DEAR EDITOR: My name is Julia Bobb. I am a resident of #43A Village Road, Enfield, London, England. It was my first experience at Jesus Explosion.

It was an explosion alright or may I daresay a charismatic earthquake with an aftershock. I praise God that all due was given to Him through you, His disciples; I praise God for you all.

All the talks were based on the scripture passage, “I have set before you life and death, choose life…and live.” Deut: 30:19, and each was full of substance and backbone.

I found it a great pleasure and faith-assuring that the six speakers of the weekend, without communication with each other were able to flow fluently from one talk into the next, all following the same theme.

The main point I gathered through all the talks, was that as Catholic Christians, we need to pay closer attention to our life in faith and live it. We must decide where we are or where we would like to go in relation to God as a body of Christian believers. Are we living in a Christ like manner in our present day society?

I truly admired the acceptance given to my fellow young Christians throughout the weekend. Their involvement was praise worthy. Their indulgence in the weekend’s praise and worship, talks, workshops, drama and organising of the event captured me.

My thirst has been quenched. I’ve always longed to see a faithful group of Catholic Christians caring for our young people in such a healthy way. Their souls really mattered to you. Praise God!

Fr John Theodore’s talk “I am The Bread of Life”, held every bit of our faith in it. I can now relate to the Holy Mass as a PRAYER for individuals, families, communities, Churches, countries and the world. It is the ultimate holistic prayer for healing and joyful living.

To God be the Glory, for all the great things He has done and is doing! See you on REVIVAL DAY, September 23…

Julia Bobb

DEAR EDITOR: Allow me through this diocesan weekly to express my thanks to Fr Henry Charles for his service to the diocese over the past few years, especially through his articles in the Catholic News.

In combining the roles of parish priest, newspaper columnist and attorney, Fr Charles has developed a ministry the absence of which would have left the Church and the nation all the poorer.

 His articles on Ethics, Systematic Theology and Spirituality have enriched the landscape of Catholic reflection, enabling many to maintain their faith in the content of their religion.

For many thinking lay people, Fr Henry’s articles remained the one link to a Church which often seemed to them only concerned with legalisms and emotional attachments to a “personal”(read individualistic) saviour.

He has been a living witness to that often tense dialogue between faith and reason which John Paul II invited the Universal Church to live. I am particularly grateful for his series on the Eucharist. It came at a time when the diocese seemed very close to idolatry in its Eucharistic faith, close to the reduction of the Eucharist to a thing.

We thank Henry for placing his gifts at the humble service of the archdiocese and nation. We wish him well on his sabbatical. We look forward hopefully and eagerly to his return.
Clyde M Harvey (Fr) via email

THE EDITOR: My congratulations, and thanks, to Fr Arthur Lai Fook, on the 60th anniversary of his ordination.

I say "thanks" because I had the privilege of having Fr Lai Fook as my Math teacher at St Mary's, back in the 1950s, as well as being kept on the straight and narrow by him for several years at CIC in his role as Dean of Discipline.

I was intrigued to see one of my classmates in Fr Lai Fook's Math class, Michael Chung, in the group photo that accompanied the article.
Louis Sellier, WA, USA, via email