letters: A question of tradition

Sydney
3 February 2002

'Violence never again' - Pope

Catholics honoured in Australia Day awards

'Field day' for sisters: six on list

Back-to-school gift aids needy

Archbishop Carroll to preach at city service

Retirement, but work remains on the menu

Wollongong Mass for women's league

Welfare groups call for release of detainees

Caritas sets appeal sights at $6m plus

Pledge to aid volcano victimsa

Salesian superior general dies

opinion: Let's be consistent in our own backyard

editorial: Message from Assisi

letters: A question of tradition

Conversation: In tune with life and the music of youth

Reflections: Religion - a force for peace, justice

Si! What happens if no Juan takes any notice!

A place to call home - it's Project Compassion 2002

Diocese honours King in blood

Sydney schools across the generations

inspirations: Camp for kids deserves a prize, too

letters: A question of tradition

Jason Corral strings rosary beads at St Mary School in East Chicago, Indiana, US. His preschool class was making rosaries to send to Carmelite Sr Lucia dos Santos, the only surviving Fatima visionary, in Portugal.
Photo from Northwest Indiana Catholic

A question of tradition

It was interesting to compare Cardinal seeks return to tradition ... but, about Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (CW 20/1), and Now for something completely different, about the church at Caringbah, the building contractor winning an award for the best public building. The award, I am sure, was well deserved, but we are talking about a public building with a difference - a place of worship.

It is traditional that the altar on which the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered be raised above the main body of the church in a separate space, called the sanctuary.

The raised position of the altar is symbolic of the hill up to Calvary, allowing the faithful to look up in adoration of Christ's glorified body on it.

The interior design of the church at Caringbah has the faithful looking down and "sitting around the altar". Monsignor Bayada comments: "When you sit at a meal, people face each other, don't they?"

This reflects another serious break with tradition.

The 'meal' concept is surely not analogous to what the Holy Father forcefully reminds us that, in the adoration of the eucharist, "the Mass above all else is a sacrifice", a representation of Christ's sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.

E J Baulman
Northbridge, NSW

Value for money

Again this week I came home from Mass and sat down to read The Catholic Weekly. It is something I have been doing for as long as I can remember.

In recent months I have gradually come to appreciate just what a great publication The Catholic Weekly has become.

I have been saying to myself for weeks now that I should take the time to write and say what a great job you are doing. Well, this week I decided I would.

Each week the paper is packed with interesting stories from around the world and from around the corner.

It is very well presented, is informative, it entertains the whole family, has interesting photographs to support the stories, its editorial content is strong and sound and it has just the right amount of advertising.

My own parish even gets a mention from time to time in Bits and Pieces.

I used to finish reading The Weekly in no time at all but now I find I keep it next to my favourite chair and read it throughout the whole week.

Congratulations, I believe you have transformed The Catholic Weekly from being a paper which we purchased just because we thought it was the right thing to do and to have in the home, to one of the best publications around.

It is now something we look forward to getting each week. At $1 it is certainly excellent value for money. If you maintain the present standard I believe it would still be good value at $2.

Kieran Williams
Burradoo, NSW

Not spiritual?

Has political correctness influenced the recent recruitment advertisements for the Australian Army?

A young Australian soldier is helping the East Timorese rebuild a church. The comment is made that it is not something spiritual, but a good thing to do.

It would have been a significant spiritual experience for the East Timorese who had their church restored to them. Can't get much more spiritual than that!

It also highlights the importance of protecting places of worship from wanton attacks.

Bryan Michael Doyle
Ambarvale, NSW

Asylum seekers

B Introna (Asylum seekers, Letters, CW 6/1) objects to mistreatment of refugees, with the usual "I'm ashamed to be an Australian" passage.

I am not ashamed to be Australian. On the contrary, I am proud to count myself as part of that 18.6 per cent who oppose the Howard/Ruddock cabal at every opportunity.

At every gathering, always in the minority and often alone, we few challenge our compatriots to rediscover compassion and consider more humanitarian solutions to so many serious and dangerous problems.

We believe that this approach will bring peace and safety to the dispossessed. It will also help to make our 18.6 per cent into 95 per cent. For the rest, there will always be the unconvinced.

The Bishops, armed with the moral and intellectual strength of their calling, must find the way forward.

Dermott Ryder
Liverpool, NSW

National pride

Unlike B Introna (Asylum seekers, Letters, CW 6/1) I am proud to be an Australian; hence my disgust and anger at the treatment of the refugees.

Electoral victory may indicate that the Government's action was popular: It certainly does not legitimise it.

My national pride is re-inforced and confirmed by the number of informed, compassionate people, like B Introna, who refuse to condone, by silence, the mean and callous actions of our Government.

J B LeBreton
Leura, NSW

Not spiritual?

In relation to Chalice by Fr Tony Corcoran (Letters, CW 20/1), I too have noticed an increase in the number of people who (1) do not communicate from the chalice or (2) who take the host and dip and shake it into the chalice.

Do they believe they will be harmed in the process of receiving the Blood of Christ?

E Cronin
Erina, NSW