Dag Hammarskjold and the Call of Our PENTECOST 2012...
Transcript of Dag Hammarskjold and the Call of Our PENTECOST 2012...
is nothing more important in our life than this search. Dag Hammarskjold appears to have gone on this journey alone with little to direct him but his own life.1 We from a position of faith would say that in such a journey, where confusion and self-delusion are always present, Jesus can be our trusted guide. For his life and teaching light up what is „best‟ in us... what is “greater than I”.
For people of faith that‘s at the heart of what we celebrate. In Jesus, we not only meet one who is truly and authentically God, (that is, faithfully reveals what God is like)... but we also meet one who‘s truly and authentically human, (that is faithfully shows us who we are called to be.) Thus in Jesus, the way to a human life of unlimited abundance is unlocked... and in f inding our way to our t rue humanity, we may also find our way to God.
Dag Hammarskjold walked the journey of spiritual exploration largely on his own... through a r i g o ro u s s t r ug g le o f h o ne s t reflection on his own life. So it appears the sol i tary path is po ss ib le . Bu t th is way i s undoubtedly more accessible when shared. The Christian Church exists that we may walk this journey together, with Jesus the Christ as our inspiration, our guide and our way.
Dag Hammarskjold and the Call of Our Humanity
You may know the name Dag
Hammarskjold from the 1950‘s. He was a brilliant Swedish civil servant who became Secretary of the United Nations, noted for his sacrificial service to world peace. He had no overt religious connections and it was assumed that he was an agnostic humanist. But when he died in a plane crash in 1961, the wor ld was surpr ised by the discovery of a remarkable journal... found by his bedside. It was a 30 year record of his spiritual journey... what he called the book of “my negotiations with myself... and with God.” Published under the title “Markings”, it is a journal of mystical depth.
There a re two th ings about Hammarskjold that speak directly to common 21st century experience.
1. Although profoundly inspired by Christ, he showed no interest in ecclesial or institutional trappings – he almost never went to church – but through a rigorous personal exploration of his own humanity, he came to the Christian faith he had always admired in his mother.
2. He wrote this journal of deep spiritual growth in the midst of a punishing work-load... at the time of his busiest period of public service. As he said, “In our age, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.”
His writings are full of struggle... painful ly honest observat ions a b o u t h im se l f . . . a b ou t t h e shallowness of most social life, the emptiness of success and the nothingness of achievement. But it ‘s this following quote that my mind went to in writing this article… What do I mean by the „call of our humanity ‟? I ‘ l l borrow Dag Hammarskjold‘s words... “That within me which is greater than I.”
D o y o u e v e r h a v e t h a t exper ience. . . the awareness of “that within me which is greater than I”? What I fumblingly describe as an awareness of unfulfilled possibility... the call of something far deeper than my screaming ego-need about me, me, me... Do you hear that invitational pull... not from outside but from within?
As people of faith, we‘d say that‘s God calling. We‘d say it‘s the invitation to go on a journey of exploration.. . and that there
PENTECOST 2012
(Continued on page 2)
“It is not the repeated mistakes, the long succession of petty betrayals – though God knows, they would give cause enough for anxiety and self-contempt – but the huge elementary mistake, the betrayal of that within me which is greater than I – in a complacent adjustment to alien demands.”
In this issue: Page 1-2 The Vicar
Page 2 ―Thank You for Chapel
Roof Appeal‖
Page 3 Mtr Jane‘s Farewell
Page 4 Monash Interfaith
Festival
Page 5 Profile: Judith Gibson
Pages 6-7 Parish pictures
Page 8 Judith Gibson (Cont.)
Page 9 MU and Ladies Guild
Page 10 ―Second Life‖—Norma
Schultz
Page 11 Focus on Mission
Thanks go to Rowena, Jenny and Judith for the pictures in this issue.
Any suggestions and feedback to [email protected]
From the Registers: Baptism:
27.05.2012 Isaac Leke Silver Rebecca Adut Bolagar Bol Lina Anger Bolagar Bol Dramundu Silver-Bolagar Bol
Admitted to Holy Communion William Samuel Greer Emily Rose Greer Isaac Leke Silver
Death: 25.3.2012
Peter Meeuwissen
Page 2
Paschal Candle 2012 Art work Jason Phillips
I can‘t resist ending with another quotation from Hammarskjold‘s journal…
“Never let success hide its emptiness from you; achievement is nothingness, toil is desolation. And so keep alive the incentive to push on further, that pain in the soul which drives us beyond ourselves.”
Fr Grant Bullen
Chapel Roof Restoration Appeal Reaches Its Target!
The Wardens and Vestry would like to thank all those who have contributed so generously to the Appeal. We are delighted to report that we reached our target of $22,000… and even surpassed it by a little bit! This ―little bit‖ will be used to repair the Vicarage roof which has recently sprung a leak! Your generosity means that no money will have to be taken from the General Funds to complete this work.
We are unable to write to everyone individually, but want you to know that we are extremely grateful for your c on t r i bu t ion . We we re particularly delighted by the generous support that arrived from friends of the parish in the neighbourhood, including people unable to worship with us often. It is wonderful to have this continuing h e l p , a f f i r m a t i o n a n d encouragement.
Wardens and Vestry
Ref. 1And the works of various Christian mystics like John of the Cross and Meister Eckhart. He died with Thomas a Kempis on his lap! And
occasionally in his journal he quoted the Psalms.
(Continued from page 1)
Page 3
Mtr Jane Trigg’s farewell… Easter 7 Christian Unity Sunday
Jane cutting her farewell cake at
SE service. Cake made by
Phoebe and enjoyed by all!
Two of our visitors with Rowena and Bruce from St Christopher’s Catholic
Church, Syndal: Matthew and Jessica
Presentation and speeches from the CE service
Mtr Jane responding to the congregation
Page 4
Monash Interfaith
Festival
Morna reports on her city's first major
interfaith celebration Sunday 22 April.
Lots of planning, organisation and
enthusiasm went into our coming
together at the impressive new
community centre in Clayton, with a
goodly representation of the great
number of nationalities and faiths
amongst the 100 or so people present,
that now make up the City of Monash.
The theme was 'Peace, Faith &
Harmony in our Multicultural Society'.
Many had displays, with printed
information to take away, but perhaps
more important were the friendly, well-
informed lay persons happy to offer
information, especially about local
facilities and contacts.
There were two sessions to begin with,
one a forum for women, -'How do you
live your faith in your private life and in
the public arena?' This can include
marriage, raising families, teenagers.
Three women speakers represented
the Baha'i, Christian and Jewish faiths.
To set the stage, they spoke on what it
takes to choose and keep good
marriages: the value of a regular family
night to strengthen faith and
relationships when raising children;
and the value of tradition within the
Jewish faith in the form of Bar Mitzvah
and the strengthening of the ability to
make their own moral decisions
following that rite of passage.
The young people were led by
Nazeem Hussain, Comedian and
Treasurer Victorian Islamic Council
which included two women and two
men (all articulate young adults). They
represented the Buddhist, Christian
(Mormon), Muslim and Baha'i point of
view around the topic of 'Why is faith
important to you and how do you live
it in your lives'.
This was then followed by small group
forums one of them led by Morna, that
enabled everyone to have a say.
Article contributed by Morna.
Waiting for the bus
There is waiting in the air as
passengers prepare to board the
bus which takes them into town...
Even keen anticipation as they look
for information of the service
promised daily on the hour...
No thoughts of emigration cloud the
travellers concerns
No sense of demarcation or flight
from conflagration no exit from a
land no longer...
And yet the right of passage is
always there to claim.
Not steps of emigration but a
freedom to decide.
13.06.07 (Anonymous)
Jim Aylmer, the Reverend, Dr Rajitha Perera,
Mohamed Mohideen, Nallaratnam Sivarasa
and Margaret Mary each represented their beliefs at the
inaugural Interfaith Forum held on 22/4/12
Picture: Mark Stewart
City Pentecost
Through skyscraper canyons you come, Holy Spirit, down lanes and arcades you come: From the north, from the south from within and without, like wind—like wind the roar of Pure Wind, you come sweeping through to renew.
In houses of parliament you come, Holy Spirit, into lawmakers' chambers you come. into lawmakers' chambers you come. From above, from below, from ally and foe, as truth—as truth the roar of Pure Truth you come sweeping through to renew
Through grand Gothic arches you come Holy Spirit to choir and high altar you come From above, from below, from ally and foe, as truth—as truth the roar of Pure Truth you come sweeping through to renew.
Bruce D. Prewer
Page 5
Profile: Judith Gibson, Textile Artist/Archivist Parish paper: Tell us a little about
yourself
When I was 6 months old our family
moved from Reservoir to Edithvale,
where my father still lives. I was the
youngest child, with a brother and older
sister and we attended Edithvale State
School, then Mordialloc Chelsea High
School. Our family was actively
involved at St Columbas‘ Edithvale
where I sang in the choir, taught
Sunday School, participated in the
youth group etc. Post HSC, I studied
for an art/craft degree at Melbourne
State College then moved to the
country, teaching at Benalla High
School (1984-1988) then Hamilton
College for 6 years. It was in mid-2005
that I began worshipping at St Stephen
& St Mary, Mt Waverley.
PP: Where did your interest in art/
textiles arise?
My strongest memories are of my
mother as a homemaker. She taught
me to knit, sew and recycle everything
including buttons and fabric scraps for
patchwork. Other mentors include my
High School sewing teacher, Dorothy
Meadows; Grace James from Hamilton
and two wonderful Council of Adult
Education tutors, Isobel Foster and
Mirka Mora, who encouraged
experimentation with colour, threads,
and textures.
PP: When did the interest in
archives and history emerge?
I rediscovered a love of research and
writing whilst completing a post
graduate art history unit when I lived in
Hamilton. This encouraged me to
re-investigate working in the library/
museums sector and I returned to
Melbourne, completing a Diploma in
Arch ives/Records at Monash
University in 1995. In 1996 I moved to
Brisbane having secured a unique
opportunity to work as one of two
Archivists at The University of
Queensland. Then followed a
recordkeeping position at The
Metropolitan Fire Brigade and
currently, Archivist at Caulfield
Grammar School.
PP: Tell us about your art / textiles
and your journey as an artist.
After Teachers College, I continued to
create art pieces in my spare time,
primarily ―easy to carry‖ embroideries
with a simple geometric design.
Occasionally I participated in group
shows at The Meat Market Craft
Centre Melbourne, Rotary Art Shows
and the Hamilton Art Gallery. In 2002
I was offered my first solo exhibition
at Gallery Ranfurlie, Korowa Anglican
Girls‘ School. This was a joyful
milestone shared with family and
friends which showcased greeting
cards, needlepoints; wrapped coils
and crazy patchwork items. I don‘t
think I‘ll ever stop being creative as
my ―artistic soul‖ is at the core of
everything I do and it permeates my
work, craft and faith pilgrimage. I have
been very blessed to receive these
talents which bring pleasure to
viewers and friends.
PP: Last October you held an
exhibition titled The Decorative
Diva and Friends‖ at The Highway
Gallery, Mt Waverley.‖ How did that
go?
The Exhibition was shared with
friends, Jill Taylor (Natural fibre
basketry) and Julie Miller (Knitting &
Felting) and was opened by Morna
Sturrock, a great supporter of The
Highway Gallery. One feels a mixture
of emotions when you exhibit and
despite some anxiousness I was
overwhelmed by the posit ive
comments, excellent sales – very
affirming!
PP: At that exhibition you showed
some new pieces with themes
connected to your faith journey.
How did those works develop?
Back in 2005 I became interested in
studying devotional art such as icons
and religious paintings from the
Renaissance era. At the same time, I‘d
started a writing / prayer journal and
found myself jotting down themes and
ideas that emerged from quiet times of
reading scripture (lectio divina). This
lead to a new series of art works,
combining calligraphy, scrapbooking
papers, rubber stamps and torn paper
fragments.
Whilst many of the collages are private
reflections and not for sharing, some
of the ―Sacred (Continued page 8)
Jane, Judith and Rowena
Dave, Hillarie, Judith and Jane
Page 6
EASTER 2012
BBlessing of
Palm Crosses
The Story of the Cross
Blessing and lighting of the
Paschal candle
Parish Choir
Page 7
Easter egg hunt
Page 8
(Continued from page 5)
m u s i n g s ‖ , o f f e r g r e a t
encouragement, and have been
printed on canvas, notebook covers
or posters.
PPL: What are you working on
now?
I‘m still creating collages inspired by
my faith journey and musings on life
and various greeting cards and
coiled/wrapped wall hangings. In
recent months I‘ve become a
volunteer at the local community
gallery,
The Highway Gallery, Mt Waverley
which is organising a special
exhibition, honouring Dr Morna
Sturrock titled, ―Embroidery for
Hearth and Heaven‖. It opens on
Saturday 23 June till Wednesday
11 July 2012. Morna has asked
that this honour be shared with
her talented friends, all skilled in
various techniques of domestic
and ecclesiastical embroidery. I
hope all parishioners can come
and share in this wonderful
tribute.
Morna and June Ryan,
from publicity photo
Judith’s collages
Morna’s Exhibition
Highway Gallery
23 June—11 July
Page 9
Ladies Guild Activities
The Ladies Guild wishes to thank
everyone who supported our recent
morning tea. At this Mrs Valda
Street gave a most interesting
speech on the late Sir Edward
("Weary") Dunlop. Mrs Street had
been his PA over the last fifteen
years of his life. The morning raised
$961.50.
We would also like to say a sincere
thank you to all those who helped us
make $1,071.00 through the
Mothers’ Union News
Supporting Australian Defence
Force in Prayer
Mothers Union have been asked to
support in prayer the Australian
Defence Force Anglican Chaplaincy.
MU was approached by Bishop Len
Eacott an Anglican Bishop as he
knew that MU has a strong
established prayer network.
One of the greatest supports that the
church can offer the clergy and their
families who serve as military
chaplains and to the men, women of
our defence force is prayer.
Many MU members have family or
friends in the Australian Defence
Forces and know the risks, physical
and emotional, that they have to
bear.
Older people will have themselves
lived through a time when Australia
was at war and know of the anxious
times.
MU has been given a prayer booklet
and for each day of the month; we
pray for our men and women
Chaplains and their families. This is
MU encouraging, strengthening and
supporting each other.
As my position is now Prayer and
Spirituality on executive and I am
collating the prayers from our link
countries, I have become interested in
MU in those countries.
History of Bishop’s Court
This is a book that is to be published in
2013 on the anniversary of 160 years of
Bishop‘s Court. Author Dr Elizabeth
Rushen, Historian and Author.
The title ―History of Bishop‘s Court‖
embracing the families that lived there.
MU is supporting the publication of this
book.
MU executive with the Prayer and
Spirituality group spent an enjoyable
quiet day early this year; we were
welcomed by Mrs Joy Freier.
Morning tea was served in the morning
room and lounge, and it was wonderful
to see the cushions made by ladies
from Friendly Threads Sewing Group
were still on the couches.
When we sat down for lunch the place
mats that I made with the Pins and
Needles Sewing Group were being
used on the dining table!
Bishop‘s Court provided a wonderful
setting for a Quiet Day, it was a time
when all had the opportunity to share
fellowship together and walk in the
garden. The gardens are beautiful
which enhances the beauty of the
residents.
Mrs Freier talked about the colourful
history of Bishop‘s Court and the
uniqueness of the building. The book
will be based on the social history,
residents and Bishop‘s wives and who
they may have entertained over many
years.
In 2013 Bishops Court will celebrate
160 years. The building is heritage
listed and is also the private residence
of Archbishop and Mrs Freier.
Around the walls the Archbishop and
Joy have added their own aboriginal
art work and artefacts after spending
many years in the Northern Territory.
All are always made to feel very
welcome at Bishop‘s Court.
This should be a good book to read if
anyone is interested in the history of
Melbourne.
Ros Sahhar
Opportunity Shop in March.
At the time of writing we have
planned for our meeting on
Thursday, 14 June at 1.30 pm…
to be an Anti Cancer Council
Afternoon Tea.
A gold coin donation requested
for admission.
The following meeting is to be
held on Thursday 12 July.
Please come along for afternoon
tea and fellowship.
You will be made very welcome.
Advance Notice –for your Diary
The Guild will be staffing the Lion's
Opportunity Shop at 55 Wadham
Parade, Mt Waverley from 3—7
September 2012. If you have any
items at home that may be suitable for
sale we would ask if you would drop
them into the shop on Tuesday 28 or
Wednesday 29 August and let them
know they are from St Stephen's and
St Mary's Guild.
We will be most grateful for your help.
Janice Miller
Page 10
As a child I was proud of the fact
that my forebears had arrived just
before the Gold Rush and so the
stories of times past have always
interested me. On retirement I
became a very irregular attendant at
the Waverley Historical Society
meetings. Then I was asked to be
secretary and as I had seen
Waverley area develop from a rural
area to a thriving suburb I thought I
could do that. I soon found it was not
only writing minutes! What a big
learning curve was ahead of me.
Waverley Historical Society aims to
collect, conserve and communicate
items of historical significance
pertaining to the Waverley area. The
culture of the past is preserved and
available to the community. The
collection includes thousands of
photos, drawers full of snippets of
information ranging from aboriginals
to buildings to schools to families to
sports to organisations etc, shelves
of books, audio copies of oral
Clever anagrams PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER
ASTRONOMER: When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER
DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT
THE EYES: When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE
GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE
THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS
DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM
SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME
ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY
ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
I'M A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE
histories and past speakers, old
records of clubs and groups, display
boards of various topics and aerial
maps. All these must be catalogued put
on the database, labelled and stored in
ap propr ia te a r ch iva l su i tab le
equipment.
A small team of people work every
Wednesday afternoon cataloguing,
accessioning, researching, storing,
filing and putting information on the
database etc. as well as attending to
visitors. It is a very satisfying,
challenging, demanding occupation
and I love it. It is a real thrill to read a
letter written by men in the late 1800s
asking for a school to be built or
reading the minutes of a 1930s Red
Cross group.
Do come and visit and browse. You are
always welcome. WHS is on the
Upper level of Mount Waverley
Library, there is a lift and we are
there from 1.00 to 5.00 each
Wednesday.
Norma M Schultz
‘Second life’… with the Waverley Historical Society
Mothers’ Union Cordially Invite You
To our Fund Raising Afternoon Tea
Date: Monday 25 June 2012 at 1.30 pm Place: St Stephen & St Mary Anglican Church 383 High St Rd. Mount Waverley Guest Rev. Howard Langmead Speaker ‗Laughter is good for the soul‘ Donation: $10.00 RSVP Ros Sahhar Secretary 9807 1116 Bev Anderson President 9894 7858
Page 11
T. R. & J. L. Mace QUALITY BUTCHER Spit Roast Catering Available
21 Hamilton Place, Mt Waverley 3149, Phone: 9807 2805
Funeral Directors HERBERT KING
Australian Family Owned All Suburbs
24 Hour Service – 7 days a week
9885 5288
KATIES CARDS &
RECORDS
Leading Edge Music
71 Hamilton Place,
Mt Waverley 3149
Ph: 9807 6253
Focus on Mission Anglicare Victoria You probably know that this is a welfare body which our Parish supports each year. No doubt you know something about the scope of the work this wonderful organization does, and
could give some examples.
However, I am sure you will be interested, surprised and impressed by this selection of items of information from their most recent annual report. If after reading this, you would like to see a copy of this report, please see lan
Smith or phone 98881269.
Anglicare Victoria • Works from over 30 offices throughout Victoria • Employs over 800 staff, and they are helped by over 700 volunteers giving over 14000 hours of their time • Outlays nearly $50 million in 12 months • Needs to raise $7 million of this from donations-the rest is from government sources
In the past year Anglicare
Victoria
Coordinated 1205 foster care placements and supported 429
foster care families
• Responded 11500 times to emergency needs through
frontline family support services
• Helped 141 young people transit ion from care to
independent living
• Helped 4741 parents learn
new skills in parenting
• Provided financial counseling
to 10553 people facing hardship
• Provided Emergency Relief such as food parcels to over
60000 people
• Worked with 226 men with a history of family violence to help them to understand and change
their behaviour
• Provided chaplaincy services to Victoria's 13 prisons and youth detention centres, which include pastoral care over 6600 prisoners, family members and
prison staff.
Anglicare Victoria expresses its
Vision in this way—
To Resource and empower children, young people and families to achieve their potential through:
• The promotion of social justice
• The strengthening of local
communities
• The provision of quality
innovative services.
Four-year-old twins Pia and Claudia, and their older brother Alex*, have been through a lot for children so young.
Their mother is unable to care for them due to substance abuse issues and has not always provided a safe home for her children.
As a result, Alex had taken on a caring
role for his sisters and the burden weighed heavily on his young shoulders.
The children now live with their grandmother, Lynne, but she has had to face a range of new challenges to care for these children she loves dearly.
Lynne says the girls often break down and cry for no obvious reason and have attachment issues which limit her ability to leave them in the care of others.
Alex still struggles with his fear and anger resulting from taking on adult
responsibilities at the age of eight, Previously, when the girls misbehaved, it was Alex who was punished.
After struggling to manage the children's behaviour and meet their emotional needs, Lynne was told about Anglicare Victoria's Parenting Again
Parenting again... program for kinship carers. She was able to access a case worker, therapeutic and practical support to help her understand what the children were going through and offer them the support they needed.
Lynne says that by learning these coping skills she has been able to focus on parenting and creating a new life together with her grandchildren. * The children‘s names have been changed to protect to their privacy.
If undelivered return to St Stephen's Anglican Church 383 High Street Road Mount Waverley VIC 3149
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ST STEPHEN'S ANGLICAN CHURCH
SURFACE
Magazine of the Anglican Parish of St Stephen & St Mary Mt Waverley June 2012
Vicar: Fr Grant Bullen 9807 3168 Emergencies 0402 322 557 Associate Priest: Fr Grant Edgcumbe 9807 3168 Parish Catechist Nick White 9807 3168 Clerical Assistant: Barbara Aghajani 9807 3168 Parish Office Wednesday to Friday 10.00 am to 1.00 pm Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Fax: 9807 0978
Please advise any change of
address or if you wish to cancel receiving the Parish News