He made a significant contribution to education in New Zealand not just in Catholic Schools, but nationally.

O'Neill was a teacher at St Patrick's College in Wellington from 1953 until 1981.

In 1960 he took a break from teaching to attend Cambridge University, returning to St Patrick's College at the end of 1962.

From 1964 until 1980 he was involved with the Education Department in Mathematics Curriculum Development.

He was instrumental in introducing the "New Maths" into the curriculum of New Zealand secondary schools.

During that same time, he was one of a group of authors who published a series of textbook Shape of Mathematics.

For a long time, almost every secondary school in New Zealand used these texts.

O'Neill also played a significant role in the process of integrating catholic schools into the State education system.

From 1973 until 1975 he was a member of the Integration Working Party.

From 1987 until 1994 John was the executive director of the New Zealand Education office.

He then served as the Vicar for Education in the Archdiocese of Wellington until 2001.

In 1990 he received a medal for services to education, and later in the year the QSO.

After 1995 he lived in retirement in Thorndon.

O'Neill would have been 93 on September 19.

His health had been failing for some time.

He was assessed for hospital-level care late last week and was hoping to go there on Wednesday.

But on Tuesday he began to fail and after seeing his doctor was admitted to Wellington Public Hospital.

John O'Neill's funeral will be Tuesday 3 September at St Mary of the Angels in Wellington at 1.30pm.

The Rosary on Monday 2 September will be recited at St Mary of the Angels at 7.00pm.

Source

• Supplied

Fr Terrence Millard of St John Vianney and St Thomas More parish in Greenacre was found guilty in Bankstown Local Court, but no conviction was recorded against him.

The priest denied having hit eight-year-old "Peter" (not his real name), in the upper buttocks region, for perceived bad behaviour in church.

A letter from Fr Millard to the Sydney Catholic Education Office confirmed there were 42 students and a teacher in the church on September 11.

The priest's version of events stated there were several troublesome children, the teacher had been distracted and Peter had slid across the pew and "started pulling faces at people who had been to confession".

He said he merely escorted Peter to a station of the cross and ordered him to stay there.

The boy's version of events alleged Fr Millard grabbed him and positioned him in front of a station of the cross, and then the smack was delivered.

The testimony of a teacher who witnessed the incident led to the guilty verdict against Fr Millard.

Peter's mother said in the days after the incident, her son had become deeply troubled and could not sleep, fearing further punishment.

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Sydney described the incident as "extremely regrettable".

"Fr Millard is on leave and discussions are underway about his future," she said.

Fr Millard's lawyer said his client possessed an "unbelievably good reputation" and had worked "tirelessly" for the community.

"This poor bloke's life has been ruined, destroyed. He cannot be a priest anymore because he tried to chastise a child, as he was entitled to do in his own church."

Peter's parents were further upset when it was announced at Mass in Greenacre that the court case had gone the priest's way.

A parish bulletin also stated the case against Fr Millard had been dismissed.

The archdiocese spokeswoman said a correction will be published that "very clearly and factually states what happened".

Sources

• Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: The Guardian

But Clive Staples Lewis, arguably the greatest communicator of the Christian message in the 20^th century, was anything but plain.

He died on November 22, 1963, the same day as Aldous Huxley and President Kennedy, and while Lewis never completed the journey from Anglican to Catholic, he was well on the way; according to his last secretary Walter Hooper - whom am I proud to call a good friend - it was inevitably and only a matter of time.

Although evangelicals have adopted him as one of their own, this sacramental, liturgical Christian who smoked and drank was always a Catholic at heart.

He wrote Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy, and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, among so many other titles. Several of his Narnia books have been made into movies, and commercialism being what it is, there is now a thunderstorm of books and videos.

But it is a sweet rain and in this case it is a joy to be made wet. Lewis would have laughed at such antics, always considering himself to be an ordinary teacher and an ordinary Christian.

In fact, Lewis was a most extraordinary teacher. A lecturer at both Oxford and Cambridge, he was considered one of the finest minds of his generation by fellow professors.

His English Literature in the Sixteenth Century Excluding Drama and The Allegory of Love are still considered to be academic masterpieces.

But it is Lewis the Christian who changed the world. Continue reading.

Source: Catholic World Report

Image: cslewisjrrtolkien.classicalautographs.com