The Catholic Leader - July 2

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The Catholic Leader, July 2, 2017
News
Order of Malta providing care around the world
Providing
care:
Delegates
from the
Order
of Malta
National
Assembly
in Brisbane.
The theme
of the 2017
assem-
bly was
Remem-
bering the
Forgotten,
with Order
of Malta
members
attending
from Aus-
tralia, New
Zealand,
Hong Kong,
Thailand
and Singa-
pore.
Acting for the least
CATHOLICS living on Brisbane’s northside are
claiming to be the only parish in the world that
has two churches marking consecutive Sunday
solemnities.
Holy Trinity Church, Banyo, and Corpus
Christi Church, Nundah, which make up the
amalgamated Banyo Nundah parish, wrapped
up eight days of feasting to mark each church’s
feast day.
Several countries around the world, includ-
ing Australia, celebrate Corpus Christi on the
Sunday following Holy Trinity Sunday, but the
feast day is traditionally held on the following
Thursday to align with the Institution of the
Eucharist on Maundy Thursday.
Banyo Nundah parish priest Fr Bernie Gal-
lagher said the fact both his churches’ feast days
landed within a week of the other “was divine
providence and coincidence”.
This “divine coincidence” has paved the way
for a new parish tradition, the eight-day “Feasti-
val” which Fr Gallagher started in 2015.
The Feastival carves out an octave of feasting
between Holy Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi
Sunday and encourages the two church commu-
nities, which are five kilometres apart, to join for
Mass, prayer and fellowship as one congregation.
Parishioners are encouraged to attend the sol-
emn Mass for both church’s particular feast day,
spend time in Eucharistic adoration held over
two days between both churches, and attend a
talk on mission by a special guest.
Confirmations for children attending the par-
ish’s two schools also occur during the Feastival.
Fr Gallagher said the eight-day event also
reminded the two congregations about their
origins and how the Church, as St Paul writes in
the Second Reading assigned for Corpus Chris-
ti, was made up of many but form one body.
“Inside the Corpus Christi Church about the
altar is a painting that was put there just after
the church was open,” Fr Gallagher said.
“It’s called ‘All nations adoring’ which I
always thought, how interesting to do that back
in 1930 when there weren’t any nations except
Caucasians, and now they (the parishioners)
all look up there and they’ll see someone from
every continent – whether it’s a European, or a
Middle Eastern, South American, Africa.
“Now we’re benefitting from people going
Celebrat-
ing: Banyo
Nundah
parishion-
ers with
parish
priest Fr
Bernie
Gallagher
celebrat-
ing the
parish
“Feastival.
out to all the nations and proclaiming the Good
News.”
This benefit is most evident during Mass.
“I don’t know how many people would be at
church if we didn’t have the Filipinos and the
Indians,” Fr Gallagher said.
He said he would be interested to know if
there were any other parishes around out there
who have got two churches, one named Holy
Trinity and one named Corpus Christi.
– Emilie Ng
Double the feast for Banyo Nundah parishioners
By Mark Bowling
THE Order of Malta is about to open
a best-practice medical clinic in Ti-
mor Leste’s capital, Dili, to provide
care for the country’s poorest.
In a country where one in six children die
within their first year due to treatable illnesses
and malnutrition, the clinic will provide a much-
needed boost to the country’s developing health
system.
“People suffer from diseases, that in western
countries are quite easily cured,” the order’s am-
bassador to Timor Leste David Scarf, who has
been instrumental in steering the project during
the past two years, said.
“It was designed by professional architects
in Australia. It is a best-practice clinic based on
world standards.”
Mr Scarf outlined the project and his diplo-
matic role in Timor Leste during a presentation
to the 2017 biennial national assembly of the
Australian Association of the Order of Malta in
Brisbane from June 23-25.
The new clinic is taking shape in Bebonuk,
one of the poorest sections of Dili.
It will boast well-trained staff, state-of-the art
equipment, and resources to treat 200 patients a
day.
“We are offering free medical care for those
Timorese patients who can’t afford to pay,” Mr
Scarf said.
“What we want to achieve is provide the best
quality health care we can to everybody.
“We say we act for the least, the last and the
lost.”
Jape Group managing director and a major
donor to the Order of Malta Clinic Alan Jape
said: “I think we have to lead the way and do
something to help our fellow Timorese.
“When the Order of Malta approached us, we
were very happy to say we can do something. So
this is the building.”
The theme of the 2017 national assembly
was Remembering the Forgotten, with Order of
Malta members attending from Australia, New
Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.
The theme reflects on the fundamental ideals
of the Order of Malta – established more than
900 years ago – and is consistent with the or-
Giving
back:
Loretta
Higgins,
Alice
Grogan
and
Teresa
Gerada at
the Order
of Malta
Dinner.
der’s mission to uphold human dignity and care
for people in need.
Leading Australian thinkers in the fields of
theology, biblical studies and sociology ad-
dressed the assembly including Verbum Dei
Sister Maeve Louise Heaney, Fr Anthony Mellor
and Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge.
There was also a presentation on the work of
the order in South-East Asia.
On June 23, eight members took a vow of obe-
dience known amongst the order as “making the
promise” during a vigil at St Joseph’s Church,
Kangaroo Point.
The vow is considered a major “commitment
to deepening spirituality of one’s self”.
The following day, 20 knights and dames from
Australia and New Zealand were welcomed into
the order at a public investiture ceremony at St
Paschal’s Church, Wavell Heights.
Apostolic nuncio Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yl-
lana addressed members and guests of the Order
of Malta at a formal dinner.