Newsletter #30 | November 2013

Dominican MottoDOMINICAN LAITY

 

Newsletter #30                                                 November 2013

 

 Kia ora everyone

November is the month where we especially remember all our Dominican Saints. We were trying to remember the actual date and found it was 7 November.  The internet sent us to the site of the Lay Dominicans in Ireland to get that information!

So, this is a time to think of our links as a Dominican family and particularly those who have gone before us. In Auckland we have been saddened by the loss of two of our members who came often to our Dominican family gatherings. The first of these was Senia Auva’a, who had close links with St Benedict’s church for decades.  She was cook for the friars for all the time they were at St Ben’s and treated them as members of her family.  There were some wonderful gatherings at her home.  The second death was that of Katherine Gibson, known to many as Sr Helena Gibson op.  Katherine was originally from Canterbury and a former student of Teschemakers. In recent decades she has been in Auckland, where she served as Principal of St Dominic’s Blockhouse Bay and then moved into work as a hospital chaplain. Katherine was a very loyal Dominican, embracing fully the breadth of vision that the Order encourages.  Our sympathy goes, too, to Mary Eastham who recently lost her husband, Scott; and to you all who have recently lost family or friends.

On the international front, our thoughts are with the Dominicans in the Philippines and their families. As you will see from the item at the end of the newsletter, the Dominicans there have been hit by several disasters and the Sisters are appealing for financial help.

Margaret Fitzpatrick has asked us to remember the Holy Infant Orphanage in the north of Thailand.  It is run by Dominican Sisters and has been going through difficult times, including severe flooding.  Don and Toni Matthews of the Blockhouse Bay parish and Fr Alex op are involved in supporting this mission.

On a happier note, Carole McIntyre Crolla and Norman Gray visited the Dominican friars in Edinburgh (see below).  Making these links internationally and nationally certainly helps to build up our Dominican family.  We are so pleased to welcome Norman Gray back to New Zealand after his time with family in the United States.

As we prepare for the celebration of the great mystery of the Incarnation it would be worth pondering Timothy Radcliffe’s thoughts on “Being the Body of Christ Today”.   This was the theme of his preaching in Auckland and Wellington and was recorded in note form by Teresa (see below).

At this important time, let us keep one another and our families in our prayers.

Susan and Teresa

……………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Auckland Dominican Sisters Honour Their Dead

 

A group of able-bodied sisters visited the graves of our deceased Auckland sisters on November 2nd at Panmure and at Waikaraka. The ceremonies were beautiful in both places and the day was warm and sunny. With one decade of the Rosary, free-flowing reflections on each sister, intercessions as they came and the singing of “Hail O Queen”, both little ceremonies were so fitting. Besides being a good way to remember local Dominican personalities, this short pilgrimage was an enriching way to begin the honouring of all our dead in November.

Contributed by Helen Bergin op

……………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A warm welcome at a Dominican Chapel in Edinburgh

 

 

 

 

 

Norman Gray and I travelled in Scotland in September .On our last Sunday in Edinburgh we attended Mass at St Albert’s Catholic Chaplaincy.  The chaplaincy is run by the Dominican Fathers for Edinburgh University, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University as well.

There are three Dominican priests; :Fr Dermott Morrin OP, Fr Lawrence Dew OP, and Fr Robert Verrill OP.. It was a beautiful sunny day, the Chapel was full and Fr Morrin, recently ordained celebrated Mass and preached.  It was fortuitous to be there as my sister-in-law was visiting friends at whose suggestion we met at the Chapel for Mass.

The Chapel is newly built, set in the old established gardens.  People mingled after Mass in the pleasant grounds and meeting room for a cup of tea and chat.  The Chapel has won awards for its design and is up for further recognition.

For anyone travelling to Edinburgh the Chapel is situated in the garden of 24 George Square, and can be accessed through the basement of 23 George Square or from George Square Lane off Middle Meadow Walk. [Coffee shop and WIFI also close by].

Contributed by Carole McIntyre Crolla

……………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………..

Website News

 

Do go to our Dominican website http://www.dominicans.org.nz  to find out more about these news items:

……………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………..

Gatherings and news from around Aotearoa New Zealand

 

Auckland Gathering, November 2013

On Sunday, 17 September, our Dominican family gathered at St Dominic’s, Blockhouse Bay.  Philomena Clare, Director of Religious Studies at St Dominic’s Henderson, shared with us her recent Dominican stories.  She started with her visit to the Sion Hill community in Ireland, from where the New Zealand Dominican Sisters were founded.

She next talked about the Dominican Education Conference in Sydney.  Using Powerpoint slides, her presentation was sensitively and beautifully done.  We then read and discussed an excerpt from one of the conference papers, “Contemplation –Radical Being”, presented by Sheila Flynn op from South Africa. This paper is available on our website.

We concluded with prayer put together by Helen, who had organised our gathering.

Contributed by Susan Healy

News from the lower North Island

On Sunday the 10th of November, seventeen Dominican Family members from Hastings, Masterton, Fielding, Johnsonville, Kapiti Coast and Palmerston North gathered at the Palmerston North Diocesan Centre for a day of prayer, study and friendship.

The Kapiti group of Peter and Michele Ness, Mary Woods and Kay Blackburn were responsible for planning the programme for the day.

We began by singing ‘Come to the Water’, thus introducing our Reflection theme of ‘Living Water’.

We were invited to introduce ourselves and tell a personal story of the significance of water in our lives.  Everyone shared experiences from past and present and it became evident once again how essential and affirming the telling of stories is to the teller and the listener.

The past year for many of our Dominican Family has been a time of loss and change and we acknowledged this with prayer, silence and scripture.

We were invited to approach the display of large and small receptacles set up in the centre of our circle, choose one and pour into it ‘Living Water’ from the water jug to symbolise the loss and change in our lives.

A reading from John 4: 6-42, ‘The woman at the well’, was read and the Reflection concluded with silence and prayer.

At a previous meeting much conversation had centred on the value of  articles found in ‘Tui Motu’ each month.  It was decided that we would choose an article to share at our next meeting.    After lunch our focus turned to an article from the August 2013 issue, an ‘Interview with Sr Joan Chittister osb.’ The article had been circulated and questions relevant to us had been prepared. The anticipated outcome was that we would finish the day with an individual or group ‘action’ to take away with us.  After small group discussion, very creative feedback and a summary of that feedback, ‘action seeds’ were planted.

This was the last meeting for Sister Susie as she was leaving for Dunedin the following day.  We will miss her wisdom and sense of humour, and she takes with her our love as she turns yet another page in her life story.

As Advent approaches I offer this prayer.

This day and this night may I know God.

The deep peace of the running wave

The deep peace of the flowing air

The deep peace of the quiet earth

The deep peace of the shining stars

The deep peace of the Son of Peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left:  Living Water centrepiece  | Right:  Anne and Sr Susie

Contributed by Kay Blackburn for the Kapiti Coast

……………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Visits by Donagh O’Shea OP and Timothy Radcliffe OP

Reflections on Donagh O’Shea op visit

Kay Blackburn sent through these reflections from those who attended the retreat at Waikanae.

Thoughts from the Donagh O’Shea retreat September 2013 at El Rancho Christian Camp Waikanae

  • The gentle flavour of the weekend is still with me – the peaceful surroundings of El Rancho, the nourishing meals and the nurturing of each other.
  • Donagh challenged us to think again of how we relate to God and each other.
  • He reminded us of our environment and introduced us to the concept of trees as creatures.
  • He suggested that the word that got in the way was often “I”.
  • He shared the experience of using the “Our Father” as a prayer that is acceptable in Christian and non-Christian traditions.  He was reminded gently that many women cannot accept the image of God as Father only.
  • He told great stories and left us with a lot to mull over.
  • A weekend of surprises!
  • What an inspiring weekend!  Everyday I recall words spoken and experiences shared.
  • I feel energised!
  • The weekend retreat is sitting there in my mind and heart like a big box that I can keep opening and exploring. What a gift!
  • The word that comes to me is the word “genuine” or perhaps for a Dominican, “Truth”.  Donagh seemed not to need to “dress the truth” – he said it as it was: God is God, we are the Body of Christ. What more is needed?
  • Donagh said, “My identity is Christ – I am the Holy of Holies” …
  • When speaking about using mantras Donagh said, “Breath is a mantra without using words”.
  • I enjoyed hearing about Donagh’s experience when he spent time with a Zen Master who was a Benedictine monk. So often I feel I am getting nowhere when I am meditating, so it was a relief to hear that the Zen Master told Donagh, “There is no progress, there is no distance, there is no destination”.
  • What a wonderful retreat! I found it so very special, quietly whole and joyous.
  • It was great to be amongst the Dominican spirit again.
  • A big plus for our Dominican Family group was the fact that we could spend a weekend together– no fuss, no stress, beautiful surroundings, and not only did we have great food for the soul, but delicious food for the body.
  • In her words of thanks to Donagh, Angela Coleman shared her poem written for the occasion.

WORDS and SILENCE

 

Words confine us

                                Silence frees us

 

Words confine us

                define us

                enable communication

                shape communication

                create connections

                limit connections

                join people

                isolate people

 

Words confine us

                                Silence frees us

 

Silence frees us

                releases us

                holds communication

                is communication

breaths connections

opens connections

heals people

enfolds people

 

Words confine us

                                Silence frees us

 

Angela Coleman

7-9-13

 

There was much that could be said about the many treasures of insight that Donagh offered at his many presentations in Auckland, which were directed to young and old and all between. One of the highlights was a session called “Reflecting with Meister  Eckhart”.  After this, Suzie Haddow wrote:

“I pray God to rid me of God.”

These words of the 14th Meister Eckhart, are as surprising now as they were when he uttered them. Donagh O’Shea brought Meister Eckhart alive to those who were privileged to hear him talk. Donagh’s love for Eckhart’s teaching and his wisdom was evident. He spoke of the commonalities of the 14th turmoil and challenging problems beset us. Eckhart, a man whose actual name we don’t know, points us to a place of self-surrender to the knowledge of God.  Donagh’s introductory talk left me inspired to go further with Eckhart.

If any of you have ongoing reflections on presentations by Donagh, Timothy Radcliffe or any other Dominicans please send them through to Susan Healy at healy92@gmail.com. It would be good to keep an archive of these sorts of reflections.

 

 

Timothy Radcliffe op Visit, September 2013

Timothy Radcliffe, former Master of the Order, preached in Auckland and Wellington on the theme “Being the Body of Christ Today”. The high regard in which he is held was shown by the large numbers who attended.

Teresa McNamara took extensive notes on his preaching in Auckland and a few points from these are included here:

  • All preaching starts with listening.
  • Preaching is not about saying things. Our God became incarnate. It is about word that became flesh. Not what we are going to say, it is how we are going TO BE the flesh and blood.
  • Teresa of Avila … Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours … Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
  • Christianity is rooted in the Jewish belief – the goodness of the human body. St Dominic founded the order of Preachers in response to the Albigensians. They believed that matter was evil and only spirit was good. This was a fundamental challenge to the notion of incarnation, central to Catholic theology. Dominic saw the need for a response that would attempt to sway members of the Albigensians back to mainstream Christian thought. We were founded as a response to what they were saying – that people were evil.
  • Really listening to a human being is the toughest spiritual discipline that there is. Often we are afraid to listen because what they say might disturb our lives or they might ask questions to which we don’t have the answers.
  • We have to listen with a loving courageous intelligence. If we are self-absorbed – we won’t hear what anyone else says. There is no time to talk in prayer.
  • You have to open yourself to the other person. Dominique Pire a Belgium Dominican who won the Nobel prize said; you must open your being to the other. Do I dare to listen to people with ideas different to my own? Do I dare hear them? People are often afraid to listen to Jesus but he dared to listen to anybody.
  • In Britain we are becoming ever more deaf to the cries of the poor. There is even contempt of the poor. Numbers of the working class are demonised by the press and popular media – they smoke too much, eat too much and make bad decisions – they are the regular butts of the media cruelty. Most people who they say are poor are not actually poor – they are just badly paid, insecure, and have no sense of a future. Do we dare to listen to them? If we did our lives would be changed.
  • Israel’s great longing was – let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
  • God can smile to us in the face of Jesus – that is love incarnate – a face that can smile through can look at Peter after he had betrayed him. We are made in the image and likeness of God because we have faces like his.
  • To be bodily – we cling to each other. We have an unhelpful image of what it is to be a human being. Often we think of the macho male – the lone ranger – but this image of what it is to be human is a dangerous illusion. It is part of our flight from the body – bodily people need each other. God said to Catherine of Siena – I wanted to make you depend on each other so that each of you would be my minister – dispensing the gifts you have received from me.

……………………………………….……………………………………………………………………………..

Dominican Family Mission and Justice Committee September Meeting

Three times a year the Dominican Family Mission and Justice Committee meets.  The most recent meeting on 6 and 7 September was attended by Sr Raewyn Benzie op, Sr Helen Bergin op, Fr Chris Loughlan op and Teresa McNamara.

We began and concluded each day of meeting in prayer.  Each meeting we start by reflecting on Dominican in Aotearoa New Zealand over the previous period.  At this meeting we:

–          gave thanks for many St Dominic’s Day celebrations around the country

–          acknowledged the great contribution of Mike Kelly and Jenny Wilson in establishing and co-ordinating the laity group.

–          recognised Brother Prakash Lohale op who visited New Zealand in June ahead of the meeting in Australia with Master Bruno.

Carmel Walsh joined the meeting to share about the DSI meeting in Rome earlier this year.  Assembly papers are available online at:
http://www.dsiop.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=77:dsi-general-assembly-2013&Itemid=44&layout=default.   Chris recommended Br Luke’s website on Mission and Justice : http://www.missionandjustice.org/.

Recognising the 2013 International Dominican Theme of “Mary and Contemplation” we discussed the paper “Contemplation – Radical Being” presented by Sheila Flynn OP at the Dominican Education Conference at Santa Sabina College in July 2013.  You can download and read this paper yourself from our Dominican website:  www.dominicans.org.nz.

Looking forward the international theme for 2014 is “Dominican Laity and Preaching:
Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions (Joel 3:1)”   Do you have ideas on how we as the Dominican Laity Family in Aotearoa New Zealand should bring this theme to life?  We’d love to see groups around the country living out this theme.  Please share your ideas and initiatives with the wider group by emailing Teresa McNamara (Teresa.McNamara@xtra.co.nz).

The Dominican Family Mission and Justice Committee has now been meeting for over a year.  Our first initiative was to establish a website for sharing information and a programme of regular content being published to the site.   We invite all those linked to the Dominican family to contribute to the website and particularly to share links to useful sites for the Issues page.   As we start planning for 2014 we invite you to share what your expectations of this group are and also any concerns or requests and ideas of initiatives that you would like explored.    Please email your inputs to Teresa.McNamara@xtra.co.nz.

This group next meets on 14 and 15 March.

……………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

CROSS OF SOLDARITY with the Lay Dominicans of Iraq

 “The Christian presence in the biblical countries of the Middle East is much more than a sociological factor or a mere cultural and economic success story. By rediscovering its original inspiration and following in the footsteps of those first disciples whom Jesus chose to be his companions and whom he sent out to preach, the Christian presence will take on new vitality.”

(Benedict XVI , “Ecclesia in Medio Oriente”, 14 Sept. 2012, # 71)

Dominican life in Mesopotamia traces its beginning back to the earliest days of the Order, to 1235 when three friars journeyed to Baghdad, where St. Dominic had once dreamed of opening a mission. In 1750, the Italian Dominicans founded a community, followed in 1856 by the French Dominicans. Today, the Order has 13 Iraqi friars, nearly 200 Dominican Sisters of two Congregations and about 400 Lay Dominicans. Dispersed among an overwhelmingly larger Muslim population, in an atmosphere of violence and insecurity, the Christians in Iraq (4% of population) meet the challenge by keeping close together. In the northern part of the country, there are seven Lay Dominican Fraternities/Chapters, each of them with a Dominican Sister as Religious assistant. Even more exposed by terrorist attacks, there are also a number of Lay Dominicans in the area of Baghdad. With great dedication, the Iraqi Lay Dominicans hold fast to their evangelizing vocation.

How, can we support them? As sisters and brothers of a worldwide Family in St. Dominic, surely we can do this most effectively by our prayers! As a visible sign of international support, following on from the project “I have Family in Iraq”, which was started a couple of years ago, a new project of solidarity was launched this year.

Small Dominican enamel crosses can be purchased. In return for a donation of NZ$5 they are available in two versions (cf. Photo): on a chain to be worn as a necklace or as a brooch.  Fr David Kammler left a supply of these in Auckland with Teresa.  From the donation account, in consultation with the national Promoter and the Iraqi Lay Dominican Council members, Dominican prayer books and formation materials will be purchased.

These necklaces and brooches make excellent Christmas gifts.  Order from Teresa by emailing Teresa.McNamara@xtra.co.nz.

……………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Appeal from the Philippines

My dear Sisters and Friends, Peace and love!

I am taking the lead as the Dominican Sisters International-Philippines (DSI-P) Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPCC) Chairperson to inform you of the series of disastrous events in the Philippines from September to November, 2013.

The year 2013 had been very difficult for our country.  The member congregations of the DSI-Philippines (DSI-P) have been extending monetary contributions in support of the following events which caused displacements and pain for thousands of people:

a) Three big communities in Zamboanga, Mindanao were burned down by the Muslim rebels for 3-weeks last September 2013. Many people lost homes and properties and over 200 died.

b) An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude struck Central Visayas last Oct. 15, 2013.

Two Dominican Congregations were affected. Some of their school structures sustained major cracks making some of the classrooms not possible for occupancy. Many lost homes and more than 200 died from this earthquake.

I am sure you are updated with the latest news and photos of the strongest typhoon with landfall that has been recorded in the history of the world which smashes the central part of the Philippines last Friday, Nov. 8. It was a super super typhoon by its strength and the magnitude of affected areas. The destruction is a great human tragedy, beyond imagination.  One city alone which was almost wiped out has an expected 10,000 deaths.  Evacuations and preparations were made days before the typhoon but the super typhoon was far, far more powerful than the preparations done.

Given the above conditions we would like to ask for any monetary contributions you can extend to the victims of the recent typhoon. The DSI-P will try our best to bring this aid to the places most affected. Please send in your contributions to the following bank:

ACCOUNT NAME: St. Martin’s Foundation, Inc.

ACCOUNT NUMBER: 037-21-000153-1

BRANCH: Del Monte

ADDRESS: Bank of Commerce Bldg.

Del Monte Avenue, corner D. Tuazon

Quezon City

Philippines

SWIFT CODE: PABIPHMM

Please inform me through my email address (cecilespen04@yahoo.com) for any deposits made so we can properly record the amount and give you confirmation or you may call my mobile number 00639177375075.

Thank you very much for the help. Whatever you can give will surely make people’s lives better and happier in these most tragic moments.

God bless.
Sr Cecilia Espenilla, OP
DSI-P, JPCC Chair

……………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

We anticipate that the next Laity newsletter will be sent out late March 2014.   Please send your contributions to Kay Blackburn at kapitiduo@gmail.com by 1 March 2014.

by | Comments Off on Newsletter #30 | November 2013