Letters: Scholarly work

Sydney
1 June 2003

Bishop: Gay consent bill opens a "Pandora's box"

Bishop explains in ‘pastoral message’

Meditation ‘not Christian prayer’

Clare’s crowd - her family of 71

Parish priest moves out of ‘intolerable’ position’ at Redfern

Patroness ‘role model in faith’

New ambassador to Vatican

Selling peace and The Catholic Weekly

Govt honours cardinal, bishops, laity

Don’t believe everything you read, but ...

Students chip in $9000 for Caritas

Editorial: Care of mothers

Letters: Scholarly work

Conversation: Anthony Succar, university student and president of the Society of St Peter - Faith, strength and kryptonite

Following the Maker’s instructions

Social change at heart of new graduate body

Rainbow Serpent in stations at La Perouse church

How a painting of the Resurrection can help girls at risk

Centre for Cebu kids needs cash: Smokey Mountain is calling again.

Vestments, chalice of pioneer priests

Letters: Scholarly work

Dr Christopher West presented the Pope’s scholarly work The Theology of the Body in clear layman’s terms when he visited Sydney recently.

There were many young people in the audience, whose enthusiasm was shown by their applause at the end.

Dr West’s book The Good News about Sex and Marriage is very popular.

Here is someone with the courage, knowledge and ability to present the Church’s teaching on chastity, contraception, abortion, etc.

He answers so many worries and concerns that must be addressed if we are to live happy, holy and chaste lives.

Catherine Bennett
West Pennant Hills, NSW

MEMORIES

Thank you for the memories:

First it was the photo of the Eucharistic Congress in which I took part in 1953 (Remember when, CW 11/5).

Then came the pictures of St Vincent’s Church Ashfield (Facelift for Ashfield’s grand old lady, Inspirations, CW 18/5) where 40 years ago on the May 11, 1963 my husband Tom and I were married.

And in Remember when (CW 18/5) the photo included the late Frank Meaney, with whom we worked to establish - under the guidance of the late Fr Ted Nugent, OCarm - our own direct giving program at Our Lady of

Mt Carmel, Wentworthville. Those were the days and what great days they were.

Mrs Madge Fahy
Ashwood, Vic

IRISH PRIESTS

Congratulations to The Catholic Weekly and to Dr Joe Morley for the recent excellent articles on the Bicentenary of Sydney’s first Mass.

However, whether the first three Irish priests, after returning to Ireland, did not advocate on behalf of the fledgling colonial Catholic community may not be as clear-cut as suggested (Irish trio let NSW ministry slip away, CW 11/5).

Dr Morley concludes that because there is no record revoking Fr Dixon’s appointment as Prefect Apostolic he was “obliged to endeavour to have one or more priests go to minister there (Sydney)”.

The absence of a single letter is insufficient reason for such an unequivocal judgment about Fr Dixon. It is possible that Rome overlooked the matter, or that the document has been lost. The Irish, too, were not great record keepers.

We can be proud of the pioneering efforts of Frs O’Neill, Harold and Dixon.

We should not idolise them; nor without primary evidence conclude, one way or the other, whether they played a role in the Church leaving the colony priestless for a decade.

D J Gleeson
Concord, NSW

ROSARY

The suggestion by S Duffy (Day of the rosary, Letters CW 27/4) that one day in each parish be devoted to the rosary is wonderful.

In our parish church at South West Rocks we have a Mass on Saturday night prior to which a rosary tape is played (at 5.30) and the rosary is recited by the congregation as they arrive, through tothe commencement of Mass. This has continued for many years now and is greatly appreciated by the congregation.

If there is no midweek Mass, some members of the parish meet at the church and say the rosary and chaplet of mercy.

Mrs Zoe Hughes
South West Rocks, NSW

PIUS XII ON CELIBACY

As far back as the early 1950s erroneous views were circulating on celibacy. Thus, Pope Pius XII responded with his 1954 encyclical Sacra Virginitas. Paragraphs 32 and 46 are most relevant to the recent Letters page discussion on celibacy (Irritated CW 27/4, Celibacy and marriage CW 11/5, Saintliness CW 18/5 and Depth of understanding CW 25/5):

#32 This doctrine of the excellence of virginity and of celibacy and of their superiority over the married state was, as we have already said, revealed by our Divine Redeemer and by the Apostle of the Gentiles; so too, it was solemnly defined as a dogma of divine faith by the holy council of Trent, [57] and explained in the same way by all the Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Finally, we and our predecessors have often expounded it and earnestly advocated it whenever occasion offered. But recent attacks on this traditional doctrine of the Church, the danger they constitute, and the harm they do to the souls of the faithful lead us, in fulfillment of the duties of our charge, to take up the matter once again in this encyclical letter, and to reprove these errors which are so often propounded under a specious appearance of truth

#46 Holiness of life can really be attained, even without a chastity that is consecrated to God. Witness to this are the many holy men and women, who are publicly honoured by the Church, and who were faithful spouses and stood out as an example of excellent fathers and mothers; indeed it is not rare to find married people who are very earnest in their efforts for Christian perfection

Fr John George
Randwick North, NSW

LIVE FOR OTHERS

There hardly seems to be any cause for the debate on celibacy and marriage.

Never once has Christ’s celibacy or the virginity of his mother been of any consequence to me.

The challenge that Christ throws to each one of us, irrespective of his divinity, is to live our lives for others.

“Love your neighbour as yourself” irresspective of whether you are married or celibate. Are we able to meet this challenge and die for others like Christ did?

Selma Coutinho
Penshurst, NSW