Category Archives: The Community

The following was received today from "Concern lot of students at University of Sydney & UTS"

From: usyd.uts@australiamail.com
Sent: Tuesday, 20 March 2007 4:53 PM
To: church-mouse@lanuera.com
Subject: Church Mouse: An Open Letter of Support

Dear friends at St. Vincent’s Redfern,

We have been observing and keeping our watch on all that is happening at your church, many of us had in different times visited the church and participated in some of the liturgies and fellowship alongside the common people of your community.

In all those events, we have not met any … Continue reading →

Assistant pp Mendes was hamming his way through another inane and barely intelligible homily as a clearly unhappy J…e entered the Church.

She quietly approached a few of the regulars and told them that Mendes had insulted her and a group of Aboriginal friends by calling them heathens.

She asked why this should be so and added "you’ve got no idea how he treats us when none of you whities are around".

No one could answer on behalf of the one charged with her pastoral care, so, fed up with the shabby, abusive treatment to which she and her … Continue reading →

The Church Mouse was struck by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu upon reading the letter from the bishops of the Holy Land to the Neocats,  and felt compelled to adapt it to the St Vincent’s situation by shifting the geographical context from Jerusalem to Redfern.

Redfern, March 08, 2007

Brothers and Sisters of the Neocatechumenal Way:

1 May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always. We, ordinary Catholics of St Vincent’s Redfern, address this letter to you in Lent, in the context of the common pastoral plan for this … Continue reading →

One rule for the community, another for the Neocats.

The pews were filled for last Sunday’s 10am Mass with people who had come for the launch of poet Noel Davis’ latest work, "The Heart Waking – and breaking into dance". Back in October 2003, gathered here to launch an earlier publication, "From the Wilds of the Heart…Comes the Singing of the Quiet".

They came to share the 10am Eucharist with us before hearing Marist Br Charles Howard launch the book, and then be treated to the poet’s own words as part of the community’s "Sharing the Journey" … Continue reading →

Just in case you were succumbing to the Cardinal’s line that the St Vincent’s Community is a ratbag group of ageing, stick-in-the-mud Vatican IIers, the Mouse would like to boast about a couple of our younger members.

Sophia Thibaudeau was one of 21 high school students awarded a Certificate of Commendation and an inscribed medallion for Community Service from the New South Wales branch of the Order of Australia on the 22nd of November 2006. The award was created in 1992 by Dr John Lincoln AM, on behalf of the NSW Branch to reward youth from secondary schools … Continue reading →

2006 Margaret Dooley Young Writers Award-winning long essay

Visiting Arnhem Land changes a person’s life. The land is rich with spirit, the rivers tell stories from centuries past, the birds fly with unrestrained grace, and the sunsets powerfully whisper the promise of peace. Earlier this year I had the privilege of spending a week in Ngukurr—a remote Aboriginal community in southeast Arnhem Land situated beside the spectacular Roper River. My friend had been appointed acting principal of the local school, and I decided to visit him as well as get a brief insight into community life.

… Continue reading →

2006 Margaret Dooley Young Writers Award-winning short essay

Without doubt, the most important issue facing contemporary Australian society is the continued oppression of our Indigenous peoples. The divide between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians is shamefully expanding at an unacceptable rate. As our economy goes from strength to strength, Aboriginal communities nationwide sink further into the soul-shattering cycle of poverty and despair.

Reconciliation is the cornerstone of our existence. We must move past the systems of assimilation and have the humility and wisdom to learn from these different cultures, so that we can integrate their perception of the world into … Continue reading →