the St Brigid's community farewelled Gemma at the Palm Sunday Mass recently. In acknowledging the work that Gemma has done in their midst over the last twenty years particular mention was made of her "very effective and inspiring commitment". Parish priest, Fr Neveille Byrne, thanked Gemma for always being "real".

Sr Grace attends the ACRATH National Conference

On 11th - 13th February, Sr Grace attended the National Conference of ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans).  It was held at Holy Cross Centre in Templestowe, Victoria.  Marist Sisters in the Sector of Australia have been involved in ACRATH over the last few years with a number of sisters taking part in forums and meetings in Sydney.  The Sector has also contributed financially to ACRATH and the UTS Anti-Slavery Project, a group that works very closely with ACRATH.  About twenty people participated in the National Conference, the majority being religious women.  A new Executive Committee was elected.  See ACRATH website:  www.acrath.org.au

Marists at Formator's Programme

Pictured, from left: Fr Boniface Besco SM (Marist novitiate, Tutu, Fiji), Sr Teresia Raione SM (Wairiki, Taveuni, Fiji), Sr Noelene Simmons SM (Vocations ministry, Sydney), Fr Peter McAfee SM (Marist novitiate, Mexico), Fr Chris Ganzon SM (postulant director, Davao, Philippines), Fr Kevin Conroy SM (Rector, Marist seminary, Auckland, NZ), Sr Julienne Hayes-Smith SMSM (Dhaka, Bangladesh) and Sr Joan Bernion SMSM (Manurewa, Auckland, NZ).

Eight Marists are participating in a formators' program recently commenced at the Marymount Centre, Castle Hill, NSW. The six-month program offers specialised course components for formators and vocation ministers and runs concurrently with Marymount's 'New Life' program. The two courses have attracted thirty-five participants from fifteen countries. A ninth Marist, Sr Makalita Finau SMSM (Tonga) is expected to join the group shortly. The Marists participating in the programme are appreciating the opportunity to spend this time together as a Marist Family group being enriched by the diversity of their lived experience of the Marist Charism in a variety of cultures.

Sr Iulia Pua sm
(Aotearoa New Zealand)

I am currently in my second year of teaching at De La Salle College, South Auckland, New Zealand. The majority of students at this boys college are Samoan and Tongan, while some have a European background.
I enjoy very much the adult companionship of the staff and having free periods. We had no free periods during the 15 years I taught in Primary Schools.

How would I promote vocation for Women in Religious Life in the College for boys?  I do not know.  However, in Community, we have a holy hour every Monday evening, praying for vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life.

Every two years, I visit my family in Samoa.  Recently, I was involved in my homeland parish in Samoa while I was on holiday, joining the choir, helping out in the Youth Group and visiting other Sectors of the Parish with our Parish Priest.  There is vocation awareness in this community.  I pray that my influence will attract some young women to the Marist Sisters.

Mary, our Mother and Jeanne Marie Chavoin, our Foundress: 
Pray with us for vocations now and forever.

Barcaldine
(Australia)

Srs. Cath and Mary are based in Barcaldine, a town in Central Western Queensland. Their ministry is to people on properties and in little towns to north, south, east and west in that area of the Diocese of Rockhampton. They travel many thousands of kilometres in the course of a year, often staying away for nights at a time. Many of the people rarely if ever see a priest. An important aspect of this rural ministry is preparation of children (and sometimes adults) for reception of the Sacraments of Initiation. This begins with a face to face session attended by children and parents (it is the parents who, where possible will continue the preparation with guidance from Cath). Children in these rural and remote areas who learn by distance education are accustomed to classes via the telephone. This can be a helpful way for Cath to teach one or a group of students. Sometimes the Sisters are called upon to lead a service of the Word and Communion – no Mass being possible without a priest – to baptize or to lead a funeral or burial service. Frequently they simply visit to spend time, to listen and share the joys and sorrows, the struggles of men and women coping with the difficulty of surviving years of drought. Through phone calls, emails, letters and newsletters, the Sisters strive to nurture the sense of community regardless of the great distances separating people and to support them in whatever way they can.