A change of pace today — well, sort of, in that it's poetry and in the tradition of this nation's best balladeers. In other respects though it is no change of pace in that it echoes the disquiet of many of the faithful in this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. Sit back and enjoy "The Saga of Munglanup" by Brian Clery. This might make up for our not being able to bring you poetry on Friday from Father Hartigan.

The Saga of Munglanup!

There was rumbling in the Vatican
For the word had passed around,
That the parish priest of Munglanup
Thought the THIRD RITE safe and sound.

And scrolls and maps were quickly searched
To locate the little town.
"Something must be done, quick smart,
Lest the Church should run aground."

Cardinals were beside themselves
In bed they tossed and turned,
"Oh for the good old days", they said,
"When such folks could be burned!"

And back in far off Munglanup
Each Easter and Christmas eve,
The people came from miles around,
The Third Rite to receive.

The love of God was in their hearts,
Hearts filled with gratitude.
Their God was one who understood
The Aussie multitude.

And Father Pat was full of joy,
He loved his little flock.
Their trust in him, God's special man,
Was solid as a rock.

But peace on earth will never last.
"Old Nick" must have his way;
Creating doubt, and guilt, and fear,
So hearts can go astray.

The Powers of Rome came down upon
The little parish priest;
"The THIRD RITE must not be used
On the Church's major feasts."

But Father Pat thought long and hard
About Power and the law;
"What comes first?" he thought.  "I know!
Christ's passion for the poor."

But Powers That Be must have their way,
To Rome our Pat was called.
"God doesn't want the THIRD RITE used
In Munglanup! That's all."

The little priest spoke up instead,
Lest Might should win the day;
"If people come with contrite hearts,
Would Christ stand in their way?

My people come from near and far
To have their sins forgiven.
The THIRD RITE is the way they chose,
It's by God's grace they're driven.

Said Rome to Pat: "What ignorance!
You do not know the Law.
The Law of Rome is the will of God,
Obey! Let's hear no more."

Poor Pat returned to Munglanup
With awful, heavy heart;
He announced the verdict Rome had given,
His parish fell apart.

The parish folk were in a rage,
The church they all gave up.
"We'll find a church that understands
The people from Munglanup."

The other churches snapped them up,
They couldn't believe their luck.
Such wholesome folk — so good at heart!
Those folks from Munglanup.

Pat kept the Law, it broke his heart,
He died in his lonely church.
He felt he'd deceived his little flock,
And left them in the lurch.

When news hit Rome about Pat's death,
It never caused a ripple.
How could the church be affected by
The death of a man so simple?

But Rome was wrong as wrong could be,
They'd made an awful blunder;
Catholics left the Australian Church,
Was it any bloody wonder?

For Aussies knew the love of Christ
Was always number one.
They'd had enough of laws and rules,
They wanted God the Son.

From way down under came a blast
Which rocked the church of Rome.
Nation after nation left
To seek another home.

Still, Rome refused to budge an inch.
"We must uphold the Law!"
More sins and rules were introduced,
And thundered at the poor.

The Church fell down upon her knees,
She'd lost the plot it seemed;
The faithful voted with their feet,
They KNEW they were redeemed.

A decade further down the track,
The penny finally dropped.
There came a Pope who'd heard of Pat;
The rot was finally stopped.

Pope "Pat the First" he chose to be,
(He knew the name was right);
Mercy became the focal point —;
The church changed overnight!

Abuse of Power had finally ceased,
Bureaucracy was trimmed.
Hoards of folk embraced the faith,
The tide could not be stemmed.

And the world become a better place,
The church a yeast once more.
The Gospel message free at last,
Each church an open door.

And back in far off Munglanup,
"Saint Pat" now rests in peace.
His recognition by the Pope
Had caused the rot to cease.

So give three cheers for Munglanup.
For Pat, most loyal of men.
'Twas them who got us off our knees,
Let's never slip up again.

Brian Clery

PHOTO CREDIT:
The image used in the headline has been adapted from an image found on the Doug 2.0 blog at
http://www.eurekalabs.com.au/testbed/

©2010Brian Clery

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