TThehe Morning Star
TheThe Anglican Parish of St Bede’s Semaphore
Nurturing the Soul of Semaphore
ISSN 2652-6883 August, 2021
Photo: ABM
Mount Sonder Ascent: The well-rugged up Rev’d Dr Ruth Mathieson with other ABM trekkers on the Larapinta Trail in June. They started long before dawn to enjoy the sun rising. The climb to the summit was arduous along a rocky and loose path that occasionally disappeared into brush. However, once again, their efforts were rewarded with incredible 360° views of the ranges, plains, valleys and salt lakes below. Here, they took time to catch their breath and bask in the grandeur of the desert landscape. What an achievement! (Robert McLean) 2 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 email: [email protected]
Churchwardens: Fay Warren 0415 364 757 Dorothy Thorpe 0457501397
Director of Music: Jenne e Hand Organist: Dr Deborah Osmond
Parish Councilors: Colin Lehmann (Treasurer), Brenda Beer, Ros de Garis, Karen Fagan, Luise Humby, Greg Manning, Judith Pennington, Jill Rivers.
The Parish Council usually meets on the 2nd 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: office@st bedessemaphore.org.au
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-ordinator: Rev. Ruth Mathieson
The Morning Star is a monthly publica on of St Bede’s Anglican Parish, PO Box 111, Semaphore SA 5019. Editor: Dorothy Thorpe 0457 501 397 email: [email protected]
Services in August Sundays at 8.00am (also on zoom) and 9.30am: Holy Communion Wednesdays at 10.00am: Holy Communion. Thursdays Evening Prayer 8.00pm on zoom Holy Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Funerals, Ministry with the Sick, Confession and Reconciliation by appointment with the priest. 3 Dear Morning Star Readers, Thank you for supporting the Australian Board of Mission by sponsoring my participation in the Larapinta Trail. Trek. We walked 70 km and about $4000 has been raised in my name and $120 000 overall. Over the last few weeks I have been very aware of numbers. When preparing to walk the Larapinta, I counted kilometres walked, measured the weight of water to carry and tallied metres of elevation climbed. On return from the NT, I counted down days of self-quarantine and testing on days 1, 5 and 13. With the Delta strain of Covid-19 spreading across our nation, each day we listen for numbers of covid cases in each state, the statistics of people in the community when infectious, the numbers in hospital Covid wards and ICU, the totals of those in self-isolation or quarantine, the level of restriction and length of lockdown. The numbers of infections and Covid-related deaths in many overseas countries are so high we find them hard to imagine, unless we have a loved one in that land. The numbers are important and all tell a story. On August 10, there will be another nation-wide Census. This year there is a real effort to gather more information about veterans’ wellbeing and include the homeless and others who tend not to be included in the statistics. This is not to judge such individuals but rather to ensure that more adequate services can be provided in the future. In God’s economy of love every person counts. This is expressed in Matthew 10:29-31 with the following words: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Ruth 4
PARISH REPORT TO DIOCESAN SYNOD At this time each year, parishes need to prepare a report for the Diocesan Synod. This year we have been asked to base our report on the four priorities of Diocesan 2022 Vision. Growth in Discipleship Great Lenten Study Involvement, 25 people, three groups (one on zoom). Reading and writing book reviews for the monthly magazine. Continuing Zoom Prayer—Thursday Evenings. Flourishing Churches *Readiness to adapt to circumstances. - Good attendance at zoom church during lockdown. - Choir members stepping up as soloists when no congregational singing. *Skills Workshop was held in response to need identified in NCLS. *Networks of care and concern—especially active in lockdown. Innovation and Advocacy *Greater parish ownership of the Tuesday Breakfast@St Bede’s Program. Through connections there better able to advocate for increase in Jobseeker, Homelessness Services, and to support people rebuilding lives following experiences of domestic violence, drug addiction and unemployment. * Creation care through the Community Garden organic gardening focus and participation in Semaphore Compost Network. Also marking the liturgical season of creation in September for the first time in 2020. * Marking Reconciliation Week with an event at Kardi Yarta Park co- hosted with St Richard’s Lockleys. Celebrating Coming of the Light. Leadership Development Lay Leadership evident in the Parish Council, especially in the wardens’ work (Dorothy & Fay), finance committee (Colin & Ros), communications team (Dorothy—Magazine, Karen—Website and Facebook), hall management (Luise), Bede’s Bazaar Manager (Brenda) and church painting (Andrew & Ros). Greater lay participation in decision making through new task groups: Liturgy Reference Group, Community Engagement Group; Lay Leadership: Bede’s Bulletin, Morning Star; Pastoral Care
St Barnabas Library has given St Bede’s some books which are surplus to needs. Before I put them in our library I would like to have them reviewed. Please volunteer for this. “Love that works : The art and science of giving” is an audiobook in a box of 3 CD’s and it would be useful to know if anyone likes books in this format as we may be able to purchase some at a very reasonable price from St Barnabas’ Library. Greg Manning 5 Larapinta tales at afternoon tea
Ruth and Jill thanked the parishioners for their support of the ABM Larapinta Treks. They were on the same trail at different times with different guides and different weather. Over a delicious afternoon tea prepared by the trekkers, 18 people enjoyed slides of the amazing terrains and heard tales of the cold, the early morning starts, the difficult ascents and descents, the ‘mountain-top” experiences, and their companions on the way. ABM raised $120,000 through the trekkers’ adventures. 6
Jill Rivers on the Larapinta Trail
Jill Rivers participated in the second ABM Trek on the Larapinta Trail. People who supported Jill were given glimpses into Jill’s experience by Robert McLean of ABM who sent photos and updates on email. Jill is seen here at the morning tea stop on her first day’s walk of 14km into the West MacDonnell Ranges. On arrival at their campsite they enjoyed some bush tucker prepared by an Aboriginal catering company, passionate about bush foods and dedicated to utilizing produce harvested wild from around the Central Desert Region and beyond. The true experience began that night in a region synonymous with the dreamtime of the Western Arrernte Aboriginal people.
Bede’s Breakfast Good news! The parish has received a grant of $10,000 from Anglicare for the current financial year beginning July 1 to help with the breakfast program’s transition to independence. There is no indication of what support might be available in future years. We are also hopeful that the parish will be accepted into another program through which we will have one-off emergency vouchers for people in need to spend on food. Volunteer Pauline Lewis will co-ordinate this program and do the administrative work required for government grant money. In the last month The Rev’d Ruth Mathieson has been incredibly busy in a stressful time arranging for volunteer insurance coverage and training cover by the Synod Office and setting up with the Treasurer independent financial accounts for Bede’s Breakfast. Colin Lehmann has done a great deal of research to aid the process. The Parish Council had an extra meeting in June to authorize the financial set-up and authorise the volunteers.
SALA (South Australian Living Artists) Festival In August the SALA Festival incorporates many exhibitions across the state, with a number located in the Port Adelaide area. Michelle Wilkie has works including in the A Novel Idea Exhibition at Gallery Yampu, 1 Jenkins St, Birkenhead. Open 6-14 August Fri-Sun 11am—4pm. 7 Saint Peter’s Day Outing
Pauline Glover, our tour guide serves Judy Nelson and Terry Hemmings at the Cathedral shop at the end of a splendid tour of the treasures of St Peter’s Cathedral. We learnt a lot about the history of the Cathedral; we gazed at the stained glass windows, especially the clerestory windows by Cedar Prest and the brilliant 21st century Magdalene Window. Some had not been to the Cathedral before, others encountered the Lady Chapel and Peace Chapel for the first time. We loved being in this sacred space, especially with our enthusiastic, welcoming, informative guide. The Magdalene window in St Peter's Cathedral. Created by Melbourne artist David Wright, it is the main stained glass window in the Cathedral, and located in the north transept. It was dedicated in November 2001 by Archbishop Ian George. Lunch was a convivial occasion in the Cathedral Hotel opposite. (see p.16) Then Greg Manning showed us the expanding collection in St Barnabas Library where he volunteers, and led an exploration of the building. It was a great day! Visit stpeters-cathedral.or.au/tour- leaders/ to do a virtual tour of some of the Cathedral’s treasures. 8
Who is she?
In St Barnabas Building hangs a portrait of a 19th century woman. Who is she ? we asked, as all the other portraits were of former bishops. Baroness Angela Burdett -Coutts was a notable benefactor of the Church of England, building two churches and endowing church schools. She endowed the bishoprics of Cape Town and Adelaide (1847), and the founding bishopric of British Columbia (1857). Adelaide received 50,000 pounds. Near the west door in the nave of Westminster Abbey is a simple gravestone reading BARONESS BURDETT-COUTTS 1814-1906 The Westminster Abbey website gives the following short biography: This great Victorian philanthropist was born in Piccadilly, London on 21st April 1814, the youngest of six children of Sir Francis Burdett (1770-1844), politician, and Sophia, daughter of the banker Thomas Coutts. Angela inherited her grandfather Coutts’s fortune and then assumed the additional surname of Coutts by Royal licence and she became known as "the richest heiress in England". Charles Dickens dedicated his novel Martin Chuzzlewit to her and she had many royal and eminent friends. She applied her fortune to many charities connected with the Church of England, the relief of the poor, children and animals. In recognition of her work Queen Victoria in 1871 conferred a peerage on her under the title Baroness Burdett-Coutts of Highgate and Brookfield. On 12th February 1881 the Baroness married William Lehman Ashmead- Bartlett, aged 27, who was a Member of Parliament for Westminster and her secretary. He was of American birth, his grandparents having been British subjects, and he assumed by Royal licence the surname Burdett-Coutts, but he was not called Baron. The age difference caused a stir at the time, but it was a very happy union, although without children. She died on 30th December 1906 of acute bronchitis. Her body lay in state at her house and 30,000 people paid their respects. The burial took place at Westminster Abbey on 5th January 1907 attended by a vast congregation. Read more about this fascinating lady by googling her name. https://spartacus-educational.com/EDburdett.htm has a lengthy article. 9 My Experience of St Bede’s ~ Gwen Schrapel
These days, Gwen keeps in touch with St Bede’s by reading The Morning Star. Brian and I lived in Tanunda and ran a business there. In 1982 we bought a little house on the beachfront at Semaphore to stay in when we were down in Adelaide on business. Robert Niehus was the priest at the time. In 1990, we left Tanunda and came to live permanently in Adelaide. We bought a place on the lakefront at West Lakes and returned to the parish of Semaphore, where we had been so happy. Our son Jim and his family were also parishioners. His two step-daughters were altar servers and I was especially proud of Jim and his girls at the time. We made many friends over the years at St Bede’s. It was a very welcoming parish with lovely people there. Bill and Betty Hanson, Kelvin Kay, Betty Candy, Myrine Wilson, Keith Hutton, the Schroeder family all come to mind and many became close friends. Great priests in Gary Weatherill and Jeff Oake during that period too. We left Semaphore and went to live in Erindale, where we worshipped at St David’s. However, we just kept coming back to St Bede’s, even when we were living in Erindale. Later, we returned to live in Semaphore and when Brian became ill, we shifted to Ashford where we were close to his specialists, but still returned to St Bede’s when we could for worship. Belonging to St Bede’s was especially helpful to me when Jim’s girls were altar servers. I was very pleased with Jim that he had given them a home and brought them to church. They grew into very nice young ladies. The congregation at St Bede’s has always been very supportive and friendly. A truly lovely parish. The people were very special to me.
August Week 1 National Simplify your Life Week; Week 2 National Smile Week; Week 3 Friendship Week; Week 4 Be Kind to Humankind Week. 10
Hiroshima Day is observed on August 6 every year. It aims to promote “peace politics” against war. This day is a reminder of the bombing attack on Hiroshima by the United States during World War II. After three days, on August 9, the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The nuclear bomb blasts took the lives of thousands, killing approximately 80,000 people directly, and leaving another 35,000 injured. It led to more than 60,000 casualties by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout in Hiroshima. Along with the lives, the bomb blasts led to massive structural damage, with Japanese officials stating that around 69 percent of the buildings in Hiroshima were destroyed. The residents of Hiroshima decided to keep this tragic reminder of war intact. The Atomic Bomb Dome was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1996.
An Aboriginal Prayer for Truth and Hope.
May the God of all wonder who set the stars in the sky, bless you with relentless unse ledness – that drives you to seek truth. May the God of all jus ce who gave mo on to the rivers, bless you with righteous anger – that drives you to seek freedom for all. May the God of all love who placed laughter in the kookaburra, bless you with the friendship – that looks like the love where one lays down their life for another. May the God of all comfort who determined the height of the mountains, bless you with tears from shared pain and mourning – that shows you hope. Now with wonder, righteous anger, sacrifice, and lament – Go in truth, jus ce, love, and hope – to Change The Heart of Australia. Brooke Pren s 11 10th August ~ census night
Participating in a census is a process deep-rooted in history. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the taking of a census was an important ritual and at times a commandment. While maybe not done as in Biblical times, a census is going to be taken in Australia in August. The goal is the same: every person needs to be counted. In the Book of Numbers God requested a census of the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness (Numbers 1:2; 26:2). Then God commanded Moses to take another census just before the building of the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:12). This census determined how much each person could contribute toward the building of the Holy Sanctuary. It also was necessary to determine how many men were old enough for military service. Censuses are mentioned also in Chronicles, Kings and Ezra (post-exile). In the New Testament, there are two censuses taken by the Romans. The more well-known was at the time of Jesus Christ's birth, (Luke 2:1–5:) "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child." The second census mentioned in the New Testament was also recorded by Luke, in Acts. Historic censuses were held by Egyptians, Chinese, Incas, Indians, Ancient Greece, the Spanish Empire and medieval European nations. The first population counts of Australia were known as musters and were made as early as 1788. Musters involved all members of the community gathering at specified locations to be counted. These were important as a means of matching food and other supplies to the number of people needing them. The first census in Australia as we now know them [recording people at their dwelling] was held in New South Wales in November 1828. Each of the colonies conducted its own census until 1886.In today’s society, the census has financial and planning implications (education, health, welfare, housing, transport etc and electoral boundaries) and is mostly done online. A census officer will visit St Bede’s Breakfast to ensure that the homeless who attend are counted. No one is to be missed. Everyone is important. 12 Two August Saints
On 14 August the Church remembers Twentieth Century Martyrs. The August 2020 issue of The Morning Star, included the story of Maria Skobstova. This year we focus on: two saints in the Anglican calendar (with information adapted from Wikipedia) Grand Duchess Elisabeth of Russia was a German Hessian and Rhenish princess of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, and the wife of Sergei the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. She was also a maternal great-aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an older sister of Alexandra, the last Russian Empress, Elisabeth became famous in Russian society for her beauty and charitable works among the poor. After the Socialist Revolutionary Party's Combat Organization assassinated her husband with a bomb in 1905, Elisabeth publicly forgave Sergei's murderer, Ivan Kalyayev, and campaigned without success for him to be pardoned. She then departed the Imperial Court and became a nun, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent dedicated to helping the downtrodden of Moscow. In 1918 she was arrested and ultimately murdered by the Bolsheviks. In 1981 Elisabeth was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in 1992 by the Moscow Patriarchate. Maximilian Maria Kolbe (born Rajmund Kolbe; 8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941), was a Polish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar . He was active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, founding and supervising the monastery of Niepokalanów near Warsaw, operating an amateur-radio station (SP3RN), and founding or running several other organizations and publications. After the outbreak of World War II, Kolbe was one of the few friars who remained in the monastery, where he organized a temporary hospital. After the town was captured by the Germans, he was arrested by them on 19 September 1939 but released on 8 13
December. He refused to sign the Deutsche Volksliste, which would have given him rights similar to those of German citizens, in exchange for recognizing his ethnic German ancestry. Upon his release he continued work at his friary, where they provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from German persecution in the Niepokalanów friary. Kolbe received permission to continue publishing religious works. The monastery continued to act as a publishing house, issuing a number of anti-Nazi German publications. On 17 February 1941, the monastery was shut down by the German authorities. That day Kolbe and four others were arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison. On 28 May, he was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner 16670. Continuing to act as a priest, Kolbe was subjected to violent harassment, including beating and lashings. Once he was smuggled to a prison hospital by friendly inmates. At the end of July 1941, one prisoner escaped from the camp, prompting the deputy camp commander, to pick ten men to be starved to death in an underground bunker to deter further escape attempts. When one of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, "My wife! My children!", Kolbe volunteered to take his place. According to an eyewitness, in his prison cell Kolbe led the prisoners in prayer. Each time the guards checked on him, he was standing or kneeling in the middle of the cell and looking calmly at those who entered. After they had been starved and deprived of water for two weeks, only Kolbe remained alive. The guards wanted the bunker emptied, so they gave Kolbe a lethal injection of carbolic acid. Kolbe is said to have raised his left arm and calmly waited for the deadly injection. He died on 14 August. His remains were cremated on 15 August, the feast day of the Assumption of Mary. On 10 October 1982 Pope John Paul II canonized Kolbe and declared him a martyr of charity. The Catholic Church venerates him as the patron saint of amateur-radio operators, drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, and prisoners. John Paul II declared him "The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century". His feast day is 14 August, the day of his death. 14 New Books in St Bede’s Library
Greg Manning has placed several new books in our library at the back of the church. Please borrow them, and a review is always welcome. Walking a sacred path : rediscovering the labyrinth as a spiritual practice by Lauren Artress. Labyrinth walking is an ancient practice used by many different faiths for prayer, spiritual centring, and contemplation. You walk slowly into and out of the labyrinth (maze) while focusing on a spiritual question or prayer. “ This book shows us the potential of the Labyrinth to inspire change and renewal, and serves as a guide to help us develop the higher level of human awareness we need to survive in the twenty-first century”. –From Trove catalog record. Although her take on labyrinths is Christian and ecumenical, I did find her theology rather hard to follow. However, the book is an engaging read and I recommend it for anyone who appreciates a meditative form of spirituality and/or wants to know more about labyrinths and how to use them. Greg Manning Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl This 1946 classic has been read by millions of people. I recommend that you read Part I (only 94 little pages), “Experiences in a Concentration Camp” and then if you would like to understand how this experience led to a significant psychological therapy then read further. I thoroughly enjoyed Frankl’s reflection on his experience as a prisoner in Auschwitz where he observed that survivors were those whose lives had meaning and purpose despite all the deprivation and suffering. He believes that one of the last human freedoms is the ability to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance. He believes that meaning can be found by creating a work, loving someone, or adopting a modified attitude toward inevitable suffering. The book is not Christian as such (Frankl was Jewish) but the Christian will find in it plenty about suffering, hope, servanthood, love, spirituality, and humanity to inspire Christian reflection about the meaning of one’s life. Dorothy Thorpe 15
Have you ever wondered…? 16
Judith, Brenda, Kath, Sonia, Jenne e, Judy, Greg, Terry, Dorothy, and Bruce, enjoying each other’s company over lunch at The Cathedral Hotel, following a guided tour of The Cathedral.