Daily Notes and News
The Month of March 2000
Wednesday 1st
There are always little things that need to get done - but things were thrown into some little confusion by a request from the Navy asking if I might be available for a slightly longer time for Reserve Service. Unfortunately the details of my posting and all the rest will have to wait until I get confirmation of what is happening when Ships routines are posted. In the meantime I spent time making preliminary arrangements in case I do have to go away for an extended length of time and have been able to square away all the details - now I wait.
I called down to the school to see some people because I had received a phone call to say that the father of one of the teachers had been taken to hospital so I'll try and see him on Friday when I am in town again.
During the morning I started working on the newsletter for the weekend as well as the letters to members of the Sick & Retired Priests Fund who have yet to pay their contributions to the Fund for this financial year.
After lunch I did some work on the logo and program for a Memorial Service for the 2/2 Commando Unit which is to have a National Gathering here in Hobart in two weeks time. I then went for a quick walk before calling to see some people in hospital - neither of them are particularly well so I'll see them again after Mass on Friday and take them Communion.
I've just finished the second meeting for the night. The first was down at school looking at the arrangement of some dates for the 75th anniversary for St Brigid's School which occurs this year. The majority of the events take place towards the end of the year and fit in with the plans for the Jubilee Celebrations for the Parish in November - more details later as they become more settled.
The second meeting was a Fair follow-up meeting looking at some of the details regarding the future date of the Parish Fair - has been held on January 26th, Australia Day, for the past 5 years but the date has met some opposition from some members of the group because of the closeness to the start of the school year as well as being very much a Public Holiday and the last time for many people to have some time off before work goes into full swing. A final decision will be made in August after the Call to Change Process recommendations and moves are announced.
Now for bed.
Thursday, 2nd
Most of today was spent looking at finishing some of the work for the newsletter as well as working on the booklet for the wedding this weekend - there was a slight hitch that needed some work at the rehearsal tonight so that I could go with the scripture readings rather than some secular readings one of the bridal party wanted.
Mass today was at midday so that gave me time to do some work on the Pudding Cooking program for September - I've spoken to a couple of places including the Enterprise Centre and the Football Club to determine costs etc. for the use of the facilities. I then called to see a retired supervisor to see if he might be the co-ordinator of the process - he is interested but I'll need to show him the business plan before he can give me an answer.
The school REC called in for a few minutes to confirm some dates for the sacramental for the school and she left a few minutes before my couple arrived to start their preparation for their marriage early next year. Then it was off to Richmond for the wedding rehearsal which went well but it is now late and definitely time to head to bed.
Friday, 3rd
It was different waking at 6.05am this morning (later than usual) because on the past two Fridays I've been on a plane heading for the mainland at this time.
After the morning Mass I headed off to Corumbene to celebrate the First Friday Mass for the residents before continuing onto the District Hospital to see Eileen and Alby and to take them Communion. From there I headed for the supermarket to get the ingredients for the priests lunch tomorrow - I couldn't get a cream of onion soup mix so I've substituted a french onion and cream of chicken so will wait and see what happens with that.
I've almost finished the newsletter and I've completed the work on the leaflet for the wedding tomorrow - during the day the copier worked away at printing them. I've also just finished the stapling together of the marriage booklet.
Earlier this afternoon I went to visit the family of the late Wayne Miller. I will be celebrating his funeral on Tuesday. I spent time with his mother and some of his family before visiting his father for some more details of his story. I managed to get a photo but the face image was very small so I took it to get a bromide to use on the leaflet. Almost the last thing his mother said as I was leaving was 'please don't lose the photo'. When I went to collect the bromide the fellow apologised profusely saying that they had included the photo in another package and might not be able to return it before the funeral on Tuesday - I hope they are able to get it back.
I then headed off to see Ian Rumley in the Royal before calling to see Peter Hodge who is in St John's Hospital - I'll call and see both again tomorrow afternoon after the wedding and before I visit the reception.
Now it is time for bed.
Saturday, 4th
I started precooking the fried rice for lunch today early so that I could simply reheat it as lunch time got closer - the rest of the preparations went easily so that was all right.
I also fixed the Church with the material for Project Compassion and took across the other material for this weekend, although I still will need to staple the letter to Parishioners to the newsletter in the morning.
There was a good crowd for lunch and, thankfully, Steve Evans from St Joseph's stayed a little longer to clean up after lunch which meant that I could head off to Richmond for the wedding.
It was a little bit of a rush to get there but everything turned out all right and I had a chance to chat to Terry Rush before heading back to town to see Mum and Dad before attending the reception at Claremont. There was a little bit of a drama there as one of the guests had a severe asthma attack and needed an ambulance which arrived just as I was leaving.
I didn't get to the hospitals because I was late leaving Richmond but also because I had received a phone call to say that Peter Hodge had died this morning. While I was talking to Terry at Richmond the Funeral Directors had rung asking me to celebrate his funeral on Wednesday morning - Ash Wednesday is now going to be very busy.
Time for bed.
Sunday, 5th
After the morning Mass here at New Norfolk I headed off to Ouse and managed to become part of a convoy of Vintage vehicles on a Rally which meant that some of the more tightly curved and hilly parts of the trip to Ouse were very slow travelling. Thankfully they were gathering at Gretna so I had a chance to keep a good speed to get to Mass in time - Ouse is the furthest of the weekly Mass Centres.
I arrived home after lunch and had a few minutes at home before heading off to see the family of the late Peter Hodge to make preparations for his funeral to be celebrated on Wednesday. When I returned home there was a lady waiting to see me regarding a friend whom she is concerned about so we chatted for a time before I prepared for the Teleconference at 4pm. That went well but there was little time for anything before the evening Mass so I virtually walked out of the Office onto the altar.
After Mass I had a meal with Cath and Michael, friends from Manyana who are travelling around Tasmania by motor bike. They came over from the Bush Inn for a coffee before heading back for an early night. Tomorrow they hope to be able to get to Strathgordon and because it is forecast to be a pleasant day it is highly likely they'll make it.
Now it is time for bed.
Monday, 6th
Life was a little slower today than usual because it was a public holiday in Tasmania - much of the rest of Australia has it next weekend but we've always been ahead of the rest!!
I called to see the family of the late Wayne Miller to finalise the details for his funeral tomorrow before heading off to the Taste of the Huon with some friends. It was a good day with lot's of people but sadly there wasn't anything to actually grab the attention of the crowd. Last year there were some street performers who did their thing in the middle of the oval whilst people sat on the grass and enjoyed lunch - this year they had performers on, or near, the stage but it didn't have quite the same atmosphere.
I came home via the Hodge family home but there was no-one home so I'll have to call and see them tomorrow regarding the funeral for Wednesday.
Now it is time for bed - a quiet day but I'm really tired after doing very little.
Tuesday, 7th
I had an early start today (Shrove Tuesday) because I needed to get some rubbish out and I still had work to complete for the funeral at 11am.
After Mass and the entering of data from the weekend's Thanksgiving Program I headed back to the Church for the arrival of the Miller Family who had come for a family viewing before the start of the service. There were some difficulties because some members of the family didn't arrive until 11am and wanted the opportunity to say their farewells which meant that the service started later than intended. There were similar difficulties at the graveside where people remained for quite some time as they said their farewells.
I returned home to make some preparations for the Ash Wednesday ceremonies for tomorrow as well as making the pancake mix for the meal this evening. Everything went reasonably well although I had some difficulties getting the final bit of information from the family of the late Peter Hodge for the booklet for the funeral tomorrow but that is now all fixed and the booklet is being printed even as I type.
The Pancake meal was a success even though the numbers attending were small. We had fun making and eating a light supper and the conversation was good. But now it is time for bed.
Wednesday, 8th
I've been caught. I set up the previous day's Notes and News for the Archived pages the previous night but upload them first thing the next day. This morning the computer had gone off over night and it took some time to determine the problem because there was no power and by the time everything had been checked and the fault corrected I was busy trying to get the final preparations for this morning completed because today is Ash Wednesday and I had a busy day.
I needed some information for Mass this morning as well as needing to print off the Big Book I use for funerals - everything was ready I just needed to print it off for the funeral at 11.30am. In the meantime I also had a service for the Junior Primary children at St Brigid's for Ash Wednesday so it was a tight schedule and a rush all morning.
By the time I had been back to the family gathering after the funeral and then got back to the parish House it was well past 3pm so I sat down for a few minutes to catch my breath and immediately dozed off. When I woke (an hour later) it was because the phone was ringing as one of the teachers had some names to be added to the list of participants in our football competition. I then went into top gear to get all that sorted because the first game is tonight and I needed to have everything done before the game started.
Whilst trying to get that done the phone rang at least a dozen times so it has been a battle. I got it all done and a list on the notice board in the church (to prove it was completed) before the evening Mass for Ash Wednesday. There was a normal Sunday night type crowd for Mass tonight so that was good.
Now, however, I'm heading for bed and not even bothering to watch the football so I'll need to find out in the morning who actually won.
Thursday, 9th
After I had posted the material for Tuesday and Wednesday as well as the information for Thursday's Daily Notes and News the phone rang to say that Ruby, the housekeeper, had fallen during the night whilst getting a drink and has (suspected) broken ribs. I saw her this afternoon just after she had the X-rays but there was no further information before tonight.
The meeting for the EasterFest and the Christian Leaders Meetings both went well with very little difficulty regarding any of the usual topics that have caused any concern over recent months.
The meeting was followed by Mass at midday and then I went off to lunch with Sr Julianne Dunn, the Congregational Leader of the Missionary Sisters of Service, who is on visitation to Sr Lorraine the second half of this week. We looked at some of the issues facing the Parish and talked about some of the options that are available to us but we are in the hands of other people so we will be making recommendations towards ways in which we can continue to support the work of the Parish throughout the whole of the Community.
I returned to the house to work on the newsletter as well as finishing off some material for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund which I started yesterday and managed to post off this afternoon. I also went to visit an elderly parishioner at Corumbene who has gone down rapidly since last Friday when I saw her - I'll visit her again tomorrow morning after Mass when I take Communion to Ruby and Eileen in the District Hospital.
I've just spent a couple of hours with a young fellow talking about a whole range of things and now I'm ready for bed.
Friday, 10th
After Mass this morning I went to visit Ruby in the District Hospital after her fall yesterday morning. It was different starting the day without her cheery presence in the house - she is much better and seems to be starting to make a recovery - without the broken ribs.
I've completed the newsletter and half is printed - the rest can wait until morning. I've done all of the work for the Memorial Service on Sunday but I tried to contact David Lewis the Army Chaplain just to confirm the draft and have not been able to catch him so I'll go ahead and print the program off my own bat but will wait until tomorrow to start that.
I finally managed to get a haircut this afternoon before calling into see my parents on the way home. I also managed to catch up with Kath Machin in Corumbene - she has gone down even more over the past couple of days so I'll call in again in the morning on the way to lunch.
I've just come back from the Stations of the Cross - there were only a few people there so I'll have to push the celebration at Masses this weekend.
Now for bed - an early night.
Saturday, 11th
Today went well although I managed to miss my 10am appointment - for some reason I didn't hear the front door bell and it was some time later that he rang - will have to meet again next weekend.
I called to see Ruby and found her improving quite rapidly and then called to see Mrs Machin and she is still going down so will try and see her again over the weekend.
I then headed for Kingston for the Clergy lunch which was well attended - it was the first lunch that we have had there in recent memory. I was tired after lunch but I'd also said that I would email the Papal Statement of Repentance to Phil Green this afternoon so I headed home and did that then sat down for a while and managed to fall asleep.
I've just returned from the Glenorchy Parish Fair which was well on the way to closing down by the time that I got there but it looked as if it went reasonably well.
Now for bed.
Sunday, 12th
Mass today was at Maydena but I needed to make a quick trip back to New Norfolk before heading off to Hobart and St Joseph's Church for the Memorial Service for the 2/2 Commando Unit who are having their reunion in Hobart this week.
I managed to get there in plenty of time and that whole thing went off well with a very good response. Carlene played the organ for us and joined us for Afternoon Tea down at the Navy Club which was a good place to meet everyone in an informal setting and share lot's of stories.
Mass this evening was well attended and after Mass I've come back here - set up this page - and now I'm heading for bed and another early night.
Monday, 13th
An early morning phone call from Tess, Ruby's daughter, told me that Ruby is still struggling with back pain and that it will be a few days (at the earliest) before she is able to get back to the Parish House.
This meant that John worked away by himself on the weekend Thanksgiving details and I completed some of the other work before the Journey Scripture Program commenced at 11am. There were a few less that last year (similarly this evening) but there were a few people who had apologised so the final number will probably be known in the next week or so.
After lunch I headed off to Sacred Heart to run through the Liturgical Movement for the Gospel for tomorrow night's School Commencement Mass. I also had a chance to check out some of the final details for the celebration before heading home, via Graham's, to make arrangements for some Baptisms that are coming up.
I had promised that I would print a front cover for a New Norfolk woman who was dying of cancer and her funeral is to be celebrated on Wednesday so I collected the leaflet and have just finished printing the leaflet and will drop it off to Greg tomorrow morning.
The second Journey session has just finished and now I'm heading for bed.
Tuesday, 14th
This morning started with a phone call to say that Kath Machin had died just a short time ago so I made arrangements to call and see the family at 11am to prepare the funeral liturgy for the Funeral Mass on Thursday morning.
After our Parish Mass this morning I went to visit Ruby who is still struggling with back pain - partially a result of the fall last week but also a sign of age - not a pleasant thought. I also called into school to check out some details for the School Board AGM tomorrow night before calling to see the Machin family.
On the way back to the Parish House I called to see two families in the same street to confirm details for two baptisms that are coming up in the next few weeks. This was helpful because both families had not been able to make appointments to visit the Parish House because of sickness over the past two weeks.
I had just started working on the photo for the late Kath Machin when I received a phone call from a reporter from the BULLETIN Magazine who is preparing a story regarding the place of the Awakening Movement in the wider Church community at this time. She is just at the beginning of the story at present so her discussion and questions were wide ranging - extremely enjoyable but it will be interesting to see what happens when the story is written.
I then took Communion to Ruby before heading into the town to collect the mail and delivered the leaflet for the funeral of the Late Sue Stops to Greg for her funeral tomorrow. When I got back home I completed the work on the draft leaflet for the late Kath Machin to take to the family tomorrow morning.
The rest of the afternoon was spent completing my homily for the Sacred Heart Commencement Mass - I've just returned home from what was a wonderful celebration at the Tasman Room at Wrest Point - the only venue of suitable size in the Hobart area for a major school celebration.
On the way to the Mass I called to see my father who is in Calvary Hospital after having a minor operation this morning. He is as comfortable as possible after a prostate operation but the doctor is uncertain whether the operation was successful because he has the complication of being an insulin dependant diabetic and has been for almost 40 years so we'll have to wait and see how he gets on. Now however, it is time for bed.
Wednesday, 15th
After Mass this morning it was panic time. John asked if I had remembered that tomorrow was the first of our Raffle ticket selling days on the High Street for our Easter Raffle. No tickets had been printed and no one organised to sell the tickets. A few phone calls later the ticket sellers had been organised - the copier was printing the tickets and then I headed off to take Communion to Ruby before coming back to finish the funeral leaflet to take to the Machin Family for their perusal before the funeral tomorrow.
There were some details that needed to be looked at here before I was able to see the Machin's but everything worked out. I then had to go to town to return some urgent papers that had been sent back in the post because I had made a mistake in the address. I also found out whilst in town that the material I had left for the visitor from NSW regarding the Bellerive Cricket Oval was still sitting on the reception desk at the Motel where she had been staying so that has now been posted off to her.
By the time I returned there was a little bit of time for me to start work on the Newsletter but I was only able to get a little done before the phone started regarding Baptisms as well as some other concerns of people and each one took time - and more than an hour was gone before I knew it.
After a cuppa I headed off to School for the AGM Meeting of the School Board before coming home for the PPC Meeting - the first actual meeting since November last year. Recent meetings have been about the Call to Change and the Parish Fair so there was a number of concerns that needed to be addressed and which need to followed up. They will have to wait until tomorrow because today has been long enough and I'm heading for bed.
Thursday, 16th
The first thing I did this morning was to write to all the team who assist with the making of the Christmas Puddings. It seems as if I have caused some concern by preparing the Business Plan for the future without taking time to ask if anyone in the group wished to be the coordinator. I had been too clever for my own good and my concern not to increase the burden on anyone person has back fired and I need to rebuild some fences.
I went down to School for a Reconciliation Service for the Gr. 3 children and then took Communion to Ruby - she is still struggling and had to go to see the Doctor this afternoon - Ill see her in the morning to see how she got on.
I then came back to finish the Big Book for the funeral of the late Kath Machin this afternoon. There was a great crowd at the Mass with lot's of old New Norfolk names joining in the celebration. After the burial at Malbina there was gathering at the Bowls Club which I joined for a short time.
I made a quick phone call to Sydney to see which ship I am on and learnt that it is HMAS Sydney. I'll try and get on board next Friday when I'm up there to make some arrangements about rig for the time I'm away with them to ensure that I have everything I need.
I've just finished seeing my couple for their marriage preparation program and have now completed all the paperwork etc. that needed to be done for their wedding. I'll work on their booklet in the next few days and email it to them so that they can do some work on it themselves.
I now have the luxury of an early night.
Friday, 17th
Beannachtí na Féile Pádraig!
(Blessings of St. Patrick!)
St Patrick's Day was a good day - I took a little bit of time off to have lunch with a friend in town and then sat and chatted for awhile afterwards before calling to see Dad who is still in hospital although a little better today.
After Mass, and before I headed for town, I took communion to Eileen in the District Hospital before calling to see Ruby. She is much better today than she has been over the past few days and it looks as if she has turned the corner and is on the road to recovery.
There were a few extra at the Stations of the Cross this evening so that was good. I thought that I might complete the newsletter tonight but have decided that I'll will work on it in the morning and print it off then.
Now, I'm going to watch Dangerfield and Jonathan Creek and then bed.
Saturday, 18th
The first thing on the agenda this morning was completing the newsletter. As I finished preparing the internet edition I remembered that I was supposed to be at the Prayer Breakfast in 20 minutes so I had to put my skates on to get there in time. There was a good number there and a good time of prayer.
My appointment at 10am lasted longer than usual and by the time it concluded I only had a short time to collect the Standard (the Catholic Paper) so that we had copies for this weekend of the Archbishop's Pastoral Letter for the CALL TO CHANGE Process. I had a couple of other jobs to do on the town before heading for lunch is at Bridgewater where there was also a good crowd and an enjoyable time.
After lunch I headed off towards town to see Mum and managed to catch Sean & Rowena and their girls before continuing on to see Dad in Calvary. He looks likely to stay until at least Monday and possibly a little longer. From there I continued on to the Catholic Bookshop and paid a bill before going to the Eastern Shore to catch up with Karen - I hadn't seen her since just before she left Hospital some weeks ago. Luckily she was home but has had a difficult time after the first chemo treatment and there are a number to go.
From there I headed for the Callinan's whom I hadn't seen since they arrived early for the Parish Fair and managed to help set up but were unable to hang around for the rest of the event. After spending time chatting with Michael I headed to tea with friends which started out as just being a family gathering and ended up almost a party as some other friends dropped in and built up the numbers.
There are some things I haven't finished for tomorrow but they will have to wait as I'm heading for bed.
Sunday, 19th
There were reasonable congregations at all Masses today - the best numbers for a Sunday for some time. Also the trip to Hamilton went smoothly so that meant that getting back for the Baptisms wasn't too difficult. This was as well as playing the tape of the Archbishop's Pastoral Message for the next stage of the CALL TO CHANGE process. This weekend throughout the Archdiocese the tape, a printed response to the Conversation groups as well as a special edition of the Standard detailing the 5 tasks that have been presented to the Cluster Groups to provide responses by July 1st.
The three Baptismal ceremonies (4 baptisms) took quite a deal out of me and instead of being able to sit down for a few minutes before the evening Mass I had to head over to the Royal Derwent Hospital to see a patient - he has since rung back three times - I hope that he has finished for the night because I'm heading for the rack.
Monday, 20th
After Mass this morning I was able to take Communion to Ruby because she hadn't been well enough to travel to town for her doctor's appointment. Sitting up yesterday took a lot out of her and she didn't sleep well last night.
The Journey program today was good and well attended but we decided not to continue copying every weeks material but will use the booklets from the system so that we have less of a cost for the material - the only draw back is not being able to write notes against the material..
After lunch I went to visit an Aboriginal Elder - Ida West - to interview her for the for the Foundation 2010 Voice of Belief Project - I'm not certain that what we have will be suitable for the final project but I'll wait and see. I've typed up the material and will drop it off to her this morning for her to look at and make any changes and then I'll forward it off to the editor on Thursday and let her play with the material and hand it off to another writer if she thinks that the material is of any use.
The second Journey session has just finished so I'm getting for bed and an early night.
Tuesday, 21st March
Today started well with Mass at 9am and then I headed for town to attend the Pastoral Conference at St Canice, collecting Sr Lorraine from Tilford Motors where she is leaving it for a service during the Conference. I didn't get a chance to drop off the material for Ida West on the way because I would have been late for the Conference.
It was a good Conference with input from several groups who provided updates of programs that are ongoing in the Diocese. We finished with two sessions of input from Fr John Wall on the Eucharist - a bit heavy for the end of the day but good material none the less.
During the morning session the security monitoring group rang to say that the power had gone off here at the Parish House and hadn't been restored. I tried to contact John Maher but he wasn't home so after the meeting I came home and tried to restore the system from here. I did have some work that I needed to do tonight for the meeting tomorrow but because the system didn't come back on until almost 8pm it was too late to attend the Guilford Young College Commendation Ceremony - I have managed to finish the work for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund for the meeting tomorrow so now I can have an early night.
Wednesday, 22nd
In my rushing to get to the Clergy Conference this morning I managed to bash my hand against the sacristy safe door and have a great gash in my knuckle which keeps bleeding - and it is difficult to cover with a band-aid. I managed to get to see Ruby on the way as well as dropping off the material for Aunty Ida on the way.
I got to the Conference in time and we covered a whole range of material, including retirement packages, Sick & Retired Priests matters as well as the material we need to be looking at as far as the GST is concerned. All in all the Conference was a good event although there are still some issues regarding retirement that need to be addressed.
I dropped off the marriage papers to the Tribunal and then left some material at the Church Office before signing cheques at the Catholic Education Office for the Sick & Retired Priests Fund. I came home and started working on the material for the newsletter as well as the Calendar and the times for Holy Week Ceremonies which need to be distributed this weekend.
My couple for marriage preparation arrived a little ahead of time which meant that I was able to start working with them and then free to leave them to complete the FOCCUS session before moving onto the Cluster Meeting where we discussed the recommendations we might make to the Cluster Committee next week. Knowing that they also might have some suggestions we will have to put our material in writing and then see what happens.
Now it is time for bed.
Thursday, 23rd
A quick dash to town to collect some more toner for the photocopier meant that I only just arrived home before the meeting for the EasterFest. The meeting was also interrupted by various things happening like phone calls, cheques to sign as well as a couple of people coming to the door to chat.
After the Christian Leaders Meeting (which followed on immediately) finished I headed over to the Church for Mass. I then took Holy Communion to Ruby who is much better today than she has been these past few days so hopefully she is on the road to recovery. Then it was off to the Church for the two Baptisms which I had booked in for this afternoon because I knew that I was away this weekend.
I finished doing the newsletter - the internet edition will have to wait until I get back from Sydney on Sunday afternoon; I finished the Calendar for April as well as printing off the Timetable for Holy Week on the back of the calendar so that is also going to go out this weekend. I think that everything is now ready for Fr Clem Kilby to come for Mass on Sunday morning so I can be safe and happy in Sydney with my two brothers and not panic about what might happen.
I still have to speak to Ida West about her contribution to the Voice Of Belief Project so will need to do that this afternoon so that I can send it off to Ruth Prescott from Sydney tomorrow. Hopefully there will not be too many changes that she will want to make - I have the tape to send so that should work out all right.
Friday, 24th
Just after I had posted the update last night the phone rang to say that the flight to Sydney this morning was being delayed because of bad weather in Sydney last evening. The delay meant that I didn't arrive in Sydney until 9.15am this morning which made it impossible to get to the Navy before the meeting at the Offices of the National Council of Churches in Australia for the Education Subcommittee of the Christian World Services Commission. I'm not certain what is going to happen about the uniform etc. for the trip on HMAS Sydney but I'm certain that will all work out at some time.
The meeting went well with some good ideas being thrown round regarding the Christmas Bowl appeal slogan for 2000 as well as providing some interesting material for the Unit to continue working on during these next few weeks before the Standing Committee meets some time next month.
After the meeting I headed off to Victoria Barracks where my brother Steve works to catch a ride home with him and to see my sister-in-law and neices for the weekend. It was good catching up with them even though everyone was really zonked after a hectic week. After a simple meal I decided that an early night was in order.
Saturday, 25th
A quiet Saturday morning with people starting slowly sounded like a good way to have a day off in Sydney. After breakfast I went with Steve and Maree as they took Claire to work and then they decided that we might hang around the city for the morning. After parking at Darling Harbour we went off to visit an exhibition in one of the halls and had an interesting time wandering around the show - Big Boys Toys - was the exhibition.
After having a bite to eat we went to see a 3-D show at the Imax Theatre - it was absolutely brilliant and well worth it. From there we went to visit Jan and Annabel at Bronte. Jan is looking after her sister and brother-in-laws house whilst they are overseas for a month. The house is still being renovated but the view from the top floor and the possibilities are really quite unbelievable. Jan wondered how long you can live in a house before the owners can evict you!!
We headed home to a quiet house because the girls had headed off to their cousins at Penrith - the other side of town - for a house warming. After another simple meal we settled down for an early night after a very pleasant day being tourists in Sydney.
Sunday, 26th
This morning started slower than usual because it is also the end of daylight saving - another hours sleep without any extra effort. So we decided to make it even more leisurely and headed off to Bondi Beach for breakfast - definitely a way to go slow. We weren't home long when Brendan and Lisa and their daughter Grace arrived from Woollongong. They came up to see me for the morning which was great to see them again - they were home here in Tassie for Christmas '98 but I hadn't seen them since.
Sadly however my time was soon up so Steve drove me to the airport and I started the journey home. The funny thing about the whole trip was that I had managed to get to Sydney and hang around for the three days (virtually) and not meet or see anyone, other than those I expected to see at meetings or my family. This is not the usual happening because wherever we go we nearly always run into someone. There were a couple of people on the plane I knew and I saw (Fr) Clem Kilby walking through the airport but I didn't really speak to anyone. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how things went here for Mass this morning.
There was a good crowd at Mass tonight and I managed to get some information about events over the weekend but there is still some things I'll follow up tomorrow - now however it is time for bed.
Monday, 27th
It seems that almost as soon as I post the daily Notes & News something happens. This morning I got a phone call to say that the ramp that is being built at the Ellendale Church is a bit different to what we needed and wanted so that meant a couple of phone calls to people, including the builder to see what was happening. He called in on his way to work and we looked at what he had done and what he was going to do and then I started making some phone calls and now everyone (I hope) is happy.
After Mass I headed down to see Ruby to check out how she is going and, sadly, over the weekend things hadn't got any better. I will call and see her tomorrow but will wait and see where she is before visiting - she might be heading home. Then it was back to the house for the first of the two Journey programs for the day. There were only four of us which is a bit unusual so I'll need to see what people are doing and whether the time is the best for them.
Then it was off to see the family of the late Shane Richardson to make the preparations for his funeral tomorrow. The family are still in a state of shock but were able to look at what is happening for the funeral and it should work out all right.
then it was home to see the young altar servers who are commencing training - I spent time with them talking about all the things we need to celebrate Mass and showed them where they were kept in the sacristy so that they know what I or any priest are talking about when we mention the name of one of the vessels or books. There were a good number there so that is encouraging.
As soon as they had finished I headed over to the Royal Derwent to see a patient there whom I had known as a young girl at Bellerive, almost 20 years ago. I spent a little bit of time with her and will visit her again over the next few days.
Back home to work on the leaflet before seeing a couple for the next stage of their marriage preparation and then the second session of Journey for the day. There is a desire to get copies of the program so we will look at how to get the whole thing printed so that people are able to use the material for preparation as well as for follow-up work after the session.
Now I'm heading for bed.
Tuesday, 28th
This morning started with a quick trip to New Town to drop off the leaflet for the funeral this morning - my photocopier is not working well enough to print 300 copies and Graham's email program is not accepting attachments so I had to be on the road early.
Immediately after Mass I headed of with Mike Newell, the Insurance rep for Catholic Church Insurances to do an assessment on all our buildings to assess the level of insurance cover needed for each building. It also gave me a chance to look at the work being done at the Church at Ellendale for myself.
When I got home I had time to finish my Big Book for the funeral today before taking Holy Communion to Ruby and then continuing to town for the funeral. There was a big crowd there and the whole thing went well and the family seemed at peace although, as always there will be a long road to real peace for them.
I stopped for a coffee at Graham's after the burial before heading for Glenorchy to pick up a friend to head to a restaurant for a meal with some of the Bellerive Gang from 20 odd years ago - we still meet regularly and this was just one of those times.
Thankfully it wasn't a long night and now I'm ready for bed and a reasonably early night.
Wednesday, 29th
Today never seemed to really get going in the right direction although I did manage to get some of the things done that needed doing - the list for tomorrow is only half as long.
After Mass I took Holy Communion to Ruby before collecting the mail from the Post Office. I needed to be around the house for most of the morning because I was hoping that the technician would call re fixing the photocopier - thankfully he came and fixed a roller which is slipping so a new part is being ordered and will be replaced at the next service or sooner if the machine plays up again.
I worked on the newsletter as well as catching up with some people re Baptisms and a couple of Marriages that need to be confirmed for dates although I have struck a problem with a girl living in Melbourne - there are two couple asking me to be involved in their marriages and the Melbourne Couple have made a tentative booking and haven't got back to me and they have moved. A friend is trying to track them down to see what is happening.
There was a teleconference for the Tasmanian Council of Churches Working Group this afternoon that went for an hour - I also managed to take a call from Mick Wheeler in Melbourne who was telling me of some of the problems he had last week end with fires and near misses in the Church and garage at Wheelers Hill. After all his problems he went to the Football on Sunday afternoon to watch his beloved Carlton play Collingwood and watched his team get thrashed - although together not a good weekend.
I've just got home from the Cluster Group Meeting and the proposal from our Parish re the creation of a new Pastoral Unit got a good reception from the other two parishes although it will mean that there are to be some changes in thinking which we hope will be taken up into the next stage of the Call to Change process. Now however it is time for bed because it has been a different type of day - some things have worked well and others got left undone.
Thursday, 30th
After completing the Reconciliation service for the Grade 6 children down at School I headed off to take Holy Communion to Ruby and chatted with her for a while before returning to school for morning tea - I haven't been down for a week or more and I won't have a chance tomorrow.
Then I collected the mail before celebrating Mass and then I headed to town to have lunch with Annie Graham- we went to Rockerfellers down on the waterfront as Annie daughter Mary is soon to celebrate her 21st birthday and Annie was looking for a venue.
On the way home I stopped off and saw the family of the late Wayne Miller - when I had a bromide made of a photo, given to me by the family, so that I could print a good copy leaflet for his funeral the photo was lost and I had some colour copies of the original scan to give to them to replace the lost photo. Thankfully they were happy with the colour prints so I then headed home to complete the work on this weekends newsletter.
I then did some work on the material from the cluster meeting last night and faxed copies to Lorraine in Ellendale, Maria Goretti in Oatlands and Dan McMahon at Bridgewater for their comments before we publish things for this weekend's newsletters.
I've just returned from a Meeting at School for the Parents of children preparing for First Reconciliation and there are two faxes - one from Lorraine with some suggestions regarding the order of two paragraphs in the proposal and one from Maria Goretti saying thanks for doing the work. The Parents meeting went well - how well we will see from their response to the request for help with the children's work books and participation in other preparatory activities.
Now for bed.
Friday, 31st
Today I joined with Archbishop Doyle and the priests of Tasmania to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the founding of Centacare Tasmania together with Fr Clem Kilby the priest tasked by the late Archbishop Guilford Young to provide care for the family and to work for the needs of the community. The Mass at the Cathedral this morning was a wonderful celebration with beautiful music and a wonderful feeling of celebration of the people for this great day.
Bu the day started with Mass here at New Norfolk and me taking Holy Communion to Ruby and Eileen - both of whom seemed to be in good form this morning and happy about life. After collecting the mail I headed for the Cathedral for the Mass.
As I was leaving the Cathedral my mobile rang to say that there was an elderly man in Calvary Hospital whose family was asking for me as he is in the last stages of cancer and so I went and visited him and anointed him. Fr Denis Allen, the Calvary Chaplain was in the car with me so that saved a conversation later in the day explaining what I had done.
I stopped off at the Centacare Offices for a quick lunch time snack before heading off to see my parents and taking my mothers birthday present to her. I then headed back to Bellerive beach for a walk but it was starting to rain and I didn't have any wet weather gear so I decided to head for Glenorchy to have a coffee with some friends before getting ready for the Centacare Dinner.
I've just returned home and it is very late - much later than I had hoped but it was a great night with good company and a great feeling amongst all those who were gathered there.
It is definitely time for bed.
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