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From The Independent in London, Published: 08 September 2006
By Kathy Marks in Sydney

A thinly attended Friday morning mass has just ended at St Vincent’s Catholic church in Redfern, a deprived inner-city neighbourhood of Sydney. As the priest, Father Gerry Prindiville, hurries out, the front door opens to a colourful wave of humanity.

These are the parish’s most needy: the homeless, the mentally ill, the down-and-outs, many from Redfern’s sizeable Aboriginal community. Some used to attend mass, but now they come just for the free meals provided twice a week.

For 30 years, under Father Prindiville’s predecessor, … Continue reading →

Many thanks to these good people from Toukley on the New South Wales Central Coast. Not only are they upset by the injustices heaped upon the St Vincent’s community, they are standing up and loudly saying so. The following correspondence is reproduced with permission.

From: Peter Meury
Sent: Tuesday, 29 August 2006 10:48 PM
To: church-mouse@lanuera.com.
Subject: Your struggle

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Catholic Community of Redern,

Following the recent and less recent events in your Parish, we have today mailed a letter to Cardinal Pell with copies to our local Bishop, our Parish Priest … Continue reading →

Today’s 10am Mass was said by Clesio Mendes with Gerry Prindiville and a young seminarian assisting.

The Neocats behaved as though it was just another Sunday: no reference to the walkout last week; no reference to the community’s letter to Prindiville sent during the week; certainly no apology for denying us the Eucharist; nothing.

Copies of the letter were provided next to the church bulletin for people to read for themselves, and at the end of Mass, after the celebrants had left the altar, one of the letter’s signatories read it out from the lecturn while … Continue reading →

Catholic News, 25 August 2006

A group of St Vincent’s Redfern parishioners has called for reconciliation with the parish priest, Fr Gerry Prindiville, after the NSW Ecclesiastical Regional Tribunal upheld a defamation complaint by parishioner Clare Maguire against a former assistant priest.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Clare Maguire claimed her right to a good reputation had been violated by Fr Dennis Sudla, a Neo-Catechumenal priest.

The decision of the Ecclesiastical Regional Tribunal, a key church judicial body, was this week posted on the parish’s community blog, The Church Mouse, and confirmed by the offended parishioner.

Ms Maguire … Continue reading →

Sydney Morning Herald, August 25, 2006

RELATIONS between conservative clergy and parishioners in the troubled St Vincent’s parish in Redfern have taken another dramatic twist, with a church tribunal finding that an assistant priest defamed a parishioner.

In an unusual case, the Ecclesiastical Regional Tribunal for NSW, a key church judicial body, has upheld a complaint against a former assistant priest, Dennis Sudla.

Clare Maguire claimed her right to a good reputation had been violated by Father Sudla, a neocatechumenal priest.

The tribunal’s finding was this week posted on the parish’s community blog, The Church Mouse, and … Continue reading →

Dear Father Gerry,

Thank you for your letter of August 13, 2006.

It was good to see your letter acknowledge that OUR Parish “has particular characteristics, with its indigenous population and the significant heritage of Fr. Ted Kennedy’s work”. We note with interest and pleasure that this is the first time you have made such an acknowledgement.

We would like to acknowledge your request for cooperation and harmony, and your expression of an earnest desire to fulfil your role in the parish as you see fit.

At the same time we note that since your appointment over three years … Continue reading →

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 →