Letters

Anonymity

Michael Apthorp

Contents - Nov 2006 - Buy a copy now Editorial: EWTN and the secular media: fighting fire with fire Education: The Spirit of Generation Y: the challenge for Catholic schools - Cardinal George Pell Living the Faith: What distinguishes a practising Catholic? - Bishop Luc Matthys News: The Church Around the World England: British Catholicism's dark night of the soul Books: Is the Catholic Church in Australia 'lost'? - Michael Gilchrist Brisbane Archdiocese: inclusive language in the liturgy continues - Michael Apthorp Liturgy: US bishop sets out clear guidelines on celebrations of the Mass - AD2000 REPORT Television: EWTN: now affordable and accessible in Australia - Moira Kirkwood Letters: Missal translation - Pat Hurley Letters: Translation hang-up - Fran Swindale Letters: Accuracy needed - Carol V. Phillips Letters: Faith and reason - Peter D. Howard Letters: Narrow - Norm Yodgee Letters: Infallible teaching - Don Ford Letters: Education needed - Judy O'Reilly Letters: Early baptism - John Schmid Letters: Declining practice - Gerard J. Keane Letters: Chavagnes College scholarship applications - Ferdi McDermott Letters: Conversion by violence - Gregory F.J. O'Regan Letters: Generation 'Y' - Kevin Cains Letters: Common sense and married clergy - Errol Duke Letters: Poem's author - Valerie J.Staunton Letters: Anonymity - Michael Apthorp Letters: EWTN by broadband - Bren Scheiner Poetry: Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954 to 2005, by Bruce Dawe - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Books: St John Bosco, St Dominic and the Rosary, St Thérèe of Lisieux - Siobhan B. Reeves (reviewer) DVD: A Family Retreat, by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen - Daniel Tobin (reviewer) Events: The teachings of the Catholic Church: an exploration Events: Second Annual Victorian Catholic Students Association Conference 25-26 Nov 2006 Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: Catholic schools must proclaim the total love of Christ - Fr Sebastian Camilleri OFM

Full marks for the moving poem, ‘The Touch of the Master's Hand’, reprinted in your September issue with ‘author unknown’.

The author was in fact Myra Brooks Welch. Readers with Internet access who type her name into their search engine will easily find biographical information about her, as well as versions of the poem with minor but interesting variations from the one printed in AD2000.

With true humility, she offered the poem anonymously to her church bulletin, and its intrinsic merits ensured that it was widely circulated before its authorship became known. It may have been this initial anonymity that led some to feel free to ‘improve’ the poem, while its fame may have led others to learn it by heart and, years later, write it out from a fallible memory for republication.

MICHAEL APTHORP
Chapel Hill, Qld

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 19 No 10 (November 2006), p. 15