Caroline Chisholm, the Emigrant's Friend', Sydney, Australia, C.1845

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Now in its 60th year, the Catholic Enquiry Centre responds to enquires To aid the Catholic Enquiry Centre in its mission THE BRIDGE about our Faith by phone, mail and email. It offers information and in Australia free materials and connects enquirers to their local church. While our hope is that your main contribution to A RESOURCE FOR AUSTRALIAN CATHOLICS As a measure of our sincere gratitude to all who support our work, the work of the Centre will be a prayer, some may STRIVING TO SHARE THEIR FAITH please be assured of our regular prayers for you and your families. still like to ofer a small donation. OCTOBER 2019 We hope and pray that your giving is richly rewarded, both in this life and in the life to come. For more information about how to make a bequest please contact us directly. NAME Throughout the world, let us be 'permanently in a state of mission'. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, §25 ABOUT THE COVER ADDRESS ‘Caroline Chisholm, The Emigrant's Friend', Sydney, Australia, c.1845. Artist: Unknown (Alamy). STATE/TERRITORY P/CODE He called on his Chosen to come: she listened, and hastened to rise; EMAIL And he charged her to build them a home, where the tears should be dried from their eyes. I ENCLOSE MY DONATION CHEQUE FOR $

Henry Kendall: CAROLINE CHISHOLM. “A perfect woman, nobly OR DEBIT MY MASTERCARD VISA planned, to warm, to comfort, and command." Empire (newspaper), Tue 14 Oct 1862, page 5. AMOUNT $

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COVER IMAGE: Artist: Unknown (Alamy). PROUDLY VOL 1 No.8 OCTOBER 2019 ISSN 2209-7287

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interpreting what the particular passages might mean. mean. might passages particular the what interpreting [email protected]

took hold of the Bible and appointed themselves the authority on on authority the themselves appointed and Bible the of hold took

Catholic Enquiry Centre Enquiry Catholic [email protected]

have been started by individuals, or a handful of individuals, who who individuals, of handful a or individuals, by started been have Evangelisation for Centre National Centre Enquiry Catholic

denominations) within the Christian fold. The vast majority of them them of majority vast The fold. Christian the within denominations) Director Manager Projects Mission

DWYER SHANE count, there are something like fve thousand individual groups (or (or groups individual thousand fve like something are there count, BREWER SHARON

that has led to the situation Christianity fnds itself in today. At last last At today. in itself fnds Christianity situation the to led has that

More often than not, it is the Bible in the hands of the inexperienced inexperienced the of hands the in Bible the is it not, than often More need to get on with the task of sharing our faith. our sharing of task the with on get to need

of Brisbane in a related role. role. related a in Brisbane of called us to share his Good News. That’s the only permission we we permission only the That’s News. Good his share to us called Israel Folau. Folau. Israel

greatly missed. He is looking forward to working with the Archdiocese Archdiocese the with working to forward looking is He missed. greatly of good resources, including people who can support you. Christ Christ you. support can who people including resources, good of to us via the now infamous social media post by the sporting great, great, sporting the by post media social infamous now the via us to

expressing the beauty and challenges of our Catholic Faith, will be be will Faith, Catholic our of challenges and beauty the expressing where to start? Then get in touch. We can point you in the direction direction the in you point can We touch. in get Then start? to where to be understood. A recent example of the harm it causes has come come has causes it harm the of example recent A understood. be to

dedication to the ministry of evangelisation, and his giftedness in in giftedness his and evangelisation, of ministry the to dedication Is this something you would like to do in your parish? Don’t know know Don’t parish? your in do to like would you something this Is of context, with no training and guidance on how those passages are are passages those how on guidance and training no with context, of

resigned from his role as Director of the NCE and CEC. Shane’s Shane’s CEC. and NCE the of Director as role his from resigned

Bible. We see the harm that it can do when people take passages out out passages take people when do can it that harm the see We Bible. give it a go! a it give

It is with sadness we advise that Shane Dwyer has has Dwyer Shane that advise we sadness with is It Postscript:

ported and left to their own devices, being encouraged to read the the read to encouraged being devices, own their to left and ported messy and not everyone will like the changes. But they are willing to to willing are they But changes. the like will everyone not and messy

- unsup individuals, inexperienced of fan great a not am I Personally, to others. others. to they can make their parish a truly great one. They realise this will be be will this realise They one. great truly a parish their make can they

be used to reassure ourselves that we are ‘saved’ and to cause hurt hurt cause to and ‘saved’ are we that ourselves reassure to used be where their efforts should be focused. They are now planning for how how for planning now are They focused. be should efforts their where Bible: but why not? not? why but Bible:

us into connection with God and with one another. It is not a tool to to tool a not is It another. one with and God with connection into us worked out which values will underpin how they work together and and together work they how underpin will values which out worked thought. It hadn’t occurred to me to provide him with a copy of the the of copy a with him provide to me to occurred hadn’t It thought.

with the Body of Christ. For that is what the Scripture is for: to bring bring to for: is Scripture the what is that For Christ. of Body the with followed by a day’s formation for their new PPC. The parish has has parish The PPC. new their for formation day’s a by followed said that Christians had tried to do that before. This gave me food for for food me gave This before. that do to tried had Christians that said

tion weekend, weekend, tion context of helping him build his relationship with Jesus Christ and and Christ Jesus with relationship his build him helping of context admitted to being worried that I was about to hand him the Bible. He He Bible. the him hand to about was I that worried being to admitted

- forma parish a around to more and more of the Bible, but at his pace and only in the the in only and pace his at but Bible, the of more and more to around he would be willing to receive a book from me. He was, although although was, He me. from book a receive to willing be would he

cently facilitated facilitated cently Paul’s letters: perhaps Ephesians or Colossians. Gradually we’d get get we’d Gradually Colossians. or Ephesians perhaps letters: Paul’s . Before giving it to him, I tested out whether or not not or whether out tested I him, to it giving Before . Mountain Storey

- re NCE The Once we had worked our way through that, I might give him one of of one him give might I that, through way our worked had we Once Seven Seven Catholic, a as Christ Jesus with relationship deep a to atheism

coast of NSW. NSW. of coast

he was done, I would talk him through any questions he might have. have. might he questions any through him talk would I done, was he a classic text written by Thomas Merton, detailing his journey from from journey his detailing Merton, Thomas by written text classic a

on the south south the on

age him to read that from beginning to end in one sitting, and when when and sitting, one in end to beginning from that read to him age More recently I tentatively decided to give my young friend a book: book: a friend young my give to decided tentatively I recently More

Parish, located located Parish,

- encour I’d Mark. to according gospel the of copy a him give might I

in God is for idiots.’ for is God in

of this is Bega Bega is this of

No, I wouldn’t give my young friend the Bible. Soon, if he were open, open, were he if Soon, Bible. the friend young my give wouldn’t I No,

was told that science is wrong. He decided then and there that ‘belief ‘belief that there and then decided He wrong. is science that told was

An example example An

imagine that we have all the answers. answers. the all have we that imagine questioned this reading of history from a scientifc perspective, he he perspective, scientifc a from history of reading this questioned

permission, of the Plenary, to step up, and get moving? get and up, step to Plenary, the of permission,

open to searching for new and deeper understandings, and we don’t don’t we and understandings, deeper and new for searching to open that he needed to accept this because the Bible says so. When he he When so. says Bible the because this accept to needed he that

saying that they don’t actually need to wait for the results, or the the or results, the for wait to need actually don’t they that saying

Church has identifed for us) for guidance. We remain humble and and humble remain We guidance. for us) for identifed has Church told that the world was created in seven days. He was instructed instructed was He days. seven in created was world the that told

wonder if this is a result of the Plenary 2020 process? Are parishes parishes Are process? 2020 Plenary the of result a is this if wonder

already well along on this journey) and our holy ones (the saints the the saints (the ones holy our and journey) this on along well already classes he attended at a local Catholic secondary school, he was was he school, secondary Catholic local a at attended he classes

and faith formation or encourage new ways of parish leadership. I I leadership. parish of ways new encourage or formation faith and

look to our spiritual guides (those in our faith community who are are who community faith our in (those guides spiritual our to look of his faith because, in the course of one of the religious education education religious the of one of course the in because, faith his of

looking at different types of programs that emphasise evangelisation evangelisation emphasise that programs of types different at looking

up as the sole experts on how this is to be lived and understood. We We understood. and lived be to is this how on experts sole the as up more positively, as a ‘devout Atheist.’ He gave up on the practice practice the on up gave He Atheist.’ ‘devout a as positively, more

renewal. Each week I read about a parish commencing Alpha or or Alpha commencing parish a about read I week Each renewal.

as they are today. We don’t do this alone, and we don’t set ourselves ourselves set don’t we and alone, this do don’t We today. are they as on a regular basis. He describes himself as a ‘former Catholic’ or, or, Catholic’ ‘former a as himself describes He basis. regular a on

dioceses around Australia committing themselves to some sort of of sort some to themselves committing Australia around dioceses

show us about how to live that relationship in the context of our lives lives our of context the in relationship that live to how about us show A while back I was discussing our faith with a young man I encounter encounter I man young a with faith our discussing was I back while A

you do? Well, one thing I’ve noticed is the number of parishes and and parishes of number the is noticed I’ve thing one Well, do? you prayer and guidance, we come to understand what Scripture can can Scripture what understand to come we guidance, and prayer

It is easy to become frustrated and disheartened. But what can can what But disheartened. and frustrated become to easy is It the eyes of love with which God looks at the world (John 3:15). With With 3:15). (John world the at looks God which with love of eyes the

and instinctive preoccupations, and learning to look at the world with with world the at look to learning and preoccupations, instinctive and mental as the ministry of hospitality? hospitality? of ministry the as mental

into the long process of moving beyond ourselves, our own egos egos own our ourselves, beyond moving of process long the into - funda as something for even parish, your in energy no be to seems

relationship might mean. It is a relationship in which we are invited invited are we which in relationship a is It mean. might relationship Are you a committed parishioner who feels frustrated because there there because frustrated feels who parishioner committed a you Are

Christ. We fnd in Scripture the seeds of understanding what that that what understanding of seeds the Scripture in fnd We Christ. book had never been opened. Have you had a similar experience? experience? similar a had you Have opened. been never had book AND WITH ONE ANOTHER ONE WITH AND

Scripture is frst and foremost an entry into discipleship with Jesus Jesus with discipleship into entry an foremost and frst is Scripture that emphasised the importance of hospitality. He was fairly sure the the sure fairly was He hospitality. of importance the emphasised that CONNECTION WITH GOD GOD WITH CONNECTION

of my favourite passages of Scripture. An entry into understanding understanding into entry An Scripture. of passages favourite my of he had given members of his parish a certain parish renewal book book renewal parish certain a parish his of members given had he TO BRING US INTO INTO US BRING TO

not the same thing as being obedient to my particular interpretation interpretation particular my to obedient being as thing same the not welcome to be found in many Catholic parishes. He mentioned how how mentioned He parishes. Catholic many in found be to welcome SCRIPTURE IS FOR: FOR: IS SCRIPTURE

made is this: obedience to God and everything that goes with that, is is that, with goes that everything and God to obedience this: is made of our regular correspondents noted, with some frustration, the lack of of lack the frustration, some with noted, correspondents regular our of FOR THAT IS WHAT THE THE WHAT IS THAT FOR

These are, by and large, good people. However, the mistake that is is that mistake the However, people. good large, and by are, These I was struck recently by a post on our closed Facebook group. One One group. Facebook closed our on post a by recently struck was I

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HOW DO CATHOLICS RELATE TO THE SCRIPTURES? THE TO RELATE CATHOLICS DO HOW

COMMITTING TO PARISH RENEWAL PARISH TO COMMITTING FROM THE DIRECTOR THE FROM . IN GRATITUDE YOUR SUPPORT