Category: People

This month we farewell Fr Chris Warnock, a former YCW chaplain from the Port Pirie Diocese in South Australia, who died on 3 March 2021 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

All our condolences to his sister, Anne Jennings, brother Matt, both former YCW leaders, and all Chris’s family and relatives.

Watch the beautiful eulogy by Chris’s sister, Claire, (start 15:00) and homily, by Fr Jim Monaghan (32:30) in the video of his funeral mass below.

Below we also share a meaningful remembrance of Chris by Locky, another former YCW leader from Port Pirie.

In memory of Father Chris Warnock

I came to know Father Chris Warnock through the Whyalla Young Christian Workers, particularly after I became engaged to parishioner and YCW member there. The YCW often met at Father Chris’s and I found him easy and witty company, comfortable with the diversity of regular attendees including a surprising number of openly gay people, just as comfortable in their own skin – I came from Port Pirie which had no gay people at all, we only had to deal with the likes of the Solomontown football club.

I went on to become very involved with YCW under Margie Lee’s guidance in ‘Pirie and so dealt with Fr Chris on a couple of levels, particularly as he supported the Whyalla YCW in its critical investigation into the industrial death of my would-be father in law, Les Kemp. Whyalla YCW’s enquiry was in-depth and far reaching, affecting both BHP’s Australian operations and State legislation around dangerous work practices after it was shown that Les Kemp was the third person to die in the role he was “promoted” into.

It should be understood that the teenagers undertaking this review did so with determination and courage in what remains a regional city overwhelmingly dependent on that steelworks as the major provider of jobs and family security. Today’s YCW members would be surprised to know that in their parents’ time, a family man’s response to being put in a life threatening job was to quietly invest in three life insurance policies and just get on with it, hoping to beat the odds as Les did before he died in his early thirties of a work related brain aneurysm.

Whyalla were lucky to have the wider YCW network, absolutely. However, on a more immediate level, they were definitely blessed to be able to rely on the full support and guidance of Father Chris during what became months of discovery, growing awareness, lobbying and change. YCW Whyalla had a real impact on the evolution of how South Australians were to view workplace health and safety expectations.

Writing now, as an adult and a parent of teenagers, it is easy to see how that work would have never progressed to an unforeseen and important success without the unifying help and steady influence of Father Chris in the background. Chris unprepossessingly found space, printing, phone services, encouragement and prompting, and he had the humility of his deep faith to stand back to give young people the full sunshine of the satisfaction they found in helping others in a good cause.

Forty years later I still remember this as work which penetrated where no industrial union or any other mature group I can think of at the time even ventured, let alone made a mark. And a key person I can point to in demonstrating the real core value of selflessness in getting people to turn up, making coffees and saying “alright, what’s next?”, is Father Chris Warnock.

Much, much later, “to the amazement of everyone including me,” as Chris himself said, I was fortunate enough to snare someone far too good for me and marry them, with Chris doing us the honour of officiating at St Laurence’s one beautiful day in Adelaide over 30 years ago. More recently, Chris also christened our two children, Louise and Laurence back at the Cathedral in Port Pirie, despite the evident effects of Parkinson’s, which he explained prior to proceedings with great humour.

In between times, we also caught up with Chris when visiting our farming friends in Caltowie around the time he had to give up driving and move into gofers, the first of which he was already cheerfully personalising whilst still using the car (much to the concern of Jamestown locals).

Quite a few times since visiting him at home there, I have reflected on how solitary a life in God’s  rural service must be. That was never a complaint of Chris’ – nothing was – and he had his own ways of dealing with it: Certainly if you said you were having a barbie anywhere within earshot, you’d be wanting to bank on a couple of snags for Father Chris.

I have always respected and admired Father Chris as a straight talking and learned fellow traveller, keenly aware of our shared humanity and shortcomings despite the great differences in our lives. In the all too few times we have been able to see Chris since his illness took hold, he remained droll, positive and accepting of his terrible affliction.

Whilst his suffering is finally over, my wife Evelyn and I will continue to miss the Father Chris Warnock we came to know so many years ago. We are grateful for his time among us and we trust that God has at last given him true peace and heavenly contentment.

Vale, Chris. Say g’day to Les from me.

With our love and affection,

Locky and Evelyn.

“Activist priest Father Peter James Robinson, awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his outstanding work with people with disabilities, was a shrewd, down to earth, very Australian Catholic priest,” writes Dom Dimattina in an obituary published in The Age.

“Sympathising much with those on the margins, rules and regulations never sat well with him.

“Throughout his early work years, first at the taxation department, and later with the Department of the Army in Canberra, Robbo was inspired by leaders in the YCW movement. Eventually, he went to work full time for the YCW.”

“At 23, he decided to become a priest, going to St Bede’s in Mentone to study Latin and prepare for his eight years at the Werribee and then Glen Waverley seminaries,” Fr Di Matinna writes.

“In 1970, while serving as chaplain to a large congregation of nuns at the Good Shepherd Convent (at the site now occupied by Chadstone shopping centre), he was given an additional post as chaplain to the Catholic Deaf of Victoria, a role he embraced with gusto. He soon became proficient in Auslan, the sign language used by many in the hearing-impaired community.

“By 1972, I had invited Robbo to become a member of the Lions Club at the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market of Melbourne, which Pat Lamanna and I had established that year. This launched him into a new and completely different world.

“He was soon overwhelmed by the spontaneous generosity of the thousands of daily users of the wholesale market – growers, wholesalers and retailers alike. They, too, quickly warmed to this jovial cleric with a captivating personality who moved easily among them in the early hours of the morning, canvassing support for the Lions’ many charitable projects.

During this time, with the support of the Lions Club, he began his famous antique auctions, conducted by his great friend, Graham Joel (head of the notable auction house, Leonard Joel). Robbo’s novel idea was to write to hundreds of parishes, convents and brothers’ houses throughout Victoria, as they held many beautiful items of 19th century antiques.

“He invited these custodians to send antiques they did not need to him, to be auctioned to raise funds for the hearing-impaired community he served. The significant funds raised through this initiative allowed Robbo to fulfil a burning ambition to establish a dedicated centre for the hearing-impaired; what would become the John Pierce Centre for the Deaf, in Elsternwick. The grateful hearing-impaired community of Victoria always responded warmly to Robbo’s energetic advocacy on their behalf.”

READ MORE

Dom Di Mattina OAM, Cheeky, much-loved priest a champion fundraiser (The Age)

This month we note the passing of former Melbourne YCW leader and chaplain, Frank “Charlie” Hornby, who died in Canberra on 12 September surrounded by his wife, Geraldine, and their children Patrick, Simon, daughter in law, Sarah, and grandchildren. (Daughter Mary died in 2007.)

Prior to entering the diocesan seminary, Corpus Christi College, Werribee, Frank was already a member of Diocesan Executive in Melbourne.

In 1957, he was one of a record number of former YCW members who became seminarians there.

“The names I recall are Kevin Drill, Frank Hornby, Kevin Power and Peter Robinson,” writes Val Noone. “These four, and especially Peter Robinson and Frank Hornby, took care to instruct young school leavers such as myself in the virtues of YCW.

“I recall joining a study group on Catholic Action with some of them and Thomas Furey where we worked through Challenge to Action, a collection of Cardijn’s speeches. The one that stands out in my memory is entitled, ‘The hour of the working class’.

“Speaking in 1948, Cardijn outlined the characteristics of modern industrial working conditions and argued that ‘the workers’ problem’ (Cardijn’s phrase for all the issues facing the industrial working class) had to be taken seriously by Christians and that it existed separately of agitation by communists and socialists. Studying such texts in the company of former YCW leaders was a good school for me.”

Mgr Frank Marriott from Sandhurst Diocese recalled that he met Frank Hornby in 1965 through their mutual interest in YCW.

He “was optimistic and thoughtful and respectful of the country man,” Mgr Frank recalled.

“In time we both had diocesan responsibilities for YCW and in those days there were four full time chaplains from Melbourne serving the National movement as well as the Archdiocese…..How times have changed,” he added.

CCA president, Wayne McGough noted that Frank succeeded Paul Willy as Melbourne chaplain after spending time at Highett, which produced so many legendary YCW leaders.

VIDEO

Francis Kevin Hornby Funeral Service (Gatecrasher Media)

This month we say goodbye to Fr Mick Wheeler, a former Melbourne YCW fulltime secretary, who later became a priest.

Aged 82, he passed away at Epworth Hospital in Melbourne on Tuesday 11 August 2020.

“Mick came through the Alphington YCW and worked in the early 60’s as full time Melbourne YCW Secretary,” recalled Bill Armstrong AO.

“He embodied the Cardijn methodology of see, judge act and this stayed with him all through his life,” Bill added.” He was interested in everyone he met and was always ready to have a chat.

“Mick was humble and down to earth and really cared for people.  For more than 30 years he was the much loved Parish Priest of the very aptly named Parish of Wheelers Hill.”

Former ACI chairperson, Kevin Vaughan noted that he had first met Mick Wheeler in the YCW 60 years ago.

“I can always recall him working in the YCW office,” Kevin said. “He often told the story about Cardijn’s visit to Australia in 1966.

“Cardijn visited the seminary and spoke to the seminarians. Later, when he was sitting at the dinner table, Mick sat beside him with his arm around the back of his chair and he was told off for getting so personal with a giant of the church. May he rest in peace.”

After completing his seminary studies, Fr Mick was ordained a priest at St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne on 22 May 1971.

He then served as Assistant Priest at Belmont (December 1971 – March 1972), Collingwood (1972), Jordanville (1975), Manifold (1978) and Newport (1979). In 1981, he was appointed as Chaplain to the Repatriation Hospital, Heidelberg.

In 1986, he became Parish Priest of the newly established St Justin’s parish at Wheelers Hill, where he served with distinction for 30 years until his retirement in 2016. Parishioners remembered him as “a wonderful, kind, selfless man who gave so much to St Justins parish and the community.”

It was no doubt Fr Mick who arranged for the mural behind the altar to display the cross and the wheat of the YCW badge. It provided a fitting backdrop to his funeral service.

Former Richmond footballer and recent PhD graduate from Yarra Theological Union and the University of Divinity, Mike Bowden, died on Holy Saturday, 11 April this year, after a long battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). 

Bowden’s doctoral thesis, entitled Searching Altyerre to Reveal the Cosmic Christ: A contribution to the dialogue between the ancient Arrernte imaginary and Christianity, is now being prepared for publication.

The thesis aims to show the continuing relevance of the “Altyerre”, which can be translated as dreaming, dreamtime, abiding event, creator or God, has continuing relevance not only for the local Arrernte people. Indeed, the Altyerre helped sustain the people in the face of the invasion by European colonistsn which threatened the Arrernte people with extinction, Bowden writes..

“The Arrernte have constructed an imaginary: a deeply structured foundational description of reality, defined in the thesis as Altyerre-Catholicism,” Bowden writes.

“Altyerre-Catholicism in the way it is lived is a gift to the Catholic Church and to the world,” he writes. “And in a manner beyond even the best of charity known to Christians – despite Invasion, dispossession, marginalisation, impoverishment, incarceration, and the sad dismissal of their gifts by White Australia – they continue to offer this richness to anyone and everyone who walks up to their open front door.”

Mike Bowden was raised as a Catholic in Melbourne, attending St Kevin’s College, Toorak, before entering Corpus Christi Seminary. However, after two years he decided that the ordained priesthood was not his path. 

He married his wife, Judy, in 1969, the same year he won a VFL premiership with Richmond.

Mike and Judy had six sons, Sean, Rhett, Kane, Joel, Patrick and Charlie and one daughter Majella.

In 1983 the family moved to Pukatja, an Aboriginal community of Pitjantjatjara and Yankuntjatjara people on the South Australian and Northern Territory border, about 150 kilometres from Uluru. There he taught at the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic College in Alice Springs founding the Ntyarlke Unit; before moving to Tangentyere Council as community development manager.

He graduated with his PhD in February 2020, just two months before his death.

“A recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, a life member of the Australian Labor Party and the Richmond Football Club, (Mike Bowden) was archetypically Australian; a sporting hero; with sporting hero children; he had friendship and respect Australia-wide; a beautiful wife who balanced and loved him in every way; around him were political and community leaders who respected and followed his guidance,” 

READ MORE

The circle continues for Dr Bowden (Vox/Southern Cross)

Mike Bowden: Defined by decency, not strength (Sydney Morning Herald)

Our first international visitor this year will be Fr Mike Deeb O.P., a former YCS chaplain in South Africa and also former chaplain to the International YCS and International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS).

Fr Mike is now working for the Dominican Congregation as their General Promoter of Justice and Peace and their Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Join us for an informal mass and coffee at Catholic Theological College, Melbourne on Thursday 23 January from 2.30-4.00pm.

Please call Stefan Gigacz 0491 077 033 or email australiancardijninstitute@gmail.com to confirm your participation so we can arrange coffee.

More about Fr Mike here: https://un.op.org/en/node/3276

Download poster here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NVOUS4AMby1d1h9wiWYTTDF-SDBdEOJL