MAGiS WYD 08 Victorian Experiment Number 8

Our Time Together

2008-08-05T20:40:00.000+10:00

Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre

2008-08-05T20:03:00.007+10:00

Our wonderful group is immortalized at the beautiful website of the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre; have look for yourselves: http://www.sosj.org.au/about/victoria/MMHCWYD2008.html

Flora Group at Family Services

2008-07-30T20:22:00.005+10:00

Thanks to Mary Davis we have these beautiful photographs from when the Flora Group visited families out in Footscray; you all look so delightfully happy!

Arpad's World Youth Day Photos

2008-07-27T12:25:00.006+10:00

Arpad our resident Jesuit and leader of the Hungarian Group has put his World Youth Day photographs up for us to see at the following website http://www.flickr.com/photos/papszenteles/

The link will remain on the side panel, so you can access it easily and whenever you want. Have a look through the other photographs in the album there are some great photos from his ordination.

And while we're talking about Hungary, I want to wish all the Hungarians who are going on the Mini-Magis in Budapest an absolutely wonderful time; I hope it is a spiritually enriching time for you all!

And remember, we want to see your photographs so send them in!

Wanted: Your Stories, Photos and Videos

2008-07-23T20:20:00.004+10:00

Want to share your stories from the Experiment, the Gathering and World Youth Day in any language?

Have photographs you want to share with everyone else (and the world) email me at deirdre_crocker@hotmail.com and I'll put it up.

If you want to share lots of photographs with everyone why not make a slideshow at Picasa and send me the code to embed it in the blog.

And if you have a video of any of our activities or of each other from this time then it would be wonderful if you could put this on a site like YouTube and send me the link so I can embed it in the blog. In particular if you have footage of the play on Thursday night or the cultural presentations at the Gathering that would be fantastic!

On another note, if you would like to share a reflection, poem, drawing, book review or other about religion, spiritualty, World Youth Day, or anything in between then let me know Mary MacKillop Melbourne is the place for reflective sharing and all contributions are welcome from everyone.

Spiritual Points

2008-07-23T19:00:00.000+10:00

Spiritual Points for each day of morning prayer during the Experiment.

Monday 7 July
Starting Point – God’s Love is Faithful
During today’s Experiment activity, you will walk in the footsteps of Mary MacKillop; you will bear witness to the difficulties she faced in supporting her family, her religious community and her work. In all her dark times she was never alone for she relied on God’s love and with God’s love was able to overcome every difficult she faced. During today’s experiment reflect on how Mary’s life was a reflection of God’s love for her.

Tuesday 8 July
Foundation – God Forgives Me
During our Aboriginal Mass reflect on the way Mary MacKillop went against the norm of her time by accepting Aboriginal students into her schools and treating them no differently to white children at a time when this was frowned upon. Like Jesus before her she freely shared God’s love with all she encountered. During today’s Experiment activity, reflect on times when you have failed to share God’s love with others, or been unable to accept God’s love for you.

Wednesday 9 July
First Stage - Christ Invites Me to be a Companion
During today’s Experiment activity reflect on where Jesus is calling you to bring God’s love to the world, in your life, with your resources; remembering we are never asked to go beyond our means.

Thursday 10 July
The Call of Christ - Companionship with Jesus in Ministry
Mary MacKillop gave everything she had and more to help people, she went into debt, she begged on the streets, she went without food. On hearing two of her novices were being sent on a long train ride without any food she ran to find them before the train pulled out to give them food for the journey. We may think we have nothing to offer at this stage in our lives but Mary MacKillop shows us even when we have nothing for ourselves we have the great love of God to share and proclaim. As you engage in Mary’s ministries today think about what you have to offer and how you can give this to God’s people.

Friday 11 July
Second Stage - Two Ways of Living
Living in the light of Jesus is not easy, Mary MacKillop’s life shows us how difficult following Jesus can be; from excommunication to debt to horrific migraines. Yet the years before she took her vows were the unhappiest of her life, no matter how difficult following Jesus is, it brings with it unmatched contentment in the depths of our souls. While following Jesus means going against the grain of society it always means a life of emersion in the love and light of God. As you leave this experiment reflect on where God is challenging you to walk off the popular road and cross onto the rugged path to Jesus.

Image: Mary's Divine Providence by Maree Azzopardi*

About

2008-07-23T18:00:00.000+10:00

Walking the streets with Australia's first saint, Mary MacKillop.

Colombians, Hungarians, Australians, Malaysians and East Timorese joined together to travel with Mary MacKillop on the path to World Youth Day, Sydney 2008.

MAGiS 08, a work of the MAGiS Community which is run by Ignation religious orders and lay communities was a program that ran from from 5 July to 20 July 2008. It offered a week of ‘experiments,’ an Ignation Gathering in Sydney and the World Youth Day week of activities. The MAGiS experiments, which took place from 5 – 11 July across Australia and the Asia Pacific challenged people to engage radically with the life of Jesus creatively, through service and pilgrimage, and to challenge oneself and emerge into the world of the experiment.

Walking the streets with Australia’s First Saint, was one such experiment. Where participants journeyed into the life and mission of Blessed Mary MacKillop in order to discover an uniquely Australian path to God. In this experiment participants were immersed in Mary's story, they walked the same sacred ground she once did and carried out ministries in her spirit of hospitality and love which included journeying with the aged at Mary MacKillop Aged Care, visiting with newly arrived migrant families with MacKillop Family Services and performing a play of their own design. In hearing her narrative and participating in her works participants were called upon to respond creatively to her spiritual journey and in so doing bring light to their own search for something more.