Catholic Outlook September 2016

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YEAR OF MERCY
The Mercy Cross and Relics were carried in procession out of St Patrick’s Cathedral
into the world through our pilgrimage to Prince Alfred Square. PHOTO: ART IN IMAGES.
Way of Mercy
launched on pilgrimage
The Way of Mercy was launched on 8 August.
PHOTOS: ART IN IMAGES.
By Richard McMahon, Director of Pastoral Planning & Implementation
WHAT A WONDERFUL beginning for
our Way of Mercy! We experienced
a joy-filled launch at St Patrick’s
Cathedral on a beautiful sunny day, celebrating
the feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop on
8 August.
Bishop Vincent Long inspired the hundreds
of students and people from across the Diocese
who gathered to step out and take a risk as we
symbolically moved out of the Cathedral into
the world through our pilgrimage to Prince
Alfred Square nearby.
At the Parramatta War Memorial and through
the parklands, we prayed for God’s mercy within
the conflicts of our world, and for all of God’s
creation.
Parishes and schools, religious congregations,
ministries, Church groups, agencies and
movements will host the Mercy Cross and Relics
of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and Blessed
Teresa of Calcutta as they journey throughout
the Diocese in coming months.
A number of our schools have received the
Way of Mercy, with creative and meaningful
celebrations, including drama performances,
dance, music and even the creation of a local
Stations of the Cross through the crafting of 14
miniature crosses.
St Margaret Mary’s Parish at Merrylands
hosted the Mercy Cross and Relics on the
weekend of 13-14 August, and on 21 August
they were hosted by Mary, Queen of the Family
Parish at Blacktown.
Both regional parish celebrations involved
neighbouring parish and school communities,
with processions, smoking ceremonies,
inspiring testimonials and time for prayer and
personal reflection.
World Youth Day pilgrims have featured each
weekend, and wonderful hospitality offered.
A snippet of the Blacktown Regional Parish
Celebration can be viewed here: https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=K63y1xvI0dM.
The Way of Mercy is being experienced in
parishes and schools, and celebrations are also
being organised at other significant locations
to illuminate special works of mercy in our
Diocese.
The first of these was the diocesan launch of
Migrant and Refugee Week at the All Saints of
Africa Centre in Blacktown. Plans are underway
for the Mercy Cross and Relics to journey into
one of the prisons within our Diocese and to an
aged care facility, among other locations.
It has been a privilege for me to join with
many of the energetic teams planning for
upcoming celebrations, and it is a delight to
witness parishes and schools combining ideas
and resources to create enriching and engaging
experiences.
I encourage parishes and schools to consider
ways in which they can be inclusive of many
people in their celebration, and to brainstorm
how to broaden the invitation. For instance,
how do we invite families of students, families
of catechist children, and families of children in
sacramental preparation?
Finally, let us consider Pope Francis’ call for
us to be Faces of Mercy long after the Holy
Doors close at the conclusion of the Year of
Mercy in November. Mother Teresa says, “We
think sometimes that poverty is only being
hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of
being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is
the greatest poverty. We must start in our own
homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”
At the All Saints of Africa Centre in Blacktown.
PHOTOS: ART IN IMAGES.
At Mary, Queen of the Family Parish in Blacktown.
PHOTOS: FRANCHESCA TENEDORA.
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop famously
encourages us, saying: “Never see a need without
doing something about it.”
On behalf of our Way of Mercy Diocesan
Team, I express my grateful thanks to all engaged
in our Way of Mercy, and continue to be inspired
by the joy, warmth and faithfulness expressed in
the way you go about your preparations.
Please share with us your own stories and
images as we continue on this journey of grace
with our Diocese.
THE WAY OF MERCY IN SEPTEMBER
The Mercy Cross and Relics will visit these
parishes:
5 September, Sacred Heart Parish, Westmead;
11 September, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish,
Greystanes;
17 September, Our Lady of Lourdes Church,
Baulkham Hills;
18 September, St Michael’s Parish,
Baulkham Hills;
24-25 September, St Finbar’s Parish,
Glenbrook.
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