Author Archives: cmadmin

Cardinal Pell says he is willing to go to Redfern to sort out the problem, but months of negotiations have gotten nowhere. “The parish clergy continue to have my full support,” he said. “They have been subject to regular abuse, harassment and provocation, often during the mass itself.” The Australian, August 05, 2006

Over the last 30 months or so, members of the St Vincent’s community, as a group and individually, have been trying to establish a dialogue with the hierarchy of the Catholic Church regarding the untenable appointment of proponents of the Neocatechumenal Way to the Redfern parish, and … Continue reading →

From this week’s Online Catholics:

Following Paula McLeod’s article last week, Rise Up for a Just Church, several comments were made to me which have been encapsulated in this week’s letter, Some help please! from Fr Sanchez, of Brisbane: basically that people would like to write – but to whom and what needs to be said?

In the specific case of Redfern, Cardinal George Pell, and the parish priest, Fr Gerard Prindiville, would head the list. Other possibilities include Archbishop Philip Wilson (Adelaide), as President of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, … Continue reading →

The 10am Mass on Sunday at St Vincent’s was stacked with many more Neocats than usual, including a significant proportion of first-timers. They were almost strategically distributed about the church, surrounding the community, to hear Prindiville read this letter to the congregation before Mass on Sunday. It was also published in the weekend’s parish bulletin.

From the Parish Priest
Dear brothers and sisters, and people of good will,
Our parish of St. Vincent has recently been in the news. For this reason Fr Clesio and I wish to appeal to you for cooperation.

More than three eventful … Continue reading →

Online Catholics, 9 August, 2006

Who really gives a fig about Redfern? If it were East Timor or West Papua the letters would be flying in all directions! My mail this week revealed the usual clutch of bills and brochures, but the letter that caught my attention was an envelope with “Rise Up for a Just Church” emblazoned across the front.

The contents revealed the latest letter from the American lay activist movement Call to Action, celebrating its 30th year in 2006. Interesting I thought: 30 years of advocacy for the accountability of bishops. Thirty … Continue reading →

The following curious article appeared in The Australian today.

It should be noted that the good Cardinal was not criticised so much for his opinions on how to help the Aboriginal community, as for the implication by association in those words that the St. Vincent’s community is involved in such activities.

It should also be noted that yesterday was Hiroshima Sunday, so the liturgy included a number of uncomfortable (leftwing?) reminders of the past – such as the sad fact that the atomic weapons dropped on Japan were blessed by Catholic priests before they were deployed, and that the small … Continue reading →

My name is Frank Cain and I have been a member of this community for around twenty years. I am proud to have played a part in the liturgy of the Message Stick and establishing the Mural at St Vincent’s last Sunday. The Mural is a symbolic artistic gesture of the discernment of God’s beautiful face in creation. It conveys the words of the Vicar of Christ, or Christ’s representative, the late Pope John Paul II, stating that the Aboriginal people make up part of the Church of this country and recognizes their Catholicism as well … Continue reading →

The Australian, August 05, 2006

Help now or in the hereafter? Different approaches by modern missionaries have stirred tensions in Redfern, writes Peter Lalor

Put tree around pope’s words: Garry Griffiths in front of the mural he painted inside St Vincents Church, Redfern. Picture: James Croucher

LAST Saturday night, a group of conservative Spanish missionary priests held their mass in a middle-class Redfern terrace. The Eucharistic loaf was baked according to a strict recipe and the furtive community prayed like early Christians.

Nearby, at their empty Catholic church, a confronting mural was drying on the … Continue reading →

The following letter was sent to George Pell back in May. There has been no reply – not even an acknowledgement of receipt.

This is hardly surprising, as many previous communications have met the same fate, or at best elicited a perfunctory response that made no attempt to address the issues raised. The community’s attempts at dialogue with the hierarchy have failed miserably, least of all through want of trying.

Rather than explore these serious issues, Pell has chosen to demonise the community – there are numerous cases (press reports and letters) documented on this website. The most recent is … Continue reading →

Letters & Opinion
Sydney Morning Herald, August 1, 2006

Griffo and friends, what a beautiful work of art you have made in St Vincent’s (“A break-in immaculately conceived”, July 31). What a shame that nowhere in the article was that recognised by Father Prindiville. He was quoted as being more concerned with the congregation’s failure to “accept any sort of authority” than with the beauty of the words, art and artists in St Vincent’s. Perhaps he should try walking with the people as Christ did (and clearly Father Ted, too) rather than on … Continue reading →

On October 1, 2006 the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Pope John Paul ll’s visit to Alice Springs and his address to the Aboriginal People. The Message Stick Pass it On relay was launched nationally by none other than Cardinal Pell on 1 May 2005.

The Message Stick is a call from the Church to come together united in friendship, fellowship, spirituality and respect, to commemorate this anniversary and recommit to the message of the late Pope.

On Sunday the Message Stick was welcomed … Continue reading →