John Pierce Centre Spirit of the Deaf Community Newsletter April 2023 Sing Alleluia the Lord is risen. He is Risen. Indeed Alleluia. www.jpc.org.au admin@jpc.org.au www.facebook.com/johnpiercecentre A.B.N. 55 005 611 601 Contact: 25-35 High Street PO Box 443 Prahran Victoria 3181 Voice: 03 9525 1158 E-mail: admin@jpc.org.au Website: www.jpc.org.au Office Hours MON - WED  9.30am to 3.30pm  THURS - FRI  By Appointment Only Staff Sophie Duncan Gail Finn Fr Wayne Edwards Katrina Mynard Teresa Paulet Diane Backholer Sr Janette Murphy rsj Margherita Riccioni Catherine Miller Executive Manager Carmel Phillips Chairperson JPC Board Trevor Hughes Board Members Dean Sinclair (Treasurer) Br Shane Wood (Minutes) Sonya Tissera-Isaacs Evelyne Albrecht Lucille Bennetto Next Newsletter Deadline JUNE 2023   JPC would like to thank the community members for allowing us to use their photos in this publication and we also acknowledge the use of information and images from www.freepik.com and www.shutterstock.com   From JPC Executive Manager: Hello Friends Now we’re into April – I simply do not know where the last three months has flown, and we have had some unusual summer weather! I hope this newsletter finds you all doing well and back into your usual routines.   JPC was busy during the month of January and we had the sad passing of some beloved regulars. Maureen Brown who passed away just before Christmas. We held a Memorial Mass service in early January which was very well attended. It was a beautiful service with the Brown family who shared their memories of her with us all. You can read more in the pages of this newsletter. Raylee Thornton who also passed away early January. The family requested to hold a Memorial Mass here and it was held in late January. A lovely service and it was good to see the family members. You can read more in the pages of this newsletter. Margaret Brown who passed away in March. So sad to lose Margaret so soon after Maureen. Two beautiful sisters who were deeply loved and will be truly missed.   The Community groups have resumed and it is a great pleasure to see all those happy faces once again after the Christmas break. Deaf Men’s Group plans are under way so we hope that we will be able to provide more information soon. Signee Tots are back and it is being held on the first Sunday of each month. Families are finding the Sundays are ideal as both parents are able to attend to meet other parents and join in the activities. The Intergenerational Program in partnership with VCD (Victorian College of the Deaf) is in planning for this year. This time the program will be with teenagers who will be meeting with JPC mentors/role models. We are looking forward to a great year building intergenerational connections within the Deaf community. Third Sunday Masses are ongoing at the centre and also continue to be livestreamed due to its popularity. We continue our partnership with the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne with the provision of interpreters for Masses at St Patrick’s Cathedral on the first Sunday of each month. It is televised on Channel 31 (44) at 11am.   Once again, we are on the lookout for a Board Director or two to join our board – see more information on page 3. The recent roof restoration works are now completed externally. The final next step will be the internal ceilings in the Hall and office. Happy Easter! May God shower you with blessings, love, and peace this Easter. Have a blessed holiday filled with happiness, love, and faith ‘Til next newsletter   Take care and stay safe Carmel Phillips JPC Executive Manager   To My Dear Friends at JPC including their extended Families and Friends,   Lent and Easter 2023. The Season of Lent and Easter is a time for reflection. The Easter story is about death and new life. It is tragic and hopeful at the same time. The church asks us to prepare for the event each year. The colour purple is a sign of preparation – the Season of Lent preparation time for the passion and death of Jesus – and white the resurrection of Jesus. Reflection is that which includes reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness. Forgiveness is a conscious deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Mercy is the compassionate treatment of those in distress, especially when it is within one’s power to punish or harm them. The word “mercy” derives from the medieval Latin merce or merces, which means “price paid”. Reconciliation is a situation in which two people become friendly again after they have argued / the process of making two opposite beliefs, ideas, or situations agree. It is when we practise those three that new life results. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins. Let us be like Jesus who forgave, was merciful and reconciled. May the Season of Lent be a time of preparation and contemplation, sharing in the passion and compassion of Jesus who died, rose and ascended into glory. Jesus gives us new life. May our time be one of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Lent provides us with the opportunity to recalibrate our moral and spiritual compass, to reset our hearts secure in the knowledge of God’s infinite and tender care for us. May you all have a Happy and Holy Easter, in celebration of the risen Lord.   With my Prayers and Love Yours in Christ Fr Wayne Edwards Chaplain to the Deaf     Annual General Meeting of the John Pierce Centre The Board and Staff of JPC invite you to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) To be held at the John Pierce Centre 25-35 High Street Prahran On Sunday 21st May 2023 at 1:00pm We will have special guest speaker, Marnie Kerridge from VCD. Please send your RSVP via email to admin@jpc.org.au     Join the Board No Experience Needed Interested in joining the JPC Board or Board subcommittee to support the work of the John Pierce Centre? Contact us today! No experience is necessary, just a passion for supporting the Deaf Community and the work of JPC. Meetings are every two months so just 6 meetings a year.   Contact JPC for more information manager@jpc.org.au   Ephpheta Appeal May The meaning of “ephpheta” is to “be open”. JPC has had a full year of activity and gathering in our centre where our doors are always open to support the needs of Deaf people and their families. The John Pierce Centre is the only Deaf Catholic Centre in Victoria, and Deaf Community members travel from all over metro Melbourne and regional areas to attend our activities and receive specialised pastoral support. The John Pierce Centre has been operating for over 40 years in delivering vital services to the Deaf community. It is a place where Deaf people and their families can come and discuss any and all aspects of their life and receive support, advice and referral. Without access to a centre like ours, many Deaf people would simply miss out on opportunities that the broader community take for granted. Please support our work by making a tax deductible donation today! Go online to www.givenow.com.au/ephphetaappeal2023 or scan the QR code   Maureen Brown (5th January 1940 - 20th December 2022) Fr Greg Bourke’s Homily: Maureen Brown was not a visually noisy person, but was calm inside, she had space, grace, plenty of time. Her thoughts were deep and life giving. Maureen was receiving what people said and listened with her heart. People were drawn to Maureen. In this homily I aim to reflect on Maureen’s spiritual life, to acknowledge that we had a very grace filled, open, deeply spiritual person who experienced the joys and the sorrows of life and understood something about the pattern, the character, the personality of God. Indeed, Maureen Brown was the first Deaf person employed as a qualified teacher of prayer, scripture, and sacraments to Australian Deaf children since the Deaf woman, a Dominican Professed Religious person, Gabrielle Hogan, taught at Waratah. Maureen is one of the few now remaining Irish Sign Language users in Australia that represents a long story that goes back to the encounter between two deaf women who were sisters in the same family, in rural France and the French Catholic priest, Abbe de L’Epee, who asked them to teach him their language and culture. In Maureen, we had both a spiritual and a religious person. Maureen was a vital contributor to JPC and is typical of spiritually alive, big-minded, open-hearted people, warm and hospitable who in a natural way knew the life that God offered them. She was confident in who she was and comfortably to be herself. A good period of her life was her flat in Carnegie and her two beloved cats. Her spirituality was based in creation and the presence of God in the environment. She was a wisdom person to younger members of the Deaf Community. Maureen was known as a truly good, kind person who was positive. Robert Adam’s Eulogy: There are the six of us – myself, Patrick (dec), Rebecca, Justin, Rachel and Vincent, plus six great nieces and nephews, whose lives Maureen has had so much involvement with in so many ways and today we want to give thanks for that and for her life with us. Maureen Anne Brown was born in Mildura 83 years ago today, the first child of Anne Larkin and James Brown. Pa was in the RAAF until 1946 and so in all that time Grandma had 4 young children in 4 years in 4 different places. By October 1942 it had become obvious to Grandma that Maureen was deaf. So she wrote to the Dominican Nuns in Waratah, and Mother M. Regis wrote back, and it is wonderful to read the letter 80 years later, advising Grandma not to ‘let the doctors tamper with the little pet’, and that ‘of course the difficulty is to get these totally deaf girls to speak naturally … we could not educate these girls in this way alone. The sign language is the best and perfect way of educating these girls’. In 1946 Maureen was sent to school in Melbourne at the Victorian School for Deaf Children where she boarded for 2 years, and learnt to sign. Maureen and Mum were foundation pupils at St Mary’s Delgany, Portsea in 1948, which opened with six Dominican Sisters and a small group of girls and boys. The nuns had come from Waratah and while Portsea was not a signing school, Sr Mary Madeleine and Sr Theophane signed to the children behind closed doors, and thus Maureen and Mum learnt what is called Australian Irish Sign Language from them and from some of the older girls who had gone to Waratah. Joy Moloney, Kathleen Tribler, Kathleen Baldwin, Christine Robson, Margaret McHugh, Margaret Barry, Mary Patterson, Barry Walker, John McRae, Charles Emerson and others were school friends. Maureen had nothing but fond memories of her school days. Maureen also recalled that on the train trips down from Albury where they lived from 1948 her grandfather ‘Gardie’ would ride on his horse alongside the Spirit of Progress train looking in the carriage windows and wave at Grandma, Mum and Maureen – the girls would be excited to see their beloved ‘Gardie’. Grandma would then drop Maureen and Mum off at Batman Avenue for the bus to Portsea and return to Albury on the same day. My mother also talked about a much-loved family dog called ‘Trigger’ which was one of many pets. Maureen finished school in 1956 and went to Zerchos Business School, staying at St Vincent’s Hall in Nicholson Street while she studied typing, and other clerical skills.   Grandma had a letter from the head in July 1957 telling her ‘Maureen is very lucky because she possesses a sunny nature and is very diligent and conscientious in all her work’, and that she was ready to find a job. Her first job was at the Motor Registration Board, where she worked until she entered the convent in 1962. My grandparents thus decided to move back to Melbourne so that the family could stay together.   I think it is important now to say that her faith was very important to her and gave her great comfort (which is more than can be said for many others in her family!). Her faith led to her vocation, and she entered the Dominican order in 1962, and her pastoral work with the deaf community began. She entered the novitiate, and was sent to Wahroonga, Canberra, Waratah and Strathfield. I have so many friends who are a bit older than me who remember her fondly, about how she would keep the girls out of trouble from the other hearing nuns and I have been introduced in the past as ‘Sr Maureen’s nephew’ or ‘Maureen Brown’s nephew’. Several of these past pupils have contacted me since Maureen’s passing to pass on condolences and remembrances – she kept in contact with many of them over the years and they would visit her when they came to Melbourne. She decided that her time as a Sister would come to an end, and she came back home to us. While I think she was disappointed she could not continue as a nun, we were all very lucky she came home. She was able to continue her ministry among deaf people, first as a long-time volunteer and later as pastoral worker at the John Pierce Centre, and of course take on the full-time job of being aunt and great-aunt.   Thus in 1974 she started work as a data control operator at Myer and worked upstairs on the 5th floor in Lonsdale Street. She saved up to travel overseas – Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the UK and Europe and America. In 1997 Myer sold off their credit card section which became the Australian Retail and Financial Service in Carlton and Maureen was made redundant from that after 23 years. She also sold the family home in Mitcham and took the step to become a pastoral worker. She enjoyed the great variety of work, preparing deaf children for Holy Communion, visiting sick deaf people and country visits. She started studies at LaTrobe University to become an Auslan teacher during this time (attending classes with a great lifelong friend Patricia Counsel) and after years working in front of a screen she gained the confidence and expertise in working with people once again. After years and years of looking after her parents, Maureen was suddenly by herself.   She found a unit in Carnegie and thus the next part of her life started. I think it was the most fulfilling period in her life. Maureen built a lovely and welcoming home for herself and for her friends. Marianne Bridge, daughter of Olive Anderson who was a great friend of Maureen’s: ‘Maureen was authentic & true. Maureen was genuine. She was kind, sincere, thoughtful, accepting, considerate & non-judgemental. I was so grateful to her & for her presence in mum's life. Her visits to mum gave 'life' to mum. I so appreciated that’. Her favourite number was 5 - She died 5 days before Christmas; was born on the 5th January and her unit in Carnegie was number 5. She was also fascinated by violins and spoke of dreaming about violins in heaven - we have a violin solo playing today. She did everything in moderation, never overdid anything, but loved her home-made cakes and slices, Roses chocolates and a good cup of tea. She made excellent biscuits, beautifully iced and decorated with walnuts and there was always a plentiful supply at family events.   Vincent has this to say about his godmother: ‘Most of all I remember Maureen being extremely proud of me. I am not really sure what I did to deserve this pride and I think it made me want to be better - even if only in her presence. But the gift was that she always thought the very best of me, usually better than how I would refer to myself and for that I am grateful.’. I think this applies to every one of us, and for that we all give thanks.     Community Activities 2023 Group activities are well underway this year. If you would like to join a group at our centre, please get in contact with Katrina Mynard. Her contact details are at the bottom of this page.   Signee Tots – Group meets once a month on the first Sunday Signee Tots started this year on the first Sunday of February and the feedback was positive. It was the first time we saw whole families come to the playgroup session and interact with other families. We also had a family visit from New Zealand; they had a ball and are keen to visit again when they are in Melbourne. We are hopeful that from here more families will find it easier to come; there were those who cited work as a reason not to be able to come on Tuesdays. I have been keeping in touch with families through Instagram and through Whatsapp and Playgroup Victoria have been consistent in sharing the message that we are here and available for those who want to expose their children to Auslan. I am also posting videos about questions; I’m hoping that over time this will help keep our lovely playgroup growing.   A reminder of the dates for future Signee Tots sessions and I do believe that the next session will involve a very special guest for the children including a treat or two! If you have any questions about attending, please feel free to contact us any time via email: signeetots@jpc.org.au The next Signee Tots sessions will be: Sunday 2nd April Sunday 7th May Sunday 4th June Sunday 2nd July Sunday 6th August   These sessions will run 10am – 12pm. If you would like to join, please contact the team via email: signeetots@jpc.org.au   We have set up a Signee Tots Whatsapp group and mail mailing list. If you wish to join the contact list to receive up to date information about Signee Tots please contact us.       Deaf Art and craft 2023 has hit the ground running with different sessions so far this term! The Arts & Crafts group have been busy, catching up each Friday and engaging in Arts and Crafts.   NOTE: The admission is $5.00 per person, to cover the cost of tea, coffee and morning tea. BYO lunch and craft tools. Additional materials/teachers cost may be required for each class activity. Get in touch to find out more! Please note that you must register to attend due to limits on group numbers. Contact Diane Backholer for more information d.backholer@jpc.org.au 0409 175 538   Every Friday during the school term only. Term 2: 28th April-23rd June Term 3: 14th July-15th September     Ladies’ Get Together The Ladies have been back together for 2023, catching up and going on outings. They attended the NGV Gallery in the Atrium of the Koorie Heritage. They went to the delicious Bakemono Café for lunch. We hope you can join us for our upcoming outings and lunches. Please keep these dates in your diary and keep in touch to find out what is planned. Please contact Katrina or Diane for more information.   Ladies Get Together meets fortnightly on Wednesdays 4th April 7th June 26th April 21st June 10th May 12th July 24th May 26th July     Contact Diane Backholer for more information d.backholer@jpc.org.au 0409 175 538   Pankina The Pankina Group. It has been a great few months of Pankina gathering at JPC. Lots of fun with games of bingo and cards. Plenty of good food and catch ups with friends. All are welcome to attend this group which runs each fortnight on a Monday. If you would like more information about joining this group please contact Katrina on the details below.         Pankina will be held fortnightly on Mondays 10am-2pm Monday 3rd April Monday 17th April Monday 1st May Monday 15th May Monday 29th May Monday 12th June Monday 26th June Monday 10th July Monday 24th July Monday 7th August     Mass Services at JPC Friday 7th April Good Friday – 3pm at JPC Sunday 9th April Easter Sunday Mass – watch on Facebook only, centre will be closed. Sunday 16th April Third Sunday Mass – 11am at JPC Sunday 21st May Third Sunday Mass/AGM – 11am at JPC Sunday 18th June Third Sunday Mass – 11am at JPC Sunday 16th July Third Sunday Mass – 11am at JPC Sunday 23rd July Special Mass with a Deaf Priest – 11am at JPC Sunday 20th August Third Sunday Mass – 11am at JPC Remember!! For information on any community activities, please contact Katrina: SMS: 0400 660 601 / E: k.mynard@jpc.org.au   Raylee Thornton Passed away on 6 January 2023 Raylee Thornton passed away unexpectedly on 6th January this year at Mercy Place in Dandenong. She had been involved at JPC for many years with her husband Carl (dec). They were regular attendees at Pankina and attended JPC Mass also. Raylee had been part of the JPC Emmaus Group that prepared the 3rd Sunday Mass for many years, and was a regular attendee at JPC events until recent years when her health declined.   Below is the Eulogy given by her grandson, Jai Higgs, at her Memorial Service on 29th January 2023, at JPC.   My Nanna, Raylee, was one of my favourite people. We had a special bond ever since I was little. Her house was a sanctuary for me while I was a kid. It was a safe place filled with all kinds of wonders. Most school holidays I’d stay with Nanna and Poppy, and she’d show me all of her treasures and include me in her daily tasks. We’d go outside to tend to her beautiful garden filled with roses, kangaroo paw and birds of paradise. We’d pick the most beautiful roses for me to bring home to mum and forage for plump and ripe feijoas to eat. She got so much joy sharing her garden with me. She loved to craft, and we’d set up at her kitchen bench with her supplies laid out. She’d let me use her best scrapbooking paper, glitters, paints, and stencils to create the most spectacular collages that would then be displayed proudly in her home for years. Nanna loved her community and the John Pierce Centre so it’s very fitting that we’re here today. One of my favourite photos I have with nanna is a selfie we took just outside here six or seven years ago. I was down for a quick trip from Sydney, and I popped in to visit my nanna and give her a cuddle. I remember poking my head in these doors and scanning the room to find her. But before I could, she had already spotted me and had interrupted her conversation to jump out of her seat and call me over to meet her friends. She then went on to drag me around the entire room and interrupt everyone’s conversations to introduce them to her handsome grandson. What I thought would be a lovely intimate catch up with my nanna turned into an afternoon of non-stop signing, the most I’d signed in years! I love how encouraging she always was of my AUSLAN skills. After my dad passed away, I only really got to use AUSLAN with her. She would always gently correct me if I forgot a sign and enthusiastically nod when I remembered a sign I was searching for in my brain. No matter who you speak to about nanna, it’s clear that she had such a positive impact on people’s lives. She was a beautiful ray of sunshine, filled with love, jokes and laughter, and her positive outlook on life was refreshing and inspiring. She loved to cheekily tease those she cared about with a sparkle in her eye and a wide grin plastered across her face. I’m sure everyone here today would have multiple stories of how nanna made them laugh with how naughty she was. She was kind, generous, loving, and non-judgemental. She was so accepting of everybody, and she invested in everything you told her. I always felt I could be myself around my nanna. I’d talk to her about my job, my relationships, my friends, and she always wanted to know more. Even though she didn’t get to witness a lot of the parts of my life, she wanted to understand and would always ask a lot of questions and would be in awe of the things I’d tell her I’d get up to. Working with celebrities, being on game shows, marching in the Mardi Gras parade. She was always so proud of me and excited for the opportunities I created for myself. I love that she treated my partner Matt like he was part of her family too and I loved that she’d not-so-secretly let him know how grateful she was to him for treating me well.     My nanna had an obsession for animals - she had multiple dogs, cats, and birds over the years that she treated like her babies. She would greet them loudly every morning and fawn over them all day long, singing to them and smothering them with kisses. One day, we brought my partner’s beautiful old golden retriever Dexter into the nursing home to visit her and she was so excited. Without fail, she would ask where Dexter was every time I visited after that. Her house was a shrine to everyone she loved. On her walls and mantles were countless photos, not just of family, but of friends, pets, friends’ pets… I know that she would gaze lovingly across her wall every day and those she loved would be smiling lovingly back. When we’d visit, we’d often spend hours flicking through photo albums. She loved reminiscing and her memories meant so much to her. One time I visited her, and she proudly showed me the new cushion she’d bought, a massive grin plastered across her face. At first, I was a little confused as to why she’d want a cushion with the boyband “One Direction” on it, but she told me it was because Zayn, the more ethnic and dark-featured member of the band, looked exactly like me. I’ll miss how nanna’s face would always light up whenever she saw me. Her hugs were always long and held tightly and her kisses were big and wet. Nanna, thank you for your generosity, your cheekiness, your sense of humour and your never-ending love. I’m so grateful that you were always there for me. Thanks for being a fantastic grandmother and a great mother to my mum. I promise to continue trying to make you proud. I love you.   Rest in Peace Chris Haigh (uncle to Angela) 13 August 2022 Maureen Brown (sister of Margaret, dec, aunty to Robert and Rebecca) 20 December 2022 Eric Thomas (husband of June) 26 December 2022 Raylee Thornton (wife of Carl—dec.) 6 January 2023 Jennifer Blair (ex-Portsea Student) 13 January 2023 Margaret Brown (sister of Maureen, dec, aunty to Robert and Rebecca) 17 March 2023      It can be a difficult time when we lose those that we love dearly. If you are in need of support or someone to talk to, please contact the Pastoral Care Team at JPC. You can come to our centre at a time that suits or we can come to you at home.   We remember always, those that have been a part of our lives, as their spirits are weaved through the story that is our Deaf community.   Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral St Patrick’s Cathedral will continuing to provide Auslan Interpreters for Mass at 11am on the first Sunday of each month. It is aired on Channel 44 on digital TVs, or you can watch it online on Youtube. John Pierce Centre is thankful for the wonderful partnership that has developed with the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and their commitment to ensuring access to faith and church by providing Auslan and Deaf Interpreters.   Leave a bequest By leaving a gift to John Pierce Centre in your Will, you will have a lasting impact, supporting our centre for years to come. It is a powerful reflection of the values and principles you treasure. It enables you to create a legacy of love and care for those in need. For more information, please contact our office on 03 9525 1158 or email admin@jpc.org.au Thank you.   Mass at JPC You are all welcome to attend the third Sunday Mass at JPC each month. Mass will also continue to be livestreamed to our Facebook page. This means if you are unable to attend at the centre or would prefer not to travel in, then you can still participate in the Mass from home. If you need help to set up and watch JPC Mass from home, please contact us and we can assist you.   Baptism of Mary-Lou Clarke’s Grandchildren A lovely baptism was held on 9 October 2022 for the three beautiful grandchildren of Mary-Lou Clarke. Francesca Rose, Delilah Joy and Lola Louise. Their parents are Rebekah (nee Clarke) and Marcello Fazio. It was a special event to welcome three new members into the church at the John Pierce Centre. What a lovely day!   Sacraments Did you know that you can have a baptism, funeral or memorial service at the John Pierce Centre. We provide support for all sacraments in the catholic church so please get in contact with us for more information.   Eric Thomas husband of June Thomas. 1926-2022 Eric Thomas was born on 28 April 1926. He was put up for adoption due to pressure put on his mother. At 9 his adoptive father gave him a cornet to play with the Salvation Army band, of which he became quite a good musician. He was introduced to hockey and played with the school as well as the Victorian team under 21s. From the age of 17 to 90 he coached many teams. Eric taught maths and science at Blackburn High School as well as driving taxis in the evenings. He also took real estate photographs and his wife June would oil paint in the colours on the black and white photos. In the 1950s Eric met June Preston as a County of Kent dance. They had regular dances together and married in 1952. They had four children: Peter, Wendy, Christine and Graham.   40 Years of the John Pierce Centre Remembering 40 years at JPC in our history and reflections book! This book was launched at our 40 year anniversary luncheon. If you would like a copy of the book, you can purchase a book from JPC for $20. Please ask at the office or email us for more information admin@jpc.org.au   Want to keep in touch with JPC?   You can always find more information about JPC on our Facebook page and on our Website. If there is something you would like to see more of...please tell us.   · our Facebook page www.facebook.com/johnpiercecentre    · our website: www.jpc.org.au    Office Hours- MON - WED: 9:30am-3:30pm Other days by appointment. Please make contact via email at admin@jpc.org.au   Do you want to Fast this Lent? In the words of Pope Francis Fast from hurting words and say kind words. Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude. Fast from anger and be filled with patience. Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. Fast from worries and have trust in God. Fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity. Fast from pressures and be prayerful. Fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. Fast from words; be silent and listen. Fr. Michael Depcik, OSFS Fr. Michael Depcik, OSFS, is among fewer than a handful of culturally Deaf priests worldwide.  Fr. MD, as he is known, was ordained a priest in 2000 in the congregation of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.  Since 2010, he has been ministering to Deaf Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and in August 2023 he will move to Baltimore, Maryland to serve the Catholic Deaf community there.  Fr. Depcik, a graduate of St. Rita School for the Deaf in Cincinnati, Ohio, has a Master of Arts degree in Divinity from Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary and Master of Arts degree in Mental Health Counseling from Gallaudet University.  Fr. MD, born and raised in Chicago, is a second generation member of a Deaf family.  In 1987 at age of 17, he lived in Queensland for one year as an exchange student.   A special Mass with a Deaf priest from America   Join us for Mass with Fr Michael Depcik, OSFS on Sunday 23rd July 2023 at 11am at the John Pierce Centre Please note that this Mass will be in Auslan only.   JPC would like to thank the following organisations for their support through grants and spohnsorship… Victoria Law Foundation Seniors Rights Victoria – A COTA Victoria Program Deafness Foundation CCI Giving Public Record Office Victoria Ephpheta Foundation Grant Gorman Foundation Grant Your contribution: Help us to support Deaf people and their families throughout VIC by making a tax deductable donation today.   www.givenow.com.au/jpcdonations Wishing you a safe and happy Easter