News
NETworks Issue 2, 2021
In this issue: The Matt Foxon Story · Ripples in the Family · Congratulations Fr Will Iuliano
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
We never really understand the full impact of the choices that we make. Life is unpredictable, and often it’s from the most mundane of events or choices that incredible life flows. Peter Vickerson, the man who originally heard about NET Ministries in the USA and believed that it could be planted in Australia, has shared this sentiment with generations of Netters at initial training. Likewise, Shayne and Shanelle Bennett, the Founding Directors of NET Ministries in Australia, have said on numerous occasions that they would have no idea the consequences of their choices back in 1988 when they decided to follow the Lord’s leading on their lives to begin NET in Australia with the support of the Emmanuel Community.
On August 29th, 2021 it was an honour to watch Shayne and Shanelle be invested with the Papal Award Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for their service to the Church both in Australia and overseas: in the mission of the Emmanuel Community; the Founding of NET Ministries in Australia as well as supporting the development of NET Uganda; working with lay ecclesial communities in South East Asia and Uganda; serving the world-wide Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Mercy Community in Queensland. We couldn’t be prouder of our Founding Directors, for who they are and all that the Lord has done through them.
I’m also comforted by the response of our missionaries, such incredibly generous young people who in the midst of this time have continued to respond to the Lord’s call to go out on mission to their peers, to introduce them to Jesus and show them the joy, hope, tenderness and mercy that only Jesus can offer. Even though our closed borders have reduced our numbers from 8 teams to 4 teams, I am trusting and believing that the Lord will do an incredibly powerful and unexpected multiplication for our mission teams in 2021. Please join me in praying for this blessing as together we commit to rebuild our Church.
What we recognize this morning with Pope Francis is that the grace of God has touched this brother, this sister in such a way that many, many others through them…right around the world have come to this new experience of God, have learned what it is to listen to God, to obey the word of God, and to be touched by its power to save us. So, we give thanks for the ministry, the work and witness of Shayne and Shanelle Bennett and we do that in union with the universal pastor, the Bishop of Rome, to say that their gift has been not only to the Archdiocese of Brisbane but to the universal Church.
Excerpt from Archbishop Mark Coleridge’s homily on Aug 29th, 2021
Shayne and Shanelle’s ‘yes’ to the Lord has opened the door to 919 missionaries coming from 15 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Ghana, Hungary, Ireland, Malaysia, NZ, Northern Ireland, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, Uganda, USA) to serve in Australia, Uganda, New Zealand, South Africa, Palau, and the Marshall Islands giving more than 1216 years of missionary service. It’s also led to numerous vocations to the religious life, to many beautiful marriages and to more than five hundred thousand young people having the truth of the Gospel shared with them by their peers in a relevant and compelling way.
Join us in this addition of NETworks as we reflect on the mysterious ways that God has borne much fruit through this humble peer to peer ministry as we hear the stories of Arthur and Chantale Wilson, share some good news about the ordination of Fr. Will Iuliano (NET alumnus and recently ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Brisbane) and the featured article on Matt Foxon as a display of the power of collaboration between NET and a parish, in this case the Kemore-Moggill parish in the western suburbs of Brisbane.
Mark Doyle
Executive Director
THE MATT FOXON STORY
The moment that Matt Foxon heard his name announced as one of the National Team members for 2018, he experienced a sense of joy and excitement. He had always wanted to be on the National team. There was something about travelling around Australia with 11 other young people that appealed to his sense of adventure and mission. He had first started following the NET National Team on Instagram in 2017 and their message really resonated with him. So, when it came time to make a decision about what to do when he left school, Matt was clear about some aspects of his future but unsure how to make it happen. He wanted to contribute, to serve other people, and to find something that would bring a deeper sense of meaning to his life. He was looking for an experience that would teach him about himself, to help him with the question of career, while at the same time giving him some skills that would be valuable for the future.
After some serious thought and prayer, he decided to apply for a year on NET.
TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH
Matt went through the interview process and got accepted. He was very excited and also very nervous. The next step for him was to do some fundraising. Matt had never had to raise money before and didn’t have any idea how to do it, but he knew where he could go for some support. He approached Fr Mark Franklin, the parish priest of Matt’s local parish, Our Lady of the Rosary (OLR) in the Kenmore-Moggill Catholic Parish.
Matt’s family had been a part of the parish for his entire life. Paul (Matt’s Dad) and Tracey (Matt’s Mum) had moved to Kenmore in 2001 from Durban in South Africa when Matt was only 1 year old. They began attending Mass straight away, either at St Catherine’s Moggill or Our Lady of the Rosary in Kenmore. It quickly became their community – a place where they felt welcomed and where they could serve. Tracey, a schoolteacher, became involved in Sacramental preparation and children’s Liturgy, reader and communion minister at Mass and Paul, an accountant, joined the Parish Finance Council and became a reader and communion minister at Mass as well as a member of the Parish School Board. It was here that Matt and his 5 siblings: John (currently 19 and on his 2nd year of NET in Caloundra), Xavier (18, studying IT at QUT), Josh (16, in year 10 at Marist Ashgrove), Michael (13, in year 8 at Marist Ashgrove) and MaryAnne (11, in year 6 at OLR primary school) received their sacraments and practiced their faith, getting involved in Serving at Mass, doing readings, becoming communion ministers as well as being active in the parishes Youth Ministry.
Fr Mark supported Matt by allowing him to speak about his upcoming year of mission at the 4 masses in the Parish one weekend and as a result, Matt received most of his required sponsorship in a generous show of support. Matt was extremely grateful for the support of Fr Mark and the parish community and couldn’t believe how encouraging people had been.
With only his bags left to pack, Matt headed out for his 6-week initial training program at NET in mid-January 2018. It would launch the adventure of a lifetime. Here’s how Matt describes some of the experiences of his first NET year in his own words:
When I came on my first year of NET, my idea of what it meant to follow Jesus was really in a box. To be Catholic meant to turn up to Mass for an hour on Sunday. Even though my mum and dad gave me a great example at home by how they lived out their faith every day and prayed often privately and with us as a family, it still hadn’t quite clicked for me. But then God blew away my expectation as I witnessed powerful changes in the lives of people around me. Things became much more personal and real for me. God showed me how good he is and how trustworthy he is, and even when things got challenging, I learned that I could trust God even in the hard and scary times.
Seeing Australia was amazing! I was so lucky and blessed to get to see this Nation and to meet so many young people from all over the country. I got to see young people’s lives changed and transformed. They would come into the retreat day feeling one way, but as we journeyed with them, we could see this transformation happen - it was so rewarding!
ONE OF MATT’S FAVOURITE
SAYINGS WAS
TURN UP AND SAY YES
In the second half of his year Matt spent some time discerning what might be next for him. He had a sense that God wasn’t finished with him at NET. There was still more that he needed to learn, so he said ‘yes’ to a 2nd year. On the first day of training for his 2nd year, Matt stumbled on the trailer for the movie Spiderman 2. In it, there’s a scene where Nick Fury says to Peter Parker, “You’ve got gifts, Parker, are you going to use them or not?” For some reason it stuck with him and he couldn’t shake it. He felt like the
Holy Spirit was trying to say something to him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. A few days later, one of the NET staff approached Matt and asked him to be a team leader. Matt had no desire to take on a leadership role, but when he was praying about the opportunity, he remembered the quote from the trailer, and he realised that God had been preparing him for this task. So, Matt said yes and became co-leader of the Wollongong team. Here’s what he had to say about his second year of mission:
My second year was very much building on the foundation that God had established in my first year. The 2nd year wasn’t as much of a bang as the first year. It was more of a seeping in, a deepening of my faith - a bit more mysterious.
Leading the team in Wollongong was amazing. The Diocese had a big vision of what youth ministry could be. My year in Wollongong taught me a lot about leadership – my strengths and weaknesses, the joy of working together with my co-leader and a capacity to accept myself as a son of God who is loved because I am, not because I was perfect in everything I did. I also learnt many youth ministry skills as I drew from the strength and wisdom of Seth (the team’s contact person). It prepared me for the challenges that would unfold.
Matt had stayed in touch with Fr Mark and with another great supporter, Michael Finch, the Parish Manager. In 2019, Matt was offered a job as a part-time youth minister in the parish starting after NET finished for the year. In 2020, Matt worked on the NET staff in a part-time mission role in the recruiting department, studied a BA part-time at UQ, and took on the part-time role of youth minister at Kenmore – Moggill Parish.
Here’s what Fr Mark had to say about Matt’s journey:
When I arrived in the Parish on 3rd December 2016 my first impression of the Foxon family was that they were faith-filled and devoted to the Church. I was particularly impressed with how the family supported each other and how Matthew, who was the eldest, took care of his younger siblings. Matthew was involved in the Parish first as a server then a reader and communion minister.
Even though our Youth Ministry Program was shut down through most of 2020 Matthew was able to still connect online and via Zoom during these weeks and offer support to the group. With all the challenges that Covid has created Matthew has been able to develop a vibrant Primary youth ministry, High School Group, and this year a youth adult group. Matthew also leads the Youth Ministry team in the Parish. I know that the parish Community are very pleased with Matthew and we are blessed to have such a great young man of faith with his talents and gifts leading our Youth Ministry and youth ministry team.
When Matthew first came to me and asked for a reference for NET, I was happy and delighted to supply it. It did not surprise me he wanted to explore ministry in the church and that NET was a great opportunity for him to do that in a safe and challenging environment. I was very familiar with how NET works as I had a Parish team in my former Parish of Noosa District for a year. I was also happy to support Matthew in raising funds to help with his year on NET.
When Matt came home after NET, I could see a big change. He had developed into a very well rounded and mature young man. I was hoping that Matthew would consider leading our youth ministry program from 2020 after completing his 2nd year with NET. When I offered him the role, I was delighted he agreed, and he started 2020 with great expectations. That year the Parish also supported 3 other young men to go on mission with NET, Matthew Arendse, John Foxon and Tom Sherratt. Both Matthew and John are now on their 2nd year of NET.
PARISH AND NET MINISTRIES WORKING TOGETHER
Michael Finch (Parish Manager) comments on the relationship of the Parish and NET Ministries:
Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Kenmore- Moggill has developed a cooperative relationship with NET Ministries over a number of years now. This relationship has more recently seen a resurgence through Matt Foxon who, having spent two years on Ministry with NET, now leads our Parish youth initiatives.
The development in faith and leadership Matt has experienced with NET has given him the experience needed for his current role as Parish Youth Ministry Coordinator. This relationship between Net Ministries & Our Lady of the Rosary Parish continues to produce much fruit with many of our youth engaging with NET with the full support of the Parish and with Matt’s testimony as a guide.
Matt is currently studying teaching at QUT and working as a youth minister at OLR. He is now dating Jennie, who he met through NET in 2019.
To continue this mission of calling forth new apostles, we need your support. We need the support of financial donors, we need the support of families, we need the support of parishes who are willing to get behind missionaries like Matt and provide them with the support that they need to respond to this challenging call. Wherever you are right now, whatever your situation or your context, allow me to encourage you to consider how you can support NET. Maybe you know (or have!) a young adult who could serve with us. Maybe you’re in a parish where a missionary has been sent. Maybe you’re a priest like Fr Mark or a lay person working in the Church like Michael Finch. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it’s true. In similar fashion, it takes the whole Church working together to pass on the faith to the next generation. Looking at the Foxon family, the Kenmore- Moggill parish and Matt’s story to this point, we have every reason to be hopeful.
Can you help us to support the formation of new apostles for this new millennium?
“The Archdiocese of Brisbane has perhaps experienced most powerfully the fruits of NET Ministries in the number of NET Alumni who have now taken on ministry roles within the Archdiocese, either directly as youth ministers/campus ministers, as teachers in Catholic schools as well as several alumni who are currently in formation at the seminary… Young people are transformed as they are supported and accompanied through an experience of mission and community that often stretches them beyond their comfort zone. (Extract from the Report of the Australian Catholic Bishops in preparation for the 2018 Synod on Youth).”
NET’S RIPPLE EFFECT IN THE FAMILY
Arthur & Chantale Wilson
As parents of kids who’ve served on NET ministries, it’s a real delight to have an opportunity to share something of the ‘ripple effect’ it has had on our lives as a family and beyond.
Our connection with NET first began in 1988 when, as a 20 year old, Arthur served as part of the first full time Australian team in the USA, and then in Australia. Even then, the impact on our family began! NET training and life as part of a team helped to create a bedrock of faith, of character and of relationships that continue to shape who we are as a family, our relationships with God and others, and our part in the Church’s mission!
As we embarked on family life, our kids have grown up sharing in this faith and eventually, a number of them made their own decision to also serve on NET. Over the years, the photos of their teams continued to take up space on our refrigerator, as we ‘adopted’ them, prayed for them, and took them into our hearts and, at times, our home, so much so that these young people have become a part of our life and story as a family.
Arthur and I remember the Christmas of 2015. Our eldest daughter was serving on NET in Canada and meanwhile, our son, back in Australia had just finished up his year on the Australian National team. One of his team brothers, a Canadian, was going to serve another year in 2016 and was not able to go home to Canada for Christmas, so he spent the time living with us. Here were two young people on opposite sides of the world away from their families, yet both were surrounded by ‘family’ and love that Christmas!
Throughout their experience on NET, we’ve watched our kids grow in courage and independence, learn amazing skills that we still see them use daily. NET provided a safe place for them to practice hard things like resilience and perseverance, resolving conflict and putting others first, loving others when it was hard, submitting to others leadership, being the leader, and working when they were tired. They were able to put into practice some of the hard character qualities which we really value but sometimes try to protect them from because we know that there is pain and difficulty involved.
Most of all, we’ve witnessed them fall more deeply in love with Jesus and His church and follow him more closely in all the challenges of life. NET has played its part in helping them grow into the magnificent adults they are today, missionary-disciples, who inspire us through their example of faith.
CONGRATULATIONS FR WILLIAM AUPITO IULIANO
NET Alumnus 2012, 2013
After an 11.00 am. call by the Premier of Queensland to go into a snap lockdown at 6.00 p.m. that same evening, the thoughts of many turned to the 4 ordinations that were to take place at 7.00 p.m. While others were wondering the fate of the deacons, the Cathedral staff, the Archbishop and the deacons were not going to give in so easily.
After a flurry of activity, the ordinations were brought forward to mid-afternoon and were completed 30 minutes before lockdown was due to begin. These last minute changes did not seem to worry Fr. Will whose laid back and relaxed personality seemed to take the situation in his stride. This was one of Fr. Will’s endearing qualities during his time on NET. His approachable manner is something that has grown and is a strong quality which he brings to priesthood.
Today, we want to congratulate Fr. Will and thank him for his contribution to NET Ministries. His mission continues among the people of the Gympie Parish where he first served as a deacon and now as an assistant priest.
Can you help us transform the lives of young Australians and rebuild the church?
As always, please pray for us as we seek to fulfill our mission. We hope to see young hearts transformed as they encounter Jesus. That's why we exist. Thank you for your generosity.