Archbishop
Michael
Sheehan DD, DPh, MA
The man
pictured below was one of the most scholarly bishops ever to shepherd an
Australian flock.
Born
on 17 December 1870 at Waterford in Ireland, Michael Sheehan was educated at St
John’s College Waterford before going on to tertiary studies at Oxford, the
University of Grufswold and the University of Bonn.
His
studies for the priesthood were undertaken at Maynooth - mother of so many of the
priests who built up the Church in Australia. He was ordained on 16 June 1895.
Great scholar that he was, he joined the professional staff of Maynooth and
became vice-president of the seminary in 1919. He was a leading activist in the
restoration of the Gaelic language, as well as being a Latin and Greek scholar.
At
51 years of age he was appointed Co-adjutor Archbishop of Sydney and
consecrated on 28 May 1922 with right of succession to Archbishop Kelly.
What
a remarkable apostolate was his during the 15 succeeding years in Australia.
The hallmarks of his episcopal labours in Australia were his love of the Mass
and the Blessed Sacrament, his energetic, systematic and scholarly care for
truly Catholic education and educators, his marvellously successful books for
faith education and his constant concern for the spiritual welfare of the
priests of the Archdiocese. He was energetically involved in developing The
Australian Catholic Record and the Catholic Evidence Guild and the great 1928
International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney.
His
work in education was constant, energetic and thorough. He organised and
addressed annual conferences for Catholic school teachers. He wrote hugely
popular texts - the Child Book of
Religion whose aim was “not only to teach children religion but also to
teach them to be religious: not only to teach them what they must believe and
do in order to be saved, but also to help them to love Our Lord and Saviour
with a great, personal love, and to love the Church He founded”.
The
masterpiece of his writing was Apologetics
and Catholic Doctrine which became a standard work throughout much of the
English-speaking world in upper secondary religious education, adult education
and the instruction of converts as well as general readership.
This
remarkable prelate was noted for his devout simplicity; a brilliant
intellectual noted for his almost childlike love of God and after God of the
Blessed Virgin. It was said of him that “his manner was easy, but those nearest
to him knew that his graciousness, though real and absolutely sincere, was the
defence mechanism built by nature round a very shy and sensitive man. He would
never spare himself for child, religious sister or teaching brother. He was the
defender and sympathiser of all who, like himself, were exposed to rougher
usage than nature meant for them”.
In
1937 it was decided that the next Archbishop of Sydney should be Australian
born. Our saintly scholar and energetic faith educator found his right of
succession at odds with the times. His resignation became effective on 1 July
1937. He retired to Ireland where he died on 1 March 1945, aged 74.
Archbishop
Sheehan’s legacy is no doubt his remarkable books and the faith of many of the
generation of young English-speaking Catholics who went to serve in World War
II - the best educated young Catholics and most devout - for generations.
Apologetics
and Catholic Doctrine has been revised and expanded by Father Peter Joseph ,
Director of Studies at Vianney College, the Diocesan Seminary in Wagga Wagga. Now integrally related to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this
remarkable 670 page work is available once again , priced just £12.95.
The
new edition was launched in the New South Wales Parliament building on 24th
July by Archbishop George Pell, the spiritual leader of Australia's Catholics.
"His
Grace praised Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine as totally free of
much of the muddled thinking in evidence in some quarters in recent years. He
praised the quality and reliability of Father Peter Joseph's revision and
expansion of the classic text to remove all anachronisms, take account of
Conciliar Documents and post-Conciliar Papal teaching and to relate the work to
the Catechism. His Grace strongly commended the work."
The
launch took place before a full house crowd of 150 people in the historic
Jubilee Room of the New South Wales Parliament House.
Left: Fr Peter Joseph, holds
the book, with Archbishop George Pell and The Hon Johno Johnson MLC,
President of the New South Wales Legislative Council. The high profile launch
was organised by The Saint Austin Press's sales office in Australia (tel 00
61 7 33 759158). It seems that the first
printing will sell out within three months.
