MAGAZINE NO. 160 [Aug 2024]

 

 

Members may visit our Magazine Library page to download this issue. If you do not have a current membership, please join or renew to access.

Cover image: Photograph by Gabrielle Lewis
Funding of the colour cover for the printed issue has been generously donated by an Eremos member.

Eremos-160

Jo

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

EDITORIAL 3
WALKING WITH THE SPIRIT: OVERLAND TRACK JANUARY 2024 by Jenny Stewart 5
SCIENCE, THE ICONOCLAST by Des Connolly 10
THE AGEING JOURNEY: THE CHALLENGE OF SEEING NEWNESS AND GIVING THANKS by Toni Hassan 14
ANOINTING: A SERMON PREACHED IN HOLY WEEK
AT ALL SAINTS AINSLIE 2024 by Susana Pain 19
ST PAUL: THE FREEDOM THAT LOVE GIVES 21
by John Hanan
LETTER TO PETER MAHER by Ben Oh 23
MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU by Philip Carter 26
EREMOS INFORMATION AND MEMBERSHIP 34

EDITORIAL

What a time to be a member of Eremos!

After our 40th Anniversary celebrations last year, life hasn’t stood still. We’ve received a substantial bequest which will
enable Eremos to continue the work it does in promoting Australia’s spiritual life long into the future. But more of that
later.

Firstly, a significant number of our long-time Council members are considering stepping down and handing the reins
to a new Council. The Council is the engine room of Eremos; it’s where the decisions are made future directions are
formed and enacted. Without an effective Council, Eremos couldn’t function as it does.

So we’re seeking new Council members and we invite you to get involved. It’s interesting, energising and satisfying work, and no specific background or training is required, just a willingness to offer ideas and an enthusiasm for cooperating with others. New people bring new perspectives; they’re vital to any organisation that wants to thrive and grow.

We hold most of our meetings on Zoom, so it doesn’t matter what part of the country you’re from. We meet four times a year, and it’s always a friendly, low-key affair. Attendance at these meetings and participating in the action required following the meetings would be your main  responsibility. A Council member’s tenure is usually two to three years, and there’s no obligation to serve a longer term if you don’t wish to.

If you’re reading this and are interested, please contact Kate Scholl at katescholl@eremos.org.au. We welcome
any expression of interest.

§

In November 2022, Father Peter Maher passed away after a long battle with cancer. An avid follower of Eremos over a long period of time, he’s left us a significant bequest with which to carry on the invaluable work we do. It’s difficult to put into words the gratitude we feel and the excitement the bequest has generated among Council members for new directions and initiatives.

Peter was a Catholic priest. He was editor of The Swag, the National Council of Priests quarterly magazine. He was Cochair of Rainbow Catholics InterAgency Australia and was on the board of Equal Voices – the national ecumenical movement of LGBTIQA+ supportive Christians. He chaired Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Ministries, Sydney, and sat on the Human Research Ethics Committee of The University of Technology in Sydney. He was chaplain to PALMS Australia, which prepares Australians for philanthropic work abroad. He attained a Bachelor of Theology from the Catholic Institute of Sydney and Masters in Education (Adult) from UTS. In 2008, he received a UTS Human Rights Award – The Ally Award Celebrating and Supporting Sexual Diversity and Identity and the Alumni Community Award in 2015.

He also was awarded an OAM in 2015.

§

As a contribution to this issue, Peter’s friend Ben Oh has written him a beautiful letter that captures the spirit of the man, his passions and the hole he’s left in the hearts of so many who knew him. Others have said of Peter:

I first met Peter Maher when I joined the meditation group that meets at St Vincent de Paul Church in Redfern on Friday evenings … After meditation, we discussed the Gospel reading for the following Sunday, for which Peter normally took the lead, or certainly an active role. It was good to have him there, [imparting] such knowledge and perspective.

After one of our meetings, we had a short discussion walking to our cars, and Peter … confided in me about his
work for Rachel’s Vineyard, helping on weekend retreats for anyone impacted by an abortion experience, providing post-abortion support and healing. This really impressed me, as I knew that the Catholic Church is generally against abortion. To me, it showed Peter’s kind heart, and compassion, and empathy for those dealing with something very removed from Peter’s own life. This insight into Peter Maher radically transformed my view of him.

Louise

Father Peter followed my children all their life, through communions and confirmations. He also organised a very moving blessing to my daughter Margot and her wife to be, Tanika in 2022. Tanika, who hadn’t had good memories from fundamentalist Christians in her family, was impressed by Peter’s kindness, care and good advice. This experience stays in our memories forever.

Corinne

Another one of many community interests that Peter was involved in for a number of years was the Benedict Barkat Foundation, which raised money to support students (primarily orphans and women) with tuition costs at St Mary’s Catholic Boarding School in Hafizabad, Pakistan. 

Peter was [also] a member for some years of the Marrickville Council Interfaith Committee. The primary aim of this initiative was to bring together various faith leaders within the community to host events that Highlight commonalities versus differences in beliefs and thus breakdown stereotypical thinking and promote broader acceptance and unity.

There were many other such activities that supported Peter’s involvement in creating a more inclusive and accepting community.

Steve

Vale, Father Peter Maher. May your work live on in the efforts of Eremos and other groups committed to the creation
of a more caring, genuinely Christian society.

JOHN FOULCHER
Editor