Eastern Link
October 2021
If you or your Circle is doing anything that might be of interest to other Circles, social activities, new ideas, keynote speakers coming up, helpful tips, or just of general interest, please share that information and photos (if possible) through Eastern Link by emailing p21.newsletter@thecatenians.org.au
Without your stories Eastern Link doesn't exist.
Contents:
| Practicing' Catholic? Getting there but your help is still needed!! At the Conference some 72 attendees voted in favour, since then a further 90 votes have been received by email, a total of 162 votes to date. The motion requires 200 votes to progress to an international vote. |
| Circle Social Programs and EVE? For me nothing much has changed since I introduced EVE. She is an attractive girl and people tend to gravitate toward her. You'll recall she is Energy, Vitality and Enthusiasm. If Circles are to thrive and find new members they have to be attractive. We have to offer something not available elsewhere. Brothers if you are going to change anything, please start with your Social program. |
| Truthful Jones Speaking Competiton in Cairns Cairns Circle is hosting the Truthful Jones speaking competition on Thursday November 18 this year and as us southerners are unlikely to be welcomed north of the border in November, the competition will be held in part through Zoom teleconference. |
The National Deacons’ Conference 2022 Brother deacon Michael Tan of The City of Parramatta Circle is taking a leadership role in being the Conference Convenor for the 2022 National Deacons’ Conference. This Conference to be held from 13th to 16th October, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Conference and Retreat Centre, Baulkham Hills, will be held at a critical time in the history of the Church in Australia, with the Australian Plenary Council and the preparations for the Synod of Bishops on Synodality happening at the moment. |
Catenian Zoom Bar closes?  A table of 5 this time. We had 3 Circle Brothers (Frank Filocamo, Tom Boyce and myself) and 2 visiting brothers Geoff Young (Prov 21 President and Hornsby Circle) and Paul Pearson (Prov 21 VP/Eastern Link and Manly Circle). We will be out of lockdown in Sydney next Friday so that was probably our last Happy Hour on Zoom. |
| Province 21 - Membership Matters! This bulletin is coming to you as the Covid restrictions/lock down, bought on by the Delta variant, are about to be eased in NSW. I trust that you, yours and fellow Circle brothers have managed to get through it in good health and spirits. |
| Bums on Seats survey in Province 8 82 brothers completed a survey carried out in Province 8 in the UK. The results make for some interesting reading! |
| Province 21 Provincial Council meeting #141 Points discussed at the meeting on 12 October. |
A prayer by Marius A prayer offered by Br. Marius Twomey, Chiswick, Osterley & District, Bandra Bros, who joins many circles' Zoom meetings, offers this prayer |
Chicken Picatto recipe ... Chicken piccata is a classic Italian recipe with chicken, which is pounded flat, dredged in flour then fried and comes served with a delicious lemon and caper sauce. Our serving suggestion is mashed potato but you could also serve the chicken with pasta, rice or crispy potatoes. |
News from around the circles ... News gathered from circle newsletter. |
Prayers for ... Please keep in your prayers your brother Catenians and their families. |
| Let's have a laugh ... Humour from circle newsletters |
'Practicing' Catholic? Getting there but your help needed!!
A submission by George Little
Readers will recall that at the recent ANC Conference a motion was passed to delete the word "practicing" from documentation when describing a Catholic for the purposes of assessing a potential Candidate's eligibility for membership of the Association.
At the Conference some 72 attendees voted in favour, since then a further 90 votes have been received by email, a total of 162 votes to date.
However, a further 48 votes are needed to take the motion to a vote by the whole of the Association and time is running out!
By now you will be familiar with the rationale for the motion and your help is needed to get it on to the next stage.
Your vote will help this happen, by emailing to the ANC Secretary, simply click on votes.practising@thecatenians.org.au and register your vote.
Circle Social Programs and EVE?
An editorial from the Province 8 October Newsletter
We are hearing, and you will read in Catena, about CHANGE.
All of which is well and good but seems to be without much indication of direction other than to modernise. Some see a need to change rules, a very long winded uncertain process.
Others seek to abridge or amend the meeting style. All of this to make us more attractive to a catchment with which we have lost touch and by and large don't come to Mass.
For me nothing much has changed since I introduced EVE.
She is an attractive girl and people tend to gravitate toward her.
You'll recall she is Energy, Vitality and Enthusiasm.
If Circles are to thrive and find new members they have to be attractive. We have to offer something not available elsewhere. Brothers if you are going to change anything, please start with your Social program.
First - have one and, No, not the regurgitated same every year stuff, something new, vibrant, different and fun.
Second - have a Social team, which includes the ladies, to spark off each other and spread the load.
Finally - Can the parishioners come too? If the answer is No, that's the wrong answer….well okay, not in every instance, but you get the picture.
We are coming up to Christmas, parishioners might not make it to our Ladies Nights but what about sponsoring the Mulled wine for
the Christmas Concert or better still, if the parish doesn't have one, organising it.
Now there are Circles who do this already and you know who they are because they fill Catena pages.
They are also the ones who recruit and retain
Truthful Jones Speaking Competiton in Cairns
Cairns Circle is hosting the Truthful Jones speaking competition on Thursday November 18 this year and as us southerners are unlikely to be welcomed north of the border in November, the competition will be held in part through Zoom teleconference. It is likely that all speakers, other than the Cairns speaker, will be participating in the Competition by Zoom.
Each Circle will need to choose a speaker for the competition.
The following sets out the details of the competition. You can choose your own topic for this one:
The Truthful Jones trophy was initiated on the inauguration of Castle Hill Circle on 20 August 1986 and is conducted annually within Province 21. It takes the form of a speaking contest between Circle nominees who are present on a given night.
Contestants choose their own topics and in a light hearted, humorous manner tell a story which though feasible, might be less believable.
| Time allowed: | 4 minutes |
| Marking scale: | |
| Ability to engage audience: | 10 points |
| Showmanship: | 10 points |
| Degree of humour: | 10 points |
| Fluency of speech: | 10 points |
| Maximum possible score | 40 points |
The National Deacons’ Conference 2022
Brother deacon Michael Tan of The City of Parramatta Circle is taking a leadership role in being the Conference Convenor for the 2022 National Deacons’ Conference.
This Conference to be held from 13th to 16th October, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Conference and Retreat Centre, Baulkham Hills, will be held at a critical time in the history of the Church in Australia, with the Australian Plenary Council and the preparations for the Synod of Bishops on Synodality happening at the moment.
Deacon Brother Michael reports that there was much richness and diversity to the gathering of the first session of the Plenary Council, and he sensed a deep openness and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit in the livestreamed reports from the various groups. There was a willingness to go into the deep, to allow the pain of the sins of the Church to lead us to a deeper conversion of heart. This call to a deeper conversion will hopefully result in a deeper listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit as the members continue their work leading up to the final session of the Plenary Council in July next year.
While the Diocesan Development Fund of the Diocese of Parramatta will be the Conference Platinum sponsor, Brother deacon Michael is still seeking sponsorship on behalf of the National Deacons conference, so if any of our brothers have contacts with potential sponsors, he would be most grateful for your contact and assistance in this matter.
The City of Parramatta Circle, which meets at the same conference venue, is already committed to supporting the conference. The Catenian Association is also looking at ways it can also support the conference. This will provide an opportunity to allow all Groups, Circles, Provinces and Area Councils to promote the Catenians to the deacons who may be ministering in the parishes and dioceses in which there is a Catenian presence.
Deacon Michael says that the Parramatta Catenians as well as the Parramatta Diaconate Community is looking forward to welcoming all delegates with joy to the Conference. On behalf of the deacons of Australia, Deacon brother Michael prays that the deacons of Australia may be ministers who listen deeply to the Holy Spirit.
In addition, may our diaconate ministry to the emerging post-Plenary council church be a ministry of humility, acknowledging our past and present failings, as well as serving a church called to go out into the deep, to mission at the margins of society in communion with our bishops and with God’s people.
Catenian Zoom Bar closes?
From Peter Gialouris, City of Sydney Catenian Zoom Bar manager
We had another enjoyable Happy Hour last night at our Zoom Bar (The Catenian).
A table of 5 this time. We had 3 Circle Brothers (Frank Filocamo, Tom Boyce and myself) and 2 visiting brothers Geoff Young (Prov 21 President and Hornsby Circle) and Paul Pearson (Prov 21 VP/Eastern Link and Manly Circle).
We will be out of lockdown in Sydney next Friday so that was probably our last Happy Hour on Zoom.
If you are unable or not ready to go out next Friday and would still like to catch up next Friday at 5:30 pm on Zoom, let me know (peter.gialouris@cadtre.com.au) and I will open up the Zoom Pop Up Bar for another Happy Hour.
Here is a screen shot of the night – again lots of Friday fun! Many thanks to Frank, Tom, Geoff and Paul for catching up last night.
Thank you to everyone over the past month or so that joined the Zoom Friday Happy Hours. I hope it helped you during lockdown and kept you more connected and less alone. I found it very enjoyable, so thank you all for joining in.
Elizabeth (almost a teetotaller) said this morning I just created an excuse to have a couple of drinks. That it is probably true – a few drinks with friends – yes happy to own that!
Province 21 - Membership Matters!
Graham Short, Province 21 Membership Officer, Catenians
This bulletin is coming to you as the Covid restrictions/lock down, bought on by the Delta variant, are about to be eased in NSW.
I trust that you, yours and fellow Circle brothers have managed to get through it in good health and spirits.
Lets hope the easing will be long lasting without the need for more lockdowns and life can return to some form of normality.
Post Co-Vid Membership Strategy:
It is important, Post Co-Vid restrictions, to revitalise Circles by both reinforcing ties with existing members and reaching out to new prospects via one on approaches and Church membership pulpit drives.
I'd encourage you to form a team to undertake a membership drive in consultation with the Parish Priest.
Please contact me for digital brochures, which can be customised with our Circle name and contact details, and be printed at Officeworks or the like.
Australian National Virtual Conference: Remove "practising" motion.
Non attendee brothers, of ANC Conference, would have received an email from ANC Secretary John Secker on the success of this motion at the Conference and the opportunity to vote in support of it..
To date 162 votes in support have been received of the required 200 for it to go to an international vote.
Please remind your brothers, who did not attend the conference and have not already voted, of the opportunity to support the motion by emailing:
Vote.practising@thecatenians.org.au
Include Name, Circle and statement "I support the Rule 26(b) delete "practising" motion."
By no later then 19 November 2021.
Bums on Seats survey in Province 8
Survey by John Butterworth, Provincial Membership Officer, Province 8, they got 6 new members during covid.
82 brothers completed a survey carried out in Province 8 in the UK.
The results make for some interesting reading :-
Age band of Responders
The majority of respondents are from those around the Provincial average age, which is 70. A correlation hasn't been attempted between the various age groups and their answers.
Venue preference
Golf clubs and Hotels are preferred above other venues. The myriad of minority responses that make that multi-coloured 10% range from "Down the pub" to "Not important".
Venue Requirements
Easy of access and good parking featured high on the priorities, but followed closely by a comfy space for ladies and guests might give some Circles pause for thought.
Menu requirements
Over half liking a two or three course meal. Curry and Fish and Chips nights appeared much more popular than one might have expected. And no-one mentioned NOT Chicken!!!
Meal service
Given that most of us drive ourselves to meetings the high expectancy of a bar facility may seem surprising but here is an indication that generally we welcome the opportunity to get a drink, even if it's non-alcoholic.
Obviously the results are simply a snap shot and one would be mistaken to think they are statically robust but they are honest answers to appropriate questions.
The level of response at nearly 15% of Province is extremely encouraging and bodes well should surveys on more weighty matter be presented.
And Finally
The answers to the question "Imagine you are 25 years younger. What would need to change to attract you? .... attract your "younger" friends?" proved fascinating and illuminating.
The answers quantify things that, in the main, we know or can understand. However it would be prudent to add a word of caution for these answers are what 70 year olds (the average age of Province 8 Brothers) believe 25 year olds would find attractive.
It would be good to have market research that asked non-church going Catholic men in the 20s and 30s similar questions. The Digital Highway (DH) market research commissioned by GB National Council has been directed at just this group.
It will be interesting to read the results when they are published. However, while we await the actual DH results, one can speculate.
Isn't it quite likely that as non-church goers they are more than likely to see us as overly religious? Interestingly in our answers only 1% saw 'more Masses' as attractive to this group.
Only 11% of Province Brothers see the inclusion of women as important to this younger group. That seems odd; and again, just speculation, but younger men (my 40 year old son for one) find a male only Association in our pluralistic society incongruous and unattractive. Their whole socialising framework is inclusive of women and / or families. It will be interesting to see what the DH market research reveals.
Bro Mike McConigley kindly compiled the answers from that final question and while they are interesting, in terms of seeing the way forward to recruit younger members, they seem a bit like Nelson looking to the horizon with his telescope to his blind eye. Mind you, given the responders are all Catenians, the results offer much to think about in terms of retention.
If we are to attract younger men we surely need an exciting, vigorous, active and inclusive family based social program. We should use language that resonates with those we wish to attract and we must be seen to be engaged and involved with our parishes and our local community.
The most telling comment from all the respondents is perhaps this one "Less formality both in the meeting and at the meal and most critically more emphasis on doing something for the Catholic Community or other practical charitable works. At a recent dinner I mentioned I was a Catenian and was upset to receive the response "Oh they are the (1) people who think they are above the rest of us". Certainly our over bureaucratic set up and the use of archaic language does not help. I once invited a very prominent Catholic to a circle dinner and he said he would not join us because (2) he did not like language such as "We are proudly catholic" which I also find embarrassing as do others I know. Our new Parish priest was more sympathetic but said "They are business people and they raise money for Charity (3) but are too busy to do any practical work in the Community". There is also the need to arrange more events that both wives and children could participate in."
The 3 highlighted phrases really hit home. They highlight, do they not, exactly how we don't want to be perceived. They are the phrases one could so easily have levelled at Freemasons and it's taken the Freemasons 5 year of focussed, single minded, determination simply to make a start at turning that corner. We have less than 5 years before so many of us fall off the perch that the viability of Association becomes questionable.
Changing these perceptions is simply but it is not easy. We must be seen to be the opposite of how we are perceived. We must be seen to be servant of the many: We need to recognise language is dynamic and yesterday's words resonate differently now: We must be seem to be involved and engaged in our Parish life and the life of our local community.
Much more difficult is that not all 70 year olds have the energy and commitment, and those that do are using it to forward other priorities not least grand parenting duties. How do we get those that have the energy and commitment to alter their priorities to take on the Presidential role? How do we get those who accept that role endowed with the skills necessary to bring those less able or less committed to become part of that involvement and that engagement? Those are the questions; your answers on a post card, please!
Province 21 Provincial Council meeting #141
Province 21 Provincial Council meeting No 141 was held on 12 October 2021.
Points discussed included:
- Voting on the motion to remove the word “practicing” from the practicing Catholic criteria for membership.
- Adelaide City group now has 19 members.
- Central Council would like feedback on the Central Council Update.
- Social media policy is being researched.
- There is an opportunity to nominate circle members for honorary life membership of the Catenian Association. Several Australian members are in process to be made honorary life members.
- Circles can award their own life memberships. It involves the circle paying the capitation fees for those members ongoing.
- Sponsorship of the 2022 National Deacons Conference is being assessed by the ANC.
- A proposal for a change to the practice of the Provincial Mass is being discussed with the options of continuing the current practice of circles hosting on a rotating basis or the mass being held at the Mary MacKillop Chapel in North Sydney with circles hosting at that venue.
- Truthful Jones Competition at Cairns on Thursday, November 18th on Zoom.
A prayer by Marius
A prayer offered by Br. Marius Twomey, Chiswick, Osterley & District, Bandra Bros, who joins many circles' Zoom meetings, offers this prayer
The night has passed, and the day lies open always and before us;
let us pray with one heart and mind.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.
Chicken Piccata Recipe…
Courtesy of the Cairns newsletter
Chicken piccata is a classic Italian recipe with chicken, which is pounded flat, dredged in flour then fried and comes served with a delicious lemon and caper sauce. Our serving suggestion is mashed potato but you could also serve the chicken with pasta, rice or crispy potatoes.
Ingredients…
- 4 chicken breasts
- 25g butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp fino sherry
- 3 tbsp capers, drained
- 400ml chicken stock
- 1 small lemon, thinly sliced
- small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve
- mashed potato to serve
Serves 4
Method…
- Take each chicken breast and slice in half across its length to form two thin slices. Place the slices between 2 sheets of lightly oiled clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin until 5mm thick and nearly twice as wide.
- Place the flour onto a serving plate and generously season with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt. Lightly coat each of the thin chicken breast slices with the seasoned flour.
- Heat the 1 tbsp of the oil and 15g of the butter in a large frying pan. Add the chicken breast slices and cook for 2-3 mins on each side until golden and crisp. Remove from the heat using a fish slice and set aside on a plate.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the shallot for 2-3 mins over a medium heat.
- Once soft and golden, pour in the fino and immediately add the capers, chicken stock and lemon slices.
- Bring to the boil and reduce for 1-2 mins until the sauce has thickened a little, then add the remaining 10g of butter.
- Stir well until melted, then return the chicken slices to the pan and cook again for 3 mins until the chicken is piping hot and the sauce thickened a little more.
- Serve with mashed potato or sweet potato and garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
EDITORS NOTE - I've already tried this, with mashed sweet potato, it's fantastic!!!
News from around the circles ...
Cairns:
Dear Brothers,
Greetings to you and your loved one's from sunny Bournemouth.
Another fantastic event organised by Brother Simonster, he is so good at this, I can just imagine the laughter and cheerful that went on at the lunch, thanks once again Simon for putting this on.
I had my Flu Jab today (Saturday) will be having the Covid Booster Vaccine soon, be glad when the Pandemic has moved on, just so bad over here.
Great meeting the other week once again, just love being part of it. God Bless you all and your families.
Dominus Vobiscum
Brother Peter Cash
Truth or Lie Lunch
We had our "Truth or Lies" lunch recently at the Salt House. It was a riot. Lui once again totally spoiled us. The food we had was unreal, there was antipasto platters followed by superb pizzas. The beers flowed well too. We "Facetimed" Rev Brother Tony Moore who was only one block away, but in quarantine, as he had just returned from Sydney. He told us a hard to believe story, but it was true.
It was difficult to pick which Bro had the best lie, and not everyone lied - some stories were true (but I still think the true stories were vastly exaggerated in most instances).
We have agreed to do this on an annual basis now. See the photos sent. We each had a double sided card to hold up to relay our decision as to whether we had just heard the truth, or it was a lie. I am holding my phone with Rev Brother Tony appearing on Facetime for the photo.
Wish you could have joined us Cashy.
Brother Simobster Coolican
Carlingford:
Hopefully, fully vaccinated Brothers will be able to meet face-to-face at CBSRC for our next scheduled meeting on 16th November, 2021.
Welcome back to Bro John Boulous who was re-installed as a Brother of our Circle at our September meeting. For the benefit of newer members, John was a member of our Circle for about 15 years until he resigned in good standing early in 2004 because of his business commitments. Those commitments have been abnormally heavy of late as John strives to keep his small business clients afloat during the COVID lockdown.
The Tuesday morning "coffee club" will resume face-to-face get-togethers at the park opposite the Carmen Drive shopping centre on Tuesday 12th October at 10.00am. The usual coffee shop may not be open but coffee is available from the bakery nearby. Tempting pastries are also available there.
Bring your own chair and, hopefully, enjoy the sunshine and a chat whilst upholding the Public Health orders. No masks required in the outdoor setting but a mask will be required to enter the coffee shop.
Our 400th Circle Dinner.
As advised last month, your Council has not yet considered how we will celebrate this milestone.
It is scheduled to take place on 15th March 2022, the last Dinner meeting for the current Circle Council.
Our 300th meeting was a Ladies' night with a Guest Speaker on 21st August, 2012 when we had 8 founding Brothers in attendance.
Please mark the date, 15th March 2022, as a commitment in your diary!
Harbourside North:
November meeting back at the Mosman Community Centre
You'll be pleased to hear that we are welcome to return to the Mosman Community Centre and Art Gallery for our November 11th meeting.
We will of course need to show full Covid vaccination for entry to the venue.
As we will be meeting in person in November, we should be able to finalise our choice of wines for 2022, based on the recent wine tasting arranged by Bro Graham.
Ku-Ring-Gai:
Our oldest Ku-ring-gai Brother, Greg Scahill (97) enjoying a "window visit" recently with daughter Louise. Greg keeps in good spirits and enjoys hearing the latest Catenian news when Louise reads him the newsletter.September Circle Meeting
29 Ku-ring-gai Brothers, one visiting Brother, and one visiting gentlemen, Jerome McTeigue, attended the Circle meeting via Zoom, held on Monday, September 13th. We were pleased to welcome Geoff Young, Province 21 Provincial President to our Circle meeting.
Apart from the usual prayers for sick and departed Brothers and family members; and various Council officer reports, Br Paul Rubenach summarised some of his reflections on the recent virtual Australian National Conference. This included a summary of the outcomes of the various votes taken at the conference, as well as pointing out that all the conference proceedings could be found at the following link on the Catenian website:
https://www.thecatenians.org.au/latest-news/2021-catenian-national-conference-newsletter
Several other Brothers, including Provincial President, Geoff Young and Ku-ring-gai President, Stefan Wawryzniak weighed in with their reflections on the conference and were also able to respond to questions raised by Brothers during the ensuing discussion. We were privileged to have Geoff in attendance at our meeting. He is trying to get around to as many virtual Circle meetings in the Province as he can at this time and we wish him luck during his term as Provincial President.
"Breakout rooms" were back for this meeting and Brothers were especially pleased to be able to chat and catch up with each other in small groups. There was some intense competition for the woolliest hair and beards and one imagines the queues at the barbershops will be long when they reopen!
In a postscript to the meeting, Jerome McTeighe has submitted his application form to join the Catenians and so we trust that it won't be long before we can enrol him in the Circle at an upcoming meeting!
Manly:
Our meeting on Wednesday, 15 September 2021 was another Zoom meeting. Total attendance was 17 Brothers, including Provincial President Geoff Young and 5 Brothers from the UK ((Peter Cash, John Connor, Marius Twomey, Arthur Baragry, and Andrew Lake). Manly Brothers attending were: Peter Williams, Terry Hayes, Brendan O'Connell, Paul Pearson, Gary O'Sullivan, Mark Wall, Greg Dunn, John McCarney, John Kiely, Brian Hamer and Kevin Regan.
It was wonderful to see Brendan O'Connell join the meeting and he looked well.
The quizmaster was Marius Twomey from the UK and it had a strongly Australian flavour (not that it necessarily helped!). Questions included:
- What was the first year the Queen visited Australia?
- What other year (besides Sydney in 2000) did Australia host the Olympics?
- How many miles from London to Sydney by air?
- What goalkeeper born in Sydney played 514 games in the UK Premier League?
At the end of the quiz, scores were locked between Paul Pearson and Arthur Baragry. A tiebreaker question (something to do with roosters laying eggs!) saw Arthur victorious!
Everyone enjoyed the quiz and it was a lighthearted and fun way to end the night. Several Brothers stayed on for a chat on Zoom afterwards.
The Hills:
Aust Deacon's Conference, October 2022, are looking for transport volunteers & possible sponsorship. Br Deacon Michael Tan will speak on the subject at October meeting.
Post Meeting Discussion
Zoom was kept open for general discussion following the meeting,
UK brothers inquired if we have a mass for deceased brothers (similar to the London mass on All Souls Day) & if it is livestream, as they would like to join us on such an occasion
David Brayford spoke of their Zoom experience & how they are appreciative of been able to join us & other circles in Australia
John Dinning gave us an overview of the COVID situation in Dubbo
Requested all to pray for the succuss of the Plenary Council, with the first session starting next week.
UK brothers inquired if their vote counted relating to the motion to remove "practising" from Rule 2.2(i)
Prayers for ...
Please keep in your prayers your brother Catenians and their families.
Cairns:
YOUR PRAYER'S ARE NEEDED FOR…
Please Lord Bless all our City of Cairns Circle Brothers and their loved ones, especially Brother Lui and Pam's little grandson Odin.
Brother Tony McInnes Mum Marie Jose who is very unwell at the moment. Brother Angelo's father Giuseppe who is unwell at the moment. Brother Peter Duggan's wife Alma, who is unwell. Brother Lui's sister Frances who is unwell at the moment.
Brother Alan's niece Anne and sister Carmel who are both unwell. Brother Tony's sister-in-law Marylyn who is unwell. Our Amazing President Brother Joe, who is in need of our prayers. Brother Kevin's Brother who is unwell. Brother Tony's wife Majella whose best friend passed away recently. Brother Matthew's father who has been unwell recently. Brother Gazz's father who is unwell. Brother Dean's Brother Graham who is unwell, Brother Marcin who still needs our prayer as he is still unwell. Brother Deacon Rev Tony and family who has recently lost his father Joseph RIP and for Brother Tony who recently spent time in hospital in Sydney.
Please pray for all the families who are in need of our prayers.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, make us know and love Thee, unfold to us the treasures of Thy Grace; that so our hearts, from things of earth uplifted, may long alone to gaze upon Thy face.
Carlingford:
Please continue to remember recently deceased Anne Cuthbert, Brother Alan and family in your prayers. Bro Carl Alexander saved this photo of Anne and Alan in happier times during the tributes at Anne's streamed Requiem:
Please remember also Penny Vassett's mother who died recently at the grand age of 101 years.
Access to Aged Care facilities will be available to fully vaccinated visitors from 11th October, 2021, in line with their respective policies. Calvary, where Bro Don Mees lives, will allow 2 visitors per day.
Prior contact with family members remains essential to ensure that visitor limits are not exceeded and local policies are upheld.
Ku-Ring-Gai:
Brothers Greg Scahill, John Szymanski, Phil Davies, Mike Tighe and Mike Kelly.
Family members Marie Gibbons, Barbara Burke, David Gardener, Sam Gardener, Gayle and Suzie Meagher, Rebecca Davies, Madeleine Szymanski and daughter Kate McRea, Monica Moldrich and Margaret Marshall.
Manly:
As Brothers will be aware, Jim Rush had an operation on 15 July at St Vincent's Hospital to repair a leaking heart valve (an earlier operation was unsuccessful). The operation was a success and Jim's recovery is under way. He is home again. No doubt Jim would be pleased to hear from his Manly Brothers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim and Liz.
Brendan O'Connell has been hospital this year but is home again and enjoying sitting in the sun! We keep Brendan in our prayers.
The Hills:
Br Milan & Mary Bohman, John Davis, Bernie Good & all effected by the pandemic especially in India
Let's have a laugh …
- What time of day was Adam created? Just a little before Eve.
- Who was the fastest runner in the race? Adam. He was first in the human race.
- Why are atoms Catholic? Because they have mass.
- Why didn't they play cards on the Ark? Because Noah was always standing on the deck
- Why didn't Noah ever go fishing? He only had two worms.
- Did Eve ever have a date with Adam? Nope — just an apple.
- Why did the unemployed man get excited while reading his Bible? He thought he saw a job.
- Does God love everyone? Yes, but He prefers "fruits of the spirit" to "religious nuts!"
Don't forget to have a laugh!!!!