When
we first came to Sydney
from Adelaide
in 1968 several of our friends gave us advice about
the Catholic Church in this city. In particular:
·
to understand the Sydney Church
read Tom Kenneally's Three
Cheers for the Paraclete; and
·
make sure we get to know Ted Kennedy,
if we wanted to see the Church as it really can be.
We
did the first and enjoyed it, as well as realising how
accurate it was. We were fortunate to be introduced
to Ted soon after we arrived in Sydney
and, although we are not regular Redfern worshippers,
we have enjoyed his friendship, his leadership and his
challenge to “be” catholic ever since.
Our
involvement in Aboriginal Justice issues is very much
because of Ted's influence (and to Mum Shirl's). The
fact that we still try to follow the teachings of Jesus
is because we could see them being lived in the Redfern
Community.
We
hope Ted is able to enjoy retirement, knowing that his
work lives on in many people.
by Anne and Bill Byrne
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