My best wishes and solidarity to my Muslim friends during this holy time of Ramadan.
May we who are not Muslim fast from prejudice, misinformation and ignorance about our sisters and brothers of Islam.
May we who are not Muslim be generous in our willingness to understand this faith and welcome this community into our neighbourhoods.
May we who are not Muslim take time to reflect, pray and be still with the wonder of faith that calls all people to peace, collaboration, respect and love.
One of the practices I learnt from my parents was the value of volunteering in the local community. They modeled their belief in faith and neighbourhood in action and commitment. My father was a life long member of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Geelong. As well as a weekly meeting, Dad looked after the management of Halstead Place, a hostel for rough sleepers. He also cared for the garden at our local parish Church and was a regular on the Meals on Wheels program.
My mother came from a family where commitment to school, church and community was ingrained as the way of living. As well as school Mothers Club and canteen rosters, Mum joined committees for the local parish and in later life, the management committee at her retirement village. As with many homemakers Mum also volunteered an amazing volume of cakes and goodies for fetes and fundraisers. When our family were sorting out finances after Mum’s death we discovered her incredible generosity to causes and campaigns that worked for the common good.
I inherited much of this understanding and commitment to volunteering. Some of my most treasured young memories are the days when my Dad would “dink me” on his bike to the hostel where he cooked and cared for rough sleepers.
On this National Volunteers Week I give thanks to those organisations that have provided me with opportunities to “Give a Little and Change a Lot” The change has been in my outlook and understanding of the world and how we work together to build community.
At 65 years old I look back with gratitude to the groups and communities that provided volunteering experience and life long learning for me:
As well as groups and associations I have been able to volunteer my services as a photographer to friends and public events as a citizen journalist. This is a role where I am able to us m y images to challenge social exclusion, prejudice and injustice.
As I begin a new era as a senior citizen I have taken up membership of advocacy groups for my generation.
My hope is to continue to volunteer for my community and causes that promote social change. I hope that through my volunteering at this stage of life I can mentor a new generation of awareness and commitment.
As a young boy I have a vivid memory of the first Marian Procession I attended at the local convent of Stella Maris in North Geelong. The candlelight movement of women in dark habits singing the Lourdes Hymn took me into a world where heaven touched earth and all tears were wiped away.
In my mother’s kitchen a small Icon of Our Lady of the Way sat alongside the detergent just above the sink where our daily dishes were washed. My grandmother was a member of the Legion of Mary and walked the streets of her neighbourhood to join families who prayed the rosary as the Fatima Statue moved from house to house. Each rosary with finish with a rousing chorus of Hail Queen of Heaven that echoed down the street
Whoopi Golberg brought a new generation of people the spirit of Marian Hynms and devotion spiced up and inviting with a freshness and adventure that reflected the reality of the young woman of Palestine more faithfully than the Living Parish Hymnal.
The most popular Marian prayer in Catholicism has been the Litany of Loreto. Its invocations of Mary under Biblical and popular titles has made it a feature of Catholic Spirituality in chant and languages
And just when we thought we had given Mary every conceivable title Pope Francis added a new one, Mother of the Church. As one who has been called “First Disciple” Mary also stands as a model for equality. For those of us who identify with the LGBTIQ faithful this feast offers another opportunity to acknowledge the spirituality of equality.
As an older Queer Catholic I continue the venerationof Mary in the Litany to which I have added invocations from my life and experience.
As well as the litany there is custom of decorating statues in popular culture with flowers and rosaries, and even money. I also continue this custom of bringing elements of my life such as the rainbow colours to decorate and honour the place of Mary in my spirituality.
In this month of May we invoke Mary, Mother of Equality, Pray For Us.
April began with that weird juxtaposition of Easter and April Fool’s Day. As well as attending the ritual festivities at St Stephen’s Cathedral on Easter morning I also joined a lively discussion following Evensong at St John’s Cathedral: Christ Foolery: The Ministry of the Fool in The Christian Tradition My contribution to the discussion was the introduction of the patrons of my Holy Irritant blog, St Christina the Astonishing, Virgin and St Basil the Holy Fool whose icons lead this month’s reflection.
My Easter celebrations continued into the second week of April when I joined the Catholic Byzantine Community of Our Lady of Protection in Woolloongabba who celebrated the feast using the Julian Calendar.
Careering Into The Future
This month marks a milestone in my career as I bid farewell to friends and supporters at Micah Projects after more than 12 years of employment.
The invitation to celebrations that went out through various networks included this amazing image that says much about my work and ethic. A few years ago I created “ Bananaman”, a promotional character for our fledgling social enterprise in South Brisbane. That enterprise now includes Hope Street Café.
Bananaman has made his curtain call. The work of social change and advocacy includes wild humour, a good dose of eccentricity and a costume from eBay. The costume may be retired but the eccentricity and wild humour will continue in my work as a Community Jester.
Performance of the Month
The Story of Brisbane with award-winning actors Therese Collie and Tim Mullooly was an extraordinary foray into history, local writers and secrets of the Brisbane Powerhouse. There will be a separate post coming about this soon,
Movie of the Month
If you only see one film this year make sure it is STOP THE BOATS. Simon Kurian has produced a documentary that exposes the stark brutality of the current culture of inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and refugees who come to our shores.
The film is harrowing, graphic and honest in its exposure of the abandonment of global responsibility, compassion and justice by our recent Governments formed by the two major political parties.
STOP THE BOATS will tear your heart apart. inspire your action to begin a new language and practice about asylum seekers and refugees and hopefully disturb your political conscience.
The ANZAC Mass
You can hardly reflect on April in Australia without a reference to ANZAC. In recent years I have attended the ANZAC morning Mass at St Stephen’s Cathedral. While I respect the intention of praying for those have died in our armed forces I am disturbed by the presence and parading of military weapons during the liturgy. See my blog post here
The AFTM Emerging Artists Exhibition supports talented local outsider artists to further develop their creative vision under the guidance of a professional mentor and support from AFTM. This year’s selected artists were shortlisted by a panel of judges from over 300 entries in last year’s Brisbane Festival Exhibition. They are: Felicity Clarke, Margarita Iakovleva, Filippe Lombardo, Amy Mack and George Moraitis.
At the Exhibition Opening with George Moraitis
Under the mentorship of Art Consultant, Elizabeth Bates, the 2018 Emerging Artists have been given the opportunity to take part in an exhibition.
Exhibition continues to late June 2018 -AFTM Gallery, 136 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. Make appointment to come in to view T 07 3151 6655 E aftm@wmq.org.au
Political Commitment of the Month
Today and every day until #Nabka, May 15 I will wear my #Keffiyeh. This act is a statement of solidarity with the protests in Gaza and a condemnation of the Israeli Government and military for their abuse of human rights.
As an Australian I wear my Keffiyeh to protest the silence of our major political parties and our diplomatic failure to censure Israel for its violence against the Palestinian Community.
