by Fr. Bernard Shah O.Carm, on the occassion of the fiftieth anniversary of Carmelite ministry in Wentworthville

In 1946 Cardinal Gilroy, Archbishop of Sydney, created the parish of Wentworthville. Formerly part of the Parramatta parish, it took in Wentworthville, Pendle Hill, Westmead and Toongabbie. Father Tim Kennedy was appointed the first parish priest.

After World War II, there was a great migration from Europe to Australia, including Maltese, many of them settling in the Wentworthville area. Their chaplain was a young Maltese Carmelite friar, Father Joseph Cassar; his parents had migrated to Sydney in the late twenties, and he had returned to Malta to become a Carmelite. He was joined in the Maltese chaplaincy by Father Michael Camilleri and later, Father Tarcisius Licari.

The Maltese community in Western Sydney was largely concentrated in the Wentworthville area, and eventually the Cardinal requested that the Carmelites take charge of the Wentworthville parish. Father Ted Nugent, then Prior Provincial, accepted, and nominated Father Paul Knüppel O Carm as first prior and parish priest.

St Columba's Church became the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel; over time the original school buildings, converted from other uses, were replaced by purpose built structures. The old presbytery was replaced by a priory. In later years, a church school was built at Pendle Hill (now Greystanes), and was served by Carmelites Michael Camilleri and Arnold Vaneman. A secondary school - St Simon Stock, now St Paul's - was serviced by the Carmelites, with Fr Antony Scerri O Carm as headmaster.

THE CARMELITES
The Carmelites began around 1190AD as a group of hermits living on Mount Carmel, a range similar to our Blue Mountains, but finishing in a promontory overlooking the modern Israeli port city of Haifa. There was a lull in the Crusades, and many crusaders wanted to stay in Palestine, in a life searching for God; they were joined by hermits who decided to end their days in the land of Jesus, and pilgrims who wanted to stay in the Holy Land. They chose Mt. Carmel because it was sacred to the Old Testament prophet Elijah who had a deep and realistic relationship with God; they named themselves the Brothers of Mary because they were men of the middle ages, the age of chivalry, and declared Mary their lady and their inspiration, the Lady of the Place. Our tradition says all the early hermits were Europeans, but I wonder if some were Palestinian Christians: the community was destroyed by the Moslem victors around 1290, and most of the European hermits had returned to their homelands by the mid thirteenth century. They lived in separate hermitages - probably beehive shaped as had their Greek forebears on the Mountain. At the centre of the cells was a chapel, where they gathered for prayer. Around 1214 they were given a rule of life by Albert Avagadro, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. It was a guide to living, simple and realistic, and, with some additions, is the Rule Carmelites live today.

With the move to Europe and the developing foundations there, Rome took notice, and gradually we became one of the mendicant orders - the friars or preaching brothers, who began with the Franciscans, followed by the Dominicans, Augustinians and ourselves. We retained our emphasis on solitude and prayer, but engaged in the vital ministry of working among the poor of the developing cities and towns of the Middle Ages. Ours is a way of contemplation, community, being among the people. I've often thought that if the Carmelites had a 'company song' it would be "The Impossible Dream"! Yet it is an attitude and a way of life that has persevered for eight hundred years.

Carmelites are a CONTEMPLATIVE . . .
Contemplation is being aware of God, loving God, faithful. It is not simply a quiet way of praying. It is knowing God loves me as I am, is my strength and forgives. It is being God's friend, knowing God will never cut me loose. It has little to do with words or approval or feeling holy. It is an awareness of God's loving presence in me, a presence that never goes away. Contemplative prayer is giving time and space for this awareness. It can be done by busy people. Length is not important. It is loving God and being love by God.

COMMUNITY . . .
We Carmelites are community people - it's of our essence. We live in community, we share prayer together, we review our life and ministries, we get to know each other. The hermits on Carmel did that, even if their lifestyle was different. And they offered hospitality to passing pilgrims and the lonely and those who needed help. Today's Carmelites live in the heart of the world, not locked into our own lives. And to help us to be community, we live in the midst of community: school, mission, the slums, universities, parish . . . and here in Wentworthville we live in the larger community of the parish and the suburb and the diocese - we are with you in (Y)OUR community.

IN THE MIDST OF THE PEOPLE
I believe it's not the priests that make the parish, but the people. And the people certainly make this parish. You have a deep involvement in the parish, and you can surely call it YOUR parish. You have great involvement in all sorts of areas: fundraising, care for the poor, devotions, supporting the Carmelites in East Timor, the choir, cleaning the church, liturgical matters, teaching religion in the state schools, organising and directing the sacramental programmes, parish council, finance committee - and all this as a multicultural parish.

Until very recently the Parramatta Sisters of Mercy directed the parish school. There were so many of them involved over the years, but mention must be made of Sisters Margaret, Carmelita and Noni. The school continues the tradition with Mrs Anne Marrins and her team of teachers, office staff and volunteers.

There is an openness in this parish community, a willingness to be involved - plus a wonderful ability to let the Carmelites know exactly what you think! I suspect that this is the result of a number of things: the multiculturalism of the parish, honesty linked with commitment, the fact that the priests of the parish are a religious community. And a very important team is those working in the priory - Lyn Bryant, Diane Prettyman, Alison Peacock and the counters.

CARMELITES IN WENTWORTHVILLE
Priors And Parish Priests: Paul Knüppel (deceased) (1956-1965); Ted Nugent (deceased) (1965-1970); Bob Dowd (deceased) (1970-1976); Vin Walsh (1975-1982); Bruce Tuncks (1982-1987); James Pilkington (deceased) (1987-1993); Robert McCormack (1993-1996); Laurie Timms (Prior 1996-2001 & Parish Priest 1996-2004); Bernard Shah (Prior 2001 - ); Denis Andrew (Parish Priest 2005 - ).

Associate Pastors & Residents: Joe Abad, Denis Andrew, Benedict Baldacchino (deceased), Damian Barker (deceased), Michael Brundell, Thomas Butler, Peter Byrth, Paul Cahill, Michael Camilleri (deceased), Joe Cassar (deceased), Bob Frizzell (deceased), Paul Gurr, Pat Harney, Jeff Hawting, Peter Kelly, Noel Kierce, Tim Malone (deceased), Laurie Moffat (deceased), Tony Moffat (deceased), Greg Moore, Tom Murphy (deceased), George Muscat, Michael O'Callaghan, Ken Petersen, John Powell, Antony Scerri, Frank Scicluna, Bernard Shah, Frank Shortis, Paul Sireh, Wayne Stanhope, Arnold Vaneman (deceased), Jerome Watt.

PERSONAL GLIMPSES
Michael Camilleri was enraged when people parked across the entrance to the priory. People would find a notice on their windscreens: "B*******! Do not park here!"

Joe Cassar was a learned man, fluent in several languages. He once asked me "What do Australians mean when you say give us the drum?" which changed over the next two weeks to 'you Australians' and 'we Australians'. I never had the heart to tell him I was a New Zealander!

Marius Dawson had been lent a parishioner's weekender to take the novices for a day out. He decided he would get lunch, telling them that he would show them how to really cook fish and chips. He set the kitchen on fire!

Bob Dowd had a dry wit and a great sense of humour. He was fond of home visits, blessing homes and celebrating home Masses. His organisation skills weren't always marvellous: one year he was walking with parishioners from Mount Carmel to Westmead to celebrate an outdoor Mass for the feast of Christ the King, when he suddenly remembered that he had promised to provide an organ for the Mass. The walk came to a sudden halt, and he rushed off to get a truck to transport the organ, urging the parishioners to walk slowly. The Mass commenced rather late!

Paul Knüppel is still a legend here, deservedly, as the first Carmelite parish priest at Wenty. There are many memories: his heroic efforts, aided especially by the Maltese community, to raise funds to build the school and priory - locking the church doors to stop the flock leaving before Mass ended - standing at the door from the sacristy to the sanctuary waving his hands to tell Michael Camilleri to hurry up - starting the Mount Carmel cricket club and playing in the local competition - being the driving force behind the founding and growth of the Cumberland Catholic Club. He was made an honorary member of the Wentworthville RSL Club because of his commitment to the Anzac Day services.

Tim Malone after reading the gospel at Mass one morning, said "I woke this morning and normally I say "Good morning God", but this morning I said "Good God - morning!" And, after Wenty's first attempt at the new Rite of Reconciliation that took over an hour, when asked what he thought of it replied "It's like the Holy Year - should be held every fifty years!"

James Pilkington - many of us have memories of James standing outside the church after Mass and talking to the parishioners, particularly the Maltese. There is a painting by Bill Casey in the priory showing him talking to Frank and Carrie Sultana and it's on display in the parish centre today.

(Thanks to the parishioners who provided these glimpses).

THE WENTY CARMELITE COMMUNITY TODAY
Bernard Shah (Prior), Denis Andrew (Parish Priest), John Powell (Associate Pastor), Paul Sireh (Associate Pastor), Joe Abad (Chaplain to the Richmond and Blacktown Campuses, University of Western Sydney), Michael Brundell (Spirituality and Development at Marymount Mercy Centre, Castle Hill), Antony Scerri (General Councillor, Rome).