austraLasia 1402
Live Jesus! Australian Province to celebrate Francis de Sales in a special way
MELBOURNE: 23rd January 2006 -- While Francis de Sales is typically noted on 24th January for his 'journalistic' side, it would be reductionist in the extreme to think of him in that light alone. The first thoughts that might come to mind anyway, concerning Francis, are quite possible 'Live Jesus!' his favourite phrase. A work of the great Saint and spiritual director which is not so well known, is his 'Little Treatise on Holy Communion' which he wrote for the Superior of a community of Sisters - so typically Francis in its style and content, suggesting a kind of 'toothpaste' image as preparation: "If you awaken at night you should fill your mouth with some good aspiration, like the names of Jesus and Mary, which are quite fitting to freshen our mouth in which Our Lord desires to enter".
Far removed in time and space from the Abbess de Puit-d'Orbs, another Francis, Francis Moloney, who has just assumed office as Provincial in Australia, has made a strategic choice for the Feast of St. Francis de Sales. He is highlighting 'Eucharist as Memory and Sacrifice', thus providing a tone for his period of leadership, but doing this in the context of an 'open house' invitation to all confreres in the Province to visit the relatively new Province Centre in Melbourne, opened a little over a year ago and blessed at the time of the Rector Major's visit. The Provincial is offering two talks on that day. In addition to the one already named (EMS, initials which are, coincidentally, directly related to journalism!), he will also offer some reflections on the recent Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, at which he was a 'peritus'. But, just as essentially, the occasion is aimed at fraternal fellowship and 'bon homie' and has, according to Fr Moloney, provoked "a big and enthusiastic response, and I am looking forward to catching up with as many people as possible".
Communication is many things. No one could doubt that tying it to Eucharist in this way is one of them. The Province will also traditionally hold its other major festive gathering for this season at Brunswick on the 31st of January, a large public Mass in a Salesian parish attended by members of the Salesian Family from all over.
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
Live Jesus! Australian Province to celebrate Francis de Sales in a special way
MELBOURNE: 23rd January 2006 -- While Francis de Sales is typically noted on 24th January for his 'journalistic' side, it would be reductionist in the extreme to think of him in that light alone. The first thoughts that might come to mind anyway, concerning Francis, are quite possible 'Live Jesus!' his favourite phrase. A work of the great Saint and spiritual director which is not so well known, is his 'Little Treatise on Holy Communion' which he wrote for the Superior of a community of Sisters - so typically Francis in its style and content, suggesting a kind of 'toothpaste' image as preparation: "If you awaken at night you should fill your mouth with some good aspiration, like the names of Jesus and Mary, which are quite fitting to freshen our mouth in which Our Lord desires to enter".
Far removed in time and space from the Abbess de Puit-d'Orbs, another Francis, Francis Moloney, who has just assumed office as Provincial in Australia, has made a strategic choice for the Feast of St. Francis de Sales. He is highlighting 'Eucharist as Memory and Sacrifice', thus providing a tone for his period of leadership, but doing this in the context of an 'open house' invitation to all confreres in the Province to visit the relatively new Province Centre in Melbourne, opened a little over a year ago and blessed at the time of the Rector Major's visit. The Provincial is offering two talks on that day. In addition to the one already named (EMS, initials which are, coincidentally, directly related to journalism!), he will also offer some reflections on the recent Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, at which he was a 'peritus'. But, just as essentially, the occasion is aimed at fraternal fellowship and 'bon homie' and has, according to Fr Moloney, provoked "a big and enthusiastic response, and I am looking forward to catching up with as many people as possible".
Communication is many things. No one could doubt that tying it to Eucharist in this way is one of them. The Province will also traditionally hold its other major festive gathering for this season at Brunswick on the 31st of January, a large public Mass in a Salesian parish attended by members of the Salesian Family from all over.
___________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
