While it wasn't a part of the original plan, Joe and I went in to the Youth Center early on Wednesday to help the staff out with some busy work! They were in the middle of preparations for their Youth and Young Adults Forum scheduled for Friday and Saturday, which Joe and I were signed up and eager for! We accomplished lots of little tasks, from cutting posters to rolling them into mini packages, to laminating prayer cards, stuffing gift bags, and cutting business cards. It was a fun-filled and productive morning that would have otherwise been wasted sleeping. Joe and I noted that we were both having Lighthouse flashbacks (Joe and I respectively directed and coordinated the sophomore retreat at PC this past February, and last minute preparations and packing kept us up pretty late the night before the retreat), but they were very welcome as they brought some great PC memories!
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| Marie posing with all of our busy work! |
We worked with Marie the entire time, who was so sweet and insightful. She didn’t ask the typical questions we’ve been hearing from everyone, like “What are you doing here?” “Where are you from?” or “Why are you in Canberra?” Instead, she really challenged us to be reflective and asked “What have you gotten out of your trip so far?” It was the first time I had been asked this question, and so I was shocked at how fluid and clear my musings sounded when spoken. It was a really great chance to reflect out loud and recognize all of the graces this trip has given me. It's also really neat to hear how Joe and I are taking different lessons from similar experiences, as well as similar lessons from different experiences! Never underestimate the power of a travel buddy.
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| ACU has over 14,000 undergraduates across Australia! |
While the busy work was both fun and therapeutic, my favorite part of the morning was when the staff came together for prayer and praise. Liam played some contemporary Christian music on his guitar and we all joined in with some Matt Maher lyrics. One of the songs we sang, titled "Alive Again," was particularly moving. I had never heard the song before, and so the lyrics really stood out to me as the others sang them aloud. The chorus reads, "You called and you shouted, broke through my deafness, now I'm breathing in and breathing out, I'm alive again. You shattered my darkness, washed away my blindness, now I'm breathing in and breathing out, I'm alive again." I cannot think of more accurate lyrics to describe this fellowship experience for me - I truly feel "alive again."
A few hours later, Nick brought us to ACU and we met with Dr. Prasser, one of the university's Health Policy professors. He explained how healthcare in Australia works (they have Universal Healthcare with a Private Healthcare option), which was particularly interesting as Obamacare was to be decided on in the Supreme Court that day! (or the next day... or the day before? Time travel...) Afterward we went to Mass at the campus chapel, which was said by ACU's Chaplain Fr. Jaison! We then enjoyed some lunch with him and Liam at the cafe. Fr. Jaison was really interested to hear how Campus Ministry works at PC, and so we took some time to explain the model and the various opportunities for involvement. He was absolutely thrilled and really liked the six-cluster structure we have!
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| Coat of Arms: The kangaroo & emu can't walk backwards! |
Talking with Fr. Jaison about PC Campus Ministry was really exciting. Though it is no credit to our own, it felt great to share the success of our Campus Ministry with someone that really cares about revamping their program. Being so involved in Campus Ministry at PC, we are often very hard on ourselves - we see 1/4 of the college community somehow involved in Campus Ministry as a failure, as not good enough. But talking with Fr. Jaison, who said on a good day they have 1% student attendance at daily mass, really put into perspective the hard work we have been doing to making Campus Ministry a stronger presence on the PC campus. It was also incredibly rewarding to know that we were helping Fr. Jaison, even if we were simply explaining a model that was developed by someone else years ago.
After lunch, Liam, Joe and I met up with Nick and we all toured Parliament House! The house is very modern compared with Capitol Hill, but is still rich with history - they even have a copy of the Magna Carta! We were lucky enough to be able to sit in the chamber and watch the politician’s debate a hot-button issue in Australian politics at the moment - immigration and refugee status. Just the week before, Australian newspapers and headlines were buzzing when a boat from Malaysia carrying 90 refugees capsized off the Australian Coast, killing everyone on board. The politicians were debating a change to their refugee laws, arguing whether they need to make Australia more or less accessible for refugees. It was incredible to witness such a pivotal topic in Australian affairs, as the closest we could ever get to this in the US is C-SPAN (not exactly my cup of tea).
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| Australian Parliament! |
On a brighter note, it was pretty funny to watch the politicians interact with each other - they were literally pointing and laughing at their opponents, talking over one another, and flat out leaving the room at times! I was reminded of what one of the teachers at St. Lucy's told me one day - "No need to be polite. This is Australia - we take everyone at face value here." I'll keep that in mind for the future.
After our afternoon of politics, we made our way back to the Youth Center and helped with some busy work a little more! After sunset the staff took us into town, were we enjoyed some drinks and a classic dinner of fish and chips! We followed the endless laughs and jokes with dessert and coffees at a local bakery, where I think I burned all of the calories in my ice cream by laughing so much. Suite 501 beware - the staff told us a boatload of pranks they've played on their friends, and dare I say I saw a glimmer in Joe's eye.
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| Modern classrooms at Rosary Primary School! |
On Thursday, it was back to the Youth Center in the morning for more laminating, paper cutting, and package stuffing! Around 10am, we headed into ACU and met with Dr. McArdle, who took us on a tour of a nearby Dominican-run primary school. Seeing the little ones wandering the building made me miss the munchkins from St. Lucy's and Del Monte, but it was really incredible to see the technology that Australian's are putting into their education system. Smartboards, iPads - you name it, they're utilizing it in some way! Afterward our tour and bidding a final farewell to Dr. McArdle, we toured the ACU library and grabbed some lunch with Jane. The librarian was really sweet and gave Joe the Lord of the Rings trilogy for free!
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| Inside St. Christopher's Cathedral! |
After lunch, we made our way to Clare Holland House, a local hospice founded by the Dominicans. There we met with one of the nurses named Rachel, and we were able to see the excellent care that is afforded to their patients. After leaving and taking a self-guided driving tour around the city to see more Embassies, we met up with Liam and made our way back to his place. A cup of tea and a few snacks later, we made our way to St. Christopher’s Cathedral for adoration and the rosary with the youth group Liam is involved in. We followed our prayer with some Thai food in town with Liam's friends from the youth group! It was another wonderful day of food, fellowship, and fun!
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