Quarterly magazine of the National Council of Priests of Australia The Swag theswag.org.au | Vol. 25 No. 1 | Autumn 2017 REGULARS NCP CONTACTS From the NCP Chairman ................................................3 Editorial .....................................................................................4 Letters to the Editor .........................................................32 News ..................................................................................33-36 Reviews ............................................................................37-39 Returned to God .........................................................40-42 FEATURES Chairman Secretary Treasurer Seminary formation and the Rev Jim Clarke Rev Mark Freeman Rev Wayne Bendotti 44 Margaret St Royal Commission ..............................................................5 2 Taylors Lane PO Box 166 Rowville VIC 3178 Launceston TAS 7250 Dardanup WA 6236 Enemy inside the gate ................................................... 6-7 P: (03) 9764 4058 P: (03) 6331 4377 P: (08) 9728 1145 Young people to set agenda for Synod .......................7 F: (03) 9764 5154 F: (03) 6334 1906 F: (08) 9728 0000 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Burdens of office .............................................................. 8-9 Association of Catholic Priests .............................10-11 Bishop Mulkearns – canonist and friend ........11-12 Towards a change of parish contours ................12-14 Back to following the way ........................................14-15 New body to test Church resolve on professional standards abuse and intercessory prayer .............15-16 Having a say in selecting our Bishop ...................16-17 Why is the liturgy boring? ...............................................18 Committee Committee Editor Larger fears fuel cardinals’ divorce beef ......................19 Rev Boni Buahendri SVD Rev Paddy Sykes Rev Peter Maher Discovering the joy of love .......................................20-21 100 Albion Rd 103 Fernleigh Rd 109 Lennox St Box Hill VIC 3128 Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 Newtown NSW 2042 Jerusalem – the city of Shalom ......................................21 P: (03) 9890 0065 P: (02) 6925 2111 P: (02) 9557 3197 The man caught committing effrontery ....................22 F: (03) 9899 1937 F: (02) 6925 6116 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Ordination Anniversaries 2017..............................23-26 New councillors wash feet ...............................................27 On carrying a scandal biblically: a response ....28-29 Trinity: It’s all about family .............................................30 Woolman’s spirituality and ending slavery .......31 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples are respectfully advised that this Executive Officer Administrative Officer publication may contain the words, names, images and/or descriptions of Ms Sally Heath Mrs Christine Moore [email protected] people who have passed away. [email protected] ALL SUBMISSIONS TO: ABOUT THE NCP E: [email protected] The National Council of Priests of Australia, Annual online subscription ALL ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: founded in 1970 in the spirit of Vatican II, is $25.00 (four editions). E: [email protected] a voluntary association of bishops, priests and Pro-rata subscription for the print edition deacons. It is committed to the fraternity and $8.25 (inc GST) per edition. DESIGN further education of clergy and to representing Please contact the NCP National Office Privaro Design www.privaro.com.au all clergy in the public forum. The NCP is for all subscriptions. NCP NATIONAL OFFICE acknowledged by the Australian Catholic Bishops The views expressed in The Swagare not Conference. necessarily those of the NCP executive, PO Box 295, Belmont VIC 3216 The Swag is published quarterly (March, June, 74 Fryers Rd, Belmont VIC 3216 the editors or NCP staff. September & December) by the National Council Copyright © National Council of Priests P: (03) 5244 3680 of Priests of Australia as a service to Catholic of Australia. F: (03) 5244 4762 clergy of Australia, and through them to the Church and the wider community. This magazine is copyright. All rights reserved. [email protected] No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored Non-members and interested lay people Skype: ncpnationaloffice in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or are most welcome to subscribe. www.nationalcouncilofpriests.com.au by any means electronic, mechanical, recording or www.theswag.org.au Annual print subscription otherwise, without the prior written permission of www.catholicdirectory.com.au $33.00 per calendar year (four editions). the publisher. FROM THE NCP CHAIRMANFEATURES James Clarke serve and your interests we seek to we discussed the cost of producing and represent. Our ability to continue to distributing this valuable resource. Due to advocate for the needs of Australian increased postage costs it is necessary to add Clergy greatly depends on our capacity to a postage & handling fee to all 2017 orders. maintain and grow our membership base. This Autumn Edition of The Swag is sent to In a time of rapid change and of great every priest in the hope that they will learn challenge, uncertainty and trial for the more about our organisation and in turn Australian Church, the strength and will become a member and receive each encouragement we offer one another edition of our magazine. We have many through our active membership of the lay subscribers who also contribute articles. NCP is all the more vitally important. Many of our members take out a bulk Conscious of the financial pressures faced subscription for their parishes and many by many members and of the need to schools also purchase bulk subscriptions for keep membership as affordable as possible, their staff. We are reliably informed that we have kept the 2017 subscription price there are many avid readers of The Swag increase to a minimum. Membership because of this initiative. The cost for bulk renewals and invitations were mailed orders for Parishes and Schools is only nother year has begun and Pope during the third week of February and $1.00 per copy and you just need to Francis is still with us, praise God. your prompt payment by 31 March contact the NCP National Office. The good news on the liturgical will be greatly appreciated. As this edition of The Swag goes to print, Afront is that the Holy Father has decided I wish to acknowledge the dedicated the Royal Commission into Institutional to review the procedures of Liturgiam work and professionalism of our Executive Responses to Sexual Abuse will be Authenticam the document which Officer, Sally Heath and our Administrative wrapping up its inquiry into the Catholic prescribes a transliteration of the liturgy Officer, Christine Moore who manage our Church. This is an issue which has shamed from Latin into English, rather than a national office and contribute to the us and weighed heavily upon our people. translation. We hope that this will mean effective work of our organisation. The NCP has continued to support the a revamp of the current edition of the initiatives of the Bishops of Australia as Roman Missal and hopefully the The Official Directory of the Catholic Church they endeavour to implements strategies restoration of the 1998 ICEL translation in Australia is published by the NCP as a and protocols to ensure that there will which was never revealed. service to the Church in Australia. This never be a repeat of this blight on our directory contains information vital to the Church. We support and applaud the work Our organisation continues to serve the efficient administration of our parishes and Church and the presbyterate of Australia. of Francis Sullivan in his leadership of the we encourage each of you to ensure that Truth Justice and Healing Council. As We are concerned that a number of your parish/es and school/s purchase a overseas priests ministering in our dioceses Pope Francis tells us; “Challenges exist to copy annually. The directory is updated be overcome! Let us be realists, but without are unaware of the NCP. We encourage each year (over 20,000 data changes losing our joy, our boldness and our all members to promote the benefits of each edition) and contains all relevant hope-filled commitment. Let us not allow membership of our organization, especially information concerning the Church ourselves to be robbed of our missionary those Parish Priests who have overseas nationally. An order form is on the inside vigour!” (E.G.109) assistant priests. The NCP exists for you back cover of this edition. At our recent and because of you. It is your needs we face to face executive meeting in Belmont Yours in His Priesthood. 2 NCP ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP At the NCP General Meeting, held Thursday 28 July 2016, the motion NCP exists for you to offer Associate Membership to religious women and brothers and the laity, to enable those that participate to support and encourage the and because of objectives and works of the NCP, was passed unanimously. you! The Constitution of the Association has been amended to include a category of membership to be known as an Associate. Prompt Payment of your An Associate member, on payment of an annual subscription fee will 2017 membership be entitled to receive a subscription to The Swag and access to other rights and