In the 1960s and 1970s, I was an altar boy and a young lector who idolized priests.  Yet, there was a caveat.  I idolized the young, hip priests who acted like your pals.  

"In the Midst of Wolves"

Ordained in 1934, Uncle Joe was definitely NOT a young, hip priest.  He was from a culture and time when priests kept a distance from congregants (Perhaps, everyone kept a distance from everyone else in that place and time!).  Uncle Joe was born in Ireland but spent the largest chunk of his 70 year Augustinian priesthood in Australia. 

My wife and I are fans of TV and movies produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland.  Yet, those depicting life two generations ago and more never met my family!  Men simply did not openly express affection to other men.  Men certainly did not hug.  Fathers and sons did not say, “I love you.”  A John Wayne-like stoicism ruled the day (Some apparently risked slipping into Jansenism.). 

By the time I was born, it was a quarter century since Uncle Joe’s ordination.  In the years prior to the Second Vatican Council, Bing Crosby and Karl Malden had shown that priests could be cool.  Yet in my eyes, Uncle Joe had not gotten the memo.  He struck me as aloof and stodgy, which was actually a frequent criticism of priests before Vatican II.  In retrospect, “aloof and stodgy” may have been simply a misperception of the distance priests needed to avoid favoritism, boundary violations and far worse.  “Shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.”

The Real Clericalism

 The real clericalism comes in failure to promote the authentic lay apostolate’s efforts to defend the sanctity of life and marriage/family.  Recently, a parishioner asked permission for a group to pray the Rosary on public property near the church.  The pastor responded: “I prefer that you do not say the Rosary this Saturday on the corner.  Last year it alienated some families from our parish who have children that are gay.”  Failure to proclaim the sanctity of marriage/family is not loving or pastoral.

The above This  happened in an archdiocese which no longer promotes the USCCB’s National Marriage or Natural Family Planning Awareness Weeks, opportunities for proclaiming authentic teaching on marriage/family/sexuality. 

 “It is critical that faithful Catholics study their faith & resist attempts by priests, bishops or even cardinals to introduce heretical ideas. The Bible, the Catechism & the magisterial teachings of the Church are sources of the deposit of faith that all the baptized should know” (Bishop Strickland of Tyler, Texas, 3/9/23) 

A Priest’s Priest

Though he was certainly not flashy, I have come to deeply appreciate Uncle Joe’s witness:

The oldest member of the Augustinian community in Ireland has died aged 95….

Father Joseph Thomas Tevington, known to all as Fr Tom…passed away peacefully before Christmas….

Originally from Inchicore, Fr Tom was ordained on July 1, 1934 in Rome after spending time at the seminary in Orlagh. From there he travelled the world, ministering in Australia, England, America and Ireland.

According to Fr Tom's nephew, Bernard [sic] Brocklebank from Old Bawn, he was a "very friendly man, very quiet" and was very dedicated to Our Lady….

"He was very strong on Our Lady, he even founded the Legion of Mary in Buena Vista, California while he was there. He passed away on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception [December 8] which he would have considered a great honour."

Fr Paddy O'Reilly, Prior of the Augustinian Community in Ballyboden, worked with Fr Tom for 10 years and said he was happiest working with "the poor, sick and the aged." (Friend of ‘sick, poor, and aged’ passes away, the Echo, 1/6/2005) 

 At the time of his death, Uncle Joe was also the Irish Augustinian to have served longest in Australia.