Life as Participation

Last year when I became your Parish Priest, I wrote to you about the importance of belonging – the message was that we all belong to this community. This was both an affirming and challenging message: it reminded us, as St Paul did in his First Letter to the Corinthians, that despite our differences we are all integral parts of the Body of Christ. Our Christian faith is not a solo adventure – it is a life lived in diverse community – a beautiful sum of many parts.

We have spent a year reflecting on the fact that we belong to this community. Now we must move beyond this towards an understanding of what part we play. To use St Paul’s metaphor again, a body does not function correctly unless all of its parts are playing their role. For the next year I want to encourage each and every one of you to reflect on how you participate in our faith community.

The story of humankind’s relationship with God is filled with examples of life as participation. From the very beginning in the creation stories of Genesis, God invited men and women to be co-creators in relationship with him. Throughout the books of the prophets we hear time and time again that God wishes to challenge the people to return to their faith, have concern for the poor and hungry and to love one another. God’s message did not come via express post from the clouds. It was (and still is) always a person who speaks it, people who hear it, and people who take up the challenge and respond to it.

In the same way, before Jesus left his disciples he asked them to continue doing what he had been doing: giving good news to the poor, the hungry, the blind, the lame and inviting more people into an understanding of his remarkable message. He did not give them a detailed list of instructions on how to do so, he simply invited them to participate with him in sharing God’s saving grace with the world through loving one another and all people.

Our tradition has built on this message ever since. Perhaps the most beautiful way it is expressed is in the Catholic mission statement to be a sacrament of salvation. To understand this statement we need to understand the meaning of two words: sacrament and salvation. St Augustine defined a sacrament as a visible sign of invisible grace, and this definition is still used in Catholic theology today. In other words, a sacrament is what we see, feel, hear, taste or touch which allows us to experience God’s grace – this is our first definition.

Sometimes we tend to talk about salvation only in ways that apply after death, but this was only part of Jesus’ message. When we pay careful attention to his life example and his message it becomes clear that for Jesus, as for the Jewish faith of which he was a part, salvation is always understood as a movement from less than human conditions to truly human conditions. We might think of it in these terms: moving away from addiction towards recovery; moving away from depression towards happiness; moving away from sickness towards health; moving away from dependence towards true relationship; moving away from poverty towards fullness; moving away from blindness (physical, spiritual or psychological) towards sight. A quick glance at the evening news, or even a quick glance around the congregation, will reveal that there are many in our community and in our world who desperately need the touch of this salvation.

Based on these definitions, the mission of our Church is to be a visible sign of God’s loving salvation. We belong to a community that is charged with this mission, so how do we participate in it? We know what salvation looks like, so how do we allow others both inside and outside of our community to experience it? How can you be a sacrament of salvation to those around you? Perhaps through something as simple as a listening ear, perhaps by participating in one of the many ministries our parish offers, perhaps through the gift of your time, your skills or your prayers. I encourage you to reflect on this question over the coming year: how can I participate in allowing the world to experience God’s loving salvation?

Fr George Kolodziej SDS

Parish Priest

The Concert held on Saturday 4th September 2010 was a resounding success. The Mater Maria Hall was full and there was a star studded cast from Les Miserables, Phantom, Boy from Oz and others plus local performers.

It was a night to remember! The Pittwater Parish Soul Band performed, the La Mont dancers danced, the performers sang (and tap-danced and played), Tamara witnessed, the raffle was drawn, we listened to an inspirational speech from Mr Abel Gutteres (Timor Leste Ambassador to Australia), we saw the DVD about the village of Soibada and Timor Leste more generally.

It was a unique night that would have been worth attending even if it cost four times as much and was not for a very deserving cause. But the fact that we were supporting the poor village of Soibada made it even better. Performers, organisers, the AV company and many more volunteers worked tirelessly to make this a brilliant event. You can see photos from the event by clicking this link. Then "View Slideshow fullscreen" for best display.

Here are some of the highlights. Note that if you click your mouse on an image, it will expand then you can move it around or close it. Or you can just open one image then press the right or left icon on the image to scroll through all photos.

The essence of last week’s Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Movement conference in Maubisse, Timor Leste was friendship. The conference brought together more than 100 people from Friendship groups, like Pittwater and Soibada’s, for what was Timor-Leste’s largest international conference outside Dili. The Friendship Movement is warmly supported by the Timor Leste Government. Snr Archangelo Leite, the Timor-Leste Minister for State Administration, said that he wanted to see it continue to develop and to progress. He said that governments come and go, but that friendship continued. According to the Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste, HE Peter Heyward, The Friendship Movement is a true symbol of the closeness of Australia and Timor-Leste. He said that the people to people relationships provided an underlying substance to more formal bilateral relations.

The Friendship Movement has committed itself to continuing for the next ten years. A website will be established to share information between Friends in Timor-Leste and Friends in Australia.

A number of issues considered to be challenges were discussed and processes to overcome them were devised. Several issues that are very relevant to our relationship with Soibada are:

Communication: language, telephone, internet.

Road access

The conference addressed a number of themes. The greatest strength was identified as the long-term commitment of both Australian and Timor-Leste friends to the movement. There have also been many successful local projects. In his closing remarks, the Director of State Administration, Snr Abilio Caetano, referred to brothers and sisters coming together in love, peace and solidarity.

Addressing the conference, the President of Timor-Leste, HE Jose Ramos-Horta, highlighted the role played by the Friendship movement in underpinning relations between Timor-Leste and Australia.

President Ramos-Horta said: ‘No country in the world has committed more than Australia to Timor-Leste.’ ‘My hope,’ he continued, ‘is for each suco in Timor-Leste to be adopted by a council in Australia. I want each school in Australia to adopt a school in Timor-Leste.’

Pittwater’s relationship with Soibada is a significant part of establishing such lasting friendships. The primary purpose of this relationship with the people of Soibada is to provide support for local projects and build skills within the Soibada community that will contribute to the long term independence and sustainability of the community. However, the development of lasting friendships is integral to the success of any projects undertaken.

Please don’t forget the Inaugural meeting of the Pittwater Friends of Soibada at 7pm on 22 September at the Avalon Recreation Centre. All are welcome to attend.

Timor Facts

Access to safe water and hygienic sanitation is a significant problem.

There are no significant dams and only two perennial rivers.

The rivers are steep and none are suitable for transport.

The most people rely on underground water from wells for drinking.

Any water available for irrigating crops is reserved for rice fields.

There is high rainfall in the wet season (our summer), and abundant natural springs all over the island.

Despite all this rain and the springs the people there have only a fraction of the water that we have to use each day.

One flush of our toilets is what the average person living in Timor Leste uses all day.

Nearly two thirds of the population live in rural areas where there is either no or very limited access to safe drinking water. 

Before 1999, less than half of the population of East Timor had access to safe water, and according to the UN, most of the water systems were  focused on urban areas.

Water-born diseases are rife.

Independence and the contamination of water supplies

 When an overwhelming majority of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999, it led to violent opposition. 1999 Militia opposing East Timor independence killed pro-independence supporters and threw bodies in the water wells.  Thus, they contaminated the country’s supply of clean drinking water. 

 Much of East Timor’s infrastructure was destroyed following the independence ballot of 1999. This included water supply infrastructure. Exacerbating this situation was the already degraded state of rural water supply systems due to inadequate design, poor construction and low quality materials.

Tetum Word of the Week

kolega or amigo or maluk  - Friend

The heartland of Timor Leste has historically been its mountainous interior. However, its rough, jagged, terrain has made it almost impossible for the development of large continuous settlements. Thus, the mountain inhabitants have traditionally lived scattered in small groups. The village of Soibada is a good example of this type of arrangement. Although radiating around the central church, convent and school buildings the village stretches far across the neighbouring ridges and valleys down towards the river. Compact fields cling to the slopes and homes with impossibly beautiful views perch precariously atop steep and slippery rock faces.

The majority of the population in Soibada are subsistence farmers. They produce maize, vanilla, corn, beans, citrus, cassava, potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, taro, tapioca, carrots, cabbages and avocados. Coffee, candlenuts, and cocoa are also extensive in the highlands, and especially in Soibada ‘s sub-districts.

Some villagers also raise livestock, including cattle, water buffalo, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens and pigs. Farm animals have excellent potential to become a cornerstone of East Timor’s economic development. Cattle ownership largely determines social status and cattle are valuable financial assets for farmers. They are more valuable than goats, sheep and pigs from a social point of view but they are not as easy to trade. The latter can be sold easily whenever farmers face economic difficulties. They provide funds for emergency needs such as children’s schooling, deficits of staple foods in poor seasons, or funerals.

Farmers are reluctant to slaughter animals for their own consumption, except during funerals, festivals or wedding celebrations. Livestock range freely with little restriction. They are periodically penned or tethered after one or two days grazing. Pens are often set some distance from houses. Farmers have freely grazed their animals on common pastures for hundreds of years, and these pastures, whether native or introduced, provide a cheap source of feed. However underfeeding is common.

Erosion in this wet steep location is exacerbated by heavy grazing. Pigs are generally reared traditionally without pens. Underfed horses are common and provide transport for people and produce, especially in the mountains where there are no roads suitable for public or private vehicles.

Please come to the concert “Songs of Soibada” on Saturday the 4^th of September. (Details elsewhere in the Bulletin and on this web page.) Not only does it promise to be a fantastic night of top class entertainment, there will be great raffle prizes and jewellery and Timorese products for sale. All funds raised will go direct to the village.

Timor Leste Facts

·         The majority of people in the mountains are subsistence farmers.

·         Crops in the highlands include maize, vanilla, corn, beans, citrus, cassava, potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, taro, tapioca, carrots, cabbages, avocados, coffee, candlenuts and cocoa.

·         Rice is grown in the lowlands and is a staple food.

·         Livestock raised include cattle, water buffalo, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits and pigs.

Tetum Phrase of the week

O-nia naran sa/saida?   What’s your name?

In a recent Press Release,  National President of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia, Mr Syd Tutton,, has urged both sides of politics to focus on  people who have been pushed to the edges of Australian Society. 

Mr Tutton says that members of the St Vincent de Paul Society, who see the Australian face of exclusion every day, long for an Australia free from entrenched disadvantage and  they stand with all the maginalised, including

• aged pensioners
• young people
• the disabled
• the unemployed
• low-paid families,
• sole parents,
• the homeless,
• the First Peoples of this country

Timor-Leste, or as it used to be called, East Timor, is our closest neighbour, the world’s newest nation and the poorest country in the region. The Pittwater Community’s interest in and commitment to assisting Timor Leste began a couple of years ago at Maria Regina Catholic Primary School. The support of the Parish and of Pittwater Council it has enabled the project to grow to encompass the wider Pittwater community.

Last Friday night Father George, Kathy Gee, Mark Ferguson, the General Manager of Pittwater Council and Jane Mulroney and I returned from a brief eye opening visit to Timor Leste. The Pittwater community has established a friendship relationship with the community of Soibada located within the Manatuto District in central East Timor. We met with the Local District Administrators, Father Abel Guterres, the parish priest of Soibada who visited us here earlier this year, and the village elders to make this Friendship Agreement official. It has been established in accordance with the Statement of Principles for Local Governments Working in Timor-Leste.

The Friends of Soibada, a community based group within Pittwater, has been formed to assist this East Timorese community. To ensure a coordinated approach and accountability to both the Soibada and Pittwater communities the project will establish a committee to oversee the administration and development of projects as well as fundraising efforts. The first meeting will be held at Avalon Recreation Centre on 22 September. All are welcome to attend.

Soibada is an isolated village with few resources. It is very beautiful, high in the mountains in central Timor, it was originally built by the Portuguese. The community, like all East Timorese communities has been devastated by past occupation by Indonesian and militia groups and subsequent turmoil following Independence.

On a good day it takes about four and a half hours to get there from Dili, the capital city, by 4 wheel drive on unsurfaced extremely winding roads. However, our adventure lasted over 8 hours and saw us visiting many villages on the way (okay – yes we were lost). We were bogged a few times which proved a wonderful excuse to meet many locals as they assisted Father George and Mark Ferguson in pulling us out of the mud! In fact, in the village of Natabora an entire school of children came out of class to help. Their teachers must have really loved us!

There are no bridges to Soibada, so during the rainy season the town is completely cut off. This has been an exceptionally long wet season. We eventually arrived hours later than expected to discover the village children had been praying for our safety for some hours. The welcome we received was extremely warm.

The people of Soibada have been rebuilding their small community since independence. However, they need further support to increase the health, well-being and capacity of the community. The purpose of establishing a strong relationship with the Soibada community is to provide that support for local projects and build skills that will contribute to the long term independence and sustainability of the community.

Any projects to be implemented in Soibada will be determined by the Soibada community in communication with the Friends of Soibada project. Currently, they have indicated a number of priorities including constructing a floor and toilets at the local school. There is also a need for a building for 3-6 year olds. At the moment these younger children sit outside their siblings’ classrooms. The older children care for them during their breaks from class.

There are many ways you can become involved in Friends of Soibada.

• Nominate to become involved on the Committee

• Join up and become a supporter of the Friends of Soibada

• Identify a fundraising project that you can undertake in your community

• Identify resources that may be contributed to projects in Soibada

• Donate to the fundraising efforts

• Attend and support fundraising events

We learnt much from the people of Soibada during our short time there. The community has as much to offer us as we can offer them. The people have a very strong faith and trust in God’s providence. Even after all they have suffered they have an inner strength and positive outlook that is enviable. Although often unsure where the next meal will come from the three nuns in the convent provide a stable and loving home for the 78 children that live there. The children show care and concern for each other and for their environment. The entire community has a sense of spirit and love that binds them together like a family.

Father Abel was able to show us the purchases he made with the money we raised during his visit earlier this year and the financial records that the community has kept. The difference we as a community can make in Soibada was very evident. The children happily showed us their new desks and chairs – received just in time for their exams!

This is a partnership, a friendship, a two way relationship. It is a long term and sustainable project. Your help is needed to ensure the success of the Friends of Soibada project. Please watch this space for weekly updates.