Welcome

Dear Reader,

WIN_20171120_13_40_37_Pro Welcome to my web portal. I acknowledge with deep respect the traditional owners of the land on which I live and work and the land referenced in may of my writings. I acknowledged that this land always was and always will be Aboriginal Land. i pay my respects to Elders, past present and emerging. I am grateful to Elders whose names and images feature in my writings.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples are advised that some text and images may include references to deceased persons.

I invite you to explore my life and interests online using the menu on the right. My hope is that you will find material that will engage us in conversation and reflection.

My material appears on a number of social media platforms. This site is designed for the visitor who would like to receive the occasional summary post of published material. Please use the subscribe box to receive notices of updates to this site. My intention is to post a regular monthly calendar and one summary post at the end of each month.

I welcome your feedback and response to posts. As well as text you can choose from the options at the end of each post.

Tony

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Climate Protest

Tony wearing a tee shirt showing his support for Australian Religious Response to Climate Change

Today I stand in public solidarity with the action on the William Jolly Bridge bridge by Extinction Rebellion. Solidarity greetings to Extinction Rebellion Geelong my birth city on #Wathaurong Country.

I also want to declare my public support for this week of activism and awareness raising by a new generation. I share my solidarity as a person of faith whose religious commitment includes the commandment to live with integral ecology in our common home which we share with diverse life forms and species.

Along with political activism I add my spiritual activism of prayer for my conversion and change of heart to simply with less stuff and choices that minimize my ecological footprint. As a Catholic I join with my sisters and brothers who celebrate October as the month of the Holy Rosary. The beads with which I pray are a set I brought back from Alice Springs one year decorated in the traditional Aboriginal colours.

In the last 24 hours I have been involved two conversations that highlight the frightening division in our community. On his FB page one of my brothers has posted a message supporting violence against XR protesters suggesting that the speed bump response is “harsh but fair”. This is a suggestion I find disturbing and offensive in the extreme. To read it from one of my own family is gut wrenching.

While I was taking this in I received a message from a young mate who wanted to know if I would be joining him at the XR action this morning. Of these two conversations the call from a young man to join the passion for change far outweighs the relationship to a curmudgeon.

Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) OZ Rosary # 53 The Global Catholic Climate Movement Extinction Rebellion – Grey Power

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Just Dates October

Sexual Violence Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

1 International Day for Older Persons

4-10 World Space Week

5-13 Mental Health Week

7 World Habitat Day

9 World Post Day

10 World Day Against the Death Penalty / World Mental Health Day

12 World Sight Day

13 International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction

13-19 Anti-Poverty Week

16 World Food Day

17 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

19 – 27 Queensland Children’s Week

24 United Nations Day

24-30 Disarmament Week

26-Nov 2 National Unity Week

25 World Teacher’s Day ( Qld)

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Just Dates September

September is

Season of Creation Month till 0ctober 4th
Brisbane Pride Festival Month
Biodiversity Month
This month host a Big Aussie BBQ for Prostate Cancer

1 Fathers Day

1 -7 Legacy Week / Child Protection Week

2 – 8 National Stroke Week

3-10 National Threatened Species Week

6 Indigenous Literacy Day

7 White Balloon Day

8 International Literacy Day

10 World Suicide Prevention Day / RUOK Day

15 International Day of Democracy

15-22 Disability Action Week Queensland

15- 22 World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel

16 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

19 Australian Reading Hour

21 International Day of Peace

29 Death of John Pat in Roeburne Prison (1983) prompting the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

Local Events in and around Brisbane

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Labyrinth Spirituality

In August 2019 I led a workshop at the Franciscan Schools Conference: Using the Labyrinth for peacemaking –

These resources are published to provide both initial information as well as ongoing formation for your journey into the spirituality of walking the Labyrinth.

Walking the Labyrinth

Spirituality and the Labyrinth

May 4th is World Labyrinth Day. We honour and acknowledge the First Nations peoples of the land on which we place our labyrinths.May we learn to walk in harmony. May we find the stillness of the centre of our lives. May we remember the footsteps of all who have walked and traveled before us May our journey in and our journey out be a grace of awareness and healing. May the rhythm of life protect us at the edge and nurture us at our centre.

On this World Labyrinth Day I walk the sacred path united to my ancestors whose DNA I carry I my body.

I walk this sacred path with a commitment to walk gently on the earth.

I walk this sacred path in solidarity with all who seek refuge and asylum from war, exploitation and terror.

I walk this sacred path as I will walk with the poor and hungry to a place of justice and welcome.

I walk this sacred path united to my sisters and brothers around the globe who seek a spirituality that nurtures life.

Labyrinths in Australia

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St Basil the Blessed and Naked

Having a patron for organisations and causes is pretty common. Today I celebrate one of the the patrons of my religion and spirituality blog The Holy Irritant. Along with the wonderful Christina the Astonishing, Virgin I have adopted the Russian, St Basil the Blessed. His sacred memory and feast is celebrated on 2nd August.

Now as you can see from this icon, Basil wasn’t one of the fashion dandies of the East. Long before Mark Twain penned his quotable quote about cloths making the man and naked people having little or no influence in society Basil was streaking around the countryside rebuking Ivan the Terrible.

Basil comes out of the noble tradition of the Holy Fools. In contemporary terms he could easily be described as a Court Jester. He was not into timid social reforms of petitions and novenas. Instead he was known to destroy the merchandise of dishonest tradesmen and hurl stones at the houses of the wealthy. It seems he made the cleaning of the Temple a model for daily life.

Adopting Basil’s practices may restore a bit more theatrical gravitas to the Church’s mission and would no doubt make for interesting videos. So, if you happen to see me unclad and upturning the tables at a casino you know I am only celebrating the saintly practice of an Eastern holy man.

More reading
St Basil’s Cathedral

An architectural tour of St Basil’s Cathedral

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A conversation about Australia’s Sphere of Influence.

On 26th July 2019 the Griffith Asia Institute hosted a public forum with Professor Caitlyn Byrne, Professor Hugh White and Sean Dorney. The conversation addressed “Australia’s Sphere of Influence”, the focus of a recent monograph, Australian Foreign Affairs Issue 6

This blog gathers some of the best and recent resources on a topic that will call for informed and insightful political skill by the newly elected Morrison Government.