News has just been received of the death of Fr. Peter Knowles OP from pneumonia. At the time of his death he had been residing at the Dominican Priory in his native Adelaide. Fr. Knowles, like the late Fr. Wilkinson, was a great supporter of the Library and presented talks here on several occasion.

Fr. Knowles was an archpriest of the Byzantine Rite since October 2005 and had served the Russian Catholic chapel in Kew. He was an accomplished and published expert on Eastern Catholicism, having written and presented papers on the history of the Catholic Church in Russia and Eastern monasticism. He had also made several visits to churches and monasteries in Eatern Europe and Russia. Previously Fr. Knowles had served as Master of Mannix College for eight years.

With his passing from this world the Church has lost a great priest, whose devotion to the liturgy, hospitality and commitment to the monastic ideals of prayers and penance, ingratiated and inspired countless souls.

Fr. Knowles' funeral service wil be held this Friday and the Most Rev. Peter Stasiuk CSSR, Bishop of Sts. Peter and Paul Eparchy, will be the principal celebrant.

May Christ our true God, Who rules over the living and the dead, place the soul of His departed servant, Peter, in the abode of the Saints, grant him rest in the bosom of Abraham, and number him among the Just, through the prayers of His most pure Mother, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy Apostles, of our venerable and God bearing Fathers, and of all the Saints; may He have mercy on us and save us, for He is gracious and loves mankind.
(From the Divine Liturgy)

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for him
St. Dominic, pray for him
Sts. Cyril and Methodius, pray for him

As this holy season of Lent draws to a close let us bare in mind the words of Fr. Knowles who often remarked that "to keep the fast is to keep the feast and to keep the feast is to keep the faith."