AN OPEN LETTER LIST OF IDEAS FOR DANIEL MADIGAN, TNC
Dear Innkeeper D. Madigan,
As an attender of masses on your premises, I am your congregant.
I send you this list as a Xmas present.
It names, and in some cases discusses, things that I think you and I and others on your premises should talk about more next year.
According to John 1:1, Logos is God.
According to me, that means that when people talk with each other, they are living in The Word, living in God.
This December, you have achieved a hat trick of three consecutive Advents during and in between which you have not been able to have a single decent discussion with me of even one of the numerous ideas I have put to you.
In recognition of your achievement, I both present you this list of ideas I want to talk about and declare you to be a Terra Nullius Christian, by which I mean a Christian who has the ability to ignore the legitimacy of the claims and/or ideas of a human being in his sphere of influence, in this case the Inn or accommodation establishment known as Newman College.
A. La ilaha IllAllah; la ikraha fiddin. This is an anti-terrorist formulation invented by me (as far as I know). I put it on top of the list, because I see a horrible Islamophobia in recent days in Australia. What could we do with these words at your Inn?
B. Being small-c Catholic. The church is declining. To slow down the decline it needs to broaden ways to participate.
C. Being an asmaulhusma poet. Kiai Mustofa Bsiri bestowed this compliment on me in his home in Rembang in the 1990’s. It is one of the proudest honours I have ever received.
D. What to do to respect the art display I created at Barak Obama’s first school, the Assisi Primary School in Jakarta.
E. Discussing the unfairness to women of the 12 game AFLw season. One of your female staff has avoided a hat trick like yours by showing strong support for discussion of this issue among your residents next year.
F. Helping single mums in Dili, and through to Indonesia, and in doing so, celebrate the the precepts of R A Kartini. I got support for the start of this idea from an important woman in Dili last year, but not a shred of positive acknowledgement from anyone else in your Inn.
G. http://www.the-crucified-cardinal.com When I was removed from a church service door and physically and sexually assaulted by police in 2022, your predecessor Fr Frank Brennan wrote a note to Melbourne Magistrates Court (for the subsequent legal proceeding where I was put on trial), drawing the court’s attention to aspects of the injustice committed against Cardinal Pell. The book in which Frank wrote that note could and should be a treasured possession in your Inn’s library. Could you show a really good capacity to discuss this website and my experiences with me?
H. http://www.motherhoodsmatter.com I was a Registered Midwife for thirty years. I prophesy that a good future wave of feminism will reduce misandry and increase respect for mothers. Do you want to help me try to make that happen?
Daniel, you do not get thirty grand a year from me for a room at Newman.
You get ideas.
That mostly get ignored.
No room at the inn.
Three Advents in a row.
As Ned is reputed to have said, ” Such Is Life.” ??????
Or can you and the hundreds or thousands strong community you lead get better at talking with me next year ???????
I hope you share a really positive New Years Resolution along those lines with me on January 1st.
What are my chances?
Would you prefer a double hat trick next Advent?
Geoff Fox, 11.00 a.m, Xmas Day, 2025, Newman College, Parkville, Australia
Ways Of Being Christian 