CONGRATULATIONS Fr Joe Oudeman on your new appointment as a bishop. You deserve to be recognised Joe.
You are the essence of what religion is about, and what it should be about.
I am always in awe of this man.
Fr Joe presided at my mother-in-law’s funeral recently and I actually felt that I had known him for years as a friend. Anyone who can make you feel that you belong and a very special part of that family shows the calibre and fibre of a fine and special person that Fr Joe is.
Oh! And if you think I’m biased, I’m not even a Catholic. I call it as it is. It’s as simple as that.
This is my opinion and my observations only, and if any Church wants to know what’s needed, the answer is right in front of you.
Fr Joe hasn’t lost the human touch. No matter what your station is in life, he fits in as if he were your mate.
An ordinary man, his compassion and caring, his niceness, his genuineness, these kind of very special qualities are not invented or acquired. They come from the heart. They come from within. You are born with these kind of qualities, although it is possible to attain these special qualities. Fr Joe, you are a true man of God.
If I were the head of another Church I would be making Fr Joe an offer he couldn’t refuse. To me we need more Fr Joes in this troubled world of ours.
Fr Joe, I would definitely make you the next pope, but I believe your true purpose is with the people. It’s the ordinary folk who suffer and need you the most and where I believe you will achieve an even greater satisfaction and purpose in life.
Fr Joe, your big boss upstairs will be just as proud of you as all the people whose lives you’ve touched.
DON LYELL
Wynnum, Qld
