Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Melbourne

It has been about a week since I returned from Melbourne. So it is also high time that I posted some pictures. I will not go into details about the 'retreat'. I will leave captions under the photos as well as a list of the places I visited at the end of this post.

St. Francis Church is the oldest Catholic church in Melbourne. It offers 9-11 Masses a day every week. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is held in-between Masses. Rite 1 of the Sacrament of Penance is also offered throughout the day. These are based on the constitutions of St. Peter Julian Eymard, the apostle of the Eucharist.

A view of the Sanctuary from the south wing. Take note of the Ambo. It was designed also as a throne; signifying the importance of Sacred Scripture. Just a thought: The monstrance ought to be enthroned as well; in fact it used to be enthroned in royalty in St. Francis Church until the changes of the Second Vatican Council. Catholic tradition and teaching have always held that first place should go to the Eucharistic Lord because even though Jesus can be present in other ways (scriptures, congregation, celebrant, etc...), he is transubstantially present- body, blood, soul and divinity- in the Eucharistic species.

Another view of the church from the south wing.

The Ladye Chapel, situated in St. Francis, is a beautiful space for prayer and reflection. I cannot describe how inspiring it was to be in the Chapel; I was lost for words when I entered this magnificent space. I do not think that any other Church in Melbourne could compare to the Ladye Chapel.

The ceiling lists all the attributes of Our Lady while the stain glass depicts the key moments of her life.

The first class relic of St. Peter Julian Eymard in the sacristy.

The Monastery where I put up during my stay.

The refectory. Anti-Clockwise: Deacon John, Br. Gerard, Br. Eymard.

The contemporary chapel situated in the Monastery's Chapter Room.

Community Fellowship every Monday after Vespers and before dinner. From Left to Right: Br. Stephen, Fr. Jack, Fr. Joe.

Community Fellowship every Monday after Vespers and before dinner. From Left to Right: Fr. Joachim, Br. Alphonsus, Fr. Alf, Br. Vincent.

Community Fellowship every Monday after Vespers and before dinner. From Left to Right: Fr. Tom (Superior), Fr. Laurie.

Community Fellowship every Monday after Vespers and before dinner. From Left to Right: Br. Joseph, Br. Eymard, Br. Damien, Br. Gerard.

These are just but some of the photos that I took. Here are some of the places I visited:
  • St. Patrick's Cathedral (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Peter's Church (Anglo-Catholic)
  • St. Paul's Cathedral (Roman Catholic)
  • All Saint's Church (Roman Catholic)
  • Blessed Mary McKillop Museum- had a private tour!
  • St. Mary's House of Welcome- a soup kitchen for the poor.
  • Hawthrorn Shopping Belt- Where I visited Southern Cross Church Supplies and Pauline Media Centre.
  • St. Kilda's Beach- a very 'diverse' area.
  • Yarra Theological College- Where Blessed Sacrament and Passionist Seminarians study.
  • RMIT University- Chaplains brunch
  • Catholic Archdiocesan Center and College- Where the Diocesan Seminarians study.

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