This month at a

glance…

BEN-DETTO! Edition 37, November 2014

FCI Dinner Dance Page 2 Family Faith Page 5 Dome’s Dropbox Page 6 Sew-Inspirational Page 7 Saint of the Month Page 8 Lunch Room Chat Page 9 The Noticeboard Page 10

Ben-Detto! is the monthly e-newsletter published by FCI Friends in Faith, a Catholic Commu-nity united in friendship and in faith and enriched by our Italo-Australian heritage, bearing wit-ness to Christ through the promo-tion and organization of spiritual, social and charitable activities, in Brisbane, Australia.

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

FCI Friends in Faith…

is hosting a Charity Food

Drive and Morning Tea in

Heritage Hall, following

the Italian Mass at Holy

Cross, Wooloowin on Sunday

the 16th November. (please note change of date)

We kindly ask that you

donate a non-perishable

food item in exchange for

a cuppa/some light

refreshments. Some great

items to bring include

p a c k a g e d b i s c u i t s ,

chocolates and soft

drinks. All donations will

support the food stock of

THE BRISBANE YOUTH SERVICE

over the busy holiday

period.

They do great work in administering to

homeless and vulnerable young people

across Brisbane streets.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

2014 Annual FCI

Dinner Dance

Contribution by

Michael Guida

The Italian Catholic Federation (FCI) and the Scalabrinian Missionaries are the names of two institutions that go hand in hand. Inseparable, to say the least. While one hand provides Spiritual formation and guidance, the other, as a lay organisation, is constantly enriching the community spirit of Italo-Australians in Brisbane, and as part of a larger Federation, Australia. It is no surprise, therefore, that throughout the 34-year history of the presence of the FCI in Brisbane and Queensland, FCI members and friends have always answered the call to support and fundraise for the Bursary Fund of the Scalabrinian Seminarians in Asia. The Bursary Fund supports the training of the Scalabrinian Seminarians throughout the St Frances Xavier Cabrini Province, which encompasses Australia, Indonesia, Japan, The Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. This year, as per prior years, the three

branches of the FCI in Brisbane; FCI

North Brisbane, FCI Aspley-Geebung

and FCI Friends in Faith; hosted a

Charity Dinner Dance in support of

the Bursary Fund. The Dinner Dance

was held on 18th October 2014, at the

Kedron-Wavell Services Club on

Brisbane’s Northside.

The evening was a great success, with

180 guests enjoying a three course

meal, music by live band Latin Combo, fantastic raffles and great company. A highlight of the evening was a presentation by Reverend Father Savino Bernardi, Provincial Superior of the Scalabrinian Missionaries. In his presentation, Father Savino thanked the FCI, guests present at the event and the local community for their continued support of the Scalabrinian Bursary Fund. Father Savino was also proud to announce the planned arrival of a new Scalabrinian Missionary, trained in the Provincial Seminaries and supported by the FCI Annual Dinner Dance, to Brisbane in the near future.

“Not all of us can do everything, of course, but

who is there among us who cannot do something?”

- Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini The three branches of the FCI in Queensland were also very pleased to welcome to the event members of the Sydney based FCI National Executive Committee, led by the National President Mrs Rosa Pangallo. The National Executive met with local FCI members during the day on Saturday, at Holy Cross Church, Lutwyche; the primary base of the FCI’s mission in Brisbane. The National Executive’s pastoral visit was a special opportunity for local members to discuss the activities of the FCI in Brisbane, and to exchange ideas on activities at a national level.

At the Dinner Dance, Mrs Rosa Pangallo and the National Executive presented a cheque for $500 in support of the Bursary Fund to the Presidents of the local branches; Mrs Nerina La Spina (FCI North Brisbane), Mrs Bianca Frangiosa (FCI Aspley-Geebung) and Mr Domenico Antonaglia (FCI Friends in Faith). This year’s Annual Charity Dinner Dance was proudly supported by local businesses including Mr Guido Canale OAM and Canale Travel Service, Elixir Coffee, Mussi Electrical, Porta Lawyers, Moore Stephens Accountants, Muscillo Romano Accountants, Wealth Depot Financial Advisors and KM Smith Funeral Directors. The major prize of the grand lottery was a beautiful vintage Italian handmade bicycle worth over $1,000, imported from Sicily and kindly donated by Mr Enzo Montalbano of Italian Lombardo Bikes. It is only with the generosity of FCI

members and friends and the

generosity of local businesses that the

FCI is able to continue to support the

Bursary Fund of the Scalabrinian

Fathers in Asia. After all, it was

Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini who

said: “Not all of us can do everything,

of course, but who is there among us

who cannot do something?”

Be sure to check out the photo

gallery on the next 2 pages!

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

2014 Annual FCI

Dinner Dance

(Clockwise from front left) Leonina Di Lione, Francisco Cabrera, Mr

Ludovico Camussi (Italian Consul to QLD and NT), Ms Mariangela

Stagnitti (President of Com.It.Es QLD & NT)

Stefanie Marrama and Domenico Antonaglia (FCI

Friends in Faith) together with Simone Trentino and

Valentina Ricchi of UQIA (Uni of Qld Italian Assoc.)

Reverend Fathers Savino Bernardi (Provincial Superior of

the Scalabrinian Missionaries) and Fr Ignacio Rodriguez,

Scalabrinian and Parish Priest of Holy Spirit, New Farm

Enzo Montalbano of Italian Bikes draws the major prize,

kindly donated by Enzo. Accompanied by Daniel

Antonaglia, Stefanie Marrama and Domenico Antonaglia

Left: Members of the FCI in

Queensland met with the FCI

National Executive during their

visit to Brisbane on October

18th at Holy Cross,

Wooloowin, the missionary

base of the FCI in Qld.

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

2014 Annual FCI

Dinner Dance

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

Dome’s Dropbox “The smiling space”

Contribution by Domenico Antonaglia

Apples and Cookies The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching." Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the

Anyone for peanuts? A preacher visits an elderly woman from his congregation. As he sits on the couch he notices a large bowl of peanuts on the coffee table. "Mind if I have a few?" he asks. "No, not at all!" the woman replied. They chat for an hour and as the preacher stands to leave, he realizes that instead of eating just a few peanuts, he emptied most of the bowl. "I'm terribly sorry for eating all your peanuts, I really just meant to eat a few." "Oh, that's all right," the woman says. "Ever since I lost my teeth all I can do is suck the chocolate off them."

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

Sew-Inspirational

Craft time ideas

and suggestions

Contribution by Teresa Rotolone

Hello crafters! Christmas is approaching and for some of us, that means it is time to start thinking of those important gifts for your child’s teacher. I have found two excellent ideas that can adapted to suit either a male or female teacher. If you are a devoted reader of my column, you would remember the decorative jar/canister that I added in Issue 32 (June 2014) of Ben-Detto!. Using that technique, you can easily decorate these gift jars to suit your teacher. The first idea is suited to both a male or female teacher. “Energy in Jar” is filled with your teacher’s favourite chocolate bars or lollies to last them throughout the holiday season.

The second idea is “Spa in a Jar”. Basically fill your jar with any pamper items you think would she would like. Perhaps moisturiser, a nail file or foot soak would be nice, and if the budget allows, add a nail polish in her favourite colour. Both these gift ideas can be as elaborate or as budget friendly as you need them to be.

Go on…Get Creative!!!

Reflection cards In preparation for our FIF led masses at Holy Cross, Wooloowin, FIF members break open the Word at our monthly Formation Nights. We do this by reading through all the readings of that particular Sunday, and share our thoughts and reflections with each other.

To help you do the same, a small team of FIF members (Domenico and Teresa) put together a small reflection card which is handed out to Parishioners at the end of mass. The purpose of the card is to help us all to remember, at least in a small way, something from the readings that captured us and to reflect on that during the week ahead. In case you missed out, here is a sample of what we prepare. Why not come along to our next mass on 7 December and don’t forget to grab one too!

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

Family Faith

One of the great mysteries enshrined in the ecclesiology of the Catholic Church is that Christ speaks through the rather messy and unpredictable process of ecclesiastical argument. The Holy Spirit guides the process of course, but he doesn’t undermine or circumvent it. It is precisely in the long, laborious sifting of ideas across time and through disciplined conversation that the truth that God wants to communicate gradually emerges. If you want evidence of this, simply look at the accounts of the deliberations of the major councils of the Church, beginning with the so-called Council of Jerusalem in the first century right through to the Second Vatican Council of the twentieth century. In every such gathering, argument was front and center, and consensus evolved only after lengthy and often acrimonious debate among the interested parties.

Until Vatican II, these preliminary arguments and conversations were known only to the participants themselves and to certain specialist historians who eventually sifted through the records. The great teachings of the Councils became widely known and celebrated, but the process that produced them was, happily enough, consigned to the shadows. If I might quote the great Newman, who had a

Those two previous dust-ups took several centuries to resolve, and Marty suggests that we might be in the midst of another centuries long controversy. I’m glad that Pope Francis, at the outset of this Synod, urged the participating bishops to speak their minds clearly and fearlessly. He didn’t want a self-censorship that would unduly hamper the conversation and thereby prevent the truth from emerging. This does not imply for a moment that Pope Francis will agree with every point of view expressed, and indeed he can’t possibly, since many are mutually exclusive. But it does indeed mean that he has the confidence and the patience required to allow the Holy Spirit to work in his preferred fashion. For the full article, please visit: h t t p : / / w w w . w o r d o n f i r e . o r g /resources/article/having-patience-for-the-sausage-making-synod/4517/

rather unsatisfying experience of official ecclesial life in Rome: “those who love the barque of Peter ought to stay out of the engine room!” This is a somewhat more refined version of “those who enjoy sausage ought never to watch how it is made.” The interim report on the Synod represents a very early stage of the sausage-making process and, unsurprisingly, it isn’t pretty. Two more weeks of discussion will follow; then a full year during which the findings of the Synod will be further refined, argued about, and clarified; then the Ordinary Synod on the Family will take place (the one going on now is the Extraordinary Synod), and many more arguments and counter-arguments will be made; finally, some months, perhaps even a year or so, after that, the Pope will write a post-Synodal exhortation summing up the entire process and offering a definitive take on the matter. At that point, I would suggest, something resembling edible sausage will be available for our consumption; until then, we should all be patient and refrain from bloviating.

The historian and theologian Martin Marty commented that our debates today about sex and authority are analogous to the arguments in the early centuries of the Church’s life concerning Christology and to the disputes about anthropology and salvation around the time of the Reformation.

Having patience for the sausage making SYNOD

Courtesy of Father Robert Barron, WORD ON FIRE: Article published October 14, 2104.

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

Saint of the Month

Contribution by Emilia Adolphe

St Gregory Thaumaturgus

Source: (references; St. Gregory

Thaumaturgus - Saints & Angels -

Catholic Online and St. Gregory

Thaumaturgus – St Gregory

Wonderworker - November 17 - Plinio

Correa de Oliveira commentary on the

S a i n t o f t h e D a y @

TraditionInAction.org

He dried a lake that was the cause of dissension between two brothers. He stopped the flooding of the Icus River that was devastating the fields by planting his staff along the border of the river. His staff took root, and was transformed into a great tree beyond whose limits the water would not pass. Many times he expelled devils from the idols and the bodies of possessed persons. These are some of the many miracles he worked, which caused multitudes to enter the Catholic Faith. He also had the spirit of the Prophets, foretelling many future events. On his deathbed he was informed that the number of heretics in Neoceasarea was only seventeen. He gave thanks to God, because he had found but seventeen Catholics in the diocese when he became Bishop.

Hello Everyone! Hope you are all very well. Please see below an article I have sourced on St Gregory Thaumaturgus. I found St Gregory to be an interesting read. Many doubted his miracles due to the lack of others witnessing them. St Gregory’s feast day is November 17. Happy reading!

St Gregory Thaumaturgus is the patron saint of against earthquakes, desperate causes, floods, forgotten causes, impossible causes, lost causes. his name means St Gregory the Wonder Worker.

Gregory was born to a distinguished pagan family in Neoceasarea in 213. He became a disciple of Origin, and afterward was appointed Bishop of Neoceasarea. Illustrious for his doctrine and sanctity, he was still more memorable for the number and brilliance of miracles he worked, which earned for him the title Thaumaturgus – Miracle Worker – and made him comparable to Moses, the Prophets and the Apostles, according to the testimony of St. Basil.

Through his prayer, he moved a mountain that prevented the construction of a church.

St Gregory Thaumaturgus

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

Lunch Room Chatter Faith in the workplace

Contribution by

Michael Guida

This year, I have been very fortunate to have been invited to help present a series of workshops as part of a team made up of a Banker, a Migration Lawyer and an Accountant (me!). The workshops are held at a central CBD location and are presented in Italian. The target audience of these workshops are newly arrived Italians arriving in Australia on working holiday, student and business sponsored visas. The focus of the seminars are to provide a “correct explanation” and further insight into the workings of migration law in Australia and the rules regarding the various visas available. It is also an opportunity to explain the taxation obligations of working in Australia, and to offer information regarding employer obligations to ensure that employees are being treated correctly and fairly. It has been a very rewarding experience, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this project.

The statistics of the number of Italians arriving in Australia each year is quite amazing—a real indicator of the dire economic situation in Italy to say the least. I will be the first to admit that I was quite oblivious and ignorant of these facts until this year. Personally, I had previously thought that mass European migration was a thing of the past—clearly, I was wrong.

This personal encounter raises the question: is

there a Catholic Culture in Brisbane and what am I

doing to promote it? Depending on the timing of the workshops, three of which were conducted this year, those in attendance may have already been in Brisbane for as little as a few weeks to a couple of months. In commencing the accounting / taxation part of the seminar, it is my personal preference to not only introduce myself as an Accountant for the firm I work for, but also to introduce myself as a member of the Italian Catholic Federation.

At the conclusion of the presentation, there is generally a period of question time, some which are public, others which are asked one-on-one. To my amazement and delight, I have had a couple of attendees enquire more about the Catholic church in Brisbane, Italian Mass services and to some extent the FCI. But, at the same time, to my absolute shock, a number of new arrivals were not aware that there was a Catholic Church in the CBD or Brisbane, let alone an Italian Catholic community in Brisbane.

This experience raises the question: is there a Catholic Culture in Brisbane and what am I doing to promote it? How is it possible that migrants and visitors to Brisbane are not aware of the presence of the Catholic Church in our City? While I can understand new arrivals not being aware of specific mass times and parish activities…. but to ask of the presence of the Church itself in Brisbane baffles me.

But I do not blame them for this. Instead, I prefer to ask the question: What we can do about it? First and foremost I ask this to myself, then to those close to me and then to each of you, dear readers. As we approach Advent and the season of Christmas in about one month’s time, let us all make the personal commitment to try and boost the Catholic Culture in Brisbane. I think we have all become so tied up in “political correctness” in terms of practicing our faith and speaking of it publically that we now hide any outward sign of our Spirituality. I encourage everyone, and I too take on this challenge, to not be afraid to speak of our faith amongst colleagues and friends. Of course, everyone must assess their own circumstances and decide accordingly. But in making that decision, don’t be afraid to ask God for a hand. He’s a good listener and guide. Pax et Bonum.

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BEN-DETTO! FCI Friends in Faith

Thank-you to everyone who contributed to: Edition 37, November 2014 - Teresa, Domenico, Emilia and Michael (Editor)

Upcoming gatherings and events:

16th November: Charity morning tea - Heritage Hall (After the 8.00am Italian Mass at Holy Cross) 07 December: FIF led Mass, 8am 14 December: Christmas Carols

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Carlo Serafini (4th November), Pablo Valdez

(8th November), Franca Serafini (21st

November) and David Chiavaro (28th

November)!!

We hope you all have a fantastic day and always with God’s Blessing! Love from all

your friends in FCI Friends in Faith xoxo

Current and back issues of Ben-Detto! are available on the Com.It.Es Qld and NT website at: h ttp : //www .comit e sq ldnt. co m/in dex.php/pubblicazioni-comunitarie The website is also a great source of information on community events, publications and information for Italian migrants to Australia. Thankyou to Mariangela Stagnitti (President of Com.It.Es) for her support!

Back issues of Ben-Detto! are also available on the FCI website at www.italiancatholicfederation.org.au Be sure to check it out! There is also a lot of other great information on the history of the FCI and current activities on the site.

FCI Website

Lutwyche Parish Micah night in the Catholic Leader

Check out this article—as also reported in Edition 34! http://catholicleader.com.au/news/project-micah-night-a-success