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ST. ANTHONY IN THE FIELDS, 
TERREY HILLS, NSW AUSTRALIA
11 July, 2004

Fr Peter McGrath celebrates his 40th Anniversary  of Ordination with brother Passionist, Fr Tony Egar.		Reflections on 40 years of being a Passionist Father Peter McGrath, Founder of the Passionist Family Group Movement As I reflect on my life as a priest, I can honestly say that I was trained to believe that controlled predictable progress in holiness occurred only on a vertical plane. The parishioners were in no position to help themselves because of their poor experience and limited knowledge. From Pope to Bishops to Priests, we were there to guide, inspire and correct them. For them to attempt to assist each other could be as dangerous as the blind leading the blind. However, back in 1972 I was blessed by being given the little church of St. Anthony in the Fields, Terrey Hills, NSW Australia. It was here, with the people, that we were able to share our lives and help each other in an atmosphere of freedom and acceptance. I was to learn that we all have within us the Holy spirit – the voice of love. From the youngest child to our seniors, no matter what their education, we were taught the message of love. I was privileged to watch the miracle of Christian Community grow and transform the lives of so many people, giving them freedom and the conviction that they were good and holy in their humanity. The Family Groups provided this loving environment – spiritual oxygen and sunlight for the growth of their spirits.   What are Family Groups all about? Simply, they are about Love.  Our Family Groups, as I see it, are primarily loving relationships based upon and energised by the Spirit of God in our hearts. We are all brothers and sisters. No one is better than anyone else. We all need each other and we all depend totally upon God. That, to me, is the basic truth of our Family Groups. In our Family Groups, and this is the case to this very day, all were equal. Leaders were servants and each member was unique. Those who joined  to start Family Groups in the parish of St. Anthony in the Fields, and later throughout all the parishes and places where I have worked around the world, had the same attitude. Their real satisfaction has come from their service to others. We really never had any long range plans or dreams of expansion. We have tried to keep the structures flexible and simple. Every effort has been made to adapt  the methods and the organization to the local environment. We have always insisted on the aims. However, we have always claimed that there were different ways in our Family Groups of achieving those aims. No one way, no one method is the only way. Therefore, no one way, no one method, is the right way. Over the years we have made every effort, with all our human frailties, to foster a true spirit of love and family within our Family Groups. “For people to love one another.”