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Fr Reginald Ahearn C.Ss.R.

Reflection

'My life has been many things, but never boring'.

I was born and grew up in Liverpool, England, one of four children. I began primary school with the Sisters of Mercy and then went on to St Vincent's, run by the Vincentians. When that closed down, I transferred to the Christian Brothers' College of St Edward's. We lived quite close to the Redemptorist church of Bishop Eton and almost always went to Mass there. So the church that I was most familiar with was Bishop Eton.

My older brother entered the Redemptorist Minor Seminary (called the Juvenate) in 1941. I began there in 1942 and stayed for two years until the family moved to Australia. I studied at the Jesuit College of St Aloysius, Milson's Point, until the Leaving Certificate in 1949. I still held to my plan of being a Repdemptorist and never conternplated joining the Jesuits, despite my deep appreciation of them.

I entered the Australian Novitiate in January 1950, was professed in February 1951 and ordained in 1957. I can't say that I had any great lights from heaven, no voice calling me. It was more something that I took for granted from very early on. I remember, as a youngster, being keen on the idea of preaching.

I spent one year giving parish missions and then I was sent to our Seminary at Galong to teach. After two years I was sent to the Philippines to teach in our newly-opened minor seminary. In 1977 I returned to Australia and discovered a far different church from the one I left in 1962. Since then, I have worked on missions, worked with lay groups, especially the Redemptorist Lay Community in Victoria, looked after our parish of Binalong, NSW, and finally I am now involved with the Province finances.

My life has taken unexpected turns. I expected to spend my whole life preaching parish missions. Instead, for 17 years I taught in our minor seminaries. For 8 years I was heavily involved in counselling and also in youth work. Among the most rewarding of my pastoral work was my work with Sole Parents, in Melbourne and in Perth. It was my privilege to hear their stories and to walk with them on what was, at times, a very rocky path. Recently, I directed a weekend with an AlAnon group and I found there the same deep faith, courage and cheerfulness in the face of almost insurmountable problems.

After 43 years on the track, I still look forward to each day and what it might bring. My life has been many things, but never boring.