CATHOLIC DIOCESE OUR DIOCESAN of BALLARAT COMMUNITY News around the Diocese No. 60 March 2020 IN THIS ISSUE Plenary Council From the Bishop From October 4 till October 11 this year, Inglenook Dairy people from all around the country School News will gather in Adelaide for the Fifth Australia Day Honours Plenary Council of the Catholic Church Sustainability at Loreto in Australia. This will be the first of two assemblies of the Council. The second Volunteering will be in Sydney from June 28 till July Centacare 3 next year. These assemblies will draw Moving away together the fruits of many gatherings Shrove Tuesday Student Leadership of church communities over the past Advent Retreat two years. Rite of Election In 2018 we considered the general question, “What do you think What is Mercy Connect? God is asking of us in Australia at this time?” From our diocese of Ballarat, 93 groups and 227 individuals sent in responses to this Tradition question. The responses from all around Australia were gathered CEOB New Staff by a team from the National Centre for Pastoral Research led by Dr Looking at Christmas differently Trudy Dantis and presented in a 298 page report entitled “Listen to World Interfaith Harmony Week what the Spirit is saying”. Farewell at Learmonth In May 2019, the Pastoral Research team met with the group of Jim Griffin bishops, priests and laity who are coordinating the Plenary Council process. They prayed over and discussed the responses to the first Solar and LED general question and from these responses they framed more Myanmar 2020 specific questions involving six themes for further consideration. Plenary Council Update How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia that Parish News is missionary and evangelising; inclusive, participatory and synodal; Flowers of War prayerful and Eucharistic; humble, healing and merciful? How are we called to be a joyful, hope-filled, servant community, one that is Annual Gathering of BDPSG open to conversion, renewal and reform? Family Murals Over the past few months, groups of people around our diocese ‘It takes a village’ have been meeting to reflect together and pray about these themes. At the same time, six national discernment and writing groups have OUR DIOCESAN COMMUNITY (ODC) been preparing papers on each of the themes. I am a member of the A joint publication of the group working on the “prayerful and Eucharistic” theme. Catholic Diocese of Ballarat and the Catholic It is a fairly large working group, with thirteen members. There are Education Office of Ballarat. seven lay people, two religious sisters, two priests and two bishops, drawn from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. We have been meeting mainly by video conference. Meeting by “Zoom” is a new experience for me but it is proving to be an effective as well as economical way of working together with people from across the country. There have been two face-to-face The Editorial Committee of ODC wishes to meetings. thank the many people who have contributed to this issue. We also acknowledge the support Our task is to prepare a paper on the question of how God is calling through sponsorship of the Ballarat Catholic us to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia that is prayerful and Development Fund and Australian Catholic Eucharistic. Appropriately, the group is itself prayerful in each University - Aquinas Campus. meeting. For the face-to-face meetings we have also celebrated the Eucharist as part of our time together. In February, we completed a EDITORIAL BOARD draft of our paper. In March and April there will be further work on Sr Geraldine Mugavin, Mrs Julie Boyd, Ms Kate the papers on all six themes. Then a comprehensive paper will be Lawry, Ms Fiona Tonkin, Dr Susan Crowe, Mrs Bernadette Lynch, Fr Adrian McInerney prepared, to be considered at the meeting of the Australian Catholic Mrs Jane Collins. Bishops Conference in May. From that meeting, a proposed agenda The next ODC will be in July 2020. for the Plenary Council will be sent to Rome for approval. All contributions to ODC may be forwarded to: OUR DIOCESAN COMMUNITY, I thank all those people in our diocese who have been involved in the PO Box 576, Ballarat 3353. Plenary Council process so far and I encourage you to continue to Phone: (03) 5337 7179 contribute in prayer and in reflecting together in the months ahead. Email: [email protected] Web: www.ballarat.catholic.org.au Bishop Paul Bird CSsR 22 Our Diocesan Community - March 2020 INGLENOOK DAIRY Dairy farming has been dairy industry for decades) were also an incredible source in Rachael Peterken’s of industry and emotional support to them through this blood long before she whole journey. Basil always said, “You can do anything was born. In the 1920’s, if you are willing to get your hands dirty and work hard” her grandparents, Rachael recalls. James and Margaret Britt, were given Inglenook Dairy now has a respected name in the dairy six cows from industry and has earned a reputation for the quality of Margaret’s parents their product, winning many industry awards such as that her brother had Paddock to Plate Best Business, Champion Milk in Royal walked from Beeac Melbourne Fine Food Award, Best in Class RASV, Gold in to Dunnstown and DIAA and selected in top three milks in Australia in the this began the story 2016 Australian Grand Dairy Awards, as well as Dairy of Inglenook Dairy. Industry Association of Australia awards each year from Rachael’s parents, 2014 to today. Basil and Sheila Britt The focus of their business has shifted, having now expanded the dairy established a name for themselves, to growing it in farm when Basil took over in the mid 1950’s. For many, order to provide sustainability for more dairy farmers many years, the farm made ends meet and prospered, in the community that continue to struggle with the then with years of drought and falling milk prices, life was climatic changes and the price their milk is purchased proving tough. At the same time, some fellow farmers for. Inglenook Dairy is encouraging confidence and in the community were either folding their farm or reassurance to the changing sector at a time when the diversifying their business into other forms of agriculture. industry is facing increasing uncertainty and farmers are With all this happening, the family started to think ‘outside moving away from the dairy industry. the box’ and decided to take things into their own hands and manufacture milk themselves. It was an opportunity Inglenook Dairy have just created a product, Milk Stream, to offer the market the top quality product that was lacking aimed at changing the way cafes across Australia dispose of and sustainability for their farm and for the industry that plastic milk bottles. Milk Stream replaces two-litre plastic they had been a part of for three generations. milk bottles with 10-litre milk bladders, reducing the need for excess plastics and designed to improve efficiency, all to Inglenook Dairy (the company) was established in provide the industry with an environmentally sustainable December 2011 when the family built their own milk way of dispensing milk. It is a much-needed solution to processing facility. It took two and half long years to the consistent and enormous waste load impacting the get the processing facility up and running. Not really environment coming from the café sector in the form of knowing the process for manufacturing a consumable plastic milk bottles. The bladders are expected to reduce product proved a challenge in itself, without adding to the dairy processors recycling waste by up to 75 per cent. the complexity of designing and building a plant that Inglenook Dairy are the only milk processors to change could facilitate the industry requirements. Many hours the way it operates its waste through the use of plastic of research led to Troy, Rachael’s husband, designing the milk bottles. factory and managing the whole project with the help of Rachael and other family members. Troy was working Rachael and her family, as well as her children, all attended a second job to raise the funds whilst Rachael was also St Brendan’s School, Dunnstown, with Rachael’s children raising three children during this time. They had to do now moved on to secondary school at Loreto College and most of the work themselves on weekends, with the help St Patrick’s College. They have been a great support to the of family members, however it helped gain the invaluable community, with Inglenook Dairy sponsoring the school intimate knowledge of the equipment and process and the local football club, in their different activities. required to create quality milk. Rachael’s parents Basil More information and stockists can be found at https:// and Sheila (who were integral contributors to the Ballarat www.inglenookdairy.com.au Our Diocesan Community - March 2020 3 Resource Centre Opening On January 31, 2020, Trinity College Colac officially opened and blessed the new St Joseph’s Resource Centre. Fr Michael O’Toole blessed the building, students and staff, while former principal Tim O’Farrell had the honour of opening the building. The centre is home to the library, IT, careers, media and study areas and sits on the site of the original St Joseph’s Wing, which was the home of the Helen and Frank Paatsch Library. It has been a hive of activity since the beginning of the school year and will be a hub of learning for all year levels to enjoy.