A Gift to a Beleaguered Priesthood — Beyond These Stone Walls
Father James Valladares, PhD, a friend to Father Gordon MacRae and this blog, is a priest, psychologist, and noted author from Mumbai, India and Adelaide, Australia.
September 2, 2026 by Fr. James Valladares, PhD
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
— Lao-tzu (philosopher, 604 BC - 531 BC)
Once upon a time . . . early in 1966, I commenced my second year in theology in the Diocesan Seminary of Bombay (now Mumbai), India. As part of the curriculum in Moral Theology, we were scheduled to do a very intensive and comprehensive study of the Seventh, Eighth, and Tenth Commandments (“You shall not steal”; “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour”; and “You shall not covet anything that is your neighbour’s”) as a proximate preparation for the crucial examination that would render us eligible for the faculty to serve as ministers of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Ad audiendas confessiones).
Very …