Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Homily Of Archbishop BJ Hickey




My dear friends, as it was said in the very beginning, it is a highlight of the Archdiocese of Perth that two seminaries have been opened in the one year: St. Charles' Seminary - I am very pleased that the students are here tonight - and now the Redemptoris Mater Seminary, that for the time being will be located in Morley; my two Seminaries.
 
The decision to open the Redemptoris Mater Seminary is one that has interested many people, is one that we must carefully explain, because, in the face of it, it is hard to understand why we have two seminaries, both of them diocesan. St. Charles' Seminary, the reason for it is clear. St. Charles will produce priests for our parishes, priests for the special work of this Archdiocese and the city of Perth, the Archdiocese of Perth should be large enough also to have a viable seminary and, although we have here only the first year seminarians, we hope, please God, that each year a new intake will make the seminary grow and prosper. And so, why a second seminary?
 
The decision to open a Redemptoris Mater Seminary has not been an easy one for me to make. There were very few here in W.A. to be consulted, because the idea is quite recent. So I informed myself, as well as I could, on my various trips to Rome and elsewhere in the last three years; and I have visited the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Rome on two occasions; I have visited very recently the Redemptoris Mater in Newark, in U.S.A., I am very pleased to see that one of the recently ordained priests is here with us and some seminarians also; we would have met a couple of months ago. And I have spoken to Cardinal Hume in London, where there is another Redemptoris Mater Seminary; I have spoken to those in charge of the seminaries. At the same time I have examined, as closely as I can, the very recent phenomena of the Neocatechumenal Way, that is so strong in many countries.
 
The reason I have finally decided to open the Redemptoris Mater Seminary is because I am convinced that we must take very seriously what the Holy Father calls the New Evangelisation. It is clear that over recent years, perhaps the past hundred years, the strength that Christianity has had in many countries has begun to weaken. It is clear in my own country here in Australia that the vast majority that belongs to the Catholic faith no longer attends Sunday Mass. It is clear that many, (the majority, who call themselves Christians) do not attend their own churches.
 
It is also clear that at a time of decline of attendance of Catholic and other Christian Churches, there has been an erosion of the standards that have been set by Christian principles in the past: erosion of standards set for marriage and its intimacy and its fidelity, erosion of standards set for family life, erosion of the various moral laws that protects life either in its infancy or in its old age; a shift from the recognition of an external moral order which we must bow before and accept into our life, to a situation where we become determinants of our own morality, it becomes personal choice and it has become what we think it is right or wrong.
 
That is perhaps the most serious thing that is happening, that the external moral order has been denied and morality has become subjective and belief has already suffered as a result, belief in God and belief in the ten sentences of God, belief that we are the creatures of God and therefore owe God obedience in our life.
 
With that, the clarity of the Good News of Jesus Christ is no longer what it was. That is the task of the new Evangelisation, to begin again to Christianise occident-orient, to preach the Good News to a world which has turned away from him. We who attend our Churches, who worship God at our Sunday Eucharist must be the best Catholics that we can possibly be, so that the Good News will radiate out through our own lives.
 
And I have committed myself to encourage those groups who are willing to go beyond their parish boundaries and go beyond the comforts of their homes and go into society generally and say "This is the Good News of Jesus Christ".
 
I have discovered that those who are following the Neocatechumenal Way prepare themselves for precisely that mission of the new evangelisation.
 
That those groups have produced many, many vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life around the world and the Way that they follow has a spirituality all of its own and it became clear that those who want to assist the Neocatechumenal Way as priests needed their own special type of formation amidst therefore their own seminaries.
 
I am pleased, after much prayer and deliberation, after consultation and deep thought TO ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW SEMINARY REDEMPTORIS MATER, in order to produce priests who are missionaries, priests who are urban missionaries, priests who understand the New Evangelisation, priests who will go beyond the normal fields in which priests work, to preach the Gospel to those who no longer walk with us.
 
They will assist this diocese in many ways, although they are not primarily destined to be parish priests, but that will maybe come about one day; they will assist neocatechumenal missionary families, who are working here in dechristianised areas and ready to go around the world to bear witness to the Good News. They will accompany those families and they will assist bishops in other dioceses where there is a serious decline of vocations and a great need of priests.
 
Therefore this Archdiocese of Perth is establishing this seminary is reaching beyond herself, beyond their own boundaries in order to foster a modern missionary movement, to be missionaries in the cities, to be missionaries in the areas of high population, to be missionaries in those places where Christ's reign was once honoured and where it is now almost forgotten.
 
Hence the need for two seminaries and there is no competition, there is no conflict between the two, because St. Charles' Seminary will draw young adult men from this Catholic community, they will come from our parishes, from our families and are formed to be priests for this Archdiocese.
 
The Redemptoris Mater Seminary will draw young men from the various communities which are established not only here but in other parts of the world.
 
Tonight I wish to read the Decree to establish the 'Redemptoris Mater' Seminary in Perth.
 


26 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post Diana. Great explanation of the difference between the two seminaries. So if the purpose of RMS is to produce missionary priests, why is it that on Guam they are being assigned to be parish priests? We can very well see that they are not fitting the bill.

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 8:38 pm,

      We assign them as a Parish priest, and you complain. We send them out on mission, and you still complain. Some of the RMS priests have been sent on missions, while some serve as parish priests here. Nevertheless, you will still complain that we do both.

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    2. Just answer the question Diana.

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    3. Dear Anonymous at 8:38 pm,

      I did answer the question. See my answer at the bottom.

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  2. Anonymous October 21, 2014 at 8:38 PM

    whose bill are you talking about anonymous....your bill?

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  3. Anonymous October 21, 2014 at 8:38 PM

    We can very well see that they are not fitting the bill???....by whose divine standards are basing this comment on? ......yours or Our Father in Heaven and earth? It just maybe that you are the one that doesn't see how our Father takes care of everyone....everyone. He serves whereas many want to be served. Are you Catholic anonymous?

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  4. Diana when you make use of the word "we" to whom are you referring?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 9:30 am,

      The "we" includes myself and the NCW members who have been posting on this blog regarding the RMS seminary and priests.

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    2. Do you and NCW members assign priests? Do you and NCW send missionaries?? This is why I ask. I'm confused. I thought the Arcbishop assigns.

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    3. Dear Anonymous at 5:01 pm,

      The Archbishop is a member of the NCW, which is part of the Catholic Church. The Church teaches that all Catholics are one Body of Christ. We are not separate from one another.

      Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

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    4. But official assignments are of the Archbishop. I'm sure he would agree. Hierarchy in the Church.

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    5. Dear Anonymous at 7:01 pm,

      Of course. And I am sure you would agree that we are all one in Christ Jesus, just as the Church teaches.

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  5. Anon, dear, read the name of the blog please... It is an "insider's view" about the Neocatechumenal Way! Diana, and we are the insiders. Haven't you noticed yet? Lol!

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  6. God Bless,

    Nearly all Christians/Catholics are baptized as children. The reality is that are not really baptized in the Spirit and thus should become one in the Spirit through the New Evangelisation as they walk in the NCW.

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    1. So we're not one in Spirit unless we walk in the NCW. TYPICAL NEOCAT THINKING!!!

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    2. 12:38 Six Popes have said so, you would do your soul a favor to attend a catechesis in your parish

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    3. Six Popes have also condoned and applauded clergy sexual abusers (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/secrets-of-the-vatican/). That doesn't necessarily make it right. You have your triumph and bragging rights right now w/the blessings of the Pope. Like all things, time will tell and only when more people speak up against evil, will "the way" end. Enjoy your evil way for now my friend. It's days are numbered and when we stand before our Creator on judgement day, I will be the first to tell him that I had forgiven you, not through any effort on my own but solely because Jesus had forgiven me. Love you in Jesus' name, even though I don't agree w/your "way". God bless.

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    4. Dear Anonymous at 12:36 am,

      Instead of throwing unfounded accusations, why not be specific. You say that six popes condoned and applauded clergy sexual abusers, then name those six popes and quote exactly what they say. Do not give me a website telling me that the Pope CONDEMNDED the sex abuse or what Pope Francis is doing about the sex abuse scandal.

      Secondly, you accuse the NCW of being evil. So, tell us what evil have we done? Did we murder more than 6 million people like Adolf Hitler did???? Instead of throwing these accusations around, show us the evidence of what you are saying.......otherwise everything you say is simply the raving antics of hatred. God bless.

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  7. Most blogs regarding NCW always end in arguments. It's best to just inform and let the daily living of a person trying to become christian announce the Resurrection.

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    1. Correct, the Way has been blessed in this regard.The NCW is here to announce the kerymga so save your soul

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  8. Anonymous October 23, 2014 at 5:25 AM

    Yes, the NCW is readily blamed and prosecuted by many who cannot admit their own lack of faith or understanding of the life beyond selfish material wealth, security and true love. Announcing the Resurrection is good; living and being a witness as it pertains to our daily lives is better.

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  9. ...prosecuted by many who cannot admit their own lack of faith or understanding of the life beyond selfish material wealth...

    is this supposed to be a fact?

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  10. Anonymous October 23, 2014 at 12:54 PM

    Depends.....many of us only have faith on Sundays.....only for 1 hour.....

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  11. Anon@5:17PM....and who are you, the faith police? judge much?

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  12. Anonymous October 24, 2014 at 1:34 PM

    shoe fits....wear it. Your conscience is more judging than I can ever be.

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  13. Anon @ 6:47PM....I am a Catechist, walking in the way. 'nuff said.

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