Last year in a diocese somewhere in Australia… Bishop to a parish congregation: “I am pleased to be here on my canonical visit.” Teenager to Mum: “Did he say conjugal visit?”
The Hon. Tim Fischer, Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, is also a railway enthusiast. He has written books on the subject. The Vatican railway system does not offer great opportunities to a train-spotter as it consists of a single line that extends less than a kilometre from the Italian state mainline.
However the papal railway does have an interesting history. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) condemned railways as an unwanted intrusion into the natural ordering of society. If God had wanted us to travel rapidly we would have been given wings! Gregory’s successor, Pius IX (1846-1878) allowed railways to be built in the Papal States. The Popes ruled central Italy in those days. One of the Pope’s carriages in which he toured his domains has been preserved. No Pope travelled by train again until John XXIII (1958-1963) visited Loreto as a pilgrim.
Was Shakespeare fascinated by the number 46? The recently discovered portrait of the bard, the only one painted during his lifetime, was commissioned, we are told, when he was 46 years of age.
Shakespeare is believed to have been one of the authors of the King James Bible. In the 46th Psalm the 46th word from the beginning is ‘shake’, and the 46th word, when counted from the end is ‘spear’.
Our theologically minded PM quoted Luther without acknowledgement at the service held in Melbourne in memory of those who perished in the recent bushfires.
In praising the courage of the firefighters, Mr Rudd said it was a though they faced the dangers saying, ‘Here I stand, I can do no other’. Thus spoke Luther at the Diet of Worms in 1521.
Tentative tenuous (he had difficulty holding his notes) tenor, at the parish soirée: ‘For Bonnie Annie Laurie I would lay me doon and die.’ Voice from the back of the hall – ‘Would someone please fetch Miss Laurie.’
Celebrants know full well that marriage service booklets must be proof read very carefully – spell check does not necessarily expose infelicitous textual inaccuracies:
“Lord may they remain untied in heart and mind and know that you always call them too long for your presence”
Despite the Australian Church’s multicultural flavour in 2009, St Patrick’s Day is still celebrated exuberantly each year in recognition of our Irish roots.
Even in a pluralist society the media, especially talk-back radio, gives due recognition to St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
There’s many a saint, so they tell,
who would evil and demons expel,
but blessed St Patrick,
accomplished a hat trick,
and drove out the serpents as well.
“Good and Faithful Servants” is a book edited by Monsignor Frank Cresp. Its purpose is to recall the spirit of the deceased priests of the Port Pirie (formerly Port Augusta) Diocese.
Over 127 names are listed. Readers will appreciate the crisp Cresp style:
We read that Fr John Lonergan of Ballarat was named Bishop of Port Augusta in January 1938. He died in July of that year before Episcopal Ordination. The editor’s laconic comment is “probably died of fright”.
– Fr Ron Line
