Blessed John Henry NEWMAN - Prayer for Canonisation

God our Father, you granted to your servant Blessed John Henry Newman wonderful gifts of nature and of grace, that he should be a spiritual light in the darkness of this world, an eloquent herald of the Gospel, and a devoted servant of the one Church of Christ.

With confidence in his heavenly intercession, we make the following petition:  

that  INSERT THE NAME YOU ARE PRAYING FOR 

 be restored to full health.

For his insight into the mysteries of the kingdom, his zealous defence of the teachings of the Church, and his priestly love for each of your children, we pray that he may soon be numbered among the Saints.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus I Trust In You

The Divine Mercy, image by Sue, at St Thomas the Apostle KAMBAH ACT

The second Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday - 15 April 2012.

This devotion has been important in my life since I was introduced to the devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus since about 1988, that was the year in which I painted this image.

The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is a precious gift we can use daily and the devotion is heightened on the Feast day - Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Chaplet is recited as follows, using rosary beads -

First say one Our Father, one Hail Mary and the I believe in God.

1) Then once recite - 

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of  Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

2) then the following prayer ten times on the decade beads-

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all five decades

in conclusion three times repeat the following prayer-

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Our Lord said to Sister Faustina: At three o'clock implore My mercy especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.

The Chaplet is a powerful prayer for the dying.  To say the Chaplet at the beside of a dying person is the greatest gift you can give them.

Jesus I Trust in You

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm#ixzz1roev37eg

Australia Day at Wombat NSW - at the Tractor Pull

Well as you know Australia Day is the 26th January. There are lots of events that celebrate Australia as a wonderful nation with an awesome people.
This year we chose to experience a really basic Australian Event - we went to Wombat NSW (just down the road from our little 'farm'  to the 'Tractor Pull' at Wombat NSW.


Australia Day at Wombat NSW - at the Tractor Pull - what a great line up of tractors  



The tractors take it in turns to pull a load and the one that pulls it the furtherest is the winner in their section. There and a number of sections - catering for the oldest models to the newest. Great fun.

There was also a display of old machiney and vintage cars and of course the craft stalls.

This is a CORN SPLITTER - you wind the handle and the corn cob moves down a conveyer belt and the corn is removed from the husk - how good is that!!! I loved it.

Back to work as we start the new year - 2012

Tomorrow I am back to work after a 3 week holiday.
I am so privileged to be able to take time off from the routine of work in the city and spend it in the country - watching the sheep grazing in the adjoining paddock, the blue wren flitting back and forth through the water spray in the garden, picking the magnificent blue and white agapanthus for the vases and cooking the apples and plums from the orchard.
My beetroot were small - but cooked up into a delicious relish.
My zucchini are crunchier than the ones I buy and the tomatoes are yummy. I do not get many vegetables but I do appreciate those that grow.
The dog is digging up my pumpkin patch - I am not sure what he is after - ants, rabbits..... but it is not very good for the plants I must confess.
Farming is not my strong point - but I am enjoying trying to grow my own vegies. Any suggestions would be most grateful.

May the year ahead be filled with joy and peace for you and your loved ones.
May the world know the Wonder of His Love.
Every blessing to you during 2012.

Aboriginal Nativity

Aboriginal Nativity

I wish each of you a blessed and peaceful Christmas 2011.

This is an aboriginal nativity which I created in 2009.

I love the aboriginal form of painting and I wanted to create a nativity. 

The figures are based on the beautiful aboriginal Stations of the Cross used during World Youth Day in Sydney 2008.

The world can seem chaotic at this time of the year, 

But I feel the peace and serenity of the Holy Family in this image can speak to us of life and love. 

Christ came to the world as a helpless infant; into the arms of a young woman.

Christ was born into to the essence of creation - a place prepared by the Father, created by the Spirit - the breath of life.

 Those who live with the land know the beauty and majesty of the place of his birth. 

This place was the lowly stable - a cave in the side of a hill.

What man could build a lodging fit for the King of Kings?

The lodging our King wants is a home in our hearts. 

Many Blessings to you and your family and loved ones. 

Canberra the Bush Capital of Australia



Canberra is the Capital  of Australia. It is a beautiful city.
The National Carillon, situated on Aspen Island in central Canberra..




Canberras Captian  Cook Fountain is a spectacular feature of Lake Burleigh Griffin.



Around Canberra you can often see kangaroos grazing, you just have to know where to find them.
So when you visit Canberra ask one of the locals where to find them. These ones are on Urambi Hills, Tuggeranong.



The flowers in our Australian Capital are unusually beautiful.
Remember to visit our Botanical Gardens to see a wide variety of Australian native plants.




 

St John Marie Baptiste Vianney Patron of Parish Priests

There are several elements of the image that I feel are important to the Icon. The image on the book is the Lamb of God slain for our sins, but risen and victorious over death. This image is on a vestment of the Saint. Reconciliation was a very important element of St John Vianney's ministry.  He spent many hours daily administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The cross on the purple stole is in the pattern of the criss-cross of the confessional window; he spent many hours daily administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation and was a great blessing to those who came to receive forgiveness. The book, representing the Gospels, the image of the Lamb holding the Cross plus the purple stole say everything there is to say - the Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world. St John understood perfectly that saving souls by freeing them from the burden of sin is what the priestly ministry is all about.  The priest is another Christ.

An icon is a window into heaven.  The gold represents heaven. Gold reflects light, while all other elements absorb light. What a wonderful image of heaven - it reflects the light of Christ. It is a marvellous demonstration of Gods glory. The light does not come from the halo but balls onto the saint from above – the Holy Spirit who speaks through him.

As we are embracing the new translation of the Missal I have represented this image in the icon. St John Vianney is the Patron Saint of parish priests and the missal was very dear to his heart. He spent much time in teaching catechism classes. St John’s right hand is held in blessing and the symbolic pattern of our doctrine. The thumb and ring finger are joined symbolizing the eternal love of the Trinity, the index and middle fingers are upright symbolizing the divine and human natures of Christ and the little finger proclaims three persons in one God. The mouth of the Saint closed and his ear is open and listening to the word of God.

The preliminary stage of writing an icon. It is a journey of discovery, research, choices, many, many decisions have to be made. How shall I speak of this mighty man. What is the element of his character that is most important to me. While I wrote this Icon of St John Marie Baptiste Vianney I wondered what did he did in his life that made such a monumental difference to the world that made the Church proclaim him Saint. Who is this great man of God.
This gentle portrayal of the Saint, based on the image used in the wayside chapels around Ars, captures the essence of the man, his simplicity and his littleness.