In Footsteps of Founders, Honouring Tim Fischer
Honouring our Founding and remembering Tim Fischer, Boree Creek, Riverina, NSW. On Saturday 31 August, on a sudden impulse, we decided to drive from Leeton to nearby Boree Creek for morning tea. With the moving State tribute to Tim Fischer still fresh in our minds, it seemed like a good idea to honour him by going […]
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Eight
Despite all his other commitments, Father Julian Tenison Woods wanted people in the Catholic community to be aware of what was concerning and influencing the Catholic Church in the 1860s. This month we explore his role as editor of the first Catholic journal in South Australia. In the 21st century there are multiple ways for […]
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Seven
Have you ever been into a large underground cave? This month Father Julian invites us to share his experience of exploring the caves of Mosquito Plains, near Naracoorte, South Australia in 1857. Of all the natural curiosities a country can possess, none tend so much to render it famous as the existence of large caves. […]
A Communion of Companions
Mary and the men on the founding Monogram: A Communion of Companions In May this year, Sr Marie Foale wrote on the founding Josephite Rule written by Fr Julian Tenison Woods in October 1867 (First steps towards the Foundation of the Order). This Rule, lived by Mother Mary and her early companions, was signed by […]
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Six
Father Julian Tenison Woods wrote many articles on scientific subjects. This month I present an example of the detailed research and time that must have gone into his writing: Palaeontology of New Zealand Part 4, Corals and Bryozoa of the Neozoic period in New Zealand. [i] This is not a paper that I expect too […]
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Five
This month’s contribution is a tribute to the friendship between Father Julian Tenison Woods and Adam Lindsay Gordon, Australian poet, jockey, police officer and politician. Gordon died, at the age of 36, on 24 June 1870 in Melbourne. Father Julian Tenison Woods met Adam Lindsay Gordon in 1857 on one of his first trips out […]
First steps towards the Foundation of the Order
Father Julian Tenison Woods: First steps towards foundation—little did they then dream On 19 March 1866, Julian Woods and Mary MacKillop took their first tentative steps towards the foundation of the Institute [1] of Saint Joseph. Mary, who had charge of the catholic school in Penola, indicated her commitment by wearing a black dress. Years […]
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Four
On 2 February 1874, Father Julian Tenison Woods gave a lecture in Melbourne entitled How Australia was discovered and explored. A large number of people attended with Mr William Archer in the chair for the evening. The following day an extensive summary of the lecture was published in the Melbourne Argus [i] and the article […]
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Three
On 21 May 1887, the Sydney Morning Herald [i] published an article by Fr Julian Tenison Woods on his trip to the Victoria River. This river (named for Queen Victoria) runs from the northern edge of the Tanami Desert to the coast near the Western Australian-Northern Territory border. Father Julian obviously enjoyed his trip in […]
Why Did Fr Julian Woods Found the Josephites?
In the year 1866 Father Julian Woods, aided by Mary MacKillop, founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Penola, South Australia, for the Catholic Education of children from poor families. [1] But why did this busy priest working in one of the largest mission areas in the colony take this step?
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter Two
This month we present a letter written by Father Julian Tenison Woods to the South Australian Weekly Chronicle on 7 November 1863. Mechanics’ Institutes were a popular establishment in Britain in the 19th century, offering free lectures to ‘mechanics’ as tradesmen, or working men as they were known at that time. In Australia, the first […]
Fr Julian: Man of Words – Letter One
Let’s begin our experience of Father Julian, Man of Words, with a letter he wrote from Penola to The Argus on 4 February 1865. The subject of the letter is ‘The Comet’ which was visible in the Southern Hemisphere during January and February 1865. Obviously Father Julian had seen this phenomenon and called on research […]