| FR. JOHN WITHERSPOON MOLE O.M.I. Presently resides in Ottawa, Canada, and in this work attempts to carry out the recommendation of the 1977 Synod of Bishops that there be religious instruction for adults based on the Liturgy of the Word, which Pope John Paul II emphatically endorsed in his Catechesi Tradendae. |
| John Witherspoon Mole was born in England on February 10th, 1911 (Feast of Saint Scholastica). He emigrated with his family to Canada in 1912 (providentially missing passage on the doomed Titanic), but later returned to Britain for his formal education. Some years later, back on Canadian soil, John Mole answered a call to the priesthood by joining the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. With the inspiration of O.M.I. founder, Saint Eugene de Mazenod, and by the grace of God, Fr. Mole worked (and continues to work) to bring the salvific message of the Word to the world. Fr. Mole's more than fifty years of ministry as an Oblate has been served by the employment of his talents in numerous fields, especially that of catechesis, communication and the liturgy. In 1957, after serving six years as Secretary to his Superior General in Rome, Fr. Mole returned to Canada to teach philosophy, and the new field of communication at the universities of Ottawa and Saint Paul (Ottawa). At that time, Fr. Mole developed a close personal friendship with the guru of communication study, Marshall McLuhan. The growth and development of communication studies prompted Fr. Mole to found the research review Canadian Communications, soon followed by the pastoral review Christian Communications. Father Mole's pastoral experience grew rapidly as he was frequently called upon to assist in local parishes. This eventually led to his ministry as a reserve chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1974 to 1981. During this period Father conceived of a programme of adult catechesis (which is exactly the content of this website), namely the Word of God Hour - the book form is known as the ABC Catechism. In this way, Fr. Mole faithfully responded to the 1977 Synod of Bishops that recommended religious instruction of adults based on the Liturgy of the Word, as Pope John Paul II emphatically endorsed in his encyclical Catechesi Tradendae. Not only has Father witnessed to the Faith in this way, but he has been able to find time to write on other subjects close to his heart. Of course, Fr. Mole is still recognized for his editorship of Christian Communications, and his many lectures in that field, but as a devoted Oblate, it is easy to see Father's love of Mary through his booklets: On Being Mindful of Mary and Motherhood and the Mass. Furthermore, Fr. Mole continues to contribute essays to various Catholic periodicals like Christian Order and Homiletics and Pastoral Review. Fr. Mole's interest in liturgical reform has led him to his current work involving unity of the Church. Father addressed his initial investigation of the liturgical turmoil through the booklet: In Medio Ecclesiae. Here, Fr. Mole acknowledged the validity of the Novus Ordo rite of the Mass but expressed the shortcomings of this rite, and the need to revisit the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican Council which called for the revision of the Roman rite. Fr. Mole then undertook the editorship of a quarterly supplement: "The Roman Rite," which explored the theology of the liturgy and the growth of these rites since the Second Vatican Council. Thus, Fr. Mole desires to see the Church united as one in celebration of the liturgy of the Eucharist through rites that are in conformity with the designs of the Holy Spirit. Of prime importance in the revision of the liturgy of the Eucharist is organic growth, which makes Christ's sacrifice and salvific action evermore real to faithful worshipers who witness to the living tradition of the Real Presence in the Holy Sacrament of the Mass. And lastly, Father's devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus led him to form a chapter of the Precious Blood Union in Ottawa, according to the design of the great Apostle of the Precious Blood, St. Gaspar del Bufalo. (Fr. Mole has also used his Word of God Hour meditations in this prayer group milieu.) In order to better organize and guide other groups of the Precious Blood, Fr. Mole is preparing a "Manual of Devotion to the Precious Blood." Further, Fr. Mole published (for eight years) a quarterly pamphlet called "The Precious Blood Banner," which explored this beautiful devotion to God. It is this devotion which Father sees as the most efficacious means towards ending the abortion holocaust. Indeed, Father has been a strong witness to the pro-life cause in Canada. As editor of the Canadian Catholic Hospitaler's Association publication, in the 1960s, Father was alerted to the forthcoming abortion legislation. Therefore, Father mounted the pulpit and denounced the fledgling abortion bill (1967) which Pierre Trudeau (Canadian Minister of Justice) was trying to sneak through Parliament, prior to the Christmas recess. Father was successful in delaying the bill, but the crafty (now Prime Minister) Trudeau pushed the legislation into law the following year. Because of popular demand for Fr. Mole's work, we shall be posting several of Father's essays on this site, as well as three of his books for sale: 1)Whither the Roman Rite? is Father's book on the liturgy; 2) Mary, Motherhood and Media is a collection of Father's various essays - Marian, pro-life and communication; 3) Mission to Mediapolis is Father's opus on the field of communication.
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