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Catholic Life
Publication of the Diocese of Sale
Ordination to Ordinariate Saturday - Page 3
ISSUE 177
October 2013
Two Popes to be canonised - Page 3
Catholic Mission focus on church in Mongolia - Page 12
Bishop’s last few weeks BISHOP Christopher Prowse’s last day in the Diocese of Sale will be his 60th birthday on November 14. After that he heads to Canberra where he will be installed as the 11th Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn on November 19. The bishop returned from Rome and India late last week and has already begun a series of farewell Masses around the diocese. He was at Leongatha on Saturday night and then his next event will at Bairnsdale at the 10.30am Mass on Sunday October 20 which coincides with the 100th anniversary celebrations of the church. The bishop will be at St Kieran’s, Moe, on Saturday, November 2, at 6pm, Our Lady Help of Christians, Narre Warren, on Sunday, November 3, at 11am, and then at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sale, on Saturday, November 9 at 5.30pm and Sunday, November 10 at 9.30am. Once the bishop leaves the diocese, the college of consultors which is made up of senior priests of the diocese, will meet to appoint a diocesan administrator to look after the diocese until the next bishop is appointed. Given that there are still several other Australian dioceses awaiting bishops and auxiliary bishops, we are unlikely to have a new bishop in the next 12 months. Berwick parish priest Fr Peter Slater was administrator during the period between Bishop Jeremiah Coffey and Bishop Prowse. Bishop Prowse will be installed as Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn at St Christopher’s Cathedral, Forrest, ACT at 11am on
November 19. A large number of Sale Diocese priests are planning the trip to Canberra to attend the Mass.
During his short four years in office in this diocese, the bishop moved the diocesan headquarters and all its offices to Sion House, Warragul, and
instigated renovations to St Mary’s Cathedral. The Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese is roughly twice the size of Sale Diocese and
covers all of the ACT and a large section of NSW from Young in the north western section to the coast from Bateman’s Bay down to Eden.
Fr Siju Xavier’s ordination in Kerala
FR Siju Xavier Mukalekalayil (centre) after his ordination at Thermala, India, with Bishop Christopher Prowse and ordaining bishop Archbishop of Thalassery George Valiyamattam. THE newly ordained Fr Siju and all were able to be there for specifically ordained for Sale Church, Berwick, at 10.30am Xavier Mukalekalayil will the big day, which coincided Diocese. on December 1, St Mary’s return to Sale Diocese next with his parents Golden The other Indian priests Church, Bairnsdale, at 9am on month to begin his ministry. Wedding anniversary. here are serving on short term December 8, and at St Mary’s He will celebrate with a series He was ordained by the agreements, generally of three Cathedral, Sale, at 9.30am on of Masses around the diocese to Archbishop of Thalassery years duration. December 15. allow us to share in the joy of George Valiyamattam who is of Fr Siju’s first thanksgiving He is yet to be appointed to a his ordination. the Syro-Malibar rite. Mass will be at St Michael’s Sale Diocese parish. He was ordained in Thermala, Bishop Christopher Prowse Church, Traralgon, at 9.30am Kerala, India on October 5 so was also present to extend Latin on November 24. • Family photograph, P5. his large family could all attend. rite faculties to Fr Siju who is This will be followed by Fr Siju is one of 13 children the first India-born priest to be other Masses at St Michael’s
A local initiative for families in need A donation to the Bishop’s Family Foundation will aid needy families in the Diocese of Sale by funding much needed counselling and other programs. Send tax deductible donations to: Bishop’s Family Foundation, PO Box 1410, Warragul 3820 Phone 5622 6600 for more information