Pope Fancis via Addi Batica :  POPE FRANCIS SAID :

"Imagine a single mother who goes to church or parish, and says to the secretary: I WANT TO BAPTIZE MY SON, and the attendant says: 'No, you can't, because she's not married... "

Let us keep in mind that... This mother had the courage to continue a pregnancy — and what did she find? With a locked door!

So, if we follow this path and attitude, we are not doing God’s people, good.

Jesus created the seven sacraments and with this kind of attitude we create an eighth: the sacrament of pastoral customs!

"WHOEVER APPROACHES THE CHURCH MUST FIND OPEN DOORS AND NOT FAIRS OF FAITH".

“We need saints without veil, without toner. We need saints in jeans and sneakers.

We need saints who will go to the movies, listen to music, and stroll with their friends.

We need saints who put God first and excel in University.

We need saints who find time to pray every day and know how to fall in love with purity and chastity, or consecrate their chastity.

We need modern saints, twenty-first century saints with a spirituality embedded in our time.

We need saints committed to the poor and necessary social change.

We need saints who live in the world, who get holy in the world, and who are not afraid to live in the world.

We need saints who drink coke and eat hot dogs, who are netizens, who listen to iPod.

We need saints who love the Eucharist and are not ashamed to drink a beer or eat pizza on the weekend with friends.

We need saints who like cinema, theatre, music, dance, sports.

We need social saints, open, normal, friends, cheerful, companions.

We need saints who are in the world and who can taste the pure and good things of the world, but without being worldly."

This is supposed to be us!!!

Jim Wiegel

“…the long work
of turning their lives
into a celebration
is not easy. Come and let us talk“. 

The Sunflowers. Mary Oliver


On Nov 19, 2023, at 6:33 AM, James Wiegel <jfwiegel@yahoo.com> wrote:

I love the line, "despite their conventional appearance" as we say farewell to Ann.  I can remember looking over at Ann and Rob and feeling reassured that "all this" was not just a crazy dream . . .

Back in the day, I recall an article, I think in TIME magazine, called something like "There Are Saints Among Us". -- there may have been a little card, "The Saint"-- book mark sized -- a listing of qualities . . . Little did I know, right there only a few feet away . . . Ann, Sandy, Elaine . . . And the list goes on -- and not just solitary individuals with an aura of holiness, but Ann and Rob, Sandy and Bob, Elaine and John -- the list goes on -- being a presence in the midst of everything -- taking on responsibilities, molding family and children, washing dishes . . . Those memories would be enough and then also listen to those intervening years and how their care went on and on . . .  Not characters from a book, people I / we have known, stood beside, sat beside, talked with, 

Makes me want to sing . . .

Jim Wiegel

“We are all time travelers journeying into the future. But let us make that future a place we want to visit. “       Stephen Hawking


On Nov 18, 2023, at 9:11 PM, RichardandMariaMaguire via OE <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:



Dear Colleagues,

Family, friends and all of us in ICA Australia would like to let you know of the death of Ann Stuart Duffy (nee Dunlop) on 9th November 2023, shortly after her 90th birthday, in Sanctuary Point (South Coast NSW).

Born on 26 October 1933 in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla by the ocean, Ann was an active member of her local church and as she grew, looked for new ways to put her beliefs into action. As Ann ventured into challenges posed by a post-war world, she was joined by Rob who shared her conviction. In 1956 they were married and together, despite their conventional appearance, continued to look for meaningful ways to act as people of faith in their local congregations.

A dynamic team in work and in life, Ann and Rob listened to the Spirit and dared to heed God’s call upon their lives. They sought to be a living demonstration of non-judgemental love and, in 1970, joined the ICA with a mission to meaningfully share life’s abundant possibility with people of all ages, cultural backgrounds and circumstances, particularly the poor and marginalised, in Australia and overseas.

Ann embraced the opportunities the ICA offered and undertook many roles across the globe; from community engagement in Vogar Canada at Lake Manitoba to Nam Wai in Hongkong to leading planning workshops (LENS) across Asia to development circuits along the east coast of America to “permeation” assignment in Sydney.

Ann’s commitment to a life of faith also saw her face many deep challenges; these included the inner conflict between being an active part in the ICA’s global mission for human development and her need to nurture her four children while living in intentional community.

Rob’s death in 2016, after almost 60 years of marriage, was also a time of deep struggle and her own deteriorating health followed. Despite this, Ann's faith shone through and she was cared for by her children Paul, Linda and David, daughter-in-law Brenda as well as by her four grandsons. They all looked after her at home until the very end.

With many people here and around the world, we give thanks for Ann’s amazing completed life of awakening and service on behalf of all and for our common future.

Her memorial service will take place at the St George’s Basin Uniting Church, 7 Meriton Street on Friday 24th November 2023 at 11:00am followed by a committal at the Shoalhaven Crematorium in Worrigee, on Worrigee Road at 1:00pm. The committal will be live-streamed here.

For more information, including a photo of Ann and lifetream access see the website of Murphy Family Funerals:  https://murphyfamilyfunerals.com.au/tribute/details/1572/Ann-Duffy-nee-Dunlop/obituary.html#tribute-start, where you will also find the live-stream.

Donations can be made for Bush Heritage Australia.

With admiration and gratitude,

David Duffy and Maria Maguire

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