St Mary's

Mindful Breath Awareness – A Brief Manual for Kids of all ages

compiled by Brad Hunter

DOC160712-16072012113750

www.avigailabarbanel.me.uk

Thank you everyone for inviting me to speak to you today.

My husband Ian and I left Australia and moved to Scotland in January 2010. Perhaps because we were busy with the stresses of our move, that we missed the events in 2009. I am referring to the removal of Peter Kennedy from his role as Parish Priest, and to the subsequent exile of your community from the Catholic Church.

I would like to start with a cartoon that sums up what I want to say tonight.

A woman on the footpath outside the ZEN CENTRE, with a sign outside saying, “SEEKING ENLIGHTENMENT? INQUIRE WITHIN.” She turns to a Buddhist Monk sitting cross-legged on the footpath and meditating she asks “Where’s the door?” The monk replies “NO DOOR”.

They were thrown out of the Catholic faith, but this Brisbane religious community refuses to go away.

ROSS FITZGERALD writes

Three years down the track after being unceremoniously ejected from the Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Brisbane, the community of St. Mary’s in Exile (SMX) has more than survived.

Courier -Mail May 12 2012 http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/mothers/story-fn6ck8la-1226353089182

Terry Fitzpatrick, 54, Catholic priest at St Mary’s-In-Exile, South Brisbane, & Marie Fitzpatrick, 77

Marie Fitzpatrick has watched and prayed as her third son, Terry, has challenged the Catholic Church as renegade priest and advocate for the marginalised, most recently at St Mary’s-in-Exile.

Peter, last night, gave a reading from Eckhardt Tolle, which said basically that there is no past or future, there is only NOW. This moment.

‘Can you be in the moment later!’

Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, where we hear the story of the coming upon the early disciples of the Holy Spirit which transformed their lives, driving them out of the timidity of the Upper Room to the ends of the earth.

Iain De Jong

http://www.orgcode.com/2012/05/01/theres-a-difference-between-wanting-to-end-homelessness-and-committing-to-end-homelessness/

If you work in the homeless service sector you should have a very simple career goal – to put yourself out of a job.

I have this belief that homeless and housing support services exist to end homelessness. They don’t exist to make people in human services feel good about themselves. They don’t exist to cleanse the consciousness of corporations through their philanthropy. They don’t exist to keep government bureaucracies humming along.

There is a difference between wanting to end homelessness and committing to end homelessness.

Last night in this room, the ALP had their end of election celebration/commiseration. I had forgotten to tell the Saturday nighters that we could not use the TLC last night because of the elections. I asked how they found out and most of them said from email. Thank God for email.

That reminds me of the story: A disciple comes before the Master (his meditation teacher) and asks “is it okay to use email?” “Of course” said the teacher, “as long as there are no attachments!”

But as he began to look back into where the books of the Bible actually came from, Robert questioned what was true, and what was a beautiful fiction.

He was charged with heresy by the Catholic Church, and although he was acquitted he decided to leave the priesthood. Robert is now the Director of the South Australian Ethics Centre. Three Revolutions: Three Drastic Changes in Interpreting the Bible published ATF Press.

Yesterday we buried Scott McKenzie, Barbara’s husband and close friend to St Mary’s. Barbara suggested that we begin the Liturgy of farewell with some words from Michael Morwood reminding us of our deep connection to the Universe.

At the beginning of the Liturgy we lit a candle to remind us of our great birth at the beginning of time – that great explosion of light we call the big bang, from which we gradually emerged over billions of years.

With Scott’s body in the coffin before us all, I read: