Holy Spirit Seminary Queensland

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• Formation Discover the four phases of formation, understand the process of ordained ministry,
  and read messages of inspiration for the candidates.
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• Banyo Opening
• Banyo Blessing

Banyo OPENING

 

Launch of the new seminary: After dinner speech
Bishop Ray Benjamin

Dedication of the seminary chapel and Consecration of the Altar Homily
Cardinal William Levada

Speech at mass of dedication of the seminary chapel
Archbishop Bathersby

Opening of the Holy Spirit Seminary
Archbishop Bathersby

Official acknowledgement of guests
Father Michael McCarthy

Rite of blessing of seminary buildings homily
Cardinal William Levada

Blessing of the Holy Spirit Seminary
Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto

Address for the opening of the new seminary at Banyo
Mary Loch

Address for the opening of the new seminary at Banyo
Father Michael McCarthy

Address for the opening of the new seminary at Banyo
Nigel Sequeira

Pope Benedict XVI: Preacher and Prophet to the Nations
Cardinal William Levada

Address for the opening of the new seminary at Banyo
Jason Middleton

Homily
Cardinal William Levada

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Bishop Ray Benjamin

Launch of the new seminary:
After dinner speech

Almost 30 years ago, as a priest in Rockhampton, I attended a Filipino bar-b-que in someone’s backyard. A sweet little girl about 5 years old became interested in me and asked lots of questions.

Then, at one stage, she climbed up on my knee, put her two little arms around my neck and asked: “Are you married?” “No”, I answered. “I’m not married.”

So, she persisted. “Are you going to get married?”

Well, I thought, this little flirt is trying to embarrass me, so I’ll embarrass her instead. So I said, “Well I wasn’t going to get married, but now that I’ve met you, I think I’ll wait until you grow up and I’ll marry you.”

She looked me straight in the eye and said, “You’ll be dead.”

I met her old mother the other day. She told me the child is now a grown woman; and still unmarried. I hope I don’t break her little heart.

As you can see, I’m still living and breathing, and really grateful to be chosen to speak on this very special occasion. It is an occasion of joy and confidence and renewal, as we happily inaugurate the Holy Spirit Seminary at Banyo for the formation of our future priests.

But, for many of us of the older brigade, there is a sadness here: marking the end-times for our beloved Pius XII Seminary, where hundreds of us spent some of the best years of our lives.

When the late Archbishop Sir James Duhig, on the afternoon of 19 November 1939, gathered a group of clergy, politicians, and laity on the building site on Beehive Hill to proudly inaugurate Queensland’s first provincial seminary, the shared feeling that day surely was that this foundation should stand and flourish, perhaps even for centuries to come, taking its place among the great learning centres of the Church.

And when the doors opened in 1941, with 56 students, growing over the years to well over 100, and priests being ordained for every diocese in Queensland – and beyond – its early promise seemed to be accurate; its future secure.

But now, just 67 years later, Pius XII Seminary no longer exists as such, or to speak with some optimism, it still lives on as a great learning centre under the title Australian Catholic University.

The day came, on 22 March 1941, when I arrived at the new seminary from Rockhampton; aged 16, accompanied by my parents. We had walked up from the station, carrying my bags, and were a little our of breath, not just from the exercise, but from the breathtaking dimensions of the vast, new, cream brick building with green roof dominating the Banyo hill. None of us had ever seen such a structure before.

There we met another student-to-be, Frank Hefferan; also with his parents, from Ipswich. I believe that Frank and I were the first of the eventual 56 to step on that campus on its inaugural day. Frank and I therefore, remained firm friends; an unlikely couple right to the day of his death.

What a strange group the 56 were. Some were grown men who had previously worked for a living; two from New Zealand had earlier tried their vocation in Father Cain’s ill-fated seminary in Ashgrove. There were ex-farmers, ex-butchers, and we were from all corners of the State of Queensland. Most, like me, were straight from school: but at so many different age levels, right down to the youngest who had just completed primary school. A few were as young as twelve years old. And here we were, thrown together as one community, sharing a totally unfamiliar lifestyle; because we all felt called by our God to this place, on the road to the goal of priesthood.

To add to our bemusement, the first night began with a meal in the refectory followed that very night by the beginning of a three day strictly silent retreat. What an experience that was. Three days of dormitory accommodation, in silence, among total strangers, set places in the temporary chapel and in the refectory, with reading at all meals, and not any of us with the slightest idea of how to spend three silent days in contemplation. They were the three loneliest days of my life so far, and I recall clearly that first evening kneeling to say night prayers beside my dormitory bed, saying no prayers at all but doing mental arithmetic. I would be here for nine years, which meant I would have to live days like this 3,285 times before I finished.

So began the story of Pius XII Seminary, Banyo. Well, that was its eventual name. Some of the early official letterheads called it St Paul’s Regional Seminary. I am not sure when the title situation was worked out.

We lived an almost monastic regime, patterned on the styles of other seminaries in Australia, the United States and Italy. In fact, for some weeks, we found ourselves meeting not only with the official staff members but also daily, wandering around the place watching and talking to us endlessly none other than Archbishop John Panico, Apostolic Delegate. He seemed to be everywhere. And when someone asked how he came to have so much spare time, the extraordinary response was that he could not return to the delegation in Sydney because it was being refurbished, and he was afraid of “the poisonment of the paint”. But over the years I have gathered that Panico’s motives were serious. He was trying to ensure that right from the start, the “romanita” of this institute would be untainted by too many Australian elements. One staff member of those days told me years later that Panico thought the doors of our dormitory lockers were too narrow; they should be widened so that we could not see one another dressing and undressing.

But there were other eyes watching us in those pre-ecumenical days when we were also at war with Italy. A fiercely anti-catholic newspaper (The Rock) ran a banner headline on its front page: “Banyo Seminary opened by Italian, 80,000 pounds down the drain.”

If we students were wondering how the seminary would get moving, have a generous thought for the staff who were appointed to lead and guide, motivate and control, and educate us. Only one of them had ever been seminary staff before. Like us, they had to begin from zero, in premises that were still being built. Construction workers with their noisy presence did not depart until months later.

Our seminary clerical staff, all four of them, were drawn from the ranks of Queensland priests, and all things considered, did a remarkable job.

Dr Vincent Cleary, the Rector, educated in the USA, Germany and the UK, was a tall serious kind of man with piercing eyes, determined to mobilise this motley group into a working seminary. He did so quite effectively by a really strict monastic type regime which most of use came to accept, and even love.

His Vice-Rector was Dr Ray O’Donohue, doubling as seminary Bursar. He was an almost invisible figure, whom we hardly got to know at all.

Then there was Fr Kevin Skehan, a smiling, friendly sort of priest; our spiritual director, who conducted our monthly one-day retreats, gave spiritual conferences, prescribed our daily spiritual reading and other devotional resources: a strangely lovable and readily available member of staff.

The fourth priest staffer, who is still with us to this very day, was Fr Jack Rosenskjar; then recently ordained. His intriguing title was Junior Dean of Discipline. Even now, if you asked him, he still does not know what that meant. There was no Senior Dean named anywhere.

That all sounds like a fairly ‘skeleton’ team, but there were other important players who must never be forgotten; namely, the Christian Brothers. Remember, we all had for our first academic goal, passing the senior public exam: then and only then, would we begin normal seminary studies. So in that first year of 1941, virtually the only actual study programs were in the hands of four Christian Brothers who drove across from Nudgee five days a week. In a very real sense, therefore, it can be said that the first education of future priests in Queensland was undertaken by the Brothers; something for which the church should be eternally grateful. I believe those first four pioneers should also be named at this time; as I believe the congregation sent us their very best men available.

Br W Power, their leader, was a very gifted teacher of science. Br Brown covered several subjects including especially, English. Br Reick, a gigantic man, who had lived in Italy, did his very best to share with us the Italian tongue. And a gifted little Irishman, Br O’Donoghue taught Latin, Greek, and higher mathematics; all as subjects to be excited about. I was told that, years later, on his death bed, his spiritual reading was a book of mathematics. An apocryphal story went about that he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. The police asked: “Did you get his number plate?” He answered: “Well, not exactly. I did notice, however, that the sum of the first three numbers was equal to the square root of the last three.”

This presence at Banyo, of teaching Christian Brothers, continued for the first seventeen years: a quite remarkable commitment, hardly remembered today. Certainly, I have never seen any photographs or plaques on our seminary walls to remember our friends in need – the Christian Brothers.

Another group must be saluted at this time because they also made the seminary possible. I refer to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary who undertook many kitchen, domestic, and emergency first-aid tasks. A French order, but originally founded in India, they are now in twenty-two Australian locations; but the first foundation in this country was at Banyo Seminary in 1941 with a group of sisters from China. The sisters were completely off limits to us students: we were never to speak to them; we were not even told their names; so we eventually devised nicknames for each one. Details of these nicknames are perhaps better left unrecorded at this time.

As the years went by, of course, with the introduction of Philosophy and Theology, new faces appeared on the teaching staff. In fact, some of the best known priest scholars of the Australian church took their places before the waiting students. In my nine years, until 1949, I recall Cornelius Roberts, Guilford Young, William Smith, Dave Hawe, Morgan Howe, Bernard Wallace (who came on staff as a Deacon), Lex Carroll, Dave Edwards, Frank Douglas, and Vince Rowan our choir master. The Rector also taught us Logic for Senior, and in later years, Moral Theology.

There are 100 stories about each one of these, but they must wait to be told elsewhere.

Our seminary program, as the years went by, matched the programs of most other seminaries of the time in ways with which most of you are familiar: the lectures and exams, the progress through Minor and Major orders, the very strict discipline of segregation from that dangerous world out there, no newspapers, no radios, no contact with the faceless group called “externs”; and after the first year, a division between senior and junior house which no student dared cross under pain of expulsion.

But it was war time, and several of us had relatives in the fighting forces. So, each Sunday, the Rector would gather us together and read out from one of those forbidden newspapers, whatever war news he felt we should hear: our only link with the outside world.

Our mail was subject to censoring: all letters had to be submitted for posting unsealed, and incoming mail had the envelopes slit open. I’ve often meant to ask Fr Rosenskjar, Junior Dean of Discipline, if he had the job of reading our mail, or at least, of licking our outgoing envelopes. The only sealed mail allowed was correspondence with your Bishop.

Yet I’d have to say that Banyo Seminary was not an oppressive place. As we were there for more than ten months of every year, it actually became our home where we truly belonged with a rich sense of community, of lifelong friendships and security. The atmosphere was such that we could never forget we were making godly preparations for a godly way of life in the church.

One of my warmest memories is about our music. The ancient plain chant songs of the Mass and Holy Office, the Antiphons, Sequences, Psalm tones and hymns of the Liber Usualis haunt me to this day. They remain an abiding source of what I might call my daily spirituality. Many a night I sing myself to sleep, alone, and in Latin. Whatever may be said of the old or new liturgies, there is a precious treasure quietly dying from the Australian church. I mourn for that old music, like a lost Aboriginal language, or the extinction of a beautiful bird.

We also had a fine seminary choir under the baton of Fr Vince Rowan: thirty voices harmonising some of the world’s great musical compositions. Often we were imported into St Stephen’s Cathedral to give extra grace to some big celebration. This year, during the recent Holy Week ceremonies, sitting in the sanctuary, I looked up to where the choir gallery once was, with its mighty pipe organ - now not much more than a narrow shelf - and tried to imagine that we were all up there again in our white surplices with Vince Rowan in full flight, and Kitty Slack on the organ. We were really good and we knew it.

Well, the years and the church have moved on, and today’s seminaries bear little resemblance to the ones we had last century: Vatican II caused upheavals, community standards changed, and rifts appeared in the once secure fabric of our church. So it follows that the challenges of a new foundation, like Holy Spirit Banyo, are just as demanding as those of Banyo 1941. Far be it from me to give guidance to the new foundation, but there are just a few things from the old days which I sometimes wish we had done with better theology.

Each Sunday at 9 am, we had a Missa Cantata sung Mass with nicer vestments, incense, everything sung. You could call it the highlight of our liturgical week, but nobody went to Holy Communion except the celebrant (the rest of us had had an earlier Mass at 7 am - Eucharistic fast, of course): scripture passages read in Latin with back to the people; no sign of a homily or other breaking of the word. This was the way of the whole church in those days, but it shows how conditioned we had become to the separate identities of Sacrifice and Sacrament, which can still be a problem to this day in some places. Surely, I used to wonder, we could have had the Missa Cantata at 7 am on some Sundays.

There was one occasion when our Sunday mass was broadcast on ABC Radio: quite a show with technicians and microphones all over the chapel. That day we did have a homily, preached by the rector himself, talking as his text: “the wages of sin is death.”

Another memory I wish I didn’t have is the manner in which students who left the seminary disappeared from view. They went at night, and next day there was just a vacant place in chapel, refectory and lecture hall: no comment from anyone. But it was worse than that.

In 1991, we had a fifty year reunion at Banyo and the first day was exclusively for the men of ’41 whether priest or laity. It took a year to trace those who had not persevered, but in the end about fifteen of them turned up: now married with families and careers of their own. It was only on that day that we found out from them about the conditions of their departure years before. They were strictly forbidden ever in their lives to return to the seminary. And it was no wonder that several of them were actually in tears at finding themselves back in the forbidden walls that had once been their home. Strangely enough, they were all still practical Catholics despite being treated like dangerous “externs”.

And the word “extern” brings to mind that long established mindset within which we were prepared for priesthood. The church (which meant the clergy) had all the answers necessary for ministry: the laity was there to be administered to. We held the essence of catholicity; we had the magesterium; we had the power; we were the hands of God. No wisdom or guidance could be expected from the lay people, not even our most faithful ones.

I trust that, by now, seminarians are being prepared for a church in which we clergy struggle not only to have all the answers, but to be honest, to even know half the questions.

Some years ago there was, in New Zealand, an Oceania Conference of Catholic Laity. The Vatican Synod on the Laity was coming very soon, and this was preparation for it. Fifteen countries took part. The twenty-three Australian delegates came home on a high, requesting our Bishop’s Conference to set up an interim Lay Commission to do three things: (1) work with the Bishops preparing for the Synod; (2) provide a lay person to the Synod itself; and (3) help implement the eventual Synod report. In our wisdom, we Bishops decided the whole thing was too risky, and extinguished that little brush fire. Could it have brought about a real change in the Australian church?

The people who fill our pews on Sundays live lives not much like ours. We have never been married, or parents, or women, or divorced, or had abortions. We have never struggled to pay for our home or to keep our job. We have never been prisoners, horse trainers or taxi drivers, soldiers, or paraplegics. We have never had homosexual sons. But any parish, of any size, contains people who have been or are some of these.

There are whole worlds of life experience of which we clergy have merely heard or read. The people are out there where the sea is rough, trying to work out their salvation in fear and trembling. Somehow, we have got to learn to be there with them.

Maybe some of our laity sound a bit brash or uncontrolled; but they are rattling at our doors for an authentic lay spirituality and theology, and who knows where the Holy Spirit is leading.

It is now 67 years since I went to Banyo: 59 years since I left as a priest. Looking back, how do I feel about it all?

Well, a few years ago, I was giving the clergy three day retreat in Toowoomba. On one of the days, we concelebrated Requiem Mass together with Bishop Morris for the deceased priests of that diocese. The Mass was held outdoors in the clergy section of Toowoomba lawn cemetery. Reading the carved inscriptions on the stones, I was first of all startled at seeing there the names and death dates of about twelve of my old Banyo comrades: people with whom I had lived, and worked, and played, and agonised with for all these seminary years, lying there beneath my feet.

At first it was an eerie experience, but then I began to think of what kind of pastor each one had been because I had known most of them during their active years. And I thought what a gift to the church of Toowoomba they had been: representing all those lives of brotherhood and service to Christ and his people. To a man, they were great, zealous, self-sacrificing, carriers of the gospel of the sacraments, and the healing of the church. And I thought, with a sense of pride; all were products of our old college on Banyo hill.

Maybe there were some cracks in the cloister: but under God, swept along by the breath of the Spirit, I knew we had done well in that place.

So we never lose trust in the God who walks our journeys with us. The future is in his care.

Some years ago, walking on a beach in Central Queensland, I found a large rock pool left behind by the previous tide, and was delighted to find it inhabited by hundreds of tiny fingerling fish. They seemed so placid and secure in their private watery domain. But the new tide was coming in and I began to feel sorry for them. What a shock to their quiet serenity it would be when the first new wave invaded their domain. I waited and watched. Sure enough, a small wave broke into their pool. To my amazement, instead of fleeing in panic to the other end, every one of those little creatures rushed to meet the incoming sea, and of course, I realised, the rock pool could never be their permanent home; a place of barren leisure. No, their very existence, their future, lay out there in the vast dangerous ocean. Sure, some of them might perish there, but it was the only way to go if they were ever to be what they were created for. Soon the rock pool was uninhabited and I, poor fool, was left on the shore alone.

So, let us never fear the future, especially in the work of God. It may be dangerous at times, but it’s only out there that God’s beloved people are waiting for us to travel the road with them.

The old Irish saying – “God be good to the days of old” - comes to mind as we remember the days and years of Pius XII Seminary. But equally, may God be good to the days yet to some, and fill with his Spirit the life and times of Holy Spirit Seminary.

End

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CARDINAL WILLIAM LEVADA

Dedication of the seminary chapel and Consecration of the Altar Homily

In the beautiful Gospel reading we have just heard, Jesus promises his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit, telling them to stay here in the city until [they] have been clothed with power from on high. St. John Chrysostom summarized our Lord’s promise in the phrase convestitum Spiritu Sancto, an expression which he also understood as describing the Eucharistic
elements (cf. Hom. de beato Philogonio,
6.4[PG 48.753]). I am happy to see Chrysostom’s phrase memorialized in this chapel, carved as it is into the sanctuary furnishings. It reminds us that this chapel is a sacred space where we call down the Holy Spirit in the celebration of the Eucharist, clothing ourselves with the Spirit’s power in the sacramental encounter with our Lord Jesus.

The liturgical rites and prayers for the blessing of a new altar awaken our faith to the vital presence of the Holy Spirit active in the Church. We offer incense on the altar and fill this building with sweet fragrance. In this gesture it is easy to imagine St. Paul’s image from our second reading of God as the “master builder” filling his temple with his own Spirit.

We anoint the altar with sacred Chrism, and we clothe it with white linen, setting it apart as the altar of sacrifice, the preeminent sign of Christ’s presence and action in the Church. These liturgical gestures echo our own sacramental initiation, our anointing with Chrism and reception of the white garment of Baptism. Indeed, through the invocation of the Holy Spirit, this wooden mensa becomes a living symbol of Christ. So too we are enveloped by that same Spirit in the sacraments and conformed to Christ’s ecclesial body, becoming living symbols in the world of the presence and saving action of the risen Lord.

The manifestation of the Body of Christ – this is the great work of the Holy Spirit! Poured out from the Father and the Son, the Spirit makes Christ present and transforms all he touches into Christ, filling those things with all the life and vitality of the risen Lord. Bread and wine; a penitent heart; the love of a young couple at the threshold of their married life; the candidate for Holy Orders; the sick; even the simple table of an altar – all these, when clothed with the Holy Spirit, become new creations in Christ, radiating his divine presence and communicating the salvation he won for us through his Paschal Mystery. The Spirit draws us into relationship with Jesus so intimately that we share in the Son’s own relationship to the Father. We are able to pray Our Father in our prayer precisely because Jesus is fulfilling his Gospel promise to send us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit removes our sin and vests us, the prodigal children of God, in the noble robes of sonship so that we might be welcomed and embraced by our heavenly Father.

Convestitum Spiritu Sancto is more than a motto. It is an expression of the very mystery of our salvation in Christ. It is enshrined in this seminary chapel so that we may be confronted by this great mystery each and every time we come here to pray and to celebrate the Eucharist. We are confronted also with the daily choice of discipleship, to give ourselves over to the transforming power of the Spirit so that we might not only find our own spiritual nourishment in the Trinitarian embrace of Father and Son, but truly radiate the joy and love of that relationship to the whole world.

This seminary chapel is the privileged workshop of the Spirit because it is here that the Spirit of God will work throughout the years of formation to form priestly hearts—hearts so conformed to the Sacred heart of Christ the High Priest that the ordained priest himself can be described by the beautiful phrase alter Christus—another Christ. As the Servant of God Pope John Paul II reminds us in his Exhortation Pastores Dabo vobis: “In the Church and on behalf of the Church, priests are a sacramental representation of Jesus Christ - the head and shepherd - authoritatively proclaiming his word, repeating his acts of forgiveness and his offer of salvation - particularly in baptism, penance and the Eucharist, showing his loving concern to the point of a total gift of self for the flock, which they gather into unity and lead to the Father through Christ and in the Spirit. In a word, priests exist and act in order to proclaim the Gospel to the world and to build up the Church in the name and person of Christ the head and shepherd” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, #15).

How can we open ourselves to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit who unites us so intimately to Christ the head and shepherd of the Church? I propose to you that the sacred space of this chapel and the sacramental action which will daily take place in it provides the key. “A totally necessary aspect of the formation of every Christian, and in particular of every priest, is liturgical formation, in the full sense of becoming inserted in a living way in the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, #48). If the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist is the summit to which the prayer and work of the Church leads and the source from which that pastoral life flows, then this chapel—these physical elements of altar, ambo, and tabernacle—is the foundation of our liturgical formation.

Dear brother priests, dear seminarians, the chapel cannot be just another building in the seminary complex. It is the heart of the seminary. It is the place where, as Pope John Paul II said, seminarians are “trained to share in the intimate dispositions which the Eucharist fosters: gratitude for heavenly benefits received, because the Eucharist is thanksgiving; an attitude of self - offering, which will impel them to unite the offering of themselves to the eucharistic offering of Christ; charity nourished by a sacrament which is a sign of unity and sharing; the yearning to contemplate and bow in adoration before Christ, who is really present under the eucharistic species” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, #48). What we do here in the chapel gives focus and direction to our priestly lives and priestly formation.

As we enter now into the rites of blessing, let us pray that the Holy Spirit will fill our minds and hearts even as he fills the space of this chapel with his transforming presence. May we be clothed with grace—convestitum Spiritu Sancto—and so become a true dwelling place for God, true temples of the Spirit.

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ARCHBISHOP BATHERSBY

Speech at mass of dedication
of the seminary chapel

Your Eminence, Your Excellency,
Brother Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Religious, Seminarians, all of you my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am delighted tonight by your presence here to witness the dedication of this chapel of the new Holy Spirit Seminary. Although the official opening of the Seminary will take place tomorrow and will be an enormously significant event for the Roman Catholic Church in Queensland, this event tonight may, in God’s eyes, be even more important because it will be here that the Seminary’s major business, that of deepening the Seminarians relationship with God, will take place. Moreover, unless what happens here is regarded as the most important activity of the Seminary, then no matter how comfortable and attractive the accommodation and surroundings are, the Seminary will fulfil the role that Jesus desired for the apostles and all who followed in their footsteps, namely “holiness”. The location of this Chapel is somewhat different from the central location of the previous chapel in the old Pius XII Seminary. Nevertheless this chapel has lost nothing of the central importance of the former. It may be even more symbolic because it is placed centrally between students and staff, emphasising the importance of holiness not just for students but for staff as well. I have no doubt it has become, and will continue to become, a power-house of prayer, sacramental and devotional, for all who use this holy space. I’m sure God will generously dispense His blessings as effectively here as He did in the previous chapel that formed students so effectively for their important mission to the world. It is now with great joy, that on behalf of the Archdiocese and people of Queensland I thank Cardinal Levada for leading us in the dedication of this place of prayer, and then fittingly leading us in our great prayer of the Church, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. May this Holy Spirit chapel continue to be a place of spiritual peace and growth for all who will use it in the future.

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ARCHBISHOP BATHERSBY

Opening of the Holy Spirit Seminary

Your Eminence, William Joseph Cardinal Levada, Your Excellency, Apostolic Nuncio, Most Reverent Giuseppe Lazzarotto,
Fr Michael McCarthy, Rector of Holy Spirit Seminary, Queensland Bishops Heenan, Foley, Putney, Finnigan, Oudeman, Gerry, Benjamin, (apology from Bishop Bill Morris of Toowoomba), also Bishop Ingham from Wollongong, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Anglican Primate of Australia, Reverend David Pitman, Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland, Dr David Rankin President of Emmanuel College, Sr Mary Franzmann, President Catholic Religious Australia Qld., religious sisters and brothers, Holy Spirit Seminary staff, priests, deacons, students, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of the Bishops of Queensland I welcome you all here today on the feast of St Mark to this important occasion for the blessing and opening of the new Holy Spirit Seminary, Banyo. In a special way I welcome Cardinal Levada who honours us by his presence after his somewhat long and tiring trip from Rome. Eminence, thank you for your generous response to our invitation to be with us for this extremely significant occasion for the Church in Queensland. At our gathering last night for the blessing of the Seminary Chapel, the Cardinal spoke movingly of the power of the Holy Spirit to help us see Gods reality in symbols. Perhaps the same Holy Spirit might open our eyes to the significance today of the feast of St Mark and through the gospel of Mark, to Mark’s relationships with Peter, at the same time reminding us of the Cardinals closeness to Benedict XVI, the successor of Peter. Also on behalf of the Bishops of Queensland I welcome for his first visit to Queensland our new Nuncio Most Reverend Giuseppe Lazzarotto. Excellency we are delighted you are able to be with us today and we look forward to your further frequent visits to Queensland in the future. As Bishops, priests, and people of Queensland, once again we gather in hope on Beehive Hill as 67 years ago people gathered here for the opening of the Pius XII Seminary. I am fascinated and delighted by the new name of the seminary, “Holy Spirit”. Our choice must have been inspired by the same Holy Spirit. After all, the difference between this name and the previous name is striking. The first was changed from the name of a very significant Pope, Pius XII for those of us who can remember, to that of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, Lord and giver of Life. That fullness of life promised by Christ is precisely what the Church needs in these challenging times. As well as being a life-giver the Holy Spirit was also closely associated with the birth of the Church and the new creation that Jesus promised with his arrival among us 2000 years ago. In 1941 when Archbishop Duhig declared at the opening of the old Seminary that it was the “Most historic event in the history of Queensland,” undoubtedly becoming even more certain 20 years later when Banyo produced its largest ordination class of 21 priests, the Archbishop may have genuinely believed that the growth pattern of the Church would continue unabated into the future. Little did he realize what was to happen only 20 years after his death. Perhaps the optimism of the 1960’s may have filled us all with a false hope. Today as we hunger for more priests and more worshipping people we may need to listen more carefully to what the Spirit of God might have said and might still be saying about a way forward today. I am certain the new name of the seminary will fill us all with fresh hope and encourage us to rely more strongly on the power of the same Spirit as we move into the future with renewed energy. Now with great joy, and on behalf of the Bishops, priests and people of Queensland I thank Cardinal William Levada for blessing and opening this excellent new Seminary, for the mission of the Church in Queensland and the greater glory of God. Filled with the energy, wisdom, and imagination of the Holy Spirit I am certain great things will happen. Could I thank you all for your confidence and optimism in being with us here today, for what one of our seminarians described, correctly I believe, as a “significant new moment in the history of our Church”.

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FATHER MICHAEL MCCARTHY

Official acknowledgement of guests

The Rector Father Michael McCarthy began;

I wish to acknowledge the presence of;
His Eminence, Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
His Excellency, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Apostolic Nuncio
His Grace, Archbishop John Bathersby, Archbishop of Brisbane and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Brisbane and Trustee of the Seminary
Together with the Bishops of Queensland
Bishop Heenan
Bishop Morris who had surgery this week and tenders his apology
Bishop Foley
Bishop Putney
And Auxiliary Bishops of Brisbane
Bishop Finnigan
Bishop Oudeman
And retired Bishops
Bishop Benjamin
Bishop Gerry
Bishop Ingham, Bishop of Wollongong
With special apologies
• Archbishop Phillip Wilson, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
• Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Canberra – Goulburn
• Bishop Lucius Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia, Nigeria
Archbishop Philip Aspinal, Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane
The Reverend David Pittman, Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland
The Rev Dr David Pascoe, President of St Paul’s Theological College and President of the Brisbane College of Theology
Rev Dr David Rankin, Principal of Trinity Theological College
With apologies
• Rev Don Sains, Principal of St Francis College,
Fathers Gerard Kalinowski and Ken Howell and Orm Rush of Holy Spirit Seminary and St Paul’s Theological College
Fathers Randazzo and Lopes of the Office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Professor John O’Gorman, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, Banyo
Professor Gabrielle McMullen, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Academic Service, Australia
Professor Robert Gascoigne, Head of the School of Theology, Australian Catholic University
Professor Gerard Hall, Head of the School of Theology, Banyo
Professor Anthony Kelly
With apologies from
• Brother Julian McDonald, Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University
• And Professor Greg Craven, Vice- Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University
Fathers Tom Boland, Bill O’Shea, Frank Lourigan and John Chalmers (Alan Sheldrick) - formers Rectors of Pius XII Seminary
Father Anthony Ireland, Rector of Corpus Christi College, Melbourne
Father Peter Meneely, Moderator of the Archdiocese of Brisbane
Father Jack Rosenskjar, a foundation teacher of the PIUS XII Seminary in 1941
Father Brian O’Dwyer from the first ordination class of 1948
Sr Maureen Andrews, Provincial of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
• The Francisian Missionaries of Mary cared for the seminarians and priests
of the PIUS XII Seminary
Sr Fay Kelly, Congregational leader of the Sisters of Mercy, Cairns
Sr Elizabeth Dod, Congregation Leader of the Sisters of Charity
Sr Sandra Lupi, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Mercy, Brisbane and Toowoomba
Religious Sisters representing the following
Missionary Sisters of Charity
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters
Marist Missionaries of Mary
Our Lady’s Nurses of the Poor
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception
Presentation Sisters
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters
With apologies and promise of prayers
• Carmelite Sisters Ormiston
Sister Patricia Scully, Vicar for Religious, Archdiocese of Brisbane
Br Brian Sweeney, Marist Brothers
Priests, Lecturers and support Staff of Holy Spirit Seminary and St Paul’s Theological College and Pius XII Seminary both present and former.
Clergy of the Province of Queensland
The Mr Des Zagami, of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, the project engineer for the building of the seminary
John Sherriff and Tom Jolley and Chair of the Provincial Finance Council, Father John Grace
Mr John Moore, Thynne and Macartney
Mr Mike Byrne, Director of the Queensland Catholic Education Council
Shayne and Shanelle Bennett of the Archbishop’s Vocations Task Force, Emmanuel and NET ministries
Mr Bill Byrne and Michael Commons, representing the Architects Conrad and Gargett
Mr Mel Cross and Mr Patrick Ford, representing the builders Badge Construction
Artisans, Gregory Gilmour, Anna Varendorf, Peter and Maurice Maunsels who fashioned the furniture
Mrs Joan Hendriks,
The young people of our Church and Emmanuel
Seminarians of Holy Spirit Seminary
Invited guests of the Bishops of Queensland.

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CARDINAL WILLIAM LEVADA

Rite of blessing of seminary
buildings homily

Dear Friends in Christ,

It is an honor for me to be with you on this dedication day! I am very grateful to Archbishop John Bathersby and to the Bishops of Queensland Province for the invitation to come to Brisbane and join in these celebrations of the blessing of the new buildings and grounds at Holy Spirit Seminary. To the bishops, to the rector, Father Michael McCarthy, and the faculty and students of the seminary, to the priests of the dioceses of Queensland, and to all of you supporters and friends of Holy Spirit Seminary who have gathered here in celebration today, I offer you my warmest congratulations.

This is an historic day for the Archdiocese of Brisbane and indeed for all of Queensland province. This weekend, we find ourselves exactly 67 years from the official dedication and opening of Pope Pius XII Seminary. On that day, the bishops, clergy and faithful from all parts of Queensland joined the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop John Pancio, in establishing the first Provincial Seminary here on Beehive Hill. This weekend’s blessing of Holy Spirit Seminary confirms their foresight, and ensures that the training of priests for service in the Dioceses of Queensland will continue as a vital work of this local Church.

In reading the history of the Church in this part of Australia, one cannot help but be struck by the fervent desire of the bishops to provide for the training of local clergy. They were assisted in this desire by Archbishop Panico, the Papal Delegate. It is in recalling his influence that I would like to mention another Apostolic Delegate who also would have a great influence on the training of priests and the establishment of this seminary. I refer to the recently deceased Archbishop Ambrose DePaoli, who blessed the foundation stone of this new seminary in March 2007, and whose death this past October was a great sadness to all of us. This dedication weekend, we would be remiss if we did not honor the memory of Archbishop DePaoli, and thank God for the witness of his life and his devoted service to the Church and to the Holy Father. We also welcome in a particular way Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, the current Papal Nuncio to Australia. Your Excellency, your presence here today is a sign of the Holy See’s ongoing concern for the formation of priests. We are grateful for your encouragement and support of this new Seminary, and for your important ministry of representing our Holy Father.

Many of you here today have supported the construction of the new buildings at Holy Spirit Seminary with the gift of your prayers and your financial support. Your generosity has provided for so much more than a collection of new buildings. Indeed, the construction of this new seminary is a gesture of confidence and hope for the Church in Australia. Your support for the formation of good, well-educated and holy priests will bear much fruit as those priests are sent forth from this house of formation to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and touch innumerable lives with the grace of the Sacraments. Take pride in your new seminary, and take pride in your priests! I congratulate you and thank you for this precious sign of the Church’s vitality.

It is also a pleasure to acknowledge the presence of many priests of the Archdiocese of Brisbane and the Dioceses of Rockhampton, Cairns, Toowoomba, and Townsville. Fathers, the dedication of this new seminary is a privileged opportunity for you, as you are called to be some of the closest supporters and guides of the seminarians who will come here for formation. It is to you that they will look for lived examples of priestly fidelity and pastoral care. And, of course, it is you who can have such a profound and encouraging impact on young men discerning their vocations to the priesthood. All the faithful you serve in your parishes are so grateful for your priestly ministry. I encourage you to be faithful in your precious service to God and the Church, and so participate in a privileged manner in the formation of new vocations to the priesthood that is so dear to our hearts.

Finally, I would like to address myself to the seminarians. You have been given a tremendous gift…not just the gift of new seminary buildings, but the gift of these years of prayer and study. Your time of formation is an encounter with the Lord Jesus and will culminate, please God, in your sacramental configuration to Christ, the High Priest and Good Shepherd. I urge you to give yourselves over to this formative encounter and, in the grace of Holy Orders, to conform your hearts to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The decree of the Second Vatican Council Optatam Totius provides us with a wonderful vision of priestly formation when it urges that seminarians “may learn to live in intimate and unceasing union with God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit. Those who are to take on the likeness of Christ the priest by sacred ordination should form the habit of drawing close to him as friends in every detail of their lives. They should live his paschal mystery in such a way that they will know how to initiate into it the people committed to their charge. They should be taught to seek Christ in faithful meditation on the word of God and in active participation in the sacred mysteries of the Church, especially the Eucharist and the Divine Office, to seek him in the bishop by whom they are sent and in the people to whom they are sent, especially the poor, little children, the weak, sinners and unbelievers. With the confidence of sons they should love and reverence the most blessed Virgin Mary, who was given as a mother to the disciple by Jesus Christ as he was dying on the cross” (Optatam Totius, #8).

The Council’s vision of formation which is developed and applied by Pope John Paul II in his Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis is a call to an authenticity of priestly life. It is a vision which demands those preparing for Sacred Orders to see their priesthood in continuity with the Church’s faith and Tradition, in order to be able to lead God’s people more deeply into the mystery of Christ and his Church. It is a vision that demands priests be men of prayer, men of willing service, and men of wisdom. Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom calls our attention to the truth of God’s word as that which brings true wisdom and enlightens human reason and understanding. The study of the Word of God in theology and the conviction of its truth remains the essential and vital task of intellectual formation for priests. The more a seminarian gives himself over to the pursuit of wisdom in his theological studies, the more fruit that that study will bear in his preaching and priestly ministry. Dear seminarians, in the authenticity of your lives and by the truth of your teaching and preaching, God’s people will encounter in your ministry the life and grace of the risen Lord. May God give you the grace of perseverance in your journey toward Holy Orders.

Dear friends, in a few moments we will process through the grounds of this new seminary complex, invoking God’s blessing on the buildings and on those who will live, work, and study in them. The Gospel account of Jesus’ appearance to his disciples after his Resurrection which we have just heard proclaimed gives us a beautiful context for this rite of blessing. The story unfolds in two moments. First, Jesus appears in the midst of the disciples who were all gathered in a locked house and he says to them: Peace be with you. That gift of Christ’s peace for which their hearts were longing dispels the disciples’ fear after the Lord’s passion and death, and it allows them to recognize him as truly risen from the dead. This is exactly what we hope will happen here at Holy Spirit Seminary for those who come to prepare for the priesthood! Through our prayer of blessing, let us ask God that the seminarians who will call this place home will truly find here the gift of Christ’s peace, and that they will recognize themselves as a community of disciples gathered around the risen Lord.

Recall also that Jesus follows his gift of peace with a great commission: Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Just as Christ’s gift of peace is directed towards mission, so too seminary life is not an end in itself. Those who are called here to encounter the Lord Jesus will be sent out by him to proclaim the Gospel and, through their priestly ministry, to draw others to that same transformative encounter with the risen Lord.

Of course, central to that priestly ministry will be the proclamation of the tremendous mercy and love of God found in the sacrament of Penance, and the Gospel today invites us to see the forgiveness of sins in the context of the Risen Lord’s gift of peace. After the Last Supper and the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist, the Lord establishes penance and reconciliation as the next fundamental sacramental grace for the life of the Church. Just as Eucharist and Penance frame Jesus’ sacrificial offering to the Father on the Cross, so they can be seen as the two fundamental expressions of priestly life and ministry. This seminary must form priests who will go forth to proclaim the Gospel, confident that the reconciliation and healing that is the fruit of their sacramental ministry is the very peace of Christ promised to the apostles when they encountered the Risen Lord.

Dear friends, let us pray through this rite of blessing that God will send down his Spirit to make this place holy, a place of encounter with the Lord, a place marked by the peace which only Christ can bring.

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Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto

Blessing of the Holy Spirit Seminary

Your Eminence, Your Grace, my dear brother Bishops and priests, dear Seminarians, dear friends:

I am indeed very grateful to all of you for the kind invitation extended to me and which I accepted with pleasure. Your invitation reached me when I was still in Ireland, hardly a few days after my appointment as Nuncio in Australia. I can say that it was one of the first invitations which I received as the Papal Representative in your country, and that receiving it has strongly motivated the thoughts, and indeed, the prayers that, since my appointment, I have directed towards this part of the holy Church to which Pope Benedict has sent me as his Representative.

When I told my Irish friends that among my first duties in Australia would be the inauguration of a new Seminary, the reply I always unfailingly received was an expression of surprise. At a time when, at least in Europe, not a few seminaries have been closed, and unfortunately continue to be closed due to the diminishing number of vocations, it really “makes news headlines” to hear that a new Seminary is being inaugurated.

Even if the event of which we are witnesses today does not create here any or little surprise, the fact remains that it is a very significant moment, not only for the Dioceses of Queensland, but also for entire Australia. One of the elements which characterizes this institution being formally inaugurated today is the fact that it opens itself with a universal orientation, by welcoming the sons born in other sister Churches, and who are now being offered as a gift to this Church. This is not only a beautiful expression of ecclesial brotherhood; it is also one of the those “signs of the times” which the Holy Spirit does not cease to send to the Church.

I read with great interest the nice booklet “Priests for Queensland” which traces the history of this Seminary right from the beginning and I must say that I felt some sort of emotion to discover that the Representative of the Holy Father in Australia has always been associated with the most important moments of the history of this institution. From Archbishop Panico, to my immediate predecessor Archbishop De Paoli and now myself. Regarding my deceased predecessor, I must say that when he blessed the Foundation Stone of this edifice, he already knew that the Lord was calling him to the final meeting with Him. We would therefore imagine the sentiments he had in his heart and how he must have had a special place for you all in his prayers that day.

Well, concerning the other predecessor of mine, Archbishop Panico, I can only assure you that since my name does not sound so “threatening” like his, I would do my best not only not to be, but also not to appear a threat, neither with you, nor with anyone here in Australia !

I have two wishes I would like to express: one for this beautiful building which we are inaugurating today, and the other for you who already occupy it, and who will have your home in it during your period of preparation for the priesthood.

I hope that the “expansion” which was already foreseen in the construction plan, would soon become necessary and that many other young boys would come here to answer the call of the Lord Jesus.

To you all who have answered this call, I pray that here, in this place, you would learn to discover and to better understand “where the Lord lives”. Remember the first answer which the Lord gave to the two disciples who, fascinated by his words and, no doubt, by his person, asked him: “Rabbi, where do you live?” “Come and see”, he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day” (Jn 1:40).

From the priest the faithful would like to learn especially how to understand “where God lives” and what they should do “to stay with him”. But how can we help our brothers and sisters to accomplish this if we do not have first the experience? The long study hours, the long hours of prayer and of fraternal communion that you will spend here should help you “to construct” this essential experience, which will in turn accompany you all your lives as priests.

To you, I would like to repeat what the Holy Father said to the young people gathered together at Loreto in September last year, and what he will surely repeat to the youth, in fact to you, at Sydney : “Each of you, if you remain united with Christ, can accomplish great things for God. That is why, dear friends, you should not be afraid, but wide awake, to dream of great projects of goodness and not allow yourselves to be discouraged by difficulties… Nothing is impossible for those who trust in God and entrust themselves in God’s hands”.

May the home that is being inaugurated today be for you all the place in which your dreams and your wishes will come true. May these dreams open up to embrace the entire Church. In this way you will come to love her with that same heart with which Christ himself loves her.

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MARY LOCH

Address for the opening of the new
seminary at Banyo

We all find Jesus in our own way and we sometimes find him where we least expect to.

Imagine if you will, a cold winter morning in the Central Highlands. There’s frost crackling underfoot and riming the spider webs around the Lochington Tennis Shed, the only meeting place in town. We are a long, long way from anywhere else but the locals have come from properties all around because today there will be Eucharist and a baptism. When they walk inside the shed specially adorned for mass and the christening and they see Father, who has been up since before daylight in the cold and who has had a journey of over 100kms to get here, smiling and welcoming them, they know they have found Jesus. Our priests answer the call every day to be the hands and feet, the eyes and ears, the face of God in service of His people wherever they may live.

Rockhampton Diocese extends from Bundaberg in the south to Mackay in the north, from the east coast to the Northern Territory border. You could fit the whole United Kingdom in a couple of times over. West of the Great Divide there are 16 parish communities in 3 regions. These communities are served by 3 full time priests. You can bet, then, that the people of these communities love and appreciate their priests and value the work they do as they travel vast distances, cheerfully and generously, to bring God into their lives.

The laity can and do, indeed they must, shoulder a lot of the day to day pastoral care for their communities, but they can’t do it all alone. They can’t do it without the grace and strength of Eucharist and the sacraments even if that can only be once a month. Our priests support, enrich and inspire the people to grow in the love of God. And they do it through the example of untiring service, through being God’s love in action. In return the people love and support their priests. Every day brings a new experience, a new dimension to priests and people alike as they journey together to bring forth the kingdom.

We in the Queensland have a very special appreciation of what this new seminary will mean for us. We all need more wonderful priests, in the regions and cities. In this new building, young men will have the preparation and training to become priests, to learn the job, if you like. But then God takes over and puts them in a position where they can make such a huge difference in the lives of His people. When you graduate from this new seminary, wherever God’s work takes you in this great state, just bring yourself, a sense of adventure and a sense of humour and we’ll take you in with open arms and you won’t regret a minute.

I’m in the middle of building a new house at the moment. I could easily have refused the invitation to speak today and saved myself a 1500km round trip. Someone else could have done a much better job. But a chance like this comes only rarely where I have the opportunity to say publicly and sincerely on behalf of the laity of Queensland to our wonderful, dedicated, generous pastors, thank you, God bless you and God bless the good work.

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father michael mccarthy

Address for the opening of the new
seminary at Banyo

Your Eminence, Your Excellency, Your Grace, My Lords and Invited Guests of the Bishops of Queensland.

In 1861, the newly appointed Bishop Quinn, arrived in Brisbane with five priests, Fathers Tissott, Brunn and Cusse of the Propagation of the Faith, Paris, Father Cani from Italy and Father Renahan from Ireland. They joined Father McGinty at Ipswich and Father Rigney at Brisbane. What an extraordinary vision Bishop Quinn brought with him. Priests of the many lands of Europe came to minister to our ancestors who were also coming to this newly established town, Brisbane. My family were ministered to by these priests and experienced their passion for the Gospel and they called the youth of the day to priesthood. Our most recent priests Fathers Onwanali and Kalu have arrived from Africa and we dream through their ministry and the ministry of all our priests that our young people will similarly hear the call of the Gospel and be drawn into ministry.

Many centuries ago, John Chrystonom encouraged the followers of Jesus Christ to be Clothed with the Holy Spirit. Convestium Spiritu Santo. You are standing on the soil of Holy Spirit Seminary, the soil that John Hendriks at the blessing of the Foundation stone described as Holy, the soil that Bishop Quinn dreamed for the people of the new town of Brisbane and now the new training venue for the future Queensland priests born in all parts of the world, not only here in Australia, but in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Pacific…but they will share on thing in common…Clothed with the Holy Spirit and they will like the generations before them, be priests of Jesus Christ and ready to pastor to the Catholic people of Queensland. They will be disciples of Jesus Christ who in the years ahead will lead catholic communities in their remembrance of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist.

67 years ago on the crown of the Beehive Farm, Priests and Bishops and the Catholics of Queensland gathered for the opening of PIUS XII Provincial Seminary. Now with more than 400 priests ordained from PIUS XII seminary, the Bishops of Queensland have pushed their boats into the deep, built as Archbishop De Paolo described a home, yet the promise for this act of faith, as Jesus promised Peter that he would bring in full nets, we wait in faith and excitement for our youth to take up the work that we so enjoy….the priesthood.

I am indebted to His Eminence for making this trip to Australia to bless our seminary. Your Eminence, please convey to the Holy Father, our best wishes and thanks for bringing us his blessings and best wishes.

Your Excellency, Archbishop Lazzarotto, welcome to the Holy Spirit Seminary and I look forward to you and Monsignor Jude visiting us again.

Archbishop Bathersby, and the Bishops of Queensland, today I pay my deepest respect to you and for your persistence in ensuring that this seminary was built. It was your wholehearted support and prophetic vision that this seminary was built.

The Catholic people of Queensland; thank you for your generosity and for your belief the future of the Church here in Queensland. As Rector, it is important to the seminarians and the staff of the seminary knowing that you are with us.

To my colleagues, Fathers Gerard, Ken and David and for all those who have toiled to get us to this day, especially to our seminarians, the staff in the seminary and of the Archdiocese of Brisbane and to the Catholic people of Brisbane, our wonderful benefactors.

For those who have spoken today, Your Eminence, Your Excellency, Your Grace, Mary Lock and seminarian Nigel Sequeira, Ralph Morton and the ACU choir for the music, Tom Jolley and Sr Kari for your part of the liturgy. To our closest helpers, Mirjam, Stephen, Vickie, Catherine, Leo, Christine, Marieanne, Claudine, Trish and Brian and Bishop Brian thank you for your support.

May future Rectors and seminarians enjoy your new home.

May we all be CLOTHED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

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nigel sequeira

Address for the opening of the new
seminary at Banyo

Your Eminence, Cardinal Leveyda
Your Excellency, Archbishop Lazzarotto
Your Grace, Archbishop Bathersby
My Lord Bishops
Reverend Fathers and Reverend Sisters
Ladies and Gentlement

Thank you your eminence for being here, and for your words of direction and encouragement.

I would also like to thank you all for the help and support that has made us all feel welcome in this great land.

Archbishop Bathersby often talks about the sacrifice that we make in leaving our families to be missionaries in an unknown land. The encouragement we receive makes our mission so much easier.

The excellent accommodation is just a small reflection of the great lengths that the Catholic Church in Queensland has gone to make us feel welcome, wanted and blessed.

We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Archbishop John Bathersby and the Bishops of Queensland, Fr. Rector Michael McCarthy and our formators, for their tireless work in making this journey possible for us. We know that this is precious time for us as we seek to grow in wisdom and holiness.

We are humbled by the history of this sacred ground and it is our desire to follow in the footsteps of the many priests who have been formed on this hill and have joyfully served this great State of Queensland, Australia and beyond these shores.

We pray that the Holy Spirit, the font of all knowledge, the fire that gives light to all good judgement, the breath of life and the source for the renewal of the church, will be our inspiration and our guide, as we seek to live as prayerful, spirit-filled men with hearts on fire.

That we will have the courage to be a sign of God’s presence in our world, encouraging others to live radically for the Gospel and bringing true joy to the people of God.

We also ask you to pray daily for an increase in the number of young men who respond to the
call to the priesthood for the service of the faithful.

Words cannot express our deep gratitude, so let us pray for one another.

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Cardinal William Levada

Pope Benedict XVI
Preacher and Prophet to the Nations

It is indeed a great pleasure for me to be with you this evening, and to celebrate in these days the beautiful rites of blessing of the new chapel and buildings of Holy Spirit Seminary here in the Archdiocese of Brisbane. I am sure the new seminary is a cause for great joy and pride, and I offer to His Grace, Archbishop Bathersby, and the whole Catholic community in Queensland, my warmest congratulations on this happy event.

One week ago, I had the great privilege of joining our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, on his greatly successful Apostolic Visit to the United States during which he also addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. I must tell you, I found the image of the Pope standing before the United Nations speaking to the nations of the world was a very moving experience. It captured in a snapshot one of the essential roles of the modern papacy. We are all familiar with the Pope as our Holy Father, the spiritual leader of the universal Church. Here we see the Pope as a preacher and prophet to the nations. I would like to unfold this image with you this evening, beginning with a reflection on the interplay between faith and reason as the background and context for the Pope’s message to contemporary society. From this perspective, we can then better understand his remarks to the United Nations.

Faith, Reason, and Human Society

In his address at the University of Regensburg in September 2006, Pope Benedict XVI directly took up the theme of the relationship between faith and reason, perhaps most famously applying it to the dialogue with Islam. In that address, the Holy Father touched upon the modern tendency to see faith and reason as completely separate and distinct, warning that such a stark division would ultimately fail to engage contemporary culture. The Pope told his Regensburg audience: “In the Western world, it is widely held that only positivistic reason and the forms of philosophy based on it are universally valid. Yet, the world’s profoundly religious cultures see this exclusion of the divine from the universality of reason as an attack on their most profound convictions. A reason which is deaf to the divine and which relegates religion into the realm of subcultures is incapable of entering into the dialogue of cultures.”1

Today, not a few people (I think, for example, of Richard Dawkins, the atheist author of the best-selling book The God Delusion) either challenge the validity of knowledge that comes from faith or desire to relegate religious truth to the private sphere. In such a view, religious principles or truths would have no role in the public square: in political debate, in the creation or interpretation of laws, in the administration of social services, or in the formation of ethical education in our schools. As the Holy Father warned in Regensburg, if reason and science exclude a priori any reference to God, “then it is man himself who ends up being reduced, for the specifically human questions about our origin and destiny, the questions raised by religion and ethics, then have no place within the purview of collective reason as defined by ‘science’, so understood, and must thus be relegated to the realm of the subjective.”2

This conception of a division between faith and reason as we see it in our contemporary society arises largely out of a culture infused with one of the underlying principles of modernity – the ambitious claim of human reason to understand everything, and thus have no need for faith or religion. This “Enlightenment” – at least as seen in its more radical manifestations – placed a priority on human reason, so that through the new scientific, economic, and political world view human beings might make progress toward an always better future, might be masters of their own future, might no longer be dependent on kings or even on God, but would truly be “free.”

No doubt the Enlightenment and its view of progress was marked by important contributions to the development of civilization: think of the concepts of religious liberty and political democracy that developed in this period. But its excesses left a heavy burden on society: think of the excesses of the French Revolution and of the utopian but violent ideologies of Marxism and Nazism.

Not surprisingly, just as modernity at times has tended to view faith as an obstacle to progress, so too the reaction of the Church has sometimes seemed to mistrust reason and science, viewing them not as a contribution to human progress, but as an attack on the essential content of religious truth or as an attack on the institution of the Church itself. As this tension was translated into the political sphere, one may begin to understand the Church’s historical resistance to the establishment of religious liberty as a point of law, seeing it as a veiled attempt to exclude a religious voice from the exercise of government and public policy. This resistance was only definitively overcome by the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae.

Of course, the story of the Church’s discussion of the relationship between faith and reason does not begin with the Enlightenment. From its inception, Christianity has been in dialogue with the prevailing philosophies and cultures of the world, seeing in them not obstacles to the proclamation of the Gospel, but rather as tools for its own greater understanding of, and indeed as important elements in accomplishing its mission of Evangelization. In this sense, the first disciples had to “translate” their experiences of the risen Lord Jesus into a language which would speak to the hearts and minds of those formed in the best traditions of Greek and Roman culture. Human reason had already prepared the way, in that one can already find at that point in human history a dissatisfaction with the belief in a pantheon of gods or in the arbitrariness of human subjection to divine whim. Christianity, in this context, fulfills the aspirations of Greek philosophy in that those coming out of the Greco-Roman culture found the Christian faith reasonable.

Throughout the centuries, Christian theologians and pastors have presented the Church’s faith as something consonant with human reason, as the revelation of God’s true purpose for creation and therefore as a complement to the intellect and the fulfillment of human reason. Indeed, certain figures in the Church’s history have made just such an exposition their life’s work: think of, for example, St. Ireneaus, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Indeed, the whole history of the Church’s theology highlights the importance of human reason in the fides quaerens intellectum —faith which uses rational inquiry to achieve a deeper understanding of revelation. Pope Benedict XVI stands in this same line when he attempts to heal the rift between faith and reason intensified in the wake of the Enlightenment. In his view, both faith and reason form the necessary framework for dialogue in our contemporary culture in the face of the many challenges that confront it, such as war and peace, economic justice, the promotion of human dignity and the sanctity of life, concern for the poor and the protection of the environment, not to mention inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, such as the important dialogue with Islam mentioned above. The complexity of these issues can only be adequately addressed, “if reason and faith come together in a new way, if we overcome the self-imposed limitation of reason to the empirically falsifiable,”3 and if we once more broaden the concept of reason with the perspective of faith.

The Holy Father’s Address to the United Nations

Against this background of the dynamic interplay between faith and reason, we can perhaps better understand the themes Pope Benedict raised at the United Nations last week. His visit there is itself an affirmation of the United Nations as a project for the good of the whole human family. As he told the assembled representatives of the UN General Assembly: “Through the United Nations, States have established universal objectives which, even if they do not coincide with the total common good of the human family, undoubtedly represent a fundamental part of that good. The founding principles of the Organization – the desire for peace, the quest for justice, respect for the dignity of the person, humanitarian cooperation and assistance – express the just aspirations of the human spirit, and constitute the ideals which should underpin international relations.”4

The Holy Father’s visit to the United Nations was also occasioned by the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In expressing his profound esteem for the UN, the Pope came also “to express the hope that the Organization will increasingly serve as a sign of unity between States and an instrument of service to the entire human family.”5 The Pope’s unified vision of human reason enlightened by faith is the prerequisite for that service, and it is the context for his touching upon some major themes of import to the global community. Allow me briefly to highlight three of these major themes from the Holy Father’s address: human rights and the dignity of the human person, the unity of the human family, and the principle of protection.

Human Rights and the dignity of the human person

A clear conviction of Pope Benedict XVI is that the exclusion of God from public life results in a distorted concept of human rights. If rights are not understood as flowing from the essential dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God, then they become merely a function of political power. Pope Benedict affirmed this religious dimension of human rights in his address to the United Nations when he said: “Discernment, then, shows that entrusting exclusively to individual States, with their laws and institutions, the final responsibility to meet the aspirations of persons, communities and entire peoples, can sometimes have consequences that exclude the possibility of a social order respectful of the dignity and rights of the person. On the other hand, a vision of life firmly anchored in the religious dimension can help to achieve this, since recognition of the transcendent value of every man and woman favors conversion of heart, which then leads to a commitment to resist violence, terrorism and war, and to promote justice and peace.”6

Universal human rights are bound up with the concept of the inalienable dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. This dignity also forms the basis for a peaceful and just society, a topic which is of great concern to the Pope. The Holy Father’s teaching in the area of peace and justice can be seen as a two-pronged approach—two tasks, as it were—one the responsibility of government and the other the responsibility of the Church.

The distinction between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God evidenced in Matthew’s Gospel (Cf. Mt. 22:21) has been fundamental in the Christian understanding of the relationship between Church and State as two distinct spheres of responsibility, although always interrelated. As an actor on the world stage, the Pope has a duty to remind governments that the establishment of a just society which fosters peace is the aim and intrinsic criterion of all political activity. Indeed, as he would write in his Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est , “It is true that the pursuit of justice must be a fundamental norm of the State and that the aim of a just social order is to guarantee to each person, according to the principle of subsidiarity, his share of the community's goods.”7

The commitment to peace and justice is an essential task for the State, for government exists precisely to promote the dignity and safeguard the fundamental rights of its citizens. Justice must be a matter of action, so that the foundations of a peaceful and just society will be actualized in the concrete realities of daily life. Pope Benedict puts it this way: “Peace cannot be a word or a vain aspiration. Peace is a commitment and a manner of life which demands that the legitimate aspirations of all should be satisfied, such as access to food, water and energy, to medicine and technology or indeed the monitoring of climate change.”8

Here, the Pope shows himself to be the figure of the prophet who speaks the truth not only to “the household of faith”, but to all people of good will committed to the advancement of the human family. Just as the State must inevitably face the question of how justice can be achieved here and now, the Church has its own essential task of entering into dialogue with culture and with the State in the promotion of peace and justice. In taking up the vital questions—What is justice? What is peace?—the Church engages the heart of the issue where faith and politics meet.

The unity of the human family

Another important theme in the Holy Father’s address to the United Nations is the unity of the human family. I was struck by how many times in his address the Pope referred to the concept of unity or solidarity.

Solidarity in the human family is the prerequisite for human rights, the guarantee that rights will be applied and recognized universally. In this context, Pope Benedict remarked, “Since rights and the resulting duties follow naturally from human interaction, it is easy to forget that they are the fruit of a commonly held sense of justice built primarily upon solidarity among the members of society, and hence valid at all times and for all peoples.”9 He understands this point in regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when he said: “It is evident, that the rights recognized and expounded in the Declaration apply to everyone by virtue of the common origin of the person, who remains the high-point of God’s creative design for the world and for history. They are based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts and present in different cultures and civilizations. Removing human rights from this context would mean restricting their range and yielding to a relativistic conception, according to which the meaning and interpretation of rights could vary and their universality would be denied in the name of different cultural, political, social and even religious outlooks. This great variety of viewpoints must not be allowed to obscure the fact that not only rights are universal, but so too is the human person, the subject of those rights.”10

Solidarity is also the framework an adequate response to the most important issues affecting our global society. As the Pope aptly observed, “questions of security, development goals, reduction of local and global inequalities, protection of the environment, of resources and of the climate, require all international leaders to act jointly and to show a readiness to work in good faith, respecting the law, and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of the planet.”11

Finally, solidarity draws us toward the goal of the Christian life, because it reveals something essential about the eternal life of heaven. “This life”, says Pope Benedict, “towards which we try to reach out again and again, is linked to a lived union with a ‘people’, and for each individual it can only be attained within this ‘we’. It presupposes that we escape from the prison of our ‘I’, because only in the openness of this universal subject does our gaze open out to the source of joy, to love itself—to God.”12

The principle of protection

“Recognition of the unity of the human family, and attention to the image dignity of every man and woman, today find renewed emphasis in the principle of the responsibility to protect.” With these words, Pope Benedict XVI presented the UN General Assembly with another key theme of his address, and proposed that the responsibility to protect is one of the fundamental obligations of the State and consequently of the United Nations. The Pope affirmed that each State has a responsibility to protect its citizens. He also affirmed that the international community must intervene when States are unable to guarantee such protections. In this way, the Pope is supporting the role of the United Nations to foster international order and to take action in the face of grave violations of human rights, as well as in the aftermath of humanitarian crises, whether natural or man-made. In recent years, the UN involvement in East Timor, Afghanistan, Bosnia, or those countries devastated by the Tsunami of December 2004 are examples of the principle of protection in action. On the other hand, the lack of action in Rwanda or more recently in the Darfur region could be cited as examples of the failure to engage this “principle of protection” in the service of humanity.

Notice that the articulation of this principle to protect flows from the Holy Father’s unified vision of reason broadened by the perspective of faith. He grounds it in the understanding of the unity of the human family and in the essential dignity of the human person, a unity and dignity given by God in the very act of creation. If one were to remove these religious points of reference, then the principle of protection collapses. As the Pope reminded the General Assembly, “The founding of the United Nations, as we know, coincided with the profound upheavals that humanity experienced when reference to the meaning of transcendence and natural reason was abandoned, and in consequence, freedom and human dignity were grossly violated. When this happens, it threatens the objective foundations of the values inspiring and governing the international order and it undermines the cogent and inviolable principles formulated and consolidated by the United Nations.”

Far from limiting or threatening human freedom, faith refines man’s understanding of his place in the world and his relationship with and responsibility to his brothers and sisters in the human family. In that way, the perspective of faith provides the anthropological foundation which allows reason to identify the common good and to pursue human progress in a way that is truly liberating, truly life-affirming.

Conclusion

Dear friends, I thank you for this opportunity to visit this wonderful Archdiocese of Brisbane, and to share with you this evening one facet of the life and ministry of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. I know from my regular meetings with the Holy Father that he draws strength and encouragement from the support of your prayers. Indeed, I believe that the prayers of Catholics world-wide is an occasion of actual grace for the Holy Father, sustaining him in the many daunting tasks which confront him. I can only encourage you to pray regularly for the intentions of the Holy Father.
I would ask your prayers also for me and for those of us who work in Rome at the service to the Pope and the Universal Church. In the solidarity of faith and prayer, we can give witness to the values of God’s Kingdom in the concrete circumstances of our daily lives and proclaim to the world the Good News of Christ our Hope.

Thank you very much.

1. Pope Benedict XVI, Meeting with the Representatives of Science, University of Regensburg, September 12, 2006.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Pope Benedict XVI, Address to the United Nations Organization, April 18, 2008.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Deus Caritas Est, #26.
8. Address to the Diplomatic Corps for the traditional exchange of New Year’s Greetings January 7, 2008, #12.
9. Address to the United Nations Organization, April 18, 2008.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Spe Salvi, #14.

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Jason Middleton

Address for the opening of the new
seminary at Banyo

Your Eminence, Cardinal Levada
Your Excellency, Archbishop Lazzarotto
Your Grace Archbishop Bathersby
My Lord Bishops
Reverend Fathers and Reverend Sisters
Distinguished guests of the Archbishop

It is truly a privilege and my great joy to stand here and convey to you all, the excitement that stirs within in my heart having seen this presentation! What more wonderful investment into the future of priestly ministry for the Archdiocese of Brisbane, than to till this sacred ground of Banyo for a new Seminary. A place that has been imbued with many profound memories of the past and holds countless possibilities for the future of a dynamic priesthood in this Archdiocese! A ‘spiritual’ soil, as Pope Benedict writes in his letter for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, wherein men deepen in their knowledge and love of God, deepen their personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and fan that fire for the mission of the Church. As a young man myself, currently serving as a Deacon in the Archdiocese, and in preparation for ordination to the presbyterate, I am caught up in the excitement and enthusiasm our Archbishop has for this mission. Indeed this mission, it seems to me, involves three major components. Vision; Passion; Commitment! Vision: for the Kingdom of God in our midst and its fullness still to come, that is informed by and founded on the message and ministry of Jesus Christ. Passion: an enthusiasm, energy and fire, to be active participants in the life of God, and bearers of the Word. Commitment: a dedication, courage and perseverance that trusts that this is God’s work, and we are merely the humble servants of the Mystery.

I started in Holy Spirit Seminary, then at Wavell Heights, in the year 2002, with four other people.
As a result of the guidance, wisdom and support of the Seminary staff, not only is one of our group already serving as a priest, but my classmate Peter Gablonski and I will, be ordained to the priesthood on June the 27th in St. Stephen’s Cathedral! This would not have been possible though, without the overwhelming generosity of the people of Queensland, who not only have lifted up their hearts in prayer for vocations, but have also given substantial financial assistance. From the moment I set foot on the Seminary steps, I have been alive with an excitement that could only come from the power and beauty of Christ and his message. It is my deepest desire that people catch the fire, so that it spreads to consume the world. In the giving of my life to serve the people of God in this Archdiocese, I pray that the Church may become evermore a vibrant and relevant presence in society! I hope to encourage others to energetically preach the Gospel of Christ by the very witness of their lives; a witness that proclaims that Christ touches lives and changes them forever! I truly look forward to a lifetime of service as a priest, whereby people can see one simple life and realise that, by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Church in Brisbane is vibrant and alive.

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Cardinal William Levada

Homily

Dear Friends in Christ,

It is a great joy for me to join you today for the celebration of the Eucharist in the beautiful Cathedral of St. Stephen. I am grateful to His Grace, Archbishop Bathersby, for his kind invitation. In these days, it has been my great privilege to bless the buildings and the new chapel at Holy Spirit Seminary in Banyo. It is my sincere hope that this new seminary will be great blessing for the Archdiocese of Brisbane and the dioceses in Queensland, forming good priests who will minister to the sacramental and spiritual needs of their people for generations to come. My visit to Brisbane has therefore been one of great hope—a hope inspired by the tangible work of the Holy Spirit in this local Church. This hope born of the Spirit is what I would like to reflect upon with you this morning.

In today’s Gospel, we hear once again Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit: the Advocate who will be with us always, the Spirit of truth who will dwell within us as our helper and guide. During these weeks of the Easter season, the Church has joyfully relived the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Now, this Gospel promise of the Risen Lord points us to the celebrations ahead—to the Ascension and Pentecost—when Jesus, the conqueror of sin and death, returns victoriously to his Father and there, from that Trinitarian embrace of Father and Son, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Church and the world.

Hearing this promise already two weeks before Pentecost evokes a sense of expectation in our liturgical celebration. We are to be vigilant, not only in preparation for the liturgical feast of Pentecost, but attentive to the varied ways in which the Holy Sprit of God shows Himself in our daily lives, fulfilling the Lord’s promise. Indeed, to be attentive to the presence and work of the Spirit in our lives, in our Church, and in our world is a hallmark of discipleship. It is a sign of our Christian hope in the nearness, the providence, of our God, and of our trust in the promise of Jesus to be with us until the end of time.

This vigilance, this keeping watch for the Holy Spirit, is a task for the whole Church as much as it is a personal calling for each of us in our unique spiritual journeys. It is the lens though which I would like to mention a particular opportunity for you, the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, to consider the great work of the Holy Spirit in building up this local Church.

Next year you will celebrate your 150th anniversary—your Sesquicentennial Jubilee as a diocese. This is now a time of preparation. It is a moment analogous to the eager expectation of today’s liturgy for the fulfillment of Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit. It is a time to acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit which has brought you to this moment in history. This attentive preparation will allow you to enter into the anniversary celebration with mind and heart renewed, and so receive from the celebration the many graces which our Lord desires to share with you.

Anniversaries are familiar territory for us: silver, golden, and diamond jubilees are special moments in our personal, family, civic and Church life. But the concept of “jubilee” is something more than a marking of time. It is a moment of rejoicing that links us with the past, going back even to the great event of creation, in the Biblical tradition. Jubilees were celebrated by the People of God of the Old Covenant as prescribed by the Law every 50 years - for them 50 was a number that symbolized the perfection of a multiplication of Sabbaths. Every 7th day belonged to God; after the 6 days of creation, he rested on the 7th day, and so his people were commanded to gather weekly to worship him and give him thanks. The 7th year too became a “sabbatical” year of renewal and reintegration into the plan and purpose of the benevolent Creator. And the “Sabbath” of these 7th -year sabbatical years - the 50th year - was deemed a time for the whole nation to recall the blessings and gifts they had received, to pause and give thanks to God, and to share them with those who lacked them as a sign of the original blessing of creation. Here we find the Biblical foundation for the preferential option for the poor, and for the care for the whole of God’s creation that has such a contemporary echo in the ecological movement.

In the age of the Prophets, the Jubilee Year was used as an image of Messianic blessing, a prophetic image of the great good God had in store for his people when the Messiah, the great Prophet and Teacher would appear. The hope conveyed in this image became a personal drama for a group of Sabbath worshippers in Nazareth at a moment in time, in human history - a moment when Jesus read the words of the Prophet Isaiah about the Messianic promise: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Lk 4:18-19). Then he declared: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

This is the drama of God’s love that you will recall in a special way in the Sesquicentennial Jubilee of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. Jesus came “in the fullness of time” to sanctify time, to reclaim it for the One who created it, and to open it to eternity. And we are privileged to live with him in that fullness of time, in the ongoing “year of the Lord’s favor”! By the gifts of the Holy Spirit which he sends into our hearts, he calls us to be his instruments in writing the story of salvation history in this time and place: he invites us to write a new chapter in the book of the Church that began with the Acts of the Apostles.

The anniversary of the Archdiocese is an opportunity to recall with gratitude the work of the Holy Spirit in planting the seeds of faith in this part of Australia and guiding the Church’s growth throughout the generations. In these months leading up to the Jubilee, I urge you to gather from your own families, parishes, and schools the great stories of faith which helped shape this Archdiocese of Brisbane. This act of “sacred memory” is a way to prepare for the Jubilee precisely by being attentive to the presence and action of the Holy Spirit shaping, guiding, and transforming this local Church. Surely the whole Church in Queensland can acknowledge with great gratitude, especially to Archbishop Bathersby and the bishops of the Metropolitan Province of Brisbane, the dedication of the new Holy Spirit Seminary as part of this jubilee of the Lord and as a sign of hope in the continued work of the Holy Spirit in this local Church.

In addition to this exercise of ecclesial memory, we are called to the very personal task of keeping vigil for the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. As we spend time with Jesus through prayer and the sacraments, we come to know him better and love him more. How can we not respond to his invitation to be his apostles who proclaim this good news to the ends of the earth? We do this by the witness of our lives, faith-filled and resolved to keep the commandments he has given us. We do it by our participation in works of charity on behalf of our neighbor in need, by the pursuit of justice in our personal lives and in our society, by seeking to make the peace that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit ever more a reality in our lives and in our world. And we do it by telling the story of Jesus, of God’s love in person, of how he here and now asks everyone to let him into their lives.

Sometimes we may think that Jesus is already known “to the ends of the earth.” But in proposing the new evangelization as the principal project of this millennium of Christianity, Pope John Paul II reminded us that each generation needs to be evangelized anew, that nations once Christian need to hear the good news proclaimed again, that each one of us needs to hear more radically the call to conversion and communion with our Lord. Evangelization begins in our families, in our schools, in our workplace. It is the simple witness of our discipleship, the fruit of our joy at coming to know the Lord and his abundant love for each one of us. Evangelization is also the ability to articulate our Catholic faith in a way that gives answer to the questions and longings of faith which we often encounter in our family members, coworkers and friends. This articulation, which sometimes went by the name “apologetics,” responds to the exhortation we heard in today’s second reading from St. Peter who urged those first Christians: “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Pt. 3:15). In this context, I would like to propose anew that both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the recent Compendium of the Catechism, works overseen by our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI while still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, are most effective tools for evangelization, assisting Catholics everywhere to articulate the faith which underpins the vibrancy of their hope and love.

“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts!” St. Peter tells us in today’s’ second reading. This is the preparation for the Jubilee in which the Spirit guides us. We sanctify him in our hearts by making time for regular prayer, by purifying our hearts by a regular examination of conscience and celebration of the sacrament of Penance, by striving to live integral lives in concert with God’s moral law, by faithful celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the devotional life of the Church, by active charity that reaches out to those in need. These things, while having a personal and interior character, bear great fruit in the Church and in the world. Nothing will attract people more to the Church than the experience the Christian faith lived authentically by her members. If we are attentive to the way the Spirit works in us, we will indeed sanctify the Lord in our hearts, and the Spirit will use the authenticity of our faith as his most effective tool for evangelization.

I will conclude these reflections by recalling the encyclical letter Spe Salvi, in which our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI has reminded us of the simple and yet profound truth that, in Christ, the future is full of hope. God has shown us in Jesus what the true fulfillment of human life is. He has given humanity the gift of his own divine life, and he has asked us not only to embrace it ourselves, but also to share it with the whole human family. Let us look with eager anticipation towards Pentecost and to the coming celebration of the Sesquicentennial Jubilee of the Archdiocese, confident that the risen Lord’s promise to send the Holy Spirit is being fulfilled in our very midst.

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