Catholic Viewpoint Edition 4 | October - December 2021

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ARMIDALE

MEMBER OF THE AUSTRALASIAN CATHOLIC PRESS ASSOCIATION ISSN 1446-0041

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The Catholic diocese of Armidale would like to wish you a very Happy and Holy Christmas!

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Hop E iNITIATIVE

Bishop Michael Kennedy has recently ratified a new body within the Diocese and committed substantial funds to assist and support people who have no other means to access aid; or resources to assist them in times of trouble or strife within the life of their family, community or within their personal circumstances.

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HOPe Initiative Advent Reflection St Patrick’s Parish Glen Innes Sesquicentenary Mission & Evangelisation Jubilee Holy Door Celebrations TGIF @ SFX Moree Initiative Sisters of the Immaculata

HOPe is the name adopted by the new “chartitable arm” of the Diocese. An acronym for “Heart of Peace”. This new arm of the Church evolved from an initiative within St Edward’s Parish, South Tamworth when funds became available to assist people in the parish with relief from the effects of the drought. The Parish established “Mother Teresa’s Pantry” which saw many thousands of dollars in relief packages and aid provided in the Peel Valley not only to farming families, but to those who were affected by the lack of work resulting from the significant reduction of livestock being processed through local meat processing plants.

That initiative was rekindled, expanded and came to maturity (with the experience gained from the work undertaken in drought relief) when Covid first affected many families in the Parish and district.

Mother Teresa’s Pantry again was the vessel that was able to provide truly lifesaving aid to individuals and families who simply “slipped through the net” of all federal and state government support services and initiatives that came into effect to protect and assist Australian’s from the economic effects arising from Covid 19 restrictions. From the humble pantry in Tamworth, assistance was also provided to families in other Parishes across the Diocese.

HOPe is now in place to assist “where all else fails”. Still in its infancy there are plans and goals in place to see HOPe become a very visible and responsive outreach initiative of the Church in our region. The aim is to provide real love, aid and support to those in need; to those who have no one else to care for them in their time of crisis.

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How to make Advent both holy and merry An Advent Reflection by Chris Da Silva Director of Mission and Evangelisation Advent is the most countercultural season in the Church’s calendar. At a time when the world around us insists we eat a little too much rump, drink a little too much wine and spend a little too much money, the Church gives us a different image to contemplate.

A heavily pregnant Mary mounted on a donkey, led by a fearless Joseph for about 30 kilometers across the Palestinian countryside, through cold nights, only to be turned away at every inn, hotel, and motel at their destination.

This is what we are invited to unite ourselves with in prayer and sacrifice, even if only in small ways. The Church knows that the greatest feasts are significantly more savoured when we fast for a period beforehand.

I mean, do we really want to be complaining about indigestion, hangovers and putting on too much weight before Christmas Eve? The heart of the matter as we prepare both for the birth of Christ and for His second coming is firstly humility: the crown of all virtues; and secondly, thanksgiving: the practice that safeguards humility.

In suffering discomfort and rejection, Mary and Joseph are not embittered or regretful of their mission God entrusted to them. Instead, they’re so grateful for the profound calling placed upon them that they can detach themselves from the comforts of the world with complete joy and no worries whatsoever.

Through the Paschal Mystery and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has made such heights of holiness and virtue possible for you and me. We were created to share in the everlasting joy of the Holy Family eternally, but God knows that in our fallen nature, if we indulge our appetites, we will become overly attached 2

to that which we indulge in, rendering us incapable of experiencing that joy which should be part and parcel of the Christmas experience.

Practically speaking, what does this mean for us as faithful Catholics who don’t want to alienate family, friends, and colleagues by our weirdness? I can only offer suggestions guided by the words of Jesus: “When you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.

Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.”

(Mat 6:16).

They might include the following: Spend more time in prayer, particularly meditating on the Holy Family’s journey to Bethlehem, and how Jesus is calling you to become more like them in some way. Try to avoid second’s or desserts unless they are offered to you.

Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once during Advent. Intentionally practice gratitude, sharing with your family or writing in a journal what you’re grateful for at the end of each day, acknowledging all good things come from God. May your Advent and your Christmas be both holy and merry.

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St Patrick’s Catholic Church Glen Innes

OCTOBER

St pATRICK’S PARISH GLEN INNES SESQUICENTENARY

St Patrick’s Parish Glen Innes celebrated its Sesquicentenary on 5th September 2021.

With the appointment of Fr James Kelly as the first resident priest in Glen Innes in 1871, the Parish of St Patrick’s was formally established. Now, 150 years later, the Parish reached its Sesquicentenary milestone with its 13th Parish Priest, Fr Richard Gleeson, in residence.

Williams gave a potted history of the parish from its foundations, through its expansion and engagement in church activities pre–and post Vatican Two and the development of Catholic Education from the appointment of the first Sisters of St Joseph to the present day. Michael referred to the various sodalities, clubs, organisations and social activities that occupied vast numbers of families living through the 150 years of the parish. Also mentioned was the progress on the physical structures in the parish—the first presbytery, the original church, the first timber school, the building of the ‘new’ St Patrick’s Church, the magnificent brick convent and boarding school, replacing and extending the classrooms that resulted in offering education from Kindergarten to Year 10 and its present primary school status.

To recognise the special occasion of the Sesquicentenary, changes were made to the Catholic precinct in Glen Innes—the interior of the church was repainted in NeoGothic colours, internal lighting was upgraded,and the surrounds were paved, including a memory walk where families and individuals had their names engraved on pavers and gardens were refurbished with new plantings and edging.

In the month of September, special celebrations including Mass with Bishop Michael Kennedy and a gathering of local and former parishioners, were planned but Covid-19 restrictions impacted on this date and a low-key celebration was celebrated on Sunday, 21st November. Bishop Kennedy presided at the Mass, which was concelebrated with Fr Richard Gleeson (current PP), Fr Paul McCabe (Glen Innes ‘born and bred’), Fr Ross O’Brien (11th PP) and Fr Francis Afu (currently residing in Glen Innes).

Due to the Public Health Order density for the church, around 90 local parishioners attended the Mass. A light refreshment was provided in the first St Patrick’s Church (foundation stone being laid in 1864) which now doubles as the parish hall. In is proposed that a ‘Back to St Patrick’s Parish’ weekend be held in March, 2022, so that former parishioners and their extended families, teachers, students of both the boarding and day school, and others who had a connection to the Parish will be invited for a special gathering of remembrance.

Two significant presentations were made at the conclusion of Mass by Fr Paul McCabe and Mr Michael Williams. Fr Paul gave a perspective on the Parish in the context of eras-in-time in the Catholic Church and in St Patrick’s Parish over the years, relating them to civil and world-wide historical happenings. Michael 3

Above: The completed rennovations to St Patrick’s Church.

Patrons of the Sesquicentenary Celebrations, Edna Holder (left) & Marie Willliamson (Pat Timbs - Disceased).

The Memory Walk outside of the Church.

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An Interview with Chris Da Silva

OCTOBER

an interview with our new MISSION & EVANGALISATION director

Director of Mission and Evangelisation

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Welcome to Armidale!

What made you decide to take the job with the Diocese of Armidale and move here?

My wife, Taylor, and I have desired a move to the countryside as long as we’ve been together. We placed that desire in St Joseph’s hands as we completed Fr Calloway’s Consecration to St Joseph last year and continued to ask him for an opportunity to relocate ever since. On the advice of Fr Paul Chandler I then sent Bishop Kennedy a letter in June, just weeks before this role was released, that I would be interested in moving my family up to Armidale to come and work for him. It is now very clear to us how God’s hand and St Joseph’s intercession were at work arranging it all for us!

Can you tell us about your family?

Taylor and I have been married for four years. We have three boys: Athanasius (3), Eli-Charlegmagne (19 months) and Alphonsus Antonio (one week old).

I moved from Port Elizabeth, South Africa to the Gold Coast with my older sister and parents in 2008 while I was in year 11. Since then I’ve lived in Sydney, Brisbane, and done youth ministry years in Port Macquarie and Cairns. We’re excited that my parents will also be moving to Armidale to join us in early 2022.

You’ve accepted the role of Diocesan Director of Mission & Evangelisation. It is a newly developed role within the 4

Diocese, could you let us know what the role entails and what your key responsibilities are to the Diocese of Armidale?

While the role is very broad, it can be summed up as a role that aims to support, encourage, and resource all the parishes in the diocese in any works of mission, evangelisation, catechesis or discipleship that they choose to embark on. There will also be several Diocese-wide projects that I initiate, but the goal of those at the end of the day would be to enrich each parish.

What do you hope to achieve with your role?

I hope to see individuals across the Diocese fall deeply in love with Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church, such that He becomes their top priority in life and everything else revolves around Him. When people live this way, parishes change, and I have been blessed to experience this firstly in my own life, but also then in parishes that I have had the privilege to be involved in. Faith begins in the family, and parishes can be best described as families of families, united in love of Jesus, the Church and her Sacraments. But do we live this way in every parish?

My goal is that we do.

Will you be implementing any new initiatives or programmes to the Diocese of Armidale?

Yes, I have an ever expanding toolkit of initiatives and programmes that I have seen bear fruit in a variety of contexts that I am excited to collaborate with both clergy and laity on. The fact that my job is evangelisation doesn’t mean, however, that I have a range of perfect protocols that I can guarantee will affect the conversion of souls in every situation.

What these initiatives do is help with a process of funnelling and facilitation, by which I mean that we

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have to be willing to do whatever is necessary to meet every individual we encounter right where they’re at, which is what Jesus models for us in the Gospels. We think of the woman at the well or Zaccheus, or the woman caught in adultery, but also of Jesus asking St Peter, “Do you love me?” after he denied Him, or St ‘doubting’ Thomas. Each encounter was catered to what the person’s heart needed most at the time. The crux of the matter is that when people know they are loved right where they’re at by another, the possibility that God loves them unconditionally begins to open up. So I will encourage and suggest programmes like St Paul Street Evangelisation, Alpha, and The Search to begin ‘funnelling’ those outside or on the peripheries, followed by retreats, perhaps Life in the Spirit Seminars, prayers groups, and as they get funnelled into a committed relationship with Jesus where they are spending time in prayer I would point them towards frequent reception of Reconciliation, the Eucharist, and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament, especially to Adoration.

After that they need to discern their gifts and how they can help to use them to build the Kingdom in their own parish community. I am of course mindful that what makes these initiatives that seek to facilitate an ever deeper encounter with Jesus efficacious is the prayers and sacrifices of faithful clergy and laity. As we enter Advent I would certainly encourage everyone reading this to think about what sacrifices we can offer to help any of our friends, family members or colleagues come to know the love of God the way we do, or even more!

led one or two or more steps toward holiness before my eyes. I can’t think of a line of work that could provide a more rewarding experience. And yes, I do hope to use that book in my role in Armidale as well.

Your faith is very strong and admirable, was this an influence from your family growing up? When did you begin your Mission work?

Actually, it wasn’t my family. We were ‘Cafeteria Catholics’ growing up, meaning we went to Sunday Mass and picked and chose what we liked or didn’t like about the Faith. When I was in year 11 I started attending a youth group, more to meet friends than to get involved with the Church, but I can see now how God used that group to soften my heart, so that when crisis came to a relative I felt God’s presence undeniably calling me to pray. I entrusted the whole situation to Jesus and witnessed a miracle of deliverance. From that moment I was sold. I knew His love for me was real and intimate, and I wanted everyone else to know that they too could know His love. The very next year, 2010, I joined NET Ministries, and that was the beginning of my journey

You have brought a considerable amount of experience in similar roles with you. What has been your proudest moment in your career this far?

Only a few months ago I facilitated a Zoom-based weekly retreat over 5 weeks using the book Jesus I Trust in You: a 30-day personal retreat based on the Litany of Trust by Sr Faustina Maria Pia SV. Attendees had to commit to a daily prayer and reflection and I would simply present a summary and facilitate small group discussions so this was definitely not the project I’ve worked hardest on, but it was the most rewarding because we were all in lockdown, feeling unsure of our future, and together we all begun to wrestle with the question of how much we trust Jesus, versus how much He is asking us to trust him. The way people shared in our small groups was both beautiful and heartwrenching. I got to witness a group of people being

Chris with his wife, Taylor, and children, Athanasius (almost 3), Eli-Charlemagne (17 months) and Wolfgang the cat.

Newborn, Alphonsus Antonio is pictured at one week old.

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Christians Church, going to confession, receiving the Eucharist, and offering prayers for the intentions of the Pope and invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Edward, king & confessor.

St Edwards Parish South Tamworth SATURDAY 13TH NOVEMBER Mary Help of Christians Church of St Edward’s Parish in South Tamworth officially opened its Holy Door on 13th November 2021 during the Saturday vigil Mass.

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HOLY DOOR Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

The celebration was led by Bishop Michael Kennedy, along with Fr Paul Aguilar, parish priest and Deacon Paul Manvell. A Holy Door or Porta Sancta has been used since the fifteenth century as a ritual expression of conversion. Bishop Kennedy explained that: “Pilgrims and penitents pass through it as a gesture of leaving the past behind and crossing the threshold from sin to grace. But a holy door finds meaning only when the believer associates the door with Christ. Jesus is the Door!” The event is part of the 60th anniversary of the canonical erection of the Parish.

The decree also added, that the elderly, the sick and all those who, for a serious reason, are unable to leave their home, can likewise obtain the plenary indulgence, if – with the expressed renunciation of every sin and with the intention of fulfilling the usual conditions as soon as possible – they join themselves spiritually to the celebrations, offering their prayers and sufferings, or the inconvenience of one’s own life to the merciful God through Mary.

This in time for the celebration of the parish’s diamond jubilee. The Holy Father Pope Francis has also given Bishop Michael Kennedy the faculty to impart the Papal blessing along with the plenary indulgence to those who will participate in a chosen event during the parish jubilee.

Catholics who visit Mary Help of Christians Church can gain a plenary indulgence from the 24th May 2021, until the 9th November 2022. A plenary indulgence is a total remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.

St Edward’s Parish was canonically erected on the 20th October 1961 by the then Bishop of Armidale Most Reverend Edward Doody with Fr Edward Meehan as its first parish priest. Based on the 2016 census, the parish has an estimated population of 21,340 with a Catholic population of 5,325 which makes up 25% of the total population.

In a decree issued on May 24, 2021 by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Pope said that indulgences may be obtained by making a pilgrimage to Mary Help of

To know more about gaining the plenary indulgence at St Edward’s, please visit: www.stedwardsparish.org.au/parish-events/

Bishop Michael Kennedy with Deacon Paul Manvell and Father Paul Aguilar

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tgif @ sfx

It was a delight to see the church full with many young children and their families in attendance. At the conclusion of Mass a choir of children from the parish sang some Christmas carols which ensured everyone was full of festive spirit. The event was then moved into the parish grounds where there was much enjoyment around the sausage sizzle, jumping castle, face painting and raffles.

St Francis Xavier’s missionary spirit is an inspiration to us all, especially during these times when, more than ever, we need to go out into our communities, and through them into the world, to joyfully spread the Good News of Christ and in doing so strive for the salvation of souls.

Thank God it’s Friday at St Francis Xavier St francis xavier parish moree A few months ago now, as we emerged from Covid lockdown in Moree, the parish decided that there was a need and an opportunity to open things up a bit here in Moree. TGIF@SFX was born!

It is a very simple initiative aimed at building community and giving Jesus the opportunity to be close to his people here in Moree. From 2.30pm every Friday afternoon SFX throws open the doors of the church, expose the Blessed Sacrament and turn on the tea, coffee, juice and goodies in front of the church (oh and now that the warmer weather is here, there might even be the odd ice block on offer!).

The Parish would like to take the opportunity to thank the Parish Pastoral Council members who contributed superbly to this initiative and to the entire Parish community for getting behind the initiative. There are plans to host more events like these as the New Year unfolds.

The parish have been so grateful for the community’s response with a very broad range of people attending, from our regular daily Mass goers to parents picking up their children from school (along with the kids), teachers and staff from the school popping by before they head home for the week, and they have even had some visitors to Moree, out and about walking pop in for a chat. The afternoon concludes with a simple Benediction at 5.30pm followed by the regular 5.40pm Friday evening Mass.

They hope that TGIF will be a platform for more mission opportunities in the parish, such as young people ministry which we are in the planning stages of for next year. Please do pray for this initiative and the broader work of mission and evangelisation in the parish and the Diocese of Armidale and be assured that you are always most welcome on Friday afternoons here in Moree.

On Friday 3rd December the Parish celebrated the inaugural St Francis Xavier Parish Festival in honour of our Parish patron. The afternoon commenced with the regular TGIF@SFX gathering followed by a feast day Mass and a festive evening of fun and fellowship.

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Father Damien Locke & Father Vic Ignacio with Parishioners of St Francis Xavier Parish Moree and at the Inaugural Parish Festival.

Sisters of the Immaculata A new beginning in the Diocese of Armidale CATHEDRAL PARISH ARMIDALE The Sisters of the Immaculata are preparing to establish a presence in the Diocese of Armidale based at the Cathedral Parish in Armidale. As an Association of Christ’s Faithful, with a mission for spiritual renewal through Eucharistic Adoration and faith formation particularly in Parishes and with young people, the Sisters of the Immaculata began in 2008 in Sydney under the guidance of then Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous.

Since 2013 the Sisters have primarily undertaken ministry in the Archdiocese of Hobart. Earlier in 2021 they made the decision to return to the mainland.

Bishop Michael Kennedy said that he was delighted when the Sisters approached him seeking to set up a house within the Diocese. “I have seen from afar,” he said “the work of the Sisters in Tasmania and I have been impressed by their devotion to the Lord Jesus and His mother and with their missionary spirit and outreach in particular to youth”.

On the 8th December 2021, the Sisters signed an agreement with the Diocese of Armidale and Bishop Michael Kennedy with the blessing of Archbishop Julian Porteous who remains the competent authority for the Association. His Grace said “Whilst I was sad that the Sisters left Tasmania, I wish God’s blessing upon them as they seek new directions for their life and ministry including in the Diocese of Armidale.”

contact us Catholic Diocese Of Armidale 3/131 Barney Street Armidale NSW 2350 E. chancery@armidale.catholic.org.au P. 02 6771 8700

SOCIAL MEDIA For More News On The Diocese Of Armidale Follow Us On Facebook at; @catholicdioceseofarmidale

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The Sisters are establishing a house in Armidale before Christmas and their Mission School will take place in January 2022.

Mother Mary Therese said “We look forward to being a part of the Cathedral Parish and serving in the Diocese of Armidale.”

The Sisters of the Immaculata Mission School is being run from the 1st - 9th January 2022. Registrations are open now and information can be found via their website at www.sistersoftheimmaculata.org.au

Above: Mother Mary Therese with Bishop Michael Kennedy the Immaculata Sisters and Brothers and lay members of the community.