Every year on Clean Up Australia Day, thousands fo people get out and about around Australia to clean up our streets. This year an extra type of cleaning up will be in progress - a new campaign “Say NO to Sexual Advertisements” will hit our streets.
From The Catholic Weekly -
The petition, started by Melbourne university student Matthew Restall and supported by The Catholic Weekly, will then be presented to members of parliament in both states.
“On Clean Up Australia day, the Australian community will have the opportunity to express their opinion on what they believe is suitable advertising for the sides of our roads and vehicles,” Mr Restall said.
“It is clear by the enormous response to this petition by young people that Australia needs to be cleaned up.”
So far more than 10,000 people signed the petition, and hundreds more are expected to do so to help clean up Australia.
more ……
This is a great sign from our young people. If you come across these petitions please sign them. I don’t know the locations where the volunteers will be but I do know that groups of volunteers will be organised out the front of Melbourne’s Parliament House between 11am and 3pm on the 1st March.
If you would like to volunteer to collect signatures please turn up out the front of Parliament House on Sunday March 1st. At 3.30pm the signatures will be given to a politician out the front of Parliament to be submitted on the next sitting date.
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A special prayer for you to say each day ……
The Miracle Prayer
Lord Jesus. I come before you, just as I am.
I am sorry for my sins. I repent of my sins, please forgive me.
In your name I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce Satan, the evil spirits and all their works.
I give you my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and forever. I invite you into my life Jesus, I accept you as my Lord, God and Saviour.
Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul and spirit.
Come Lord Jesus, cover me with your precious blood and fill me with your Holy Spirit.
I love you Lord Jesus, I Praise you Jesus.
I thank you Jesus. I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen.
Mary my mother, Queen of Peace, St Peregrine the cancer saint, all you Angels and Saints please help me. Amen.
Say this prayer faithfully, no matter how you feel, when you come to the point where you sincerely mean each word, with all you heart, something good spiritually will happen to you. You will experience Jesus, and He will change your whole life in a very special way. You will see.
1993 Servite Fathers, O.S.M.
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In Praise of God’s Goodness
Psalm 34: 12-14
Would you like to enjoy life?
Do you want long life and happinss?
Then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies.
Turn away from evil and do good; strive for peace with all your heart.
Always speak positively with words of encouragement.
Remember, there is no such thing as a ‘white lie’ – a lie is a lie no matter what colour you’d like to paint it.
Peace for the world begins with peace in our hearts …. it will then flow to our families … which then flows to our neighbours …. whcih flows to our world.
Always doing good for others will keep us from temptations.
Psalm 34: 18
The Lord is near to those who are discouraged;
He saves those who have lost all hope
During times like these when many may feel so helpless in helping the bushfire victims, firefighters & volunteers, Remember that even the smallest prayer is heard by our Heavenly Father. Your prayers will bring the Lord near to those who are discouraged; your prayers will help save those who have lost all hope.
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Must be time to display another beautiful painting.
This one is titled Our Lady of the Angels
Our Lady of the Angels
by William Bouguereau
A copy of this beautiful painting is hanging in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels on the Holy Mountain of Praise in Carngham. It’s an exquisite artwork reproduced as a canvas print.
I don’t have any information on Our Lady of the Angels but I do know of a tiny little chapel in Assisi which stands inside a Basilica.
Early in his life about 1212, St. Francis of Assisi was given a small, ruined chapel by the Benedictines for his repair and eventual use near Assisi, where he later died. It was on a very small piece of property, a small portion—a ‘porziuncola’ in Italian. Later on, this place of worship became a centre of pilgrimage, devotion and repentance. A fresco was painted on the wall behind the altar depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by angels. Thus the chapel, which is now surrounded and sheltered by a monumental Papal Basilica, took the name: ‘Saint Mary of the Angels at the Little Portion’.
Don’t you think this is a beautiful painting?
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The Lord keeps close watch over the whole world, to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9
Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God’s glory. Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the church of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23
Everything we do can be holy and consecrated to God. All things can be sanctified to bring glory to Him. So with everything we do, bring it to Jesus as an act of love, for love is the beauty of the soul.
Catch the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard in bloom …… Strive to live in holiness. This is possible for everyone. It’s the little things in life that can make the difference.
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The bushfires in Victoria are too incredible. The whole thing seems almost unreal …. and yet it is very real. We have had relatives overseas and interstate phone us to make sure we’re ok. We are ok. The fires have reached the outer suburbs of Melbourne – the latest one in Ivanhoe apparently lit by another arsonist.
This is such a sad thing to happen. So many lives lost. And yet, amidst this horrific and frightening event we have something special being aroused – the Australian spirit. This is not new. Australians have always opened their hearts to help others in a disaster such as the current bushfires. Where there is devestation and loss and people are in need Aussies have an amazing ability to put aside all thoughts of themselves and with great compassion channel their energies to help those who are desperately in need.
We’re all affected – we all feel it. Everyone comes out to do whatever they can.
Prayers are important – continual prayers – for the victims and for all the essential services and volunteers…. and also for those who lit the fires or are planning to light more. And of course, don’t forget the wildlife – all part of God’s creation, little creatures who in the end were totally helpless – they’re gone and so is their habitat.
If only we would understand how much we need each other – not just in times of need but day by day.
Yesterday (Thurs) St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne was packed. People gathered for mass to pray for the Repose of the Souls of the Victims of Bushfire and Spiritual Support of Those who are Suffering. Archbishop Denis Hart at the end said -
What will come of this is the sense that we do need each other, and how much we can do when we work together.
Lord, in your great love and mercy help us to always be selfless, kind, generous and loving towards our neighbours. Comfort those who have lost much, heal those who are injured and in pain. Holy Spirit, pour out your grace on this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. Grant to all conversion of life , a deeper faith, and love for all. Enable us to build a new civilisation of life, love and truth. Amen.
If you would like to make a donation towards the bushfire appeal please go to
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS – Victorian Bushfire Appeal
Please keep your prayers going.
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I have decided to start up a weekly sharing which I’ve named TUESDAY’S TREASURES; thanks to the Lord for His inspiration while I was sitting in the chapel of Our Lady of the Angels on the Holy Mountain of Praise.
We attend a weekly prayer & praise meeting, held each Tuesday on the Holy Mountain of Praise. This house of prayer was specially commissioned by God for the purpose of praisng God and praying for the nations. As the praises go up, the blessings come down and flow out to all the world. Each Tuesday we gather there to do His will. We are always given a teaching – His word to us for that day. The teachings are always based on scripture and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
This is where our homeschooling friends gather – we’ve done this for approximately 10 years (previously the meetings were held in Melbourne each Tues) and continue to do so.
The Word is so powerful and theLord is so good and I feel it’s time to share with you some of these words and teachings from our Tuesday meetings. These meetings have been dubbed Precious Tuesdays because so many special, wonderful & awesome things have been done by the Lord on these days; but I will call this sharing with you TUESDAY’S TREASURES because the Word of God is a real treasure full of love, hope, comfort, healing and encouragement.
I hope you will find these shaings encouraging and enjoyable to read. I look forward to bringing them to you each week on Tuesday night after I return home from the Holy Mountain of Praise.
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Who would have thought that last Saturday would bring not only Melbourne’s hottest recorded day at 46.4 degrees but our Blackest day for bushfires in Victoria. Although aware of the bushfires around our state many of us were unaware of the Huge tragedy that unfolded. A truly sad day for so many people who lost their homes, and even more sadness for those who lost thier loved ones. The death toll keeps rising, the fires keep raging and towns have been wiped out.
However traggic this is we know how Aussies band together when times are bad. Aussies open their hearts to help out in any way they can. The words about our country from the poem My Country, by Dorothea Mackellar (1885 – 1968) ring true. We’ve all heard this second verse -
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!
Fire and Flood have been before – it’s not new. But it’s incredible how we have the two extremes happening at the same time – devastating floods in northern Queensland and raging bushfires down south in Victoria. Yet these words should make us stop and think -
Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold-
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.
From day to day we usually spend our time complaining about ‘what we want, what we haven’t got, what somebody else should do or shouldn’t do … and so on. Yet we do love our country dearly and we Do care dearly for our neighbour. It’s sad though that we only show it at times of great tragedies. After the waters have receded and the fires are no more, will we remember how neighbourly we all should be? Perhaps these tragedies are a way the Lord brings us together ……
An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land-
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand-
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.
To the courageous men and women who are battling these disasters we pray that the Lord will protect you and fill you with His strength. May He comfort and help all those involved and affected by the bushfires and floods. May more good come out of this than the destruction it has caused.
Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians,
Pray For Us
Many prayers I’m sure are being prayed around the country – if you feel led to add a prayer here you are welcome to do so.
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Aussie homeschoolers can you help? It’s not for me but for a family who are trying to make a decision about homeschooling. I don’t know this family personally but I have ‘met’ them via BidMate Auctions (an Aussie auction site) where I have set up a store. This has come up in the forums there. I believe they live in Queensland but I’m not sure. I have given them my thoughts to try & help out their situation.
What I’m looking for is for any other homeschoolers out there who may like to offer them some help/encouragement/thoughts/ideas and maybe some useful links. If you think you’d like to help in some way please take a look here at the forum discussion so far. The member is Bumblebee (I’m known as Timeless Treasures).
I just thought that if there were others who could join in this thread with some useful information or encouragement it may help them. They have a deadline of 9th Feb to decide - something to do with fees or similar. I don’t know what their background is so they may or may not be Catholic … or anything.
You don’t need to be registered with the site to read the posts but you do need to be registered to write posts. If you’d prefer not to register but would like to help I’d be happy for you to write it here & I could pass it on.
If you’re not a homeschooler reading this but know some homeschoolers, please pass this on to them. Many thanks in advance.
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After 12 years of homeschooling we are finished – all is done.
At the end of 2008 Vincent & two of his homeschooled friends graduated. We celebrated this end with a beautiful mass and delicious feast. Now, as many others begin their new homeschooling year it seems so strange not having to organise & plan the lessons. Each start of the school year we (along with our other homeschooling friends) begin with the celebration of the Holy Mass. The students usually receive a holy card and the mums are given a beautiful rose each. Of course, nothing has changed – the Holy Mass was celebrated today for all the homeschooling families ….. but for the first time Vincent didn’t have to go up to receive his holy card (which was a picture of Our Lady of the Southern Cross) and I didn’t go up to receive the beautiful pink rose …. However, all the graduates accompanied Jesus to the tabernacle. It was lovely to see. Father had mentioned at their graduation that ‘Jesus was with them’, and today they were with Him.
One phase over, a new one has just begun – I guess now is the time for me to make sure I’m fit & ready to do whatever the Lord asks of me next.
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