EVERYTHING had to be light, Brisbane Deacon and former military chaplain Gary Stone said, handling the contents of Second World War priest Fr Jack Rosenskjar’s chaplain pack at a visit to the archdiocesan archives.
A reversible chasuble, reversible stoles, prayer books, crucifixes, a pyx, a ciborium, a chalice – everything had to be light.
The dedication to simplicity in kit was seen in a photo of Fr Rosenskjar celebrating Mass for Australian diggers, who were kneeling in the grass at the Battle of Milne Bay.
Everything Fr Rosenskjar needed for the Mass fit on a table the size of a school desk.
The chaplain would spend some time with the soldiers in one spot and he would have to move on to the next, Deacon Stone said.
Chaplains like Fr Rosenskjar walked miles through the dark jungle with no rifle and only a compass needle to go by, he said.
“If you were one degree off in your compass, you would end up somewhere else and can be completely lost,” he said.
“It was very dangerous.”
Deacon Stone said chaplains have a ministry of presence.
“In the Gospels, you hear Jesus just constantly going out, reaching out, visiting people,” he said.
Holding Fr Rosenskjar’s pack, he said it had probably walked 1000 miles.
He said it was by the actions of the chaplain that they earned the respect of the soldiers and by caring for them that they spread their faith.
Fr Rosenskjar had donated the pack to the archives towards the end of his life, hoping to preserve an important part of Catholic history.
Brisbane archdiocese archivist Dr Patrick O’Neill, who had pulled out Fr Rosenskjar’s pack for Anzac Day, said the archives were basically “the archbishop’s memory” but they had a few collections from priests too.
He said it was moving to hear Deacon Stone talk about the artefacts.
“All the experiences and the atmosphere – the constant rain and mud and the reality of war,” he said.
“Its impact on people… the collection for me now has got all that memory inside it.”
Deacon Stone’s uncle Jack had also served in the 25th Battalion, the same as Fr Rosenskjar.
The 25th Battalion, one of three battalions to land in Milne Bay, had put a stop on the Japanese advance in the Pacific.
“It was a great boost to the morale of the whole country at the time,” Deacon Stone said.
Deacon Stone said Fr Rosenskjar would have known every man in the battalion.
“And occasionally he would have gone to other battalions and visited them when there was the opportunity to do that, to celebrate any Catholic sacraments requested by soldiers there,” he said.
Anzac Day, Deacon Stone said, was captured by the phrase – “Some gave all, all gave some and some are still giving”.
“So I personally remember those that have died and want to pay respects to all those others that have served,” he said.
“I remember all those that have suffered because of their service, including their families and continue to suffer it.
“Then some are still giving – my youngest son, Paul, has had 15 years in the military, had several deployments overseas and he continues to deploy so I continue to pray for them and I’m grateful that our community is mindful that someone is standing watch.”
