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Catholic Life
Publication of the Diocese of Sale
Cranbourne sister to head congregation - Page 3
ISSUE 176
September 2013
Young gymnasts on top of their sport - Page 4
Married Anglican to be ordained Catholic priest - Page 5
Bishop to Canberra BISHOP Christopher Prowse will take up his new appointment as Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn on November 19. His installation will be at St Christopher’s Cathedral, Forrest, at 11am that day. He will succeed Archbishop Mark Coleridge who was transferred to be Archbishop of Brisbane last year. Advice that he was to be appointed to Canberra and
Goulburn came as a surprise to the bishop as he has only been Bishop of Sale for four years. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne Archdiocese from 2003-2009. The bishop went to Canberra on Friday to speak with the Nuncio Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the administrator Mgr John Woods and members of the curia in the archdiocese. As he is now archbishopelect, he ceases to be the Bishop of Sale but will act as administrator until he moves to Canberra in November. The
Sale college of consultors, a group of senior priests of the diocese, will then elect an administrator to run the diocese until a new Bishop of Sale is appointed. Bishop Prowse has released a pastoral letter on his elevation to archbishop. He writes “To my dear people in the Diocese of Sale: “Totally unexpectedly and to my great surprise, His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed me Archbishop of the Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese. “Just when I was feeling
really comfortable as the Bishop of Sale, the Holy Spirit has pushed me out of my comfort zone! Perhaps I should not feel surprised. After all, that is what the Holy Spirit is always doing to us. Disciples must be ready to march outward to a beat not of their own making! “So now I must respond humbly and do simply what I would expect anyone of you to do: to obey the Marian imperative of Cana – “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). “There will be time over the
next short period to say our goodbyes. For now, may I say simply the following: the last four years as your Bishop in the Diocese of Sale have been times of great happiness for me. To be your servant-Bishop has really helped me grow as a Catholic leader. Thank you so much. “May I impose on you to remember me in your prayers? I am in need of them. Thank you. “Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, Bishop Christopher Prowse.”
Sale Diocese deacon to be ordained priest in India DEACON Siju Xavier Mukalekalayil, 31, will be ordained a priest for Sale Diocese at a ceremony in India next month. He will be ordained in his home town of Thermala by Archbishop of Thalassery, George Valiyamattam. Bishop of Sale Christopher Prowse will also participate in the ceremony which is taking place in India so members of his large family can attend. As a priest Deacon Siju will have both Syro-Malabar and Latin rite faculties. He will be the first Indian ordained specifically for Sale Diocese. The ceremony will conclude 11 years of studies, seven of which took place in the Third Order Regular Franciscan seminary in Northern India before he came to Australia in 2010 to enrol as a seminarian for our diocese. Traralgon parish priest Fr Mathew Joseph is also a TOR priest. Deacon Siju completed his final examination at Corpus Christi College two weeks ago and is now in India preparing
for the ordination. He is the 10th of 13 children in his family and the second member of the family to enter religious life. His younger sister joined a Franciscan Clarist Congregation in Kerala. He said he was looking forward to becoming a priest and was happy to accept whatever appointments came his way. While brought up in a big city, he was happy to have been accepted as a seminarian by Sale Diocese and had grown to love Gippsland. He liked the countryside and the people he had come in contact with across the diocese. Deacon Siju’s pastoral year was spent at Traralgon before he was ordained a deacon at Cranbourne last September. He said he was ready to work for the glory of God and with a help of God, to serve the people of this diocese. He will return to Australia in mid-November and will then celebrate a series of Masses here so that the people of our diocese can join in the celebration of his ordination. Masses are being organised for Berwick, Traralgon, Sale
DEACON Siju Xavier Mukalekalayil (left) with Bishop Christopher Prowse in the Sion House chapel. and Bairnsdale. The Syro-Malabar Christians are one of 22 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. It is the second largest such church after the Ukrainian Catholics and is the largest group of “Thomas Christians” or Nazrani, with 4.6 million followers.
The apostle St Thomas established seven churches in Kerala around 52 AD and continued to live in India until he was martyred in 72 AD. The Nazrani were in close contact with Syrian Chaldean Christians, who were also founded by St Thomas, and were governed by Syrian
bishops until the arrival of St Francis Xavier and the Jesuits in India in the mid 1500s. The church’s relationship to Rome was questioned and heavily debated over several centuries until it was brought into full communion. • Traralgon youngsters off to ordination in India, Page 2.
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