I did get an invitation to a wedding in September 30th (soon after my birthday!) When I think right now that the wedding is in five months time, I get the feeling, five months is a long time. But once we get real close to the date, I’ll probably think, that the time passed too quickly! 🙂 Anyhow, I have now about five months to look for a formal dress or cocktail dress, and some good shoes as well! 🙂
What’s so good of being on yout own most of the time? A few hours all by yourself, can sometimes feel like an eternity. But when you spend just as many hours in good company, then it feels like the time passes very quickly. 🙂
I often mentioned my neighbours, for naturally since they live so close to me, I see and talk to them more often than this is…
Social justice campaigner and “people’s priest” Father Bob Maguire has died aged 88.
The media personality and Roman Catholic priest dedicated his life to standing up for the poor and marginalised and clashed with church hierarchy over his forced retirement.
The Father Bob Maguire Foundation confirmed he died on Wednesday morning at Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne.
In a statement, Fr Bob’s family said the preceding months had been difficult as the 88-year-old’s health declined.
“His physical and mental health had been deteriorating for some time but his preference was always to help others rather than consider his own situation,” the statement said.
“Father Bob was not just a much loved family member but was loved by all Australians for what he stood for.”
The family said in its statement that Fr Bob’s passion had always been helping those in the community who often went ignored.
“Despite his high profile in the media, he was always on the job, especially for the disadvantaged families and individuals for whom he had great love and compassion,” the statement said.
“He wanted nobody to be left behind and always saw and believed in the good in people, but he knew that there were many whom he referred to as the unloved and unlovely. These were his real passion.”
Father Bob Maguire was known for his social justice work, providing food relief and educational support through his Melbourne-based charity.(AAP: Julian Smith)
Known universally as Father Bob, his faith and social justice work was balanced with a wicked sense of humour.
He was described by his own charity foundation as part Billy Connolly, part Mother Theresa, part angry Old Testament prophet.
Robert John Maguire was born in Thornbury, in Melbourne’s inner-north in 1934 to Scottish immigrant parents, and experienced the fragility of life at a young age, losing two sisters and both parents by the time he was 16.
He entered the seminary at Werribee in 1953 and was struck by the conservative nature of some of the church’s methods, later referring to the seminary as “the cemetery” in his trademark larrikin way.
He was ordained as a priest in 1960 at the age of 25.
Fr Bob joined the Army Reserve in 1965 and during the Vietnam War was head of the army’s Character Training Unit for young officers.
Forced retirement led to clash with church
Father Bob was forced to retire in 2012 after reaching the mandatory retirement age set down by the Catholic Church.(AAP: David Crosling)
Fr Bob was parish priest of Sts Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church in South Melbourne for close to 40 years from 1973 — leaving only after a clash with Catholic Church hierarchy over its mandate that priests retire at 75.
“I am of a mind not to resign and I’ll write a letter saying that,” he told the ABC in 2009.
“They’ll say there’s a retirement village — in other words, don’t be afraid, come to us and we will look after you.
“Then you end up dishonourably discharged and going into a retirement village. Now that’s not what I signed up for.”
He eventually reached a compromise that allowed him to remain a priest until he was 77, retiring in 2012 after 50 years of service to the church.
Delivering his final mass in January 2012, he told crowds of people crammed into the church that his forced retirement would not stop him from working to improve the lives of those less fortunate.
“I can’t take the church with me, and I don’t have another church to go to, [but] I’m still Bob Maguire the Catholic priest and I’m still Father Bob the citizen,” he said.
Priest became a popular media performer
Father Bob Maguire came to greater fame through his numerous media appearances on television and radio.(ABC News)
Maguire reached audiences outside his congregation as co-host of the SBS television show Speaking in Tongues with John Safran.
He was also a regular guest on Safran’s triple j radio show, introducing himself to a younger and more diverse audience.
Despite achieving cult status with his media appearances, Fr Bob was wary of the trappings of celebrity culture.
“That celebrity caper we’re going through right now, that’s been a pain in the neck,” he said at his last mass in 2012.
“Jesus was a celebrity, they crucified him. He really wasn’t a celebrity, he was really someone who just told it as he saw it.”
After his retirement from the church, Fr Bob continued to work with his charity foundation, which delivers hundreds of free meals each week and operates an outreach program to those in need.
Last week, the Father Bob Maguire Foundation announced its namesake had stepped down as chairman following a legal guardianship ruling following a decline in health.
Fr Bob was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for his service to homeless youth and was named Victorian of the Year in 2011.
Posted Yesterday at 12:31pm, updated Yesterday at 5:40pm
52,943 views Apr 17, 2023 Through Conversations PodcastNoam Chomsky joins me for a third time on the show to discuss in depth the 2024 elections, the fentanyl crisis, the Russia-Ukraine War, and the looming threat of WWIII, and AI. This is the third time that Chomsky joins me on the show, In the first edition, we covered language, philosophy, and how to know oneself in this world. The second edition covered the Russia-Ukraine War, and the third edition will cover: • The 2024 presidential election • Potential conflict with China • How to address the fentanyl crisis • Artificial Intelligence and more. If you find this episode insightful, or you have any comments on the discussion, subscribe, share with your loved ones, and let me know!
“Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.” – Charles Addams My two Philadephia cousins will be staying at my little abode in seven days time, which also happens to be the day of my “Perceptions” book launch. I have not been panicking “much”, and my cleaning-up and preparation has been a process of organised chaos!
Fluoride in drinking water is an industrial waste product from the phosphate fertilizer industry.19 More than 300 studies have shown fluoride’s toxic effects on the brain,20 including 2006 National Research Council review that suggested fluoride exposure may be associated with brain damage, endocrine system disruption and bone cancer.
The release of the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) systematic review of fluoride’s neurotoxicity was blocked by government officials and concealed from the public since May 2022
Fluoride Action Network’s lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the deliberate addition of fluoridating chemicals to U.S. drinking water has been on hold waiting for the release of the NTP report
Prior to the NTP report’s scheduled release in May 2022, it was shared with members of dental groups like the American Dental Association, which urged officials to alter the report
After a court order, the NTP report was released, showing that out of 55 studies included, 52 found that increased fluoride exposure was associated with decreases in child IQ
The meta-analysis noted that no safe exposure level could be confirmed, including exposure to fluoride levels found in artificially fluoridated water
I guess, we are in a cost of living crisis right now. I wonder, how can this cost of living crisis be overcome? Has anyone any ideas about this?
How can people adopt a more frugal lifestyle? https://www.frugalandthriving.com.au/start-here/
My father and one of his brothers studied in Germany from 1925 to 1930. They shared a room at a widow’s place. I believe this widow provided a simple breakfast as well as a daily home-cooked simple meal.
As far as I know, my father and his brother never worked to earn some money, while they were enrolled as students at the Leipzig University. Students in Germany just were not supposed to look for jobs to earn some money. This was the American way, my father said.
So, how did these students live? The answer is, the parents were responsible for their children’s upkeep until they were ready to become employed. That meant, most students were relatively poor and could not afford any ‘luxuries’. They just struggled to survive on very simple food. One cheap supplementary food for instance was called ‘STUDENTEN FUTTER’. This was a mixture of raisins and…
This is a vewry inspiring blog about love. Thank you so much, dear Jan, for publishing all this. The more I can remember what it says about love, the better. Stay safe, dear Jan. Love and HUGS from Uta ❤
Premiered Mar 6, 2023 Gentle music, calms the nervous system and pleases the soul – healing music for the heart and bloodThe study found that listening to relaxing music of the patient’s choice resulted in “significant pain relief and increased mobility.” Researchers believe that music relieves pain because listening to music activates opioids, the body’s natural painkillers. Music itself is a medicine.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Yesterday I looked at a lot of Peter’s books and also at some of my books. I wanted to make a decision, which books I definitly wanted to keep, just to keep, and then which books I also wanted to read. I came up with a plan! So, my plan is to aim at reading two books every week, meaning over the year I should be able to read about 100 books!
Hopefully I’ll be able to read about 100 books every year that I am still alive!
I do like stories where there is a lot of dialogue to read, especially when it comes to a more meaningful dialogue. There is quite a bit of it in ‘HOLY SMOKE’. The book I just started today, seems also to be full of very meaningful dialogue. It is a historical novel. I am very much looking forward to reading it. It is written in German by Renate Feyl and called ‘Aussicht auf bleibende Helle’.
She was left with little time to pursue her diverse interests. Sophia Charlotte died of pneumonia in Hannover on February 1, 1705 at the age of only 36. She had originally planned to celebrate Carnival with her family there. She calmly explained to the priest who had been called that she did not need him—she was prepared for death.
Sophia’s mother, Sophia of the Palatinate and later Electress of Hannover, had great things planned for her only girl. A beautiful, well-educated daughter was a trump on the European marriage market. In line with the spirit of high baroque ideals, the little princess was taught bienséance (propriety), contenance…
Hello, I am a Nunukul, Goenpul, Ngugi salt water Aboriginal person from Quandamooka Country (Moreton Bay – from North Stradbroke Island) with European heritage as well. Let me tell you why it’s important for my people that the Voice, Treaty, and Truth happen hand in hand. Each are important issues and there are arguments for them to be addressed individually, but nonetheless there is no reason why we can’t ask for all three, as one.
Since the colonial era began in 1788 after the arrival of the first fleet in Sydney Cove, the Australian Frontier Wars (1788-1934) which resulted in 100,000 -115,000 genocidal deaths across the Australian continent, plague pandemics brought from overseas, slave labour, stolen wages, the stolen…
The AIM Network
AuntyUta 