The Canaanite woman (last Sunday’s gospel)
Each of the four gospels is a distinct portrait of
Jesus and his mission, written to different
communities several years apart. between 70-
100CE. Some stories were changed or details
excluded depending on the audience. The gospel of
the ‘Canaanite woman’ makes clear that Matthew
who was writing for a strong Jewish community,
did not have a positive opinion of Canaanites. That
reflects a long history of the two peoples.
The account not included in last Sunday’s reading, begins with
some teachers of the law and Pharisees travelling from
Jerusalem to Galilee (a trip of four or five hours) to challenge
Jesus’ teaching. They ask Jesus, “Why do your disciples break
the tradition of the (Jewish) elders by don’t perform the ritual
washing of their hands before they eat!” It is a long journey to
make to express concern about rules such as this. Of course,
such issues were concerns in the community to whom
Matthew addressed his gospel.

Community news
Jerome will celebrate 60 years as a professed Passionist on Thursday 20th. It is well
known that after so many years of devoted missionary life, Jerome is not
experiencing the best of health, but we have much to be grateful for and to
celebrate about who he is and what he has contributed to our Province, especially
though his years in PNG. This was highlighted in the interviews Erick and Tri did for
the weekly newsletter in May and June. The community will celebrate with him and
we will acknowledge this milestone at Sunday Mass on August 23rd
Brother Jerome Dunn C.P.
Jerome is a proud Victorian, from Highett, Melbourne. When he left school he
worked as an apprentice printer for the Herald and Weekly Times and gained his full
qualification. He was actively involved in the YCW movement and was inspired
through that to volunteer as a lay missionary in Papua New Guinea and in 1962 he
was the first lay missionary to arrive in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, where the
Passionists had a foundation Jerome spent over fifty years in PNG as a missionary.

Technology must serve truth and the common good (Giovanni Zavatta)
Pope Leo XIV encourages communicators at a seminar in Chile to promote communication that, in “the face of the new opportunities offered by technological development, knows how to safeguard the dignity of the human person."

Pope Leo XIV has encouraged communicators to ensure that every technological tool is placed "at the service of truth and the common good," as the Church reflects on the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence. His message, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, was sent to participants in the Seventh International Seminar on Church Communication, taking place on 27-28 July at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago.

The seminar, entitled The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence, brought together communicators, pastoral workers, academics and Church representatives from across Latin America and the Caribbean to reflect on the ethical, cultural and religious implications of artificial intelligence in light of Pope Leo XIV's Encyclical Magnifica humanitas.

Greetings,

I had an unexpected experience on my visit to Vietnam. When I got to Tullamarine airport I opened my bag and realised I had left my computer at home!

So for seven days there were no emails sent or received, and that made for a very different way for me to spend my ‘spare’ time, which I came to really appreciate. I did not hear or read any world news or see or hear news from Australia until the sixth day I was away, and that news was not only minimal but nothing different or important.

I was a bit concerned that some people would wonder why I had not been in contact, but I couldn’t do anything about that, so I did more reading than usual and more relaxing. Of course the four days of meetings were intense and immensely beneficial, but I wasn’t rushing to my computer during breaks or starting the day with a news check, and I enjoyed that different experience. Hopefully I can retain some of that ‘practice’ now that things are back to normal.

Synodal discussion on the family
Pope Leo XIV has convened the presidents of the world's 115 episcopal conferences,
to gather at the Vatican in Rome from October 7 to 14, 2026. This summit will focus
on new pastoral methods and the impact of rapid changes on families worldwide. It
will consider how to support families facing contemporary challenges in light of the
10th anniversary of Pope Francis exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
In the light of this upcoming meeting, it might help to have some ‘background’ on
Amoris Laetitia.
Plans for 'Amoris Laetitia' meeting (Sean Winter)
We learned more about how Pope Leo XIV intends to
implement the reforms his predecessor introduced when
the Vatican released a "thematic framework" for the
meeting this autumn of the presidents of the world's
episcopal conferences, as well as their Eastern rite
counterparts. They will discuss the reception of Pope
Francis' 2016 post-synodal exhortation, Amoris Laetitia.

Pope Leo’s strategy for overcoming a binary world (Joseph Borg)
Philosophically, a binary world refers to "binary thinking"—the human tendency to eliminate grey areas and split complex ideas into rigid opposites Pope Leo urges the world to move beyond binary readings of history and social realities, advocating a culture of dialogue and relationship-building as the path to peace and shared prosperity. July 9, 2026
From migration to governance, from national memory to the daily ethics of public life, from armed conflicts to appeals for peace, from racism to multiculturalism, from conservative to liberal positions, the world is confronted by questions that defy easy answers. The ethnocentric and nativist right-wing forces – often, unfortunately, masquerading as the paladins of Christianity – battle against a “woke” mentality that generally treats tradition with disdain and often scapegoats Christianity in a reductionist reading of history. Populism is the ever-growing solution many political leaders offer.

Birthday
It was going to be a quiet birthday, but Erick (with kind
intentions) shared the news that I was turning 80 last
Saturday. It was wonderful having four of my siblings here
for a few days and the acknowledgement at Mass last
Sunday was very warm and humbling.
Thank you to everyone who extended
greetings personal, by card or email. The
community and family shared a meal on
Friday night and that was very nice. Erick
and I shared a cake made for us. After all
that I am a bit behind in my work!

70 years ordained
On Tuesday June 30th, we celebrated Chris Mithen’s
70th anniversary of ordination at Nazareth House,
Camberwell, where he resides. He is only the fourth
member of the Province to celebrate this milestone.
Chris was born in Melbourne in 1932 and grew up in
Preston. He attended high school at St Pat’s East
Melbourne, with recently deceased, Gerry Bond. He
entered the Passionists and was professed

Passionist Institute
a) b) Our Passionist Institute was held last weekend and we were very
happy to have a good number of active participants at Holy Cross,
as well as many more following online, across the four countries
of our Province.
Passionist life and spirituality was founded on two Scriptural texts.
The sending out of the twelve in pairs with the commissioning to take nothing
with them, and other particular and relevant instructions (See Mark 6:7f).
When the twelve returned, Jesus called them to ‘come away to a quiet place’,
where they could be together, because the demands on them were so great.
Paul the apostle’s statement that Jesus did not cling to equality with God, but
emptied himself (kenosis) and became like a slave. He humbled himself
further being obedient to the will of the father (accepting the cross).
Therefore, he has been raised. (Philippians 2: 3-11)

One minute ministry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VaJDZk8koc&list=PLWvD8dQS9HB6h3lPvWuB
A-QT90_tELbAd&index=4
One Minute of God's Word ("Một Phút Lời Chúa") is a highly
successful, modern digital evangelization initiative, created by the
younger, intercultural generation of Passionists—specifically the
Vietnamese Passionist students and recently ordained priests (like
Tri) living and either in Australia, Vietnam, Manila or Blenheim, NZ.
It stands out as a brilliant example of adapting ancient scripture to modern, fast-
paced media habits.