Here are a couple of letters sent to Cardinal George Pell 5 or 6 weeks ago.



Although no reply has been received to either of the letters, subtle changes in Mendes' behaviour could be read as an indication that he was informed of their contents.

Nevertheless Ralph is still waiting to be invited to distribute Communion at Sunday Mass.

Predictably, the community was admonished today over last Sunday's celebration.

Mendes seized upon the theme in today's readings asserting the quality of his shepherding skills, as he has on other occasions, and that last week's priests are  not just bad shepherds but wolves masquerading as shepherds, hungry to devour any misguided sheep that might stray within their reach.

(Ed: Neocat clergy, of course, do not register on the Church Mouse's Good Shepherd Scale - not even somewhere below dead sheep.)

Lest anyone in the small congregation was struggling with the intent behind his good shepherd/bad shepherd pronouncements - his utterances from the pulpit are difficult to follow at the best of times - he obligingly spelt it out: "Last week I heard someone sitting here making jokes of the Cardinal, of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, and I didn't like it ..."

He could only have been referring to Danny Gilbert's speech.

A recording of the celebration indicates that the most likely "joke of the Cardinal" that drew a chuckle from the audience went as follows:
The same recording testifies that no one was particularly amused by Danny's "joke of Mother T":

Jokes at other's expense, Clesio? Hardly. It is high time that you and your cronies made the effort to learn a few things about the Australian sense of humour, and perhaps something about Australian (not to mention Aboriginal) culture.


And what of the behaviour of you and your handful of followers last week?

That most definitely identified you as being amongst those to whom Danny referred near the end of his speech, "who would rather forget that Ted Kennedy ever existed". You looked desperately uncomfortable in the company of so many wolves and Judases, but at the same time happy that your suffering would stand you in good stead with your god.

Some of you disappeared immediately the priests left the altar, but Danny had already started his speech when you emerged from the sacristy, so, poor fellow, you felt obliged to wait for a gap in the proceedings. It was quite a time while the rest of the gathering listened with rapt attention before you and your minder could make your escape. And escape you did, rushing past Ed Campion as he started to speak.

With these few exceptions, last Sunday's celebration was full of love. Just look at the photos.

In the six years the Neocats have been in Redfern, they have demonstrated no interest in, no capacity for, no understanding of, love.

Take another look at the photos - can you pick the Neocats?

For years now, many at St Vincent's have been unable to take communion from the Neocat clergy who despise the community so, and have elected to share only in the Blood of Christ from the solitary non-Neocat Eucharistic minister.

This seems to have recently come to the attention to the ever alert Clesio Mendes, who queried communicants a week or two ago as to why they weren't queuing up for the Eucharist from the Neocats.

So today parishioners were intrigued by a dark haired woman who appeared to be using her mobile phone to photograph those receiving the Blood of Christ from Ralph.

When her actions were queried, she announced that she was from Italy, that we must receive the host before the wine, that the priest was holy, etc, etc.

The ranting and fuming continued for quite a while after she returned to the pews, to such an extent that "shushing" sounds could be heard from several sources, including one in the vicinity of Mendes himself, who unfortunately did not find the interruption sufficiently serious to warrant shutting down the Mass.

When Church Mouse photographer Len made a show of readying his camera to photograph the paparazza(?), Neocats leapt in front of the Italian to shield her.

The following was sent to the parish priest, Clesio Mendes, today, by a community member. The pp and his assistant refused to speak to Sr Marnie Kennedy when she approached them after the 10am Mass. They simply ignored her, refusing to engage in any way at all.

On Sunday, August 24, 2008, Fr Peter Maher, an accredited InterPlay leader, was to conduct a workshop entitled "Holistic Spirituality Can Be Fun" at St Vincent's. Peter has conducted similar workshops at many venues, including overseas. He was specifically invited by the community, with which he has been associated for  about 25 years, to hold one at Redfern. Details of the workshop had been announced at Sunday Masses for several weeks, and all were invited to attend.

The workshop never happened - Clesio Mendes had his cronies eject Fr Peter Maher from St Vincent's Church after lying in wait by the door for him to arrive after Mass. Mendes literally extended one hand to greet Peter, and metaphorically struck him with the other by telling him that he was not welcome in “his church”.

Mendes complained that he had not been advised about the workshop, but his extraordinary behaviour suggests otherwise. Why did he choose to express disapproval by humiliating Peter, and not by approaching the organisers well before the event? Is this how anyone, let alone a priest, is supposed to behave?

In their current poorly attended indoctrination programme (the team of catechists consistently outnumbers the curious) there is much talk about the miracle of love and unity in the Neocatechumenal community. This begs a number of questions. Is this so-called miracle only for the benefit of the inner circle, or “salt”? Does this justify inflicting hurt on the outsider, or “Judas”? Or refusing to participate in the community's celebrations? Or accepting any pastoral responsibility for visiting the sick or offering spiritual support for the dying?

After Trevor's funeral on Monday 25 August, Mendes again insisted to Peter Maher that he is not welcome in “his church”.

St Vincent's is not a clerical bully's plaything; it belongs to those - like Trevor - who find there a place of acceptance.

Mendes should take another look at Sunday's first reading (Isaiah 22:19-23): Are his the keys of liberation? Keys to release people from their prisons, their closets, and the traps that they set for each other? Keys to be used to empower the least among us?

Keys still open and close doors. But they must be used with care. Peter's keys are a symbol of unity, not to be used to shut the door in the face of any one group but rather to open the door to all and invite them in.