PETER WOOD MSC, MASS AND EULOGY
September 6th, we celebrated the life of Peter Wood. His brother, John, and his wife, Anna, his brother Chris, and his wife, Wendy, organised the Mass at St Bede’s North Balwyn with Philip Malone and the parish priest, Fr Werner. St Bede’s was the family parish, Peter baptised there, First Communion there. He was also ordained and celebrated his first Mass at St Bede’s.
The Victoria-Tasmania community was present: Michael Sims, Brian Gallagher, Chris Chaplin, Frank Andersen, Chris Murphy, Thang Nguyen, Mark Hanns, Peter Malone, Peter Curry and Ted McCormack who lived with Peter at Monivae. Also present, Peter Hendriks who lived in community at Monivae with Peter and Ted in recent years. Also present Keith Humphries. And a number of priests from Ballarat diocese.
Chris McPhee presided. Steve Dives came from Coogee (he was in the same 1973 novitiate as Peter). Deacon at the Mass was Michael Hangan from Moonah who worked with Peter in Moonah.
Chris Wood , eulogy Nicola Hunter, eulogy
Eulogies and thanks from Peter’s brothers and niece.
Homily: scripture and Peter's life and ministry - Peter Malone MSC
Peter was an admirable man.
One of the advantages of speaking at this Mass is being able to make a choice of the scripture readings, of finding readings that would throw light on Peter’s life, readings that he embodied.
With the appreciation that Peter was an admirable man, came the realisation that in the Old Testament book of Sirach, the beginning of chapter 44, there was great praise of those who excelled in life, whether they were in the public eye or whether they lived hidden lives. Whatever the scope of their lives, the reading reminds us that this kind of life was “an abundance of glory” displaying God’s greatness. We have a motto, “to be on earth the heart of God”. This reading suggests that we be on earth the glory of God.
The reading reminds us of how we do this, of many of the ways how Peter did this. It was true of his professional life, his talent as an architect, a creator and designer, a perspective which gave some shape also to his vocation. He was able to design the MSC seminary house in Suva and, from my own experience, the annexe to the room that I live in.
A reminder of some of the qualities that the book of Sirach singles out that also apply to Peter: an intelligent adviser, directing people by their advice, and, a good translation, by their understanding of the popular mind, by the wise words of their teaching. We can appreciate another verse of the reading, that some of them left a name behind them so that their praises are still sung.
This was true of Peter in his 45 years and more as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart. He was blessed by a new choice in life in the early 1970s, a call to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, testing it in Papua New Guinea. He joined as, what in those days was called “a late vocation”, studying at St Pauls National seminary, a wise support to his fellow students. During these years he also had some time again in London but, most importantly, in Zambia, serving as a secretary to the Archbishop of Lusaka – who then came to ordain Peter to the priesthood, here in this church of St Bede’s, in January 1981.
(An aside: Msgr Kevin Toomey was the parish priest, rather severe in those days of the media ministry of the MSC. He welcomed us to the sacristy for the ceremonies, where I had the privilege of preaching at Peter’s first mass here’ He lined up the concelebrants, a touch of pomp and circumstance, a very short priest, Herb Young, positioned at the front and the rest us arranged in increasing height for a dignified entry.)
Some of the comments on the Australian Province’s Facebook page acknowledge the qualities mentioned above, Bishop Rochus Tatamai MSC recalling his times with Peter at the minor seminary in New Britain, others remembering his leading them in their vocation in Fiji and in the Pacific.
And why this choice of gospel? In thinking about Peter and his ministry during the 1990s, this gospel about Jesus and the leper coming to him was a pattern for Peter’s Ministry, his AIDS ministry, especially in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Archbishop Frank Little at this time mentioned that he thought Peter was one of the most courageous priests in the Archdiocese. This ministry did not come easily. In the mid-1980s Peter was diagnosed with lymphoma and, in preparation for a possible death, he decided to prepare for an active ministry for the sick, doing a Clinical Pastoral Education course in the US, but also discovering the AIDS ministry.
He was appointed in 1991, a time when AIDS had been diagnosed for less than a decade. The Gospel, at the end of Mark 1, tells us that the leper was confident in coming to Jesus, even though it was prohibited by the law for him to approach. And what was Jesus’ response? Generously to declare that he wanted to heal the leper, compassionately reaching out his hand, fearlessly touching the leper, something which made him take on the burden of leprosy, be considered a leper on the outskirts of the town, even to crying out to warn people “unclean, unclean”. Not everybody understood this ministry at the time, so many of those who were ill being gay men, the critical attitudes that had developed but, with the Ministry of Peter and others, were to change to greater understanding and compassion.
Peter continued this ministry for a short time in the Northern Territory.
Looking back, we see that Peter then had 20 more years of ministry, superior in the Northern Territory, a presence at Monivae College, working in parishes, including some years as parish priest of Moonah, Hobart. In recent years, based at Monivae again, he was available for parish supply in the diocese of Ballarat, in ministry in Apollo Bay where he collapsed.
Memories of community at Monivae, Ted McCormack and Peter Henriks
The second reading of this Mass, Ephesians 3, and the tone of the responsorial Psalm 130, was chosen to illustrate how profound Heart Spirituality is and how Peter was motivated by it. He knew the breadth and the length, the height and the depth of the love of Jesus Christ and was filled with the utter fullness of God.
I would like to finish with a quotation from Peter, words of his legacy. One of the results of his dedication to the AIDS ministry was not only the advice and comfort he could give to those who were ill, to those who were dying, was wise advice to parents and families who were bewildered at the time. He wrote a book for these parents, encouraging them by his life, advice of acceptance and compassion: Coming in, Coming out, Coming home.
He will rest in peace.
Wendy and Chris, John and Anna and Peter's coffin
Peter will be buried next week along with Frank Perry at Douglas Park next week.
