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Ferdy Parer ofm

In the early 1980s I was living in the parish house of St Joseph’s Collingwood exploring community faith and justice. I can still remember with amazing clarity the day I opened the front door to a Franciscan friar who introduced himself as Ferdy Parer and asked to see Tony Robertson because he had been told about my work with people living in the local housing commission estates. I hold that moment in graced humility now as I had no idea of Ferdy’s work at the time.

Nearly 20 years later I settled in West End and began attending Masses at St Mary’s South Brisbane.When I realised that Ferdy was the celebrant of the week day Masses, I made a point of going as often as I could. Those Masses were the most extraordinary moments of grace and community I have ever experienced at St Mary’s in almost 20 years of participation.

Ferdy’s vision was going but his spirituality was as sharp and insightful as ever.The Mass was full of moments of glorious wonder. Gordon Smith, older than Ferdy I suspect would arrive every morning in his suit to serve. With quiet dignity and grace Gordon also read the gospel as the text in the Lectionary was too small for Ferdy to manage.And then as he handed the cruets of wine and water over for the preparation of the gifts, Gordon would kiss them in a gesture of beauty and grace which has never been seen in the recent contemporary liturgies of Terry Fitzpatrick and Peter Kennedy.

Thank you for recalling to mind this man of God and servant of the Gospel. In these days of “exile’’ and religious spin may he call us back to where we are most truly at home among the “little ones” of our fragile human family.

This post is a resposne to a blog Calling to mind Father Ferdy Parer OFM by Mark Bahnisch

You Don’t Speak for me, John Heard

Dial a Homo-Con By Andrew M. Potts lead columnist at the Sydney Star Observer newspaper is a devastating and informed expose of the tabloid press gay pin-up boy, John Heard who blogs as Dreadnought. While it is one of the more attractive gay blogs complete with “eye-candy’ from the covers of DNA Magazine, the content has flaws as Potts demonstrates.

Heard posted a response to Potts. However his true colours as somewhat arroagnt and dismissive  show in his final comment:

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to respond to messages here. If readers have any remaining (genuine) questions about my writing, and ideas – or they want to constructively discuss any point further – please send me an email direct. Details on DREADNOUGHT.- JH

I should declare a personal interest in this issue as John Heard made an anonymous reference to me in a biarre comment on an image of people, from St Mary;s Community In South Brisbane.

This pic appears on a liberal/communist crank’s website which links to – inter alia – the New Internationalist Workers’ Cooperative and was also linked from the parish webpage.

One of the great weaknesses with Heard’s prolific blogging is his failure to check links that drop off. I hope he gets around to correcting that old link of mine someday.

Brisbane Gay Catholic Challenges Church on Homophobia

MEDIA RELEASE

May 15 2008

Brisbane Gay Catholic advocate, Tony Robertson has called on the Catholic Bishops of Australia to include May 17 the International Day Against Homophobia in diocesan, parish and school calendars.

Mr Robertson first made his appeal to the Bishops in 2005, when the International Day Against Homophobia was launched to commemorate the removal of homosexuality from the General Assembly of the World Health Organization(WHO)list of mental disorders on 17 May 1990

Mr Robertson said that he was encouraged to continue his campaign following a visit to his old school, St Joseph’s Christian Brothers College in Geelong during 2007 where he was able to address a Year 12 group of students who had just completed a unit of study on homophobia.

“It was encouraging to speak to young students as a gay man in a safe environment” he said.

Mr Robertson said: “Sharing my experience as a young gay man in a very different era at the college gave me an insight into the important role of mentoring that Gay and Lesbian Catholics can provide in our Church Community”

However, Mr Robertson said he is also aware that homophobia continues to appear in much of the conversation about sexuality in the Church. In 2007 Mr Robertson lodged a complaint of sexuality vilification against an online discussion forum sponsored by the Catholic Church. As a result of the complaint the Church published an apology to Mr Robertson

“ My experience as a participant in online discussion forums about faith and sexuality has raised my concerns about a culture of homophobia which is evident among some of the contributors to such forums.” Mr Robertson said.

“The inclusion of the International Day Against Homophobia in Church calendars will send a clear message to those in the Church who fail to understand that the dignity of the human person is a core Catholic teaching which challenges homophobia in our community” he said.

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PO Box 3525
South Brisbane Qld 4101
M: 0417792509

 

‘Lifesaver’ Louise farewelled

Thursday, 24 April 2008

Iain Clacher A “very strong Catholic” grandmother credited with saving the lives of “countless” gays and lesbians has been farewelled with a requiem mass in Brisbane on April 14. Janet “Louise” Moesbergen, 74, died peacefully on April 3. Best known as a volunteer coordinator at the Queensland AIDS Council (now QAHC), Louise was also a founding figure and driving force behind Building Bridges, a Catholic group which aimed to reconcile families with their adult gay children. “At the time (late 1990s) there were parish priests openly discriminating against family members as well as gay people themselves,” said Karyn Walsh, coordinator of the Micah Project, which fostered Building Bridges in the late 1990s. “There were hundreds of parents or siblings or even partners whose relationships ended because of sexuality issues, and I think a lot of people were able to come to closure when they had someone saying the church’s teachings were not necessarily the truth,” Walsh said. Moesbergen also helped gay people better understand their straight families, according to her friend and former QuAC colleague David Rowley. “Without fail she turned up to every volunteer induction at QuAC and talked on behalf of parents with gay children,” Rowley said. “I think she changed a lot of people’s attitudes, even the attitudes of LGBTs towards their parents. She gave a new perspective on what it’s like to be gay in a straight family.” Rowley told Queensland Pride that Moesbergen first volunteered at QuAC because she “suspected” a member of her family was gay and she wanted more information. “Our friendship was slow to develop but once it did, it blossomed and she became more of a mother figure to me than a work colleague. “Once she got involved in something she just went for it,” he said. Activist Shayne Wilde said Moesbergen had saved many lives through her counseling and advocacy. “She wasn’t there for accolades, she just did it,” Wilde told Queensland Pride. “She had scrupulous ethics and was very good at what she did – at both the policy level and personal level. Amongst other things, she met with government ministers, and got the Catholic Church to donate money for anti-homophobia workshops in the outback,” Wilde said. “She was so effective in doing what she did she saved countless lives, put families back together and prevented suicides. “She was unbelievably intuitive and extremely supportive. I don’t think I’ve seen anybody give more to a cause –and she and her husband were involved in several organizations and causes. “She’s left a huge imprint and legacy. We’ve got no doubt that’s she’s up there kicking butt and probably working on the popes right now. “One of the last things she said before she died was that she’d see what she can do. She’s got plans,” Wilde said. Louise Moesbergen is survived by seven children, twelve grandchildren and a very grateful gay community.