Brisbane Catholics are RIGHT
The Archbishop AGREES Faith Education is the Key!

The remnant 13% of Catholics still attending Mass regularly in the Brisbane Archdiocese have expressed their hopes, their ideas and many of their frustrations with their Church in the submissions they have made to the Synod 2003 Consultation. As well there have been many deep expressions of Faith and love for the Church. However, overwhelmingly the message received by the Archbishop - either directly, or implicit in the content of the submission, is clear. It is this:
"Teach us our Faith!" "We are ignorant!"

The Archbishop has listened and he has responded. His statement read at all Masses on the weekend of Sept.14/15 was encouraging in that particular respect. If the submissions we have read from one parish and one deanery are any indication of the others, then such an immediate response was not only prudent but, indeed, essential if the SYNOD was not, to quote the Archbishop's own words, "grind to an unproductive halt".

In the face of this display of abysmal ignorance of the nature and structure of the Church and of what the Faith is all about, it would seem few have any idea of what is within the province of the SYNOD to discuss, to act upon or to change. The continual repetition of the almost universally held view that, since the Second Vatican Council, the Church must keep "changing to keep up with the times", suggests these "Outcomes of the Synod Consultation" have served the Archbishop well by letting him know in advance what nonsense to expect. It appears to be that the obvious purpose of his letter of Sept. 14/15 is an attempt to get things back on track.

Surprised the Archbishop might be, as he admits in his response, at the priorities given to certain matters, he now can have no doubt whatsoever about the vagaries within the quality and depth of Faith among his people. He would surely be wise to admit that this remaining 13% of Mass-attending, but mainly faith-ignorant Catholics, is a small and shaky base upon which to built the future of the Catholic Church in Queensland. A little like the apostles and disciples before Pentecost. But does the SYNOD aspire to be another Pentecost?

Thus the Archbishop must concede that his role of being the TEACHING Shepherd of his flock has become the undisputed priority.

The Archbishop also seems surprised - and indeed somewhat disappointed - that the respondents have placed "strengthening ecumenical and interfaith collaboration" at the bottom of their list of matters for SYNOD discussion. Would an ignorant carpenter (if he was honest), one who hardly knew one end of a saw from another, who couldn't drive a nail in straight, be at all enthusiastic about teaching someone else how to built a house, someone who didn't even know what a saw was or hadn't ever seen a hammer! Judging from their SYNOD submissions that would have been about situation of most of the 13% remnant Catholics in any attempt at ecumenical endeavour. Unmitigated disaster!

In this area we understand that the Archbishop is busily engaged at times in Catholic/Anglican Ecumenical Dialogue. We also appreciate it must also be very frustrating understanding and grappling with the Anglican view. What is that view? Senior Anglican archbishops express doubts themselves and appear to be able to speak for just one faction or local communion. Might we suggest to Archbishop Battersby if local Catholic faith education continues to deteriorate or removes itself even further from the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, then the Archbiships's Anglican collaborators could perhaps begin one day to have as much difficulty with him as he now must have with them.

In an almost immediate response to the Archbishop's call for Faith Education we note one parish has already called a meeting inviting staff from various Archdiocesan agencies "to provide information and facilitate workshops" These agencies being the Liturgical Commission, RCIA Team, RE Team, Faith Education Services among others. This commendable but patently unwise decision is puzzling to say the least. Have not these teams been around for years for the very purpose of educating the Brisbane faithful in matters of faith!. What has happened! Has not the ignorance deepened? Has not confusion reigned? Might it not be more fruitful to look at the composition of these agencies themselves? Have they not been the purveyors of modernism, relativism and feminism? Have they not been the promoters of liturgical aberration and absurdities? Have some of them or their members not been tainted with new age nonsense?

To promote Faith Education, Archbishop, you will need Faith Educators, men and women knowledgeable in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, aware of and loyal to the Magisterium of the Church; men and women with the zeal of a St Francis Xavier, the understanding of a St Thomas Aquinas, the courage of a St Edmund Campion. Not easy to find! Then, again, the Holy Spirit found them when needed before - if asked He will find them again. That's the first step - it's called Faith. Then comes the Education!