The Archer Letters – Letter Seven
View Letter 7 written from Penola on 7 October 1865:
The Archer Letters – Letter Six
View Letter 6 written from Penola on 14 September 1865:
The Archer Letters – Letter Five
The letter written by Fr Julian to William Archer from Penola on 5 September 1865, merits more than a cursory glance. It is, once again, full of questions and demands of his good friend but, as he says “Who have I to look but you?” He is grateful that William has recommended a microscope that […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Four
On 1.6.65, Fr Julian Tenison Woods wrote to his friend, W H Archer Esq, from Penola. This letter perhaps proves what good friends these two really were because anyone else might have taken umbrage at receiving a letter in which most of the sentences are questions! The letter does, however, accompany a hair specimen from […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Three
In this month’s letter (16.5.1865) Fr Julian Tenison Woods writes to William Archer from Penola. From it we get a glimpse into the number of people with whom Fr Julian had contact. He tells William Archer that he has responded to criticism from Fr Bleasdale, President of the Royal Society of Victoria and asks him […]
The Archer Letters – Letter Two
In a letter written from Penola on 5.4.1865, Fr Julian Tenison Woods writes to William Archer in a bantering tone. He will not be abbreviated with his words, as obviously William Archer had been in his letter of 21st! Fr Julian’s sense of humour comes through, as does his praise of the work that William […]
The Archer Letters – Letter One
This letter from Fr Julian Tenison Woods to “My dear Sir”, William Archer, is rather a long one with a considerable number of explanatory endnotes. However, it is far from a tedious read! Written from Penola towards the end of 1863, it is a good example of Fr Julian’s command of the English language, his […]
The Archer Letters – Introduction
In 1980, Sr Anne Player [1] read 33 letters representing the exchange between Fr Julian Tenison Woods (1832-1889) and William Henry Archer (1825-1909) over the years 1863 – 1889. Anne realised that these letters gave a different glimpse of Fr Julian, situating him within Australian society of the time and revealing aspects of his life and […]
Julian’s Charism Continues Today
Julian Tenison Woods seldom looked away from nature’s realities. He appreciated and pursued unexplored fields which were opened to him during his short life span. No wonder so many Josephites have spread far and wide deeply connecting with the Whenua – ‘the womb which gives us life’. Sr Makareta and I travelled to the far […]
At home among the poor
On 31 May 1867, Father Julian Tenison Woods sent to Mary MacKillop the first Rule of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. This became the founding document, encapsulating the vision for the order and providing the Sisters with important guidelines for their ministry. It had arrived! Here was the fruit of their discussions. Sister Mary MacKillop […]
Window on Creation
“Living in harmony with nature and with God gives us full happiness and purpose,” thus said Father Julian Tenison Woods in 1887. For Fr Julian, fullness of life meant the integration of science and religion. He sensed that the future of Earth depends on the realisation that all creation is in relationship, and that we […]
Mary MacKillop College Kensington opens new Tenison Centre
Mary MacKillop College is located in Kensington, South Australia, the suburb where St Mary MacKillop lived and worked for many years. The College is an incorporated work of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Mary MacKillop College proudly announces the completion of the Tenison Centre, an innovation hub designed to inspire curiosity, unleash creativity and evoke […]