The last letter in this series was dictated by Fr Julian Tenison Woods on 13 March 1889.
It reads as if maybe he knew it would probably be his last effort to his dear friend, William Archer.
The tone of the letter is one of resignation to his state of health with little hope of relief, but he remains cheerful and happy and expresses his determination to continue as such to the end. His work of dictating notes for publication has ceased – even letter writing is trying, although he is still eager to receive letters!
This is a grand letter to conclude The Archer Letters series! I believe it shows the strong spirit of a well-respected man
- a man of deep faith (“Resurgam”) whose trust in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and love of St Joseph remained with him to the end – as did his faithfulness to reading the Scriptures.
- a humble man who asked his good friend to “Pray for me”
- a man of words – a well-respected writer of scientific articles
- a man who valued his vocation as “Father” Julian
When I combine these qualities with the other side of his life as spiritual mentor to the young Mary MacKillop and co-founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, I can only feel very glad that my life has been enriched through meeting him through his words.
Fr Julian said “God bless you my dear Archer.”
I say “God bless you my dear Julian.”
Carmel Jones rsj
To conclude The Archer Letters series, we present the final letter of the series, written from Sydney on 13 March 1889: