The DIAMOND JUBILEE
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UT H E J O U R TN A L O F TO H E S T T H PO M A S M OI R E S O AC I E T Y VOLUME No. 3 MARCH 2007 THE DIAMOND JUBILEE Cardinals Clancy, Pell and Cassidy concelebrate the 75th Red Mass, 31 January 2005 This special double issue of Utopia Later in the year the Society The Diamond Jubilee celebrations commemorates an extraordinary period marked its Diamond Jubilee as well as culminated in a series of Papal Honours in the life of the St. Thomas More Society. sponsoring, with the NSW Jewish Board conferred by Cardinal Pell on behalf of 2005 began with the 75th celebration of of Deputies, an international ecumenical the Holy See in September 2006. This the Red Mass, which included a special commemoration at the Great Synagogue issue is a permanent record of a number message sent to the Society on behalf of of the 40th anniversary of Vatican II’s of the important homilies and speeches the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. declaration Nostra Aetate. delivered during these special years. Below: Cardinal Pell (centre) with the Papal Honour recipients. L to R: Fr B Byron (Chaplain), F J Esler SM (Former Chaplain), The Hon J Slattery QC (Founding Member), A J Reynolds (Former Treasurer), J McCarthy QC (Former President) 1 75TH RED MASS HOMILY St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney – 31 January 2005 Ezek 36:23-8; Ps 144:8-14; 1 Cor 2:10-16; Lk 4:16-21 The Society’s Patron, Cardinal His Holiness is confident that, inspired George Pell, was Principal Celebrant by the radical and complete witness and homilist at the 75th Red Mass. In of Saint Thomas More and sustained honour of the occasion the concelebrants by the truth that is in Jesus Christ (cf. were Cardinal Edward Clancy, Emeritus Eph 4:21), this sixtieth anniversary Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Idris celebration will be an occasion for Edward Cassidy, Emeritus President of all those taking part to deepen their the Holy See’s Council for Promoting commitment to defend the inviolable Christian Unity, Auxiliary Bishop dignity and rights of every human Anthony Fisher OP, Father Brian Lucas, being – from conception until natural General Secretary of the Australian death – and to promote the common good in accordance with the demands Catholic Bishops Conference, and of compassion, justice, and respect for Father Paul Stenhouse. Both Bishop truth. Fisher and Father Lucas were solicitors before commencing their studies in the With these sentiments, the Holy Father seminary. invokes upon all present an outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s gifts of wisdom, The readings were given by Michael Cardinal George Pell light and strength, and he cordially Slattery QC, Senior Vice President of imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a the New South Wales Bar Association pledge of joy and peace in our Lord and Mr John McIntyre, President of the The Holy Father was pleased to be Jesus Christ. NSW Law Society. The Prayers of the informed that the St. Thomas More The first meeting of the St. Thomas Faithful were read by John McCarthy Society is celebrating the Diamond More Society took place in the presence Jubilee of its foundation, as well as the QC, then President of the Society. The of Archbishop Norman Gilroy, as he seventy-fifth ‘Red Mass’ on 31 January congregation included Mr Slattery QC’s then was, on 14 August 1945, the eve 2005. He asks you kindly to convey father, retired Supreme Court justice the of that wonderful day when victory was his warm greetings and good wishes to Hon John Slattery QC, who is the last declared in the Pacific and peace arrived the distinguished participants gathered surviving founder of the Society. Richard after the terrible Second World War. Perrignon (Councillor) conducted the for this solemn occasion. A constitution was proclaimed then, choir and Francois Kunc (Secretary) The Church in Australia today is with specific objects consonant with the was Cathedral Cantor at the Mass. faced with the task of fulfilling her evangelizing mission in an increasingly juris praeceptor of the Justinian Code, On this 75th celebration of the Red promulgated by the Byzantine Emperor secularized society. The sense of Mass in the Archdiocese of Sydney, Justinian in 529, “honeste vivere, alterum God and of his loving Providence when we remember too the Diamond non iaedere, suum cuique tribuere” i.e. has diminished for many people, Jubilee of the St. Thomas More Society, “live honestly, do not hurt others, pay with a subsequent neglect of Man’s I would like to begin with these few each his due”. necessary relationship with the loving words of reflection by reading a letter I Creator (cf. Ecclesia in Oceania, 18). More specifically these objects received recently from the Secretariat of In the midst of this challenge the Holy were spelt out as providing members State in the Vatican, sent, and I quote, “to Father encourages the members of the opportunities to understand better the distinguished participants gathered legal profession to recall that “faith the principles of Christian ethics and for this solemn occasion”: in fact has the force to shape culture morality, and their relationship to the itself by penetrating it to its very core” law, to encourage free enlightened (ibid. 20). discussion on these points and their application in every day legal practice. 2 In these discussions over the years Any good system of laws must However none of these relativists can the writings, and the personal and be built upon an honest and genuine consistently follow their constructs to professional story of Thomas More, “the pursuit of justice, on the part of those their logical conclusions. A small story King’s good and loyal servant, but God’s legislators who frame the laws and those exemplifies this. first” have played a prominent part. legal practitioners who have to put these Professor Robbie George’s book The positive laws into practice. Any good He is a worthy model, not merely for has a foreword society is held together by good people C/ash of Orthodoxies the supreme sacrifice he paid, but for his following just laws. written by John J. Dilulio Jr which tells learning, independence and moderation, of a brilliant student in moral philosophy his good humour and loyalty to family This is part of what Ezekiel, one who wrote a passionately argued paper and friends. of the strangest of the Old Testament “There is no such thing as justice”. He prophets, is saying when he has the Lord Legend has it that when they met was failed by his lecturer. Stunned and promising to give his people a heart of together for the first time Erasmus disappointed the student complained, flesh rather than a heart of stone, so that opened by saying “you must be Thomas explaining the considerable work he had God’s laws will be followed. More or nobody”. More replied “and done and that he thought it was a good you must be Erasmus or the Devil!” In ancient times in the Middle East piece of work all peoples experienced human tyranny The scholarly contributions of the The professor agreed saying it was and the extremities of nature more Society’s chaplain Fr. Brian Byron on the best piece of work he had received in regularly and vividly than most of us More are well known, but many lawyers 30 years lecturing; that it was a brilliantly in Australia today. Despite this, and too over the sixty years developed successful and destructive attack on all without ignoring this evil and suffering, professional expertise in his writings legal, moral and religious orthodoxies. Jewish monotheism learnt that God was as well as a personal devotion and In fact, he said, “you persuaded me good, predictable and just. So the refrain reverence. Copies of Holbein’s splendid from Psalm 144 today is that the Lord is there is no such thing as justice, so don’t portrait, now in the Frick Gallery in New just in all his ways. God’s rule lasts from complain”. York, which Anne Boleyn tried to destroy age to age as the Lord supports all who I don’t know whether this story is a but only succeeded in ripping slightly at fall and raises all who are bowed down. regular part of academic legend, but if it the top, are still found in the homes and is, it still bears repetition. offices of Catholic lawyers. The son of It was from within this framework of one Catholic lawyer, not from Sydney I law that Jesus applied the prophecies of Let us continue to pray that justice hasten to add, told me some years ago Isaiah to himself when he proclaimed his will be followed and justice will be done that he thought his father would like a anointing to set the downtrodden free, to in our Australian society. May the story picture of More in every room in the proclaim the Lord’s year of favour. of Thomas More continue to provide house. I was quietly pleased when I was We should pray today that this inspiration and markers to our legislators able to persuade the lad to take John commitment to justice, indeed this and lawyers. May the St. Thomas More Fisher as his confirmation patron. passionate commitment to justice will Society continue to prosper! Robert Bolt’s play and the subsequent never grow cold in Australia, much less May an increasing number of people in the Australian Catholic community. film enlarged More’s circle of admirers, come to realise that faith has a central helping provoke an immense increase of Saint Thomas More understood this place in a well ordered society, that truth Morean scholarship in the 1960s, and well.