The Catholic Weekly 3 October 2021

catholicweekly.com.au 6 NEWS 3, October, 2021 Iconic monastery’s farm Religious in protective gear pray for deceased COVID-19 patients at a field hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. PHOTO: CNS, VOV YOUTUBE VACCINATION SSPX head backs vaccination While denouncing as an “abuse of power” coercivemeasures to promote vaccination against COVID-19, a leader of the traditionalist Society of St Pius X said getting vaccinated “may sometimes be an eminently prudent act in themoral sense of the term.” Father Arnaud Sélégny, secretary general of the SSPX, also said if hospitals or nursing homes admit only chaplains who are vaccinated, priests should comply. “If it is impossible to approach the dy- ing to confer on them the sac- raments without being oneself vaccinated, we should prefer the salvation of our neighbour to our own health or tranquili- ty,” he wrote on 24 September in an article on the congrega- tion’s website. “The absolute and categorical positions that are often widespread, such as that which tends to consider the vaccinated as Judas and those who refuse to do so as martyrs, or vice versa, seem at the very least excessive and sometimes mark an obvious lack of charity,” he wrote in his article on themost common moral, social and health argu- ments used for and against vac- cination. For many Catholics, the keymoral question with the available COVID-19 vaccines is the fact that in themanu- facturing or testing process, several of themused cell lines developed decades ago from the tissue of aborted foetuses. WHEN THE Benedictine Monastery town of New Nor- cia, located about an hour and a half ’s drive north of Perth, announced it was putting al- most all of its agricultural land up for sale to fund the com- munity’s redress owed for historical child sexual abuse, the news came as a shock to Western Australians regard- less of whether they described themselves as religious or oth- erwise. New Norcia, founded by Spanish Benedictine monks in 1847 is as well known in Western Australia as Taron- ga Zoo is in Sydney and New South Wales. It’s a major tourist destina- tion with busloads of people turning up daily to wander the tiny township which has grown up around the mon- astery and to take in some of its remarkable sights, such as an art gallery sitting in the middle of the bush full of high European art donated to the monks by, among others, the Spanish Royal family. A hotel originally complet- ed for parents of rural fam- ilies visiting their children boarders at the Monastery’s two schools – St Gertrude’s and St Ildephonsus – looks like something from a movie with its wide collonaded ve- ¾ Debbie Cramsie The township that grew up around a monastery: all 8,000 hectares of New Norcia’s farmland are for sale. randahs, the perfect place for spending a hot afternoon qui- etly sipping chilled drinks. It closed earlier in 2021. A museum also attracts visitors with its curated dis- plays of artefacts from almost two centuries of monastic life, while the schools chapels are extraordinary masterpieces of liturgical and church art. Across the other side of the Great Northern Highway run- ning straight through the cen- tre of the township - estimat- ed population of less than 100 - lies the picturesque Spanish architecture of the monastic Church and its monastery where generations of monks have lived, prayed and died. In WA, almost everyone knows something about New Norcia, especially the tale of how Dom Rosendo Salvado, the founding Abbot, walked the entire distance from his monastery’s foundation to the Swan River Colony and with the support of the Colony’s Governor, put on a one-man piano concert that saved the future of the embryonic com- munity of monks by raising enough money to purchase food for the community. For decades, themonastery and its hostel have been a des- tination for WA Catholics as a major retreat centre and as a centre of spirituality. Now it is selling almost 8000-hectares of prime farm land on the Victoria Plains for an asking price estimated to be approximately $40 million. The news was the lead story on Page One of the state’s dai- ly ne,wspaper, The West Aus- tralian . While the farmland is for sale, the township itself with its monastery, church, an old mill, a hotel, general store and post office are not part of the sale. Once one of the jewels in the crown for Catholics in Western Australia, the Order’s 175-year history has been per- manently scarred by the find- ings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse during the period between the 1950s and 1970s. It established the number of priests who were perpetra- tors in the Catholic Church in WA was much higher than the national average. The report found seven per cent of priests from all Catho- lic Church authorities who ministered from 1950 to 2010 across Australia were accused of child sexual abuse, but for the Benedictine Community, that number was more than triple that at 21.5 per cent. “Due to its liabilities relat- ing to redress for historical abuse, the Benedictine Com- munity of New Norcia has Day’s first prayer is for the dead AT 7:30 a.m. at field hospital No. 16, religious brothers and sisters began their shift with prayers for patients who had just died of COVID-19. The front-line workers are members of different con- gregations in the southern city who volunteer to assist medical staff in taking care of patients with the coronavirus as well as carry out logistical work, reported ucanews.com . In July, the standing com- mittee of the Fatherland Front of Vietnam called for the vol- unteers in Ho Chi Minh City to help contain the contagion. Soon after, about 700 volun- teers from religious organisa- tions joined in at field hospi- tals, ucanews.com reported. Besides taking care of the sick and logistics, they also perform a special task: pray- ing in front of the cold roomof those who died of COVID-19 each day. “All medical staff and vol- unteers are aware of their role as the patient’s family member, because the patients came here alone. If the patient dies, even the family cannot be present. “Therefore, I always want to do something for them. We also pray for all the patients here,” said Sister Thuy Linh, a member of the Sisters of St Paul of Chartres. She compared this pan- demic to a war that no one had imagined: “This is indeed a very fierce battle. Realizing such fierceness, we have a duty to join hands with doc- tors and nurses. We came here to assist and work with medi- cal staff.” - CNS Kindergarten to Year 6 serving the Moss Vale Parish with an enrolment of approximately 159 pupils. The Director of Schools, Diocese of Wollongong, invites applications from suitably experienced educators for this significant leadership position at St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School, Moss Vale commencing January 2022. In the Diocese of Wollongong, Principals are responsible for creating vibrant Catholic school communities where every student finds meaning and purpose in their life through experiencing continual growth in faith and improvement in learning. Applicants therefore require significant understanding, commitment and experience in faith and community leadership, capacity to lead learning and teaching as well as a commitment to continual school improvement. ESSENTIAL SELECTION CRITERIA To be considered for this position, you will be able to demonstrate you are an effective leader who: •Models Catholic faith in action and evidences a deep understanding and commitment to the mission and purpose of the catholic school within the broader evangelising mission of the church. •Develops a culture of effective teaching and learning, by leading, designing and managing the quality of the educational experiences of all students. •Builds the capacity of staff within a professional, collaborative learning community through the provision of effective professional learning opportunities, regular feedback and performance management. •Manages innovation and change to ensure that the school’s vision and strategic plan for improvement are aligned, actioned and realised. •Displays clear understanding of governance responsibilities and ensures that school processes meet system, NESA and legislative requirements. •Recognises and builds on the uniqueness of the school, church and local community to develop a mutually supportive, collaborative and trusting relationship with stakeholders to ensure their engagement in the life of the school. GENERAL CAPABILITIES applicable to the role: •Highly developed interpersonal skills. •Excellent oral and written communication skills. •Proven ability to work collaboratively in a team environment. •Strong organisational and delegation skills. QUALIFICATIONS •Post-graduate study in a relevant discipline. •Accreditation for Senior Leadership in a Catholic School (Category E) in accordance with the ‘Accreditation to Work, Teach and Lead in Systemic Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong’ policy. WORKING WITH CHILDREN CLEARANCE This role is classified as a child related work and therefore we require a working with children clearance to be completed prior to your commencement with us. POSITION APPLICATION Applicants are to complete an online application which asks to briefly address the essential criteria (equivalent to 2 pages). Prior to commencing your online application, please contact Paula Vera , Executive Assistant to the Head of Human Resource Services on 02 4253 0957 to initiate the referee feedback process. To confidentially discuss your application or general interest in this position please contact Carolyn Hadley, Head of Human Resource Services on 02 4253 0952 . Closing date: 8 October 2021 at 5pm View this ad at www.catholicjobsonline.com.au MOSS VALE St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School CATHOLIC EDUCATION DIOCESE OF WOLLONGONG Principal (Primary) It is anticipated this sale will generate suffi- cient capital to meet our com- mitment to redress and enough ... to sustain NewNorcia well into the future.”