
December 2007 World Youth Day in Sydney is only 7 months away. We are praying that this will be an occasion for a new and awesome outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the youth of Australia. Our community is planning to hold a day for prayer and reflection here in our monastery during the 'Days in the Diocese' programme open to all young people - those travelling to Sydney as well as those staying home. Details will be available a little closer to the time. It will be on Sunday 13 July 2008, the eve of departure for the pilgrims. For info and updates on WYD08 visit the official website. New Deacon New Deacon Fr. Frank Jones was back recently from his mission in Ecuador. Frank is the nephew of our extern Sister Mary of Jesus RIP. Since his teens, when both his parents died, our community has been 'family' for him, and his new home is right next door to our monastery. As vocations director for Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese a few years ago Frank became mentor for a Nigerian seminarian, Constantine Osuchukwu, who has also become part of our extended family. In September Constantine had the great joy of being ordained a deacon. We asked him to write something for us about his vocation and why he wants to be a priest. I want to be a priest because I have always felt called by God to be one and I have always wanted to be one. This may sound unusual but as far back as I can go down memory lane, the thought of being a priest has been with me since I was about seven. Since then serving the Lord and his people has been a constant desire of my heart. However, the vocation to the priesthood remains and will always remain a gift and a mystery. As the letter to the Hebrews said: "No one takes this honour upon himself, but he is called by God as Aaron was" (Heb 5:4). It is God who calls and it is he who enables one to say yes to this call. Besides, it is God who knows who to choose and sometimes to our greatest surprise (or chagrin!). God alone knows how to work with insufficient human instruments like myself. He is indeed a God that writes straight with crooked lines. As I mentioned above, my journey to the priesthood started when I was about seven through the instrumentality of my parents and my parish priest. My dad used to take me to morning masses as I was preparing to receive my first Holy Communion and I got to know the parish priest through this. When I made my first Holy Communion he asked me to become an altar boy which I quickly accepted. Through serving at mass I became enthralled by the 'glamour' of what goes on around the altar: the incense, the bells, the vestments, and above all the mystery of the mass etc. Also, the personality of the priest made me want to be like him when I grow up. Eventually I joined the minor seminary (equivalent of High School) at the age of 11 and proceeded to the major seminary later on at the age of 17. As time progressed my conventional reasons for wanting to be a priest gave way to more mature ones - a kind of purification of intention that one requires to follow Christ faithfully. For me now at 28, it is a response I am making to God's call in order to love him with my whole being and to serve my brothers and sisters in persona Christi. It is a response to the call to be a witness to Christ's love for which the world desperately yearns. A response to the love that seeks to 'serve and not to be served'; a love that calls every person into a radical equality and freedom of the children of God. It has been an extraordinary journey which has surprised me in many ways. When God calls he doesn't kick your door down but surprises you if you dare say yes. It is true that God's call comes at a price but it is a price worth paying. I see the priesthood as a 'pearl of great value' for which I am ready to sacrifice everything. The Lord's yoke is a 'sweet' one. It has been an unusual journey going from Nigeria to Australia but one that has the hand of Providence written all over it. As I prepare for my diaconate ordination on 8 September, 2007, I take this final step before priestly ordination not staking anything on my human ability but trusting solely in God's grace. We have a saying in Nigeria that goes thus: "the god who has given a child a difficult task will give him the wherewithal to accomplish it." I trust wholeheartedly in God's grace to do his work and I ask that you remember me in your prayers. For young people reading this, I encourage you to consider the vocation to the Priesthood and contemplative life if you feel you are being called. Sometimes as young people we live by the principle of 'non-commitment'. It is very hard in a prosperous country like Australia where one has a lot of choices to commit to one vocation for life. Sometimes we feel that committing to one thing like the priesthood or marriage shortchanges our options. It may well be that we have a lot of options but we are not free. Freedom consists in making definitive decisions and following them through. Pray for the true freedom which comes from God in order to take the bold step of responding to God's call. As Pope Benedict said: "Do not be afraid of Christ, he takes nothing away but he gives us everything!"

December 2007

World Youth Day in Sydney is only 7 months away. We are praying that this will be an occasion for a new and awesome outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the youth of Australia. Our community is planning to hold a day for prayer and reflection here in our monastery during the 'Days in the Diocese' programme open to all young people - those travelling to Sydney as well as those staying home. Details will be available a little closer to the time. It will be on Sunday 13 July 2008, the eve of departure for the pilgrims. For info and updates on WYD08 visit the official website.

New Deacon

New Deacon

Frank & Constantine Fr. Frank Jones was back recently from his mission in Ecuador. Frank is the nephew of our extern Sister Mary of Jesus RIP. Since his teens, when both his parents died, our community has been 'family' for him, and his new home is right next door to our monastery. As vocations director for Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese a few years ago Frank became mentor for a Nigerian seminarian, Constantine Osuchukwu, who has also become part of our extended family. In September Constantine had the great joy of being ordained a deacon. We asked him to write something for us about his vocation and why he wants to be a priest.

I want to be a priest because I have always felt called by God to be one and I have always wanted to be one. This may sound unusual but as far back as I can go down memory lane, the thought of being a priest has been with me since I was about seven. Since then serving the Lord and his people has been a constant desire of my heart.

However, the vocation to the priesthood remains and will always remain a gift and a mystery. As the letter to the Hebrews said: "No one takes this honour upon himself, but he is called by God as Aaron was" (Heb 5:4). It is God who calls and it is he who enables one to say yes to this call. Besides, it is God who knows who to choose and sometimes to our greatest surprise (or chagrin!). God alone knows how to work with insufficient human instruments like myself. He is indeed a God that writes straight with crooked lines.

As I mentioned above, my journey to the priesthood started when I was about seven through the instrumentality of my parents and my parish priest. My dad used to take me to morning masses as I was preparing to receive my first Holy Communion and I got to know the parish priest through this. When I made my first Holy Communion he asked me to become an altar boy which I quickly accepted. Through serving at mass I became enthralled by the 'glamour' of what goes on around the altar: the incense, the bells, the vestments, and above all the mystery of the mass etc. Also, the personality of the priest made me want to be like him when I grow up. Eventually I joined the minor seminary (equivalent of High School) at the age of 11 and proceeded to the major seminary later on at the age of 17. As time progressed my conventional reasons for wanting to be a priest gave way to more mature ones - a kind of purification of intention that one requires to follow Christ faithfully. For me now at 28, it is a response I am making to God's call in order to love him with my whole being and to serve my brothers and sisters in persona Christi. It is a response to the call to be a witness to Christ's love for which the world desperately yearns. A response to the love that seeks to 'serve and not to be served'; a love that calls every person into a radical equality and freedom of the children of God.

It has been an extraordinary journey which has surprised me in many ways. When God calls he doesn't kick your door down but surprises you if you dare say yes. It is true that God's call comes at a price but it is a price worth paying. I see the priesthood as a 'pearl of great value' for which I am ready to sacrifice everything. The Lord's yoke is a 'sweet' one. It has been an unusual journey going from Nigeria to Australia but one that has the hand of Providence written all over it. As I prepare for my diaconate ordination on 8 September, 2007, I take this final step before priestly ordination not staking anything on my human ability but trusting solely in God's grace. We have a saying in Nigeria that goes thus: "the god who has given a child a difficult task will give him the wherewithal to accomplish it." I trust wholeheartedly in God's grace to do his work and I ask that you remember me in your prayers.

For young people reading this, I encourage you to consider the vocation to the Priesthood and contemplative life if you feel you are being called. Sometimes as young people we live by the principle of 'non-commitment'. It is very hard in a prosperous country like Australia where one has a lot of choices to commit to one vocation for life. Sometimes we feel that committing to one thing like the priesthood or marriage shortchanges our options. It may well be that we have a lot of options but we are not free. Freedom consists in making definitive decisions and following them through. Pray for the true freedom which comes from God in order to take the bold step of responding to God's call. As Pope Benedict said: "Do not be afraid of Christ, he takes nothing away but he gives us everything!"