Celebrating 35 years of Broken Bay

By Bishop Anthony Randazzo

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Anniversaries are important milestones in the life of individuals, families, and communities. This year in Broken Bay we commemorate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the founding of our Diocese. Of course, the celebration of such an event in a community of Christ’s faithful cannot be reduced merely to the past; it must also direct our gaze to the future. We can walk confidently together into the future when we know our past.

By way of marking this anniversary, I would like for us to focus in a particular way on our mission as a community of disciples of the Lord

Jesus Christ. To this end, I have drawn together a small team of women and men to help probe the year with a view to future looking models of evangelisation; catechesis; marriage and family life; prayer, worship, sacramental life; Christian discernment; vocations; and ongoing formation at every stage of Catholic life and mission.

Clearly this is too large a project to be contained in one calendar year, however it is my prayer that “BB35” will be a time for us to pause and acknowledge those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, to look humbly yet confidently to the future, and to give thanks for God’s unfailing love and mercy.

On 8 December 2020, Pope Francis announced that 2021 would be a year dedicated to St Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus. He also declared it a special time of reflecting upon and giving witness to family love, beginning on 19 March 2021, the Feast of St Joseph. The Holy Father has recalled the 150 th anniversary of the declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. He describes St Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.

By drawing our attention to St Joseph, Pope Francis has provided us with opportunities to see the importance of ordinary people. On numerous occasions during the past 12 months, we have witnessed people in our community reaching out beyond their comfort zone to offer support, solidarity, and compassion to those in need.

While a COVID environment has thrown up many challenges, there have been numerous opportunities through which to offer charitable works of mercy. These brothers and sisters in the Lord often go unnoticed. Their works of charity are discreet and hidden. They live the gospel in and through the ordinary things of life. They are in many ways like St Joseph. Like him they are just and virtuous. With Joseph and Mary, they are close to the Lord.

Like Joseph and Mary, married couples are also close to the Lord. They regularly make sacrifices for no other reason than love. Christian marriage reflects Christ’s love for His Church. At times, marriage and family life are presented by society as mundane, onerous, and unglamourous. And yet, for centuries they have formed the basis of human society.

Married and family life are the locus for the domestic church. In the family,

human values and Christian values come together in dialogue. People are formed in the ways of life and in the mystery of faith within the family. It is apt that during this year we will also have the opportunity to reflect upon marriage and the family from the perspective of Christian faith.

I hope and pray that BB35 will provide us an opportunity for deep and prayerful reflection upon the past. May it be a blessed time of rejoicing and celebration in the present. And may it be a Spirit-filled time of renewal to animate our community of the Church to live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the future.

As we seek to follow the Way of the Lord throughout our BB35 anniversary year, I place the Diocese of Broken Bay under the protection of St Joseph. Through his intercession, may we be a joyful and hope-filled presence in the world.