The other day I tried to put together a few lines about classroom prayer. It was in my previous blog. Unfortunately I did not finish and then put it into Save Now, and to my dismay when I came to edit it and conclude the blog, I was unable to make any changes or put in another word. Thus, my previous blog is both unedited and unfinished. Please have a look at it it before moving on to this despite the limitations mentioned.
I'll try to complete now this unedited offering, and beg your pardon for the awkward situation. I am passionate about the subject of class-room prayer because it witnesses so strongly to the importance of prayer in the Christian life. Failure to deny the place of daily prayer in school life reinforces the secular mentality so prevalent today.
Christ Himself has taught us that we should always pray. He was constantly at prayer, spent the night in prayer especially before making important decisons.
Set prayers as indicated above also instructs the participant in Christian knowledge, what is involved in beiong a Christian, and if there is balance and variety in the regular prayers unfailingly punctuating every school day, it involves and instructs the students in all manner of prayer, adoration, thanksgiving, reconcilation and petition.
Rousing hymns, religious images, use of candles, flowers, holy water etc reinforce the set prayers said. Some classrooms have a small holy water font. One famous School, St Colman's Central School, Fizroy, Vic, conductd by Br Paul Bowler in Melbourne had a Shrine of Mother of Perpetual Succour in it and a card containing a prayer or prayers to Our Lady on it. Each Year 8 student, all on scholarship in this one clasroom school, after entering the classroom each morning before would kneel and say this prayer. Of course, the regular prayers in common, prescribed by the Christian Brothers, would preced the first lesson.
It is a custom dating back to Blessed Edmund Rice for the school day to be punctuated by prayer which has been carefully chosen for all Christian Brothers' schools. A Brother or teacher would not be branded as some kind of religious fanatic because he/she had his/her classroom
punctuated by carefully centrallychosen prayers. Blessed Edmund was able to tell inspectors or other enquirers exactly what prayers were said in each of his schools, and right up to the 1960s a Brother would be able to tell enquirers exactly what prayers were being said throughout the school day in any ordinary Christian Brothers' school throughout the world and at what time.
We should not think that today the culture is so secularised it would be counter-productive to immerse the students in a rich daily prayer life. Naomi Turner's acclaimed two volume social history of the Catholic Church in Australia quotes from a letter of Br Ambrose Treacy who founded the Christian Brothers in Ausralia in 1868. In this letter he outlines the lack of faith and religious practice and the moral behaviour of the boys in Australian Christian Brothers schools of the time. Turner, without quoting him, wrote that anearly provinial of the Marist Brothers in Australia wrote similarly to his provincial. The Brothers did not cease carrying out the regular schedule of prayers day after day. Neglecting prayer was not the answer to student malaise, and the results have been spectacular growth during this period of strong Catholic life not a decline.
Finally, I will relate an incident in the life of Cardinal Hume when he was a housemaster, a Benedictine monk, at Ampleforth College in England. This incident is outlined on pages 46 in the 2009 William Charles edited "Basil Hume: Ten Years On" A pupil asked why did stuents have to go to Mass every day and twice on Sunday.
Dom Hume replied: "........The answer is to give you the habit of it. ....When the following happens to each one of you - you will go to prison, the girl will marry the other man, you will go bust, you will be killed in battle, you will be in a wheelchair, you will die young, you will have a terminal illness, your children will get into trouble, your rival will get the promotion, unjustifiably etc. Not IF but WHEN one of these things happens to each one of you, if you don't find it a comfort to go to Mass and say a prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, some time in the next 25 years, I want you to come back and to complain to me.
Now I will give you the same answer at the end. It is to give you the habit of it."
Monday 27 September 2010
Sunday 26 September 2010
Blow it. Classroom Prayer.
When inaugurating the first Catholic school system in Australia. He wrote of the importance of not judging a schools by the perceived presence of any particular virtue if the school day was not punctuated by prayer - because there is no guarantee that the virtue would be lasting if it isnot underpinned by prayer and the sacraments.
The school should unmistakably witness to the importance of prayer in the life of the Christian. By succumbing to the temptation of making prayer hit or miss, perfunctory or giving a grudging amount of time or no time at all to it each day, the school succumbs to the rampant secularism which pervades our time and culture. The pupils are learning then that prayer is not of vital importance, something which can have very sad consequences, especially as temptations abound and many difficulties llie ahead.
For nearly two centuries a carefully thought out programme of prayers punctuated all Chrisrian brothers's schools, the forerunners of schools in the Edmund tradition today. There were slight variations in some of prayers said to meet times of special devotion, such as special prayers of consecration and dedication to the Sacred Heart being said each day during June. However, there were other prayers never changed including the Long Act of Contrition, and long acts of Faith, Hope and Charity, and the Angelus at noon. I mentioned those prayers because I believe the Long Act of Contrition outlines what true contrition implies and needs tobe fostered , the three theolgical virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity are foundational to the Christians's life and the Angelus is a centuries long prayer said at that time every day honouring Our Lady's attitude which resulted in the Word becoming Flesh. It would be a terrible pity if this prayer of such power were lost in our generation.
In the very beginning of the Christian Brothers, every classroom would have a striking clock and every time the clock struck the hour, the brother and his class would say a Hail Mary together.
To ensure that a proper balance would prevail, the prayers were set for every Christian Brothers' classroom. In that way any beleagured brother, or one enthusiastic for the educational activity engaging the students at the time, and inclined for these or other reasons inclined to skimp on classrom prayer would would really have no choice but to uphold the rock-like priority prayer. On the other hand nor would a Brother be able to inflict his own iciocyncrasies on the students.
There were on rare occasions calls for the prayers to be "more liturgical "or "more sciptural".
After Vatican 11, attempts were made by a few brothers along these lines by concentrating daily prayer on "para-liturgies". however, generally attempts along these lines
Wednesday 13 January 2010
A Week to Go
There is just one week to go before I celebrate my Diamond Jubilee in Adelaide at Rostrevor at Rostrevor College. Other jubilarians celebrating this year in Adelaide are Brs Michael Coughlin (50 years) and Ray O'Donohue (70 years). The present Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson and the former, now retired Archbishop of Adelaide, Leonard Faulkner, and the retired long-time chaplain of CBC, Mgr Aitken, will greatly honour the occasion by their presence.
Each jubilarian was strictly allowed to invite only 20 people, family and friends, to share in the celebrations, apart from fellow Christian Brothers and clergy. I am delighted and honoured by the presence of my family and friends, it is a pity that I cannot share my delight at the celebrations with many other dear friends to whom I owe infinitely more than language can desribe.
The celebration will consist of a Jubilee Mass followed by a reception in the Rostrevor Pavilion.
Thank you to my fellow Chrsitian Brothers, my family, past and pupils, parents, colleagues and others who have encouraged and supported me, both in Austraia and overseas, who have supported me in my 60 years as a Christian Brother.
The following day, January 21st, I set out for France. I will have a one night stay in Paris and arrive at Chavagnes on Jan 23rd. Needless to say, I am looking forward to this, while at the same time, will miss my life here in Australia very much.
Please pray for me.
Each jubilarian was strictly allowed to invite only 20 people, family and friends, to share in the celebrations, apart from fellow Christian Brothers and clergy. I am delighted and honoured by the presence of my family and friends, it is a pity that I cannot share my delight at the celebrations with many other dear friends to whom I owe infinitely more than language can desribe.
The celebration will consist of a Jubilee Mass followed by a reception in the Rostrevor Pavilion.
Thank you to my fellow Chrsitian Brothers, my family, past and pupils, parents, colleagues and others who have encouraged and supported me, both in Austraia and overseas, who have supported me in my 60 years as a Christian Brother.
The following day, January 21st, I set out for France. I will have a one night stay in Paris and arrive at Chavagnes on Jan 23rd. Needless to say, I am looking forward to this, while at the same time, will miss my life here in Australia very much.
Please pray for me.
Wednesday 11 November 2009
Back to Chavagnes
I am returning to Chavagnes International College on January 21. I got a very cheap price from Adelaide to Paris via Singapore on Singapore Airlines for $968 Australian. Needless to say, I am looking forward to it. I am sorry that I will miss the Christmas play, "Macbeth" , the lovely carols and boys' singing for elderly, the Carol service in the lovely chapel, the celebrations for St Nicholoas' Day, the musical treat on St Cecilia's Day, the fun surrounding the Feast of All Saints and much more in the first term. However, I will be back for Burns' Night on January 25th and that is always great fun.
On November 28th I am going to Perth to celebrate my Diamond Jubilee with a Mass at Aquinas followed by a reception on Dec 4th. Celebrating it with me there will be Bas Hickey and Phil O'Loghlen while at the same time time Mick Coghlen will be celebrating his Golden Jubilee. I am looking forward very much to catching up to Roseanne, Brian, Trish, Naomi, Michael, Sam, Joe, Jack and Harry. They are the closest living members of my my family - my brother , sister-in-law, their children, children-in-law and grand-children. I will be back in Adelaide on Dec 5th. God in His Providence arranged that on November 29th, one day after my arrival in Perth, there are Church archives opening in Collie. There will be a High Mass with the Bishop of Bunbury chief celebrant. I had nearly three years in Collie so it was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with some of my past pupils from this coal-mining town.
It won't be long before I go to Waverley College on Dec 10th preparatory to making a retreat with French Benedictines at Plumpton near Paramatta from Dec 13th to 18th. Back to Adelaide on Dec 19th, to Middleton to holiday with the Brothers in SA from Dec 26th to January 16th before my Adelaide Diamond Jubilee celebrations (Mass and reception at Rostrevor) on January 20th. I set out for France the next day. I will be away until July 2011.
I received a very nice invitation to go to Wagga to visit Bob and Joanne Andrew's school, Blessed Mary McKillop College, during Novemember, but even though I would have loved to have gone, I had so many things to tie up, I had to defer this treat. I would have loved to have seen this school, Anna Andrews, Jane Morton, and possibly Annabel, past students of Chavagnes sister school, La Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle.
The Andrews have got two flourishing Catholic schools going which seem to be, like Chavagnes, everthing one would love to see in a Catholic school to provide the students with a rich experience of what the Church has to offer in a context tht is unmistakably Catholic. There was a very fine article about it in a recent AD2000
On November 28th I am going to Perth to celebrate my Diamond Jubilee with a Mass at Aquinas followed by a reception on Dec 4th. Celebrating it with me there will be Bas Hickey and Phil O'Loghlen while at the same time time Mick Coghlen will be celebrating his Golden Jubilee. I am looking forward very much to catching up to Roseanne, Brian, Trish, Naomi, Michael, Sam, Joe, Jack and Harry. They are the closest living members of my my family - my brother , sister-in-law, their children, children-in-law and grand-children. I will be back in Adelaide on Dec 5th. God in His Providence arranged that on November 29th, one day after my arrival in Perth, there are Church archives opening in Collie. There will be a High Mass with the Bishop of Bunbury chief celebrant. I had nearly three years in Collie so it was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with some of my past pupils from this coal-mining town.
It won't be long before I go to Waverley College on Dec 10th preparatory to making a retreat with French Benedictines at Plumpton near Paramatta from Dec 13th to 18th. Back to Adelaide on Dec 19th, to Middleton to holiday with the Brothers in SA from Dec 26th to January 16th before my Adelaide Diamond Jubilee celebrations (Mass and reception at Rostrevor) on January 20th. I set out for France the next day. I will be away until July 2011.
I received a very nice invitation to go to Wagga to visit Bob and Joanne Andrew's school, Blessed Mary McKillop College, during Novemember, but even though I would have loved to have gone, I had so many things to tie up, I had to defer this treat. I would have loved to have seen this school, Anna Andrews, Jane Morton, and possibly Annabel, past students of Chavagnes sister school, La Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle.
The Andrews have got two flourishing Catholic schools going which seem to be, like Chavagnes, everthing one would love to see in a Catholic school to provide the students with a rich experience of what the Church has to offer in a context tht is unmistakably Catholic. There was a very fine article about it in a recent AD2000
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Kevin Sinnot RIP
Kevin Sinnot
Yesterday was the day Kevin Sinnot had his Requiem Mass and was buried. The Brothers here at West Beach have been praying for him and his family.
Kevin and his brother, David, really worked hard at the their studies, had a great sense of humour, and had a great sense of justice and charity. Kevin was tragicaly drowned at Southern Catholic University, USA while swimming across a lake with friends.
Fr Higgins, the chaplain at the university could not speak highly enough of him, and gave concrete instances of ways he expressed his love of God and his fellow students. For instance, Kevin led a faithful Catholic sacramental life and was at Confession earlier on the day that he drowned. He would spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in silent prayer right up to the days before his death. Students in difficulty with their studies would come to him for help. He had time for others. In every way he proved a young man of whom any parent or school would be proud.
I am very proud to be associated with Kevin, although he was not in any of of my classes at Chavagnes. Nevertheless, I supervised him from time to time at sport, at recreation, at study, in the dormitory etc. From time to time I had several informal conversations with him, some serious, some lighthearted and some a mixture of both. He was a most pleasant, gentlemanly boy top deal with.
Kevin's mother was the most recent election was a Member of the European Parliament for West Cork. She had spent years campaigning for handicapped children She, an American-born had eleven children of her own, and had first hand knowledge of difficulties of caring for them for one of them was handicapped. Kathy Sinnot took on the big parties as an independent in the election before last, standing on the issue of care for the handicapped, and beat them. Her faith and her children's faith were most important to her, and she could not speak highly enough of what Chavagnes did for her two boys. Her testimony can easily be found on the college's home page.
I am sure Mrs Sinnot would appreciate any Masses or prayers you would say for Kevin. RIP
Yesterday was the day Kevin Sinnot had his Requiem Mass and was buried. The Brothers here at West Beach have been praying for him and his family.
Kevin and his brother, David, really worked hard at the their studies, had a great sense of humour, and had a great sense of justice and charity. Kevin was tragicaly drowned at Southern Catholic University, USA while swimming across a lake with friends.
Fr Higgins, the chaplain at the university could not speak highly enough of him, and gave concrete instances of ways he expressed his love of God and his fellow students. For instance, Kevin led a faithful Catholic sacramental life and was at Confession earlier on the day that he drowned. He would spend time before the Blessed Sacrament in silent prayer right up to the days before his death. Students in difficulty with their studies would come to him for help. He had time for others. In every way he proved a young man of whom any parent or school would be proud.
I am very proud to be associated with Kevin, although he was not in any of of my classes at Chavagnes. Nevertheless, I supervised him from time to time at sport, at recreation, at study, in the dormitory etc. From time to time I had several informal conversations with him, some serious, some lighthearted and some a mixture of both. He was a most pleasant, gentlemanly boy top deal with.
Kevin's mother was the most recent election was a Member of the European Parliament for West Cork. She had spent years campaigning for handicapped children She, an American-born had eleven children of her own, and had first hand knowledge of difficulties of caring for them for one of them was handicapped. Kathy Sinnot took on the big parties as an independent in the election before last, standing on the issue of care for the handicapped, and beat them. Her faith and her children's faith were most important to her, and she could not speak highly enough of what Chavagnes did for her two boys. Her testimony can easily be found on the college's home page.
I am sure Mrs Sinnot would appreciate any Masses or prayers you would say for Kevin. RIP
Tuesday 15 September 2009
News
Next Sunday will make it two months (Sept 20th) since I arrived back at my community at West Beach, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It has been great to be back, but I am missing Chavagnes.
Mr Ferdi McDermott has invited me on a couple of occasions to share by email some of my reflections about Chavagnes International College when I have had time to do so when holidaying at Twickenham. I have done this from time to time, but was always more pushed for time than I am now.
Mr Hester, probably England's most well-known commentator on Catholic education, a man whose articles and letters have appeared often in The Times, The Catholic Herald and other papers of value, and whose views on Catholic Education and Catholic schools are sought by media outlets on special occasions, has also encouraged me often to share my experience with the administation and staff at the college.
Mr Hester has been at the college on three occasions and has been very positive about the school and helpful to it..
Mr Hester has had nearly 30 years experience of leading Catholic schools in England, and at least at the time of his retirement a few years ago, was the longest serving Lay Principal of any Catholic school in England. He now inspects and reports on leading Public Schools (Independent Schools) in England.
So, now while still not free from distractions, this time mainly associated with settling in back in Australia, before writing about Chavagnes to Australian Catholic parents and educators, I believe it is of value and right to share my reflections about Chavagnes with Mr. McDermott, the school's Founder and other long-serving administration there.
Needless to say, I am in love with Chavagnes International College, and most grateful that I have had the opportunity to serve there. Needless, to say my conclusions are overwhelmingly positive. I believe that any boy who has been there has had a happy, safe experience of a a first-rate immersion into Catholic culture, which has overflowed with excellent results into all aspects of school life, academic, cultural and sporting.
This written analysis of a Christian Brother with 69 years of experience of Catholic education as either a student and teacher at all levels, primary, secondary and tertiary, decades in boarding schools, coaching numerous teams, experiences before, during and after Vatican II, experiencing and seeing the results of all kinds of changes, should have some observations which will prove helpful. My experiences are supported by a Masters degree from the GraduateSchool of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University and another Masters degree from the Australian Catholic University and more.
So it is likely that some of the observations I offered would be worth considering. Mr McDermott is a very gifted man of great energy, who has, like all Headmasters, whether he finds them helpful or not, has many opinions thrust upon him and must be sick and tired of this at times. At other times, he would be pleased to gain something very helpful.
My long eamil took considerable time.
What else have I been doing? I have enjoyed the beautiful winter weather. One Englishman said to me that winter in Adelaide is like summer in England. Well, I have always had to wear a pullover in the winter I have just experienced, and I certinly did not have to for much of the English summer. In the winter which finished on August 31 there were many beautiful sunny days with clear blue skies. The winter has been far from bleak, and, while there has been plenty of rain for our needs, there has been far far from a surfeit of them.
The beautiful white sands of the miles of Adelaide shore, and the beautiful clear waters stretching for miles of other side of West Beach and reaching out beyond the horizon have made walking along the beach a vey enjoyable experience.
I have enjoyed reading books from the Adelaide Catholic Library, one being a most interesting biography of Archbishop Beovich, the Archbishop of Adelaide from 1940 to 1971, and another being Cardinal Cassidy's, "My Years in the Vatican'. My journey from London to Perth went very quickly as I bought Wayne Rooney's autobiography, enjoyed it thoroughly, completed on the trip, and gave it to my brother. Coming from Perth to Adelaide I bought another very easy read, "Seeing the Sunrise" by a Christian Brother's old boy, Justin Langer, I would say a great opening batsman for Australia.
I travel by by public transport when I can and find it very relaxing reading on the bus and some other times. Virtually every day I read the readings of the Mass for the day in my French missal, and the commentary on them. I also use my computer to read "Le Monde" and "La Croix" fairly often, and watch and to listen to the French news on www.France.24.com , and the French Channel 2 evening news which comes on a multi cultural Channel here evry morning at 9.20 am.
My health is good, and I have much to thank God for.
Mr Ferdi McDermott has invited me on a couple of occasions to share by email some of my reflections about Chavagnes International College when I have had time to do so when holidaying at Twickenham. I have done this from time to time, but was always more pushed for time than I am now.
Mr Hester, probably England's most well-known commentator on Catholic education, a man whose articles and letters have appeared often in The Times, The Catholic Herald and other papers of value, and whose views on Catholic Education and Catholic schools are sought by media outlets on special occasions, has also encouraged me often to share my experience with the administation and staff at the college.
Mr Hester has been at the college on three occasions and has been very positive about the school and helpful to it..
Mr Hester has had nearly 30 years experience of leading Catholic schools in England, and at least at the time of his retirement a few years ago, was the longest serving Lay Principal of any Catholic school in England. He now inspects and reports on leading Public Schools (Independent Schools) in England.
So, now while still not free from distractions, this time mainly associated with settling in back in Australia, before writing about Chavagnes to Australian Catholic parents and educators, I believe it is of value and right to share my reflections about Chavagnes with Mr. McDermott, the school's Founder and other long-serving administration there.
Needless to say, I am in love with Chavagnes International College, and most grateful that I have had the opportunity to serve there. Needless, to say my conclusions are overwhelmingly positive. I believe that any boy who has been there has had a happy, safe experience of a a first-rate immersion into Catholic culture, which has overflowed with excellent results into all aspects of school life, academic, cultural and sporting.
This written analysis of a Christian Brother with 69 years of experience of Catholic education as either a student and teacher at all levels, primary, secondary and tertiary, decades in boarding schools, coaching numerous teams, experiences before, during and after Vatican II, experiencing and seeing the results of all kinds of changes, should have some observations which will prove helpful. My experiences are supported by a Masters degree from the GraduateSchool of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University and another Masters degree from the Australian Catholic University and more.
So it is likely that some of the observations I offered would be worth considering. Mr McDermott is a very gifted man of great energy, who has, like all Headmasters, whether he finds them helpful or not, has many opinions thrust upon him and must be sick and tired of this at times. At other times, he would be pleased to gain something very helpful.
My long eamil took considerable time.
What else have I been doing? I have enjoyed the beautiful winter weather. One Englishman said to me that winter in Adelaide is like summer in England. Well, I have always had to wear a pullover in the winter I have just experienced, and I certinly did not have to for much of the English summer. In the winter which finished on August 31 there were many beautiful sunny days with clear blue skies. The winter has been far from bleak, and, while there has been plenty of rain for our needs, there has been far far from a surfeit of them.
The beautiful white sands of the miles of Adelaide shore, and the beautiful clear waters stretching for miles of other side of West Beach and reaching out beyond the horizon have made walking along the beach a vey enjoyable experience.
I have enjoyed reading books from the Adelaide Catholic Library, one being a most interesting biography of Archbishop Beovich, the Archbishop of Adelaide from 1940 to 1971, and another being Cardinal Cassidy's, "My Years in the Vatican'. My journey from London to Perth went very quickly as I bought Wayne Rooney's autobiography, enjoyed it thoroughly, completed on the trip, and gave it to my brother. Coming from Perth to Adelaide I bought another very easy read, "Seeing the Sunrise" by a Christian Brother's old boy, Justin Langer, I would say a great opening batsman for Australia.
I travel by by public transport when I can and find it very relaxing reading on the bus and some other times. Virtually every day I read the readings of the Mass for the day in my French missal, and the commentary on them. I also use my computer to read "Le Monde" and "La Croix" fairly often, and watch and to listen to the French news on www.France.24.com , and the French Channel 2 evening news which comes on a multi cultural Channel here evry morning at 9.20 am.
My health is good, and I have much to thank God for.
Tuesday 1 September 2009
Settling In
I have been catching up by phone or visiting with people since arriving back.
I am excited about the Year of the Priest. We urgently need them. A number of parishes in Adelaide are served by either Deacons, Nuns or Laity, and Priests come on the weekend for Mass. The situation is very grave.
There are those around who do not see this as a bad thing as more authority is given to some women and some laity. Others say that they do not accept Pope Benedict's idea of priesthood because he sees Priests as part of an hierarchical structure.
A careful study of the Scriptures makes it very clear that the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven were given to Peter, and he was given the authority to bind and loose. Those who hear him, hear the Lord. Those who do not hear him, are not hearing the Lord.
A careful study of history going back to St Paul show that in every age there are always proud people, good in many ways like Lucifer, shining lights with devoted followers, deceiving people with false doctrines. One highy respected person, indeed a person very dear to me, used to boast in the seventies that the Church in Adelaide was the most like the Dutch Church than any other Church in Australia.
I have just read Cardinal Cassidy's book on his many years of Vatican service. The chapter on the problems faced by the Dutch Church outlines with power and clarity the devastation of the Church in Holland and the sorry state of public and private morality resulting from it.
A careful study of scripture and the Fathers of the Church demonstrates most clearly that the Church is hierarchical. Some have been given more authority than others to serve God's People in a special way. We need holy shepherds. We need holy, loyal Priests. Let us pray that God will bless many good young men and call them to take up the mantle of the Priesthood to serve the Church, God's People.
I am excited about the Year of the Priest. We urgently need them. A number of parishes in Adelaide are served by either Deacons, Nuns or Laity, and Priests come on the weekend for Mass. The situation is very grave.
There are those around who do not see this as a bad thing as more authority is given to some women and some laity. Others say that they do not accept Pope Benedict's idea of priesthood because he sees Priests as part of an hierarchical structure.
A careful study of the Scriptures makes it very clear that the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven were given to Peter, and he was given the authority to bind and loose. Those who hear him, hear the Lord. Those who do not hear him, are not hearing the Lord.
A careful study of history going back to St Paul show that in every age there are always proud people, good in many ways like Lucifer, shining lights with devoted followers, deceiving people with false doctrines. One highy respected person, indeed a person very dear to me, used to boast in the seventies that the Church in Adelaide was the most like the Dutch Church than any other Church in Australia.
I have just read Cardinal Cassidy's book on his many years of Vatican service. The chapter on the problems faced by the Dutch Church outlines with power and clarity the devastation of the Church in Holland and the sorry state of public and private morality resulting from it.
A careful study of scripture and the Fathers of the Church demonstrates most clearly that the Church is hierarchical. Some have been given more authority than others to serve God's People in a special way. We need holy shepherds. We need holy, loyal Priests. Let us pray that God will bless many good young men and call them to take up the mantle of the Priesthood to serve the Church, God's People.
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