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1. The reality is the whole St Mary's in exile nonsense will die with Kennedy.

   Posted By: John W

2. Interesting. Snitch or tell-tale? There should be more of it, I say. Transprency in all things. Guilt (knowing you are doing the wrong thing) is one reason why people hide from being exposed. The Church Universal and local must be open in all things.
   The Mass is established and has various formulas to follow, and members have spacific roles to fill, otherwise it is not a mass. There is nothing wrong with a prayer service or a spiritual gathering ...all are good and wonderful things... but they are not a mass.
   And remember snitching and tell-taling exposes abuse. Do those who expose abuse not require our undivided support?

   Posted By: mick

3. Respect to Fr Peter Kennedy and his community, but where is the reciprocal respect to us who have been hurt by Fr Peter in his description of our Church. Church. The Church is me and many others around the world who try, just as hard as Fr Peter and his community to make the Church a living reality, as it has been for two thousand years, of Christ's love and mercy.
   More humility from Fr Peter and his community could have avoided the outcome which we all have to live with and which adds to the woundedness of the Church.
   Fr Peter and his community were able to operate for many years, within the Church. Any reflection of the events of this year must honestly analyse what Fr Peter and the community did that squandered that.
   The Catholic Church is large enough to be a home for the Fr Peters who exist and have existed in every age of the Church. Sometimes though, the truth is that they don't want to live with the family, they can't or won't see their identity as being part of the family.
   Parents in every generation know what I'm talking about. For the protection of the family it's best that the individual leave and set up home for themselves.
   And, yes, they always gossip about how hard their parents were and how repressed and disadvantaged they were at home.
   The books always sell well and the movies give a boost to young talent!
   

   Posted By: Fr Mick Mac Andrew Bombala-Delegate NSW

4. Fr Mick speaks of reciprocal respect, but little or no respect was shown to the community of St Marys when they were exiled. The Archbishop and the Diocesan Authorities refused to speak or meet with the community to listen to their concerns. Instead they simply heard the pontificating from a distant, sterile, frightend authority. The Catholic Church Authorities of Brisbane displayed that they were not Catholic (in the true sense)or large enough to embrace the Fr Peters or the St Marys Communiy.

   Posted By: Alex

5. " . . . the broken people who find nurturing" - I know many who find this within the Church that Fr Kennedy rejects.
   "Detached" and "contemplative" are hardly words that spring immediately to mind when I think of Peter Kennedy's disclosed form in this regrettable and unnecessarily protracted embroilment.

   Posted By: John

6. The man who threatened Rome? People have been threatening Rome for the last 2000 years.

   Posted By: Lance Eccles

7. Thank you for publishing Andrew Hamilton's discerning review. Having read the book, I concur with his findings. In particular the personal stories transcribed by Michele Gierck. They are each a poignant, unassuming account of various members of the St Mary's community faith journeys. She narrates how these faith journeys are affected when confronted with obstinate, irrelevant orthodoxy. A book more about hope for a church stagnated by fear. A captivating and enthralling read.

   Posted By: comfort and joy

8. Not withstanding some excellent chapters written by Anne Brown, Noel Preston, and a few others, I found 'Peter Kennedy The Man Who Threatened Rome' a bit dog-eared in its structure, and the third person accounts not entirely factual, failing to mention all the key personnel involved in creating the Kennedy community of 1980 - 2009.
   Michelle Gierk is entertaining and engaging in her chapters, yet I was not consulted on my inclusion in this book, the details about me (and my grandfather) are not entirely accurate.
   There is no mention of any liturgical or music coordinator over these decades who in large part helped shape the 'welcoming spirit' that was famed for being - still is - St Mary's South Brisbane.
   There are powerful and legitimate claims this book makes, but I suspect it has been written too hurriedly, aimed as sensationalist to get book sales, and does not cover the breadth of important (and often mundane) issues affecting my church in the Kennedy era.

   Posted By: Tim Roberts

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