ST JOSEPH’S Primary School students at Culcairn were told by a priest at an assembly they and their families have “brought the community to its lowest level ever” after none of the school’s families showed up to Mass last Sunday.
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Father Terence Mahedy berated the students, aged mostly between five and 11, on Monday before sending a newsletter home to parents saying as a result of no one attending church, all Book Week activities – including a costume parade scheduled for yesterday – would be cancelled.
The Advertiser obtained a copy of the newsletter, which spoke of the parish community’s “disappointment” in St Joseph’s Primary School families and included a fire and brimstone message from the Gospel of St Luke.
“As a consequence of the St Joseph’s community to cause so much disappointment to the parish community over yesterday’s (Sunday’s) liturgy and because there is no joy in what happened I feel that St Joseph’s community have to take ownership of this; I have therefore issued instructions that all Book Week celebrations should be withdrawn.”
And the fire and brimstone passage:
“‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already.’”
Despite Wagga’s Catholic Archdiocese Bishop Gerard Hanna instructing the priest to apologise, the Wagga Catholic Schools Office said it did not have the authority to discipline the priest, even if the event occurred on school grounds.
The actions have disgusted parents and families at the school, who considered the priest’s actions bizarre and an overreach.
“Attendance at church is a conversation you need to have with parents, not kids,” a parent, who feared speaking on the record, told the Advertiser.
“My kid thought they had done something wrong; they were scared to go to school today dressed up (the parade was on yesterday), thinking they would be in trouble.
“My seven-year-old refers to him as the mean monster.”
An apology from Father Mahedy went home to parents on Tuesday, which read:
“I have received a phone call from Bishop Hanna, who made comment on the matter and while he agreeed (sic) with me in regards to the CHILDREN’S LITURGY, he thought my punative (sic) measures were too harsh and asked I reconsider the withdrawing of Book Week activities; to everyone who has suffered undue anxciety (sic), I offer a sincere apology.”
The Wagga Catholic Schools Office (CSO) yesterday confirmed the series of events but struggled to explain any logic behind the newsletter.
It said Father Mahedy had the authority to carry out the threats but it did not support “punishing children for something they had no control over”.
The Advertiser tried to contact Bishop Hanna to ask if the priest would face any disciplinary action but he was unavailable for comment.
