Saint Patrick’s Day and my mind
goes to two things. First the soup we will have for dinner tonight, leak and
potato with toasted bread and butter.
It’s a tradition we built up over the years mostly because most of us in
this family enjoy the soup, one of my husband’s specialities.
goes to two things. First the soup we will have for dinner tonight, leak and
potato with toasted bread and butter.
It’s a tradition we built up over the years mostly because most of us in
this family enjoy the soup, one of my husband’s specialities.
He found the recipe in one of those
newsagent’s cook books that came out years ago, one that specialises in Italian
cooking. This Women’s Weekly cook book, or is it from New Idea, a magazine my husband likes to re-name No
Idea as a joke in honour of his perception of the magazine’s mindlessness? Except for its
recipes, the Italian cook book offers simple tasty delights, including the soup, which
we eat on Saint Patrick’s day, in spite of the fact it’s called Saint Joseph’s
Day soup in Italy.
newsagent’s cook books that came out years ago, one that specialises in Italian
cooking. This Women’s Weekly cook book, or is it from New Idea, a magazine my husband likes to re-name No
Idea as a joke in honour of his perception of the magazine’s mindlessness? Except for its
recipes, the Italian cook book offers simple tasty delights, including the soup, which
we eat on Saint Patrick’s day, in spite of the fact it’s called Saint Joseph’s
Day soup in Italy.
My mind then pitches back to the
Saint Patrick’s Day march of years gone by, in the days when I felt proud to
be a Catholic. One day a year as
close to Saint Patrick’s Day as possible, we school children marched along Collins street, which
the police had cordoned off and every school sent a cohort of boys and girls
to represent them.
Saint Patrick’s Day march of years gone by, in the days when I felt proud to
be a Catholic. One day a year as
close to Saint Patrick’s Day as possible, we school children marched along Collins street, which
the police had cordoned off and every school sent a cohort of boys and girls
to represent them.
We marched in order of schools,
presumably based on the age of the school. Saint Patrick’s College, my older brothers’ school, a Jesuit
school then located in East Melbourne near the cathedral, now no more, came in
first, and my school, Vaucluse Convent, run by the Faithful Companions of Jesus, once in
Darlington Parade Richmond and also now no more, came in second.
presumably based on the age of the school. Saint Patrick’s College, my older brothers’ school, a Jesuit
school then located in East Melbourne near the cathedral, now no more, came in
first, and my school, Vaucluse Convent, run by the Faithful Companions of Jesus, once in
Darlington Parade Richmond and also now no more, came in second.
The school captains held the
banners high in front of every group and Archbishop Simonds, who took over from the famous Daniel Mannix, led the procession
in his black cathedral car.
banners high in front of every group and Archbishop Simonds, who took over from the famous Daniel Mannix, led the procession
in his black cathedral car.
It’s timely I should be writing
this now on Saint Patrick’s Day and after they have just elected another
Pope. I no longer feel proud of
my catholic inheritance. I disowned it long ago in a manner of speaking, not
that you can ever disown your past.
It’s there with you forever whether you like it or not. However, it is possible to learn from
the past and not hold yourself responsible for things that you were born into,
things not of your own making.
this now on Saint Patrick’s Day and after they have just elected another
Pope. I no longer feel proud of
my catholic inheritance. I disowned it long ago in a manner of speaking, not
that you can ever disown your past.
It’s there with you forever whether you like it or not. However, it is possible to learn from
the past and not hold yourself responsible for things that you were born into,
things not of your own making.
At
least that’s how I see it now and that’s why I’m troubled by this idea I’ve
seen on Face Book and in other parts of social media that go on about
un-baptising yourself or excommunicating yourself to be freed from responsibility for the wrongdoings of certain members of the church .
least that’s how I see it now and that’s why I’m troubled by this idea I’ve
seen on Face Book and in other parts of social media that go on about
un-baptising yourself or excommunicating yourself to be freed from responsibility for the wrongdoings of certain members of the church .
I see no need, largely because I
imagine the whole thing of baptism and belief is a construction, a thing that is human made
and therefore able to be reconstructed in any way we see fit, simply through an internal decision to stay or to leave.
imagine the whole thing of baptism and belief is a construction, a thing that is human made
and therefore able to be reconstructed in any way we see fit, simply through an internal decision to stay or to leave.
Of course any belief system can be
dangerous if its endowed with supernatural powers and when the powers-that-be encourage the young, naïve and
innocent to take beliefs on board as gospel truths. Hopefully, most of us learn to modify
our views on such dogma soon enough,
though when I was young, very young, right up until my adolescence I took
my religion on board as the ‘truth’.
dangerous if its endowed with supernatural powers and when the powers-that-be encourage the young, naïve and
innocent to take beliefs on board as gospel truths. Hopefully, most of us learn to modify
our views on such dogma soon enough,
though when I was young, very young, right up until my adolescence I took
my religion on board as the ‘truth’.
Now I think of the truth as a slippery fish. You can only
grasp it momentarily before it slips off into the ocean and you have to spend
long hours fishing for another truth in the form of an equally wriggly fish that
might also slide into your hands if you’re lucky enough but again only momentarily
before it too slips back into the ocean.
grasp it momentarily before it slips off into the ocean and you have to spend
long hours fishing for another truth in the form of an equally wriggly fish that
might also slide into your hands if you’re lucky enough but again only momentarily
before it too slips back into the ocean.
We can remember the sensation of the
truth. We can play around with how it feels, how important it might be, and we can
modify our views; but the idea of holding firm to the truth leaves us only with
a dead lifeless fish in our hands, no longer fluid, no longer free to swim the oceans and grow stronger and bigger.
truth. We can play around with how it feels, how important it might be, and we can
modify our views; but the idea of holding firm to the truth leaves us only with
a dead lifeless fish in our hands, no longer fluid, no longer free to swim the oceans and grow stronger and bigger.
Maybe that’s too simple a metaphor
but strangely when my husband just now went to look for the recipe for Saint
Joseph’s day soup we could not find it in the Italian cook book after all.
but strangely when my husband just now went to look for the recipe for Saint
Joseph’s day soup we could not find it in the Italian cook book after all.
My memory, my truth has failed me. We found a version of Saint Joseph’s day soup through Google but
where I wonder is the original? I
had hoped to photograph a bowl of soup for you and post it here so you too might enjoy the image and the tastes it evoked.
where I wonder is the original? I
had hoped to photograph a bowl of soup for you and post it here so you too might enjoy the image and the tastes it evoked.
See what happens to the truth? It slips away in the shadows of memory.