Letters: Third Rite

Sydney
23 December 2001

Church under fire over carer time-off initiative

University’s compassion is a winner

M5 fun day raises $20,000

Archbishop’s Christmas message

Faith is the key, says new bishop

Facelift for St Brigid’s

Caritas hits record $5.75m

Centacare rewards its volunteers

New auxiliary bishop for Perth

Animal theme wins trip, computer

Our reputation ‘shattered’

Pope’s apology ‘challenges Church’

Editorial: Christmas and the ironies of peace

Letters: Third Rite

Conversation: From pastoral life to priest’s mentor - Fr Julian Porteous, seminary rector

Reflections: Names? They’re not just identity tags

A new era: 2001 in Review

Inspirations: Gospel stories connect the Manger to the Crucifix and Resurrection

Letters: Third Rite

In this Advent season, as we organise our Reconciliation ceremonies in preparation for Christmas, it’s hard not to think back to the days before the Third Rite of Reconciliation was banned as a regular communal celebration.

It was a time when our churches were bursting at the seams as we came together to celebrate God’s forgiveness in our lives.

Today, sadly, it is no longer the case.

As we try to grapple with the problem of falling church attendance, I keep asking myself, why did we stop the one thing that actually worked?

Fr John Crothers PP
Penshurst, NSW

SPIRITUALITY

PR Charter (Stop trying to dictate, CW 2/12) contradicts himself almost within the same sentence.

In one breath he requests “help us develop spiritually” while in the next he demands “stop trying to dictate how we think and vote and feel about refugees”.

I believe it would develop PR’s spirituality no end if his lack of care and compassion for his suffering fellow human beings was changed to align with the teaching of Christ: “Whatsoever you do to the least of My brothers, that you do unto Me.”

Miss Frances McEniery
Wagga Wagga, NSW

‘MIRACULOUS MEDAL’

The feast day of St Catherine Laboure (of the Miraculous Medal) was mentioned on page 20 (CW 25/11) with the comment “for information about this feast see story on the left”. The story at left, however, was about St. Andrew whose feast was on November 30.

The story about St Catherine, accompanied by a picture, was, in fact, on page 18 and included this comment: “The ‘miraculous medal’ named for its origin rather than its properties is still carried or worn by Catholics.”

The medal was a gift from a queen; the Queen of Heaven. So many miracles occurred because of the medal that it became known as the ‘Miraculous Medal’.

Considering how much suffering is in the world today it could be time for us to return to such things as the Miraculous Medal to ask Our Lady for help.

There is a large cut glass copy of the medal on Our Lady’s altar in the church of St Charles Borromeo at Ryde in NSW. It was installed by the late Fr Phillip Reeve.

G K Flory
Dundas, NSW

PROPORTIONALISM

A misprint occurred in the publication of my letter concerning the asylum seekers (No respect for law and order, CW 2/12).

The letters “al” were lost, so that “proportionism” appeared instead of the Church’s term ‘proportionalism’ as submitted in the original letter .

Ed Baulman
Cammeray, NSW

RITE OF PASSAGE

In an effort to strengthen/revive the faith of Catholic high school students, moves are afoot to invent some celebration to bring these students face to face with something they may have dropped.

The primitive term ‘rite of passage’ is used when discussing this innovation for high school: something not in the Australian Catholic lexicon or tradition.

Before the end of Grade 3, children have received First Communion, First Confession and Confirmation. Reasons given for this include what was the case before 1910 and the practice of the Eastern Church.

The American Bishops’ Conference has decided to have 16 as the upper age for the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

This is in line with the age for Confirmation here until relatively recently for this sacrament and that Australian tradition has stood the test of time.

Would not the sacrament of Confirmation be a more effective means of grace for high school students than a devised liturgy?

Parents are the ultimate educators of their children and the Church insists that they are the ones to decide at what age their children receive the sacraments.

Joe Lopez
Warrimoo, NSW

POPE PIUS A HERO

Eugenio Pacelli, Pope Pius XII, was one of World War II’s few genuine heroes.

At great personal risk, he saved 800,000 Jews from extermination by the Nazis.

Jewish refugees were given asylum in the Vatican, swelling the number of “Swiss Guards”. No Allied leader had such a glorious record.

Golda Meir, Israel’s Prime Minister (1969-74), lauded Pius XII after the war.

Rome’s chief rabbi became a Catholic, taking the name “Eugenio” in tribute to the Pope.

A new 211-page book, The Defamation of Pius XII, by Prof Ralph McInerny, demolishes the ludicrous charges against this great man.

Arnold Jago
Mildura, Vic.

REFUGEE QUOTA

In Fact or fiction? Refugee myths (CW 2/12), Kathleen Carmody perpetuates one myth in stating that “per capita, the US accepts twice as many refugees as Australia”.

The position is the reverse. The US refugee quota this year is 80,000 – one per 3,400 population. Australia’s quota at 12,000 is one per 1,600.

The US quota next year drops to 70,000. At its highest in recent times – 200,000 in the 1980s – it was no better than one per 1,200 population.

The US refugee program does not, of course, include the millions of mostly Hispanic “illegals”, whose cheap labour has done so much for the long US economic boom, not to mention providing low cost domestic servants for the lucky beneficiaries of the boom.

Stephen Brown
Forrest, ACT