Eastern Link
June 2019
Content for Eastern Link is gathered from circle newsletters, could circle secretaries please either add p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au or p21.circle.secretaries@thecatenians.org.au to your distribution list, we can also publicise your meetings if a calendar of upcoming speakers and events is included in your your circle newsletter.
I'm particularly keen to get some stories from Area Victoria, so please send your newsletters or pictures and a few words about your circle social event or a new member - what's happenning in Victoria to p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au
Contents:
Manly's Terry Hayes wins the Andheri Mug Manly Secretary and newsletter editor Terry Hayes has won the Andheri Mug, the Province 21 best newsletter competion, in a close decision from newsletters from City of Sydney and Cairns Circles. |
Preparations begin for Australian National Conference 2020 Province 21 Council and the Australian National Council have agreed on the allocation of tasks as preparations to hold the 2020 Australian National Conference in Sydney gather pace. |
Catenian Podcasts Through its Public Affairs and Church Liaison Committee the ANC has been engaged with Cradio, in creating some podcasts to help lift general Catholic awareness in Australia of the Catenians. |
Editorial: Women and Catenians - a path forward? Is it possible women who might want to join Catenians are looking for their own community of friendship and support in a gathering of like-minded people? |
Life Membership to a Pittwater favourite son Last year Pittwater celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of Pittwater Catenians. At the inaugural meeting of the Circle held in 1988 the President was Russell Collins, a driving force behind the establishment of the circle. |
| Ku-Ring-Gai change of venue The St Ives Club (formerly the St Ives Bowling Club), in Killeaton Street, St Ives has agreed to host Ku-Ring-Gai this month so they will "give them a try" and seek circle opinions before committing to a long term arrangement. |
| An invitation from Harbourside North for their 250th meeting The Brothers of HARBOURSIDE NORTH CIRCLE 330 invite you to attend their 250th Meeting and Dinneron THURSDAY 11TH JULY 2019 at MOSMAN COMMUNITY CENTRE |
| Gold Coast-Tweed turns 100 in August The Brothers of Gold Coast Tweed Circle 357 Invite you to the Celebration of their 100th Circle Meeting, a Ladies' Night on the 8th August, 2019 Fellowship: 6:00 pm, Meeting: 6:30 pm, Dinner: 7:00 pm. RSVP 4th July, Andrew Denny: 042 110 496 or ajouragh39@gmail.com, Seamus McCarthy: 0412 854 286 or seamusmc48@gmail.com |
| Successfull Canberra recruitment drive Canberra has 3 new members after the Circle turned its February General Meeting into an Information Night for prospective members. As it was a ladies' night, the wives of guests were also invited both because they benefit from their husband's membership and they often play a significant role in encouraging their husbands to join. |
GB National Conference  ANC President George Kazs, John McWilliam and Tibor Puhl attended the GB National Conference in Liverpool, UK on the weekend of 18 and 19 May. John attended with his brother, Peter, who is a member of West Surrey Circle in England. |
Bro Eugene Das takes over as the new President of Area Council 31 in India  It marks the start of the new Era as new President - Bro Eugene Das took over as the Chief of Area Council 31 – comprising of the state of Maharashtra (including Mumbai) |
| The Hills - a discussion on the current needs of the Circle A discussion was held at The Hills May meeting on the current status of the Circle, points raised were - |
John Stone wins the Harold Wilmot Trophy at Ku-Ring-Gai  Outgoing President Martin Stebbings presented the Harold Wilmot trophy to this year's winner, Brother John Stone. This is awarded annually at the end of each Catenian year to the member of the circle who, at the sole discretion of the outgoing President, has made the greatest contribution to the Circle during his year in office. |
A note from Sr Susan Connelly on allegations of Australia's spying in Timor Leste You would be well aware of the Australian government's pursuit of "Witness K" and his lawyer Bernard Collaery in connection with the alleged Australian spying on Timor-Leste in 2004. |
MAX19 Into the breach - A National Catholic Event For Men menALIVE for Christ (MAX) is an annual gathering of men from across Australia and New Zealand who seek to be encouraged by one another in their faith journey as real men of God. |
Happy 90th Brendan Catenians joined the O'Connell family is celebrating the 90th birthday of a major contributor to the development of the Catenian Association in Australia. |
First wedding for Friends of Catenians The Manly Friends of Catenians group have had their first wedding, with Manly secretary Terry Hayes meeting his new wife Ann at the monthly Trivia Night at Balgowlah RSL. |
Friends of Catenians take 2nd prize in major trivia competition After 18 months of being mostly mid fielders the Manly Friends of Caenians group finished tied for second with two other regular groups, who all go every week, initiating a tie breaker. |
Victoria Area Chairman visits Ku-Ring-Gai Visiting Ku-Ring-Gai Circle from City of Melbourne Circle, Brother Peter Walsh is Chairman of the Victorian Area Council. |
Warwick Alan Jones - Obituary St. Kieran's Church Manly Vale was filled to capacity, on the 11th May 2019, to celebrate the life of Warwick Alan Jones, a beloved foundation Brother of the Manly Circle 322. |
Prayers for ... Please pray for our recently deceased brothers and those listed that are not well. |
| Upcoming P21 Circle speakers, social activities and events A list of Circle guest speakers, events and activities giving other Catenians an opportunity to join your circle for the meeting or gathering. |
Letters Submissions and comments are welcome, raise an issue, email -p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au We're always looking for ideas for new features? |
Edited by: Paul Pearson p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au
Please let me know of any errors or bugs, if I don't know I can't fix them :-)
Story and photo submissions for publication are welcome.
Manly's Terry Hayes wins the Andheri Mug
Province 21 Vice-President Paul Pearson and Manly Secretary Terry Hayes with the Andheri MugManly Secretary Terry Hayes has won the Andheri Mug, in a close decision from City of Sydney and Cairns.
Andheri Circle in India donated the Andheri Mug to be awarded to the circle with the best newsletter in Province 21 each year.
Each circle was asked to submit their best newsletter of the 12 months ending on March 31st this year.
Chris Pitts together with Paul Pearson and Graham Short met on Saturday 26 April to judge the nominated newsletters.
The judges determined that the winning newsletter was submitted by the Manly Circle closely followed by the newsletters submitted by the City of Sydney Circle and the City of Cairns Circle.
The key criteria used by the judges to evaluate the newsletters were:
- The visual appeal/impact of the newsletter
- Past and future updates and content within the newsletter
- News on Brothers/family and spirituality content
- Information/news about other Circles and Province.
The three judges were most impressed by the high standard of newsletters submitted by the Circles.
Preparations For Australian National Conference 2020
The ACU auditorium at the 2014 conferenceProvince 21 Council and the Australian National Council have agreed on the allocation of tasks as preparations to hold the 2020 Australian National Conference in Sydney gather pace.
The Conference and associated events will be held from Friday, 21 August to Sunday, 23 August 2020. As on previous occasions when Catenian conferences have been held in Sydney, the venue will be the Australian Catholic Universities McKillop Campus in North Sydney.
The ongoing and generous support of the Association’s mission by ACU is gratefully acknowledged by both the ANC and Province 21 Council; each of which is actively developing proposals with a view to reciprocating that generosity.The allocation of tasks will see ANC develop the themes for the Conference, arrange speakers, manage the preparation and production of papers and administer the Conference budget. The logistics of the conference, including identifying and securing venues, accommodation options and service providers, will fall to Province 21 Council; as will organising the associated social and liturgical events.
At its meeting held on Monday, 29 April Province Council established a small Committee to address these tasks. Brother Province (and National) Treasurer, Paul Day (Pittwater Circle), has convened the first meeting of the Committee for Friday, 7 June. A priority task for the Committee will be the development of Conference budget estimates for consideration by ANC.
Catenian Podcasts
Through its Public Affairs and Church Liaison Committee the ANC has been engaged with Cradio, in creating some podcasts to help lift general Catholic awareness in Australia of the Catenians.
Three podcasts have been recorded and the first two are now up on the Cradio site ready for you to listen to and share with your family, friends and colleagues.
- 1968: 50 Years Later - Theologian Professor Tracey Rowland's talk describes the 50 year and ongoing "war of position" mounted against the Church and its teachings since the 1968 student riots in Paris. It is discussed in the context of the political violence, social turmoil and experimentation with Eastern forms of religion, music, food and dress.
The views expressed in this podcast are those of Professor Tracey Rowland and not those of the Catenian Association.
- Who are the Catenians – an interview with three long standing Catenians, Terry Hayes, Past President and current Secretary of Manly Circle, Graham Short, Immediate Past President and current Membership Officer Province 21, and John Tweedie past President and current Secretary Province 21, both of Harbourside North Circle.
(left to right) Roland McGready (CRadio), John Tweedie, Terry Hayes, Graham Short and Charbel Raish of CradioPodcast two is particularly relevant for membership development as during the interview our three Brothers talk about what drew them to join the Association and what it has subsequently come to mean to them. Each of us (remember we are all responsible for recruiting new members) now has an excellent resource to use whenever an opportunity arises to inform fellow Catholics of the Catenians. Circle Presidents and Membership Officers consider approaching your pastors to include a link to the podcast and your contact details in Parish newsletters.
About Cradio
Cradio is an Australian Catholic media service, providing free access to a growing variety of Catholic programs, talks and music. Listen in via our 24-hour stream, subscribe to our podcasts or access new content online when and where you want it.
Background
Cradio is a non-profit organisation seeking to put new technologies to the service of the Church in Australia.
Cradio was founded in 2010 under the guidance of our Founding Director Archbishop Julian Porteous. Our free service includes a variety of Catholic programs, talks and music available via the 24-hour audio stream, or on-demand on the website and iTunes.
At the heart of our activities is our mission to 'nourish the soul of the digital generation' – or in the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI – to 'evangelise the digital continent'. By providing news, catechesis, discussion and entertainment we hope to create a place where Catholics and non-Catholics can go to learn about and celebrate the Catholic faith free from the skewed messages presented in secular media.
Editorial: Women and Catenians - a path forward?
Could a recent Manly Friends of Catenians gathering be a pointer to a future for Catenians?
Manly members have had the odd lunch through the week, in order to catch up with those brothers not so well and who have not been able to make it to our meetings at night.
With Jim Rush recuperating from a recent fall, it was time for another lunch.
The ultimate aim is to make the lunch a regular monthly social event, adding to our mix of twice weekly walks and monthly trivia nights - all a part of our Friends of Catenians program.
The invitation email went out with an expectation of the usual 8 or 10 acceptances from Manly members.
We ended up with 20 – including wives, friends and a potential new member – Greg has been to a meeting and brought his wife along to meet us at the lunch.
Our social activities in the past year or two with Friends of Catenians has increased our inclusiveness and the expectation that our wives and other non-Catenians will join us on social occasions. It has been a great outreach for Manly Catenians.
With 10 men and 10 women attending the lunch (not all partners), there were discussions about how we would seat the group, 20 at one table – not very practical for social interaction.
The Manly lunch with the boys and girls at seperate tables - a resounding success!
The ladies decided they would sit at one table and the men could sit on another.
The 3 hour lunch was a great success, with the ladies particularly enjoying their time together.
Everyone is keen to make the lunch a regular event.
Is it possible women are looking for their own community, with the same charisms we Catenians enjoy - friendship and support in a gathering of like-minded people?
Aside from the suggestions of sexism and inclusiveness, could this be why there is so much discussion on ladies joining Catenians, they may not necessarily want to join us men – are they actually looking for what the men already have in the Catenian Association - friendship and support in a gathering of like-minded people?
Could events like this be a part of a practical solution to the current women membership of Catenians dilemna?
Could we eventually have a ladies lunch or dinner gathering in parallel (not together) with the men’s monthly meeting and dinner as a part of Friends of catenians?
Research:
Let's hear from the ladies -
- Would you like your circle to organise events similar to the above lunch?
- Would you like to join the other women and share a meal apart from the men on non-ladies Catenian meeting nights?
Email p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au with your thoughts and it will be published in the Letters section next month.
Life Membership to a Pittwater favourite son
Pittwater President Peter McDonald presents Russell with a framed certificate which was prepared by Bro Mike MaynardLast year we celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of Pittwater Catenians. At the inaugural meeting of the Circle held in 1988 the President was Russell Collins, a driving force behind the establishment of the circle.
For the next 30 years the Circle flourished and Russell played a guiding role in establishing Pittwater as a strong, caring and forward thinking group of Catenians.
A few days before the May circle meeting Russell tendered his resignation from Pittwater Catenians.
He and Jacqui have sold their home of 52 years at Elanora Heights and have bought their dream retirement home at Palm Lake Resort, Tea Gardens.
After a very brief deliberation by the Circle Council, the resignation was rejected and instead it was decided that Brother Russell Collins OAM should be awarded Life Membership of Pittwater Catenians. This is the first life membership to be awarded in Pittwater.
Brother President Peter McDonald presented Russell with a framed certificate which was prepared by Bro Mike Maynard.
The certificate included photographs of the original circle members (suitably attired in dinner suits) and will, no doubt, hold great memories for Russell and Jacqui.
In response to Peter's presentation Russell spoke of his time in the Catenians and of the mixed emotions for him and Jacqui in leaving their home of many years for their new home on the beautiful mid north coast. It is a time of great excitement and we wish them both a happy and healthy retirement in Tea Gardens.
It was made very clear by President Peter that Russell and Jacqui are always welcome at Pittwater Catenians.
Ku-Ring-Gai Change of venue
As announced in their newsletter last month, Ku-Ring-Gai are no longer able to hold their meetings at The Landings.
The St Ives Club (formerly the St Ives Bowling Club), in Killeaton Street, St Ives has agreed to host them this month so they will "give them a try" and seek your opinions before committing to a long term arrangement.
For two courses served to the table, the cost will be $55 which includes dinner wines and tea/coffee.
However, we will need to purchase our own predinner drinks.
Ku-Ring-Gai have three guests from Catholic Mission. Kathryn Endicott as Diocesan director, Roza Vukovich as Diocesan Support Manager and Sister Stan Therese Mumuni from Ghana.
An invitation from Harbourside North for their 250th meeting
The Brothers of
HARBOURSIDE NORTH CIRCLE 330
invite you to attend their
250th Meeting and Dinner
on THURSDAY 11TH JULY 2019
at MOSMAN COMMUNITY CENTRE,
CNR VISTA ST AND ART GALLERY WAY, MOSMAN
Gather at 6.45 pm with short meeting at
7.15 pm
And Dinner to follow @ $60 per head
This will be a Ladies Night
Guest Speaker – Sr Monica Cavanagh rsj
Congregational leader of Sisters of St Joseph and President of Catholic Religious Australia
Dinner cost is $60 per person (includes wine and pre dinner drinks)
RSVP Brother Phil Guiney 0450 090 026
or
philip.guiney@gmail.com
by no later than
Friday 5th July 2019
Dress Coat and Tie
(Please advise any dietary requirements at time of RSVP)
Gold Coast-Tweed turns 100 in August
The Brothers of Gold Coast Tweed Circle 357
Invite you to the
Celebration of their 100th Circle Meeting
Ladies' Night
8th August, 2019
Fellowship: 6:00 pm
Meeting: 6:30 pm
Dinner: 7:00 pm
Dress: Smart Casual
In-house Entertainment
Cost: $30.00
South Tweed Sports'Club
4 Mingungbal Drive
Tweed Heads
RSVP 4th July
Andrew Denny: 042 110 496 or ajouragh39@gmail.com
Seamus McCarthy: 0412 854 286 or seamusmc48@gmail.com
Successfull Canberra recruitment drive
Paul Lewis, who was enrolled at our May meeting.Canberra Circle turned its February General Meeting into an Information Night for prospective members.
Ray Akhurst, who was enrolled at our April meeting.As it was a ladies' night, the wives of guests were also invited both because they benefit from their husband's membership and because they often play a significant role in encouraging their husbands to join.
For guests and their wives responding via the parish-based campaigns (see below) , the dinner price was reduced by subsidy from our normal $35 to $20 a head as incentive to attend.
The Information Night was preceded by a recruitment drive in three parts.
Weston Creek Parish
- Fr Michael Lim, Weston Creek Parish Priest, engaged as Guest Speaker for the Information Night, to speak of his conversion from Buddhism to Catholicism and journey to Priesthood.
- Four-minute Mass talks by Membership Officer, Phil Murray, at all three Masses followed by playing a song for recession written by Phil entitled 'Friends for Life'.
- Distribution of flyers after Mass advertising the Information Night.
- Morning tea provided after one Mass to help engage parishioners in conversation.
South Tuggeranong Parish
- Campaign confined to one Mass only. Mass talk not permitted, but the Parish Priest spoke about the Catenians at the end of Mass and Phil's song 'Friends for Life' was played for recession.
- Distribution of flyers after Mass advertising the Information Night.
- Morning tea provided to help engage parishioners in conversation.
Personal Invitations
- A number of members invited guests who attended without cost as is normal practice.
The Information Night followed our normal procedure for General Meetings/Dinners except that the meeting itself was replaced by a 20-minute presentation by the Membership Officer on the Association and its benefits. Guests were handed a package of material consisting of: our Circle brochure; a CD of our song 'Never Alone'; and our Events Program.
A total of 10 guests (one was a prospective 'Friend of Catenians') attended the Information Night. The following shows the breakdown of guests by Recruitment Drive component and the results to June 2019. All 10 were followed up after the Information Night and invited to future meetings. Those who had paid $20 on the Information Night were offered a normal free dinner on their next attendance.
|
COMPONENT |
GUESTS |
JOINED |
LIKELY TO JOIN |
|
Weston Creek |
3 |
3 |
NA |
|
South Tuggeranong |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Personal Invitation |
4 |
0 |
1 |
|
TOTAL |
10 |
3 |
1 |
As the numbers are small, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about factors leading to success. However, the fact that the campaign in Weston Creek seems to have been more fruitful is worth noting. Possibly the primary factor was the involvement of Weston Creek's Parish Priest as Guest Speaker, his preparedness to permit Mass talks and his overall encouragement within the parish.
As we are likely to conduct other such drives in the future, the direct involvement of the Parish Priest will remain a key aspect of our strategy.
Finally, the drive demonstrates the challenge we have in expanding and the substantial effort required to achieve membership growth – an effort that is essential if we are to survive and thrive into the future.
Phil Murray
Membership Officer
Canberra Circle 331
GB National Conference
Australian brothers, George Kazs, Kevin Doherty, Ralph Fitzpatrick, John McWilliam and Tibor Puhl, attended the GB National Conference in Liverpool, UK on the weekend of 18 and 19 May.
Peter (left) and John McWilliamJohn attended with his brother, Peter, who is a member of West Surrey Circle in England.
The conference began with a welcoming dinner on the evening of Friday, 17 May. The conference itself was held on the morning of Saturday,18 May in St George’s Hall, a magnificent hall in Liverpool.
That evening, there was a choice of a banquet or ball ― both black tie events at Aintree Racecourse. The event concluded with Mass at Christ the King Cathedral on Sunday, 19 May.
At the conference the new GB National President, Phil Brown, was installed.
Phil Brown and the Rt Hon The Lord David Alton of Liverpool, a British peer both spoke at the conference. Phil Brown mentioned the challenges facing the Association and the need for change.
However, in the later discussion of six motions, there was strong resistance to change by most attendees.
The meeting did, however, approve a motion providing for proxy voting on motions at future GB national conferences.
Phil Brown’s presentation is reproduced in the June edition of Catena. Among other things, he said: In recent times we have seen major changes with our restructure, which has been for some quite traumatic and for others long overdue.
The restructure was completed to meet the needs of our changing world and association.
That Australian National Council have embraced the changes and are rapidly making progress in establishing their identity and role as part of the changes.
In Great Britain, I feel we are still searching for our identity: the change for us was our adjustment to only being responsible for Great Britain and this is developing.
Our restructure needed to be bedded in and there was always an acceptance that it would need to be reviewed at some point.
After all, this is not new to the Association. As those who have read our history will be aware, there have been many reflections, reviews and changes.
But the essence of Catenianism has always remained the same.
GB National Council and Central Council, have agreed to a total review of restructure and terms of reference are being drawn up and an appointment made to oversee this important work.
The person appointed will be somebody who has had no role in any of the restructure process.
Combined with this will be a report from the Strategy Work Group chaired by Past Grand President Peter Woodford.
The group has been tasked with looking at ethos, context, relationships, further modernisation, international development and principles.
This has been an enormous task and has involved direct feedback from the membership, which is pleasing to see, and I would like to thank not just the workgroup but also all brothers who have contributed in any way.
Unlike in Australia, where conferences are held every two years, the GB conference is held annually.
The next conference will be held in Aberdeen from 15 to 17 May 2020. Aberdeen is a beautiful city, we are told, and so, if any member is planning to visit the UK around that time next year, they could consider attending.
Bro Eugene Das takes over as new President of Area Council 31 in India
Bro Eugene Das with the Area 31 CouncilIt marks the start of the new Era as new President- Bro Eugene Das (a joint member at Parramatta Circle) took over as the Chief of Area Council 31 – comprising of the state of Maharashtra (including Mumbai)
The meeting was held at Hotel Le Grande, Andheri East, Mumbai and was attended by 12 brothers from different circles of Mumbai.
Bro Alan Castelino, Immediate Past President of Andheri Circle 376 and the new Secretary of AC 31 who was also installed commented – "It was a great start for the first meet and the way forward for the Area Council looks very positive and great plans laid out for all upcoming new Circles and strengthening existing Circles".
The agenda was well structured so as to be able to discuss all the points. Bro John Rayer – Advisor to India, was present via Skype.
John congratulated Bro Eugene and his new team and wished them all the very best for taking the Area council ahead.
Bro Denzil Rego – IPP, AC 31 welcomed the new team and assured them of his support and co-operation in expanding new circles in the area Bro Eugene Das in his opening remark thanked Bro Denzil and his team for giving birth to AC31 and for laying the pathway for growth. He looks forward along with his team to working cohesively together for the growth of Catenian brotherhood
The Hills - a discussion the current needs of the Circle
A discussion was held at The Hills May meeting on the current status of the Circle, points raised were -
- Have more combined meetings with neighbouring circles.
- Require greater numbers in attendance to attract speakers
- Recruitment programme, how best to canvass – talks /brochures
- Essential a strategy plan be developed, being mindful of issues of membership - male/female; governance issues, declining church numbers.
- Must be more open, note Bishop Long's comments
John Stone wins the Harold Wilmot Trophy at Ku-Ring-Gai
Outgoing President Martin Stebbings presented the Harold Wilmot trophy to this year's winner, Brother John Stone.
This is awarded annually at the end of each Catenian year to the member of the circle who, at the sole discretion of the outgoing President, has made the greatest contribution to the Circle during his year in office.
Brother John has been Secretary for a number of years, managing all membership records, communcations between Head Office, Province and Circle members, and been a most active member of Council during this time.
A note from Sr Susan Connelly on allegations of Australia's spying in Timor Leste
Dear All,
I am writing to you on behalf of the Timor Sea Justice Forum. You would be well aware of the Australian government's pursuit of "Witness K" and his lawyer Bernard Collaery in connection with the alleged Australian spying on Timor-Leste in 2004.
Click here for the background story of Witness K and Bernard Collaery from the Guardian.
The conduct of the case so far has not shown either the Coalition or Labor in a very good light.
Secrecy, claims that it is a matter of national security, lengthy delays between magistrate's hearings, and the refusal of the prosecutors to supply the defendants with a complete brief of evidence all point to the weakness of the prosecution case.
Obvious too is the complicity of some politicians, past and present. As more people here and overseas learn of the Australian spying on one of earth's poorest nations, the greater grows international disgust, and distrust.
It is important to realise that the Attorney-General for Australia has the power bring this matter to an end immediately. There is no national security ruling which overrides that existing power.
Therefore we have produced postcards asking for the DISCONTINUANCE OF THE CASE.
These can be sent to the Attorney-General.
You might be connected with a church, a social or community club, a school or some other group where members would be willing to sign.
You can print some yourself, by downloading this PDF file and post them to the A-G, the address is on the back if you print double sided.
Thanks ever so much if you are able to assist with this. If you can help, you will be striking a blow for justice for two fine Australian men who chose the truth over deceit and greed. They have put their lives and their livelihoods on the line for what is fair and just, and the least we can do is get behind them and support them.
Best wishes
Susan
Sister Susan Connelly
14 Yerrick Road
Lakemba NSW 2195
0498 473 341
www.justly/info
Please donate to Bridge for Asylum Seekers: https://asylumseekersfoundation.com/
Wonderful people, helping the neediest in our society.
MAX19 Into the breach - A National Catholic Event For Men
menALIVE for Christ (MAX) is an annual gathering of men from across Australia and New Zealand who seek to be encouraged by one another in their faith journey as real men of God.
The weekend is facilitated by menALIVE, a National Catholic Ministry to Men. Since its beginnings in 2003, menALIVE has run more than 450 events in dioceses throughout Australia and New Zealand for more than 25 000 men.
menALIVE for Christ invites men to come together and explore issues that impact on their lives through talks, multimedia, workshops and small groups, fellowship and rituals.
The experience of men gathering at a menALIVE to the MAX weekend can be dynamic and powerful. The result is that for many men, they are inspired, encouraged and feel that they have a new sense of purpose and mission.
Each man is challenged to explore how he will respond to God who calls us to ask the big questions within our own spiritual lives as well as within the life of the Church.
Brisbane
12-14 July
Women's College
University of Queensland
Sydney
19-21 July
Benedict XVI Conference Centre
$275 per person
(Cost includes two nights accommodation and meals from Saturday breakfast through to Sunday lunch. Also includes morning and afternoon teas and supper.)
Happy 90th Brendan
Brendan O'Connell celebrated his 90th birthday at his home with Catenians representing the many circles he has either been a part of establishing or is still a member of.
Brendan is well known in Sydney Circles having initiated six of them out of the current 10 Sydney circles. He is a life member of the Catenian Association who visits other circles regularly.
Brendan became a Catenian when he was a foundation brother of the first Circle in Sydney, Circle 263, The City of Sydney in 1971.
Since then he initiated the six Sydney circles of -
| Circle 284 Ku-ring-gai 304 Carlingford 308 Castle Hill |
Inaugurated 27/11/1978 21/11/1984 20/08/1986 |
Circle 317 Hornsby 322 Manly 330 Harbourside North |
Inaugurated 05/11/1990 16/10/1993 23/10/1997 |
Brendan has attended the inauguration of several other circles including Goa in India, Gold Coast Tweed Heads and Cairns.
Many Catenians joined the O'Connell family in the celebrations.
Click on a thumbnail to scroll through the images or start the slideshow
https://thecatenians.org.au/province-21/eastern-link/june-2019#sigProId0b3b7bef6e
First wedding for Friends of Catenians
The Manly Friends of Catenians group have had their first wedding, with Manly secretary Terry Hayes meeting his new wife Ann at the monthly Trivia Night at Balgowlah RSL.
Both Ann and Terry are widows and met after Ann, a teacher colleague of one of the Catenian wives, was invited to join the trivia group for a night out and has been a regular since.
Ann and Terry were joined at their wedding celebration by Manly and Pittwater Catenians as well as family members both local and from Canada and the UK.
Left to right - Michael and Maryanne Guy, John and Sue Colwell, John and Anne McCarney, Christine and Ian Currey the happy couple Ann and Terry Hayes, Therese and Romano di Donato, Adriana and Michael Bowyer and Nuala and Paul Pearson.
Friends of Catenians take 2nd prize in major trivia competition
The winning table, from left - Nuala Pearson, Terry and Ann Hayes, Margie and Graham Tweedie, Kevin Regan, Paul Pearson, Anne and John McCarney and Duffy Regan.OK it was only the weekly trivia night at Balgowlah RSL.
The tie breaker champion John McCarney and Paul Pearson with the prize.After 18 months of being mostly mid fielders the Manly Friends of Catenians group finished tied for second with two other regular groups, who all enter every week by the way, initiating a tie breaker.
The Catenians came out on top in the tie breaker, a clear second place. There was an opportunity to also share who the Catenians were during the presentation of the $50 second prize.
Victoria Area Chairman visits Ku-Ring-Gai
Martin Stebbings, Peter Walsh and Ku-Ring-Gai President Paul RubenachVisiting Ku-Ring-Gai Circle from City of Melbourne Circle is Brother Peter Walsh, Chairman of the Victorian Area Council.
Peter had arrived in Sydney to attend a meeting of the Australian National Council.
Upcoming P21 Circle speakers, social activities and events
An opportunity to list your speakers, events and activities giving other Catenians an opportunity to join your circle for the meeting or gathering.
All of this information is gathered from circle newsletters which are sent to p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au, if possible please include your speakers for the next month or two with some information about them.
Let's share what's happenning in our circles.
| Date | Title | Detail | Contact |
| Monday 10th June | Ku-Ring-Gai Circle meeting | The speaker for the night will be Kathryn Endicott from Catholic Mission. The Club House at The Landings, 440 Bobbin Head Road, North Turramurra. | CATERING OFFICER Phil Davies Ph: 94404299 Em: phjrdavies@gmail.com |
| Sunday June 23rd | State of Origin | St Kierans at Manly Vale - Mass at 6pm, followed by a sausage sizzle and live State of Origin from Perth at 8pm - donation for the Augustinian Seminary in Vietnam. | RSVP: paul.pearson@wieck.com.au |
| Wednesday 19th June | Manly Circle meeting | Mary Anne Addington, a renowned nature photographer, will share her amazing images and the stories behind capturing them. A family night, wives and children are invited to join us for this gathering. | Manly Catering officer Romano DiDonato - romlaw1@tpg.com.au |
| Thursday 11th July | Harbourside North Circle meeting | 250th meeting, a ladies night. Mosman Community Centre and Art Gallery, Vista Street and Art Gallery Way, Mosman | CATERING OFFICER Philip Guiney Mob: 0450 090 026 Em: philip.guiney@gmail.com |
| Monday 22nd July | Provincial Council meeting No 131 | Broken Bay Diocese office Pennant Hills | |
| Saturday 3rd August | Province 21 Mass | 5pm Mass at Holy Name Parish Church – 35 Billyard Ave Wahroonga Hosted by Hornsby Circle - Dinner and 90th Birthday celebrations for Brendan O'Connell and David Combe will follow at the Warrawee Bowling Club / Function Centre, 1479 Pacific Highway Warrawee Drinks at 6:30pm and dinner at 7pm Access is via the highway travelling East towards the city CBD |
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| Thursday 8th August | Gold Coast / Tweed Circle meeting | 100th Circle meeting, South Tweed Sports' Club, 4 Minjungbal Drive, South Tweed | CATERING OFFICER John Brown 0488 071 969 Brownyam24@gmail.com |
| Wednesday 21st August | O'Connell Cup | Manly Circle Meeting at Manly Golf Club, at 6:30 for 7:00pm. |
Catering Officer - Romano Di Donato romlaw1@tpg.com.au or 0407 153 626 |
| Thursday 22nd August | Parramatta Circle meeting | The guest speaker will be Ken Moroney, ex NSW Police Commissioner. Lachlans Restaurant, Old Government House, Parramatta Park, Parramatta | CATERING OFFICER Phil Russo 9630 3310 prusso34@optusnet.com.au |
| Thursday 5th September | Canberra Circle - Theatre night | My Brilliant Divorce, The Q in Queanbeyan |
John McWilliam jamcwilliam@icloud.com |
| Wednesday 2nd October | Truthful Jones | City of Sydney |
Catering Officer - John Crawford 0419 608 888 jcrawford@vjr.com.au |
| Sunday 27th October | Carlingford Golf Day | Sefton Golf Club | |
| Monday 28th October | Provincial Council meeting 132 | Broken Bay Diocese office Pennant Hills | |
| Thursday 28th November | Canberra Circle - Theatre night | Waiting in the Wings, Theatre 3 | John McWilliam jamcwilliam@icloud.com |
| Tuesday 17th December | Carlingford - Parramatta Joint meeting | Carlingford to host | |
| Wednesday January 15th | Manly - Mosman Joint meeting | Manly to host the annual Griffith Virgona Trophy Trivia challenge. | Manly Catering officer Romano DiDonato - romlaw1@tpg.com.au |
| Tuesday 21st January | Carlingford - The Hills Joint meeting | Carlingford to host | |
| Monday 3rd February | Provincial Council meeting 133 | Broken Bay Diocese office Pennant Hills | |
| Friday 13th March (TBC) | Province Golf Day | Course TBD | |
| Monday May 4th (TBC) | AGM and Provincial Council Meeting 134 | Broken Bay Diocese office Pennant Hills |
Warwick Alan Jones - Obituary
15 October 1931 – 15 April 2019
St. Kieran's Church Manly Vale was filled to capacity, on the 11th May 2019, to celebrate the life of Warwick Alan Jones, a beloved foundation Brother of the Manly Circle 322.
Warwick was also a joint foundation Brother of Harbourside North (Mosman) Circle. The Service was officiated by his son, Father Peter Jones O.S.A. Provincial of the Augustinian Order in Australia, Korea and Vietnam, together with many of Peter's Augustinian brother priests.
The Diocesan Administrator, Fr. David Ranson was also in attendance.
Warwick was born an only child to Alan and Lily Jones on the 15th of October 1931. He attended Marist Brothers North Shore. Growing up he developed a love of the Australian bush, bush walking and camping that intensified during his life (despite his parents being avid golfers!)
After school, he graduated from the University of Sydney in Law and started his career in the public service. He was employed in the legal Department of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and his employment spanned the Bank being an arm of Government and post privatization.
He rose to Deputy Chief Legal Officer and colleagues praised the quality of the legal advice he provided to the bank.
Warwick and friends undertook a three-week walk through the rugged terrain of the Tasmanian wilderness arranging food drops to extend their range. A natural progression was to join the Catholic Bushwalkers Club and it was via their social activities that he was introduced to his future wife Laurel.
The marriage took place on 12/04/58 and Laurel discovered her newfound love of bushwalking on the Lamington National Park honeymoon. Family life became a central theme as, over ensuing years the family grew with the births of Peter, Catherine, Margaret, Elizabeth and Patricia.
Warwick retired in August 1986 with Guillain Barre disease but overcame many setbacks to live an active life for many years.
In his final years, prostate cancer led to bone cancer and finally dementia.
During his last two years in a nursing home Laurel could always be found every day talking and reading to Warwick with the same love and sense of humour that was evident at the beginning and during their long marriage
Friends and family would identify Warwick's personal three pillars as, Love of God, Love of Family and Love of bushwalking and camping.
Warwick was deeply involved in the Manly Vale Paulian Association, a family faith development group. Many a night of discussion on the Bible, Social Justice issues and action plans, over a glass of port with Jatz biscuits and cheese led to many group camping weekends.
Warwick contributed to many Parish ministries and he valued his friendships made during his long membership in the Catenian Association.
The Jones family had their normal setbacks but Laurel and Warwick love for each other and for their children was evident to all. Each child was valued and encouraged in whatever objective they chose. The grandchildren that followed, equally, were surrounded with love and encouragement.
Warwick's passion for bushwalking aligned him with many like-minded men (and later women, especially Laurel), and he established very close friendships with them and their families.
During a bush walk with two close friends in the rugged Blue Mountains, a tree branch impaled Warwick's calf. His two friends quickly tore up their shirts to tourniquet and bandage his leg.
Then with one on either side of Warwick, they walked out for six hours through the night with Warwick later undergoing an emergency operation at Royal North Shore Hospital.
Warwick later wrote "four of them walked out that night ".
The Spirit was never far from Warwick!
John McCarney
Manly Circle 322
Prayers for ...
Recently deceased -
Manly & Harbourside North -
Warwick Jones
Please also remember in your prayers -
Manly -
Michael Van Ommen, who plans on being on the sick list for a very long time, as he goes through a second course of chemo.
The Hills -
Br Milan & Mary; Br Jim Quinn; Br Paul Roberts B.I.L, Br Peter Huby’s brother, Sylvia Fagan, Sister Catherine & Br Malcolm’s nephew.
Carlingford
Stan Burgin and Brian Delaney, together with Jan Burgin; both Jan and Stan are doing it tough at the moment and our prayers for them are much appreciated. Also, continue to pray for Patrick Wheeler (grandson of Barbara Kenny), Timothy Carpenter, and Christopher Carter.
Letters
The letters section provides an opportunity to raise an issue, contribute feedback or make a comment, email p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au.