Catalyst for Renewal

 September Sip Reports

SIP 3D Day Catalyst’s annual in-service forum for organisers and supporters of SIP—3D (Discernment, Discovery and Development) Day—was held on Saturday August 2 at the Marist Centre, 1 Mary Street , Hunters Hill.   Two highlights were the presence of Bishop David Cremin, who presided at the Eucharistic liturgy, and an address by Kate Engelbrecht entitled What’s God got to do with a Conversation in a Pub?   Kate, who is director of Mission Possible Education, is the editor of Why I am Still a Catholic, began her address with an image of the Trinity, an icon showing Abraham with strangers; hence there was a hospitality notion.  She said that the prayerful observer became the fourth person of the triune God, and then went on to compare conversation with debate.  Debate, which she said she enjoyed, assumed that there was a right answer to the question being discussed and the speaker had it.  Kate said that in debate, one attempted to prove that one was right; “you listen to find flaws in the other’s arguments and you are ready with counter arguments, you defend assumptions as truths; you assume before you are told, and you look for a conclusion or a closure to the argument.”   On the other hand, Kate said, a conversation was open-ended.  “You are open to change, you share insights—and it is safe to share them.  At a SIP evening, the two speakers offer insights, then others can offer theirs.  So you take away insights into what is significant.”   She said that a good model of conversation was to assume that lots of people had lots of pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.  By putting them together one could get a better idea of the puzzle.  “We find common ground, we find common meanings and we find agreement.  We come to appreciate that other peoples’ thinking can improve or change our own understanding.”  Kate said that people who had engaged in consensus decision-making in the workplace had found this approach very effective.  The requirement to reach common ground gave  them “permission to change their own opinion”—and to let other people have their “Ah Ha!” moments.   It was always important, Kate said, to concentrate on the “heart” of a matter, not on the detail; to listen for the flow of ideas.  In spirituality, to be a disciple required the same qualities as conversation.  “You consider that your true depth is the Christ within you.  In SIP we have Christ speaking in many voices.”

Bendigo Topic:                Spirituality of Youth Speaker:          Fr Bob McGuire am RFD Numbers-wise, our most popular meeting to date-Fr Bob Maguire AM  RFD "wowed" well over one hundred of us with a straight talking, no nonsense address on "Spirituality of Youth". Although it would be fair to say that he ranged well beyond that topic. However, he did remind us that the spirituality of youth was no different to that of older folk.  Fr Bob is one of our unheralded, truly Australian heroes. They say that the mold was broken when "the fiery priest of the downtrodden" was born. Throughout his life, and now, some 73 years young, he has never stopped questioning the establishment - political or religious.  Since 1973 Fr Bob has served as Parish Priest at St Peter & St Paul 's in South Melbourne . Here, his formal congregation numbers about 200. However, the informal one, cared for in a range of ways, including daily prepared & cooked food reaches about 1000. Here, under his inspirational leadership, a group of volunteers manage the parish care program from the rear of the parish house.  Fr Bob has many strings to his bow. His unusual style has contributed greatly to the success of John Safron's weekly radio show on Triple J. It is the highest rated of all the segments especially enjoyed by younger listeners. He has also appeared on TV.  Because of his high profile our usual format of using 2 speakers for about 10minutes each followed by questions & discussion was relaxed. So, throughout his hour long address, using stark real life examples, Fr Bob confronted us with the reality of poverty-in its broadest sense- in the lives of many. He reminded us of how blest most of us are & challenged us to address issues of poverty creatively within our Bendigo parishes & amongst those of our respective communities. This, he believes, is an important mission of the Church.  Fr Bob noted that the recent World Youth Day gathering in Sydney had been an exercise in devotional spirituality. He believed his ministry was one of practical spirituality-both were important.  During his address Fr Bob frequently posed the question-"This is Spirituality in the Pub isn't it?" We pondered this & concluded that he was not checking to make sure the men present meant to be there & not at the Men's Health Week presentation on care of the prostate being held elsewhere in the same pub, but rather that addressing poverty is an exercise in spirituality.  He stayed on to answer questions & to catch up with several folk with whom he'd been associated with many years ago. We sent him on his way with a locally grown bottle of red, a commitment to provide a donation to the Fr Bob Maguire Foundation which raises funds to aid the underprivileged & homeless & the abiding impression that we'd been both entertained & challenged by a wise man of God.

North Sydney Educating for the Heart  Kate Edmonson [Principal, Brigidine College , Randwick ] and Joel Edmonson [a beautiful son]  spoke about educating.  Kate felt that, for everyone, the heart is both a home to which we withdraw but is also the place for making decisions. Although we have a rational mind and a soul to guide us -it is the heart that is more concerned with living and making those decisions…here, now, me, God!! So, to live closely to God – become familiar with your heart. To educate the brain to recognize and consent to the feelings of the heart, without feeling compelled to act on those feelings, brings self acceptance.  Our hearts long for God. As St. Augustine says “My heart is restless, O God, until it rests in Thee” . We educate toward the recognizing that longing. In accepting that longing, there is freedom. The freedom is to ‘refer all to God’. In referring all to God our heart is free to be moved by others. Our relationships deepen, we consent to the reality of others- our hearts speak to each other.  Poets do it as a matter of course. Kate quoted a poem from Mary Karr[1] with an image of a strong horse, fully alive, fully ‘realized’ in its own power but alert to the call of its master. She sees this is a metaphor for educating individuals to a sense of their power in their relationships by being alert to the call of their heart… God… the other.  Joel sees the heart as a source of creativity. He sees educating of the inner life of human beings through imagination and creativity as way of transformation. He has researched in this field working with older people and autistic children. He considers music to be the ‘technology’ of awareness. Music, that is, outside the populist music idol miseducating the public to false values. Rather he would use music to transform suffering and to uncover truth in individuals and society rather than cover it up with the superficial and the sentimental. [1] Mary Karr  Sinners Welcome  Publisher: Harpercollins A fourth compilation of poetry describes her evolution into an irreverent Catholic, detailing the various steps in her conversion and reflecting on the themes of loss, her tutelage in Jesuit prayer practice, and the influence of poetry as a pathway out of suffering.

Paddington Topic:          The Search to Become: Growing up in a world which is on the edge Speakers:  Alexandra (Ali) Greiner: Uni. Student; has worked in Calcutta and Ghana,                      Akito Hirata: High School Student and                      Ahmet Keskin: Muslim faith; one of the co-ordinators of Affinity Facilitator: Geraldine Doogue Q.1: What significance did September 11 (2001) have in your life?   Ali: No direct impact because of her young age. Of greater impact was her volunteer work in Ghana and Calcutta . Akito: It signifies something deeply pessimistic and antagonistic. Angered by response American leaders took. Violence begets more violence. There was a limited range of responses; there could have been more responses by young people who don’t want to know what is happening in our world. Ahmet: A tremendous impact when one’s whole faith is targeted as a culprit. But, from adversity character is formed; it prompts a person and a community (Islam) to be more involved, engaged to reach out to the wider community and to have a greater appreciation of others, including Christianity. This led to the formation of AFFINITY. It was a call to all of us to be positive and learn to live with each other. Q.2: Did it make you reassess your values? What would you die for? Ali: Feel you can’t judge on such a big scale, for we don’t always have our values put to the test. Use of corporal punishment in Ghana challenged her personal values. Ahmet: Affirmed the belief that God will favour the just, no matter what faith one belongs to. A sense of justice enables one to uphold peace. Q.3.” What positive action would you want to achieve? Ahmet: Foster harmony at all times, for we are all children of God (Allah). Too much suffering has divided us. Akito: Each person must change in himself/herself. Ali: If you decide to be passionate about the poor, it is better than nothing. Q.4.: What art work, piece of literature, etc., might have had an impact on your sense of optimism/pessimism? Ahmet: Inspired by the poetry of Rumi (Muslim poet). Two other Turkish authors also give out a universal message and act as beacons of hope. Akito: Literature that is aesthetic can guide us, in particular the Bible and the Golden Rule. Ali: Lyrics in many songs are very meaningful. Geraldine: Theatrical production of GALLIPOLI is profound. In response to the phrase re WWI, “and the monster was released”, one can only affirm: “I must not do nothing if that idiotic set of circumstances occurs again”. Q.5. In 10 years' time do you feel that individual effort will have been sufficient? Ali: In the end it is up to the individual. I hope there will be some change in Ghana , but I think I will return in the future. Ahmet: Individual effort, but work with like-minded people. With greater numbers, more work can be done. I can’t solve all the conflicts, but I know that I can give my all, and pass this determination and persistence on to my children.

Sutherland Shire Theme:      Unity in Diversity Topic:        Different Pathways to God - Diversity of Religion Speakers:  Suda Shastra, a young single Catholic                           Rev Rod Harding , Pastor of St John's Anglican Church Sutherland                            In pursuit of the theme, Unity in Diversity, the September gathering participated in a conversation on the topic, Different Pathways to God – Diversity of Religion. The first speaker was Suda Shastra, an Indian born Australian from the western suburbs of Sydney . Whilst studying at university to be a software engineer, Suda began to ask questions about her purpose in life. So she took herself to India where she lived in a Hindu monastery and studied Hindu Scriptures for two years. Suda spoke with deep conviction about the Eternal Law or Universal Truth that dwells deep within each of us. Noting that creation itself proves the existence of God she spoke of God as infinite and omnipresent. The Eternal Law that exists within each person is God, “everything is Him, we are Him”. To access the Truth, God, within us she said we must seek enlightenment through clearing the mind of the chatter of events and concerns of everyday life. We do this through service to others, meditation and reflection on the scriptures. The ego, that false definition of self that we project to others is a barrier to finding the God within so the Hindu scriptures recommend small practices to quieten the noisy mind and let the true self shine through. Reverend Rod Harding, the pastor of St John’s Anglican Church Sutherland spoke of the Christian pathway to God, a pathway based on the Bible, a book of history, prehistory and stories of creation. The Bible is the story of God’s Creation Plan. He also spoke of the Bible as the story of the King, Prophet, Priest, Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s Plan. Jesus was fully human and fully God. He fully experienced humanity and revealed who God is. Especially Jesus revealed the immeasurable depth of God’s love for humanity which he exemplified by reading a story from “The Shack” by William P Young. The Conversation that followed the two presentations focused on the very great similarities that existed in these two pathways. The similarities that were most discussed included the centrality of scriptures to the process of revealing the God within, the importance of meditation to focus the mind, the need move beyond the ego and commit to service to others to live God’s plan Many present felt that this was the best SIP conversation of the year. Next SIP: Wednesday 15th October             Topic:         Finding God in Relationships             Speakers:   Fr Mick Court & Annette Milross