The Catholic Leader Flipbook - Issue 5594 - March 22

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The Catholic Leader, March 22, 2020
News
CATHOLIC PSYCHIATRIC PASTORAL CARE
Could this be your Ministry?
Now in its thirty-fourth year Centacare’s Catholic Psychiatric Pastoral
Care (CPPC) trains pastoral carers to support people with mental illness,
through their spiritual and therapeutic ministry in hospitals, supported
accommodation and our day Centre.
CPPC is seeking Catholics with the ability to relate personally and
spiritually to those suffering from mental illness.
The volunteer training course (provided cost free) runs each Wednesday
9:00am – 3.30pm, from 6 May to 27 November 2020. Upon graduating the Pastoral Carers
give a voluntary commitment of 8 hours per week in either one of the above ministries.
Applications close Friday 17 April 2020.
Written applications can be sent to:
Fr Jim Smith, 58 Morgan Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Telephone: 07 3252 5461 Email:
Website:
We are called to be disciples of Christ
Compassion to the forefront
with Caritas annual campaign
Projecting
compas-
sion:
Caritas
Australia
community
engage-
ment
manager
Fr George
Sigamony
and Bris-
bane arch-
diocese
Caritas
director
Andrew
Knife.
FATHER George Sigamony loved talking to
children about Caritas Australia’s Project Com-
passion each year.
He fondly remembered a talk he gave to a
group of school children about the daily strug-
gles of a small girl growing up in Africa.
One of the school children approached him
after his talk and held out a gold coin.
It had been going towards a treat at tuckshop
but the child offered it to Fr Sigamony instead,
and said, “I love her and I want to care for her,
and if I can collect more money, I’ll send it to
her”.
“That was a really touching moment … how
kids feel – they’re really genuine and really
want to do something,” he said.
Fr Sigamony was Caritas Australia’s com-
munity engagement manager and had served as
Caritas Sri Lanka national director from 2009
to 2016.
He was in Brisbane recently visiting parishes
and schools to share the message of Project
Compassion.
He said there were so many children around
the world suffering.
“Us in Australia are so blessed,” he said.
Fr Sigamony urged Australians to look past
self-interest and learn to “feel with other peo-
ple and be part of other people’s suffering”.
Brisbane archdiocese Caritas director An-
drew Knife said taking the message to young
people was especially important.
“Even though they’re young, every bit they
do, every small amount they do, adds towards
the whole,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re Prep kids or
Year 12, the heart of the message is the same
– even your small amount makes it possible to
help these kids all around the world.”
It was Mr Knife’s first Project Compassion,
having only stepped into his new role last year,
but he was already impressed.
He said at the two launches he had been
to – one at St Stephen’s Cathedral and one at
Iona College – there had been so many “social
justice-minded young people” eager to make a
change and inspire their peers.
Mr Knife said the most amazing thing was
that the students were sharing experiences
from each other to better bring awareness to
their friends.
Project Compassion runs for the duration of
Lent and you can donate or learn more at: lent.
– Joe Higgins
Finding peace in a pandemic
By Emilie Ng
BRISBANE priest Fr Michael Grace has lived
off Coles home deliveries and Domino’s pizza
for the past week after Italy’s national lockdown
forced him to return home to Brisbane under self-
isolation.
Fr Grace is in his final semester of a Licentiate of Spiritual
Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome but his
studies are on hold after the Italian government placed the country
in lockdown on March 8 to contain the coronavirus outbreak, which
had been confirmed in more than 24,000 cases and claimed more
than 1800 lives.
Europe was confirmed the latest epicentre of coronavirus last
week, with Italy becoming the second-most affected country after
China, where COVID-19 originated.
All seven of Rome’s pontifical universities, including where
Fr Grace studies, suspended large gatherings including academic
courses and activities following the government’s orders.
Fr Grace said the Venerable English College where he lived in
Rome advised international students to return home “if possible”
and continue their studies online.
He arrived in Brisbane on March 11 and, for precautionary
measures, immediately went into self-quarantine for 14 days
inside accommodation provided by Brisbane archdiocese.
“The archdiocese provided me a place to stay, essentially on my
own, and not in danger of anyone,” Fr Grace, who does not have the
virus, said.
Fr Grace is among potentially thousands of Australians and
international travellers who are in self-isolation following Prime
Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement on March 15 that any-
body who entered Australia from overseas, including Australian
citizens, must by law go into self-isolation for 14 days.
People in self-isolation may not visit public places including
schools, work, childcare, university or public gatherings, and moni-
tor for symptoms including a fever, cough or shortness of breath.
In Queensland, anyone caught breaking the new law could be
fined up to $13,000.
Speaking after the first day of self-isolation, Fr Grace said he had
signed up for Coles home delivery, where “they can just leave the
(delivery) on the doorstep as it were and I’ll go out and collect it”.
“I’ll just get some food delivered, and I see Domino’s pizza
have a coronavirus delivery option,” he said.
“I should be able to avoid starvation.
“Obviously I’m very lucky in the sense that being a priest,
there’s a lot of people around who can support me.
“I think I’m quite happy to be relatively self-sufficient and just
live with the reality of the quarantine.
“Better to be in your own country than on the other side of the
world.”
Fr Grace was planning on returning to Rome after the Easter
break to prepare for exams and submit his final thesis but expect-
ed he might need to “wait and see” before making definite plans.
His major thesis for his licentiate is due in May and he was
expecting to “get back to work” in Brisbane by July.
Fr Grace said those feeling anxious about the pandemic should
look to the Scriptures.
“The Gospel passage that springs to mind – ‘Don’t worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today’s trouble is
enough for today’,” he said. “But our minds tend to run ahead to
the worst-case scenario, and that is not actually that likely.
“It’s much better off thinking, what do I need to do today? What’s
the ramification of this for today.”
With the number of positive COVID-19 cases worldwide top-
pling over 160,000 and causing more than 6400 deaths, Fr Grace
said he was more concerned for people who had been impacted by
the pandemic.
“I’m much more thinking of those people who have been af-
fected by this virus, those who are sick,” he said.
“My own circumstances are fairly trivial by comparison.”
Brisbane priest studying in Rome returns home
to go straight into strict self-quarantine
In isolation: Fr Michael Grace.
I think I’m quite happy to
be relatively self-sufficient
and just live with the
reality of the quarantine.