By Anthony Barich
THE Australian Confraternity of Catholic Clergy has re-booted in Perth, with Archbishop Barry Hickey showing his support for the organisation by attending their meeting on 17 February.
The ACCC, formed in 1987, was formerly headed in WA by Fr Steve Casey, but as he now serves in the diocese of Geraldton, it was hard for him to convene meetings in a central location.
City Beach parish priest Fr Don Kettle was appointed as the WA delegate to liaise with national chairman Fr John Walshe of Mentone, Melbourne after an inaugural conference of Confraternity of Catholic Clergy in Rome with the Pope for the Year for Priests in January last year. Though 21 clergy are registered members in WA, up to 12 priests attend monthly meetings on the third Thursday, where they pray, bounce ideas off each other and share a meal. ACCC membership is open to all priests and deacons who are members of Religious or secular institutes.
All WA Bishops receive the ACCC’s bi-annual magazine The Priest, which includes articles to help the formation of priests and in which common matters are discussed. The organisation also hosts a retreat and conference annually.
Fr Kettle said it is critical for priests to support each other, spiritually and socially, to resist secular culture. He said that the international conference, which will be held every five years, edified him in ways that he envisions the ACCC will do for priests around the Archdiocese on a regular basis.
“It was amazing. I felt like I was in the seminary again, with the fraternity and comradeship. It revived the old spirit, with those who have a common vision and identity of the priesthood, which is difficult facing the secularism of the culture we find ourselves living in,” he said.
Fr Kettle, who attended the Pontifical Irish College in Rome during his seminary formation, was ordained a priest in 2002 at St Mary’s Cathedral. His vision is to make the ACCC known to priests within the diocese “to say this is a fraternal group that is important to support each other in our priesthood”, he said. “Priests need priests – to keep an eye on each other, as it creates an environment where we can speak openly about things we deal with,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to discuss how to implement things and how to get advice from each other, what works and doesn’t work, but there’s also very much a social aspect to it.”
There are also 44 lay affiliate members in Perth who support and live out the ethos of the ACCC and subscribe to The Priest. In return, its priests run retreats and seminars for the laity.
The ACCC’s objectives are:
– Give glory and honour to the Most Blessed Trinity
– Assist the eternal salvation and holiness of members
– Foster unity among Catholic priests and deacons with the Bishops in loyalty to the Magisterium
– Encourage faithfulness to priestly life and ministry
– Assist Bishops, priests, and deacons in the fulfilment of their ministry of teaching, sanctifying and ruling.
At the 17 February meeting Archbishop Hickey brought up an example of the fraternity which the ACCC offers, saying that the Holy Hour at St Thomas More College chapel attended by up to 80 priests followed by a meal was a huge success. The majority of priests said this should happen on a regular basis. The ACCC is a chance for this fraternity to grow. The ACCC will host its next annual retreat for its priests at St Joseph’s retreat centre in Kincumber, NSW.
– Email FrDonKettle@perthcatholic.org.au or call 9185 1443