COSDU Catholic Society

COSDU exam calendar

2011-10-12T23:13:00.004+11:00

Hi people! The time has come when we look forward to overcoming this huge mountain of exams before enjoying our sweet summer days. What is facing a mountain without prayers for you to have the strength to move it?? Presenting the COSDU Exam calendar! Make it your desktop wallpaper and lets pray as a community for those sitting for their exams on the given days. :)

COSDU SPORTS DAY!

2011-09-23T17:38:00.002+10:00

There was some ninja action, caterpillar action, and even "blob" action going on in COSDU's Sports day!
It was the perfect day to go out, chill, having some fun, eat and have more fun. We had ultimate ninja, caterpillar race, blob tag and many more. There were two teams, team 1 and team 2 who took part in epic challenges. And guess who won? team 2!
As depicted from the photos above, we had so much fun!
Remember for more COSDU updates, stay tuned to the COSDU blog!

Gifts Abundant!

2011-09-20T22:16:00.000+10:00

Gifts abundant!
Feel free to comment on your thoughts about the session bellow!
Remember for COSDU updates stay tuned to our COSDU blog!

2011-09-12T21:14:00.000+10:00

Two great speakers came to cosdu on the Friday of the 7th week.
But before that, Ft. Thin shared his exciting Madrid trip experience! He showed us two slideshow worth of photos and came up to talk about the experience from day 1. A particularly interesting part of the trip was during a rainy day, a gathering was held at the airfield. Luckily Ft. Thins' group came there before it got full and the ushers had to send everyone home. Once the event started, everyone was absolutely quiet even under the heavy rain!

Now moving on to the two great speakers, Matt and Julie… as it was an event about friends and love, listening to how both of them got two know each other and got married was almost like watching a movie. It was beautifully told, plus it was informative, teaching us what true love is. They explained the differences between love and friendship, the wisdom of love through friendship and explaining that genuine friendship must go both ways.

If anyone would like to add/share comments please don't hesitate to do so below!

Remember for latest updates on COSDU stay tuned to this blog!

Monthly Mass + Juliana's Baptism!!

2011-09-06T20:46:00.003+10:00

Ladies and Gentlemen! Please raise your glass as we drink a toast for Juliana who has just received her gracious baptism!

So congratulations Juliana! We wish you good health, peace and blessings through your Catholic life.

Credits: This post is not possible without the help of Theo Wuisan and Kiara Ekopurnomo, who perfectly captured the gracious moments of the Friday Mass. Viewtiful photos indeed!

Festival of N-n-nations!

2011-09-05T01:37:00.001+10:00

What a great success Festival of Nations was!

Through our efforts and team spirit we managed to make our festival food selling a big hit. I literally saw people lining up already knowing what to get (hint: Omar's Perro Caliente). Our revenue was a whooping $1000 which was beyond our goal of $700! The money will be used to finance our ministry and give back to charity after the committee term.

So COSDU would like to thank these people who helped out at the booth!

Remember for all your COSDU updates stay tuned to our COSDU blog!

COSDU Session #3

2011-08-30T02:17:00.002+10:00

Last Friday was surely different from the many Fridays we had.

Br. Greg from the Jesuits came by and gave us an insight about the Ignatian Prayer followed by a very peaceful and calming contemplative prayer that reminded and kept us aware of God's presence in our daily lives, thanking Him for every second of our day.

The very interesting story started with a curious fish looking for water, and how it goes around asking other fishes where can he find "water". Just like how the fish was in water all the while, God is also amongst us, but at times we fail to be aware of His everlasting presence.

So let's take a few minutes each day, keep away from all that work, Facebook, mobile, and keep in silence and in peace. Through that, may we not just know about God, but know Him personally.

PS: and also wanna give a shout out to Melissa for her birthday last week! Happy birthday Melissa!

Second Session with Sister Olga Yaqob

2011-08-21T00:21:00.001+10:00

As we witness Sister Olga Yaqob, a female Nun from Iraq (actually the first female to become a Nun in Iraq), we see someone who truly left everything she had just to be beside her true love, Jesus (and His Mother, Marry).
Without going into too much details, she was forced to go to London to meet her arranged husband where she refused and lead her father to disown her. As a result she lost her family, friends, neighbors, everything she owned back home and was even left homeless for 5 years! This authentic woman of faith has truly inspired and opened eyes to all of us. And although she achieved her dream of finally becoming a Nun, she still has hardships of not being able to see her brother's or sister's nephews.
So I encourage you to share anything that was interesting during your discussions on Friday and if you guys want to express your ideas/comments please feel free!

COSDU's First Session of Second Semester 2011

2011-08-17T02:23:00.003+10:00

The goal of this session was to give new members a taste of the kinda things we do at COSDU Catholic Society.
So thanks to Kim and Emily, this weeks session opened eyes to everyone. Revealing us on the things that we took for granted. I'd like to present it as the three pillars of a complete set. They are all social justice programs we can do in Melbourne to make a positive impact. To feed the homelessness, praying for the victims of abortion and supporting the elderly. I'd like to highlight some of things that was quite striking for me:

-It is mandatory to apply pain killers into animals when being tested/experimented in labs, but aborted babies don't even receive them. They are actually conscious and show signs of resistance during the process of abortion. So does that mean babies are treated more cruel than animals?

-The mentioning of babies being left in hospital bins to die… is just inhumane.

-Those elderly were once like us before, and we will one day be like them. I guess we overlook these things I mean check out this video very touching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij1N7jHPWLo

Im pretty sure you fellas have more that sparked during this session, so please shoot out your comments by clicking the comment button bellow!

I'll close this post by a question, from these three pillars, which one is for you to support our society?

COSDU Committee Retreat

2011-08-17T01:50:00.007+10:00

So straight when the clock hit 9pm on the day we had our very first COSDU event (Welcome Food and Games), all of the committee members took off for a retreat to Mornington peninsula.
After the bum numbing ride, feeling tired yet exited, we reached our destination (big thanks to Matt and Em for driving us there) only to fall in love with the accommodation that we stayed in!

In a nutshell, all committee members worked hard the next day (and night), to plan, discuss, and plan and discuss every piece of COSDU related ideas and aspects to ensure that everything we do, we deliver whats best for you COSDUANS! We planed for Festival of Nations, weekly sessions, Social Justice event, and so much more. And oh... what would the retreat be without photos, so TADA!

Welcome Food and Games

2011-08-17T01:28:00.002+10:00

Hey COSDUAN! What a super entertaining time we all had at the welcome food and games! The event turned out very entertaining! Everyone had a great time with the games hosted by none other than Ivan (our activities director). I mean, didn't we take home a handful of "useful facts"? haha. We also saw a lot of new faces! So for all new members, WELCOME! We hope you felt a warm welcome from everyone and feel like COSDU is a family away from home!

Congratulations to the new committee!!

2011-05-14T10:37:00.002+10:00

Congratulations to all the newly elected committee members at our 2011 AGM :)

President: Matthew Heng
Vice President: Triton Wui
Secretary: Abigail Leong
Treasurer: Clio Lin
Social Justice Coordinator: Emily Cheah
Sessions Coordinator: Kimberley Ngu
Liturgy Coordinator: Omar Ortiz
Music Coordinator: Jose Gabriel M. Apolo (Gabby)
Publicity Coordinator: Thomas Prabawa
Social Activities Coordinator: Ivan Fung

And so the transition period begins :D
New comm: I'm sure all of you will do a briliant job
and Old comm: I'll miss you all.....

<3 flo

Kim - Sessions

2011-04-29T09:32:00.004+10:00

Honestly, I do not know what would make a good opening for this write-up. I do not know what opening will pull you and immerse you in my writing that will lead you to consider running for the position of sessions coordinator. I’ve got nothing.

The main concern of the sessions coordinator is to make sure something happens every Friday session. He/she can either invite speakers to speak on certain topics,conduct the sessions by him/herself or choose to have an activity such as trivia night or the like. It is wholly subjected to the creativity of the coordinator and the inspiration given by God. Simple, ain’t it? :)

Being the sessions coordinator has been the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in COSDU. I had first run for the position with the desire to share, to help the members grow in their faith but little did I know that I would gain so much more than I would give.

God has been such a gracious Teacher through this journey. He taught me to trust Him to provide even when hope didn’t seem to exist. He taught me to listen to what people need and not what I thought they needed. He reached out to teach and this experience has beckoned me to learn.

Being sessions coordinator does not mean that you are more superior in the faith or more knowledgeable about the Church, spirituality or anything of that kind. It does not and should not mean automatically put you in holier light. It means serving the COSDU family by paying attention to the members’ spiritual needs. It means offering up all that you don’t know and expecting to receive what God wants you and COSDU to know.

There is no prerequisite to be a sessions coordinator except a heart that is open to be shaped and directed by God. You do not need to have a vast bank of theological knowledge to fill these shoes. Do not think that you have to first be holy before being worthy to serve as a sessions coordinator. All these are not necessary except a heart that desires to join others on the journey of discovering more of God’s mystery. A willing heart is all you need, as I would always say.

I am not going to try to convince you to be a sessions coordinator. I believe God will nudge you hard enough for you to not ignore Him. I am going to appeal to you to allow God the freedom to nudge you in the first place though, because He knows what He can do through you and what He can teach you through these experiences.

This is an incredible journey to be on. Please don’t deny yourself of the experience if God has called you to it.

Yours in Christ,
Kimberley

Jess - Social Justice

2011-04-29T09:19:00.003+10:00

Ever since I was 6, I remember telling my mum that one day I would like to go to South Africa and help the children there. Over the years, I have come to realise that my purpose in life was to help people, mostly children and that is why I took up the role as Social Justice Coordinator last year. My goal was to educate cosduan’s on the importance of Social Justice in our Catholic Faith.

What is Social Justice

In order to define social justice, let us begin, by taking a look at what social ministry is: Social Ministry has two main aspects: Social Service (parish outreach) and social action.

SOCIAL SERVICE is giving direct aid to someone in need. It usually involves performing one or more of the corporal works of mercy. That is, giving alms to the poor, feeding the hungry, clothe the naked, visiting the sick etc. Another name for it is CHARITY. This is the typed of activities that has been organized by Social Justice Coordinators in the past.

However, there is another side of Social Justice and that is SOCIAL ACTION which is correcting the structures that perpetuate the need. With social action, we began to look at the problems and issues facing our own communities, the nation and finally the world, and we begin to ask questions such as “Why is there so much unemployment in our area?" "Why are there so many poor in our community?" "How will the deforestation of our rain forests affect our global climate?" Very often when you are performing social service, you also become involved in solving the problem which created the need in the first place, and the two are closely related and often blend together.

Where we get our identity

We are all One Body in Christ -1Cor 12:12
Together we are Christ's Body, each of us a different part -1Cor 12:27
All are one in Christ -Gal 3:28
"I am the Vine, you are the branches...” -John 15:1-5
You are God's temple. -1Cor 3:16

There are so many verses in the bible that teaches us the importance of Social Justice and what it means to incorporate them into our faith. It clearly is an important element as a Catholic. The goals and mission that we are drawn to is to:

To follow the command to “love one another as I have loved you”
To enable everyone to enter into a relationship with Christ in such a way, so that everyone can come to know Christ in the same way that the Father knows the Son.

If we think about this for a moment, it becomes clear. If our basic human needs are met, that is to say that if we are not concerned with obtaining food, clothing, shelter etc., then we are better able to enter into a closer relationship with Christ.

Therefore, what makes us Catholic?

Celebrate the Eucharist
Proclaim the Good News of the Gospel
ACT FOR JUSTICE

The greatest commandment from Jesus (John 13:34):

He said, I give you a new commandment:

(What) – To love one another

(How)- As I have loved you

As a Social Justice Coordinator, the most important thing is to have the passion to help people, passion to better the environment and most important to love one another as god has loved us.

A few things that the S.J. Coordinator does:

Have a Social Justice Session every semester
Organise Volunteering Activities
Update the Notice Board or Social Justice Blog
Organize Documentary Nights

Becoming an SJ coordinator will also help you grow and mature as a person in terms of one’s self-awareness as well as being enlightened by the diverse social issues that are present in our current societies. The role will challenge you to question what is right or wrong. We live in a world where individualism has taken over, what we need to do is work together to make the world a better place.

Ultimately the role is flexible, but as mention before, as long as you are passionate about helping others and you want to make the world a better place. It’s never too late to take the first step. I want to encourage those who are sincere in helping others to run for this position. I challenge them to view the world through the lens of those suffering from indignity. There is no right or wrong in how to be a SJ coordinator. As long as the person is willing, that is all that matters. So step right up and make a difference in the world.

Love

Jess

Jon - President

2011-04-27T23:59:00.001+10:00

President of the society. It is a burden to carry, a heavy but not necessarily tough one, one that carries certain connotations and responsibilities – and it was one that I never thought I would run for, but the Lord had other plans and somehow it got to this. I’m actually sitting here, writing down my experiences as COSDU president.

So what do you do as president? In a nutshell, you get elected, you have to be a University of Melbourne student, and you hold the post for 2 semesters. The president’s responsibilities, as stated in COSDU’s constitution, are as follows:

Take care of each ministry in COSDU
Oversee and ensure the overall smooth running of COSDU
Keep the Spiritual Directors informed of COSDU’s wellbeing
Supervise and delegate tasks to committee members
Chair and prepare AGM
Call and chair committee meetings
Liaise with The Archdiocese
Attend AGM and other necessary training conducted by UMSU

If you just gave it a glance over, it looks like there’s nothing in there but paperwork, meetings and liaison, but the responsibilities of the president extend way beyond paperwork. One of the most important roles of a president is to determine the direction COSDU will take in the coming year. Without direction, COSDU’s activities will be disjointed and scattered, and the members will sense the discrepancy in the flow. Another important role you play, together with your vice-president, is being the glue that holds the various ministries together – you watch out for them, make sure they’re not overworking, and be there for them should crises arise. And you will represent the face of COSDU to the university and church, administration and students alike, in various functions and activities.

It has been an amazing run, being president of COSDU. Besides being able to write home and tell your mother that you’re president of the society, you do get to meet many, many interesting people. As president, I had the opportunity to meet up with members of various Catholic societies across Victoria, and even Australia; and in doing so, get to understand how the Catholic Youth Ministries in Australia operate. Also, to be able to lead and grow with a team of people so dedicated, so vibrant and so passionate in the ministry truly is an unforgettable memory; and a humbling one as well. I could write about all the activities and experiences we’ve gone through as a team in the past year, but that would fill up another blog post.

I’ve had my share of downs, and as president, you are not exempted from error - you do pay for your mistakes. I learnt you have to be meticulous and punctual - fail to set a date for monthly meetings at the start of the semester, and you’ll never manage to get everyone together at the same time. Also, you won’t always have all the cards in your hand when you make decisions. Sometimes, the decisions you make will have to be made on the fly, and you can’t always please everyone with your results. And I have had to make sacrifices – some from my personal life and some from my university life, but looking back, I have no regrets.

I have three things to say, should you be discerning for the role. Firstly, should the role of president seem too overwhelming, never underestimate the strength of your committee. There’s this really cliché line that goes ‘united we stand, divided we fall’ – but it holds true for many groups, and COSDU is no exception. Time and again, the COSDU committee has stuck together and pulled through dozens of events, obstacles and opportunities. Also, as COSDU president, you will have to watch yourself, and stand tall in university, for everything you do will be judged against you simply because you are the leader of a group promoting Catholicism. Finally, when I said that being president is a humbling experience, I do not say this lightly. If you are reading this and you are discerning as to whether you should run for president or not, remember that God is the real leader, and you are simply His servant. Everything you do is because He permits it, and entrusts it to you.

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:5-7

In the end, I’m not perfect. I know it, despite my various jokes about being how awesome I am. But the reason I chose to run for president, nearly a year ago, was because I knew that God chooses the weak to shame the strong. So should you have the heart for God, and be willing to put in a little time, effort and kindness, I say go for it. Take the leap and God will make you a leader as only He knows how.

God bless.

Jon

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Renee - Vice President

2011-04-27T23:58:00.001+10:00

Hi you!

Have you been awed by COSDU? Has COSDU left you feeling loved and inspired one Friday night? Do you want to be more involved with what COSDU has to bring? If you’re reading this, it’s probably because COSDU has made an impact on you that has caused you to think about being more involved with the process, right? Or maybe you just have too much time on your hands and like to read people’s attempt at writing. HAHA. Well, nonetheless, you’re reading this – the testimonial of the current vice president of COSDU.

COSDU, first of all, is a club unlike any other on campus. We are a family away from home journeying towards Christ. So you want to make sure COSDU embodies that. Being VP is not about being almighty, bossy, and knowing exactly what you want to implement into COSDU. It’s actually for anyone who wants to contribute to COSDU no matter what experience you have, and is looking for a journey that allows Christ to lead YOU. You are His instrument!

It has been an amazing journey with COSDU as vice president. It turned out to be much more than I thought. Being vice president is definitely a learning process. You don’t have to be spectacular at anything in particular – but you must have a willing heart. As vice president, first and foremost, you should be supportive to the president and committee. So of course, you must want to be a genuinely caring person as well, and be willing to help out with anything. The thing with working in COSDU committee is that everyone will help each other out – so you are never alone to manage your position.

Being VP is a blessed role because you will witness God’s providence – in the inspired ideas, teamwork, miracles, success of events, etc. And it’s a flexible role, so it’s up to you how involved you want to be and you can even take up little projects of your own like what I did – intercessory prayer ministry. Great thing is you can give your ideas to anyone on the committee and work together. You also have a chance to work with a diverse committee, and get to know people that you probably won’t be able to get to know otherwise.

So don’t worry if you feel like VP is a big title, being in committee is a learning process and doesn’t require you to be some super leader. You just got to have an open and willing heart for COSDU, and let Him guide you. You will find that being in committee is much more rewarding that you’ll ever think and end up with friendships that will last a lifetime.

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Kershia - Secretary

2011-04-27T23:57:00.001+10:00

Hello people!!

I know I’ve not been that AWESOME in promoting my job as a secretary and I somehow made it sound horrible but trust me, it ain’t that horrible at all =) No doubt there’s paperwork to do but there’re lots of other cool stuff that you could acquire through this post i.e. establishing connections, improving soft skills, developing organizational skills, meeting and knowing new members and the list goes on and on.

There are quite a few things to handle but when you’ve gotten the hang of it, it’ll be easy for you. Don’t worry too much about and if you need any help, I’m always here for you guys.

Just a rough idea on what you’ll need to do as COSDU’s secretary:

Paperwork i.e. filling in forms, meeting minutes, compilation of new membership list and mailing list
Attend UMSU & MUOSS meetings on behalf of COSDU
Making announcements at the end of the sessions and updating the “Announcement” page on the blog
Sending Christmas cards at the end of the year

Daunting as it may look or sound but after the first time, all these will just naturally come and I’m SUPER DUPER sure you’ll be just fine! And a little secret and Florence has said it, secretaries do secretly rule the world.

Throughout this one whole year, I’ve enjoyed immensely working in the committee. Not only have I made an extra 10 wonderful, awesome friends but it also drew me close to our Lord. In the committee, we always support one another, guiding one another and growing stronger in Christ together. I would dare say, if it weren’t for COSDU, I will not be as close to the church as I am right now. For that, I thank God for bringing me to COSDU and I thank the committee for helping me grow deeper in my faith.

One important lesson that I’ve acquired through my service in the committee is the ability to juggle my studies and my commitments to COSDU. It has always been my priority that if one volunteers to be involved in a society or organization, it is exceptionally crucial for he/she to stand by it till the end no matter how hard it gets. Some may find it difficult and tiring, some may just cruise through the year easily. I’m not going to lie and say that it was easy for me but all I needed to do was toughen up and turn to our Lord for rest and strength. With our Lord’s guidance and blessing, it really helped me pull through and the outcome – I got one of the best life experiences. At the end of the day, all that hard work pays off and that satisfaction feeling you get is just indescribable.

Think about it and pray about. That’s what I did and our Lord guided and gave me the answer. I’m sure that the Lord will lead you in making the right decisions.

God bless you all!

Love,

Kershia Kathleen

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Theo - Treasurer

2011-04-27T23:56:00.001+10:00

Treasurer – the title is pretty much self explanatory. But if you really need me to spell the As and the Bs, treasurer job is basically dealing with the club’s MONEY (obviously) which involves:

1. Keeping track of the club’s balance sheet and profit & loss statement

No, don't worry if you are not from commerce, because it is basic math, two columns: plus (money in) and minus (money out), and there’s always Microsoft Excel to make life much easier. And IF you happen to be from commerce and you want to apply what have you learnt in Accounting using accounting materials such as “debit/credit”, “accrued expense”, “time interest/acid test ratio”, “capital gain tax”, please don't, it will only confuse people. Go do your past year paper instead.

2. Alias with UMSU and MUOSS (because we need their fund – yes, your $5 membership fee alone is not enough to sustain the club)

This is, to be honest, is the only downside (boring part) of being a treasurer. I’m not going to try to sell this position by sugar-coating it: this is the part where treasurer has to deal with paperwork (LOTS of paperwork), meetingS and treasurer trainingS. And have I mentioned the paperwork? But, come on, this is nothing!

3. I wish there are more so that my job does not sound that slack, but yeah, that’s basically it

But, of course, being a treasurer is not always about money. My friend once said: “Money is not everything, money is maney-thing!” And indeed dealing with money involves many (sensitive) things. For one, you have to be trustworthy and responsible. You also have to be diligent in keeping track and updating the cash flow: u missed one and u probably had lots of trouble trying to figure out where that $1.95 went to. Funny thing was that I was not any of those above. Many times I stood outside JB Hi-Fi or Apple Store contemplating. But in life, sometimes, as what Albert Einstein once said: there is a force more powerful than steam, electricity and atomic energy: WILL. That’s all you need: a willingness to serve the club. And along with God’s grace and guidance, I am sure anyone can become an awesome treasurer.

Treasurer is indeed a very diverse role that allows you to be involved in every activities (yes, you need fund in every activities). It also allows creativity and certain level of power and flexibility in terms how you want to organize the club’s money portfolio. Just make sure you don’t make the club goes bankrupt xP. And being in a committee as a treasurer does not mean your job is just money, but you have to do all other stuff too! I have to support other committees as how they have supported me!

Being in the committee has been tiring, stressful, crazy, time-consuming, irritating, and I love every second of it. I learnt a lot about Jesus and I believe I have grown into a better person and a better Catholic. I’ve made 9 awesome friends that seemed to last forever. I’ve been given reason to make new friends and add them on Facebook. The experiences and the benefit of being in a committee totally outweigh the opportunity cost of doing the paperwork. The only thing I would regret is that it has to end.

So yeah, think about it. Approach any of the committee. Pray. Discern. Take the first step. Facebook me. Come to AGM =D

xoxo

Theo

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Ana - Liturgy

2011-04-27T23:53:00.001+10:00

Hello there!! So you’re interested in knowing what COSDU’s liturgy coordinator does eh? As previously mentioned (after one of the Friday sessions), it really is a piece of cake. Here’s an overview of what a liturgy coordinator does for COSDU

Book the venue for monthly mass, exam mass and graduation mass
Invite priests for mass (all the contact details are with me)
Find readers, people to read out the prayers of faithful, people to do the collection and offertory
Get altar servers for mass (you don’t need to serve if you prefer not to, you’ll get the contact details of all the servers)
Have fun during committee retreats and sessions

I’ve learnt a lot in my months of serving COSDU as a liturgy coordinator. I didn’t know much about mass and what comes first or next, nor do I know much about the significance of each action performed during mass. I don’t know everything still, that’s for sure, but at least I know enough to get by now.

As for being in COSDU’s committee in general, it is a very enriching and refreshing experience. I’ve served in COSDU’s committee for 3 years now, and I kept coming back. Being able to be a part of COSDU this way has helped me a lot with coping with all the stress at school. It has been my source of happiness. I often find myself looking forward to seeing your faces. To me, COSDU is indeed my family away from home. To be able to serve all of you this way is truly an honour. I hope that the next liturgy coordinator will find this experience equally valuable, and equally enriching. Do not be afraid of taking the first step, you’ll never shine if you don’t glow ;D

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Alphonsus - Music

2011-04-27T23:52:00.002+10:00

I will begin by writing that the music coordinator’s job is probably the most tiring position ever in the committee, because I do not hide from the truth and reality. You hardly get a break from any COSDU sessions because you need to organise Praise and Worship every week. During COSDU monthly mass, you have to assist in planning the music for liturgy. In addition, you have to manage and organise a team of musicians to keep the music going week after week, carrying instruments around, organising practices, setting up the instruments and the list goes on and on. You will feel burn out and underappreciated at times and all the other negative feelings...

Being put off by the laborious job of a music coordinator, huh? I guess I will just add The Parable of the Three Servants (or the Parable of the Talents) from Matthew 25: 14-30 for your reflection and discernment.

“The kingdom of heaven is like this. it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “

I guess the point I want to make here is not about the tiring and laborious work you have to put in, but the fruits that you bear and the rewards that come after. During my time as a music coordinator, I have grown from strength to strength, finding myself achieving something which I never have thought I could have done, for e.g. Running and organising the Sacred Music Appreciation Night (the FIRST ever music concert organised by any music coordinator, XD. Remember, all things are possible with the grace of God and awesome team members. =)

I will not say what qualities should a music coordinator have but I would like to add that: Music is a gift. So if you are faithful in using your talents in music, God will surely reward you and develop your talents further, no matter how small the gift of music you think you have, because by taking the first step (inspired by the Easter Camp 2011 Theme) in running for the position of Music coordinator, God is already developing your gift in music. =)

So.. Would you share your gift to others?

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Flo - Publicity

2011-04-27T23:51:00.001+10:00

As a publicity coordinator, you have a lot of freedom in your role. How you want to publicise COSDU is largely up to you… so long as you do end up publicising COSDU, not another Catholic society. So if you’re looking for a role that’s fun and will give you lots of freedom to do your own thing then publicity is right for you.

There are no pre-requisites to be a publicity coordinator. You don't have to be techy or outgoing and you don't even have to be holy. The latter was my biggest concern about taking up the post, but trust me, you don't need to be holy to be on the comm.

My role as publicity coordinator is simple, and includes

Sending out weekly emails and creating facebook events
Updating the blog from time to time
Promoting events in a legal fashion
Taking charge in O – week and welcoming new members

You would think that being publicity I'd be awesome at promoting my role and getting people to join the committee. But I'm going to attempt to be objective - because from an engineering point of view you need to weigh up all the alternatives, good and bad. So here are the reasons – for and against joining the COSDU committee.

Reasons not to join

Busy with studies, work, life, etc.
Would rather enjoy the free food, and not help get the free food.
You may get banned from a Chinese grocery store (sadly this is true. Most people get banned from pubs, I get banned from grocery stores. Long story :P)

Reasons to join

You learn heaps. I learnt how to use Photoshop and create fb events because I was a technical noob when I joined the comm
Uni experience. Would you regret it if you left uni having done nothing else except studying and getting good grades?
You can justify the amount of time you spend on facebook stalking people by saying that it’s for ‘work’
You make closer friends. Nothing brings you closer than sharing a packet of Oreos and a peanut butter spoon on a weekend retreat.
Did I mention comm retreat? :P

Being on the committee has been crazy, busy, rewarding, wild and totally worth it. I've made 9 awesome friends, and I know I'll leave Uni with experiences that you'll never get in any other club. So I hope all of you think long and hard about whether you want to be part of the comm - and not deny yourself all the fun that you could be having in the next year.

Happy discerning :)

<3 flo

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Felicia - Social Activities

2011-04-27T22:52:00.004+10:00

My position as the Social Activities Coordinator has been a very rewarding experience and will become a memorable part of my life. One of the reasons why I wanted to be in the committee was because I wanted to contribute more to COSDU, experience new things that I have never done before and get to know more about the people in COSDU.

A few weeks before last year’s AGM, I was very interested in taking the SAC position but always had doubts because I know that in taking the SAC position it would involve public speaking and confidence, which I know is one of my weaknesses. And even during the AGM, I was still unsure! But then I thought again, if I really want to experience new things, this is what I should take as the first step! And I believe that whatever challenges that I will face, I will eventually get through it with the help of God because He would give me the strength to face them and wouldn’t give me anything that I won’t be able to do!

So, my responsibility as a SAC is to organise:

weekly Friday dinner
annual Scavenger Hunt
annual Sports Day
Welcome Food and Games for each semester

For the weekly dinner, there’s a positive and negative side to it!

+ as the SAC, you have the freedom to choose restaurants that you feel like eating: P (and also that the members may like, considering that the size of the restaurant is big enough to take around 30 people, the price is reasonable and that the location is not too far)
- because it is on Friday nights, it’s harder to find a restaurant that would take bookings with a large number of people. But as long as it is planned a few weeks in advance, it should be fine.

For COSDU’s two big social events, Sports Day and Scavenger Hunt, it takes longer to organise. For the Sports Day, you will need to choose a number of sport activities/ games, prepare the equipment and location. Whereas for Scavenger Hunt, you will need to do some research and find out places around Melbourne. These two events will allow you to work closely with the different members in the committee such as for grants, food and if you need more help with the activities.

In addition to the activities above, as a SAC, you can choose to do any other social activities that you think the members may enjoy. Some of the social activities that I have organised are the day trips to Royal Melbourne Show, Mt. Dandenong, Saturday weekly jogging and movie night! But really, you are free to choose any social activities and as many as you want!

The wonderful experience that I’ve had in the committee has helped me to become closer to God, believing that He will always be there for us, nine awesome and very supportive friends, a chance to create conversations with the members that I probably would have not otherwise and taught so many new things! Despite of the challenges faced & time that needs to be put in, being in the committee is definitely something that I have not regret in doing and will miss.

So, if you are interested in running for the SAC position and believe that it is something you will enjoy, I say just go for it! See you at AGM!

AGM is happening on 13 May 2011

Easter Camp!!

2011-03-29T07:38:00.003+11:00

It's less than a month to Easter camp, so all of you who are planning to go - come and get your registration forms during our sessions :D

For those of you who don't feel like going to Easter Camp - believe me, you wouldn't want to be in my position in first year when I missed out on a month's worth of 'inside Easter Camp - exclusive' jokes... so I went in second year :P

But in all seriousness - Easter Camp is COSDU's biggest annual event, it's tonnes of fun - and it's an amazing experience. So if you're sitting on the fence, whether it's because of the camp duration, the price, etc. etc..... talk to any of the Easter Camp committee.

Easter Camp 2011 committee: Louise, Kershia, Bernice, Matt.H, Triton, Clio, Alphonsus, Gabby, Florence.

Hope to see all of you there

<3 flo

Scavenger Hunt

2011-03-22T08:22:00.004+11:00

It's been a hectic first 3 weeks of uni - and i must say... to all the new members who have joined us for Welcome Food & Games, Welcome Mass, and the first of our Lenten series sessions... I hope you're all enjoying being part of the club :D

As you may already know - we've got a hectic line-up for April this year. First off - Scavenger Hunt. It will be challenging, fun - and it's definitely an experience worth shelling out for. PLUS you will get dinner after the event so really, it's a bargain on your part.

So register yourself today - or RSVP on Facebook :)

chalking

2011-02-24T23:11:00.003+11:00

An awesome start to O-week with some chalking to destress from the holidays....
A huge thankyou to all those who helped out on the day. I hope all of you enjoy the rest of O-week :)

and....

See you all next Friday!

<3 flo

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2010-12-24T12:31:00.002+11:00

Hope you guys are enjoying the holiday season with family, friends, and those christmas carols currently being played on loop :P

So, on behalf of COSDU, Merry Christmas 2010 and Happy New Year 2011. God bless, and have tons of fun for the rest of the holidays peeps! =^_^=

<3 flo

ps - also, for those of you celebrating birthdays these holiday season, happy birthday :)

exaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaams

2010-10-25T08:09:00.004+11:00

Hey all,

I know it's been a while since my previous post- and yes, it is all my fault -.-"""
A lot of things have happened since sports day - with our monthly mass, sessions on Jesus and Mary and more recently... a truly relaxing session prepared by Kim as a lead up to exams. I must say- stress levels have now dropped to medium instead of super critical since attending that session so yes folks.... reflections and prayer does calm you down (though i suspect most of you already know this, so this won't really have the impact of say, the guy who thought up the blue sky theory).

So, as a lead up to exams- we'll be doing up an exam prayer calendar for all of you. If you would like to be prayed for, and your name is not on the calendar- drop an email to cosdu.melbuni@gmail.com or comment on this post.

So until next time- take care folks, and study hard!! Delete your facebook account if necessary :P
(kidding, kidding, we all know that it isn't necessary..)

<3 flo

2010-09-23T19:01:00.004+10:00

Hey guys,

For those of you who still don't know about our upcoming Sports Day... well, it's ON! It'll be totally awesome, and a fun way to celebrate our freedom this mid-sem break (well, for most of us anyway)

We'll be meeting up at the Bourke St/Swanston St tram stop at 9.15am (sharp!! <-- no, seriously, 9.15am sharp) and bring you guys to Albert Park. Emergency contact details: Felicia @ 0420571564 and Flo @ 0419964491

Hope to see you there, and meanwhile... ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS! =^_^=

<3 flo

Happy 4th Anniversary, Fr Thinh

2010-09-16T20:47:00.006+10:00

"On Saturday September 16, 2006, at 10 am, four priests will be ordained at St Patrick's Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. All are warmly invited to attend the ordination of Fathers Eugene Ashkar, John Joel Vergara, Thinh Xuan Nguyen and Justin Ford."

Dear Fr Thinh,

It's been four years since the words and photo above were published on melbournepriest.com.

Now you are a priest, still as cheerful as you can be. Your smile brings joy to people you minister to. What other reason is there except that it is by God's grace that you have remained as joyful as you are now?

We, COSDU, would like to thank you for responding to God's call so many years ago and for the great dedication in your ministry to the youth. We thank you for your smiles, your listening ear and most of all, your heart that you have dedicated in your work as our guide to Heaven. :)

We also pray that your love for our Lord will increase exponentially towards the Heavens as you continue this wonderful work the Lord God has begun in you. We pray also that your heart will always remain receptive to His voice, and your hands and feet eager to do His work.

Thank you so much for EVERYTHING.

Happy 4th anniversary of your ordination and God bless you abundantly for all the days of your life! :)

Sharing is caring (Call to share your two cents on the blog!)

2010-09-13T00:33:00.000+10:00

“Iron is made finer by iron, man is refined by another”

Proverbs 27: 17

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “family”?

Mother? Father? Brother? Sister? Maybe your aunt? How many of you thought of the person sitting next to you at mass? Or the person behind you, in line, heading towards receiving the Eucharist? What about the person you shared your stories with during your last Friday C.O.S.D.U. gathering?

I believe I won’t be the only one who knows how important it is to have a family. God Himself could have chosen to be a simple, singular God free from complexity. And He is a singular God, but He is also a Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – by choice. Pope John Paul II said, “God, in His deepest mystery, is not a solitude, but a family, since He has in Himself, fatherhood, sonship, and the essence of the family, which is love.” If even God modeled Himself as a family, it is rather clear that He was revealing to us the significance of being a family – of community life. Before Jesus set out to do His work, he first called disciples, and they did everything together. They were His family.

“Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children;

and that is what we are”

1 John 3:1

I don’t know about you, but despite all these, I often forget (perhaps a little too often) that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. The evidence of this profound significance is obvious when Peter wrote to the Corinthians, “Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12). And he continues to say, “The eye cannot say to the hand ‘I do not need you’, nor can the head say to the feet, ‘I do not need you’.” (1 Corinthians 12:21). So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as a family, we need each other. Jesus did not teach us to care only for ourselves, to care only for our own faith, but to love one another.

“Let us be concerned for one another then, to stir a response in love and good works”

Hebrews 10:24

How do we do that? We make sure we catch up with each other, challenge each other about our faiths, gather to share the Word, and so on. What we often forget is that the lives we lead are also a sharing; that the blessings that we’ve received are an affirmation. When I am burdened by my own Cross(es) (and rest assured, there have been aplenty), I have always found that someone’s unique story of faith renews my strength and lifts me up. When I find that I do not have it in me to believe that our God is a caring and loving God, your knowledge and experience of God's promise to love with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) can lead me to believe in such a God again. When I feel so lonely amidst the crowd, the solidarity in God that you have experienced can help me come into the still Presence of the Lord. We need each other.

Therefore, I am inviting you - COSDUan or ex-COSDUan, priest or nun, student or working adult - to send in your two cents about the times when God has shown His everlasting love and mercy to you, or when His miracles astounded you so much you were left in wonder. Or you could also write about the little things: when you saw the loving innocence in a child or hearing the sounds of God's laughter in the wind. Everything that affirmed your faith and will help affirm that of mine and of our family.

So send your writing in to the COSDU email (cosdu.melbuni@gmail.com) and it will be posted on the blog*.

Whether you want to have it posted with your name as the author, or you would like to adopt a pen name, or remain anonymous, it’s up to your discretion.

Thanks, brothers and sisters. We look forward to seeing what you have to share!

“My beloveds, let us love one another then, since love comes from God, and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God… we love, because He loved us first”

1 John 4: 7; 19

*Article approval and publication will be subject to editor’s discretion.

Monthly mass

2010-08-30T23:30:00.003+10:00

Hey all

This week, COSDU will be celebrating monthly mass together. Hopefully, all of you can take some time out of your busy lives, and join us =^_^=

If you don't know where St. Carthage's is, you can contact flo@0419964491
my directions are terrible and probably wildly inaccurate, but i will make sure you'll get there :)

so until friday,
take care everyone...

<3 flo

Fiestaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

2010-08-16T08:27:00.004+10:00

So as you may already know.... this Friday we won't be having our usual sessions... because we're going to the WYD FIESTA! Having gone to a previous pre-WYD celebration before, I seriously recommend that you guys come along to celebrate (whether or not you are planning to go to Madrid next year).

So, COSDU will be travelling together if you are interested:

WHEN: Friday, 20th August, 6.15 pm
WHERE: Sidney Myer Asia Centre

We will be walking (20-30min) so please don't be late! And... as usual, please RSVP... either on facebook, replying to the weekly cosdu email on tuesday, or contacting:

florence @ 0419964491 OR kim @ 0415537865 OR jon @ 0433140701

For those of you who don't feel like walking, travel details can be found on the poster, or the new sidebar of the blog (thanks to kimmy ^_^)

So, see you all on Friday... and till then

take care
<3 flo

Documentary Night #1

2010-08-07T23:51:00.004+10:00

hey guys.... this is the first COSDU documentary night for this semester and we'd love you to join us! The event is up on facebook, so if you guys re interested, please RSVP or contact jess if you don't have facebook... because the venue for this event depends on the number of people attending. Right now, the venue is at milano based on the number of people who have indicated they will be attending.

so, prove to us that the art of RSVP is not dead and outdated people, and.....
hope to see you all there =^_^=

<3 flo

Welcome Mass

2010-08-01T21:02:00.005+10:00

Hey everyone... Welcome Mass is coming up and we'd love to see you all there. To all new members, meet up in Sidney Myer @ 5.30 pm sharp if you'd like us to take you to St Carthage's. For all enquiries, directions, and questions, call me @ 0419964491

The mass will be celebrated by Fr.Thinh, and we'll be going out to have dinner afterwards. So... do join us, and until then, take care!

<3 flo

Welcome Food & Games

2010-07-25T18:28:00.003+10:00

Hey all...

The first session of the semester will be our welcome food&games event. There will be awesome games organized by Felicia, lots of fun, prizes and above all...... FREE FOOD. yes, to all those students living on a super strict budget..... DINNER IS FREE.

So you know the drill people, rsvp on facebook, and let us know if you're coming so that we won't over-cater ridiculously and be forced to send off all remnants to michael phelps.

Hope to see all of you there, and until then.... take care

<3 flo

O-Week!!

2010-07-17T00:48:00.003+10:00

Hey all..... mid year o-week is coming up next week, which means....

We can legally deface and graffiti the uni for a great cause

and...

We'll really, REALLY appreciate your support during the clubs and societies expo (22nd of July, 12-3pm, North Court). If you can drop by, say hi, or not say hi but just drop by and steal our food.... it will be really appreciated (the latter, of course, will be far more appreciated...).

So do come along, and support COSDU! =^_^=

Until then, enjoy the rest of the holidays guys, and take care

<3 flo

Upcoming events

2010-07-04T18:45:00.000+10:00

Hey people!

Hope the winter holidays are going great for you! I know this is a little last minute but better late than never, I suppose! :)

Anyway there are a few things going on in Melbourne (i.e. talks etc), some of which may appeal to you.

1. Theology at the pub

Time: Monday, 5 July 2010 - 6.30pm dinner (7.30pm start)

Venue: The Pumphouse Hotel, 128 Nicholson St, Fitzroy

Topic: What is the Bible and where does it come from?

Speaker: Fr Paul Mankowski SJ

Go here for more info

2. Fullness of Truth tour

There will be a few talks going on around in Melbourne

Mon July 5 @ 7pm: St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church @ 33 Howard St, West Melbourne. Steve Ray’s conversion story - “Finding the Fullness of Faith”
Mon July 12 @ 10am - 12pm: Freedom Publishing - St. Benedict Book Centre @ Lvl 2, 35 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn. “Our Lady, the Eucharist and Islam” - Fr. Mitch Pacwa S.J.
Mon July 12 @ 7:00pm - St Mary’s Star of the Sea Church @ 33 Howard St, West Melbourne. “Living your faith in a secular world” - Fr. Mitch Pacwa S.J.

More info here

3. Life in the Spirit seminar

Organised by the Missionaries of God's love (the order that Fr Simon [who came with us to Easter camp] belongs to)

Dates and times: 5 Wednesdays : July 7, 14, 21, 28 (7.30-9.00pm) and Aug 4 (7.30-9.30pm)

Venue: Benedict House - 301 Warrigal Rd, Burwood

Cost: $10

Contact: Vincent Clementine MGL - 03 98087345 vincent.clementine@gmail.com
Chris Eaton MGL - 03 9808 2646 ceatonmgl@gmail.com

Info: Help you know more about faith, grow in prayer, discover the gifts that God has given to us, learn more about hte mission we have been called to, find out more about the work of the Spirit in our lives.

I know this one is a bit far. There may be a possibility that I can help arrange transport (no promises yet!) so let me know if you're interested but the distance is the only things putting you off. Another thing, apparently there might be a weekend seminar (most likely 10/11 Jul) for this. I have to find out more about that. So if you want to know whether there really is a weekend seminar for this, let me know (kimberley.ngu@gmail.com) and I'll pass on the details ASAP. :)

p/s this seminar's really good!

4. Religious Faith Formation: Brunswick 'I AM AMONG YOU AS ONE WHO SERVES'

This one related more to social justice stuff

Venue: St Ambrose's Parish, 287 Sydney Rd, Brunswick 3056

Cost: Gold coin donation per session

Thursday July 8: A Home For The Heart - Offering Local Hospitality In Our Parishes
Presenter: Damian Coleridge
Damian has worked for many years in pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese. He served as a parish pastoral associate for several years before spending the last 20 years as a pastoral support person for parish conferences of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria. Damian begins a new role as Parish Support coordinator for the AOFE in June 2010.

Thursday July 15: 'We Are Waiters Not Masters' - Toward A Spirituality Of Service Today
Presenter: Br Mark O'Connor FMS
Mark is a Marist Brother and taught in Marist schools for many years. As Director of the Archbishop’s Office for Evangelisation, Mark holds a Master of Theology degree from the Melbourne College of Divinity and a Masters in Philosophy from Trinity College, Dublin.

Thursday July 22: The God Of Justice - Service And Living The Eucharist
Presenter: Sr Jan Gray RSM
Jan is a Sister of Mercy in the Adelaide Congregation. She was educated at Macquarie University, United Faculty of Theology, and Cambridge University. Sr Jan's teaching areas are in systematic theology, especially theology of Human Person, Church, Feminist theology, and Christian Muslim relations. She is also a member of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy Australia National Formation Council.

5. Where is God now? Searching for the sacred in the ordinary

Date: Friday 23 July 2010 5.00-7.00pm

Venue: The Oratory, Newman College, University of Melbourne, 887 Swanston Street, Parkville 3052

Presenter: Donna Orsuto

RSVP: Br Mark O'Connor FMS at markoconnorfms@gmail.com

Phone: 0401 222 596

More info here. This one would probably be more on the intellectual side

6. MGL Vocation weekend for Women

The sisters invite you to attend a weekend of prayer, talks, sharing
and sisterhood to help discern your life direction and vocation.
Where: Sisters place in North Balwyn, Melbourne
When: July 16,17, 18
Contact: Sisters 03 9857 8177
Email: mgl.srsmelb@iinet.net.au

Sorry boys. This one's for the girls. There's one for the boys in August. :)

Thanks guys enjoy your holidays!

God bless.

Kimberley

Graduation Mass

2010-06-23T10:25:00.003+10:00

Hey all,

first of all, A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO KERSHIA IS IN ORDER
our super awesome secretary is solely responsible for the wicked brand-spankin new blog layout... and get this peeps.... she did all of this during the exam period! (*super woman*)

so..... thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaankyou kershia, for making the blog awesom-ooo!!!! =^_^=

getting back to the topic.... grad mass is coming up- we have 4 graduates this sem,

Alice, Amanda, Hilary and Yanuar

So come join us in making sure they get a proper send off, COSDU style. Mass spam emails are out- but just in case you haven't been checking emails or facebook.... here are the details:

So come join us.... and till then

Take care :)

<3 flo

Feast of Corpus Christi and Youth Mass

2010-06-03T08:01:00.004+10:00

For those who are interested, the Feast of Corpus Christi 2010 runs from the 4th to the 6th of June at the Seminary church of the Sacred Heart in Carlton. For more details, check out the flyer ^_^

Also, a reminder that there is a YOUTH MASS this Saturday... please check Facebook for details, or open up your inbox. Hope to see you guys there!

as for now, take care everyone.

<3 flo

Exam calendar

2010-06-02T07:29:00.003+10:00

Hey everyone

Just letting the rest of you who don't have Facebook (or who refuses to be sucked in by Facebook during the exam period) know, the exam calendar is up :)

For those of you without exams, please pray for all those poor souls going through a 1kg tin of coffee this month just to function properly.... and as for those of you who are doing so, SLEEP.

Good luck everyone! And may the force be with you.

<3 flo

Heaven, Hell & Purgatory

2010-05-31T15:42:00.003+10:00

Hey!

As promised, here are the slides from the wonderful presentation by Fr Thinh.

Though we may never fully understand the afterlife until all is revealed when we reach that afterlife, I do believe that from what we do know and understand, we get a representation of what it could be. For some, knowing is equally good as not knowing; for others, even the slightest glimpse strengthens our faith.

There's this scene in the film Meet Joe Black where a character asks Death : Should I be afraid? And Death replies "Not a man like you." I encourage you to lead a moral and honorable life such that the same can be said.

Discussion of questions that people had...
Please feel free to reply and add other questions that you may have.

1. How do we know whether we have done good or bad in our lives?

2. What is our purpose after reaching heaven?

3. What of spirits roaming the earth? Are they in heaven, hell or purgatory or something totally separate?

4. Are our feelings of unworthiness for receiving God's for forgiveness a "willing refusal of God's mercy"?

5. Is it possible to go from hell to heaven and vice versa?

Examination Mass!

2010-05-25T20:13:00.004+10:00

Join us for a time of prayer before the start of your exams!

Heaven, hell and purgatory

2010-05-23T18:24:00.003+10:00

So. Heaven, hell and purgatory. PJs and GJs and the lot.

Whew. There was a lot of deep discussion about that topic on Friday, and some very thought provoking lessons presented then... some of which I am still struggling to understand, but learning to accept. Slides of the presentation are going to be up so no... I will not be re-lecturing people on the Catholic teachings about the afterlife. I will however, procrastinate shamelessly and share with you what I've learnt.

It's a bit of a shocker really, to find out that South Park's portrayal of heaven is totally wrong- no clouds, pearly gates, angels playing golden PSP's or Kenny. Heaven is not a place, but a state of being, where one is not limited by time and space and is eternally happy because he or she is in eternal communion with God. The way I see it, it's sort of like a Zen meditation feeling of calm and peace... like all your worries have been sapped away and instead of thinking about the prospect of Torrres leaving Liverpool and joining Chelsea... you are totally in the zone... and totally content. I'm guessing this contentment is because you can hear what God is saying when He's talking to you. Unlike your time on earth when you often don't know what God is saying to you (if He is saying something to you)... in heaven, communication is pretty sweet both ways.

Hell on the other hand, is the eternal absence of God, or as Sara says, discommunion with God. Hell, to be honest, sounds like a time when you don’t have internet connection, credit on your phone, and you’re completely isolated and alone- and aware of the fact that it will be an eternity before you can go on Facebook and make a status update about how terrible you feel about the whole thing. And perhaps, multiply that feeling by 1000000000000000000000000000 to the power of infinity. Then square it, and take the natural log of it.

I have a mathematical representation of purgatory, but that… is probably best edited out for the interest of all non-engineering students.

So… methinks a shout out to Donna is in order… thanks for the awesome session!!

As for now… May the force be with you. Good luck with assignments, studying, work, life, coin laundry and the works guys.

Congratulations to the new Cosdu Committee!

2010-05-15T13:27:00.003+10:00

Here is your new 2010/2011 committee!

President: Jonathan Au
Vice President: Renee Siu
Secretary: Kershia Kathleen
Treasurer: Kudokun Wuisan (Theo)
Social Justice Coordinator: Jessica Tan
Sessions Coordinator: Kim Ngu
Liturgy Coordinator: Anastasia Agusto
Music Coordinator: Alphonsus Tan
Publicity Coordinator: Florence Santana
Social Activities Coordinator: Felicia Tang

Congratulations to them and may the Lord give them the courage, strength and guidance they need to serve Him through their work in Cosdu!

AGM

2010-05-11T23:10:00.001+10:00

Details:

Date:	Friday, May 14 2010
Time:	6:00pm Mass begins, 6:30pm AGM begins
Location:	Executive Lounge (upstairs), Alan Gilbert Building on Grattan Street.

**Important!**

As a general consideration towards others, please try to be early so we can all start on time.

**Very Important**

We need at least 20 non-committee members to attend this event. Please try to make some time out of your busy schedule to support us at this AGM. The committee deeply appreciates this! :) Click for Facebook Event!

Dinner and drinks will be catered and provided after the AGM, light refreshments will be provided throughout the AGM process.

All Positions will be open for nomination in the following order:

President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Social Justice Coordinator

Sessions Coordinator

Liturgy Coordinator

Music Coordinator

Publicity Coordinator

Social Activities Coordinator

AGM Agenda:

Item 1 - Attendance

Mass starts at 6pm! (Celebrant: Fr. Thinh)

1.1 Opening:

Meeting chaired by Jessica Tan

Opening Prayer by Jessica Tan

Meeting opened at 6.30 pm

Minutes taken by Sara Kang

1.2 Attendance

1.3 Apologies

Item 2 - Adoption of Agenda

(Motion required)

Item 3 – Chair Person’s Welcome

Item 4 - Constitution

4.1 Distribution of the club constitution

4.2 Discussion and ratification of club constitution (motion required)

Item 5 - Reports

5.1 President’s Report

5.2 Treasurer’s Report

5.3 Spiritual Directors’ Speeches

Item 6 - Elections

6.1 Appointment of Returning Officer (Motion required)

6.2 Appointment of Ballot Officers

6.3 Outline of election procedure

6.4 Call for Nominations

6.5 Voting and Declaration of Results

Item 7 - Presentation of Tokens of Appreciation

Items 8 – Any Other Business

8.1 Mention of Thanks

8.2 Speech of thanks by the new President

Item 9 – Annual General Meeting closed

9.1 Final tribute to COSDU Committee 2009-2010

9.2 Closing prayer by new President

9.3 Meeting closed at 10.30 pm (or earlier)

Good luck to everyone who is considering running for a position! :)

President: Jessica Tan

2010-05-03T20:57:00.003+10:00

Come to think of it, ever since I came to Melbourne, COSDU has become my Melbourne, I have been in the committee for the past 2 years and i’m honoured to have the opportunity to be President.

To be able to serve God and his people.

What is important to know is that, COSDU is not just another university club. It’s not just about social activities, although we certainly enjoy these together. It’s not just about writing facebook comments on millions of photos. It is a catholic youth group - THE ONLY ONE ON CAMPUS. The most important thing is that our group is based in faith.
And we need to remember, as pope Benedict says, we do not impose our faith but we propose our faith through our actions and through who we are.

Being president has certainly thought be a lot of things, it hasn’t just thought me how to lead, but is has thought me how to serve God’s people.

There are many things to be planned such as monthly meetings, ensuring everything is running smoothly, updating our spiritual directors, but most importantly, being president is about helping the committee grow in faith with one another, getting to know their strengths, bringing them close together, ( which is very important is you will be working together for the next year), ensuring the members feel that COSDU is inclusive, welcoming, personally fulfilling, faith enhancing, safe and supportive for all.

We had our ups and downs, it certainly gets quite stressful but what isn’t?

Because we base our faith around prayer and our faith, everything turns out great in the end. As people always say God will not give us something that we cannot handle.

And remember this, as Mother Teresa said: we cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.

So if you feel the calling to run, go for it, god doesn’t require us to succeed: he only requires that we try and we do our best.

And if you every feel stressed or down, keep in mind that true holiness consists in doing god’s will with a smile.

The committee is like the story of the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd is the one who really knows the sheep and their needs, and is ready to serve them-even to lay down his life for them. Being in a committee is like the Good Shepherd – not just doing a job, not just keeping COSDU going, but really caring for COSDU, knowing every person in COSDU and their needs, and wanting to serve them, like Jesus who didn’t come to BE SERVED, but to SERVE.

All the best to all of you who are thinking of running, this is a great opportunity, so as Father Binh said last night, this might be your vocation, you never never know, if you never
never go. =)

Good luck
Jess..

Vice President: Gracie Ng

2010-05-03T20:53:00.005+10:00

My publicity Coordinator has requested that I send in my VP Profile. So while sitting here and typing away, I can hardly think of what to say to the people that will be reading this. So I have to mentally take myself back to May 2009 and think of how I have improved myself to become what I am now at this moment in time.

I must say though, that it has been such a bumpy road, along this road there are thorny bushes, and beautiful trees and flowers, but the greatest companion the most handsome and lovely sight was Jesus, my Lord. HIS mercy and grace is just overwhelming.

The experience of being a VP for COSDU has given me the opportunity to learn from my fellow committee members. They have humbled my ego and taught me gentleness and humility. They have taught me to love and care for others. Being a self centred person that I am, I have witnessed such sincerity and kindness from my team, that by offering others my help and time can bring such joy. For the 1^st term of my VP-ship, I did not really do much for my team, however, by 2^nd term; I knew I had to start treating them like real people and FRIENDS; Friends that will be part of my great experience. THIS, my dear friends is what I want to share with you.

You see, being a VP is not being the 2^nd boss, being a VP is SUPPORTING EACH AND EVERYONE IN YOUR GROUP NO MATTER WHAT, WHERE OR WHEN! And I only came to understand this later in my term. I prayed for Divine guidance and sensitivity so that I may come to BE together with my committee and learn from them, to LOVE them. You want to know why, because like I have talked about in my testimonial on the 23^rd of April, there are people out there that are brutal in the way the treat other human beings, the loneliness that I felt in this highly demanding university committee has made me realized what a lovely bunch of COSDUans I am involved with. I am not going to get too detailed into this. The lesson that I learned is that no matter where I am at, God will always guide me, and give me strength and comfort. And I know he will do exactly the same for you. *whispering very softly” That is the truth!

There isn’t a FIX role for being a VP in COSDU; however, from my point of view, a VP MUST be one that is Proactive and Responsible. Simple! There are defined “jobs” for this role, but it was pretty boring for me and I had to do something greater than that. So, I took on the responsibility of Organizing COSDU’s Greatest Annual Event - Eater Camp 2010. And it was FANTASTIC!! Don’t believe me, take up the challenge and be in the organizing committee and experience it for yourself, it will be your heart’s fondness memory!! Still not convince, then just pay-up and go to the camp! For 2011 that is.

Alright, so here are a few main Responsibilities:

Logistics- Basically keeping track of the music equipments and Items bought for COSDU. Updating the inventory list every semester, or whenever COSDU buys anything.
Supporting the session coordinator in making sure there are enough materials for each session.
Helping out with the planning of sports day and scavenger hunt.
Getting Sponsorships.

Coming to the end of my long winded profile, I would like to thank Jess, Sara, Yanuar, Jian Sheng, Donna, John, Matt, Audrey and Giovanni for making my experience such a lovely one. I thoroughly enjoyed myself with you guys, all your support and humour has made it rich and pleasant. I wish it wasn’t going to end so soon.

Lastly, to my future successor, or just anyone who is thinking of giving COSDU-VP a chance. GO FOR IT MY DEAR! You’ll gain a valuable experience from it. As for me, it helped shaped my character and made me into a better and stronger person. It shot me with a big wakeup call and taught me sincerity and kindness. And I know it will give you so much more than I have mentioned. Who knows it will bring you closer “home”, home where your heart knows Peace, Love and Joy. Go and TAKE UP this call to serve your fellow friends and laugh together.

Gracie is encouraging anyone to take on this Fabulous Role as VP. It’s Fun and Wonderful. Do pray and pray and pray and pray until you get the strong sense of “YES, this is what I want to do - to SERVE & BE”. This is what I felt when I decided to join COSDU’s committee. It was a definitely YES. Pray for his grace and guidance and YOU WILL feel it deep within you. Oh yes you will. Or you can just take on as a challenge to yourself, now this is what I call adventurous-soul.

Should you have any questions to ask me regarding COSDU's VP role or anything at all that you would like to share and talk about.
I'm always at sessions. Do come and I'll help you with all I can.

Till then my lovely people, toodlesss!!

With Warmest Love on this Autumn Night,

Gracie Valentina

Secretary: Sara Kang

2010-05-03T20:48:00.002+10:00

Hey you!

Yes, you who are reading this. If you have managed to get this far, there has to be a reason for it for all of this was pre-written in God’s plan for your life. Now, to the real substantial part J

So, people often ask, WHY be the secretary? In all honesty, I had my doubts if I was good enough in the beginning. And I won’t lie and say that taking up this position has been the easiest part in my life here in Melbourne. But as you all know, for all the stress that comes with the position, a million other good, fond memories come with it. And then, you realize it was worth every one of those stressful moments.

I came to Melbourne in 2009, fresh, eager for the new challenges God so lovingly planned for me in this foreign land. I knew I would want to make my time here in Melbourne worth it. So, being the eager person that I am, I joined a million and one clubs in uni (Yes, I exaggerate). Dance, social work, music groups, volunteering, you name it, I’ve probably put my name on their mailing list at least. Being an international student away from home, you truly need to fill your time so as to not miss the things back home. Hence, I decided to join a youth group. In all honesty, I was never the social butterfly in youth groups back in Malaysia. But somehow or rather, God showed me the way to COSDU. I still remember that warm greeting I received from the people at the Orientation booth. At that moment, I knew this club was different. Which shows why this is the only club I am currently involved in till this day.

You see, COSDU has given me so much. The things I have learned from the people in COSDU are really inexhaustible. I never knew there was so much to learn and I have tried my best to learn everything. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and I cannot count my blessings enough that God brought me to this wonderful club.

It was that day in May 2009 that I felt this strong urge to run for the secretary post. And amidst all the doubts, I knew I made the right choice. And I never looked back. Because of what COSDU has given me, I knew, with whatever little I could offer, I would try to make a contribution. If this is the only way I can show my thanks to our awesome God, so be it. And here I am one year later. Never been more contented with how my life has turned out and I shall be forever grateful.

Being a secretary has not always been easy. But I believe that no matter how tough life gets, you toughen your faith. It was always my personal goal to stand by my committee. To be the supporting shoulder for anyone in need. There’s so much more I can offer than my pen and paper. Being a secretary is not all about paper work. It is not all about filling in forms. Trust me. You have to attend meetings too! J But yes, one of the main things in the secretary’s job is to liaise with the student body and other affiliated groups. Keeping track of membership lists, applying for grants, making announcements during sessions, these things come naturally after the 1^st time. So seriously, it’s not as daunting as you may think it is. I’ve learned what goes on behind the scenes when I need to liaise with UMSU or MUOSS. Who knows, the knowledge you gain will come in handy. And we all know knowledge is the key. So aside from the weekly announcements, the only main things I need to do is make sure the membership lists are updated, write the minutes for the monthly committee meetings, attend UMSU or MUOSS meetings if needed and that’s about it. I’ll tell you a little secret. Secretaries secretly rule the world J

Being in this committee has made my time in Melbourne all the more special. COSDU has given me something to look forward to after the long week of stressful assignments and lectures. The friendships I have made with the committee and the members are something to cherish for a lifetime. God works in such wonderful ways. I have grown so much in the past year. Making new friends is just one of those wonderful moments in life. Making a difference in someone’s life is another.

So, if you are thinking of running for this position, do not worry about all those nagging thoughts on the extra paper work and what not. You’ll learn that there really is not much to it. The only advice I can give you is to give your whole heart to the position and to God. Make sure you are doing it for the right reasons and not just to gain those extra credits. God deserves so much more than that. I was determined to prove that being a secretary is not all about paper work. And I believe I have proven my point. So, just trust in the Lord. And believe in yourself. After all, the will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.

See you guys at AGM 2010!

With love,

Sara

Treasurer: Yanuar Kurniawan

2010-05-03T20:38:00.006+10:00

I knew about COSDU one and a half years ago when I started my study in the University of Melbourne. I was the President in a Catholic Student Organisation in Indonesia. As a result, I look for a Catholic group since I know that it is a good community to develop both friendship and my spiritual life. I attended a few first sessions of COSDU and I enjoyed it very much. Unfortunately, for a first few months, I was not able to attend COSDU sessions regularly since I had another obligation on weekends. However, I tried to join whenever COSDU has any special events such as Night Market, Scavenger Hunt, going to Little Sisters of the Poor, and volunteering in Home of Mercy. Thanks to COSDU, I was able to experience volunteering for homeless people and chatting with people in nursing homes where I can find God in their presence.

Last year, when COSDU had its Annual General Meeting, I kept thinking if I should join the COSDU committee or not. I prayed to God that He might give me the best way whatever the decision was. I kept my thoughts without telling everyone that I would run in AGM. God showed me what to choose in AGM, he gave me the strength to accept the nomination and I got the position as COSDU's Treasurer. I believed becoming COSDU's Treasurer was not only for my personal development but also for serving God by serving other people in COSDU.

For one year in the COSDU committee, I experienced lots of wonderful things and I could feel God's presence everytime we have sessions and events. I learn a lot of new things about organisation in University of Melbourne, how we should satisfy certain regulations, meet some requirements, come to committee meeting, etc. I am really thankful to God because of the happiness that I can have in the committee retreat that I can know each other better. I am very glad that God gives me the chance to work together with amazing people in the committee. Of course, not everything goes smoothly. There are problems in the road of life and there is no exception in the committee that problem sometimes is present. However, God is always there to share our burden and help us to overcome the problems. Finally, this is my final semester and I am planning to go back to Indonesia to finish my thesis there. If everything goes as planned, hopefully I can come back here in Melbourne next year and see new members of the COSDU committee. =)

Social Justice Coordinator: Ooi Jian Sheng

2010-05-03T20:34:00.003+10:00

Social justice is a concept that a lot of Christians around the world hold dearly to their hearts. It is what drives the many philanthropic works globally such as soup kitchens, free medical services, care for orphaned children and abandoned elderly, just to name a few. Some people get involved into social justice work because they feel it is personally rewarding, others because of a sense of duty, and for some, because it simply has to be done to ease the suffering of the unfortunate.

Being a Social Justice (SJ) Coordinator would require that person to not only challenge his/her personal view on their intentions to help others, it would also question the person’s definition on what social justice means. I would like to share what I have learnt for the past one year as SJ coordinator.

While acting as SJ coordinator, I always questioned myself on whether my desire to help others was because I truly cared for these people, or whether it was for the sole purpose to feel what many others has told me, “personally rewarding”. It was only after awhile that I decided that if there was something I would like to do, I will always question myself on my motives to perform social work. For me, bringing justice to those being stepped on are of more importance than self-satisfaction. In fact, this said feeling should be a “side effect” of helping others.

Why you ask? From what I have witnessed, it is the intention of the person that separates the boys from the men and the girls from the women (political correctness is tiring sometimes, don’t you think?). What would you think a person would do once he/she does not feel rewarded anymore while helping others? Would that person continue sacrificing their time and money for the cause? Now, replace this person with another which has the intention of helping, regardless of what he/she feels. Whom would you think would remain when the going gets tough? I leave that for you to decide.

In essence, being a SJ coordinator would require someone to be passionate about bringing justice to the people and not solely just for self-satisfaction. You would be responsible in shaping how people view critical issues such as abortion and assisted suicide. In addition, you would be introducing a different perspective on different issues. When I become SJ coordinator, I wanted to show COSDU’s community that their daily actions and decisions can negatively affect people on the other side of the world, indirectly or otherwise. And thus explains why I talked on topics such as energy, water and food during my SJ sessions.

Becoming an SJ coordinator will also help you grow and mature as a person in terms of one’s self-awareness as well as being enlightened by the diverse social issues that plague current societies. You will help foster a new generation of socially aware and responsible people. I feel this is important because in today’s society where individualism is highly valued, we tend to forget that our behaviour will affect others in ways we can’t even imagine. And so, it’s high time that we bring back this “awareness” and realise that sometimes, the world does not revolve around us.

In conclusion, I want to encourage those who are sincere in helping others to run for this position. I challenge them to view the world through the lens of those suffering from indignity. There is no right or wrong in how to be a SJ coordinator. As long as the person is willing, that is all that matters. So step right up and make a difference in the world. See you in AGM!!!

Sessions Coordinator: Donna Yeo

2010-05-03T20:29:00.002+10:00

The basic premise of being Sessions Coordinator is to organize and execute sessions. Beyond that, it's all up to you. You can choose to have a talk or an activity, you can choose to invite a guest speaker (whether it be a priest, lay person or even your fellow cosduan) or lead the session yourself, you can choose a fundamental catholic topic or a current media one. Sometimes the abundance of options can seem overwhelming but our spiritual guides, Fr Thinh & Sr Delma, as well as your committee are there to help.

I ran for sessions coordinator because I wanted to help my fellow cosduans grow in their faith. I wrote/said "The thing is, I'm not trying to tell you one fact or another and at the end of the it, I cant promise you that my sessions will give you an epiphany or cause you to be full of passion and fire. I cant even promise you that I or the speaker will have an answer for all the questions, some of which, like the philosophical ones, may not even have concrete answers. What I do hope and pray for is that from what I offer, you will be able to live as St Paul encouraged Timothy, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

Some of the topics I managed, with much help, to organize, which I, and hopefully some other people, learnt from:
Who is God? by Fr Robin Koning SJ
The Human Person and Morality by Fr Norman Ford sdb
The Environment & Us by Jian Sheng Ooi
Prayer By Fr Thinh Nguyen
Discernment by Br Plinio Martins SJ
Faith & Reason. By Fr John Joel Vergara
Christian Friendship by Fr Thinh
Taize meditation session
Trivia Night

My regret is that I was unable to organize the one session I set myself out to do which was a debate.

One year later or somewhere in-between, I made that realization that no two persons will have the same faith journey. But I believe that everything happens for a reason and exactly the way it was meant to be (no, I am not talking about predestination) and so my term as sessions coordinator is whatever it is. It is now up to YOU!

[Thank You, commies =p.]

Being in the comm in general has been a great experience.
When I was in high school, my band instructor gave us three rules:
1. Do all things for the glory of God.
2. Character before trophies.
3. Have FUN!
And I found that being in the committee has given me the opportunity for all three. Being in the cosdu committee is about helping your other committee members, not just completing your task as sessions coordinator. It is about serving the cosdu community and the greater catholic population. Use the this time to learn new skills and build character but most of all, have fun because having been chosen by God and having chose God in return means being truly and wholly joyful.

You don’t have to know exactly why you want to do this. Be in the committee because you want to serve, because you are called to serve. If you do feel that inkling in your heart, don’t be afraid or worried. God chose you and called you, exactly as you are. God is not calling the you of yesterday or tomorrow. He is calling you here and now, the very person you are today with all your strengths, and not-so-strong traits. You are a testament to the beauty of God's Grace and majestic power. Henri Nouwen said, "I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self."

Pray to the Lord for the wisdom to recognize the signs that He puts before you, the courage to follow through with whatever it shall be, the heart to accept it and continue to seek to love and please Him.

I look forward to the what the next committee puts together. =)

cheers,
Donna

(just had to put this photo in cos we were the winners of Easter camp 2010!!!! =p)

Liturgy Coordinator: Matthew Kwok

2010-05-03T20:22:00.006+10:00

Roles of the Liturgy Coordinator:

1) Prepare for any COSDU Mass;
2) Assist in the committee in providing a family away from home for all COSDUans.

That is all. So if you want an easy role, this has to be the one!

Being a Catholic all my life, you would think that it wouldn’t be too hard to prepare for something which is an integral part of our faith, and in reality, it isn’t hard, as long as you plan for it. Invite the priests before the semester begins, then all you’ll have to do is plan the readings and prayers for the Mass, send these off to the priest and Music Coordinator early so they can prepare for the Mass, as well as finding readers, servers, Eucharistic ministers and people to help with the collection and offertory. And after all that, put together a powerpoint or Mass booklet. Doesn’t sound too hard does it? Unexpected things do happen, but as long as you plan for it early, everything will be fine!

As for being part of a committee? It’s definitely an incredibly worthwhile experience, especially being part of a committee where everyone does their job, and everyone offers to help if any is needed. Perhaps the most important skill of being in the committee is your ability to promptly reply to emails. :) And don’t worry about not having enough time, because if you’ve planned for the semester during the holidays, time is not a problem.

Most importantly, don’t hesitate in this opportunity to serve God, and if you think you’re not good enough for the position, don’t worry, because at the end of the day, no matter how experienced you are, there will still be new things to learn!

All the best for the new Liturgy Coordinator and committee!!!

Matthew Kwok

Music Coordinator: Jonathan Au

2010-05-03T20:16:00.003+10:00

To me, music is an integral part of COSDU. It is a form of worship which some choose to express themselves, and discover the messages of God anew within the lyrics. Music also unites the people in prayer, and helps them to focus their minds – to tune out the hectic lifestyle that dominates so many of us university students. Music is also extremely fun, and anyone who went to Easter Camp (or saw the videos later) can probably attest to that! It is a strange thing, music. It can be delicate yet imposing, soothing yet soul-shaking, your friend and your teacher at the same time, but never insignificant. And as the music coordinator, you are given the task to unleash this wild and wonderful gift of God into the midst of the COSDUans.

If you’re here reading the testimonials, you’re probably interested in the position of music coordinator, so I’ll get straight to the point. Generally, your duties as music minister, as written in the constitution are:

1. To arrange music for the sessions and the masses.

2. To coordinate the music practices for the said sessions and masses

3. To oversee the storage and upkeep of all musical instruments.

Now, this position can be as challenging as you want it to be. My predecessor was largely responsible for the regular praise and worship sessions that you see every week, and I have carried on that tradition – it is something that I like very much and I hope to see perpetuated in COSDU. If you decide to have praise and worship every week, you will have to arrange music practices every week, and of course there is the session on Friday. You may also be called to arrange music for the various activities that occur outside COSDU, examples of which would include Ecumenical Week, Little Sisters of the Poor visits, retreats and so forth.

Knowledge of Christian music would be helpful. Indeed I found it indispensable. However, if you aren’t familiar with much Christian music and are interested in the job, I have one piece of advice for you – go and find out as many titles as you can and go and Youtube the whole lot. That way you will be more prepared and you will be able to choose a good song for any occasion. And it isn’t just about Hillsongs or the modern contemporary music – as Catholics, we are blessed with the amalgamation of both the hymns of old and the guitar-rocking lyrics of today, and I really would recommend that you get a feel of both. But if you’re not, don’t worry. When I took the job, I was not very well-versed in traditional music and such, but I have grown since then (or so I would like to think. Choosing the music for a particular occasion is also a challenge. You have to find music that suits the mood, the topic, the music team and most importantly, the people, and again, this is a gift that will grow with time and experience.

One thing I must say, which most of you know, but must be said nevertheless: You are not, and never will be the focus of attention. This is not a post where you become some kind of rock star and everyone is screaming, crying and clapping for you. The music team are not the only performers – the people are too, and together, we’re all putting on a performance that will delight the heart of God. I struggle sometimes with remembering that God gave me and all the music team members the gift of music, and that without Him, I would be nothing. This is a challenge you must face daily as music coordinator – to know that as a musician and performer, the glory is not yours, but the Father’s.

My biggest trials as a music coordinator? I think it would be the times when I got very jaded with all the music. After week after week of looking at lyrics about how much we love Jesus, you tend to take it all for granted, and those words lose their meaning. And being able to juggle studying, practices and sessions takes a bit of time management.

But having said that, the satisfaction you get from the job is enormous. The feeling you get when you deliver a great session is unbelievable. And to have people come up to you and say that God spoke through them to the music you and the music team made is truly a humbling experience.

Music is awesome. Being music coordinator is awesome. I will pray for you, dear reader, that God will inspire you the way he has inspired me and everyone who has taken up this position before me, to take up this unique position. God bless.

Publicity Coordinator: Audrey Teh

2010-05-03T19:39:00.006+10:00

I’ve been Cosdu’s Publicity Coordinator for 2 years now and I can gladly say that it has been a wonderful experience. This committee especially, has been a rather surprising one, in a good way.

Being the publicity coordinator isn’t difficult, but it definitely requires a fair bit of your time each week. As you might already know, this role requires compiling related information about cosdu each week and sending out weekly emails. There is also the cosdu blog to update and if you are someone who enjoys writing, although not necessarily so, then this position would definitely suit you. Aside from that, I also try my best to liase with other Universities and ensure that Catholic Students there are more than welcome to join us as well and with the AOY for any youth activities that might spark an interest in anyone to attend.

There are two orientation events to be organised each year. That is probably the hardest part of this role, so it isn’t that bad because Orientation is actually kind of fun. It’s entirely up to you what you would like to do to attract new members and promote cosdu. A piece of advice that I can give would most probably be to prepare weeks in advance because there’s heaps to do when the day arrives. Prior to that, I usually get help from members of cosdu or from the committee to organise a chalk-run to promote our booth for O’Week, and legal vandalism of the uni compounds couldn’t be any more fun.

As the exam period looms closer, I also try to get everyone’s exam dates and compile it into a calendar so that it can be updated onto the blog and we can all pray for each other, or wish each other on our exams days..whatever you like. It is also a great way to start conversations or mini chats with everyone and especially anyone in cosdu that you might not have otherwise had the chance to speak with.

Other than that, I really enjoyed being in the committee this year. There’s this sense of comfort knowing that I am working closely with 9 other people here and they’ve all become really good friends to me. So all I can say is, if you want to do more for this society and to be more active in serving God, here’s your chance to do so. Hesitations and doubts are normal but the most important thing you need to know is to trust in yourself that you can do it. Good Luck!

Lots of love,
Audrey

Social Activities Coordinator : Giovanni Rinaldi

2010-05-03T19:30:00.009+10:00

It had never crossed my mind that I would run as a SOCIAL ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR for COSDU, especially after a hard year of being a social secretary (which is the same) in another uni club. Being a social activity coordinator is not an easy job but, well I can say, not that hard. The metaphor that well describes this job is ‘Chinese culinary’ - it requires a long good time of preparation/planning, but the cooking/execution time is so little (or sometimes NONE!). As the name suggested, you need to plan as many social activities as you could, such as karaoke, clubbing, footy session, movie night, sporting, social gathering, games night, drinking night, and many other fun social activities that you can think of. Do not forget that the idea of social is really ambiguous. Organising blood donation, charity gigs, and busking for fundraising are another aspect of social activities that [regrettably] I failed to accomplish during my term.

Being a SOC-AC-TOR (Indonesian like to shorten words) is the best way to get new skills and FRIENDS!!! I was a little bit worried about balancing my other activities and ‘working’ in COSDU committee. However, I am able to manage my time very well and I am happily doing my other stuffs. Undoubtedly TIME MANAGEMENT is the most useful skill in the world that you may get from this position as it requires dedication and commitment! Another skill that you might gains from being a SOC-AC-TOR is COMMUNICATION skill. As you need to organise ‘fellowship’ dinner every week, liaising skill become essential. Make a reservation for 30+ people on Friday night is always so bloody hard – literally until I shed tears of blood (joking! J). A few things that you should consider in choosing a restaurant: location (the hard one as you do not want it to be too far from the mass or session place), price (as COSDU people super stingy!), vegetarian option or most likely beef-free option. Personally, I think this ‘fellowship’ dinner is very important as it is the only media for members to talk to each other in a relax atmosphere as well as savouring on yummy food. But, you really need to be bold as many restaurants may turn you down.

Many things happened during my term in committee. Sometimes you already plan everything to run smoothly, but well, still a lot of speed bumps on the road. Therefore, PROFESIONALISM is also required – friendship and work need to be separated. Do not let your personal feeling affect your job, particularly when you are doing a youth ministry type of job! This has throughout the year and has certainly made my term in COSDU memorable.

COSDU also has certainly enriched my life in many ways, from the spiritual to the social aspects, which was the main reason why I joined the society in the first place. Talking about social, two big events, SPORTS DAY and SCAVENGER HUNT that you need to plan as well. You would have to think about the logistics and location and to ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day. There will also be administrative protocols that have to the complied by liaising with the student union (UMSU), which will be helped by the awesome COSDU secretary. Other than that, you would have to decide on the team distributions, games to be played, health and safety measures, and last but not least, food! Despite all of these, it has certainly been very satisfying seeing the members enjoying themselves during these events and knowing that these events went well. And to make things easier, the rest of the committee were always there to help in any way they could!

In conclusion, for those of you who are interested in running for the Social Activities Coordinator position, I would just like to reassure you that taking this position can be extremely rewarding in both the social and religious aspects to it. Sure, you might be faced with challenges along the way, but life without challenges is like a tasteless food. It will only make you stronger and more matured in that sense. But remember, do it for the wellbeing of COSDU and GOD. Just do your best and God will do the rest! J

Answering Scandal with Personal Holiness (by Fr. Roger J. Landry)

2010-05-01T12:20:00.001+10:00

The headlines were captured recently by the news that perhaps up to seventy priests in the Archdiocese of Boston have abused young people whom they were consecrated to serve. Today, I'd like to tackle the issue head-on. You have a right to it. We cannot pretend as if it didn't exist. I'd like to discuss what our response should be as faithful Catholics to this terrible scandal.

A homily delivered at Espirito Santo parish in Fall River, MA on the Fourth Sunday of OT, Year A Zeph 2:3, 3:12-13; 1Cor1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12

The headlines this past week did not focus on the Patriots' march to the Super Bowl, or on who would QB, Drew or Tom, or even on the President's state of the union address and his comment that there are many Al-Qaeda operatives in the US like "ticking time-bombs." None of these was the top story.

The headlines were captured by the very sad news that perhaps up to seventy priests in the Archdiocese of Boston have abused young people whom they were consecrated to serve. It's a huge scandal, one that many people who have long disliked the Church because of one of her moral or doctrinal teachings are using as an issue to attack the Church as a whole, trying to imply that they were right all along.

Many people have come up to me to talk about it. Many others have wanted to, but I think out of respect and of not wanting to bring up what they thought might be bad news, have refrained, but it was obvious to me that it was on their mind. And so, today, I'd like to tackle the issue head-on. You have a right to it. We cannot pretend as if it didn't exist. And I'd like to discuss what our response should be as faithful Catholics to this terrible scandal.

The first thing we need to do is to understand it from the point of view of our faith in the Lord. Before he chose his first disciples, Jesus went up the mountain all night to pray. He had at the time many followers. He talked to his Father in prayer about whom he would choose to be his twelve apostles, the twelve he would himself form intimately, the twelve whom he would send out to preach the Good News in His name. He gave them power to cast out demons. He gave them power to cure the sick. They watched him work countless miracles. They themselves in His name worked countless others.

Yet, despite all of that, one of them was a traitor. One, who had followed the Lord, who had had his feet washed by the Lord, who had seen him walk on water, raise people from the dead, and forgive sinners, betrayed the Lord. The Gospel tells us that he allowed Satan to enter into him and then sold the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, handing him over by faking a gesture of love. "Judas," Jesus said to him in the garden of Gethsemane, "Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" Jesus didn't choose Judas to betray him. He chose him to be like all the others. But Judas was always free, and he used his freedom to allow Satan to enter into him, and by his betrayal, ended up getting Jesus crucified and executed.

So right from the first twelve that Jesus himself chose, one was a terrible traitor. SOMETIMES GOD'S CHOSEN ONES BETRAY HIM. That's a fact that we have to confront. It's a fact that the early Church confronted. If the scandal caused by Judas was all the members of the early Church focused on, the Church would have been finished before it even started to grow. Instead, the Church recognized that you don't judge something by those who don't live it, but by those who do.

Instead of focusing on the one who betrayed, they focused on the other eleven, on account of whose work, preaching, miracles, and love for Christ, we are here today. It's on account of the other eleven — all of whom except St. John were martyred for Christ and for the Gospel they were willing to give their lives to proclaim to us — that we ever heard the saving word of God, that we ever received the Sacraments of eternal life.

We're confronted by the same reality today. We can focus on those who betrayed the Lord, those who abused rather than loved those whom they were called to serve, or we can focus, like the early Church did, on the others, on those who have remained faithful, those priests who are still offering their lives to serve Christ and to serve you out of love. The media almost never focuses on the good "eleven," the ones whom Jesus has chosen who remain faithful, who live lives of quiet holiness. But we, the Church, must keep the terrible scandal that we've witnessed in its true and full perspective.

Scandal is unfortunately nothing new for the Church. There have been many times in the history of the Church when the Church was much worse off than it is now. The history of the Church is like a cosine curve, with ups and downs throughout the centuries. At each of the times when the Church hit its low point, God raised up tremendous saints to bring the Church back to its real mission. It's almost as if in those times of darkness, the Light of Christ shone ever more brightly. I'd like to focus a little on a couple of saints whom God raised up in those most difficult times, because their wisdom can really guide us during this difficult time.

St. Francis de Sales was one saint God raised up after the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was not principally about theology, about the faith — although theological differences came later — but about morals. There was an Augustinian priest, Martin Luther, who went down to Rome just after the papacy of the most notorious pope in history, Pope Alexander VI.

This pope never taught anything against the faith — the Holy Spirit prevented that — but he was simply a wicked man. He had nine children from six different concubines. He put out contracts against those he considered his enemies. Martin Luther visited Rome just after Alexander VI's papacy and wondered how God could allow such a wicked man to be the visible head of his Church. He went back to Germany and saw all types of moral problems. Priests were living in open relationships with women. Some were trying to profit from selling spiritual goods. There was a terrible immorality among lay Catholics. He was scandalized, as anyone who loved God might have been, by such rampant abuse. So he founded his own church.

Eventually God raised up many saints to combat this wrong solution and to bring people back to the Church Christ founded. St. Francis de Sales was one of them. At the risk of his life, he went through parts of what is now Switzerland, where the Calvinists were popular, preaching the Gospel with truth and love. Oftentimes he was beaten up on his way and left for dead. Once he was asked to address the situation of the scandal caused by so many of his brother priests. What he said is as important for us today as it was for his listeners then. He didn't pull any punches.

He said, "Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder," destroying other people's faith in God by their terrible examples. But then he warned his listeners, "But I'm here among you to prevent something far worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal — who allow scandals to destroy their faith — are guilty of spiritual suicide." They're guilty, he said, of cutting off their life with Christ, abandoning the source of life in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. He went among the people in what is now Switzerland trying to prevent their committing spiritual suicide on account of the scandals. I'm here to preach the same thing to you.

What should our reaction be then? Another great saint who lived in a tremendously difficult time can help us further. The great St. Francis of Assisi lived in the 1200s, which was a time of terrible immorality in central Italy. Priests were setting horrible examples. Lay immorality was even worse. St. Francis himself while a young man even gave some scandal to others by his carefree ways. But eventually he was converted back to the Lord, founded the Franciscans, helped God rebuild his Church and became one of the great saints of all time.

Once, one of the brothers in the Order of Friars Minor asked him a question. The brother was very sensitive to scandals. "Br. Francis," he said, "What would you do if you knew that the priest celebrating Mass had three concubines on the side?" Francis, without missing a beat, said slowly, "When it came time for Holy Communion, I would go to receive the Sacred Body of my Lord from the priest's anointed hands."

What was Francis getting at? He was getting at a tremendous truth of the faith and a tremendous gift of the Lord. No matter how sinful a priest is, provided that he has the intention to do what the Church does — at Mass, for example, to change bread and wine into Christ's body and blood, or in confession, no matter how sinful he is personally, to forgive the penitent's sins — Christ himself acts through that minister in the Sacraments.

Whether Pope John Paul II celebrates the Mass or whether a priest on death row for a felony celebrates Mass, it is Christ who himself acts and gives us His own body and blood. So what Francis was saying in response to the question of his religious brother that he would receive the Sacred Body of His Lord from the priest's anointed hands, is that he was not going to let the wickedness or immorality of the priest lead him to commit spiritual suicide. Christ can still work and does still work even through the most sinful priest. Thank God!

If we were always dependent on the priest's personal holiness, we'd be in trouble. Priests are chosen by God from among men, and they're tempted just like any human being and fall through sin just like any human being. But God knew that from the beginning. Eleven of the first twelve apostles scattered when Christ was arrested, but they came back; one of the twelve sinned in betraying the Lord and sadly never came back. God has essentially made the Sacraments "priest-proof," in terms of their personal holiness. No matter how holy they are, or how wicked, provided they have the intention to do what the Church does, then Christ himself acts, just as he acted through Judas when Judas expelled demons and cured the sick.

And so, again, I ask, "What should the response of the Church be to these deeds?" There has been a lot of talk about that in the media. Does the Church have to do a better job in making sure no one with any predisposition toward pedophilia gets ordained? Absolutely! But that would not be enough. Does the Church have to do a better job in handling cases when they are reported? The Church has changed its way of handling these cases, and today they're much better than they were in the 1980s, but they can always be perfected. But even that is not enough. Do we have to do more to support the victims of such abuse? Yes we do, both out of justice and out of love! But not even that is adequate. Cardinal Law has gotten most of the deans of the medical schools in Boston to work on establishing a center for the prevention of child abuse, which is something that we should all support. But not even that is a sufficient response.

The only adequate response to this terrible scandal, the only fully Catholic response to this scandal — as St. Francis of Assisi recognized in the 1200s, as St. Francis de Sales recognized in the 1600s, and as countless other saints have recognized in every century — is HOLINESS! Every crisis that the Church faces, every crisis that the world faces, is a crisis of saints. Holiness is crucial, because it is the real face of the Church.

There are always people — a priest meets them regularly, you probably know several of them — who use excuses for why they don't practice the faith, why they slowly commit spiritual suicide. It can be because a nun was mean to them when they were nine. Or, because they don't understand the teaching of the Church on a particular issue. There will doubtless be many people these days — and you will probably meet them — who will say, "Why should I practice the faith, why should I go to Church, since the Church can't be true if God's so-called chosen ones can do the types of things we've been reading about?" This scandal is a huge hanger on which some will try to hang their justification for not practicing the faith. That's why holiness is so important.

They need to find in all of us a reason for faith, a reason for hope, a reason for responding with love to the love of the Lord. The beatitudes which we have in today's Gospel are a recipe for holiness. We all need to live them more. Do priests have to become holier? They sure do. Do religious brothers and sisters have to become holier and give ever greater witness of God and heaven? Absolutely! But all people in the Church do, including lay people! We all have the vocation to be holy and this crisis is a wake-up call.

It's a tough time to be a priest today. It's a tough time to be a Catholic today. But it's also a great time to be a priest and a great time to be a Catholic. Jesus says in the beatitudes we heard today, "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you falsely because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in heaven is great." I've been experiencing that beatitude first hand, as some priests I know have as well. Earlier this week, when I finished up my exercise at a local gym, I was coming out of the locker room dressed in my black clerical garb. A mother, upon seeing me, immediately and hurriedly moved her children out of the way and shielded them from me as I was passing. She looked at me as I passed and when I had gone far enough along finally relaxed and let her children go — as if I would have attacked her children in the middle of the afternoon at a health club!

But while we all might have to suffer such insults and slander falsely on account of Christ, we should indeed rejoice. It's a great time to be a Christian, because this is a time in which God really needs us to show off his true face. In bygone days in America, the Church was respected. Priests were respected. The Church had a reputation for holiness and goodness. It's not so any more.

One of the greatest Catholic preachers in American history, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, used to say, that he preferred to live in times when the Church has suffered rather than thrived, when the Church had to struggle, when the Church had to go against the culture. It was a time for real men and real women to stand up and be counted. "Even dead bodies can float downstream," he used to say, pointing that many people can coast when the Church is respected, "but it takes a real man, a real woman, to swim against the current."

How true that is! It takes a real man and a real woman to stand up now and swim against the current that is flowing against the Church. It takes a real man and a real woman to recognize that when swimming against the flood of criticism, you're safest when you stay attached to the Rock on whom Christ built his Church. This is one of those times. It's a great time to be a Christian.

Some people are predicting that the Church in this area is in for a rough time, and maybe she is, but the Church will survive, because the Lord will make sure it survives. One of the greatest comeback lines in history happened just about 200 years ago. The French emperor Napoleon was swallowing up countries in Europe with his armies bent on total world domination. He then said to Cardinal Consalvi, "I will destroy your Church." "Je detruirai votre eglise!" The Cardinal said, "No you won't." Napoleon, all 5'2" of him said, "Je detruirai votre eglise!" The Cardinal said with confidence, "No you won't. Not even we have succeeded in doing that!"

If bad popes, immoral priests and thousands of sinners in the Church haven't succeeded in doing so from the inside — he was saying implicitly to the general — how do you think you're going to do it? The Cardinal was pointing to a crucial truth. Christ will never allow his Church to fail. He promised that the gates of hell wouldn't prevail against his Church, that the barque of Peter, the Church sailing through time to its eternal port in heaven, will never capsize, not because those in the boat won't do everything sinfully possible to turn it over, but because Christ, who is in the boat, will never allow it to happen. Christ is still in the boat and he'll never leave it.

The magnitude of this scandal might be such that you may find it difficult to trust priests in the same way you have in the past. That may be so, and that might not be completely a bad thing. But never lose trust in Him! It's His Church. Even if some of those he chose have betrayed him, he will call others who will be faithful, who will serve you with the love with which you deserve to be served, just like after Judas' death, the eleven apostles convened and allowed the Lord to choose someone to take Judas' place, and they chose the man who ended up becoming St. Matthias, who proclaimed the Gospel faithfully until he was martyred for it.

This is a time in which all of us need to focus ever more on holiness. We're called to be saints and how much our society here needs to see this beautiful, radiant face of the Church. You're part of the solution, a crucial part of the solution. And as you come forward today to receive from this priest's anointed hands the sacred Body of your Lord, ask Him to fill you with a real desire for sanctity, a real desire to show off His true face.

One of the reasons why I'm here in front of you as a priest today is because while I younger, I was under-impressed with some of the priests I knew. I would watch them celebrate Mass and almost without any reverence whatsoever, drop the Body of the Lord onto the paten as if they were handling something with little value rather than the Creator and Savior of all, rather than MY Creator and Savior. I remember saying to the Lord, reiterating my desire to be a priest, "Lord, please let me become a priest, so I can treat you like you deserve!" It gave me a great fire to serve the Lord.

Maybe this scandal can allow you to do the same thing. This scandal can be something that can lead you down to the path of spiritual suicide, or it can be something that can inspire you to say, finally, "I want to become a saint, so that I and the Church can give your name the glory it deserves, so that others might find in you the love and the salvation that I have found." Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He's still in the boat.

Just as out of Judas' betrayal, he achieved the greatest victory in world history, our salvation through his passion, death and resurrection, so out of this he may bring, and wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the 21st century, with each of us — and that includes YOU — playing a starring role. Now is the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now is the time for saints. How do you respond?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Fr. Roger J. Landry. "Answering Scandal with Personal Holiness." Unpublished homily.
Reprinted with permission of Fr. Roger J. Landry.
THE AUTHOR
Father Roger J. Landry was ordained a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts by Bishop Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap. in 1999. After receiving a biology degree from Harvard College , Fr. Landry studied for the priesthood in Maryland , Toronto , and for several years in Rome . After his priestly ordination, Father returned to Rome to complete graduate work in Moral Theology and Bioethics at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family. Father Landry is parochial administrator of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford , MA , and executive editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River.

Friday's Vocations Session

2010-04-27T17:20:00.000+10:00

Topic: Vocations

Date: 30th May 2010, Friday

Time: 6:30pm

Venue: Chaplaincy (138 Cardigan Street)

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

Mother Theresa said "We are called upon not to be successful, but to be faithful." As Fr Thinh mentioned in his sermon, our first and foremost calling is to follow Jesus.

But second to that, what is our calling?
To religious life? To marriage? To a consecrated single life?

COSDU has invited a panel of 5 representing each vocation (priest, nun, married man, married woman, consecrated single person) to share their stories and answer any questions you may have about YOUR calling.

'QUO VADIS' ... Where are you going?

Youth Mass

2010-04-24T10:08:00.002+10:00

There will be a Youth Mass this Sunday, light refreshments served after.

DATE: 25 April 2010, Sunday

TIME: 5pm Praise and Worship & 5:30pm Mass

VENUE: All Saints Parish, Fitzroy

Christian Friendship by Fr Thinh

2010-03-24T00:36:00.001+11:00

Way of the Cross

2010-03-16T12:49:00.002+11:00

City of Melbourne Student Welcome Flash Mob Dance

2010-03-16T08:16:00.002+11:00

AOY Activities

2010-03-16T08:03:00.003+11:00

Blueprint is a workshop series on Youth Ministry being offered by the Archdiocesan Office for the Youth. The series is designed to inspire and support people working in Youth Ministry- be it in a parish, school or community environment. For the session dates, check out the Blueprint Flyer below:

(click for larger images)

Also, here are some youth events around Melbourne for 2010, including the World Youth Day One Year to go Fiesta! So do check out the calendar below for some big ticket items!

Hope you manage to find something interesting that suits you! (:

Welcome Mass

2010-03-08T23:22:00.004+11:00

The most common thing that I've heard everyone mention this week is their disbelief at how it's already the second week of uni and there's heaps of work awaiting for them at home to be completed. The stress of what's there to do for the coming week is already building up.

So why not come and join us where we can all find comfort in the presence of the Lord together while we celebrate mass this Friday, take our minds off uni and for some of us, off work. For the carefree ones out there, you can join us as we give thanks to the Lord for all of his blessings upon us.

Do not fret if you missed last week's Welcome Session, that's what this Welcome Mass is for. Just be at Sidney Myer by 6pm and we look forward to seeing you all on Friday! :)

Welcome Session

2010-03-07T22:12:00.003+11:00

Before I begin the recap of Friday's Welcome Food and Games Session, which is also Cosdu's first session of the semester, I'd just like to share one of my favourite quotes from C. S. Lewis:

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."

In a similar sense I guess you could say that all of us on that day, returning or brand new members, have something in common; which is that we ALL share the same faith in Christ. If you were one of the new members who showed up on that day, you gotta hand it to yourselves for not only willing to meet a completely new group of people whom you've never met before and knew nothing about, but also for subjecting yourself to the endless introductions where it becomes a memory amusement of connecting names to faces. :)

The evening commenced with a speech from our President-Jessica followed by introductions of the Cosdu Committee and our wonderful Chaplain-Father Thinh.

While the activities played out after, everyone limbered up and the evening was quickly filled with mirth and merriment. Soon, we began fostering a new community of friends to grow together in faith, some of them..just the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

We would still love to meet any of you who were unable to make it to the first food and games session. You can come along and celebrate Welcome Mass with us at the Newman Chapel which is in close proximity to Melbourne Uni, so stay tuned to this blog and check your emails for further info!

If you still aren't receiving mails from us, email us (cosdu.melbuni@gmail.com) your name and email address right now!

And as the night ended with plenty of exchanged conversations over delicious pizza, here is a video we showed of our Easter Camp from April 2nd-5th! Enjoy :)

Food and Games Welcome Session

2010-03-02T21:34:00.003+11:00

Hello and a very warm welcome to the new members! To the existing members, welcome back!

We've met some really cool people during orientation and we can't wait to see you all again! So please do come join us in the fun this Friday! It's just an informal session of getting to know each other while playing some games and chatting over dinner. All you have to bring is yourself :)

So do come and join us for some FREE FOOD and FUN-FILLED ACTIVITIES!

If you do not know where the Chaplaincy is, rest assured as there will be a couple of us waiting for you in front of the Sidney Myer Building in uni, (opposite the tram stop) and we'll bring you there.

We will be there from 6pm and will wait until 6:15pm sharp before we leave to the chaplaincy. Try not to be late so we can start on time.

If you have any questions of if you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0430385525 (Audrey). I will see you all soon on Friday!

Email: cosdu.melbuni@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4691104938&ref=ts

Clubs and Societies O'Week

2010-02-18T02:33:00.003+11:00

Come visit our booth at the Union Lawn in Uni from 11am-2pm on 25th and 26th February (Thursday and Friday) for information on what we are all about. It's also a great chance to meet our club members and find out more on how to join! See you all there!

It's Thursday and Friday!
11-2pm
Union Lawn

The Lord Mayor’s Student Welcome 2010 – FLASH MOB DANCE

2010-02-11T17:07:00.003+11:00

The Lord Mayor’s Student Welcome is all about celebrating the fantastic contribution that multiculturalism adds to this city, through overseas-born Melburnians and the presence of international students. (Nearly 24,000 international students live and study in Melbourne’s central city.) As well as a variety of entertainment, the event will feature an official welcome to Melbourne by the Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.

Students can also learn about support services available during their stay. Information booths will be run by the Australian Federation of International Students, Victoria Police, Melbourne Fire Brigade, Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the City of Melbourne.

The event is on Saturday 13 March at Federation Square, from 1pm until 4pm. For more information about the event and other activities for young people in the city visit www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/internationalstudents.

We are currently seeking expressions of interest from students [and staff] who are interested to be part of an amazing 'secret flash mob' group dance performance as part of Lord Mayor’s Student Welcome event at Federation Square. To get an idea - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2arBPj1D6Ac

Choreographers have designed an interesting medley of dances that everyone can follow. No prior dance experience is necessary as the dance steps are easy to learn and everyone is guaranteed to have a good time. Dancers can include people of all ages, nationality, shapes and sizes.

Rehearsal dates, times and rehearsal venue will be emailed to you.

Performance time will be kept a secret until a day before the event whereby students will be emailed a time and cue as to when the dance starts.

The dance will take place on Saturday 13 March at Federation Square, anytime between 1pm until 4pm.

If you are interested to be part of this dance project, please email siddesh.jukar@gmail.com by Friday 19 February - title your email ‘DANCE’ and provide us with your name, email address and telephone number so that we can send you more details.

Name	Email	Contact Number

Catholic Mass on Campus

2010-02-11T17:01:00.004+11:00

There will be Catholic Mass on campus which runs every Tuesday-Friday. Here's a calendar of the time and place for mass this month in February (click to enlarge). Please do come join us!

Christmas Lunch for everyone!

2009-12-21T10:01:00.002+11:00

In the spirit of Christmas, you are all invited to come join in the celebration with some of your fellow friends by joining us for mass celebrated by Fr. Thinh and lunch after at his place! Lunch will be potluck, so bring your specialty dish!

Details:

Date:	Friday, December 25, 2009
Time:	11:05am - 2:05pm, lunch will most probably be at 12pm
Location:	Fr Thinh's place (174 Brunswick St., Fitzroy)

See you all there and we wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Exam Dates and Assessments in November 09'

2009-10-30T23:47:00.006+11:00

(click for larger view)

An exam calendar for us to pray for one another during this stressful period and also for us to wish each other all the best for our papers the night before!

Dear Lord, be with me now as I enter this exam. Thank you for the many talents and gifts that you have already given to me. Help me recall all that I've studied and express it clearly. Inspire me to answer the questions and encourage me to do the very best I can. Lord, remind me that nothing is going to happen to me that you and I together can't handle. Holy Spirit, think through me until your ideas are my ideas. Amen -Melbourne University Chaplains-

Additional Prayers

Prayer to St Joseph of Cupertino for success in examinations.

O humble St. Joseph of Cupertino, singularly favoured by God in
overcoming the difficulties of study and the worries of
examinations, implore the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind and
strengthen my memory in the search of His truth and wisdom.
Help me especially in the decisive moments of my examinations,
protecting me from that forgetfulness and disturbing anxiety
which often affect me. May I succeed in offering God my finest
work and may I grow in knowledge, understanding, humility and
charity. May everything that I attempt to learn in life be offered in
faithful service to God, from whom flows that wisdom which leads
to eternal life. Amen

O St Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God
to be asked at your examination, the only proposition you knew.
Grant that I may like you succeed in my examinations. Especially
in ..... In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be
invoked.

St Joseph of Cupertino pray for me; Our Lady of Good Studies
pray for me; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom
enlighten me. Holy Spirit enlighten me!

Prayer to St Joseph of Cupertino for students

Humble St Joseph of Cupertino, ever helpful to those who seek
your aid, hear me in my present need.

By that love which carried you to God, and by that burning
affection which made you a devoted son of Mother of Our
Saviour, and a loyal follower of your spiritual father St Francis of
Assisi, help me to be a successful student.

Help me to be attentive to my studies, so that I may profit by them,
and particularly that I may undergo examinations without fear.

Good St Joseph, you know well the trials and tribulations of
students, intercede for me that I may be successful by divine aid
just as you were successful through the goodness of God. I place
my trust entirely in your hands, realising that as long as I work for
the honour and glory of God that hope will not be in vain. Amen.

O Mary, Mother of enchanting love, of fear, of knowledge, of holy hope, through Whose pious intercession many make admirable progress in studies and piety despite crudeness of understanding, I choose Thee as protectress and patroness of my studies. Humbly I implore Thee that, from the heart of Thy maternal pity, and principally from the Eternal Wisdom that deigned to take on our flesh in Thee, and that exalted Thee in heavenly light above all the saints, Thou obtain grace from the Holy Ghost for me so that I might be able to penetrate with my understanding, retain in my memory, express by my life and words, and teach to others all that brings honor to Thee and Thy divine Son, likewise to the advantage of my eternal joy and that of all men. So be it.

On behalf of the Cosdu Committee 2009/2010, I wish you all the best in your revision and good luck in your exams! Have a happy holiday! :)

Examination Mass!

2009-10-24T15:18:00.002+11:00

It's the time of the semester again where Swot Vac isn't far away and exams seem to be just looming around the corner. Cosdu will be having an examination mass celebrated by Fr. Robin Koning and Fr. Thinh (the chaplain of melb uni) so that we can pray together for guidance, strength and peace of mind during this period.

In the midst of all our stress, this is what we need most! More divine intervention! So do come along and join us.

All are welcomed!

Discernment - 16 October 2009

2009-10-15T23:10:00.001+11:00

This Friday we'll be having a session on the topic of Discernment. I'm guessing that most people have faced tough decisions in life, regarding vocations (religious or non-religious), relationships or otherwise. Discernment is about hearing God's voice amidst all our distractions and making good, peaceful decisions. It could be through personal prayer or it could be through sharing with a spiritual advisor or a friend. Plinio Martins SJ will be our guest speaker. Some of you may have met him at easter camp 09.

Do attend our session to find out more!

Date: 16th October 2009, Friday
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Chaplaincy, 138-142 cardigan st

Donna
-Sessions Coordinator-

Earthlings

2009-10-06T19:01:00.002+11:00

Just something that I thought would be of interest to any of you, there will be a free screening of a feature length documentary by the Cage Free Campus Society about humanity's absolute dependence on animals for companionship, food, clothing, entertainment and research, and our startling disrespect for these so-called “providers”.

Narrated by Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix and featuring music by the critically acclaimed artist Moby, EARTHLINGS is a powerful, gut-wrenching and influential expedition through the myriad forms of suffering inflicted on non-human species. Labelled the single most definitive animal rights film ever made, it is a must see for all those who are concerned – or want to learn more – about the severity and extent of this shocking, hidden exploitation.

Date: Tuesday 13 October
Time: 12-2pm
Venue: Public Lecture Theatre, Old Arts, University of Melbourne

taken from http://cagefreecampus.blogspot.com/

Trailer available at: http://www.earthlings.com/
The most violent movie ever made…only itʼs real.

Cosdu Trivia Night

2009-10-06T18:59:00.001+11:00

This Friday, we'll be having our first Trivia Night!

Venue: Chaplaincy (138 cardigan st)

Date: 9th Oct, Friday

Time: 6.30pm

But you wouldn't just be sitting all night answering bible questions! There are bonus tasks, games and a little surprise to add to the challenge.

Please feel free to bring items that you think may help you (bibles, catholic books, etc.)

We hope to see you there =)

Prayer for the Guardian Angels

2009-10-06T18:55:00.003+11:00

(click for larger image)

27th of September was also the Feast Day for St. Vincent De Paul, Patron Saint of Charities.

Social Justice Sessions + New Blog

2009-10-05T01:55:00.003+11:00

Hello!

Jian Sheng's talk on The Environment opened my eyes to different area of Social Justice. It's an area which is easily accessible and very relevant to our daily lives.

We should care because our environment affects us.
Jian Sheng covered three areas, Land, Water and Energy - the issues and the consequences.
He also dismissed some myths and clarified some facts before giving some simple suggestions as to what WE can do. For more motivation, JS presented the benefits to ourselves that would result from our efforts.

"Our future is in our hands."

Here are the slides.

We have also created a new page specifically for social justice - please visit and bookmark HERE.
www.socialjusticecosdu.blogspot.com

Sessions Recap

2009-10-04T22:58:00.003+11:00

Hello!

I hope you have enjoyed the sessions so far and more importantly, have learnt something from them.

Here are the powerpoint slides from Fr Thinh's talk on Prayer.

Some things he talked about were:
How to Prayer
Types of Prayer
Expressions of Prayer
Some obstacles that we face

If you would like to read more about prayer, you can visit the Catechism if the Catholic Church Part 4 Christian Prayer HERE

St. ThéRèse of Lisieux writes "For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."

And I found this website to be a good collection of verses about prayer - Prayer Bible Verses

cheers,
Donna
Sessions Coordinator '09-'10

1 Timothy 2:1-4
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Sports Day And Youth Mass

2009-10-02T17:03:00.001+10:00

Just in case some of you aren't getting emails:

COSDU SPORTS and GAMES DAY is THIS SATURDAY (Oct 3) starting at 10am and it is going to be loads of fun and excitement! Since Albert Park is pretty big, we would be gathering at a specific tram stop before heading to the game field. And instead of walking there, we would be jogging there as our part of our warm ups so that we'd be all prepared to start the games off!

What you need to do:

Take tram 112 tram from Collins St heading west (meaning towards DFO) and stop at the corner of Albert Road and Cecil St // Tram stop no 131.

Allow 20 minutes travelling time from the city so the latest tram you can catch is the tram at 9.35 AM.

There will be committee members waiting for you there until 10am before leading you guys jogging to the games area.

We stress that you TRY not to be late as it would be difficult to locate your exact whereabouts and it would definitely make things easier for everyone.

Lunch will be provided but if you guys want to bring some snacks you are welcomed to do so.

Of course, please wear appropriate sports attire (shoes and sports clothing), and bringing some bottles of water might be good as well.

We have also randomly allocated you to your teams! So all you need to do is to come dressed in that colour! It also emphasises your team spirit so be a good sport! (especially for the team photos)

BLUE
Marie
Yanfen's friend
Kerry
Patrick
Alphonsus
Sucandra

BLACK
Aimee
Yanfen
Kathleen
Kathlin
Amanda Yeo
Winston
William

RED
Kim
Yanfen's friend
Peiying
Marcin
Gerald
Hilary

YELLOW
Nicole
Yanfen's friend
Kiara
Marina
Jay
Joe
Mitch

You can decide who will be your team leader and would lead your team to your success. See you on Saturday!!!

_____________________________________________________________________________

We would also like to encourage all of you to go for the Youth Mass the day after Sports Day at All Saints Parish in Fitzroy. We all have to go for mass on Sundays so why not go together? Come along and join us! If you can't remember how to get there, take the 112 tram on Collins street heading East (towards Parliament station or St Patricks's Cathedral) and get off at stop 14.

YOUTH MASS!

celebrated by Father Thinh

All Saints Parish

Sunday, 4th October

5pm (Praise & Worship at 4:30pm)

We hope to see you all on the weekend!

Meanwhile, continue enjoying your break :)

An Invitation to Prayer

2009-09-15T18:51:00.001+10:00

This friday is the last session before the much-needed September break. We'll be having our very own Chaplain, Fr Thinh, as our guest speaker. The topic of the night will be "Prayer".
I know some of you may be thinking BORING with a capital B. Trust me, as someone who has sat through hour long prayer meetings as a high-school student, I know how the very word can lead to yawns. So this is your chance to find out how to make prayer more interesting! What makes prayer such an important aspect of spirituality? Why should we bother to pray if God already knows the words we are going to say?

Friday 18th September
6.30p.m @ the Chaplaincy

We'll also be playing games, having praise & worship and discussion groups during this time. Please do join us. =)

Donna

Youth Mass on Sunday!

2009-09-12T16:31:00.003+10:00

Come join us and celebrate the Youth Mass together with Father Thinh!

This Friday's Social Justice Session:

2009-09-09T19:04:00.001+10:00

2009-09-06T21:03:00.003+10:00

To Know Your Name

Litany of Saints

This week's Monthly Mass

2009-08-31T19:52:00.003+10:00

Come join us for our monthly mass this Friday!

Mass is at Newman College this week, not St. Carthage's so if you don't know how to get there, meet us in front of the Sidney Myer Asia building in uni at 6:10pm!

Dinner after mass will be at Ying Thai 2 on Lygon Street. Hope to see you all on Friday!

Who is God?

2009-08-18T18:48:00.003+10:00

All the words in the dictionaries in all the languages of the world would not adequately describe/explain God. He says, "I Am who I Am" (Exodus 3:13-15). However, God is not unknowable as He reveals Himself to us in His own time like in the example of Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3). The church teaches that God reveals himself so that we can know him personally and intimately. The CCC II. God Reveals His Name is a good place to read more about this.

These questions may help for a more personal approach to the question of Who is God?

1. How do you see God in relation to yourself? A friend, a parent, a teacher, a judge?
How does this affect the way you communicate with Him?

2. Has your relationship with God changed since you first came to know Him? How so? Why did it change?

3. What are your expectations of knowing God? Who do you want Him to be?

4. Someone who knows nothing of God asks you about Him. How do you describe God to them?

5. Imagine He were to stand in front of you right now. What would you do? What would you say?

Donna
Sessions Coordinator 09-10

Patient Trust by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

2009-08-11T21:48:00.000+10:00

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We would like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
And yet, it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability -
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually - let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time,
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming in you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

As mentioned, the overall theme for this semester is Faith & Reason. A major and more specific topic that often arises is Religion & Science. Here is short introduction to a man who immersed himself in the debate. Whether you agree with him or not, it is good to note that he kept to the faith even when his works were rejected.

Pierre Teilahrd de Chardin:
French philosopher and paleontologist known for his theory that man is evolving, mentally and socially, toward a final spiritual unity. Blending science and Christianity, declared that the human epic resembles “nothing so much as a way of the Cross.” Various of his theories brought reservations and objections from within the Roman Catholic Church and from the Jesuit order, of which he was a member. In 1962, the Holy Office issued a monitum, or simple warning, against uncritical acceptance of his ideas. His spiritual dedication, however, was not questioned. He stands among the very few leaders of thought in this century to integrate pure scientific research with a religious vocation. At an early point in his career this paleontologist and Jesuit priest made it his personal mission to reconstruct the most basic Christian doctrines from the perspectives of science and, at the same time, to reconstruct science from the perspectives of faith.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin
http://www.godweb.org/chardin.htm

Cardinal Casaroli, when he was the Vatican Secretary of State wrote the following:
"What our contemporaries will undoubtedly remember, beyond the difficulties of conception and deficiencies of expression in this audacious attempt to reach a synthesis, is the testimony of the coherent life of a man possessed by Christ in the depths of his soul. He was concerned with honoring both faith and reason, and anticipated the response to John Paul II's appeal: 'Be not afraid, open, open wide to Christ the doors of the immense domains of culture, civilization, and progress.'

http://www.traditioninaction.org/ProgressivistDoc/A_020_CasaroliTeilhard.htm

Donna Yeo,
Sessions Coordinator

2009-08-11T21:43:00.004+10:00

Please attempt to be at the Chaplaincy (138-146 Cardigan st.) by 6.30p.m. It's to your benefit that we start and end on time! We will start off with a short activity and praise & worship before Fr Robin's presentation. The session is organized for YOU! So, for any questions or issues that you would like addressed in the session by Fr Robin Koning SJ, please email me (Donna) or speak to me in person so I can pass them on to Fr Robin.

Examples:
1. How do we know Jesus when there is nothing in the bible about him in his teenage and young adult life?

2. I dont understand how the Trinity works. Is it like schizophrenia? Does it matter if I pray to one out of the three only?

3. On the face of it, the characteristics of transcendence and immanence appear to be in conflict. A transcendent God is one who is beyond perception, independent of the universe, and wholly “other” when compared to us. An immanent God, is one which exists within — within us, within the universe, etc. — and, hence, very much a part of our existence. How can these qualities exist simultaneously?

See you there!

"Is there really a God?" talk

2009-08-09T13:16:00.002+10:00

(click for larger image and more details)

Sessions Lineup for 2009 Sem 2

2009-08-09T12:01:00.003+10:00

Week 1
Date: 31st July 2009
Activity: Food & Games Day
Venue: Chaplaincy (Cardigan st.)
Time: 6.30pm

Week 2
Date: 7th August 2009
Activity: Welcome Mass for the new members
Venue: St Carthage's (123 Royal Parade)
Time: 6.30 pm

Week 3
Date: 14th August 2009
Activity: Session: Who is God?
Guest speaker: Fr. Robin Koning SJ

Venue: Chaplaincy (Cardigan st.)
Time: 6.30pm

Week 4
Date: 21st August 2009
Activity: Graduation Mass
Venue: St. Carthage's (123 Royal Parade)
Time: 6.30 pm

Week 5
Date: 28th August 2009
Activity: Session: Homosapien or Human

Are we just another species of the Animal Kingdom or are we something more? Rights?! Responsibilities?! Purpose?!

Venue: Chaplaincy
Time: 6:30pm

Week 6
Date: 4th September
Activity: Mass
Venue: Newman College
Time: 6:30pm

Week 7
Date: 11th September 2009
Activity: Social Justice Session

Venue: Chaplaincy
Time: 6.30 pm

Week 8
Date: 18th September 2009
Activity: Trivia Night
Venue: Chaplaincy
Time: 6.30 pm

September Break : Cosdu's Sports Day

Week 9
Date: 9th October 2009
Activity: Your Greatest Fan
Guest Speaker: Fr. Thinh

On Prayer:Write, He will read.
Draw, He will look
Sing, He will hear.
Dance, He will watch.
Talk, He will listen.

Venue: Chaplaincy
Time: 6:30pm

Week 10
Date: 16th October 2009
Activity: Discernment: Decipher and Decide
Venue: Chaplaincy
Time: 6:30pm

Week 11
Date: 23rd October 2009
Activity: Faith and Reason
Venue: Chaplaincy
Time: 6:30pm

Week 12
Date: 30th October 2009
Activity: Examination Mass
Venue: St. Carthage's
Time: 6:30pm

Easter Camp position descriptions

2009-08-08T03:17:00.002+10:00

Roles within Easter Committee (prepared by Gracie):

Camp Commander:

To overlook and delegate work and responsibilities to the right person.
Make sure that work is completed and followed according to plan and schedule. It is also important that you do not run over budget. In short, you have to overlook everything that is going on in the committee; every role is to be managed with care.
Keep in mind that booking of venue, transportation etc... are to be done well in advance; always have a backup plan should anything go wrong.
Bring the committee together and work as a group, you’ll find yourself working with people of different personalities, therefore you’ll be exposed to learning more about your friends and yourself.
You can do more than I have mentioned here. Feel free to do anything you want to make Easter camp a fulfilling experience.
Update main committee (together with the main committee liaise/overseer) about the Easter camp preparations

Secretary/Publicity:

Your role is to manage all the paper work, type out minutes and schedule meetings, ensuring that deadlines are met and tasks are completed well.
Advertise and publicize Easter Camp to all that are interested, within and outside of COSDU should your committee agree upon this.
Sort out all paperwork that needs to be filled and submitted to UMSU before the camp.
executionResponsible for all administrative matters in the duration of camp preparation and execution.
This may include, Indemnity forms, Participants registration forms, Grant application etc.
There will be more responsibilities that will arise as you progress: you’ll be able to define other responsibilities that you would like to add to your role.
You’ll find yourself doing more things, or helping out with other committee members should they need your help.

Treasurer:

Your role is to collect, spend and save as much money where appropriate.
Have a budget proposal that is set up APPROPRIATELY. Set up and maintain an Easter Camp Account.
Communicate and plan out what is feasible and what is NOT. In particular you’ll be working very closely with logistics, food-person etc. Make sure these channels work and communicate soundly.
You’ll be finding yourself with more than I have mentioned. It’s complete fun, so I hope that you’re looking forward to making Easter Camp’s fare as sufficient as possible.
Your role is crucial in maintaining your cash flow WITHIN the budget so that the committee does not get into trouble. Find ways to make it feasible and efficient.

Logistic planner:

Your role is to think of all the stuff that is needed for Easter Camp. Nearing the Camp day, you’ll have to post up the list of things that retreatants should bring along with them.
Prepare things like first aid-kit, stationary, paper bags, bible, COSDU Banner and cross etc.
Find venues and means of transportation for the Camp. Keep in mind the amount of money that is available to be used.
You’ll find out more about your role as you progress, things will somehow find its way to appear to you; your role is important here because these are the little details that are overlooked and with your work, it will make Easter Camp run smoothly.
You’ll be working with the whole committee in ensuring the whole camp runs smoothly. You will collaborate with almost every committee member, whether it is the games, music, liturgy, or session coordinator to prepare items needed for the camp. Good organisation skill is essential in this role.

Sessions coordinator:

Your role is to design the schedule for the duration of Easter Camp and look for a priest or speakers to come along.
Have a plan for what topics to cover and ways in which it will be conducted.
Have powerpoint presentations arranged in order etc.
Your role is very specific because what the committee chooses to cover during Easter Camp will impact how people feel, it is during a time when our Lord shows His most Devine Love, conveying message and conducting sessions will help participants reconnected with their spirituality, and find a deeper meaning to their faith.
As your committee progresses nearer to the day, you’ll be getting more ideas and silent promptings, do not be afraid to put down your thoughts when inspiration fills your heart, talk it over with someone you trust will show you the right path and then implement it in sessions.
Usually the sessions coordinator does not work alone to plan the sessions. The whole committee usually brainstorms together to come up with a theme and relevant session lineup for the camp.
Keep in mind that if the committee members are conducting the sessions (as opposed to having external speakers), practice or trial sessions are required to ensure the quality of the talks and also to get feedback from the whole committee to find ways of improving them. It is the session coordinator’s job to arrange these sessions. Basically, the role of the session coordinator is to coordinate the sessions and make sure everything related to the sessions is running smoothly and on schedule. You will be required to work with logistics to acquire items needed for sessions.

Games director:

Your role is to arrange games.
You’ll be working closely with sessions-coordinator, and logistics to list down the things that you’ll need during camp days.
Your role will help retreatants grow closer with each other as they discover more about themselves and others around them. Through the games that that you plan, it will allow people to relax and have fun at the same time.
You may choose to conduct Fun-time in ways that you want: e.g. more physically challenging, or more spiritually connected and fun at the same time, or helping one another to be more receptive and kind to other people.
Have a Fun time exploring people’s personalities through games.

Food:

Your role is to prepare yummy food throughout the camp duration.
Be mindful of the allergies that are present and set your recipes and menu accordingly.
Ensure that all food preparation adheres to food and safety protocols.
Ensure that at least one person in the food team has attended UMSU food and safety session (requirement by UMSU, check with main committee about this)
Have a good time making good food.
Work WITHIN the budget that the committee has set out.

Liturgy:

Your role here is to coordinate the masses that will be held throughout the Easter Camp.
Discuss readings that will be read during masses and have them printed out. Choose your readers and ensure that the essential things are brought along.
Should liaise with music coordinator and consult spiritual director regarding all liturgical services.

Praise and Worship (Music):

Your role here is to make Easter Camp more memorable, where participants get the opportunity to sing and praise. Among the things that you are responsible for is choosing songs, arranging music practices before the camp, and working with musicians to enrich the camp through music in mass and also in praise and worship sessions. Also, you may have to liaise with Logistics in arranging for the transport and care of music instruments.

If you are interested in any of the above positions or would like to find out more about it, please see Gracie or any of the committee members of cosdu for more information.

Social Justice

2009-08-05T00:37:00.001+10:00

It is fair to say that for most people, social justice brings to mind the sufferings and injustices done to our fellow men/women. In many parts of the globe, human rights are actively being violated not only by a certain group of people, but also by governments, whether voted into the system by democracy or by other means. For most of us, we try to help these people by giving aid such as water, food, medical supplies and other commodities to try and lessen their burden. This act in itself is highly commendable and indeed, encouraged. Part of being a Christian is being called to perform our philanthropic duties.

However, my goal as Social Justice officer is to make aware to the community that giving aid alone is not enough. Sending goods to people in need is only a short term solution to the problem. So, what does this mean? A good example would be this. Suppose we witness a man who is beating a child viciously. We've got 2 options. We can either provide the child medical attention or we can stop the act of beating. In our current world, alot of people have already been "beaten" up and there is tremendous support in this area. Unfortunately, the source of the problem, the "beater", is not sufficiently dealt with. In my writings and sessions, I will be dealing with large corporations and governments that commits grievous crimes against humanity. Most importantly, we will learn how, we, the so called "innocent bystanders", play a major role in this. Let's start from the beginning.

Although extremely complex and having multidirectional factors, the environments plays a major role in determining the health and livelihood of a community. The environment is then influenced by the people or the government. Governments inturn decide on policies that are perceived to benefit them in terms of socio-economy or purely just for financial gain. The problem starts when the well being of the people and their rights is trumped by the economic/monetary gains. These economic pressures is therefore decided by global consumers. In other words, our spendings habits has an indirect impact on how our less fortunate brothers and sisters are treated on the other side of the world. One simple example is as below:

When we go to the vegetable section in the supermarket and perhaps buy imported veges, we tend to look for the "prettiest" one, with the biggest and perfect leafs. Unknown to us, not only it may be poisoned with herbicides and pesticides, chances are, the ground in which it grew on is also poisoned by it. This would lead to the contamination of ground water which if consumed, may cause adverse health effects. This is true especially in a developing country where farmers are not informed by their governments of the proper methods to ensure that this does not happen. In fact, the government may even encourage extensive use of these herbicides and pesticides to increase production and therefore profits. More directly, our ignorance of the effects our buying habits can do has lead to the sufferings of others. Of course, this is overly simplified but the issues are there and they are real. Real enough to those dying of poisoning or other related diseases.

This is just a small section which I will be touching upon. So do check the blog regularly. I will be updating you on a fortweekly basis. If there is one thing I would like to impart to you if all things fail, I would like the members to think twice before we buy our products and what we can do to help in our own individual way. Remember, many individuals makes up a community. Many communities makes up a country. Many countries makes up the world. Every individual counts. You are an individual. Make a difference in the world.

Jian Sheng
Social Justice Coordinator

The Centenary of the death of Blessed Mary MacKillop

2009-08-05T00:31:00.001+10:00