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HAPPY FEAST DAY!

Have you ever thought about the wisdom of St Dominic’s practice of walking?

Whether it was due to circumstance or preference, tradition tells us that St Dominic was a keen walker! As an itinerant preacher, he was known to have walked from town to town on his mission to preach the gospel and that his walking was both a mode of transport and form of prayer.

The context and culture that St Dominic lived in may seem like a world away from our lives of boundless technologies and fast paced efficiencies. Perhaps this feast day, we might hear in Domnic’s story, an invitation to slow down and walk awhile.  Some of the pilgrims on the DEA Pilgrimage, In The Footsteps of St Dominic had the opportunity to do this earlier this year and a number of them commented that there is something about the walking that slows not only the body but also the mind. It paves the way for receptivity to encounter not only ourselves but also God. Dominic knew this well and perhaps he knew it so well from his practice of walking.

There is much to celebrate this Feast Day and perhaps one of the ways to celebrate is to follow in the footsteps of Dominic and mark the occasion with a long contemplative walk- a gift for both the body and soul!

DEA Trustees and Secretariat wish you a very happy and blessed Feast Day!

 

SR HELEN MERRIN OP RECEIVES PAPAL AWARD

Sr Helen Merrin OP, was honoured with the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, a Papal Award for her championing for the disabled at the Inaugural Award ceremony in the Diocese of Broken Bay NSW, Bishop Anthony Randazzo invested Helen and a retired priest in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and Catholic Church and their local communities. Bishop Randazzo said:

”The individuals here tonight are being recognised for living their Christian lives as luminous beacons of hope and service, They have allowed their faith to guide their actions and their actions to reveal their faith”.

Sister Helen Merrin OAM is a professed member of the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands. Her 45 years ministry at St Lucy’s School, began when St Lucy’s was a school for the Blind and Vision impaired and now a special school for students with physical and intellectual disabilities. During the 1990s Sr Merrin lost her vision and gradually her hearing. Despite her challenges she continues her commitment to St Lucy’s.

She has been a member of the former Bishops’ Advisory Council for Social Welfare, and more recently, has served nine years on the Australian Catholic Disability Council for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

 

CRMV FORMATION NETWORK MEETING

On the 27^th May, DEA Trustee Julianna Drobik OP and DEA Director of Mission and Formation  attended the CRMV Formation Network meeting.  CRMV Ltd represents the interests of Catholic schools in Victoria which historically were owned and governed by Congregations or Religious Institutes.

CRMV acts as a consultative forum for the debate of issues related to Catholic education, particularly as these pertain to Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person (RI/MPJP) schools. The formation Network has two face-2-face meetings per year in Melbourne. Formation and sharing at the meetings are led by different members of the group and focuses on formation for mission and governance.

 

DEA MISSION LEADERS GATHERING

The second meeting of the year for DEA Mission Leaders was held at Rosary Lodge, Strathfield on the 14^th May. All Mission Leaders were in attendance with two additional mission team members joining the group from Cabra Dominican College and Santa Sabina College.

In response to feedback from the Mission Leaders at their online meeting in term 1, the day explored the theme of Dominican Difference and was facilitated by DEA Director of Mission and Formation, Jenni Hickson. Some of the highlights of the day included input from two local Dominican sisters. Sr Jill Shirvington OP shared her experiences of Spiritual practices that ground leadership, particularly in the Dominican tradition and Sr Elizabeth Hellwig OP, provided input on Shaping Catholic culture and identity in the Dominican tradition. There were also opportunities for prayer and reflection throughout the day. The day was a wonderful opportunity to build connections across the DEA Ministries and share in the life of Santa Sabina College with College Principal, Paulina Skerman visiting the group after lunch.

The next DEA Mission Leader gathering will take place online in Term 3.

 WELCOME POPE LEO: A JOYFUL MOMENT FOR THE DOMINICAN FAMILY

Dominican Education Australia joins with the wider Church in joyfully welcoming His Holiness Pope Leo XIV as the newly elected Bishop of Rome and spiritual leader of Catholics around the world.

We offer our prayers of thanksgiving for Pope Leo’s election and entrust his papacy to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In the spirit of St Dominic de Guzman, we are inspired by his call to truth, compassion, and service, and we look forward to the ways in which Pope Leo will enter into dialogue, and shepherd the Church into a new chapter of unity, justice and hope.

We pray that Pope Leo’s leadership will reflect the wisdom and courage of his namesake, and that his voice will be a beacon of Gospel values in a rapidly changing world.

Welcome, Pope Leo – with hearts full of faith, we walk with you.

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