Mercy Archives - Society of Mary

Rector regrets old boy’s violence but urges community to support him

Violence condemned at St Patrick's College Silverstream — St Patrick’s College Silverstream Rector, Mr Gerard Tully

Rector of St Patrick’s College Silverstream, Mr Gerard Tully says there is no room for violence at the college.

Mr Tully was speaking to the school community about the assault of four people by a former St Patrick’s College Silverstream student and Wellington representative rugby player, Losi Filipo.

He said he hoped “all who have been affected by the violent incident of October last year – particularly the victims and their families – will recover from their trauma and be able to confidently enjoy life again.”

Filipo was a student at the school when the violence took place.

However in a twist, Tully encouraged the school community to support the young man.

“We do not wash our hands of him, but stand beside him as he seeks to address the harm done and rebuild his life on his journey to become a ‘compassionate, just and successful citizen’ of New Zealand,” Tully wrote in a newsletter.

“As a Catholic and Marist school, and in this Year of Mercy, we remain passionately committed to the Gospels and values/virtues/gifts that flow from them, such as honesty, forgiveness, hope and redemption.”

Source: DomPost

Tributes paid to Irish Marist priest

Tributes for Fr Sean Fagan came last week after news of the Marist priest’s death.

Fr Fagan died in St Vincent’s Hospital after a long illness.

Former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese says she is “saddened by the death of that great questioning mind that was Fr Sean Fagan’s”.

“A brilliant theologian and thinker who brought great distinction to Ireland, his long and illustrious priestly career was blighted in latter years by being silenced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” Mrs McAleese said.

“His heart and spirit were broken but his fidelity to the Church and quiet acceptance of such an unjust fate won him even more admirers,” she said.

Through his writing, he helped me greatly to free myself from the inherited obsession with sin, and the fear of hell.
Assn Catholic Priests

In April, 2014, Pope Francis had all sanctions against the very ill Fr Fagan lifted.

It later emerged that in December 2013, Mrs McAleese had written directly to Pope Francis asking that he personally intervene in the case.

Mrs McAleese said the lifting of sanctions against Fr Fagan came too little, too late.

The Association of Catholic Priests also paid tribute to Fr Fagan.

In an editorial, the writer said he owed Sean a “great debt of gratitude”.

“…he, through his writing, helped me greatly to free myself from the inherited obsession with sin, and the fear of hell.

“I suspect that I am not the only one of my generation that is indebted to Sean for that.”

The writer said that from a personal standpoint Fr Fagan was one of the most significant theologians of our time.

“At least he lived to see Francis in the Vatican”, he wrote.

“I hope he found assurance in the way Francis presents God to us as a loving parent, full of mercy and forgiveness. That was how Sean portrayed God.”

Sources

Chris Skinner concludes Jubilee Year of Mercy tour

Fr Chris Skinner recently concluded 10 day tour of the Dunedin diocese offering a series of music workshops in parishes and schools.

The diocese was keen to promote a number of activities during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, and Chris focussed on a number of his songs with a mercy theme.

Offering workshops, concerts, he also played at several Masses.

On its website the Diocese says he “delighted all ages with his music”.

“Throughout all ten days, Fr Chris’s joyful energy remained high, delighting people from ages 2 to 92 with his melodious voice and prayerful presence”, says Amy Armstrong of the Dunedin Diocese in a statement.

A significant focus of the visit was three workshops in Oamaru, Dunedin and Invercargill where he spent a lot of time teaching parish and school musicians.