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complimentary speciaa publicationm them o r a tof hobarte d i tissue 5 easter 2006 lcom of e archdiocese i v e ion mt st canice a new beginning golden jubilee of ordination pastoral life feature story year of grace deus caritas ­ god is eststartinglove afresh with jesus feature feature story 105 forced adoptions cloning and ­the lockhart catholic health australia apologises report by pat gartlan feature general news 7 12-13 schulim my road to the krimper s diaconate hobart connection by nick macfarlane 18 22-23 complimentary vol 7:6 december 2011

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inside this issue archbishop doyle writes letters to the editor news in brief features archbishop adrian doyle am dd i lost my son to adoption schulim krimper s hobart connection general news cci 100 years and growing strong awards for innovator spreading god s love through art peter kearney performs cwl not just booties and beanies social concern buddying up with vinnies youth responding with love for africa fly on the wall a joyful heart is good medicine edgeways freeing the slaves freeing ourselves pastoral life year of grace ­ starting afresh with jesus preparing for advent journeying towards priesthood the new translation of the mass 1,000 weeks of persevering prayer call for compassion school and college news celebrating 50 years of holy rosary little stars of the sea rites of passage solemn profession of vows lifestyle book and film reviews services what is estate planning centacare child care obituary sr paul joseph ocd sr agnus ryan mss 39 40 32 41 32 ­ 33 31 28 29 10 11 15 17 24 26 19 27 14 25 21 18 30 33 35 5 12 22 1 2 3 catholic church directory www.hobart.catholic.org.au catholic diocesan centre 35 tower road new town 7008 gpo box 62 hobart 7001 phone 03 6208 6222 fax 03 6208 6292 the office of the archbishop phone 03 6208 6222 fax 03 6208 6293 business manager ­ peter cusick cpa phone 03 6208 6227 fax 03 6208 6292 catholic development fund phone 03 6208 6260 fax 03 6208 6290 liturgy office phone 03 6208 6233 fax 03 6208 6292 marriage tribunal phone 03 6208 6250 fax 03 6208 6297 the office of church life and mission phone 03 6208 6232 fax 03 6208 6292 vicar general fr mark freeman vg 44 margaret street launceston 7250 phone 03 6331 4377 fax 03 6334 1906 chancellor fr terry rush vf pp po box 42 richmond 7025 phone/fax 03 6260 2189 catholic education office 5 emmett place new town 7008 phone 03 6210 8888 vocations ministry 99 barrack street hobart phone 03 6234 4463 tasmanian catholic justice and peace commission phone 03 6208 6271 fax 03 6208 6299 catholic youth ministry phone 03 6208 6274 towards healing help line phone 1800 356 613 museum and archives phone 03 6231 4740 heritage office phone/fax 03 6224 5920 centacare welfare services hobart 35 tower road new town 7008 phone 03 6278 1660 launceston 201 york street launceston 7250 phone 03 6332 0600 burnie 108 mount street burnie 7320 phone 03 6431 8555 devonport 85 best street devonport 7310 phone 03 6423 6100 willson training 35 tower road new town 7008 phone 03 6208 6000 diocesan ecumenical commission phone 03 6324 9708 a/h 03 6324 9826 and is published by the archdiocese of hobart and catholic education tasmania and is distributed to catholic schools hospitals retirement villages and parishes statewide we welcome contributions but no guarantee of publication can be given because of demands on available space hard copy versions of items for publication cannot be returned so please keep a copy photographs submitted will only be returned if accompanied by an addressed stamped envelope contributions advertising or other enquiries may be sent to the tasmanian catholic and connections gpo box 62 hobart tasmania 7001 the tasmanian catholic editor pip atkinson 03 6208 6230 0409 337 143 tascath@aohtas.org.au production and design chris cumming doublecdesign 03 6376 1224 0400 224 435 connections editor mary-anne johnson 03 6208 6234 0419 529 963 connections@cet.tas.edu.au printing foot and playsted launceston 03 6332 1400 fax 03 6332 1444 connec ions cover photo of archbishop adrian doyle in st mary s cathedral hobart was taken by alastair bett ­ f8 photography www.alastairbett.com or 0412 197 332 all material in this publication is copyright and must not be reproduced without the written permission of the archbishop of hobart or his authorised delegate deadline next edition january 17 2012

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archbishop doyle writes archbishop doyle write friends in christ dear friends in christ 1 he days n true advent spirit this isto time both before i settled down a write s easterto be looking forwardaand looking message i attended funeral back inman 30 years of age who s for a young the recent months i had the very wonderful experience of joining all the been murdered in melbourne one week our other australian bishops as we made er myad limina apostolorum visit to rome we particular association with the y goeswere togethertime 34weeks earlier back to the for two years and during that time we had the opportunity to meet n i was the celebrant of the marriage pope benedict as a whole group and also s parents in smaller groups of seven or so bishops any people packed always from the same generally but not into st mary s hedral region.towards the end of the and i went to the apostolic palace on before the prayers of final committal the morning of october 14 each of us was young man s mother addressed the introduced personally to the holy father and gregation in the course of taken before we individual photographs were her very took our seat and waited that she and ng address she indicatedfor the others to meet amily him as well i took with me a small huon pine forgive the person who caused cut-out in the shape of tasmania and also a death of her son it was a gesture that book of photographs of historical buildings ed me in tasmania i was ablewas a gesture a and all present it to indicate to him rgiveness in the very john s church richmond photograph of st deepest christian ning ofbeing word catholic church in australia the the oldest pope benedict told me that he recalled s we come to prepare for easter this year with affection the previous archbishop emember the words of jesus on the cross:had archbishop eric d arcy with whom he her forgive them for they know not what he some association during the time when was the prefect of the was the great do the death of jesus congregation for the doctrine of n of forgiveness.thewas the example of it faith many recall the very significant contribution made by archbishop venessd arcycan and does inspirethe catholic that when the catechism of others o the same inwas being translated into english it church situations where it would m to be was a veryimpossible from a human the almost big undertaking at the time and late t of view fr john wall gave invaluable assistance in bringing the project to a conclusion has been noted that all the bishops returned on october 20 all those people hom christapostolic palace for aafteraudience to the first appeared final the together with the pope being in a rrection are portrayed asin his address he referred some kind or other when ative mood of to two special moments of grace in recent years namely to the canonisation first heard the news christian experience to of st mary of the cross mackillop and also irms thatvisit to australia for world youth day in his we can only come to know sydney in 2008 isen christ when we have experienced e kind ofhe also referred disillusionment death some to the new translation of the roman missal which has finally come ourselves and others some loss into use throughout australia on the first avement sense of fear,also observed that the sunday of advent he hopelessness pastoral burden of the bishops has been eaninglessness made heavier by the past sins and mistakes of others most regrettably including some clergy and religious he told the bishops that it is our task to continue to repair the errors of the past with honesty and openness in order to build with humility and resolve a better future for all concerned i pope benedict encourages the bishops to `teach humbly and lead irreproachably in the ways of the catholic faith other special occasions during the visit were the celebration of masses at each of the four basilicas st peters st pauls mary major and st john lateran many of us took the opportunity to take a day-trip to subiaco which was the place where st benedict spent many years of his life establishing the the death of jesus was the great action of forgiveness benedictine this is also a common feature of o tradition before he moved further south tofaith experience we firstchurch to und monte cassino the australian come is greatly indebted to the benedictines for the resurrection as something outsi their contribution to the founding of the something that the leadership church in australia through happened two th of archbishop bede polding in sydney and the years ago foundation at new norcia in western australia slowly we come to appreciate t it is interesting to note that archbishop polding happening here and now the risen visited hobart when travelling to sydney to continually coming begin his ministry in that city through the close of forward to the concluding enters looking our minds when he days of he g this year,with the words peace be with you a very significant moment for me will be the celebration of the 50th anniversary of a final common feature of the resu my ordination to the priesthood which took place in accounts is that those to whom christ rome on december 20 1961 i have areblessed to be able togo outthe to te been very commissioned to serve and church in tasmaniaactivities for the disciples a the early as a priest of that long period of time followers are described in great d there are many reasons for gratitude to god the acts ofto the end of anotherearly b as we come the apostles the year nomanifestedhave been challenges doubt there a spirit of forgiveness of moments of sadness and disappointment of peace amidst conflict and persecu but there are many reasons to be thankful they were united in heart sharing w in his address pope benedict encourages the bishopshad with theirflock in holiness to to preserve the co-believers the to lead them christ over teach humbly andvictory of irreproachably sin su in the ways of the catholic faith us to accept bu and death is there for may invitation for to happen in this that continue us to take up seriously archdiocese it is with great pleasure that for forgiveness the to draw on i convey the blessing of and pope on all that c that christ and laity here in the the priests religiousgives us through our bap archdiocese of hobart the celebration of ea i pray that take us to the yours sincerely in christ level of what is really im adrian l doyle am our hearts archbishop of hobart the a second feature of the accounts we have is the slowness of those to whom christ appears to recognise that it is the risen christ the disciples on the road to emmaus walked for several kilometres before they recognised him mary magdalen initially mistakes the risen christ for the gardener in life may the message of easter go d first disciples of jes transformed by the first-hand exam was too powerful to ignore may i same for all of us as well i wish all those who read this m every blessing of the risen christ on y family and the parish community wit you have recalled and celebrated a great events in the life of christ hi and resurrection adrian l doyle archbishop of hobart we have the largest circulation in tasmanian to private hospitals www.hobart.catholic.org.au

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2 volume 7 issue 6 2011 letters to the editor thank you from micheál loughnane an excerpt i consider it a great gift to my life that twilight conversations happened and feel very privileged that so many of you wanted to come to these talks i feel a genuine sense of grace and consolation from the many expressions of appreciation communicated in person by phone and email i really want to thank all those who gave generously of their time and talents to this initiative most of all i want to thank all of you who participated your presence made it a very enriching experience you gave me a genuine hearing and that is the very best gift you can be given by anyone ­ especially when fairly difficult and confronting issues are brought to speech it is a grace and a fond memory i will take with me from tasmania to the next stage of my journey along the mortal coil i wish each and every one of you ­ and your families ­ every good grace and blessing mass dehumanised i have recently moved and it took some time to return to the church in the short time i have been away from the church it seems that significant although subtle changes have been made in the order of service for mass ­ changes that i am hoping are still open for feedback i am by no means resistant to change my first impression of the changes are that they dehumanise the mass ­ and also with your spirit ridicule the mass ­ `men on one part and `brothers and sisters in another impart mass guilt ­ `through my fault through my fault through my most grievous fault the burden oh the burden of sin god loves us academic ­ `consubstantial and the sense i have from the spirit of the changes discriminatory ­ more so than it was it would seem that in trying to bring life to the mass a rather academic response has magnified the burden of guilt while simultaneously dehumanising it i find the mass now far less graceful in moving towards a refined understanding of the mass and relationship with god it has only served to become more polar less human and more aggressive in its posture i am not a disgruntled parishioner rather i have returned to the church and my first impressions are such that i am not sure where the church seeks traction with this new order of mass no amount of time to get used to this will change my perception that somewhere along the road we seem to have drifted to an academic appreciation of the mystery rather than rejoicing in the essence of that very mystery my understanding is that the scriptures were written in classic hebrew so in the search for greater understanding then surely it would more appropriate to reach back into that language rather than latin is there still an opportunity to question this or has it been `decreed peter martin sandy bay whose definition bernie turner is somewhat surprised that the word men has been resurrected your responses to changes to the mass august 2011 theologians practising catholics and secular feminists are also perturbed about the use of sexist noninclusive language used in the catholic church what these critics need to do is reach for a copy of their dictionary the oxford english dictionary s definition of man noun note the second definition a human being a person without article the human race or species humankind mankind the human race viewed as a genus or species an adult male person as opposed to a woman or boy or both secondly the vatican s document ratio translationis rt which is a set of instructions on the vernacular translation of the roman liturgy aims to clarify correctly and within catholic tradition the changes to the third roman missal for example rt 127 stipulates `the necessity of maintaining the expression son of man and rt 128 states take note of the disadvantages of certain words sometimes employed in place of the inclusive man for example human being and person the american author chris carstens writing on changes to the missal remind us that the `goal of liturgical translation is not to be trendy [or secular but to provide reliable access to the catholic tradition you may have experienced as i did on sojourn throughout america many catholic churches have taken the liberty of omitting the word `men as in the part of the creed ­ for us and our salvation the revised missal reminds us of the correct translation for us men and for our salvation contrary to all the church s explanations the sexist noninclusive language debate will continue sandra harvey old beach carstens c martis d 2010 mystical body mystical voice www.hobart.catholic.org.au

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ceo s christmas card competition c ongratulations to imogen from st mary s college hobart imogen s art has been chosen to feature on the tasmanian catholic education office christmas card for 2011 honourable mentions go to brodie from holy rosary catholic school claremont hayden from st virgil s college junior school hobart and geb from st brigid s catholic school wynyard thank you to all students who submitted art for the competition imogen with tom dorey principal st marys college pictured winning entry right by imogen of st mary s college honourable mention entries from top far right go to hayden of st virgils college junior school brodie of holy rosary catholic school and geb of st brigid s catholic school students present petition with 8,000 signatures b udget cuts to catholic education saw nearly 8,000 signatures presented recently presented to the speaker of the house michael polley mp on the front lawns of parliament house in hobart representatives from the catholic education office tasmanian catholic education commission tasmanian catholic school parents friends federation tcspff and senior students made up the delegation many of the signatures were on cards circulated throughout catholic schools across the state while additional petitions came from the tcspff online campaign and hard copies circulated around schools and parishes while the state s budgetary woes won t be reversed anytime soon it is hoped the government will provide a future opportunity to review the cuts to the non-government education sector more information is available from www.fundinginfo.catholic.edu.au students with mr michael polley mp and mrs trish hindmarsh director ceo catholic education providing quality for over 15,000 tasmanian students find out more at www.catholic.tas.edu.au www.hobart.catholic.org.au tasmanian students from all backgrounds seek a quality education enriched by our catholic faith our dedicated staff provide tasmanian communities with an engaging supportive and affordable catholic education catholic education in this state has much to celebrate and we invite you to explore the diverse curriculum and wide range of extra-curricula activities offered by our schools news in brief news in brief news in brief news in brief news in brief news in brief news in brief news in brief news in brief news in brief 3

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archbishop adrian doyle am dd n december 20 2011 his grace archbishop adrian doyle will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination and his five decades of service to the church in tasmania in a recent interview for the tasmanian catholic the archbishop spoke of receiving `the call to the priesthood during his secondary schooling at st virgil s o archbishop doyle s mother gertrude with l-r moya brian and adrian young adrian at three years archbishop doyle s father leo with his children l-r moya adrian and brian with fellow st virgil s student council members in 1953 including graeme howard third from right as a young army cadet second from right 1953 and bill egan front centre student days 1956 sitting exams at the collegio propaganda fide rome 1957 a time for celebration a long way from home ordination by cardinal agagianian 1961 with his brother brian and mother gertrude following the ordination i had an element of doubt about what i really wanted to do archbishop doyle said when i was young i remember having an attraction at one stage to be a farmer however this was never a real option for me as i didn t come from a farming background considering a career as a lawyer like his father archbishop said that it was towards the end of year 12 he realised that he was being called in the direction of the priesthood the role of the priest was one which i was familiar with i knew a number of priests particularly the one at the cathedral parish and of course through my years at st virgil s therefore there was that familiarity with the role in my final year two recently ordained priests fr sheedy and fr kilby came to the school and their visit made an impression on me as chaplain to the hobart italian community 1980 pastoral care ­ an enduring role for the archbishop ministering to confirmation candidates ulverstone 2011 fidelity and love

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enjoying a tuk-tuk ride in 1999 meeting with parishioners from the archdiocese of onitsha nigeria 2007 celebrating mass at ephesus turkey 1998 archbishop doyle entered the seminary at corpus christi college at werribee in victoria the following year with him was a fellow st virgil s student fr graeme howard as well as fr terry southerwood and fr john williams he had only been there eighteen months ­ being in his second year and coping pretty well with life in the college ­ when a unique opportunity arose at this time a letter arrived from archbishop guilford young who announced that he managed to obtain a position for a student in rome at the college propaganda fide and the young adrian doyle was to be that student it was very exciting but a bit bewildering as i had to say goodbye to my family as i wouldn t see them for some years archbishop doyle said as his father had passed away archbishop doyle saw the opportunity to study in rome as a big sacrifice on the part of his mother who had been approached by archbishop young for her consent to this plan it was interesting meeting students from all over the world archbishop said of his time at the college the student population was made up of one third african one third asian and one third anglo-celtic plus others from the middle east in the december of his sixth year fr doyle was ordained as a priest in the college chapel by cardinal gregory agagianian after discussions with archbishop young back in hobart it was decided archbishop doyle as a newly ordained priest would stay on for another three years to complete the course in canon law on returning to tasmania after a nineyear absence fr doyle had been a priest for four years but didn t have much pastoral experience my contemporaries graeme howard bill egan terry southerwood and john williams had been on the road for a number of years they had experience in going to the schools and working with young people ­ and i didn t have this experience following the death of archbishop guilford young in march 1988 archbishop eric d arcy was appointed as the archbishop of hobart in late 1988 archbishop d arcy commenced the renew program appointing fr doyle as the priestdirector on a full-time basis to support the program assisted by sr jill dance after renew fr doyle oversaw the marriage tribunal and worked with the italian community before eventually becoming the vicar general on february 6 1998 he was ordained as co-adjutor archbishop and then as the 10th archbishop of hobart july 26 1999 following with volunteers at bethlehem house hobart 2010 meeting sisters of charity in bangladesh with sister moya receiving his order of australia 2009 unveiling plaque acknowledging the mouheneer peoples as the original owners of cathedral land with elder aunty eva 2009 with longstanding blueline employee monica flanagan 2011 celebrating 50 years of service to the church

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john wall his holiness pope john xxiii archbishop guilford young and adrian doyle rome 1960 with his holiness pope paul vi rome 1963 meeting with his holiness pope john paul ii rome 1998 the resignation of archbishop d arcy and archbishop doyle has filled the role for twelve years he was the first tasmanian born archbishop we started a process called call to change said archbishop doyle when asked about the highlights of his twelve years in office while this began before i took over it gave us the blueprint for most of the structural changes we needed to make in restructuring parishes it was a very landmark program but we had only got call to change bedded down before the sexual abuse issues emerged in a serious way archbishop doyle admits he struggled to manage the sexual abuse issues the impact on his personal reputation and that of the church and the reaction that followed still weighs heavily upon him i believe we eventually responded in a way which demonstrated that the church understood the suffering of the victims and finding a way in assisting them to move forward i had never had experience of these issues before and at the time didn t understand the long-lasting depth of pain suffered by the victims ­ i sincerely regret that in 2006 archbishop doyle was re-elected as a member of the permanent committee of the acbc and as chairman of the bishop s commission for caritas aside from his previous acbc position he also is a member of the acbc bishops committee for justice development and peace in 2005 he was one of two representatives of the acbc at the synod of bishops held in rome archbishop doyle has also with former governor of tasmania sir guy green with former tasmanian premier jim bacon 1999 meeting with former prime minister kevin rudd at tmag hobart with former us vice president al gore to sign a memorandum of understanding for catholic earthcare 2009 fidelity and love

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represented the acbc at regional gatherings of bishops in south korea and samoa along with the bishops of the province of melbourne archbishop doyle is a trustee of corpus christi college the seminary for victoria and tasmania he has led delegations of young tasmanians attending world youth day celebrations in toronto cologne sydney and more recently madrid in his time archbishop has also contended with a changing work environment as the church collectively has evolved into the largest non-government employer in the state when you become a bishop you don t necessarily understand the church addressing mourners at premier jim bacon s state funeral 2004 anzac day celebrations hobart town hall 2011 enjoying some rare downtime sailing the river derwent hobart `chained to david boon and fellow vips to raise awareness for jubilee australia s campaign to cancel third world debt in 1999 in these terms archbishop doyle said everything to do with the selection of employees work conditions and termination of employment has all gone to another level although the church has emerged in a corporate sense it is also important that this is not the core business ­ which is still preaching the good news and spreading the name of jesus at the political level i see the church is very much under-appreciated and misunderstood for what it does in this state out in the parishes i know there are difficulties including the workload of the priests and we must be very mindful of this and provide adequate and timely support when required he sees some of these issues affecting the priests being the adoption of the new missal the increase in requirements for funerals and weddings financial accountability risk management and occupational health and safety as our archbishop follows the path into retirement it is his 50th anniversar y of ordination that will be a highlight it is evident from the many events his grace has attended this year that he will be missed by many both within and outside the tasmanian catholic community he is greatly respected by many including state and federal politicians from all sides and how does archbishop see leaving the position i ll look back and know that i did give it my best and it is time to give someone else a turn celebrating 50 years of service to the church

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portrait by victorian artist dinny birrell recently unveiled by archbishop doyle original on display at tower road offices at this year s ad limina meeting in rome with his holiness pope benedict xvi october 2011 for immediate release november media statement for the tasmanian caritas austcatholic ceo jack ralia groot applauds archbishop doyle caritas australia ceo jack groot applauds 28 2011 archbishop doyle tasmanian catholic justice and peace commission n to acknowledges archbishop doyle s contributio social justice caritas australia from 1998 ­ 2003 and and then in his inspiring role as chairm an up until now of his dedication to celebrating 50 years of service to the church

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9 a mother s touch from the perspective of global povertyreduction it is perhaps more accurate to say that mothers are the heart of the families development in the most vulnerable communities mothers maintain the family home provide security build valuable relationships guide their children s development and strive to ensure the health and wellbeing of their families and communities long-time supporter of caritas australia s monthly hopegiver program dr michelle fernon is a mother to four daughters and a successful businesswoman together with her husband dr vincent fernon they run a small day hospital in wagga wagga nsw while their daily work revolves around local health care they never lose sight of the global picture michelle says she is determined to ensure that women have access to education it is often said that mothers are the heart of their families it is in a mother s nature to love to nurture and to be the foundation of a happy home health services and livelihood opportunities and with her monthly support caritas australia is working to achieve just that in bangladesh maternal and infant mortality rates are tragically high in partnership with caritas bangladesh caritas australia is supporting the safe motherhood program which provides health care education and community advocacy for mothers and children thanks to the ongoing support of hopegivers like michelle and her family caritas australia will continue to support life-changing community development for people around the world caritas australia is an organisation we have a lot of faith in low administration costs catholic values honesty and transparency are so important to us we have faith in caritas because we know that through them we are helping the poorest of the poor please become a today and start changing lives simply fill-in the coupon below or visit www.caritas.org.au/hopegiver and apply online yes i will become a your details donor number if known name address ms miss mrs mr or and donate monthly credit card option please select either the credit card or direct debit option i authorise caritas australia to charge the above-mentioned amount to my credit card on the 27th of each month mastercard visa amex diner s club other name on card card number expiry date suburb phone email amount $35 $40 state parish postcode signature date direct debit option i/we authorise caritas australia user id 064 695 to debit the above mentioned amount from my/our account on 27th of each month at the financial institution identified below acting on my/our instructions the user may by prior arrangement and advice to me/us vary the amount for future debits $65 other minimum $10 financial institution name branch bsb account name signature signature date date tas2011 ­ mgd account no i would like to receive information about including caritas australia in my will please fax back to 1800 887 895 or post to caritas australia gpo box 9830 sydney nsw 2001 before payments commence caritas australia will provide you with a full service agreement and confirmation of your details regarding this arrangement payments will be deducted on 27th of the month if this is not a normal business day payment will be deducted on the next normal business day i would not like to receive information about the work of caritas australia privacy statement the information provided by you will only be used for the purpose of giving you information about `hopegiver and the activities of caritas australia www.caritas.org.au/hopegiver www.hobart.catholic.org.au

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10 volume 7 issue 6 2011 pastoral life year of grace ­ starting afresh with jesus by diocesan director fr greg barker t he feast of christ the king the last sunday in ordinary time was chosen for the recent launch of the year of grace a wonderful initiative and opportunity promulgated by the australian catholic bishops conference to run from pentecost 2012 to pentecost 2013 this year of grace will see the whole catholic church of australia spend a year starting afresh with jesus celebrating an opportunity to `contemplate the face of christ in the everyday aspects of catholic life many of you will remember spending time reflecting on the apostolic letter `novo millennio inente during our own call to change program a letter penned by the late blessed john paul ii at the beginning of the new millennium the catholic bishops are using this letter as a guide to build the year of grace the starting point for their invitation to the catholic people to join them on this a year of retreat a camino a sabbath time the year is to be a time of listening to the voice of the holy spirit and a fresh encounter with the person of jesus as both man and son of god this journey is likened to an abrahamic journey a journey that we might set out on not knowing really the destination the result or the outcome but one we begin simply trusting the voice of the spirit as we are called on this year of grace is a call to the entire church in australia and the entire bishops conference is united in the invitation to all of us to participate every diocese in australia has chosen a director to coordinate the activities of the local church the directors meet regularly with the national coordinator fr peter brock and the bishops committee responsible for the national planning the local directors are drawn from quite coincidentally nearly every aspect of catholic life including many lay men and women who are in pivotal positions within their local dioceses all of the directors have an opportunity to contribute to the planning and formation of the year of grace the local culture of each diocese will also play a significant part in local events many of you will of course be familiar with the work of the four bishops who form the bishops committee bishop michael putney of townsville bishop david walker of broken bay bishop tim costelloe sdb auxiliary bishop of melbourne and archbishop mark coleridge archbishop of canberra goulburn they have all had input to church life here in tasmania and are well respected church men fr peter brock was the national coordinator of ministry to priests for many years and was a regular visitor to the priests of our archdiocese in this supportive role this year of grace is not meant to supplant anything that is already under way it is meant to add support and `colour to the events already unfolding across the church you are invited as you begin planning existing programs and events to spend some time reflecting on the face of christ and as you plan and pray to ask this question what has this to do with jesus if you do nothing else this question in itself could well change the very nature of your event archbishop wilson notes with sadness that we are also a church in need of healing there are many wounds the year of grace is an opportunity to acknowledge these wounds and to seek healing and forgiveness without in any way negating the wound the pain or suffering caused by abuse you are invited to revisit the coal face of our faith and to allow the light of christ to burn more brightly in our church and the wider community where dignity of all australians new and old is strengthened in the words of our own archbishop adrian doyle this is an opportunity too good to miss there is some uncertainty about how to face the future and in the light of our current issues prayer is the place that the spirit speaks stay tuned as planning for the year of grace unfolds let me conclude with archbishop wilson s own words as he concludes his letter to launch the year of grace we invite you to join the whole catholic church of australia in this journey of prayer so this `pentecost year will be for our nation and all australians truly a year of grace da cla te er living sustainably im statewide forum for the catholic community parishes schools agencies and organisations saturday 31 march 2012 st virgil s college austins ferry the human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery not over nature but of ourselves rachel carson www.hobart.catholic.org.au

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pastoral life 11 preparing for advent a dvent the four weeks before christmas marks the beginning of the church year this will be year b in the church cycle and is also known as the year of mark advent is the time that we prepare for the birth of christ it is also a time when we are busy buying presents putting up decorations going to a number of christmas functions and organising work school or family events advent grounds us it reminds us that what we are really preparing for is the coming of christ advent is john the baptist calling us to turn to the lord our god to make straight our path to be ready to welcome christ when he comes for most of us advent is not a wilderness experience free from distractions so we can be silent and listen it often requires extra effort at this time of year to spend quiet time with god the lead up to christmas for some can feel like they are in a desert abandoned and neglected this could be the person you bump into on the crowed street or the stressed person at the checkout this advent we are reminded to be watchful to make time for god in our lives and to be open to the presence of god in all other people that we meet become a pilgrim in 2012 new in 2012 pick from a wide range of pilgrimage options from the new harvest 2012 brochure featuring ·exodusjourney fromcairo mtsinaitothe holyland ·saints&martyrs ofengland ·visitationsofmary fromfatima avilatolourdes ·alsophilippines scotlandand more ·pilgrimagelinks &extensionsalso available with fr artur wojtowicz a 14 day pilgrimage departing 31 march 2012 · dead sea · sea of galilee · bethlehem · jerusalem · also available exodus journey · egypt · mt sinai · red sea · petra · the holy land departing 24 march 2012 journey to easter graces of japan with fr donal mcilraith ssc a 19 day pilgrimage departing 13 april 2012 · nagasaki · kumamoto · hiroshima · kyoto · tokyo · akita rome medjugorje anniversary pilgrimage with fr andrew grace a 15 day pilgrimage departing 17 june 2012 · rome 4 · medjugorje pilgrimage 7 visitations of mary departing 9 may 2012 · lisbon · fatima · avila · segovia · zaragoza · barcelona · montserrat · lourdes with fr christopher sarkis a 16 day pilgrimage 2012 new in the harvest team wishes all pilgrims a holy christmas an adventurous 2012 graces of italy a 14 day pilgrimage journey departing 28 may 2012 · venice · padua · florence · siena · assisi · san giovanni rotondo · monte sant agnelo · pietrelcina · pompeii · rome the st paul expedition a 20 day pilgrimage journey departing 18 may 2012 · athens · corinth · meteora · philippi · kavala · thessaloniki · patmos · ephesus · canakkale · troy · anzac cove · gallipoli · istanbul · cappadocia italy in paschal tide a 15 day pilgrimage journey departing 9 april 2012 featuring subiaco · assisi · siena · florence · gubbio · loreto · lanciano · rome graces of eastern europe a 16 day pilgrimage departing 16 june 2012 features · prague · czestochowa · auschwitz · wadowice · krakow · budapest · zagreb also departing 20 august 2012 request a copy of the harvest 2012 brochure at 1800 819 156 or visit www.harvestpilgrims.com · email:harvest@pilgrimage.net.au www.hobart.catholic.org.au

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12 volume 7 issue 6 2011 feature i lost my son to adoption catholic health australia delivers formal apology over forced adoptions hope and expectations in the mid 1970s veronica now seventeen became pregnant to her boyfriend she found herself with no real options pressure to terminate or give up her baby for adoption her own family couldn t offer her the support she needed as a young pregnant woman veronica was spat on walking down the street i kept hoping for a white knight she said in 1973 the government started paying a part pension to single mothers the full pension didn t commence until 1979 the part pension was $32.00 per week a single bedroom unit in brisbane at that time would have cost me $24.50 per week i might have been only 17 but i could still do my maths says veronica so when it came time to give birth to her son veronica s file was marked bfa baby for adoption i lost my son to adoption you were told to go home and forget about it and i was not allowed to name him says veronica your grief is suspended when you give birth to a child who is going to be taken away no one gives you flowers or a card no one gives you a sympathy card either she says judy mcpherson left and jennie burrows no relation to veronica appear before the senate public hearing into commonwealth contribution to former forced adoption policies photo andrew meares/fairfax syndication i magine being the only one in your family to have red hair and freckles and not know where they came from or bent toes or being told you can t get a passport unless you change your name these are just a few of the simple things in life that adopted children deal with every day heritage ­ knowing where you come from ­ is something that most of us take for granted veronica 54 is somebody who definitely doesn t take these things for granted she is both an adoptee and a mother who gave up her son for adoption veronica spent part of her childhood in tasmania but her experiences with adoption took part on the mainland her own life as a young child was punctuated by the complexities of a society repairing and redefining itself following the two world wars veronica s natural mother the term `birth mother is not favoured by many unwed to her partner of the time was forced to give veronica up for adoption her partner was locked into a marriage of convenience due to the complications of a war relationship and hence could not marry her worse still the social pressures of the time on the families of unwed teen mothers were so persuasive that fathers were pressured in the workplace to `deal with the problem of a pregnant daughter to keep their own `good standing in the community veronica s mother was sent away to a between the 1950s and 1970s about 150,000 australian unwed mothers had their babies taken against their will catholic sponsored `home in another state to have her baby like thousands of other unwed mothers at that time veronica s mother was admitted under a false name and that false name was put on the birth certificate these actions may seem incredible in the 21st century but it was another time altogether where social coercion was an overwhelming force and everyone from nurses social workers public servants either did what they were told or did what they thought `was best for you it was this complicity which made the system of forced adoption work and that which is one of the subjects of the current senate inquiry into forced adoption policies between the 1950s and 1970s about 150,000 australian unwed mothers had their babies taken against their will m a ny yearslater veronica s search for her mother was lengthy and painful she describes it as `a system of webs and weaving i found my mother through church records of my baptism said veronica these were registered under my mother s real name veronica says at every turn of her journey there were serendipitous moments that was how i knew god was with me she eventually found and met her mother the occasion itself was not an easy one but says veronica i d finally found someone who looked like me www.hobart.catholic.org.au finally healing when adoption laws concerning opening birth records changed across jurisdictions in the 1990s veronica was able to make contact with her son luckily for both veronica and her son the connection was immediate the telephone cord became our umbilical cord but says veronica the `re-entry of a mother or a son or daughter into another s life is very difficult even when there are positive reconnections the feelings of an adoptee s own parents must be considered another important aspect of healing is acknowledging the reversal of grief after having suspended feelings of grief for so long which can occur when families reconnect and sadly judgement of mothers who gave up their babies for adoption still occurs the apology in july of this year catholic health australia chief executive martin laverty delivered a formal apology to unwed mothers affected by the practices in the past ­ having their babies taken from them and placed up for adoption ­ in an address to a senate inquiry.

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feature mr laverty said the practice of placing some babies of young unwed mothers in adoption was the policy of governments across australia over many decades carried out in hospitals and other formal and informal organisations around australia to those who carry broken hearts as a result of the role that some catholic organisations played in this public policy practice of years past i say sorry i ve come to this inquiry willingly with no intent to justify past adoption practices in catholic hospitals he added the senate community affairs committee inquiry into the commonwealth contribution to former forced adoption policies and practices also heard submissions about how some mothers were tied to their beds or sedated as they delivered and some who were given drugs to stop lactation christine cole gave birth to a baby girl at crown street women s hospital in sydney in 1969 she has studied forced adoptions for a phd and believes many australians are not not her real name our sincere thanks to `veronica for sharing her stories of loss with the tasmanian catholic for this article 13 aware of the practices the authorities used to carry out mothers had pillows or sheets held in front of their face so they couldn t see the baby at the birth ­ that was kept from the public she said learning from the past veronica told the tasmanian catholic that the apology from martin laverty was very important because he gave a voice to our pain and loss and because it shows we care for one another she said veronica says the church needs to own the mistakes and reach out with a healing hand because we can t go backwards we can only move forwards she has urged others like her to get support wherever they can towards their own healing journey including counselling services and the immense body of work from professor denise cuthbert professor cuthbert s inquiry submission can be found at http www.aph.gov au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/comm contrib_former_forced_adoption/hearings melbourne.pdf mothers had pillows or sheets held in front of their face so they couldn t see the baby at the birth catholic health australia s mr laverty has recommended a national strategy to help provide easier access to medical and birth records post-adoption counselling and a strategy to offer support to those who seek to have grievances considered ­ and he urged for a government-led apology the senate inquiry committee will now hold a hearing in hobart on december 16 2011 and plans to hold a second hearing in sydney on december 15 2011 anyone wishing to make a contribution to the inquiry should contact the senate standing committees on community affairs on 02 6277 3515 or community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au study theology in 2012 flexible delivery of programs ­ online distance or face-to-face mode theology programs include · diploma in theology · bachelor of theology · bachelor of theology honours · graduate certificate in theology · master of theology specialisations · spirituality · religious education · liturgical studies · mission culture · pastoral ministry grad cert ­ youth campus ministry for further information and registrations the registry team the broken bay institute po box 340 pennant hills nsw 1715 phone 02 9847 0030 fax 02 9847 0031 email info@bbi.catholic.edu.au broken bay institute i was in prison and you came to see me www.hobart.catholic.org.au www.bbi.catholic.edu.au the broken bay institute is proudly affiliated with the university of newcastle

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