New Marist Window

So, I'm going to Sunday morning Mass regularly at the Cathedral now. I watched the servers and felt a little sad, I must admit, that I wasn't up there helping, but I was glad it was an all-male sanctuary. I reminded myself that this was my little cross and I prayed briefly for their vocations.

Yesterday there was a big gathering of Marist brothers for a new window in the Cathedral celebrating there 100 years presence in the diocese. I know it's terrible, but I don't buy that the Marist brothers look after the poor anymore, the local school (which they own in conjunction with the parish) is private and very wealthy. A vast majority of the children there don't come to Mass on a Sunday, the Cathedral would be packed with a lot more young people than I see there on a Sunday, and I'm constantly hearing about how anti-Catholic many of them are, along with many of the teachers. The Marist brother who got up to present the window to the bishop spoke about helping the youth, and I just sat there and remembered how empty the youth group is, and how wealthy many of the youth who go there are.

I'm sorry, but wealthy children are not marginised!

Blessing the window.

At least blessing was beautiful, the prayer was quite vivid. When the bishop had done his thing, he and all the brothers sung Salve Regina, it sounded beautiful, especially with just male voices.

Afterwards, I caught up with my baptism/confirmation sponsor, who is one of the brothers. I didn't even know he was coming down. A couple of years ago he moved up to Emerald, after 13 years here, for some sort of missionary work. It turns out they're finished up there and he's moving down to Sydney as well, so hopefully I'll run into him again. He's a lovely man, with a very good heart, espeically for the poor.

That's the thing that makes me sad about the Marists, individually they are lovely people, but somehow as a group they've lost their way a bit. I don't see any refuges for the poor run by them, it's all business now. I must remember to pray for them, becasue they have the capacity to be such a good force, especially as the 'little brothers" of Mary.