The Morning Star
The Anglican Parish of St Bede’s Semaphore
Nurturing the Soul of Semaphore
ISSN 2652-6883 September, 2020
2020 Sand dune restoration at Semaphore South using sand from Largs Bay. The Anglican Parish of St Bede’s Semaphore Nurturing the Soul of Semaphore
Parish Priest: The Ven. Dr Ruth Mathieson, Archdeacon of Sturt. 0408 353 781
Churchwardens: Mrs Fay Warren 0415 364 757
Mrs Brenda Beer 0400 053 527
Pianist: Mrs Jennette Hand Organist: Dr Deborah Osmond
Parish Councillors: Colin Lehmann (Treasurer), Ros de Garis, Karen Fagan, Luise Humby, Greg Manning, Jill Rivers, Dorothy Thorpe, Kathleen Wilson.
The Parish Council usually meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7.00pm.
Parish Office: In the hall at 200 Military Road Semaphore. Parish Secretary Fay Warren is available when the office is open: Tuesdays 9.00am-1.00pm and Thursdays 8.30am –1.30pm.
Telephone 8449 5064 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.stbedessemaphore.org.au and Facebook: stbedessemaphore Karen Fagan
Bede’s Bazaar Co-ordinator: Brenda Beer 0400 053 527
Community Garden: Contact St Bede’s on 8449 5064 for details.
St Bede’s Drop in Centre Co-ordinators: Jill Rivers, Rev. Ruth Mathieson
The Morning Star Editor: Dorothy Thorpe 0457 501 397. The newsletter is a monthly publication of St Bede’s Anglican Parish, PO Box 111, Semaphore SA 5019.
Services for September
Holy Communion: Sundays 8.00am and 9.30am (Morning tea on the 2nd and 4th Sundays after the 9.30am service) Wednesdays 10.00am Holy Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Funerals, Ministry with the Sick, Confession and Reconciliation by appointment with the priest. September, Spring, Seasons of Creation and Covid-19 Prayers Dear Morning Star Reader, It is lovely to see the signs of spring around us, with the bright yellows of wattle and daffodils contrasting with the delicate white and pinks of blossom on the trees. It is a sign of hope as enter the month of September. In March as the pandemic impacted on Australia and many restrictions were introduced, we hoped it would all be over in six months and that in September we could go back to normal. This month, however, we will continue to live in the shadow of COVID-19. Many of us have family and friends who live in Victoria. The Archbishop of Melbourne invites us to pray with and for the people of Victoria at the time evening curfew starts in Melbourne, 8 pm. He invites us to place a light in the window as we do so. A couple of the suggested prayers found on https://cathedral.org.au/candlesatcurfew/:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. We pray for all for those struggling with the effects of Covid19: For those infected and in hospital, those fearful of infection, those in self isolation, those who have lost their jobs and livelihood, those who are fearful of the future. Jesus, light of life, hear your people: and answer our prayer. Amen
Lord God, whose Son, Jesus Christ, understood people’s fear and pain before they spoke of them, we pray for those in hospital or sick at home; surround the frightened with your tenderness; give strength to those in pain; hold the weak in your arms of love, and give hope and patience to those who are recovering; we ask this through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War this year reminds us that people have lived through troubling times in the past and that eventually a new day dawns. The signs of spring, the greening of grass following rain and longer length days can encourage us as we pray for an end to the pandemic and the wellbeing of all peoples and the planet on which we live. The gospel readings in September are parables that help us reflect on how we may live in community rich in justice, generosity and compassion. At St Bede’s we will join churches throughout the world in marking the Seasons of Creation during September. The themes and related activities are as follows:
September 6 Forest Sunday - Father’s Day St Bede’s doing the Woodville Bunnings Barbeque September 13 Land Sunday Tennyson Dune Walk following Morning Tea. 11:30 am start, a 45 min self-guided walk. September 20 Wilderness Sunday 11 am Following the Kaurna Trail – Semaphore Road, Western River Bank Walk, Hart St Bridge, Emus, Lunch in Port Adelaide then to Glanville Hall, Church. September 27 River Sunday Community Garden Open Day 2 pm PET BLESSING between church and hall.
I encourage you to invite friend and/or family members to come to one or more of these services or activities with you. For outdoor activities we can physically distance as necessary to be Covid-Safe. Sunday morning services (both 8 am and 9:30 am) will be projected onto a screen which will save paper and handling of books. For the foreseeable future we will reduce congregational singing, remain seated, sing in our hearts while hymns will be led by a singer on the microphone. We will continue on zoom as well as in person, so if restrictions need to increase this is a way of being connected. May God our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit be with you Ruth Beirut Tragedy Lebanon, a country steeped in Christian history, has been rocked by a new tragedy. The 6 August explosion in Beirut has so far claimed more than 200 lives and destroyed many homes and public facilities, including the main port and a children’s hospital. Thousands have had their homes destroyed. Lebanon borders Israel to the south and is part of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. The Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, the Most Reverend Suheil S. Dawani, has called out to Anglicans around the world for help in repairing damaged church buildings and in supporting ‘those members of the communities in Beirut most stricken by this tragedy’. You can donate to ABM’s Beirut Emergency Appeal by putting a donation in the collection on Sunday, marked Beirut Emergency Appeal or you can go to www.abmission.org to discover other ways of donating. Tragedy in South Sudan In August the Cathedral Church of Makoi Cuei in the Jonglei State of South Sudan was attacked. The Dean and 31 others were killed and scores of innocent people were wounded. Please pray for them and our own South Sudanese Community who are affected by this tragedy. Parish Council News # Le Fevre High School now has a new Christian Pastoral Care Worker. We can support her breakfast program by donating protein bars and drinks. # We are delighted that a volunteer is soon to being engaged to work 15 hours a week at St Bede’s, under Ruth’s supervision, to do cleaning, maintenance and odd jobs. # Congratulations to Bede’s Bazaar volunteers for excellent service to the community in this cold weather since re-opening. The income has increased significantly. # 5-6 people have been joining Ruth for zoom Evening Prayer on Thursdays at 8.00pm. Ask her for the zoom connection if you would like to join in. # Friday Fellowship Lunch on the last Friday of the month, and Art and Craft on the first Thursday of the month have resumed activity. The Monthly Markets are cancelled indefinitely until safe practices can be assured.
This and That
# Anne Duncanson # Parish councillors, Jill Rivers, Karen crocheted this many- Fagan, Greg Manning and Dorothy, coloured rug as a Thorpe and the Rev’d Ruth labour of love for her Mathieson attended an excellent 2- sister Helen Duncan hour workshop on 8 August about during the long hours the National Church Life Survey. of the isolation period. Ahead of the parish is a great deal of It was finished in time for Helen to work to evaluate the research, have it over her as she died. communicate the results to everyone # Sally Pentland was just one of our and act on our findings. hospitable parishioners serving lunch # We are saddened to hear of the after the funeral death in August of the Rev’d Ralph of Dr Doug Holden who was a long-term locum Hewitson. tenens at St Bede’s, and the Rev’d David Keay, a former rector of St Dr Hewitson was Richard of Chichester, Lockleys a ‘child of the rectory’ at St # From Ollie Black’s Community Bede’s 1935-53 and chose St Bede’s Garden newsletter: “Kylie who is for his funeral service and the Rev’d helping out with the compost, has Ruth Mathieson to officiate. He had also brought in another helper - Hoa given long and faithful lay ministry in (pronounced Wah), a Vietnamese the three dioceses of the Province of woman who lives close by and has South Australia. got ’stuck’ here during Covid restrictions, visiting her partner. She # Art and Craft was enjoyed by 10 moves back and forward between people on 6 August. Greg Manning Vietnam and here and has a child read us some Banjo Patterson poems there who she misses greatly. She is and we learned new facts about keen for somewhere to spend time Banjo. We enjoyed conversation, outdoors and I’ve set her some colouring and morning tea while next weeding tasks. Say hi to her if you door Bede’s Bazaar was buzzing with customers. The September session are there at the same time.” will focus on peace doves. Art and # With covid restrictions on Craft and Friday Fellowship Lunches congregational singing. We really are good events to bring a friend to. appreciate our music. Thanks
Jennette Hand and St Bede’s Choir. A Pilgrim’s guide to the Holy Land: Israel and Jordan by Raymond Goodburn. Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: 2010. This third edition of this popular guide book to the biblical
sites in both Israel and Jordan has been revised and rewritten, with new pictures, illustrations, maps, and plans. It is “intended primarily for the Christian pilgrim to the Holy Land”. There are probably later editions available now and internet versions. However it is well- written with plenty of good illustrations, including maps and colour photos. It is comprehensive but with only 96 pages with a large clear font and written in a pleasant descriptive style, it is an easy read. The Pilgrim Books team has conducted or accompanied more than seventy pilgrimage groups to the Holy Land and have produced a book that is concise and informative. It contains a mine of practical information on both countries and is profusely illustrated with full colour photographs. Although it is designed as a tourist’s handbook it is written in a clear descriptive style for the armchair traveler. With only 96 pages and a large clear modern font I found it a very pleasant way to experience Jordan and revisit Israel, especially since most overseas travel is not possible due to the Corona Virus at present. We are very fortunate that our priest Ruth did undertake a tour of Israel last year. I believe we all enjoy her sermons and appreciate her referencing them with her photos and experiences from there. This book provides some extra accompaniment to what Ruth has shared with us and I hope other members of the congregation will enjoy it as much as I have. I think I mentioned in Bede’s Bulletin that the final chapter ofA Pilgrim’s guide to the Holy Land was about the flora and fauna so if anyone is thinking about what to plant in St Bede’s gardens, it could be a handy couple of pages for reference.* It is my pleasure to donate this little book to St Bede’s library and hope that some of our parishioners will borrow it from the shelves at the back of the church and enjoy it at least as much as I have. *More extensive information on plants of the Bible can be found on the Charles Sturt University website at https://www.csu.edu.au/special/ accc/biblegarden/plants-of-the-garden . Greg Manning Introducing Sue Henry-Edwards
I am a lifelong Anglican and have belonged to a variety of parishes in South Australia, St Mary’s Gerehu in PNG and to St. Luke’s, Enmore in Sydney. For many years I was involved in the Movement for the Ordination of Women (MOW) including stints as Convenor in Adelaide and Sydney and it was a great joy to be present at the ordinations of the first women deacons, priests and bishops in Australia. I have served on both Synod and Diocesan Council in Adelaide and been actively involved in the parishes to which I have belonged. I have sung in choirs all my life and love to contribute to the music ministry wherever I can. I worked for many years as a researcher and policy advisor in both the Addiction and Medical Education fields and in January I retired (for the second time) from part time work at the Adelaide Medical School. I have been married to Gwilym for 45 years and we have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. Two of our children live overseas, one in the UK and one in the Netherlands so travel to visit them is a high priority when it is possible again. I love to cook and to knit and am an avid reader. When Gwilym retired from St Paul’s Port Adelaide we needed to find a people to belong to and decided to join St Bede’s. We have always found St Bede’s a friendly and welcoming parish with a strong commitment to social justice and community involvement.
Over the past few years we have enjoyed singing at the Drop In Centre with the Anglicare Singers and attending various special services so it was very easy to feel at home at St Bede’s. “When we sing, we can do anything—change the world, bring peace, be our best selves at last. When we sing, our hearts can lift and fly, over the troubled waters and over the years.” ― Judy Collins, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music and Fr Gwilym Henry-Edwards I’ve always wanted to live a settled life, part of a community where the members support and encourage each other. However, when I was two and half, my parents brought me from Manchester UK to Portland in Victoria, from life in a city to life on a farm. The next move was to Adelaide. I followed my father into his career as a teacher but this was not to be my profession. I tried surveying next, my mother’s father’s career, and this introduced me to the awe inspiring beauty of Central Australia. At this time I met Sue and I hoped to settle down, but our adventures continued. I spent three years in Papua New Guinea, where I felt the first inklings of a vocation to ministry in the church. We returned to Adelaide and again I found myself surveying in Central Australia, a place of deep, mysterious spirituality and I began to explore my vocation seriously. The next step was Selection Conference, study at St Barnabas College in Belair, and ordination. So much for a settled life! The supporting community of the church was always there; at St Columba, Hawthorn; St Barbara, Parafield Gardens; St Michael, Henley Beach and St Luke at Enmore in Sydney. In each of those communities Sue and I met and made lifelong friends. When the ordinances of the church required me to retire, Sue and I returned to Adelaide. Aneurin, our elder son and our daughter Gaynor had by this time moved to the Netherlands and the UK, fallen in love and settled there. Our younger son, Rhodri and his family remained in Adelaide. But I was spotted by the Archbishop and was soon Parish Priest at St Paul’s Port Adelaide, where I served for five years before retiring again. Our search for a community led us to St Bede’s and we began our journey with them in February this year, just as the pandemic caught up with the world. I have learned that one can never be certain what the future will bring, or where God will call me. My experience has taught me that one can only see the guidance of God when you look back and say, “Yes, I see now that God has brought me to this place.” Season of Creation From September 1 to October 4, Christians around the world are praying and caring for creation. It’s the “Season of Creation”. The beginning and the end date of the Season of Creation are linked with the concern for creation in the Eastern and the Western traditions of Christianity. September 1st was proclaimed as an ecumenical day of prayer for the environment in 1989 by an Orthodox patriarch. The Orthodox church year starts that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. On 4 October, churches from the Western traditions commemorate Francis of Assisi, known to many as the author of the Canticle of the Creatures. The proposal to celebrate a "Time for Creation" during these five weeks was made by the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in 2007. Throughout the years, major Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican organizations have joined to encourage the 2.2 billion Christians worldwide to pray and act on ecological issues. This year, the global reach of the novel coronavirus revealed our shared human nature and the inter-connectivity of our economies, political structures, health care systems, food production chains, energy and transportation systems in devastating ways. The pandemic also demonstrated that the entire web is rooted in the earth and limited by the earth’s capacity to sustain our economic and ecological demands.
The Fifth Mark of Mission of the Anglican Communion is: To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth
Our liturgies remind us always of God’s creation and our responsibility: “Holy and loving Father, true and living God,...You have given us this earth to care for and delight in, and with its bounty you preserve our life” (Thanksgiving Prayer 4 AAPB). “Loving God, we thank you for this world of wonder and delight. You have given it to us to care for, so that all your creatures may enjoy its bounty.” (Thanksgiving Prayer 5 AAPB). God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures. ” Francis Bacon
St Bede’s Community Garden On the left is one of the worm farms in the Community Garden. Right, Carmen explains the benefits of her design and use of worm castings. Spinach near the worm farm is growing bigger than the spinach further away. Some trees in the Community Garden have been replaced with fruit trees, and the permaculture group has held a working bee so the garden is looking wonderful. There will be an Open Day on the last Sunday of September, a Festival of Nature. Come along to see the garden, meet the gardeners, enjoy a sausage sizzle, and buy some calendula ointment, seedlings, wind chimes, or worms , or paint a pot. St Bede’s Butterfly Garden In a small way St Bede’s contributes to the long-term conservation, increased range and abundance of the Australian Painted Lady butterfly and other butterflies on the Le Fevre Peninsula. Our butterfly garden also greens a bare corner of the grounds. Some Special Days in September
2 September Martyrs of New Guinea (d. 1942) Almighty God, we remember before you this day the blessed Martyrs of New Guinea, who, following the example of their Saviour, laid down their lives for their friends; and we pray that we, who honour their memory, may imitate their loyalty and faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 8 September Birth of Mary, Mother of the Lord 11 September Mother Esther, CHN, founder of the Community of the Holy Name in Melbourne (d. 1931). This religious order was also important in Adelaide as the sisters provided a nurturing environment at Retreat House, Belair for many years. 14 September Holy Cross Day commemorates the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus as the instrument of salvation. 15 September John Oliver Feetham, bishop and bush brother (d. 1947). Under Feetham's guidance the diocese of North Queensland became very much alive. He infected others with his own enthusiasm, and his personality, into which his Christianity was fully integrated. He was colourful, attractive and eccentric. His outstanding achievement was the foundation of schools, leaving a powerful imprint on them: All Souls’ and St Gabriel's, Charters Towers, and St Anne's, Townsville, are flourishing still.Google ( for more information.) 18 September John Ramsden Wollasten, priest and missionary of Western Australia (d. 1856), instrumental in establishing the Church of England in WA. A school, a theological college and a suburb of Bunbury are named after him. 21 September Matthew,Apostle, evangelist and martyr 29 September Michael and All Angels The Martyrs of New Guinea
May Hayman, Lilla Lashmar, Margery Brenchley, Lucian Tapiedi, Henry Matthews, Vivian Redlich, Leslie Gariardi, Henry Holland, Les Duffill, Mavis Parkinson. When World War II threatened Papua and New Guinea, it was obvious that missionaries were in danger. Bishop Philip Strong wrote to them: "We must endeavour to carry on our work. God expects this of us. The church at home, which sent us out, will surely expect it of us. The universal church expects it of us. The people whom we serve expect it of us. We could never hold up our faces again if, for our own safety, we all forsook Him and fled, when the shadows of the Passion began to gather around Him in His spiritual and mystical body, the Church in Papua." They stayed. Almost immediately there were arrests. Eight clergymen and two laymen were executed "as an example" on September 2, 1942. May Hayman, also known as Merry, came from Adelaide . She was immensely happy in her work and in her life at Gona. Shortly before the Japanese invasion she and another missionary, Vivian Redlich, announced their engagement. While they were in hiding near Siai it became increasingly apparent that they were not safe and their presence was a threat to the villagers. Two Australian soldiers heard of their presence and came to ask if they would like to join a group of soldiers who were going to attempt to reach Port Moresby via Oro Bay. but they we re not safe and were captured. May was executed: Sister Hayman moaned and lifted a towel or cloth to her face, and her escort plunged his bayonet in to her throat. After the withdrawal of the Japanese, her body was reburied at Sangara. Lilla Lashmar was a teacher who had offered for missionary serv ice when she was a parishioner at St Cuthbert’s, Prospect, SA. She worked first from 1920 at Gona, then in Dogura and finally began working at Sangara with the nurse, Margery Brenchley. After the Japanese landing, and as they advanced rapidly inland, Lilla was one of the group led by Henry Holland and assisted by Lucien Tapiedi and Andrew Aware, who left their hideout in the bush to walk to the coast. They were finally caught, taken by the Japanese in a truck to Buna, and executed there. From The Martyrs Book ABM Take up your cross and follow me.
“From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering… then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16.21 and 24. (NRSV)
Many times Jesus had explained to Peter that the path to glory was filled with pain and suffering and death but Peter protested, ‘God forbid it Lord! This must never happen to you.” But Jesus was to suffer and die, for only then would he be raised and glorified. “Set your mind on divine things, not human things,” said Jesus. These words are harsh to Peter because no doubt he was acting out of love for Jesus. But Jesus goes on to explain that true love is to follow his path of service. Only by giving your life freely, surrendering completely your own desires and living for others, will you truly gain life
Romans 12.9-21 spells out a little of what the Christian life will be like, a life characterized by genuine love, with attitudes and actions which put others first, denying self and giving honour to others – being patient in suffering, contributing to the needs of the saints, extending hospitality to strangers, blessing those who persecute you, associating with the lowly, not claiming to be wiser than you are, looking after enemies, overcoming evil with good. We know enough about the values held in the Roman Empire in those times to know that this advice was revolutionary then as well as now.
The PNG Martyrs are remembered not just because they died so cruelly but because they took up the cross of service and followed Jesus faithfully, living lives of service to others, not deserting the people they served in their time of need, before suffering and dying because of their faithfulness. DAT
Vivian Redlich wrote to his father, “I’m trying to stick whatever happens .If I don ’t come out of it just rest content that I’ve tried to do my job faithfully. “ The letter is in St Paul’s, London
blind world spit eyes pool wash sinned sight night born home mud life opened light Siloam parents received birth ground St Bede’s follows its Covid-Safe Plan. Thank you for co-operating to keep our community safe. Please do not come to church if you are not well. People who have any of the symptoms below, even if symptoms are very mild, should get tested for COVID-19: fever or chills; cough; sore throat; runny nose; shortness of breath; loss of taste and smell. Call 000 (Triple Zero) in an emergency, such as difficulty breathing or chest pain Call SA COVID Information Line on 1800 253 787 for
details of covid testing clinics.
All in a word (from church papers) # This evening at 7 PM there will be # The church will host an evening of a hymn singing in the fine dining, super entertainment and park across from the gracious hostility. Church. Bring a blanket and come # Pot-luck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM prepared to sin. - prayer and medication to follow. (Contributed by Colin Lehmann)