The Open Door Community News
In this issue:
•Myanmar
•An Interview with…..
•Jo‟s Journal
•Kid‟s Club
•Luke‟s Gospel
•Mornington
•Talks On Spirituality
•Our Favourite Artist
•Books we love
•Art of Soul
•A John of God Story cont.
December 2011
The Open Door: A Centre for Creative Spirituality
WHY IS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL— OR IS IT?
(Sr Columba, The Open Door Centre Coordinator)
At a family function I once suggested that we do away with
holidays at Christmas and leave it to those who believe in
it, to celebrate in Church. My young male prospect for
sainthood to whom I was speaking replied: “Oh, I would
keep the holidays.” I think he illustrates my point. But I may
be wrong in saying that for many of us, Christmas doesn‟t
mean much beyond the holidays and how much fun we
can pack into them.
What does Christmas 2011 mean to Christians who are
being subjected to systematic terrorism? What does it
mean to those people in the Middle East, whose parishes
no longer exist? Where communities of faith have been
annihilated? What does it mean to Christians who live their
faith in places where the birth of Christ is practically
irrelevant, where there are no reminders of Shopping Days
till Christmas, no Christmas carols in the local markets and bazaars? No Christmas trees. How
can Christmas be special there?
How is Christmas special for you?
The song that tells us „God is watching us from a distance‟ is not quite true. The divine presence
is both within & beyond all created beings. But imagine that distance - the boundlessness of God
in space where stars, planets, black holes and galaxies move endlessly into unimaginable
vastness.
Was there divine, cosmic anguish - when that mystery we call God, took the form of human
life - a tiny life whose skull you could have crushed with one hand*. Was it difficult? Were there
vast upheavals in inter galactic space?
I imagine that in a similar way, the people of God who are suffering this Christmas are bringing
from the upheavals in their lives the God-presence into our traumatized world. We can all do
it - bring a little light into the darkness and take part in its transformation.
In our part of the world we will celebrate Christmas when we sing carols, decorate our Christmas
trees, attend church services and nativity plays, give each other gifts and do our best to see that
people who are lonely get at least, a Christmas dinner.
It‟s a wonderful festival – have a great holiday.
*Buechner F – Secrets in the Dark Harper One, 2007
For the next twelve months, our social Justice Outreach
project is to raise money for the children of The “Sacred Heart
Church” Orphanage for boys in Kyaukthan in Myanmar
(formerly known as Burma).
Our meditation leader, Ellie Chatto, visited Myanmar
recently and was shown around the Sacred Heart
Church in Kyauktan by Father Mathew. He explained a
lot of the children had lost their parents to illness, or the
harsh military regime and when Ellie shared their story
with us here at The Open Door it prompted us to take
action to do what we can to help.
Our Oak‟s Day Fun Day was a fantastic
start to raising some funds. We raised
over $200 and had a fun filled day in the
process. Thanks to all those great friends
of ours who supported this day.
We are also raffling a hand made wooden
billy cart, donated by a very good friend.
It‟s full to the brim with toys, puzzles and
books, among many other goodies.
The raffle will be drawn before Christmas.
When we put this Social Justice
Outreach to the kids of our Kids Club,
they were very keen to help their
Myanmar counterparts.
“It‟s good to help out because there is
always someone who is worse off than
you” (Hayley, 14 years)
They came up with some terrific
fundraising ideas: a „walkathon‟ around
Lysterfield Lake, a „stair climb‟ at the
1000 steps in Ferntree Gully and car
washes were also a popular idea.
We plan to place all the money we get for
workshops in March („Mad March for Myanmar‟)
in the collection for the needy kids – so if you
give a bit extra know it will go to a good cause.
So, when you see us with raffle tickets, buckets
& sponges, sponsor sheets etc., be assured that
the money we raise is going to someone we
know and there are NO administration fees.
FUNDRAISING FOR THE CHILDREN OF MYANMAR
An interview with…
Sr Josephine
In one sentence what advice about life would you give your 16 year old self?
If I was 16 in today‟s world, while utilizing well all the modern technology for communication and
entertainment, I hope I would give priority for sharing and caring for all others, including the
elderly, respecting the values and social skills modelled by my parents, teachers and mentors.
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title would be?
“Loyal Friend”
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not, living or dead,
real or fictional, who would it be?
I‟d like to trade places with my sister, Monica Therese who went to Heaven at two and a half
years when I was only eight months. Sadly, she was drowned in a post hole on the farm at
Yambuck.
What is the best thing about being a sister of St John of God?
It is the deep joy within that comes from our charism “the love of Christ urges us”, the
Pomegranate emblem (lived out) and the example of our Patron, St John of God.
We „John of Gods‟ are down to earth, human, practical and community minded in our approach
to daily life. We are „open‟ to change (and believe me, we have done the whole turn around!!)
Wherever I have been on the mission of Jesus, I experienced joy within, namely at Subiaco,
Mosman Park, Northam, Rivervale, Bunbury, Warrnambool, Brighton, Chadstone, East Bentleigh
and now Dandenong where I support The Open Door ministry which I love. My nursing
background, love of music and the Irish humour, despite the ups and downs, enabled me to feel
fulfilled as a Sister of St John of God.
When you meet God what will be the first question you would ask him?
Lord, may I have my potatoes roasted, please?
Food for the body
is not enough.
There must be
food for the soul.
Dorothy Day
Websites we love:
www.ted.com - Go to this site and
find inspirational talks by amazing
people.
www.youplay.com - This is a good
website if you are in the mood for a
crossword, trivia, Sudoku or word
puzzle.
www.flixy.com - If you feel like a
chuckle, we recommend „My black-
berry is not working‟ starring Ronnie
Corbett & Harry Enfield.
Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
~Oren Arnold
JO’S JOURNAL
It‟s hard to believe that 2011 is nearly at it‟s
end, isn‟t it? Time really does fly when you
are having fun.
And we‟ve had so much fun in the four
„Writing for Fun‟ workshops that we‟ve held
this year. We‟ve met some wonderfully
creative friends and shared many laughs
(and even some tears, too).
I have come away from each workshop in
awe of the imagination of the participants.
The stories grow from a single sentence as a
starter, or a visual prompt or another random
activity, and the willingness of these people
not only to write, but then share their blooms
with the rest of the group always inspires me.
A lot of the time the results have been fun and
light, but on occasions, the prompts have
delved deep and the results have been
emotive for both the writer and the audience.
And for me, that‟s the beauty of writing.
Letting your imagination free-fall and seeing
where it takes you, and knowing you are in a
safe environment where you won‟t be judged
is liberating. The group dynamic is very
rewarding and sews enthusiasm.
I wish you and your family a very merry and
safe Christmas and look forward to sharing
more inspiring times with you in the new year.
KID’S CLUB
(Kelly Heath, Kid’s Club Coordinator)
The Kid‟s club holiday workshops have been a
blast. The new format we are following is great,
not to mention, most importantly for the kids,
very successful. We have changed the way we
do things a bit to grow with the needs of the
families of The Open Door and our wider
community. We now have one workshop per
week during the school holidays that runs for a
longer time so we can fit more in. This alleviates
pressure for busy families to try and squeeze us
in on their hectic weekends. We still have our
traditional Mother‟s Day, Father‟s Day and
Christmas party workshops on the weekends
which the kids still love attending.
During the holidays we offer workshops such as
creative writing; where the kids can explore their
imaginations; art where they can express their
creativity; drama where they have fun and build
confidence skills, and they have also taken a
keen interest in our Social Justice Outreach,
which this year is the children in a school in
Myanmar. They are very eager to help out and
have come up with some wonderful projects
they think will raise much needed funds for
those children who have less than they do. Keep
an eye out for upcoming fundraisers organised
by our kids where you can show them your
support.
Thanks
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
- Dr Seuss PICTURED:
TheatreSports -
Kid‟s role
playing and
interviews.
ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
(Keith Donovan)
Once a month, Luke's Gospel is read aloud and
discussed at The Open Door.
We are guided in our thinking by Tom Wright who,
although not present, adds clarity and insight as we
wrestle with the relationship of Old and New
Testament.
The Old Testament prefigures what God
accomplished in the fullness of time in the person
of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ.
Columba brings new prayers and questions
designed for discussion. The atmosphere is a
relaxed one, where we trust one another and
delight in each other's company.
Saint Therese of Lisieux wrote, "But above all it's
the Gospel that occupies my mind when I'm in
prayer; my poor soul has so many needs, and yet
this is the one thing needful. I'm always finding
fresh lights there, hidden and enthralling meanings."
God gave us Scripture so that we could understand
His greatest gift to us, His Son. As the two disciples
put it, as they walked to Emmaus with Jesus, "Did
not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us
on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"
(Luke 24:32)
So what do we receive at The Open Door.
A fuller understanding of the Bible.
A richer appreciation of the faith tradition of the
Church.
A stronger understanding of the connection
between faith and life.
A deeper more personal relationship with God.
A wider social concern and desire for service and
A fuller experience of Christian Community.
All are welcome to come and join our community
of goodwill, fellowship, openness and
friendship.
Mornington
The renovations have now been
completed and we‟ve already
begun our Mornington workshops.
So far we‟ve held:
Core Group retreat
Women‟s Wisdom Retreat
Writing for Fun Retreat
Our next upcoming workshop in
Mornington will be:
Trish‟s Table
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
‘Talks on‟ with special
guest speakers
Tracking Group Meeting
Trish‟s Table (Mornington
Campus)
Kids Club
“My actions are my
only true
belongings.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Talks on Spirituality (Trish Eklom, Program Director)
One of the many programmes we hold at The
Open Door is called Talks on Spirituality,
which we have fondly shortened to “Talks On”.
We‟ve been lucky enough to have had some
beautiful people share their Spirituality with us,
and in their stories they have taken us on
some amazing journeys.
Some of these wonderful stories include; a
lady who works with refugees, where we learnt
of their circumstances and traumatic journey‟s.
A kinder teacher who works with children with
disabilities, a lot of the kids can‟t even speak
English - some can‟t speak at all. A young
woman who is living with Aphasia after a
severe stroke, she was only thirty years old at
the time, and now she is getting on with life.
What a powerful story, and a powerful lady.
A man who has M S, wow! What an impact he
had and still has on all of us at The Open Door
and a lady spoke on Human Trafficking - could
anyone living in Melbourne these days believe
there are slaves here, or anywhere in the
world for that matter?
We‟ve also had talks on our creative side such
as; quilting where we saw some inspiring
quilts, as well as music therapy now that was
fun, and also a fabulous session on how to
treat our precious earth.
One doesn‟t have to go far to find God when
they come to these sessions.
I want to thank all these wonderful people who
have given so generously of their time, and
allowing me to be part of their journey.
I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New
Year.
Our Favourite Artist
PETER J HILL was born in 1937.He is a self
taught artist and started painting when he
was 19 years old. Turning professional in the
1970s, Peter‟s Art now hangs in various
collections in Australia and all around the
world. During a television interview a
journalist asked Peter how he would describe
his Art, Peter answered “When I paint a
horse it looks like a horse and when I paint
cattle they look like cattle so I guess you
would call me a Traditional Artist. I paint my
paintings the way I see them, which is why
so many people can relate to the places and
scenes that I paint.”
Peter‟s paintings can be purchased at
P.J.ART Gallery
Mt Tamborine Gold Coast Qld where he and
his wife Judy operate their Art Gallery.
www.pjart.com.au
The Open Door would like to thank Peter and
Judy for their wonderful art donations over
the years. We know the lucky winners are
thrilled to hang P.J.Art in their homes.
Books we love… by Pat Donovan
There are so many good books that our lively reading group enjoyed over the
year.
I‟ve chosen 3 books that gave us insight into the diverse, multicultural country
Australia now is and how we have broadened our understanding of what it
means to be Australian
The ABC Sisters by Monica McInerny. A heart warming novel set in
South Australia. It explores the relationships, hardships and secrets of a
modern family.
Love Song by Alex Miller. A moving novel set in Paris and Australia which
examines the relationship between a young Australian man and a woman of
Tunisian background as they strive to build a new life in Melbourne. They
overcome cultural differences to create an enduring love.
The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do. Much enjoyed humorous
autobiography of a young Vietnamese comedian whose family overcomes
many trials to successfully make a new life in Australia.
ART OF SOUL
(Mary Rampant)
I have always loved looking at beautiful landscapes, both in wild places and in galleries and
dreamed of the day when I might try to capture some of the beauty that I see.
I have had some watercolour tubes and sketch pads for a few years, but as I was told that I was a
failure at art at school, I have only kept admiring the scenes, leaving the tubes unopened!
I was very excited when I heard late last year that the garage was to be developed by Dandenong
East Rotary Club as an art studio and that Sister Columba was planning to conduct a painting
workshop in 2011. My name was down very quickly!
Art of Soul commenced in June, a program that I‟ve found much more than a painting class!
Columba has used the book “Art of Soul” by Regina Coupar as a direction for much of the
theoretical component for the group. I was not expecting theory. I have found this just as
interesting as picking up the charcoals, watercolour pencils, watercolour paints, pastels and oils
that previously I had no idea how to use. I am no longer tentative about trying new art materials.
I can even clean a paint brush properly now! I have learnt that using our creative right brain we
see objects as they are in the present whereas our left brain is used in the logical evaluation of
our work as it is the linear, logical side, and uses memory rather than the present. I have learnt
about perspective, lines and shapes, primary, secondary and tertiary colours.
“Art gives us creative tools to express our thought: our soul gives us inspired content for artistic
expression. Time spent creating art is time spent on spiritual development” says Regina Coupar.
I believe that we are all benefiting from our Wednesdays together in all ways.
There is a great spirit of friendship in our group, admiring and commenting on each others
projects. The quiet, relaxation and creativity reaches deep into our selves. Some of us have a real
talent, but we all love the time spent whatever our ability. (I doubt I‟ll be exhibiting at the Art
Gallery so you can guess the group I fall into!)
Thank you Sister Columba and all at The Open Door.
A JOHN OF GOD STORY
Continued...
John Cidade is always identified with Granada and Spain but he
probably spoke with a Portuguese accent. He was taken from his
family from Montemor O Novo, in Portugal, to Spain when he was
eight years old. He would have learned to respond to „Juan‟ the
Spanish form of John rather than „Joáo‟ the Portuguese form which his Mother would have
called him. The reason for the removal from his family has been a bit obscure but in recent
times scholars have conjectured that his family surname „Cidade‟ indicated Jewish origins. In
the „ethnic cleansing‟ of Jews on the Iberian Peninsula in the 16th century, children were
sometimes removed from their families – not necessarily to a safer place – but to ensure their
proper upbringing in the faith. Even those Jews who converted – the so-called Conversos - were
treated with enmity and suspicion. Anti-Semitism did not begin in the 1930‟s! When Pope John
Paul 2, visited Israel in the year 2,000 he made a public apology for the persecution of Jews by
Catholics over the centuries. He placed a note in a crack in the Western Wall pleading for
forgiveness.
I imagine that as John grew up, he felt more Spanish than Portuguese. I know people here who
are like that – born elsewhere, and though they never lose the nostalgia and love for their
homeland, they feel Australian. Others I know have found it more difficult – especially if like
John, they find it impossible to return home.
Despite the hardships of his time John became so well loved that when he
died in Granada on March 8 1550, the city was swept into mourning. The rich
people had lost a friend but the poor were asking: „Who will look out for us
now?‟ It‟s still a good question, today.
Ref: John of God Father of the Poor. Brian O‟Donnell O.H.
About The Open Door
The Open Door is a Ministry of the Sisters of St John of God which seeks to develop a community where
people feel safe to explore their own creativity and spiritual journeys.
The centre is family friendly, offering affordable programs for adults and children in a range of creative and
spiritual themes including meditation, tai chi, creative writing, kids workshops, art, line dancing, book club,
gospel workshops, guided walks, and a number of retreats.
For more information please contact Trish, Jo or Kelly on 03 9791 8664, email [email protected],
visit our website at http://ministries.ssjg.org.au or drop in to visit us at 110 Ann Street Dandenong.
Christmas Closures:
The Open Door Dandenong
will be closed from Dec 22nd to
Jan 16th.
The Open Door Mornington
will be closed from Dec 22nd to
Feb 1st.
Why not join our social club?
There is no cost to join, just pay as
you go. This is a great way enjoy the
company of others meet new
friends.
To join call or email Jo or Kelly
on 9791 8664 or