One of the perennial questions people ask me is, “How did you end up in Perth?” I must admit that answering the question is hard without actually sharing my vocation story, and repeating the story over and over again can be a bit boring and annoying. One thought-provoking variation of that question came up one day from a fair dinkum Aussie: “Why did you come here when your own people in the Philippines need you most?”
There is no point asking the Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey the reasons for inviting me to come to Perth fourteen years ago. It is enough to say that from my Mission Theology course back then, I have learned that any diocese in the world is both a sending and a receiving church. This means that any place regardless of the shortage or surplus of priests can always send missionaries to and/or receive them into the local church. There is always a shortage of priests everywhere because there is never a shortage of needs. But putting this principle aside, I suspect that the Archbishop felt the need for more Filipino priests in the Archdiocese as Filipino population in WA more than doubled in the last fifteen years. In fact, six of the ten Filipino priests in active ministry in the Perth Archdiocese were ordained here during that period including three last year.
Under the present administration of Archbishop Tim Costelloe, an attempt is made to focus on local vocations or local candidates for the priesthood among Australia- born or Australia-grown young men. This is where some difficulty lies because few are willing to take up the challenge from among the local flock, prompting a question from the Archbishop himself in one of our meetings: “Why is it that despite the obvious strong Catholic background among Filipino families, no one has actually entered the Seminary in Guildford from among these families?” The question is worth a serious soul- searching amongst us. I could only offer one possible explanation: secularization. Secularization has been defined as “the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward nonreligious values and secular institutions.” It makes a reference to the observation that as societies progress, religion loses its appeal in all aspects of social and cultural life. In other words, secularization diminishes the spiritual dimension of all things and makes a life of faith insignificant.
There is no doubt that Filipino families migrated to Australia to look for greener pasture, and a better life for their children. The desire for a secure future has been absorbed by the children, who in turn work hard to earn even more and attain the good life they wanted. There is nothing wrong with this. But oftentimes parents fail to emphasize that success is not to be measured by the amount of money in the bank, the type of house you live in and the brand of cars you drive. With these motivations in mind, faith is placed in the backburner in children’s lives, as they might see this lived out in their parents’ lives as well.
It is extremely tough for Filipino migrant families to raise their children in the traditionally religious way in the secularised Australian society. It is even more difficult for a Filipino mother with children who are half-Filipinos. I salute Filipino parents and Filipino mothers who are able to inculcate in their children the value of faith. I salute those parents who try their best to instill in their children’s lives the Christian virtue of simplicity and protect them against the destructive effects of the materialistic and consumeristic society in which we live.
Editor’s Note: Fr Nelson Po is a member of the Catholic clergy in the Archdio- cese of Perth, currently assigned as head of St Benedict’s Parish in Applecross WA. He also provides spiritual direction to students at St Charles Seminary in Guildford WA. Aside from his priestly duties, Fr Nelson is a much-sought advisor on matters of community significance. He is one of the prime movers and convenors of The Perth Filipino Community Symposium, which seeks to elevate the status of the Filipino migrant community as forceful contributor to the wider multicultural society of WA.
Send a comment or response to Fr Nelson Po at nelson_po2002@yahoo.com
