Daily Notes and News
The Month of February, 2000
Tuesday, 1st
The GST Meeting this morning went well - I now know more questions about the whole thing than I knew before - I'm not sure that I know anymore answers though. After the meeting I went to Bellerive with Peter O'Loughlin to look at some of the questions about his financial program and I couldn't answer too many of them either.
I then dropped off the Marriage Papers to Brian Nichols at the Cathedral for a marriage that he is celebrating at the end of this month - they came to see me but it is the same afternoon I am flying back from Melbourne after the ITIM meeting.. I also dropped off the hard copy of the marriage booklet to Natalie (the bride) as well as the disc with the file on it so that she can finish off the booklet.
Then I headed off to the Defence Force Barracks for a meeting to organise a Church Service for a gathering of the 2/2 Commando's who will hold a memorial service at St Joseph's early in March. There were a couple of the organising committee and so, together with David Lewis, we chatted about the service and will make the necessary arrangements for the celebration.
From there I headed home to celebrate a Staff Mass for the staff at St Brigid's, our local school, to mark the beginning of their school year. It was good to be back in touch with a great bunch of people and some good friends.
The PPC has just finished it's meeting - we met to look at the material that is to be presented at the Cluster Meeting at Bridgewater in a fortnight's time in preparation for the Deanery Meetings that are going to be held later in the month. It was a good discussion with some lively and animated conversation about the Fair at the end of the meeting - a Fair meeting early in march will look at some further issues arising from the timing of the Fair.
Now it is time for bed.
Wednesday, 2nd
Today has been a slowish day - after Mass I worked on a couple of things for the football competition before heading up town to drop some material off at the post office as well as doing some banking and paying a couple of bills. No sooner was I home than I had to return to sign some papers at the Trust Bank for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund.
I was trying to send some information to a priest friend in Melbourne and not having any luck when the phone rang asking if I was available to celebrate a funeral on Friday afternoon. As it happens I am free so I headed off to Rokeby to see the family of the late Maud Minehan to make the necessary arrangements.
After spending some time with the family I then headed for the beach and a walk which was really pleasant. I then stopped off to see some friends on the way and managed to arrive as they were about to have a BBQ tea so I stayed and enjoyed some food (which I didn't have to cook myself).
I've just arrived home and will do a little bit of work before I head for bed - tomorrow is going to be a long day as, with a number of other priests, we head for Zeehan, on the West Coast, to join Graeme Howard as we farewell his mother who died on Sunday after a long and great life.
It will not be long before I hit the sack but there are a few things to finish first.
Thursday, 3rd
The trip to Zeehan is just over 3&1/2 hours and was reasonable on the way up although a little slow behind a couple of cars. When we got there, however, it was really hot and in the church was just a little uncomfortable.
I didn't have my hat with me and so I suffered a little from sunburn on my forehead even though I tried to keep my head well covered. After travelling up to the cemetery we headed off to the RSL where there was a great midday luncheon for everyone before we headed back.
It was a pleasant drive and not too difficult and we made it in good time. We arrived just a few minutes before +Adrian and Dan McMahon arrived to collect Dan's car - +Adrian had driven up by himself so it was good that Dan was able to be with him for the return trip.
After they had had a cuppa I headed off to the Radcliffe's for a birthday bash for Callum (for today) and Caitlyn (for tomorrow) as well as taking cards for by brother-in-law John's birthday which was three weeks ago and my sister-in-law Rowena who had her birthday last Thursday. It was a very pleasant evening and it was good to catch up with most of the family and find out what my little sister is doing in her new job.
After dropping Mum and Dad home on the way back to New Norfolk I have been working on the leaflet for the funeral of the late Maud Minehan which is to be celebrated tomorrow. I have finished the leaflet and have set the printing of the inside pages on the photocopier and have collected 20 sheets which I will put through the colour printer for the coloured covers for the family - they'll go through while I go to bed and I'll check them in the morning.
Friday, 4th
The two Masses this morning went well - both well attended (considering) with a good number at Corumbene for the residents of our local Aged Facility.
After leaving Corumbene I headed for the District Hospital to catch up with Eileen and Arch - both were asleep when I arrived. I managed to talk to Eileen but Arch was fast asleep and I didn't try after the first brief comments.
I then returned to the Parish House and worked on the Newsletter and got it finished before finishing off the Big Book for the funeral of the late Maud Minehan. After a quick bite to eat I then headed for the Graham Family Chapel for the funeral.
There was a good number of people there - but it was so hot and muggy - even with the air conditioning and everything else it was hot. The cemetery was another matter - there was no shade and no breeze so everyone who could was standing beneath an umbrella and drinking water all through the service at the graveside as it was so hot..
From there I headed home for an appointment at 5pm which lasted well over an hour. I've just had a cold drink and a bite to eat and now I am heading for bed and a good nights sleep with the fan working flat out for the night.
Saturday, 5th
The newsletter (both editions) were easily finished this morning and I was able to get them up and printed without any great difficulty. I've also printed off the forms for the Football Competition as well as the list for people to add their name for help for the Business Morning Teas for Wednesday week.
Lunch today was at Centacare celebrating Clem Kilby's 70th birthday - it was a great gathering and a wonderful celebration for him. I managed to chat to a few important people as well as get some information about future events without really knowing whom - just the some details which was interesting. When I got home this afternoon I was so tired I sat in my chair for a while and dozed. It was much later than I hoped when I managed to finish stapling the pages of the newsletter together.
I've just finished my tea and now I am heading upstairs to watch the Bill and head off to bed.
Sunday, 6th
I've just returned from an interesting night - I'm not certain how I feel about what happened and I'll probably need to talk about the atmosphere and dynamics of the night with one or two of the people involved to begin to understand what happened and what it all meant.
The rest of the day was a normal Sunday type of day. It is the last week of the school holidays and so there are still some people who haven't got into full swing yet so the numbers at Mass here this morning were still a little light on. There was a better than usual crowd at Mass this evening - especially with the reception into the Church of a young married man who has been a regular at Mass over the past three years and who has finally made the step into Full Communion.
I also did some work for a friend who asked if I could do a bit of typing for her work. But now I'm heading for bed and still wondering about the party.
Monday, 7th
Today has been a funny day - after the party last night there were a number of questions that I wanted to find answers for and I'm not sure that I've got very far at the end of the day. I know that there are some angry people who will need help with looking at the issues into the future so I hope that they can find some help.
I've spent today clearing away some of the junk that has been accumulating and hope to have some space around the place by the end of tomorrow. I did some visiting this morning and early afternoon and caught up with a couple of people I haven't seen for awhile so that has been good.
I've just seen my couple for tonight and found that the guy is a really fascinating fellow with a wide reading range and a strong religious conviction but he has come from an 'anti-Catholic' background so there is a little bit of work to do before all of that is tempered a little.
Now, however, it is time to watch last night's taped Ballykissangel program before hitting the sack for an early night.
Tuesday, 8th
Today, being a public holiday meant that it was basically a quiet day. I spent all day making backups of computer data as well as competing the clearing up process around the house so that the place once again looks a bit tidy. It's really looks amazing - the next thing is to wait and see what people say about it tomorrow,
The rest of today I've spent just going slowly and thoroughly enjoying not having anything special to worry about or to do.
Wednesday, 9th
After Mass this morning the first thing I got finished was the information to take with me to town for Phil Scanlon for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund - I now have the information recorded on a spreadsheet which means that I can provide up to the minute information for Phil Scanlon, our business manager.
The next thing I completed was the Business Morning Tea fax to the Businesses in the town for next Wednesday's first Business Morning Tea for the year. I also managed to prepare the list for Mary to take to the businesses which don't use faxes so that it is all under way. This afternoon on the way to the GST meeting at St Canice I also managed to purchase sufficient plastic containers for the morning teas so that we no longer need to beg people to supply them and get all kinds of weird sizes etc. which need to be cut down for the day.
I managed to get down to school to see the kids on their first day back - it was good to catch up with the little ones and meet some of the new children who have started school as well. A couple of quick jobs around the town before heading off to Glenorchy for the farewell luncheon for Greg Barker who heads off to the RAAF to start a five year appointment as a full time Defence Forces Chaplain. There was a good number of guys there for a Wednesday lunch which was good.
The GST Meeting was next on the agenda - there were a lot of questions and some suggestions which highlighted the fact that there are people who only look at the issues facing their parish/community without understanding the bigger picture and who, in their self interest, could muddy the issues facing Parishes in the new Tax System very complicated.
I went for a walk on the beach at Bellerive - it takes about an hour and is very beneficial. I hope that I can keep it up because I think I can feel the difference already.
Now, however, it is time for bed.
Thursday, 10th
Today turned out very differently from the way that I expected it to. The EasterFest Meeting started well but went much longer that had been anticipated. Most of the issues that needed to be dealt with were looked at and so the planning has really commenced and is well under way.
The Leaders meeting started with a slight hiccup - in reading the letter we had received I didn't notice that some of the people who had come to the planning meeting had hoped that the visit of the evangelist (proposed for a few weeks time) might be discussed before the planning meeting began. It meant that the people who wanted to discuss the issue left as soon as the planning had finished so the issue will need to be resolved in a letter to be signed by all the Leaders sometime over the next day or so.
I headed off to say Mass at midday and when I returned the group was still there so we continued working for some time and then had a bite to eat and finally finished at 2.15pm - by far the longest meeting we've ever had. It was good because Bruce & Diane Stevens, the new Salvation Army Officers, and the Rev Kevin Booth, the Anglican Priest at Hamilton, were both there for the first time. We agreed that the name of the group should change to the Derwent Valley Christian Leaders Association to reflect the broader base of the group.
I did very little work after the meeting before one of the teachers from school arrived to work on some programs for the next few weeks and to do some forward planning for the year's celebrations down at school. I'll call down to school at lunch time tomorrow to work out some final details.
I've just arrived home from having a meal with 'the gang' to celebrate Denise's birthday - it was an interesting night which proved that a week night was/is not the best night to celebrate as so we will need to keep to Friday night's if we are to be able to make the most of our time together.
Now, however, I'm heading for bed.
Friday, 11th
Before Mass this morning I made some phone calls and managed to arrange cover for the weeks in June and July when I am in the navy - I was uncertain after a couple of phone calls yesterday if I would be able to make it at all. Then, after Mass I managed to phone Sydney and let the Senior Chaplain know as well as contact the NCCA to make some arrangements for next weekend's trip to Sydney and the various meetings I am to attend.
Then I headed off to the hospital and managed to catch up with Eileen for Holy Communion as well as Arch and Sick who arrived there yesterday afternoon. All are reasonably well although they have increased the pain medication for Arch and he tends to sleep a lot at this time.
A couple came to se me just before lunch and we talked about the steps they need to take to have their marriage blessed so that is a project for the near future. I then headed down to school for my 1.00pm appointment with Sandy were we looked at dates for this year for the various sacramental programs.
Also on the agenda today was the memorial service for the Navy Association tomorrow morning as well as the parish newsletter for the weekend and the minutes for the Community Consultative group that is to meet next Thursday morning - the minutes needed to be posted today which I managed to do before 3.30pm which surprised me.
I then headed up to Mt. Lloyd to visit a couple who had been rejoicing in their first pregnancy but which ended in a miscarriage this morning - both a more than a little bit shattered at the moment so I will give them a call in the morning.
I've just finished meeting with a couple who are getting married in May and we have started work on their FOCCUS program and I will be seeing them in 10 days time for the next part of the program.
Now it is time to head upstairs and hit the sack.
Saturday, 12th
Today started strangely after being woken by a dream that was a little bit different - one of my friends suggested it meant that I was anxious about something, If it happened days before when I was trying to work out my Navy posting dates and the NCCA meeting arrangements I would have agreed but they were all solved so I'm not certain what the concern might have been.
I headed to town to lead a memorial service for deceased members of the Navy Club at their centre and found that the time had been changed to early afternoon so it meant I was able to attend the Golden Jubilee celebrations at the Cathedral for Sr Clement (a.k.a. Doreen) Williams, a wonderful Presentation Sister who taught here at New Norfolk and who had been the principal at Corpus Christi Bellerive when I was an assistant priest there almost twenty years ago. It also meant that I was able to get to Bellerive for the Farewell luncheon for Fr Joe Medwin who heads off to Circular Head Parish next week for the next six months.
After the memorial service I headed off to see my parents and managed to catch up with my sister and brother-in-law and their two children who had called in for a visit. Mum had some photo's of my twin sisters when they were small and it was interesting to see how much their children look and/or act like them. I showed a photo to Callum, Michele's 3 year old, and he pointed to his mum and said 'that's me' - and it looked just like him - 'scary!!' was the comment Michele made.
I've been home for a little while and cleared a few things off the desk, including loading the pages for the newsletter which I had difficulty getting up this morning because of line dropping out - the first time that has happened for some time - I hope that I will be able to load this page without difficulty.
Then to bed.
Sunday, 13th
There were good numbers at all the Masses today - school is back and people are back into the normal routines of life. My young couple from Mt. Lloyd were at the 9am Mass and were just a little sad - the Gospel also sparked a tinge of sadness in a couple of other people as well so it was a subdued group who gathered in the Parish House after Mass. The trip to Maydena went well without any great problems - the day had started with a cold breeze but has improved all day and is, even now, still very pleasant.
The Baptism this afternoon was well attended and the little gathering afterwards meant that I was able to catch up with some old friends from my teenage years who were members of the extended family of little Connor Parker.
I've just returned from a very pleasant walk along by the river with a little bit of a hill to finish off to keep the heart rate up. I'm enjoying this walking so I hope that I can keep it up.
Now, however, it is time for bed.
Monday, 14th
After the Mass this morning I did some work following up the work of the weekend before heading up to town to collect the mail and visit some of the people as a follow-up to the EasterFest meeting last Thursday. I will have more details tomorrow after one of the members of the Lions Club gets back to me with details of the banner size for our advertising. I had scanned a logo for them so, in a sense, it was a quid pro quo.
I didn't get a chance to get to the Sick & Retired Priests Fund manager because I called to see a lady who is seeking a freedom to marry and I needed to sign off some of the last pieces of information for her application. I then called to see a couple of workers from one of the companies I had been involved in with ITIM Chaplaincy and talked to them about some of the issues that are facing them at the present.
I had only been home a few minutes when Denis Murphy arrived to inform me that a parishioner had died earlier in the afternoon and the family were asking if it might be possible to celebrate his funeral on Thursday morning. It will mean a few changes to the timetable but is not too difficult to arrange.
Now, however, it is time for an early night.
Tuesday, 15th
Today was a long day - the power went off just before 2 am and the clock radio came on with a real blare when the power came back on and it woke me with a start.
Ruby didn't come to work because she had suffered a bout of gastro over night and her daughter called to say she was unwell. So after Mass I did a few jobs before heading down to school to see the staff about the Mass tomorrow before heading off to see the family of the late Barry Burke to make arrangements for the funeral on Thursday morning.
On the way back I collected the ingredients for the Business Morning Tea and set to making some sponges as well as working on the leaflet for the funeral.
Late this afternoon I did some work for the Cluster meeting which finished a short time ago. The meeting, at Bridgewater, involved representatives from Oatlands, New Norfolk and Bridgewater as we look to find ways of being able to support each pastoral work in each of these three rural parishes. It was a good meeting but there is a long way to go before we can really say we have a direction.
Now, however, it is time for bed.
Wednesday, 16th
The Business Morning Tea program went well this morning with 100+ morning teas going out - all before 9.30am, even with the fact that there were three people who normally help missing.
The School Commencement Mass was a great success - there is a suggestion that we have a School Mass regularly and involve the whole Parish.
After the Mass I had Morning Tea with the Staff before coming home to work on the leaflet for the funeral of the late Barry Burke which I managed to get completed so that I could take it to the family on the way to town to drop off some cakes for Graham family.
I then collected a CD from the Catholic Book Centre and visited the Education Office to drop off some monies for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund.
I've just got home from having a meal with some friends and just checked some details of things that need to get done before I head off to Sydney for the meetings this weekend.
Thursday, 17th
The funeral of the late Barry Burke was a big deal today - we printed over 250 leaflets are a large number of people missed out. I have been back from the funeral long enough to complete all the other things that I needed to do as well as print some more copies of the leaflet for the family which they will collect tomorrow.
Both editions of the newsletter have been printed as well as the worship service for Saturday in Sydney. I have also set up the Church for Sunday although I forgot to contact the organist to arrange for her to put up the numbers for the hymns for Mass.
I just have a couple of notes for Ruby to ensure that everything is covered for the next day or so then I'll head off to the airport - arranging to have my car left at the Toyota Service Centre for a service while I'm away.
There won't be an update for the few days but I'll be back with all the news after the weekend.
Now for an early night.
Friday, 18th
It was another 4am rise this morning - I woke at 1.56am and thought that I was in serious strife but managed to drop off to sleep to be woken by the alarm - hopefully I'll be able to get to bed early enough tonight without too great a hassle.
The trip to Sydney took just under two hours which gave me time to travel into Sydney and visit the Chaplaincy Office at Garden Island. I was able to sit in on a debrief of two of the chaplains who had served with INTERFET on board ships protecting the Oeclussi Enclave, the small section of East Timor within West Timor. Their comments and some of the issues that need to be addressed as a result of their work will provide further food for thought in the Chaplaincy Branch as well as the Navy in general.
From there I headed off to book into my accommodation for the night before walking over to the offices of the National Council of Churches for the Education and Public Affairs Committee meeting. That meeting lasted the rest of the afternoon and looked at how we might develop further some of the processes already in place for a greater awareness of the work of Christian World Service within the Community.
I headed back with Jim Minchin and Joan Hendricks to our accommodation before Jim and I found a Lebanese cafe and enjoyed a pleasant evening meal. From there we headed back to the motel for an early night.
Saturday, 19th
This morning was a not too early rise and after a pleasant breakfast a group of us wandered back to the NCCA offices to start work for the Christian World Services Commission Meeting - the main reason for being in Sydney. The discussion was good and is showing the benefits of people getting to know each other. As a result of our discussions and because of tight timelines for the production of material for the Christmas Bowl appeal there is to be another meeting of the Education and Public Relations Committee towards the end of next month so that the material can be presented to the Standing Committee for consideration before being sent to all members of the Commission.
At the end of the meeting I headed over to Vaucluse to spend the night with Quinlan's and enjoy the company of some great friends. I was also lucky enough to catch up with Cath, one of the Manyana girls who will be travelling, with her partner and some members of a bike club, to Tassie in a fortnight's time. There are a couple of places I will try and arrange for her to get to see so that was interesting as we talked all about that. It was a pleasant meal and not too late when I got to bed.
Sunday, 20th
Today started with me joining in the Morning Service at Wentworth Memorial Anglican Church. The Quinlans attend this service each week and have become close friends of the minister and his family and were rather distraught when I had spoken to them earlier in the week and told me that their minister was resigning to take up full time care of his son who had been injured in a car accident last year and who now needed full time care.
After enjoying a cuppa after the service we headed for the airport and Jan and Annabel had a meal while we waited for the flight from Sydney. It was good to be with them in a relaxed atmosphere because they are both still quite sad about the news of their minister leaving and it was good for them to be able to chat freely.
The flight was delayed for half an hour which meant that there was very little time when we got to Melbourne before we boarded the final leg of the trip home.
There were a number of Hash House Harriers on the flight arriving for their international gathering in Tasmania this week. I chatted with some people from Glenorchy days and shared some of the experiences of the past few days and the time away before jumping in the car and heading for New Norfolk and the Hospital to visit Arch Milton who had been getting progressively lower over the weekend. He is near the end of his journey but is hanging in at the moment - I'll ring early tomorrow morning to see how he is.
The evening Mass tonight seemed as if I had been away for ever and it took some getting used to as I had to rethink what were the events that needed to be talked about in the announcements - it seemed such a long time ago since I prepared the newsletter.
I've just finished returning the phone calls that have come in over the past few days and now I'm heading for bed.
Monday, 21st
When Mass was over this morning I started contacting the various people and groups that had called over the weekend to find out what else needed to be done. I then headed off to school to catch Sandy and get the information regarding the dates for sacramental program meetings so that they were in my diary.
Then it was off to Ellendale for the Annual Fundraising Luncheon for Sr Lorraine - there were not as many people as usual but it looks as if the day raised well over $800 from about 40 people which wasn't a real bad effort.
I then headed for Howrah to visit a friend who is to have surgery on Wednesday but who had to see a specialist this afternoon so it was important that I get there today. I then called to the Catholic Book Centre to get a book for a couple who were to see me tonight but who have just called to say that they guy has had to work late and can't make it - so they are rebooked for next Monday.
I have one small job to get finished and then I'm heading for bed.
Tuesday, 22nd
This morning after Mass I worked on the newsletter for the weekend and began work on the Calendar for March which is due out this weekend. I managed to get a fair bit of each completed before a parishioner arrived to chat about some of the things that are happening within the Parish and which need to be addressed over the next few days - unfortunately it will not be possible to complete it as quickly as might be hoped.
The Insurance Rep arrived and we talked about some of the issues that will need to be addressed regarding our policy for the next twelve months. I had just returned from having a bite to eat with him when the phone rang asking if I was available for Arch Milton's funeral on Friday - when I am in Melbourne so that started a whole chain of events which has resulted in Mons Phil Green being organised to come to New Norfolk for Friday morning. I'm sad that I will not be available and disappointed that it was not possible to hold the funeral on Thursday afternoon but the family asked for Friday so there was nothing I could do. I spent some time with his daughter Pat this afternoon and will see the family again tomorrow.
On the way to town I had a call from Travis at Graham Family asking if I might be available on Thursday morning for the funeral of the infant child of a couple whose marriage I had witnessed some three years ago. That will mean a couple of phone calls in the morning regarding a meeting I'm due to be at on Thursday morning but I'll wait and see about that.
I've just arrived home from a good walk and, after a bite to eat I'm heading for an early night.
Wednesday, 23rd
Today has been a long day - with periods of being extremely rushed and time to sit and think. I'm not sure which is the more demanding.
After Mass this morning I dropped off the covers to Greg Hudson for him to take to a woman who is making preparations for her funeral. From there I headed to Lindisfarne to see Sean and Nikki to make preparations for their infant son's funeral and spending time talking with them about the story of their journey over the past three years.
From there I headed for the Church Office and dropped some things off there before calling into the Education Office and chatting with Phil Scanlon re the Sick & Retired Priests Fund payments to priests. I managed to spend a few minutes with Maura but there was no news about Karen at that time so will visit her tomorrow afternoon after the meetings in town.
I then called to see people at Graham's before collecting some more CD-R's from Tom Young - I still haven't managed to have a Saturday free to spend time in the workshop looking at what makes a computer work - or otherwise.
I called to visit Elaine Burke but she wasn't home so I continued back here to work on the leaflet for Arch Milton's funeral - I had called to see pat on the way to town and shown her the basic leaflet and she was calling back after the family had seen Mons Phil Green to finalise the leaflet.
I've printed the leaflet for Jacob Cranfield's funeral tomorrow and completed the newsletter and calendar for this weekend and they are almost finished being copied.
I've just returned from School where I've attended the first Board Meeting for the year and attended the first meeting of the Parents and Friends for the year. Both meetings were productive and plans are underway for the 75th Anniversary Celebrations for the school although a deal of work needs to be done finalising dates for the year.
Now, however, it is time for bed.
Thursday, 24th
Today has been an interesting day. This morning instead of being here in the house I headed for Graham's Chapel for the funeral of the infant child of Nikki and Sean which started at 10.00am. There was a meeting of the EasterFest Committee and then the Leaders Association starting at 9.30am in the Parish House and an Awakening 2000 meeting in New Town at 10.00am. I was able to get to the Awakening Meeting but missed the other meeting so will have to find another way of getting to know what happened before the next meeting in a fortnight.
After the meeting I headed for Town with two new jobs being added (via the mobile) to worry about over the next few days. Karen was having a bad afternoon after her operation yesterday and was getting some pain management treatment at the time I visited so I only stayed a short time.
One of the calls had been about arranging a funeral for Monday for the late Barrie Dexter, a former Police Officer who had died yesterday in Launceston. I visited his wife and family at Sorell and have been able to complete the main part of the leaflet for his funeral and faxed it through to his son-in-law for the family to look at it and to approve it, if appropriate.
I then came home and worked on a prayer service for the ITIM Meeting in Melbourne tomorrow - although I'm not certain that I've actually covered all the areas that were mentioned on the phone so hopefully I'll get there early enough to complete the work before the meeting starts.
I've just returned from the first of the Deanery meetings on the Call to Change and spoke out about the needs of rural communities - I've been asked to put our concerns down on paper and sent them through to the Call to Change Office.
As we left the meeting a couple of Hash House Harriers were standing on the corner of Harrington and Patrick Streets, opposite the Cathedral looking lost. They needed to get to a motel up on Knocklofty so I drove them there before heading home and now I'm heading for bed because 4am will come soon enough.
Friday, 25th
My 4am rise this morning didn't really work too well. I managed to get to the airport in plenty of time for the flight to Melbourne and then took a taxi to Kew to arrive in time to complete the work for the prayer service at the beginning of the day.
The meeting went well until early afternoon when I stopped and then struggled to stay awake whilst we worked through without a real break until 4pm. We stopped for awhile and then finished for the day ay 6.30pm and headed to the Motel for an evening meal which was very pleasant with good company.
It's 10pm and time for bed and I'me heading off for a good night's sleep - I hope.
Saturday, 26th
I had a great night's sleep wandering around in the all the space of a Queen size bed - three times the size of my normal sleeping area. I woke at 4.30am and thought that this is ridiculous but then rolled over and managed to sleep until almost 8am. I had time for a quick shower before heading downstairs for breakfast and then into the taxi to head back to the meeting at La Verna.
Today's meeting was more about strategy than the past and so there was quite a deal of thought around the table as planning for the future was shared - both the possibles and the dreams. It will be interesting over these next few months to see how these strategies start to impact on the remaining 4 months of this financial year.
The meeting finished too late for the early flight home so I spent time with the Chairman in the Qantas Lounge talking and then working through some of the issues that had been raised at the Call to Change Meeting on Thursday evening. I've written up some of the issues that I raised at that meeting and will do some more work on them tomorrow.
It's so good to be able to collect bags quickly at the airport so I managed to get away all right and called to see some friends who were having a BBQ - only stayed a short time but long enough to say hello before I've come home for another good night's sleep.
I've just done one job that needed doing and now I'm heading for bed.
Sunday, 27th
There were a couple of visitors from Melbourne who had contacted me some weeks ago about Mass at Hamilton for today (the 4th Sunday of the Month) and I had told them about the Mass and BBQ at Ellendale and I was really pleased to see them when I arrived. They stayed and joined in the celebration and quickly felt quite at home.
I headed back for the two Baptisms but due to a misunderstanding the second has had to be postponed for a fortnight so I'll need to catch up with that one later on. I managed to do some work on the extra leaflets for the family of baby Jacob Cranfield - there was a message asking me if they could have a few more as well as printing the leaflet for the funeral tomorrow of the late Barrie Dexter. All this was happening while the first of the baptisms was being celebrated so thank goodness for photocopiers and printers that work away in the background.
I then headed for town to see Karen in hospital - her report is basically good although she will have to have some treatment for cancer but not as extensive as might have been the case. The surgeon was pleased with the result so that was good news.
I called to see mum on the way home and had a short time with her before coming back for the evening Mass. There was a good gathering of people with some visitors as well as regulars.
I've finished off the printing and now I'm heading for bed and another good night's sleep.
Tuesday, 28th
As usual there were some things from the weekend that needed to be completed before I could head down to the School Swimming carnival to say hello - it doesn't matter how well I organise things, however, because there were still things that needed to be done that made it late when I actually arrived.
The funeral of the late Barrie Dexter went well although one of the retired Police Officers who has not great love for me managed to let it be known that time hasn't healed any differences. Everyone else seemed happy enough.
I called to see Peter Nicholls - the Vicar General who has moved to Glenorchy for the next 6 months - but he wasn't home or at least not answering the door.
I arrived home in time for my appointment with Wayne and Tania for their Marriage Preparation and worked through with them the final stages of their program. I've just finished looking at the papers for the GST and Council of Priests Meetings in the morning so now I am heading for bed and a good night's sleep.
Tuesday, 29th
I checked to se if there were any Y2K faults this morning at the Grapevine program which has been giving me a default date of (say) 28/02/1900 this morning read 'error' so I will need to check tomorrow to see if it back to 01/03/1900 - I've had the program looked at but it doesn't seem to have improved so I'll need to talk to the programmers again and see what happens.
Heading off to town for a 9am meeting means leaving a lot earlier than usual so I joined the traffic rush trying to get to town in time - I arrived a few minutes late but not too bad. The meeting had just started so I was able to join in quickly. From the Church Office I headed for Mt. St Canice for the Council of Priests Meeting which looked at a whole range of issues including the Call to Change Process, the upcoming Pastoral Conference and the Priests Plenary Meeting in May - setting the agenda for the future as well as looking at issues regarding the care of retired priests in the immediate future.
I spent a bit of time trying to assist Liam Floyd, a recently retired priest who is settling into the refurbished St Canice Presbytery, but have had to admit that I can't fix what he needs so I'll have to get some assistance tomorrow.
After the Council of Priests Meeting I headed for the Hospital to see Karen but she has been released so I rang her instead to see how she is getting on. I then headed home to prepare for the couple for marriage preparation - and had forgotten to correct their Foccus material so did finished off the paperwork and gave them the information regarding the preparation of their booklet and will fix things for their next appointment.
During the time with them the phone rang to say that a couple whom I had celebrated their marriage with some 4 years ago had just lost their little one mid term so I went back to town to the Hospital and spent some time with them - they are uncertain what else they will do about a memorial service so I'll need to wait for them to contact me.
Now, however, it is time for bed.
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