THE EIGHTH BISHOP OF SANDHURST

Bishop Shane Mackinlay The eighth Bishop of Sandhurst

Bishop Shane Mackinlay, the eighth Bishop of Sandhurst is the pastoral leader of more than ninetythree thousand Sandhurst Catholics. He is assisted by thirty-five working priests and 14 retired priests, who minister in forty parishes. The Sandhurst Diocese is home to 180 preschool students, 10,081 primary school students, 8512 secondary students, 27 religious sisters and 6 religious brothers. The Diocese supports St John of God Hospital, four Catholic Aged Care Facilities and employs over 2150 people. The geographic area is over forty-five thousand square kilometres which borders the Murray River to the north and east, the Loddon River to the west and the Great Divide to the south. The vision of the diocese is ‘that every person’s heart be inflamed by the love of God’.

Coat of Arms

In the language of heraldry, Bishop Shane Mackinlay’s personal arms are:

• On a red field, two gold pickaxes in saltire, blades upwards and, in the top part of the shield, an open silver book bound in gold with the Greek letter Α on the left page and the Greek letter Ω on the right page.

• His motto is taken from John 10:10 “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full“ • The crossed pickaxes are the tools of goldmining, which was integral to the founding of both Ballarat and Bendigo. The bible comes from the arms of Catholic Theological College and reflects its motto, Tolle lege, the admonition that prompted St Augustine to take up and read the bible, which led to his baptism. • As is traditional for the coat of arms of a bishop, the arms are placed before an episcopal cross and are ensigned with a green galero (Roman hat) with six fiocchi (tassels) on each side.

• Bishop Shane’s personal arms have been combined with those of the Diocese of Sandhurst by impalement, a traditional way of denoting a bishop’s union with his diocese.

Almost 2000 people gathered at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Wednesday, 16 October, 2019 for the Episcopal Ordination of Father Shane Mackinlay. The installation of the eighth Bishop of Sandhurst marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the Sandhurst Diocese.

There are few occasions more splendid than the ordination of a Bishop, and this was no exception. More than thirty Bishops and 300 Clergy processed into the Bendigo Cathedral as Father Shane’s proud parents, Malcolm and Helen Mackinlay watched on. The procession included the Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana and Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli DD, who was the Principal Consecrator. Bishop Emeritus of Sandhurst, Most Rev Leslie Tomlinson DD and Bishop of Ballarat, Most Rev Paul Bird DD were co-consecrators.

Respected Jaara Elder and Chief Executive Officer of Dja Dja Wurrung Clan Aboriginal Corporation, Rodney Carter provided the ‘Welcome to Country’ as the traditional sound of the didgeridoo filled the Cathedral, played by Jason Kerr. The smoking ceremony took place on the stairs of the Cathedral by fellow Dja Dja Wurrung man, Michael Bourke, where Father Shane paused to let the smoke wash over him as he entered the Cathedral.

“I am very aware that I come into a story that began long before I arrived, and I’m honoured that the various signs of my ministry with which I have been invested today, belong to that history. I am also aware that the story of this diocese into which I have been called is one that will go on long after my time here as Bishop.”

“We are called on the day of our baptism to live as disciples of Jesus, as part of God’s holy people, as a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. We are entrusted with building up the reign of God that Jesus inaugurated, sharing with the world the fullness of life that he offers, through our service of others, and in our relationship with God and with one another,” he said.

Bishop Shane Mackinlay was appointed Bishop of Sandhurst by his holiness, Pope Frances on 23 July, 2019. Immediately prior to his appointment, he held the positions of Parish Priest of Bungaree, Master of Catholic Theological College and Associate Professor of the University of Divinity.

The people of Sandhurst look forward to the strong leadership and spiritual guidance that Bishop Shane Mackinlay will provide in his new role as the eighth Bishop of Sandhurst.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral organ played as Bishop Mackinlay was vested with signs of his office. The Episcopal Ring of Bishop Noel Daly, the Crosier of Bishop Martin Crane and a Mitre, the gift of the Mackinlay family, brought forward by his brother Jason who had travelled from Hamburg, Germany to be present.

Representatives from local community groups, Catholic Schools, organisations, faith groups and parishes of the deaneries of Sandhurst were presented to Bishop Mackinlay, along with local dignitaries. Bishop Shane Mackinlay smiled broadly as he greeted the procession of well-wishers. Bishop Mackinlay’s Ordination speech acknowledged those who had gone before while calling on people to place their trust in God and to share their gifts generously with others.