Religious Education News
“All created things give us ideas and glimpses of the beauty of the infinitely beautiful Creator.”
Julian Tenison Woods 1881
Dear Parents and Carers,
Yesterday was the birthdate of Julian Tenison Woods. At the age of eighteen Julian joined the Passionists in England and was professed in February 1852. After travelling through France Julian arrived in Tasmania in 1855 aged 23. He stayed in Tasmania for three months as a chaplain and teacher to convicts.
After leaving Hobart, he travelled to Adelaide and resumed his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by Bishop Francis Murphy on 4 January 1857. Father Woods’ first parish was Penola in South Australia. The parish had an area of 57,000 square kilometres. As an enthusiastic young priest he spent a lot of his time travelling on horseback to visit his parishioners and meeting many interesting people during his journeys.
During one of these journeys he met a young Mary MacKillop. The bishop at that time had commanded Father Woods to establish schools for the Catholic children of his parish. As Catholic teachers were unavailable, he decided to begin a new religious order of teaching sisters to bring Catholic education to the children of poor families. In 1866, Mary willingly accepted his invitation to become one of its first members. And so began the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
Fr Julian Tenison Woods was a remarkable man. As well as being a fervent priest and a deeply spiritual leader he is recognised as a well-respected geologist, botanist, explorer and environmentalist. He wrote many scientific books and articles documenting the history, exploration and geological formation of Australia. The system of education he devised with Mary MacKillop led to him being appointed the first Director of Catholic Education in South Australia.
Father Julian Tenison Woods
Matthew 25:14-15. 19-21 - Because you have been faithful over a few things, enter into the joy of the Lord.
Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out. Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir”, he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”’
A REFLECTION by Nick Brodie - This Gospel, Pope Francis says, highlights that ‘not doing good is not good’.
The Pope points out that goodness is more than the absence of harm. Burying our talent and passively neglecting our gift is not what God wants. And, the Pope adds, we have been given many gifts: Faith, the Gospel, the Sacraments, even the Holy Spirit!
We Christians cannot, therefore, be a people who respond to God by turning in on ourselves and burying our treasures because we are fearful of losing them. Having been ‘entrusted’ with God’s property – the Church, the Earth, even our very lives – we will be called to account for our custodianship of it.
But as this Gospel indicates, our judgement will not be measured by numbers, be they five or two talents (or converts!). Rather, the biggest question is whether we recognise the reality of being God’s servants. As the Pope noted, the man in the parable was very quick to characterise the master as ‘a hard man’, justifying inaction. But with gifts already in hand our options are simple: we can make the excuse that God will be more concerned with punishing us for what we might do wrong and therefore do nothing; or we can try doing the best we can to do good and do something.
Blessings on your weekend,
Sharon Beashel
Religious Education Coordinator