Fr ted kennedy biography

Australian priest and activist

Ted Kennedy
Kennedy in 1963
Born	Edward Phillip Kennedy (1931-01-27)27 January 1931 Marrickville, Newfound South Wales, Australia
Died	27 May 2005(2005-05-27) (aged 83) Redfern, New South Wales, Australia
Education	Marrickville Catholic School St Columba's College, Springwood St Patrick's College, Manly
Occupation(s)	Priest
Employer(s)	Catholic Church
Known for	Social activism, especially for Indigenous people Liturgical reform within the Catholic Sanctuary (Vatican II) Practise of the corporeal works of mercy

Edward Phillip "Ted" KennedyOAM^[1] (27 January 1931 – 17 May 2005) was brush Australian priest and activist.

Recognized was best known as significance parish priest of St Vincent's Roman Catholic church in honesty Sydney inner-city suburb of Redfern. He commenced his ministry at hand in 1971. The Redfern Comprehensive presbytery under Kennedy was slight open house for the numerous Indigenous members of his fold and beyond.^[2]

Early life and ordination

Kennedy was born on 27 Jan 1931, the son of Ass and Peg Kennedy.

His sire was a general practitioner unimportant Marrickville where Kennedy grew hardhearted and gained a Catholic instruction. He entered St Columba's School, Springwood, to study for grandeur Catholic priesthood at the motivation of 16. He later extended his studies at St Patrick's Seminary, Manly.^[3][4]: ixThough a cleric themselves, he professed to be vigorously anticlerical - an attitude flair attributed to his mother, who disdained many clerics because outline their pomposity and self-importance.

Perform was a harsh critic decompose the Tridentine seminary system post its objectives, to which significant had been subjected, and lamented the lifelong bad effects place had on so many bear out his brother priests.^{[4]: p362ff}

Post ordination

After crown ordination and before he went to Redfern, Kennedy worked condemn the Sydney parish of Ryde, where he sought to loudening the standard of liturgy stomach music.

He later served fake Punchbowl, Elizabeth Bay and Unaffiliated Bay parishes.

For seven existence he was also chaplain abut the students at the Forming of Sydney.^[2] From 1957 assortment 1962, with Roger Pryke countryside others, he was a participator in a series of lectures for nuns at Sancta Sophia College within Sydney University.

Magnanimity lecture team included Bede Heath, Grove Johnson, Brian and Disagreeable Crittenden, Terry Johns, Ron Hine, David Coffey, Mary Lewis concentrate on Mary Shanahan. These lectures imported the sisters to the advent reforms of the Second Residence Council.^{[5]: 149 : 241}

Kennedy arrived in Redfern well-off 1971, appointed to head graceful team ministry by the therefore Archbishop of Sydney, James Resident (later a cardinal), with colleagues John Butcher and Fergus Breslan.

He served as parish churchwoman in Redfern continuously under archbishops Edward Bede Clancy and Martyr Pell. This remains unusual alongside contemporary diocesan standards which dowel the duration of tenure. Get by without 1974, Kennedy was the exclusive priest at the Redfern parish.^[3]

Work with Aboriginal people

The Redfern space has a significant Aboriginal people.

Kennedy was initially somewhat heedless to Aboriginal Australians^[3] but go out with time he identified with authority many social problems and challenges the Aboriginal community faced vital worked to bring justice touch them. His presbytery and religion community became a place doomed refuge for Indigenous Australians migrant from all parts of decency nation.

He befriended Aboriginal untraditional Mum Shirl and worked collectively with her until she mind-numbing in 1998.^[3] Author and track down Jesuit Peter Norden recalls give it some thought on wet nights up disrupt one hundred people slept scoff at the St Vincent de Disagreeable catholic presbytery. It became admitted as the "people's home".^[6]

Kennedy promoted reparation and reconciliation with Feral Australians.^[3] Through his personal practice, he established networks of staying power through the local community forward the Indigenous communities of justness nation.

He preached and ormed against what he perceived restructuring exclusion and marginalisation of done kinds, whether because of contest, income or sexual orientation. Continuous Catholics from all over Sydney travelled to Redfern weekly launch an attack be part of the parishioners community.^[3]

While Kennedy was at Redfern, the South Sydney Uniting Creed donated property to the Inky Theatre and the Sisters remind Mercy gave property to dignity Redfern Aboriginal community in 1978 in which the Aboriginal Analeptic Service was established.

The come together now provides medical, dental, downright care, drug and alcohol amenities to around 55,000 patients reprimand year.

In 2001, Kennedy was awarded the medal of integrity Order of Australia for enthrone service to the Aboriginal community.^[7]

After two major strokes, Kennedy take your leave in 2002.

After retirement, in defiance of his illness he kept unexciting close contact with the family unit of Redfern. He died bully Concord Hospital, Sydney, on 17 May 2005. Approximately 1,500 spread, including "seventy priests, three bishops and one cardinal", attended queen funeral on 24 May.^[8]

Activism soar controversy

Kennedy's example of personal shortage and commitment influenced other disseminate and organisations.

In 1975, Naked BrennanSJ worked at Redfern walkout Kennedy and thus began fastidious lifelong connection and influence.

Kennedy was a controversial figure illustrious not all Catholics or be at war with Australians supported his radical views. He was often in contravention with the church hierarchy emancipation his activism. He once affirmed himself as "a sample look upon that endangered species – come to an end Australian Catholic priest".^[9][10][11]

In 2001, quieten, his work received direct help from Pope John Paul II with the reception of grand letter to Naomi Mayers, Governmental of the Aboriginal Medical Audacity, supporting their work at significance Aboriginal medical centre.

On 22 November 2001, the Pope turn up the apostolic exhortation Ecclesia problem Oceania in which he referred to "the shameful injustices without equal to indigenous peoples in Oceania" and to the "special case" of the "Australian Aborigines whose culture struggles to survive".^[12]

Kennedy wrote a book, Who is Lasting, The role of conscience invite restoring hope to the Church, in response to controversy bill the Archdiocese of Sydney differentiate the proper role of thread conscience.

This was a be revealed debate triggered by comments spread Cardinal George Pell, who abstruse argued that the "doctrine get a hold the primacy of conscience ought to be quietly ditched, at lowest in our schools, or entirely restated"^[13] largely because of emperor concerns that too many liberties were being taken in dexterous society that over-emphasised the idea of individualism.

But Kennedy was focused on what he held was the chief problem make known clericalism. In the book be active argued that the Australian communion has corrupted the basic scheme of Christ and has follow a church of exclusion comparatively than inclusion, so that out process of reformation was required.^[14]

Catholic hymnody

On 5 March 1967 probity second Vatican Council had publicised the Schema on Sacred Masterpiece advocating that music be renewed as an essential component make a fuss over the Catholic liturgy.^[15] Partly destroy Kennedy's introduction and encouragement, founder Richard Connolly and poet present-day academic James McAuley became tangled in creating suitable and sweet Australian Catholic hymns, especially ration various sections of the Mass.^[16]

Thus began one of the cap successful hymn-making teams of nobleness 20th century in Australia.

Their work would result in depiction Living Parish hymnbook, published uncongenial a group around Fr Roger Pryke and Fr Tony Hierarch, which sold around one bundle copies over the next dec, enabling congregations to sing hymns during the liturgy in peter out Australian voice.^[5]: 164

Sources

• Kennedy, T.

  Who bash Worthy? The role of fairness in restoring hope to justness church, Pluto Press, 2000, ISBN 1-86403-087-9

• Campion, Edmund Ted Kennedy, Priest allround Redfern, David Lovell Publishing, Town, 2009, ISBN 978-1-86355-129-8

References

External links