Self Evident Perhaps but It's Polite to Ask!

AUSTRALIA'S religious leaders have ducked the political row over the Prime Minister's living arrangements according to the Sydney Morning Herald... But what of the Catholic comment Fairfax? Was the good and usually vocal cardinal or at the least President of the ACBC unavailable?

Coo-ees Caption Competition

Nun Wars

Did you realise that the orders of religious sisters who wear veils and habits "seem more attracted by a common life of prayer and Eucharistic adoration rather than by service" , in contrast to "more established" congregations? Well, that's according to an article written by "Brown Josephite" Sr Carmel Pilcher, published in Cathblog a couple of weeks ago.

Sister contrasts the "religious women [who]have now moved on to address other needs ... they are likely to be found in refugee camps, assisting drug addicts, eradicating human trafficking or serving the needs of aboriginal peoples" with the newer, younger sisters who "believe...they are the ‘real nuns’ who will bring the church back to its former glory", and "live in communities with a designated superior". She mentions several elderly religious women from the "more established" congregations who have, even in their 80's, bravely moved into difficult apostolates.
This week, there is another Cathblog article by the same Sr Carmel, titled "Nuns or Sisters". She eruditely explains the difference between "nuns" strictly defined, and "religious sisters." And then she launches an apologia for the present phenomenon of Sisters not wearing habits or living in community.

(There is one sentence in Sr Carmel's recent article with which we can ALL agree, :
"Many of us no longer have a distinctive dress but we do dress distinctively".
That's oh so true, though not perhaps in the sense that she intended.)


Now remember from the previous article, Sisters who wear veils and habits "seem" not to be attracted by service.

Sister Carmel feels that some sort of habit might be useful in (backward?) places like Asia where "uniforms" are a sign of "belonging", but not here:"in Australia we are much less formal. We are more likely to dress to identify ourselves with a sporting team rather than at any other time. While in [sic] other societies place much emphasis on class and social stratus [sic], our nation is more egalitarian. "

And apparently the reason why Sisters don't live in common any more is that "our place of living is determined by our ministry and we are always accountable to one another as community even though many of us might now live alone." (There I was thinking that it might have something to do with not being able to bear living with each others idiosyncrasies when unmitigated by the old disciplines and rules.)

So, wearing a habit means that you've chosen worship rather than service, and living in actual community means that you're cut off from exercising "a strong prophetic voice that speaks out on behalf of refugees, the homeless and any other of societies’ powerless."

If Sr Carmel's Cathblog articles are representative of the attitude of the "established" Congregations towards the ones that wear habits and veils, there seems a disproportionate lack of sisterly affection, frankly, towards the latter. I mean, the Missionaries of Charity live in convents and treasure common life and Eucharistic worship, but surely we couldn't accuse them of not being very "attracted by service"?


My problem with this series of articles, and similar defensive arguments one hears from the "established" Sisters, is that I don't understand the need for such a sniping attitude from the un-veiled Sisters about the veiled ones. Surely there is room in this needy world for both kinds, and any number of variations in between. I don't think anybody begrudges the Josephites or any of the other "established" Congregations the esteem they've garnered for the marvelous things many of them do. And the "veiled" Sisters who live in convents and go out to their apostolates (sorry, "ministries") are likewise deserving of esteem.

Must it be "either/or"? Can't the world have the benefit of both?

And was it really necessary for Sister to write, immediately after a sentence about habits and convents, "What was it that Jesus said about those who are preoccupied with externals?"

I am beginning to wonder just who is becoming preoccupied with externals.

Cloister Worm Says Abbott over Gillard!

Well gentle pilgrim... a hermaphrodite with pinko scarf and blue rinse could hardly be accused of any bias in assessing this evening's one and only leaders debate.

So when The Cloister's worm says it's an Abbott win who are we to argue!

Way to go Anthony!

Happy Feast Mother Mirabalis!

A Few of My Favourite Things...

A dip of the biretta to Acts of the Apostacy for this most amusing post and one of the best lines I've read in some time!

... I hope this brief synopsis of the other liturgical elements provides you with a deeper appreciation for the hard work and commitment of creative liturgists and priests, with the goal of increasing active participation.

Never have so few done so much to provide so little.

St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop) Patron of the Feisty and Opinionated?

Coo-ee pilgrims... Mother Mirabilis here again!

Adelaide journalist Shirley Stott Despoja is the winner of the inaugural Mary MacKillop Award for her outstanding contribution to journalism, announced by Archbishop Philip Wilson at the 20th annual Catholic Archbishop’s Media Citations.

“Mary MacKillop herself was a great correspondent and also challenged the social norms of the day,” said +Wilson, “Ms Stott Despoja’s efforts to break the stereotypes of ageing and challenge her peers to be feisty and opinionated would undoubtedly be applauded by Mary.”

Would they Your Grace?

Here in The Cloister some cant help wondering how exactly Australia's first saint would feel about being all things to all people!

Doppelganger?

Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear...

It was suggested today that election related material had no place here in The Cloister and that the inclusion of this material had been offensive to those who support the Abbott led Coalition. However, regular pilgrims to these curious corridors would know that the present government enjoys no preference in this place and that we have a history of comment on matters of politics.

Regular pilgrims will also know that attempting to lecture us on the appropriateness of content only encourages us further. With that in mind and in the interests of restoring balance as well as assisting Br Pelagius with his penance herewith a further election contribution...

Those who were previously concerned by any perception of partisanism should feel a little more relaxed and comfortable.

Election amusement

Spain 1 - New Ways of Being Church 0...

Netherlands Catholic priest Reverend Paul Vlaar who orchestrated an orange-themed Mass in support of the nation's Soccer World Cup tilt has been suspended by his bishop for a failure to demonstrate appropriate respect to the sacred nature of the Eucharist.

Fr Vlaar wore an orange chasuable and festooned his church in orange before the recent World Cup final. During the service he even acted as a goalkeeper as a parishioner kicked a football down the aisle. But Bishop Jozef Punt has in a statement said the circus had "caused outrage" in the Netherlands and overseas and directed Fr Vlaar to engage in "a period of reflection" suspending him from his responsibilites.

Predictably, the congregation were reportedly "shocked and disappointed" by the suspension. The 'parish vice-chairman' claims "it is part of Pastor Paul's personality that he manages to harness that kind of enthusiasm to get people into church. The church here is full and in other places churches are empty."

Well gentle pilgrim... nothing new under the sun here but some in The Cloister have been speculating that had the liturgy been taken more seriously might the obvious petition have fared better!

Why bother going?

The National Council of Priests of Australia:

"Where Immaturity and Prejudice meet Ignorance and Folly"

Ingham's Chickens Cry Fowl...

I wish to share with you a matter of importance for our Diocese says Bishop Ingham of Wollongong...

"A Co-Cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being the Bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral. This in no way compromises the present status of St Francis Xavier Cathedral which was declared a Cathedral by Pope Pius XII in 1951. The Cathedral and the Co-Cathedral will exist side by side in neighbouring parishes...

The three distinct Parishes of St Francis Xavier Wollongong, St John Vianney Fairy Meadow and St Brigid Gwynneville, will be under the administration of Fr Ron Peters, with the assistance of Fr Bernard Dowell and Fr Richard Healey, on my behalf as Bishop and Parish Priest.

At this stage, I am simply making the announcement. In time, there will be a process to assist the parishioners to move into a new way of being church in the Pastoral Region."

So gentle pilgrim in the context of a "new way of being church" what should be made of a reference under the heading "Threats" at page 15 of Journey the seasonal news magazine of the diocese of Wollongong to the "conservatism of some priests" and "disunity of some clergy"?

A diocese deep throat suggests the absence of Frs Debattista to Rome and Gordon to the Sydney seminary has been a significant step in diminishing the conservative threat and observes that the new pastoral region has been entrusted to a dean 5 years ordained and an assistant priest 4 years ordained.

Our source seems to suggest that the charismatic +Ingham and his chickens are losing their heads!

Get with the Spirit...

In a pamphlet circulating in all the usual places and certain circles, Priest Forever, Paul Collins insists the language of the new English translation of the Missale Romanum is a rarefied form of the language belonging to poetry or the Victorian era.

And with your Spirit he says is "a literal translation of Et cum spiritu tuo but it is meaningless in modern English"

In this vein, apart from the fact that she agrees she exactly left the impression that she made an announcement about a specific location which she now hopes to undo, what should Australians make of our first woman Prime Minister's employ of 'the venacular' in the following statement on her non-specific solution to 'unscheduled refugee arrivals'...

"I'm not going to leave undisturbed the impression that I made an announcement about a specific location."

We hear you Jooolia!

What, gentle pilgrim, does this tell us about the employ of language for specific purposes... even the English we might elect to use in our liturgy!

Our new Missal IS coming people... Get with the Spirit!

We are Not Amused

While Br Pelagius is thrilled at the continued moves towards destroying the Monarchy that are underway in the Motherland, I am not.

However it seems the ABC is keen, which is not at all surprising. See their infruiatingly smug story here.

If I may respond with the words of Edmund Burke in 1790:

"The age of chivalry is gone. -- That of sophisters, economists, and calculators, has succeeded; and the glory of Europe is extinguished forever. Never, never more, shall we behold a generous loyalty to rank and sex, that proud submission, that dignified obedience, that subordination of the heart, which kept alive, even in servitude itself, the spirit of an exalted freedom. The unbought grace of life, achieved defensive nations, the nurse of the manly sentiment and heroic enterprise is gone! It is gone, that sensibility of principle, that chastity of honor, which felt a stain like a wound, which inspired courage while it mitigated ferocity, which ennobled whatever it touched, and under which vice itself lost half its evil, by losing all its grossness. . . .

But now all is to be changed. All the pleasing illusions, which made power gentle, and obedience liberal, which harmonized the different shades of life, and which, by a bland the simulation, incorporated into politics the sentiments which beautify and soften private society, are to be dissolved by this new conquering empire of light and reason. All the decent drapery of life is to be rudely torn off. All the super-added ideas, furnished from the wardrobe of a moral imagination, which the heart owns, and the understanding ratifies, as necessary to cover the defects of her naked shivering nature, and to raise it to dignity in our own estimation, are to be exploded as ridiculous, absurd, and antiquated fashion."

Port Pirie Comes Online...

Whether it was the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri or Battle Creek, Michigan, July 7, 1928 marks the commercial employ of the first loaf-at-a-time bread-slicing machine.

The bread was advertised as, "the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped" and coined the phrase in 1930 "the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Imagine what pilgrims must be thinking in the Diocese of Port Pirie now they have their very own website!

Hello Port Pirie!

Perhaps this might inspire his Lordship Armidale...

The Sydney SCENE...

Coo-ee pilgrims... Mother Mirabilis here again!

Cardinal Pell may not be off to the Congregation for Bishops but it seems he is not part of the Sydney SCENE either!
 
Rumour is dear pilgrims that this may be the last chance to be part of the Sydney SCENE especially given the speculation surrounding Bishop Porteous' appointment as Secretary to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation!

Westminster Caption Competition

The Archbishop was relieved by news the assistant organist was gone to Sydney!

Constant in Faith...

Once again Dionysius Melburneii demonstrates his quality as a worthy shepherd... What must those in the Diocese of the Big Drain make of such a truly pastoral man!

My Dear People,

We are all painfully aware that our Church is now going through a terrible time of suffering and self-examination. The full extent of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and religious continues to emerge, not only here in Australia but throughout the world.

Once again, therefore, I express my deep sorrow and offer a sincere and unreserved apology to all those victims who have suffered the pain and humiliation of sexual abuse and to their families...

... As your Archbishop, I want you to know that I share in your desolation and sense of betrayal. The criminal offences and breaches of vows committed by some priests and religious bring shame upon the entire Church. How can we Catholics not be shocked and shamed?

... For me personally, this is one of the saddest times of my 43 years in the Catholic priesthood...

...To those of you who cry out with Jesus from the cross, “Why have you abandoned me?”, I re-dedicate myself and the Archdiocese to serve and care pastorally for all of the Church’s people and the protection of all of its children.

At a time when our faith is sorely tested, let us remember together God’s word:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1).


Yours sincerely in Christ

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne

1 July 2010

Read the entire pastoral letter here

Thank you Your Grace. You are indeed Constant in Faith!

Arresting Development for Hitchens...

News is reaching The Cloister that atheist, Christopher Hitchens has throat cancer and has been forced to cut short a book tour to undergo a course of chemotherapy.

An outspoken exponent of the "new atheism" movement and author of the 2007 book God Is Not Great, Hitchens has argued that the concept of God is a totalitarian belief that destroys individual freedom. He is remembered in these humble corridors as being at the centre of a stunt to arrest the Holy Father when he visits the United Kingdom in September.

Funny how things turn out!

That said, when most of are confronted with a life threatening illness we turn to God, so one can only wonder who a prominent atheist turns to... Lassie?

Could it be that he is about to find out how great God truly is?

We hope and pray...