Once again, I have been reminded the blog is behind schedule. Indeed, it is. Life has been busy. The biggest event took place quietly on Tuesday, 9 October. Alex Coutts, the architect, was on site and presented us with a certificate of practical completion of the building. So the saga of the building of Varroville Priory has reached a happy conclusion. I suppose we should have had champagne but a quiet cup of tea with Alex while sitting on a bench was simple, peaceful and fine.
In the first week of October Sue Bryant and her sister Terry put in a tremendous amount of work to get the books of out boxes and onto the library shelves. Some of us helped as well. Monday, 1 October was a busy day with some lifting and a quick dash to the nuns for mass to celebrate the feast of St Therese with a good crowd of people who only just managed to fit into the nuns' chapel. By the end of the week the books were sorted and placed. A minor miracle!
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| Sue Bryant sorting books |
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| Library shelves |
If the books are now on the shelves we still needed to remove the boxes the books came in, as well as the duplicates. This will be a long process but we are taking the duplicates from Box Hill and storing them in the excellent facilities in our garage. Gerry Antilla has been quietly working away at this task. Gerry did the work needed to get the shelving sorted and into place. We are greatly indebted to friends and volunteers like Sue, Terry, Gerry and Meg to get ourselves set up.
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| Gerry removes and stores duplicate book |
Tony Ward, our man in lovely Bundanoon, came down and gave a final polish to the tabernacle he crafted for our oratory. It now sparkles and looks brilliant.
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| Oratory Tabernacle |
Some time in the midst of all this the 12 benches we had ordered arrived. They are solid, comfortable and easy to get out of.
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| A Suitable Bench for a cuppa |
There are a couple of benches in the grounds which look down towards the dams. They make the grounds much more accessible.
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| A Bench with a view |
Then one day recently the bell was taken away and when it came back it was placed in the stump.
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| The bell in place |
The bell is an old bell from All Saints, Liverpool. It came to us in about 1970. When it did it was (conditionally?) re-baptised, re-blessed, and re-named. Fr Albert McKeogh did the blessing and chose the name: Santa Maria. The blessing, of course, was in Latin in those days. It only needs to be added that the bell sounds wonderful. It is probably better from a distance. Close up, I found my ears ringing. I think we need a long rope to get a respectful distance from it.
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| St Maria- the bell |
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| There is a waratah in our cloister |
One of the plants in our priory courtyard has flowered. Previously it looked small and unprepossessing but now we are surprised and delighted that it is in fact our State Floral emblem- the waratah or telopea. It is not such a common flower but beautiful. While I was taking the above photo Gerry Antilla came by and offered to show me how the photo should be taken Next thing he was down on the ground and twisting around so as to look up at the waratah. His photo is below.
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| Gerry's photo of the waratah |
A while back I asked if people thought the blog should continue. Well there was a deafening silence and so I thought that was that. But then I got a number of positive comments one way and another. The problem I think was that the comments button was not working. One suggestion from a friar stationed here 40 years ago was some pictures of the grounds. So here are a couple.
There is a magnificent bougainvillea over the pathway leading to the chapel. Here it is.
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| Purple Bougainvillea and white wild rose |
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| The bougainvillea looking to the chapel |
Finally to close here is a photo of a room in the new retreat centre.
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| Retreat Centre Bedroom |
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| And here is a typical view from a room |
So you can see there has been a bit happening. One thing I have not mentioned is that Alan Ibbett, from the Wollongong Diocese Catholic Education Office, was here today and the last few days connecting up our computers. So, this is wonderful. I am actually writing this in my room in the new priory. Soon we will have our new phone system as well. We won't know ourselves.
Today is the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Pope John XXIII gave a famous inaugural speech in which he decried the prophets of doom and initiated the council dedicated to pastoral dialogue not abstruse definitions and condemnations. Invoking the Holy Spirit he opened a new era in the Church which has only just begun. May that Spirit be in our hearts and move us to act with creative faith and love today, tomorrow and always.
