Franciscan Friars Australia in Sydney, Australia | Catholic Church

Franciscan Friars Australia

Locality: Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 412 076 913

Address: 47 Victoria St 2024 Sydney, NSW, Australia

Website: http://franciscans.org.au

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25.01.2022 Franciscans International are looking to see how multi-national corporations can be better regulated to protect the environment and human rights. #OFM #LS_Revolution #OFMJPIC

24.01.2022 To commemorate the Church's 4th World Day of the Poor tomorrow (Nov 15th) the Franciscan Friars have published a guide for reflection on how we can address poverty both as individuals and as a community. How do we contribute to the problem? How do we contribute to the solution? #OFM #JPIC #LS_Revolution

23.01.2022 A little more on yesterday's feast - the Exaltation of the Cross.

23.01.2022 A tour of Assisi, St Francis' hometown.

23.01.2022 Easter Vigil Jerusalem. In the Holy Land they follow the old timing and hence the Easter Vigil was 7:30am on Saturday morning. (3pm Saturday Sydney time). Yes they celebrate before we do!! The liturgy is presided over by the Patriarch of the Holy Land. In part this is because the liturgical life of the other Christian communities also continues in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at their own pace & timing following the agreement of the Status Quo.

23.01.2022 A presentation on the ecological work of the Franciscan Friars in Indonesia: working with farmers in Flores on sustainable agriculture. Friar Michael, Provincial of Indonesia, studied in Australia.

22.01.2022 The Franciscan course on Laudato Si' starts tomorrow, last chance to enrole. https://laudatosi-school-77aa.thinkific.com//laudato-si-an We offer this course for everyone who wants to gain insights into the major themes of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical and who desires to become a part of the global Franciscan movement towards ecological conversion and systemic change. ... This course is created as a transformational tool that will inform and empower you to respond creatively, collaboratively, and courageously to Pope Francis call for a true ecological and social that integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Each of the ten sessions of this online course consists of a video lecture, reading material, and short test. The curriculum features a diverse group of presenters: theologians, scientists, teachers, and activists. In this course, the registered participants will learn from different Franciscan perspectives, faith-based environmental activism, and Jewish and Muslim viewpoints about the practical implications of the encyclical Laudato Si’. The content of the course also includes additional, optional background material you can use at your parish, school, and the wider community to inform, inspire, and empower others around you to grow in their Christian faith, seek justice for the poor, and protect our common home.

22.01.2022 The new "Franciscan" encyclical inspired in part by St Francis' Amonition 6: "Let all of us, brothers and sisters consider the Good Shepherd Who bore the suffering of the cross to save His sheep. The Lord’s sheep followed Him in tribulation and persecution, in shame and hunger, in weakness and temptation, and in other ways; and for these things they received eternal life from the Lord.... Therefore, it is a great shame for us, the servants of God, that the saints have accomplished great things and we want only to receive glory and honor by recounting them." FRATELLI TUTTI With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel. Of the counsels Francis offered, I would like to select the one in which he calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him.In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives. This saint of fraternal love, simplicity and joy, who inspired me to write the Encyclical Laudato Si’, prompts me once more to devote this new Encyclical to fraternity and social friendship. Francis felt himself a brother to the sun, the sea and the wind, yet he knew that he was even closer to those of his own flesh. Wherever he went, he sowed seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the infirm and the outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters.

21.01.2022 This coming Sunday - Sept 13th - the Catholic Church makes an appeal for all Catholics to support the Holy Land. This collection is normally taken on Good Friday but was delyaed because of the COVID pandemic. The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, an administratively autonomous province of the Franciscan order, uses the collection to carry out its mission of preserving most of the shrines connected with the life of Jesus as well as for providing pastoral care to the region’...s Catholics, running schools, operating charitable institutions and training future priests and religious. The collection, taken up at the request of the pope, is administered by the Franciscan Custody and the Congregation for Eastern Churches, which uses it for the formation of candidates for the priesthood, the support of the clergy, educational activities, cultural formation and subsidies. The congregation spent more than $3.2 million on academic, spiritual and human formation of seminarians and priests of churches under their jurisdiction as well as men and women religious; more than $3 million went for subsidizing schooling and educational activities for young people, including at Bethlehem University; nearly $2 million was used to provide emergency assistance and support to people in 10 countries.

20.01.2022 The Australian Catholic Bishop's Conference - 2020 Social Justice Statement: To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today. In the Social Justice Statement To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today, the Bishops welcome the deinstitutionalisation of mental health care in Australia. However, without adequately funded community mental health services, there is a gap in the system through which people continue to fall. Social determinants including ...poverty, living conditions, and personal security are significant contributors to mental ill-health. The Statement highlights the experience of First Nations people and communities, asylum seekers and refugees, people who are homeless and those who are in prison. The Bishops observe that our society tends to draw away from, or to push away, those who confront us with our frailties and limitations which is completely at odds with the story of Jesus who takes on the frailty of the human condition and draws near to those who are sick or who have disabilities, those who are marginalized or despised. People living with mental ill-health are part of the Body of Christ ‘us’ and not ‘them’ and share equally in Jesus’ promise of the fullness of life (Jn 10:10). The Bishops invite us all to reject stigmatisation, to work for the transformation of social determinants of mental ill-health, and to call for policies and service provision that meets the needs of the poorest and most marginalised members of our community. https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au//social-justice-sta/

20.01.2022 Meanwhile the youngest Paduans are advocating for a better world! Responding to the "cry of the poor & the cry of the earth". #OFM #LS_Revolution #OFMJPIV

19.01.2022 "We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, here, and in all your churches throughout the world, and we bless you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Amen" It with this antiphon written by St Francis that many Franciscans begin their prayers around the world. It is normally said in a chapel where the San Damiano Cross depicts Jesus' victory on the cross as depicted in the Holy Gospel according to St John. St Francis viewed not suffering but our response to it as important. Do we hit out, blame others, inflict it on others? Or do we build communities of love, show mercy & compassion. He invited us to follow Christ even in the midst of our own difficulties.

18.01.2022 Today we remember the Franciscan martyrs of the Holy Land: St Nicholas Tavelic and companions.

17.01.2022 On November 9, Franciscans, along with the rest of the Catholic Church, celebrate the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The Pope's c...athedral as Bishop of Rome, the Lateran played an important role in early Franciscan history, as it was the seat of government of the Church at that time. There Francis and his first brothers went in 1209 to seek the approval of Pope Innocent III for their way of life. A story was told in Franciscan circles about Francis's visit to a hesitant Pope Innocent: "On hearing [Francis's response to his questions], the pope was greatly amazed, especially since, before blessed Francis's arrival, he had seen in a vision the church of St. John Lateran threatening to collapse, and a religious, small and of shabby appearance, supporting it on his own shoulders. . . A few days later, blessed Francis came to him, made known his proposal, and asked him to confirm the rule he has written in simple words, using the words of the holy Gospel, for whose perfection he fully longed. As he was reflecting on how enthusiastic blessed Francis was in God's service, and comparing his vision with that shown to the man of God, he began to say to himself: 'This is indeed that holy and religious man through whom the church of God will be sustained and supported.' So he embraced him and approved the rule he had written." (Legend of the Three Companions, 51). Several years later, in 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council was held in the church, which would profoundly affect the Franciscan movement. Some believe that Francis was present at the Council. Soon the Lesser Brothers were moving into the ministries of popular preaching and the hearing of confessions which were emphasized by the Council. Today, the Friars Minor serve as the official confessors at the Lateran basilica. On this feast, Franciscans reflect and celebrate the providential union of their Gospel way of life with the wider mission of the Church!

17.01.2022 Message for the Month of Ramadan 2021 https://ofm.org/blog/message-for-the-month-of-ramadan-2021/

17.01.2022 "I bear on my body the marks (stigmata) that show I belong to Jesus." Galations 6:17 Today the Franciscan Family commemorates the Stigmata of St Francis. On the mountain retreat of Mount Alvernia, St Francis of Assisi in a state of prayer and ecstasy, saw a six winged angel bearing the image of Christ. In his body he received the physical marks of Christ's passion.... All of us in baptism and confirmation are marked as followers of Christ. All of us are invited into the Paschal mystery. We are called to live the Gospel and be Christ-for-others. The marks (stigmata) on St Francis of Assisi are an outward sign of this inner reality that we are called to live. St Francis humbly hid the marks on his body even from his closest friends but his life has shined down the ages as an example of living the Gospel to the full. #OFM #Franciscans

16.01.2022 The Secular Franciscan Order celebrate today the feast of one of their Patrons, St Elizabeth of Hungary. A person of wealth and privilege who used her gifts to care for the poor. The foundation of the Secular Franciscans was inspired by the life of St Francis of Assisi. They are lay people who preach the Gospel in the world through their actions and a strong commitment to prayer & fraternity. Next year they celebrate 800 years of recognition by the Church.... Are you called to be a Franciscan? Secular Franciscans meet in fraternity monthly to pray and share their lives. They are an Order which invite you into a life time commitment of fraternity. www.ofsaustralia.org.au

14.01.2022 Every year on the 14th of September we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. While this feast focuses on the cross of Christ, it is not the same celebrati...on that occurs on Good Friday when we enter into the Passion of the Lord. While early Christians did use the sign of the cross in their private prayer, they did not publicly venerate or display the cross because the Romans continued to use the cross as a form of capital punishment. After the legalization of Christianity in 313, the remnants of the True Cross were found in Jerusalem and Helena, the mother of Constantine, built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates these two events (finding of the cross and construction of the basilica) on the anniversary of the day when this church was dedicated and a piece of the True Cross was exposed for public veneration. For Christians, the cross is the instrument of our salvation from which Jesus accomplished his greatest ministry: the redemption of the world. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

13.01.2022 Images of Good Friday from the Holy Land.

12.01.2022 Our brother from the USA Friar Dan Horan ofm in conversation with Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane.

12.01.2022 "Christians and Muslims: Witnesses of Hope" Message for the Month of Ramadan and 'Id al-Fitr 1442 H. / 2021 A.D. from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Vatican City. https://www.vatican.va//rc_pc_interelg_doc_20210416_ramada

11.01.2022 #LSRevolution O dia 1 de setembro é o dia Mundial de Oração pelo cuidado da Criação e o primeiro dia do Tempo da Criação. Como parte da Revolução Laudato Si, ...uma campanha franciscana global para a conversão ecológica integral. O Escritório de JPIC celebra o Dia Mundial de Oração pelo cuidado da Criação deste ano com o RAP. Laudato Si Revolution recentemente lançada pelo Irmão Manuel, OFM. #LaudatoSi #IntegralEcology #Franciscans #PoorClares #Youfra #SFO #ofmjpic #jpic #ofm #ofmcap #ofmconv

10.01.2022 Brisbane Archdiocese hosted a presentation by Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Friar Dan Horan OFM on Eucharist and Integral Ecology. An accessible but indepth discussion on the theology behind Laudato Si'. #SeasonofCreation #LSRevolution #OFMJPIC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVbf-VI8jSk

10.01.2022 Highlights from Padua College, Kedron (the friar's school) of the Year 12 Graduation Mass & Dinner. May God guide & bless their life. #OFM #Franciscan

10.01.2022 All Souls Day. We remember our deceased brothers & family & friends particularly this year Theo Rush ofm , Nobert Pittorino ofm & Dan Hannaford ofm. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

08.01.2022 Franciscan International is involved in a global debate on the right of local and indigenous people to say no to development on their community's land. It is about that ensuring that legal systems around the world protect the poor and powerless from the powerful in a just way. The Church works in this area to ensure Christ's words of peace and love rather than the voices of oppression and violence are heard This opening webinar will be on 11pm Sydney time 31st August. A glob...al webinar series is to be held between August and October 2020 on the Right to Say No. It follows from the Thematic Social Forum (TSF) on Mining and the Extractivist Economy held in Johannesburg, South Africa between the 12th to 15th November 2018. The final declaration of the TSF was premised on the platform of "Beyond Extractivism: Reclaiming Peoples Power, Our Right to Say No! The Webinar series is a continuation of the work of the TSF in terms of consolidating a broad movement of resistance in order to build common struggles for solidarity. We build this solidarity in diverse ways and from different perspectives but what hold us together is our resistance to the destructive effects of extractivsim. In the name of economic growth and development we have witnessed how extractivsim has exploited the natural resources of so many countries and the devastating impact this has had on local communities. We have also witnessed the resistance by local communities who claim the Right to Say No on extractive activities in their regions. It is about ensuring any development provides justice for all. These local initiatives are the foundation for building the necessary alternatives needed to challenge the system. Join us for the global and regional webinar series that reflect on cases of community resistance as they struggle for the Right to Say No! You are invited to a Zoom webinar. When: Aug 31, 2020 03:00 PM Paris Topic: Global Webinar on the Right to Say No - Opening of the series Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_cRsJzZqRQSiBJo32LAUjpQ #RIGHT2SAYNOGLOBAL

07.01.2022 Brother Harry features in Catholic Religious Australia's newsletter.

06.01.2022 The University of Queensland's student society features in this weeks Catholic Leader. Friar Mario Debattista is the chaplain for the UQ community and he is assisted by Friar Joe McKay. The UQ Catholic student community is very vibrant and worked together to support each other during 2020. ... https://catholicleader.com.au/flipbook/tcl_15112020/

06.01.2022 A Secular Franciscan in today’s world The challenge generated by the rapid change and sometimes by the deterioration of the moral and traditional values of th...e family and the society, must involve every member of OFS to live authentically their identity as a Franciscan secular. This must be rooted in the Gospel of Jesus which continually invites them to the highest, visible and effective witness without ever forgetting that the mission entrusted to each baptized person requires a continuous search for the face of God in one’s brothers and sisters and in every situation of life.. https://ofm.org/blog/a-secular-franciscan-in-todays-world/ #koinonia

05.01.2022 Joy is part of the Franciscan charism. Can we bring a smile to a person face or get a child to dance? Can we express hope & faith that the Kingdom of God is near? When ever Franciscans come together, especially in the Asia-Pacific, you will find dancing and singing. It is one way we build fraternity. The song Jerusalema is in a Zulu dialect. It is a song about God's hope and salvation. The song calls on God's guidance to find the heavenly Jerusalem.... #OFM #Franciscan See more

03.01.2022 Commentary on Fratelli Tutti from the Antonianum (the Friar's University in Rome)

03.01.2022 A great resource for all looking at the life of St Francis.

03.01.2022 All the Lord's Peace & Goodness. On this St Francis Feast Day let us renew our commitment to peace & forgiveness, to sharing what with have with those in need, to humbly & joyfully welcoming all peaple & creation as a gift of God. ... Let God's peace & mercy reign.

02.01.2022 A story about the support the late Fr Cassian Double ofm gave to Pattie Lees, CEO of Injilinji Aboriginal and Torres Strait Youth Service. So I always saw him as God’s messenger that like sometimes God can’t be in places so He’s got all His little messengers angels or guardian angels or whatever we want to call them and I think that that’s Fr Cassian’s intention in my life, as a real angel.

01.01.2022 Why are Catholics talking about the environment? Many Catholics are struggling with how we connect Jesus Christ with Creation & the life of the parish community. Often Laudato Si' Retreats focus on God the Father act of Creation and talk about the our experience or being in nature. Or there is a vague reference to the Holy Spirit. But where is Christ how do we connect it with the Eucharist?... For the Franciscan family we have a framework which places Christ in the centre of Creation. St Francis of Assisi experienced God in & through the natural world. St Bonaventure helped form a theological vision where everything was connected to Christ. It evolved from the writings of early Church fathers, the eastern church and opens our eyes to our participation in Christ's transformation of the world through the liturgy, prayer and action. Chapters 2 & 6 of Laudato Si' is often missed by those who rush to environmental activism. Chapter 2 delves into scripture while Chapter 6 looks at spirituality, prayer, Eucharist and Sunday rest.

01.01.2022 The Church today celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15). The Franciscan family played an important role in promoting this image of Mary. The principal biblical references to Mary’s sorrows are in Luke 2:35 and John 19:26-27. The Lucan passage is Simeon’s prediction about a sword piercing Mary’s soul; the Johannine passage relates Jesus’ words from the cross to Mary and to the beloved disciple. Many early Church writers interpret the sword as Mary’s sorrows...Continue reading