Catholic Outlook Magazine | September Edition | Season of Creation | 2023 Issue

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M A G A Z I N E
DIOCESE OF PARRAMATTA NEWS AND VIEWS
Welcoming our pilgrims home from World Youth Day 2023
Summarising our Diocesan Synod Listening Stage I 50 years of Australia and the Holy See
We are at a kairos moment I Walking the talk at Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath I Our Christian Hope
Season of Creation | Spring 2023

DIOCESE OF PARRAMATTA NEWS AND VIEWS
Welcoming our pilgrims home from World Youth Day 2023
Summarising our Diocesan Synod Listening Stage I 50 years of Australia and the Holy See
We are at a kairos moment I Walking the talk at Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath I Our Christian Hope
Imprimatur and Publisher:
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv
Bishop of Parramatta
(02) 8838 3400
PO Box 3066,
North Parramatta, NSW, 1750
bishop@parracatholic.org
www.catholicoutlook.org
Editor & Vicar for Communication:
Br Mark O’Connor FMS
(02) 8838 3400
PO Box 3066,
North Parramatta, NSW, 1750
comms@parracatholic.org
Deputy Editor and Communications
Manager:
Christina Gretton
Head of Communications and
Engagement:
Anita Sulentic
Communications Officer:
Mary Brazell
Communications Assistant:
Jacob Gormley
Nihil Obstat:
Fr Wim Hoekstra
Accounts:
Alfie Ramirez
(02) 8838 3437
alfie.ramirez@parracatholic.org
Printing:
IVE Group Australia Pty Ltd
Jesus the Living Water by Troy Mardigan (Daly River).
On the first Sunday in July, Australian Catholics acknowledged
and celebrated the gifts of Australia’s First Peoples in the
Catholic Church. As we approach the referendum on the Voice
to Parliament, it has never been more important for Catholics to
listen to Australia’s First Peoples.
Cultural warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
readers are advised that this publication may contain
images of deceased persons.
Acknowledgement of Country
All material in this publication is copyright and
may not be reproduced without permission
of the publisher. 8,500 copies are printed
and distributed to 47 parishes, schools, after
school care centres and early learning centres
in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
Here in the Diocese of Parramatta, we gather on Country on which
members and Elders of the Darug and Gundungurra communities
and their forebearers have been custodians for many centuries and
on which Aboriginal people have performed age-old ceremonies
of celebration, initiation and renewal. We acknowledge their living
culture and their unique role in the life of the region.
Catholic Outlook is a member of the
Australasian Catholic Press Association.
© Diocese of Parramatta 2023
M A G A Z I N E
The Diocese of Parramatta reaffirms the
wise axiom attributed to Saint Augustine of
Hippo, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials,
freedom; in all things, charity.” In this spirit,
Catholic Outlook publishes a variety of
Catholic viewpoints. They are not necessarily
the official views of the Diocese of Parramatta.
Season of Creation | Spring 2023
170 young pilgrims from the Diocese of Parramatta
attended World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal in
August 2023 alongside 1.5 million other young
Catholics from around the world.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta.

A message from the Editor
The season of Spring and new creation is now
upon us!
The Good News is precisely that the Spirit of the
Risen Jesus is constantly renewing the face of the
earth and especially our ordinary mundane lives.
Alleluia!
Once more, in joyful surprise, let’s pray this Spring
season in thanksgiving with the English poet George
Herbert: “who would have thought my shrivelled
heart could have recovered greenness?”
Yes, the Holy Spirit constantly is ‘greening our hearts’
and breathing new life into our lives and church here
in the Diocese of Parramatta.
In this 2023 Spring edition of Catholic Outlook, we
offer a variety of inspiring reflection articles and local
stories. They reveal how the Divine Spirit is indeed at
work ‘greening’ the hearts and souls of the People of
God in the Diocese of Parramatta.
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, in his reflection,
reminds us that we Catholics are all called to
ecological conversion amidst a world that is ‘literally’
burning in so many places on page 34.
Dr Kevin Treston provides us with a rich personal
story about how we can all deepen our response to
Pope Francis’s challenge in Laudato Si’ on page 38.
As our pilgrims arrive back from World Youth Day,
find the links to videos, photos and stories about
their experiences on page 12.
He continued, “If you stay closely united, you are like
a tree standing in the middle of a bush-fire sweeping
through the timber. The leaves are scorched and
the tough bark is scarred and burned; but inside the
tree the sap is still flowing, and under the ground the
roots are still strong. Like that tree you have endured
the flames, have the power to be reborn. The time for
this rebirth is now!”
Another excellent document to reference is the
recently launched Social Justice Statement from
the Australian Bishops, “Listen, Learn, Love – a
new engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples” found at catholicoutlook.info/
SJStatement23
This Spring 2023, we pray that Australian Catholics
continue to promote a just reconciliation with the
original inhabitants of this “great Southern Land of
the Holy Spirit”. For as St John Paul II challenged us
all those years ago:
“The Church herself in Australia will not be fully
the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you
(Indigenous Peoples) have made your contribution
to her life and until that contribution has been
joyfully received by others.”
Br Mark O’Connor FMS
Editor of Catholic Outlook & Vicar for Communications
Pope John Paul II’s visit to Alice Springs in 1986.
Image: Tony Ashby, courtesy of Westpix.
What riches we as a Diocese will gain from these
young leaders, now enlivened with the Spirit, as
they return on mission to us ‘oldies’!
Let’s continue to pray that Spirit guides our important
Diocesan Synod in October on page 14.
Let’s recall again the Australian Bishops’ message for
our Indigenous sisters and brothers on page 28 and
the prophetic words of St Pope John Paul II in Alice
Springs in 1986:
“For thousands of years, you have lived in this land
and fashioned a culture that endures to this day.
And during all this time, the Spirit of God has been
with you.”
01

Our teachers make
the difference
Our 80 great local Catholic schools are enrolling now.
Learn more parra.catholic.edu.au

38 24
42
16
On the Inside
Season of Creation | Spring 2023
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Diocese of Parramatta
@parracatholic
04 Outlook Looks
06 What’s On in the Diocese?
06 Pope’s prayer intentions
08 Short & Sweet
09 A prayer for our earth
10 Blackheath community
garden grounded in faith
12 World Youth Day
14 Synodality begins in
forgiveness and reconciliation
ad intra
16 Australia and the Holy See
celebrate a milestone
18 Open our hearts and trust like
never before
20 Guiding Hearts
22 Your family’s Season of
Creation celebration
24 Clergy Support Foundation:
caring for those who have
devoted their life to caring
for others
26 Our schools become
Faith in Action partners
29 The Australian Catholic
Bishops' statement on the
Voice to Parliament
30 Vulnerability a key to hope
in uncertain times
32 Looking Deeper
34 A Kairos moment
36 How is your heart?
38 Reflections on a personal
journey in eco-spirituality
40 Hope
42 A cuppa with the priest:
Fr John McSweeney,
Parish Priest, Sacred Heart
Parish, Blackheath
44 Parish Profile, Sacred Heart
Parish, Blackheath, a parish
that ‘walks the talk’
46 Farewell to our Vicar General
and friend, Fr Christopher
de Souza
48 Watch, Read, Listen, Reflect
50 Kids Corner
52 Directory of services
53 Latest Appointments
53 Voice of the People

Outlook Looks
Guiding hearts during marriage
Marriage can be tough and no marriage is perfect.
That’s why our Marriage Team have created a new
program connecting engaged couples with married
mentors to equip them with the tools and wisdom
they need to embark on a lifelong journey together.
Sponsor couple Glenice and Jerry Lui (right) at the wedding
of Christina Jeyaruban and Danan Thilakanathan at Our
Lady of the Angels in Rouse Hill, celebrated by Father Dado.
Image: Supplied.
Find out more about our SmartLoving Engaged
Program on pages 20 and 21.
Supporting our spiritual fathers
Father’s Day is 3 September and whilst we always
thank God for our wonderful fathers, it’s important
to remember our priests and spiritual fathers. Our
Clergy Support Foundation is raising awareness and
funds to help support our retired priests, many of
whom would struggle without the Foundation.
Fr Arthur Cook, Ellen Small and Mark Buhagiar.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
Read more about the Bishop’s Father’s Day
Appeal and the work that Mark Buhagiar and
Ellen Small do in caring for our retired priests on
pages 24 and 25.
Our Synod Assembly is almost here
After months of listening consultations and engaging
with over 30,000 Catholics from across Western
Sydney and the Blue Mountains, our Synod Group
have been busy preparing the Synod Working
Document which will form the agenda of the event to
be held 13 to 15 October 2023.
Participants at a Deanery Listening Session.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
To find out more, please visit page 14 and 15 or
go to parracatholic.org/synod2023
04

We need young people like the
earth needs rain
This was the message of Pope Francis to young
people during World Youth Day in Lisbon 2023. His
Holiness spoke to over 1.5 million young people at
the Final Mass and charged them to “shine, listen
and be not afraid”. Bishop Vincent led a three-week
pilgrimage of 170 young people to many sacred sites
in France and Spain before WYD and then finished
with a retreat in Assisi.
Outlook Looks
Bishop Vincent takes a selfie with our youth at Fátima whilst
on pilgrimage. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
Read more on pages 12 and 13, or recap their
journey online parrawyd.org
A new priest for the
Diocese of Parramatta
Deacon Tom Green, one of the seminarians of
our Holy Spirit Seminary, will be ordained to
the priesthood on 21 September at St Patrick’s
Cathedral, Parramatta. We pray for his ordination and
his priestly vocation.
Deacon Tom Green at his ordination to the Transitional
Diaconate. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
Read more about Tom Green on Catholic Outlook
online catholicoutlook.org/tom-green-i-owe-myvocation-to-mother-mary/
Listen, learn, love
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference have
released their 2023 – 2024 Social Justice Statement,
focusing on “a new engagement with Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples.”
The Social Justice Statement 2023 - 2024 by the Australian
Catholic Bishops Conference. Image: ACBC.
You can read the statement here
catholicoutlook.info/SJStatement23
05

What’s On in the Diocese?
2 SEPTEMBER
Catechesis for Candidates for Confirmation
Bishop Bede Heather Centre, Blacktown, 8:30am – 3:30pm
STARTING 4 SEPTEMBER
Liturgy Ministry Courses
Bishop Bede Heather Centre, Blacktown
officeforworship.org.au
5 SEPTEMBER
Adult Confirmation
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta 7:30pm
15 SEPTEMBER
WYD one-month reunion
Our pilgrims gather to reflect on their post-WYD experience
16 SEPTEMBER
World Day of Migrants and Refugees Celebration
SEPTEMBER – NOVEMBER
MET Natural Fertility
Private and confidential appointments to learn Natural
Family Planning (NFP)
catherine.bourne@parracatholic.org
30 SEPTEMBER
Duc In Altum Youth Leaders Summit
12 OCTOBER
Synod Pre-Assembly Event
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta at 7pm
parracatholic.org/synod2023
13 – 15 OCTOBER
Diocesan Synod Assembly
parracatholic.org/synod2023
21 OCTOBER
MET Natural Fertility Introductory Session Creighton Model
Bishop Bede Heather Centre, Blacktown, 1pm
catherine.bourne@parracatholic.org
29 OCTOBER
Wedding Anniversary Mass
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, 11am
marriage@parracatholic.org
STARTING 14 NOVEMBER
FaithLIFE Vatican II Short Course
Three-part short course with Bishop Vincent & Dr Anne Benjamin
met@parracatholic.org
5 DECEMBER
Advent Scripture night
met@parracatholic.org
Pope’s Prayer Intentions
Each month, Pope Francis asks us to pray as a global community.
SEPTEMBER 2023 | For people living on the margins
We pray for those persons living on the margins of
society, in inhumane life conditions; may they not be
overlooked by institutions and never considered of
lesser importance.
OCTOBER 2023 | For the Synod
We pray for the Church, that she may adopt listening
and dialogue as a lifestyle at every level, and allow
herself to be guided by the Holy Spirit towards the
peripheries of the world.
NOVEMEBR 2023 | For the Pope
We pray for the Holy Father; as he fulfills his mission,
may he continue to accompany the flock entrusted to
him, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis at reconciliation with a pilgrim during World
Youth Day 2023. Image: World Youth Day Lisbon organisers.
06

www.caritas.org.au
1800 024 413
Outlook Looks

Short & Sweet
Scripture tells us: “Love the stranger then, for you were strangers in the land
of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19). The word ‘stranger’ is variously translated as
‘foreigner’, ‘immigrant’, ‘sojourner’ or ‘alien’. However, the message remains
consistent: those arriving from other parts of the world are our sisters and brothers.
We are called to see Christ in them, for all people are created in His image. And we
are called to see ourselves in them, for we all share this common humanity.
LOVE THE STRANGER
A Catholic Response to Migrants and Refugees
‘Love the Stranger: The Catholic response to migrants and refugees’ by the Catholic
Bishops Conference of England and Wales Department of International Affairs.
Image: Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
Department for International Affairs
Dear young friends, I am tremendously encouraged by your youthful enthusiasm.
We commission you to go to World Youth Day and enrich yourselves with that
unique experience. Deepen your faith, invigorate your hope and widen your love!
Come back with a renewed sense of purpose and mission! The Church needs you
to be the ambassadors for Christ or in the words of the Gospel tonight, growers of
the harvest.
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv in his homily for the Commissioning Mass for World Youth
Day 2023 on 16 July 2023. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
I invite you to think – this is so beautiful – that God loves us as we are, not how
we would like to be or how society wants us to be, as we are. He loves us with
the limits we have, with the defects we have, and with the desire we have to keep
moving forward in life!
Pope Francis to young people at the Welcoming Ceremony of the 37th World Youth Day in
Lisbon, Portugal. Image: Shutterstock.
Pope Francis did not make up the word “synodality”, but he uses it because it
means “walking together.” He does not mean just a casual walk in the park or even
a longer trek through the bush. He is referring to the lifelong pilgrimage that the
Church is making as the People of God.
Dr Anne Benjamin is a writer, educator and parishioner of St Anthony of Padua Parish,
Toongabbie. She is on the Writing Committee for the Diocesan Synod. Image: Supplied.
At the heart of this year’s Social Justice Statement is a call for all the People of God
to embrace a new engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,
an engagement which involves a commitment to listen to our Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander sisters and brothers and to learn from them.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Social Justice Statement for 2023-2024
Image: Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
08

A prayer for our earth
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognise that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
From Laudato Si’ - Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our common home, May 2015.
Image: Adam Bouse, Unsplash.
09

Community Kitchen Garden Coordinator
Brian Bright (right) and gardener Liz
prepare a new bed for sowing potatoes.
Image: Sigi Cerveny/Supplied.
Blackheath community garden
grounded in faith
STORY MARY BRAZELL
When the parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish,
Blackheath, responded to Pope Francis’ call to care
for our common home, little did they realise their
parish garden would boost both body and spirit.
Twelve months since its inception, parishioners have
found that through the garden, they are living out
Pope Francis’ call for ‘pastoral creativity’ – creating
an opportunity to attract new members to the parish
as well as feeding local people in need.
Developed as part of the parish’s Laudato Si’ Action
Plan, named after Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical
on the environment, the garden sits on what was
previously under-utilised space next to the parish hall
in Blackheath.
10

Parishioners, community providing a helping hand
A core group of 12 dedicated volunteers from both the
parish and local community care for the garden on a
Wednesday morning and twice a month on a Saturday.
The garden is supported by donations from
the parish, the Catholic Care Drop-In Centre in
Springwood and the local Men’s Shed of both money
and reused, recycled and reclaimed items such as
hoses, manure and pavers.
Community Garden team member Julie O’Keeffe
explains that the parish has a strong chapter of the
St Vincent de Paul Society, and when they have
meetings with clients, they allow them to pick their
own produce from the garden.
The garden also contributes food to the local
Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre’s Food Bank
which offers fresh produce to their clients, as well as
ingredients for their soup kitchen initiative with the
Blackheath Uniting Church.
Garden a way to evangelise to the community
Fellow garden team member Brian Bright explains
how the garden has given parishioners the
opportunity to evangelise.
“The community kitchen garden is a way
that our parish members can care for creation
and live out their baptismal call to spread the
Good News of Jesus Christ.”
“To quote Pope Francis, modern day evangelisers
must use ‘pastoral creativity to reach people where
they live, not waiting for them to come, but where
they live, discovering opportunities for listening,
dialogue and encounter.’
“Many who have joined us from the broader
community have become valued members of our
parish community, and even if they are not practising,
have joined us for prayer in our parish church.
“We’ve even been fortunate that through the garden,
we have welcomed seven new parish members to
our faith community, which is enriching to the parish
in this post-COVID period,” he said.
A view of leafy greens at the Community Kitchen
Garden on the site of Sacred Heart Church,
Blackheath. Image: Brian Bright/Supplied.
Parish excited by future benefits of garden
Brian explains that the parish is planning on hosting
events such as Season of Creation liturgies and
celebrations in the community garden, and in fair
weather, he hopes that parish meetings can be held
in the garden itself.
“As the garden becomes more established, it
will provide a place for educational events and
instruction for our Sacred Heart Parish, the
Blackheath community and the rest of the Blue
Mountains Deanery,” he adds.
“We as a faith community are being part of the
transformation Pope Francis wants us to undertake.
The garden, the weekly cuppas and other initiatives
are a lighthouse example of how to do this.”
Tips and tricks for
your own garden
Our Sacred Heart gardeners share some
tips and tricks for the coming season:
• A good soil is key.
• Plant what’s right for the season and for
your area.
• Give the right amount of water.
• You’ve got to love your plants.
• Just give it a go.
11

In July and August, 170 pilgrims from across the Diocese
embarked on a three-week pilgrimage with Bishop
Vincent Long OFM Conv.
Held in three stages, our pilgrims received the experience
of a lifetime as they came to witness, encounter and
know that there are millions of young people just like
them – young people that have a strong love for the Lord
and our faith. Many pilgrims commented that it was so
inspiring to know that “we aren’t alone.”
The first stage was travelling to many sacred sites in
France and Italy including Fatima, Lourdes and the sites
of over 10 saints including the chapel of St Vincent de
Paul where his incorrupt heart is displayed.
SCAN TO VIEW ALL
PILGIRMAGE photos
12

The second stage was the main event with Papa Francisco!
World Youth Day week saw 1.5 milion young people
converge in Lisbon for daily catechesis, around the clock
reconciliation and of course the main events: Opening Mass,
Welcoming Ceremony with His Holiness, the Way of the
Cross, Vigil sleepout, and Final Papal Mass.
After these incredible experiences and encounters, our
pilgrims spent three days of reflection in peaceful Assisi -
the home of St Francis of Assisi, and as a Franciscan, Bishop
Vincent’s spiritual home.
There are so many stories, reflections and images from this
life-changing experience
Please go to: parrawyd.org
and catholicoutlook.org
to find out more.

Synodality begins
in forgiveness
and reconciliation
ad intra
STORY QWAYNE GUEVARA
When preparations began for our first-ever
Diocesan Synod early in the year, Bishop Vincent
asked that I be the Lead Facilitator.
As a lawyer, one of the first things I did was
investigate the canonical documents on Synods from
the Vatican. The title of this article is a line from the
Vatican document on the Synod on Synodality. It
glared at me from the page – “synodality begins in
forgiveness and reconciliation ad intra.”
Before then, I had viewed the concept of synodality
as a mechanism for reform of the operations and
structures of the Church. I would later appreciate
that any reform in operation or structure would only
be a consequence of the personal and institutional
vulnerability that we are being invited to pursue.
In prayer and reflection on this line and writings on
synodality, it became increasingly clear to me that
synodality is not about the opinions of any individual.
It is first and foremost a call to humility before
God within the other that leads to reconciliation
and forgiveness. Therefore, inviting us into deeper
listening and deeper communion as the Body of
Christ, truly reflecting the image of God who is Love.
The preparations and process towards our Diocesan
Synod have revealed the deep need for this
forgiveness and reconciliation amongst us. At a
global, diocesan, and personal level, there have been
many factors that have impacted the way we live our
lives. These obvious, and often hidden, realities have
affected the way we gather, participate in the life of the
Church, and the zeal we have for mission and service.
In early March, we began with casting a vision
to reach out and invite at least 32,000 people in
Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains (10%
of Catholics in our Diocese) in the listening stage
towards the Synod. Between May and July,
thousands participated in local listening sessions,
had conversations with family and friends, or made
submissions directly through the Synod website.
14

Participants are seen during the Western Deanery Synod Consultation
session at Holy Spirit Parish, St Clair. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
As our entire community took courageous steps to
truly listen to the Holy Spirit in one another, people
opened their hearts and shared the challenges, joys,
and dreams they have for our local Church.
I use the word courageous because the call to listen
demands a willingness to trust that God is working
within people and amongst us. The Holy Spirit who
is active and creative, who animates and guides us,
and who draws us into communion and mission.
Diocese of Parramatta. Guided by Bishop Vincent
Long, we walk with all People of God in Western
Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
To find out more visit parracatholic.org/synod2023
Qwayne Guevara is the Lead Facilitator for our Diocesan
Synod. She is also the Manager of Catholic Youth Parramatta.
The fruits of the courage to step towards forgiveness
and reconciliation are slowly being experienced. For
faith communities, it has encouraged a deeper effort
to reach out beyond those not normally engaged.
Young people from within our schools and parishes
expressed hope for the future of our local Church.
For many families and couples, the process has
ignited conversations leading to understanding and
compassion. These fruits reveal the promise of a
synodal Church – a more contemplative, listening,
and discerning Church.
However, this call to ‘walk together’ never
guaranteed an easy path. There have been
challenges along the way. I’ve encountered the fear
in others and still, I’ve been called to listen, seeing
God moving in the other.
When I look to Jesus on the Cross and encounter
His example through the Gospels, I’m reminded
that Jesus came to offer His mercy, so that we may
experience reconciliation that affirms our very
nature, made for communion.
It is this mercy and reconciliation that gives me hope
for what’s to come for our community here in the

Dr Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann (right)
and Ambassador Chiara Porro met with
Pope Francis during Reconciliation Week.
Image: Australian Embassy to the Holy See.
Australia and the Holy See
celebrate a milestone
STORY CHRISTINA GRETTON
Australia’s relationship with the Holy See has
gone from strength to strength, with 2023
marking a milestone we can all celebrate.
It has been 50 years since Australia established
diplomatic relations with the Holy See in Rome. Over
that time, the bilateral relationship has grown, says
Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Chiara Porro.
Following World Youth Day 2008, the first resident
ambassador, the late Hon Tim Fischer was appointed
in 2009. Now the embassy works closely with the Holy
See on a range of objectives such as peacebuilding,
protection and promotion of human rights and
tackling the climate crisis.
Ambassador Porro points out how the embassy works
to project a “vibrant, diverse and modern Australian
identity that is proud of its First Nations’ heritage.”
“Our collaboration with the Holy See also extends
to sport, as an expression of Australian values of
friendship and equality.”
Themes of the celebration
“Our anniversary activities this year are focused on
four key themes,” says Ambassador Porro.
“They include ending exclusion, injustice and harm;
protecting our common home; identifying new
pathways for change through education and sport;
and amplifying First Nations voices.”
She invited prominent Aboriginal leader, educator
and artist Dr Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann
to Rome for a series of events during Australia’s
Reconciliation Week in June this year. The reaction
from the Vatican community, says Ambassador Porro
was “extraordinarily positive” with Vatican leaders
commenting on how much they learned about
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, including
how they experience their Catholic faith.
16

Pope Francis meets Dr Miriam Rose
During Reconciliation Week, Pope Francis met with
Dr Miriam Rose. “It was a very warm, memorable
encounter,” says the Ambassador. “He heard about
her philosophy of ‘dadirri’ or ‘deep thinking’. Giving
him a picture of a tree in the shape of a crucifix, Dr
Miriam Rose explained to the Pope how people in
her community ‘see God in nature’.”
Dr Miriam Rose made a presentation of an artwork
We Found God in Nature to the Vatican Museum,
spoke at a range of events and took part in a Mass at
Domus Australia to celebrate 50 years since the first
Aboriginal liturgy was held in Australia.
Pope Francis’ commitment to
First Nations People
Ambassador Porro points out Pope Francis’
commitment to journeying with First Nations
communities towards reconciliation. “Pope Francis
has said that he wants to be the ‘spokesman for the
most profound plea of Indigenous Peoples’,” she
says. “I believe this phrase crystallises the Pope’s
commitment to journeying together with First Nations
communities towards reconciliation.
“The Pope also acknowledges the wealth of
traditional cultures and wisdom, and he has
worked to strengthen the Church’s proximity to
Indigenous communities around the world. That
proximity is reflected in Miriam Rose’s own story.
“This year is an opportunity to reflect on the evolution
of our ties with the Holy See, but it is also a chance
to consider how we can strengthen and renew our
commitments towards shared goals into the future,”
she says.
The Australian Embassy to the Holy See has
made recordings of the Reconciliation Week
events available on its website. See them, and
other coming events for the 50th Anniversary on
its events page at holysee.embassy.gov.au
A time to renew your spirit
the genuine pilgrim experience
Journey of St Paul
Greece & Turkey
Footsteps of Jesus
A Holy Land Pilgrimage
Journey with the
Italian Saints
With Joelle Maryn and Fr Ben Saliba
Land only from $5690 Air & Tour from $8990
Land only from $6290
Commences 11 September 2023.
12 Days. Fr Michael Goonan SSP
The Acts of the Apostles will come
alive as we go out with St Paul and his
companions to rediscover the faith
and struggles of the early Christian
communities. Also departs April 2024
with Fr Greg Morgan
Departs 29 October 2023.
14 Days. With Fr Bernie Thomas OFM
Watch the Gospels come alive as we set
out on this true pilgrimage of faith and
retrace the progressive stages of the life of
Jesus from his Nativity in Bethlehem to his
Passion on Calvary.
Optional Pre-Tour Extension to Jordan
Commences 08 March 2024.
12 Days. With Chaplain Fr Ben Saliba.
Join Catholic Actress Joelle Maryn on a healing
pilgrimage on the trail of Italy’s greatest
saints, visiting Rome, Montecassino, San
Giovanni Rotondo, Assisi, Florence and Venice.
Experience the rich tapestry of culture, faith,
and history that Italy has to offer.
BOOKINGS & ENQUIRIES
1800 819 156
www.harvestjourneys.com

Open our hearts
and trust like never before
STORY FR PAUL ROBERTS
In moments of uncertainty, Fr Paul Roberts
reminds us that we don’t always understand the full
story and remember we don’t need to go it alone.
I was sharing with our local high school students the
story of a doctor on the first day in his new surgery.
As a young patient was unloading some worries
about his life and health, the doctor saw on the new
monitor two unexpected visitors in the waiting room.
His daughter had surprised him, dropping by the
new surgery with the family dog! At that moment,
the young patient inside the surgery was telling the
doctor he’d thought of praying about some of his
worries but was struggling to believe in a God he
couldn’t see. “Doctor,” he asked, “is it worth thinking
about God?”
The doctor pondered, hoping he could respond
meaningfully. He then pressed the new intercom
and asked the receptionist to push his surgery door
slightly open. The dog bounded through, right onto
the doctor’s lap, licking his face. He said, “I’m not
sure how exactly to answer you, except to say that
this dog has never been into this new surgery. She’s
an extremely cautious dog and didn’t know if it was
safe in here. But once she believed her Master was
behind that door, she gave her all, in trust, and here
she is, totally at home.”
The doctor then added, “I suspect there are
moments in each of our lives when we need to open
the door of our hearts and trust like never before that
the Lord is truly there.”
Fr Paul Roberts and parishioners at his Installation at
Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish, Greystanes.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta.

Five characters in that story.
Maybe you’ve been each? Note, without the
daughter, the receptionist and the dog, the young
patient wouldn’t have had that sense of God so
caringly shared through the doctor. There’s a real
interdependence going on.
We can easily overlook that interdependence as how
we’re called by God, even when going it alone can
seem like a proof of strength.
But isn’t it true that our best treasure and growth
usually involves connections with others and
that united, we can find belonging and strength
for so much?
Amidst life’s joys, there’s also suffering and
incompleteness in many forms. At first glance, those
parts of the Bible that in various ways talk of rejoicing
in suffering can seem cruel! 1 Peter 4:13 for example,
celebrates sharing in the sufferings of Christ! What?
HFS Outlook ad.pdf 1 17/7/2023 8:15 pm
But it isn’t for the sake of suffering. Instead, it looks
to the scale of sharing in the incredible breakthrough
of Christ’s glory. The people in Asia Minor being
addressed in that letter were suffering persecution,
probably in a context of expectation that the world
they knew would soon pass.
Our context is different, but something priceless
remains. Christ, who so radically decided to become
one of us; who, in stopping short of nothing in
suffering; gave and gives us indestructible solidarity
in all that pains us – and indestructible hope in
glory – glimpsed even now in our best moments of
interdependence and belonging.
May we value interdependence as worthy of our
greatest investment; as a sacred pathway with each
other and all creation, into the heart of Christ, with us
now and with us forever.
Fr Paul Roberts is Parish Priest of Our Lady, Queen of Peace
Parish, Greystanes.
A Ministry of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
Holy Family Services provide care, education and retirement living choice to many families.
Our Residential Aged Care facility, Early Learning Centre and Retirement Village
provide care with hospitality, love and acceptance, supporting and enriching the lives of those
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If you want a supportive close-knit community for your family contact us.
19

Sponsor couple Glenice and Jerry Lui (right) at
the wedding of Christina Jeyaruban and Danan
Thilakanathan at Our Lady of the Angels in Rouse
Hill, celebrated by Father Dado. Image: Supplied.
Guiding Hearts
STORY BELINDA HARDING
A new program at the Diocese of Parramatta
connects engaged couples with married mentors
for their journey of marriage.
Guided by principles of faith and love, the
SmartLoving Engaged Online program aims to equip
soon-to-be spouses with the tools and wisdom they
need to embark on a lifelong journey together, as
Karin Abrams, Coordinator of Marriage Education at
the Diocese of Parramatta explains.
“This is a marriage preparation program where
engaged couples are accompanied by a married
sponsor couple,” she says. “How it works is the
engaged couple meet with the sponsor couple over
four to nine sessions, reviewing the lessons and
engaging in discussion about marriage.”
The comprehensive program prepares engaged
couples for a lifelong marriage by offering information
and strategies for the relationship, and as Karin
puts it, highlighting “the joy of living this vocation of
Catholic marriage.”
“We are lucky to have 23 sponsor couples
in the Diocese that each accept one or two
couples each per year,” she shares. One such
sponsor pair is Glenice and Jerry Lui, who Karin
describes as “very enthusiastic supporters of the
Sponsor Couple Program.”
Glenice – happily married to Jerry for over 20 years
– reveals that she and her husband benefited “so
much more” than expected by becoming sponsors
with SmartLoving.
“Following 20 happy years of marriage, we
volunteered as a way of giving back,” she says.
“We thought that the best way to thank God for
blessing our marriage was to help new couples by
sharing our experiences. But we actually got a lot
more from it ourselves than expected.”
20

The SmartLoving Engaged Online program involves
the sponsor couple meeting with engaged couples
for approximately two hours each fortnight to
complete the nine modules included in the course.
“Both sponsors and couples prepare by going
through the material before we meet. Then we
discuss the key messages from the lesson, read
through the sharing questions, and help them
process the key learnings that ultimately deepen their
understanding of marriage,” Glenice says.
When asked how engaged couples may benefit from
taking this course, Glenice is resolute. “The concepts
and insights provided about marriage establish a
foundation for the couple to navigate marriage more
smoothly,” she says.
“It provides them with a good understanding of
what marriage truly is, which helps them grow
richer in love and discover God’s mission for them
as husbands and wives. It can really help transform
a marriage from good to great.”
Earning a positive reputation throughout the Diocese
of Parramatta, the marriage program leaves a lasting
impression on all involved in the process.
“I didn’t realise until after we mentored our first
couple just how rewarding it would be to walk with
a new couple on their Catholic marriage journey,”
Glenice tells. “It is so heart-warming to see the bride
walk down the aisle. I cry as if it is my own child
getting married! It’s such a good feeling knowing we
were part of their journey.”
There are two marriage preparation programs
currently available: a weekend course facilitated by a
trained married couple, and the online SmartLoving
Sponsor Couple Program.
To find out more about the program or to
volunteer as a sponsor couple, please call
Karin or Marisa on (02) 8838 3460 or email
marriage@parracatholic.org to join an information
or training session held in Blacktown or via Zoom.
Belinda Harding is a freelance writer.
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Your family’s Season of Creation celebration
STORY MERILYN HANCOCK
Cosmos Sunday 1 Land Sunday 2
Seas Sunday 3 Sky Sunday 4
Laudato Si’ for Children
Explore Pope Francis’s
Encyclical, Laudato Si’
(Praise Be to You) with your
children with this animation.
Laudato Si’ is the first social
encyclical in the Catholic
Church to address our care
for the environment in a
direct and specific way.
Join the many catechists who teach 15,000 public
school children about our faith in the Diocese.
Contact (02) 8838 3485.
Merilyn Hancock is the Head of Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine (CCD) in the Diocese of Parramatta.
22

The feast day of St Francis of Assisi is 4 October
and concludes the Season of Creation, a time
that Christian churches reflect and act for our
common home.
Pope Francis wants us to recognise the wonder of the
magnificent world God has created as a gift to us.
Help your children understand how incredible and
how precious our world is, and how we can thank
God for it with this family activity.
Cut out and stick the globe of the world onto a
display board. divide it into four parts: one for each
Sunday of the Season.
Each week collect pictures or draw images that
relate to each Sunday’s theme and glue them in the
appropriate place. Reflect on the readings for that
Sunday.
Cosmos Sunday 1
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very
good. (Genesis 1:31)
See a spider web and how all the threads are connected to
each other. The cosmos is like this: the sun and moon, stars,
the planets and our home - the Earth. You are connected to
the earth, your family, your school community, your parish
community and the wider community. God connects us to
each other and all that is around us in the cosmos.
God of the cosmos, we thank you for the sun that
lights our day and the moon and stars that light the
night sky. Amen.
Land Sunday 2
So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
(1 Corinthians 3:7)
Plants grow into food that we can eat - vegetables, legumes,
rice etc. We share this land with animals, birds and insects.
Trees grow to provide shelter for animals and other creatures.
Trees also help keep the air clean for us to breathe. We have
to look after the land God gave us because we need our
environment to live healthy lives.
God of our land, help us care for it so that all peoples
may enjoy its bounty and its beauty. Amen.
Seas Sunday 3
There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with
creatures beyond number — living things both large
and small. (Psalms 104:35)
All kinds of fish live in the sea: beautiful whales and dolphins,
smaller fish and other creatures. The sea provides food for
many people. The wind picks up water from the ocean and
creates clouds which then form rain to fill our rivers and water
our earth. Pollution kills the creatures of the sea so we can’t
let plastics or oil from ships destroy our beautiful oceans.
God of the seas, thank you for the marine life we can
enjoy. Help us stop pollution that kills this wonderland
of creatures, large and small. Amen.
Sky Sunday 4
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalms19:1)
At night, our beautiful skies twinkle with the light of stars.
During the day, there are massive clear blue skies over our
beautiful country. In some of our cities, there are factories
and cars belching out smoke and gases which become
smog and pollute our skies. God calls us to care for our
environment and to stop pollution.
God of our skies, the light of Jesus shines in our
hearts. Let our light shine in the world in praise of the
beauty of your creation. Amen.
23

Clergy Support Foundation:
caring for those who have devoted
their life to caring for others
STORY PARRAMATTA CATHOLIC FOUNDATION
Fr Arthur Cook, Ellen Small and Mark Buhagiar.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
When a priest retires from official duties, it’s
important that we don’t forget them. As well
as making sure their health and wellbeing are
looked after, many need medical assistance and
transport to activities that help them to maintain
vital social connections.
The Diocese of Parramatta Clergy Support
Foundation carries out this work on our behalf,
making sure our retired priests receive individual,
personalised care and continue to be an integral part
of parish life.
In launching his Father’s Day Appeal in support of
the Clergy Support Foundation, Bishop Vincent said,
“Our priests never stop giving their lives in service
to our community. We are called to make sure there
is always someone to care for them, just as they will
always care for us.”
Fr Arthur Cook has dedicated his life to the Catholic
Church. “I had the call when I was 10 or 12, and I put
it off and put it off,” he said.
“People used to say, ‘I’m going to test my vocation’.
But I wasn’t testing it. I never doubted for a minute
that the priesthood was my calling.”
Fr Arthur was solely supported by his father after he
lost his mother when he was just 10 years old. When
he shared his decision to become a priest, his father
made many sacrifices to make sure his son could
attend the seminary and answer God’s call.
In 2020, Fr Arthur celebrated 50 years as a
priest, having served in many parishes including
Blacktown—his first, Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill,
Greystanes, Marayong, Riverstone, St Marys, Seven
Hills, Upper Blue Mountains, and Windsor.
24

He retired in 2017 after eight years as Parish Priest at
St Matthew’s Parish, Windsor, and takes great solace
knowing the Clergy Support Foundation is there
when he needs support.
“At 80 years of age, knowing the Clergy Support
Foundation is there puts my mind at ease. One day,
I know I’ll need much more care and support.”
Fr Arthur feels deep gratitude for the care already
shown to him by the Diocese’s Head of Clergy Health
and Wellbeing, Dr Mark Buhagiar.
“He’s been very helpful in all sorts of ways. He came
up (to my home) and just inquired about my health,
how I was going. He could have done that on the
phone. But no, he came up personally. I’m very
grateful for that.”
Mark is supported in his ministry by a registered
nurse, Ellen Small, who provides advice, care, and
support to all our clergy in the Diocese of Parramatta.
Mark and Ellen’s work encompasses everything
from teaching healthy eating and lifestyle choices,
transitioning to retirement, transport to medical
appointments, hospital admissions, and helping with
end-of-life care.
Without the Clergy Support Foundation, Mark says
many of our retired priests would struggle.
“They’ve given their life to the Church, but if they
had to step away from that and find their own place,
about a third of them would not have the finances to
support themselves,” Mark said.
Mark and Ellen are involved in all aspects of clergy
life - beginning in the seminary, throughout their
ministry, and in their retirement.
“We have two priests turning 90 this year, and we
have cared for 20-year-olds to 100-year-olds and
everything in between.”
Just as a priest’s work never truly ends, neither does
our responsibility to show our appreciation for their
guidance and ongoing presence in our lives.
Please support the Bishop’s Father’s Day appeal
by calling (02) 8838 3482 or visit
parracatholic.org/appeal-fathersday
Your generosity will help support the wellbeing
and dignified retirement of our Parish Priests.
SUPPORT
OUR RETIRED
PRIESTS
who never stop
giving their lives
in service to our
Catholic community
“At 80 years of age, knowing
the Clergy Support Foundation
is there puts my mind at ease.”
– Fr Arthur Cook, retired priest.
Please give generously to the Bishop’s Father’s Day Appeal
Donate at parracatholic.org/fathersdayappeal

Student volunteers enjoy serving
the community with the Vinnies Van.
Image: CSPD.
Our schools become
Faith in Action partners
STORY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS PARRAMATTA DIOCESE MISSION TEAM
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Parramatta
are working together with many other local and
global Church organisations to serve the wider
community of Western Sydney and the Blue
Mountains.
These new Faith in Action partnerships help students
to support the good works of Catholic organisations
including Catholic Mission, Catholic Care, Peace
Justice Ecology Office, Jesuit Social Services, Jesuit
Refugee Services, Together for Humanity, St Vincent de
Paul, Caritas, Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim
Relations, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD),
House of Welcome, and Young Christian Students.
Complementing learning and teaching in schools,
this “agency network” provides real life opportunities
for students to contribute to the charitable works of
these organisations. Online meetings are held once
a term, which allow agencies to engage directly
with one another, foster stronger relationships and
facilitate better understanding across all stakeholders.
St Mary’s Rydalmere Religious Education
Coordinator Natalie Coglan says the network is a
really useful source of information on what the needs
of each charitable organisation are.
“This is such a great opportunity to provide schools
with the chance to engage in dialogue with our
Catholic agencies,” Natalie said. “It opens up dialogue
between schools and the agencies and is usually a
springboard for a follow-up email or visit afterwards.”
Gilroy Catholic College Castle Hill Religious Education
Coordinator Sean Finucane also values these
meaningful chances to listen and ask questions too.
“It can often spark a relationship between a school
and an agency,” Sean says. “Hearing from other
schools about how they have engaged with an
agency can offer new strategies too.”
Additionally, follow-up meetings are held once a term
between schools and agencies. These meetings allow
all to discuss further school engagement and explore
natural points of connection to the Religious Education
curriculum. This collaboration not only benefits the
agencies but also supports teachers by providing
them with Outreach and Social Justice resources.
Teachers can also collaborate with other schools,
creating meaningful connections and enhancing the
educational experience for students deepening their
understanding of Catholic Social Teachings.
26

Caroline Chisholm College Glenmore Park student pictured with donations to the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. Image: CSPD.
For agencies like Caritas, this partnership provides
a significant advantage. It offers them an avenue to
disseminate updated information about their work,
particularly during important events such as Project
Compassion. Through meetings and interactions
with school representatives, Caritas colleagues can
engage in fruitful discussions, answer questions, and
provide the necessary information to support their
initiatives. This direct engagement allows everyone to
go beyond being mere names on an email. It enables
deeper connections ultimately building relational trust.
The Faith in Action partnership is motivated by God’s
teachings, specifically Micah 6:8, which conveys that
God has revealed what is good and expected of us: to
practise justice, display mercy, and humbly walk with
God. A diverse representation of Catholic organisations
ensures that various aspects of outreach and social
justice are addressed and that a wide range of
expertise and perspectives are brought to the table.
This partnership also provides opportunities
for participants to find common ground, share
experiences, and learn from one another, ultimately
enhancing the collective efforts in serving the
community and fulfilling the mission of the Church.
Pope Francis calls each one of us to reflect on “I am
a mission on this Earth; that is the reason why I am
here in this world” (Evangelii Gaudium, 273).

The Australian Catholic Bishops’
statement on the Voice to Parliament
THE AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE
In May 2023 Australia’s bishops considered
how they might assist Catholics in preparing
for the referendum to enshrine the Voice to
Parliament in the Constitution, and issued the
following statement.
We acknowledge that a Voice is not the only
possible way of recognising Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples in our Constitution, but it is
the way requested by those who gathered at the
historic meeting at Uluru. This could be a significant
step towards a more just and equitable Australia.
The wording to change the Constitution and
establish the Voice is currently being discussed.*
We will soon have the opportunity to examine the
precise wording and we will be asked to vote on
the proposal towards the end of the year. We want
to encourage all Australians to educate themselves
as well as possible concerning the proposal to
establish the Voice.
In particular, we recommend that Catholic parishes,
schools and agencies arrange opportunities for
people to come together to read and discuss the
Uluru Statement.
Access the Bishops’ statement here mediablog.
catholic.org.au/bishops-issue-statement-onindigenous-voice-to-parliament/
Image: The Uluru Statement from the Heart downloaded
from ulurustatement.org
*On 19 June 2023 the wording for the question for the
referendum on the Voice to Parliament was agreed to by
the Parliament of Australia. You can find the referendum
question and the proposed Constitutional amendment at
voice.gov.au
This is an important moment in the history of the
nation, and it can help us to move towards a deep
and just reconciliation. It also offers a mechanism
to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples.
We urge all Australians to engage in the debate
productively, respecting each other and accepting
that people may, in good faith, have differing
concerns and perspectives. We are an open
democracy, and this is a moment to use our
democratic institutions to produce a high-quality
debate shaped by a genuine concern to do justice
and bring healing to First Nations Peoples.
We ask those drafting the changes to the
Constitution to work together in a spirit of
cooperation, so that the proposal presented to
the Australian people will appeal to a wide range
of the population.
To guide all Australians at this important time, we
encourage everyone to read and discuss the Uluru
Statement from the Heart, which we endorsed in
2021 and the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia
endorsed in 2022.
CRICOS 00004G | PRV12008
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29

Vulnerability a key to hope in uncertain times
STORY BELINDA HARDING
Ambrose educator Mackenzie Walters offers
some ideas for maintaining a sense of hope for
families in challenging times.
In today’s uncertain world, there is increasing
concern about the anxieties young people face –
especially while parents and caregivers navigate the
current cost of living crisis and other social stressors.
Recently we spoke to Mackenzie Walters – Educator
at Ambrose School Age Care, St Paul the Apostle,
Winston Hills – who gives an insight into what
parents and educators can do to empower children
during difficult times.
Adults can be forgiven for feeling the immense
weight of external pressures such as financial
strain, bereavement, and even workplace politics
while caring for young children, and indeed, such
experiences can leave parents feeling burnt out. To
ensure both adults and children maintain their sense
of hope and resilience in such situations, Mackenzie
offers a suggestion.
“To be vulnerable and open with others about how
we are feeling, whether we are coping… I think this is
key,” Mackenzie explains. “I have spoken to people
about this, and it is the connections to God, their
community and families that keep them going.”
The Ambrose Educational Leader says she observed
how prayer helped many families work through the
isolation and financial implications caused by the
COVID-19 lockdowns. Now that new pressures,
particularly financial, are impacting families, she
encourages families to keep engaging with their faith
to support both parents’ and children’s wellbeing.
“Prayer definitely gives us a sense of control and
a chance to speak about our feelings in an open
and safe way,” she says. “At Ambrose Winston
Hills, in every session, we read a prayer that has
been written by our children for our prayer book.
They come straight from the children’s hearts, and
this is definitely something parents and children
can do at home.”
As a Catholic organisation, Ambrose is committed
to maintaining a strong connection to the local
community to better create a supportive and
inclusive environment that fosters hope and
resilience among its students and their families.
“Ambrose always makes sure students and parents
are involved, whether it’s inviting them to Mother’s
Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents’ Day celebrations,
talent quests, open classrooms. Our educators
always encourage this sense of community to help
caregivers share in the successes of their children
and build that sense of community and resilience in
the students.”
“We always ensure families are involved in matters
that impact them,” Mackenzie shares. “So, whether
it’s supporting parents to be a part of the school
committee or seeing parents checking in with each
other to exchange second-hand uniforms to save
money, Ambrose is ready to support.
“We also help encourage faith and hope throughout
the community by being actively involved, such as
our Christmas tradition where we make presents
for our friends at Woodberry Aged Care Village,”
Mackenzie says with a smile.
As we continue to navigate tough times individually
and as a community, it is maintaining a strong
relationship with God and our community that
ultimately enables us to build resilience in our
children and collectively maintain hope during
challenging times.
How to help your children
• Pray openly and regularly
• Stay connected with your family and local
community
• Be open to seeking help from others
Ambrose operates early learning centres and
out-of-school hours care across the Diocese
of Parramatta. Do you know someone who
would like to work with an organisation
with Catholic values? Ambrose is always
looking for great people to join our team.
Visit ambrose.org.au/find-a-job
Belinda Harding is a freelance writer.
30

Mackenzie with students at Ambrose School Aged Care, St Paul the Apostle, Winston Hills. Images: Diocese of Parramatta.
31

Photo by Steven Wei on Unsplash

Looking Deeper
Looking Deeper
The following articles encourage deeper reflection,
prayer and personal learning.

Looking Deeper
A kairos moment
BISHOP VINCENT LONG OFM CONV
My dear friends,
Several years ago, Pope Francis issued Laudato Si’.
That encyclical, on the environment, called for an
‘ecological conversion’, meaning a deep communion
with all things that surround us.
In that prophetic document,
we have a blueprint for a
sustainable future that is based
on respect and love for this
beautiful planet. The encyclical
is offered to us as a timely
reminder that we humans
are part of the interconnected
cosmic web of creation and we
need to live in harmony with it.
Today, we are also challenged to move beyond old
patterns of living and behaviour, both individually
and collectively.
In the light of the ecological crisis that demands a
conversion of heart and a change of lifestyle, we
must have the courage to align ourselves with God’s
plan for the world.
Only by acting in the best interests of the
environment, of the poor and of future generations
can we save this planet from devastation.
We cannot continue ‘business as usual’ and neglect
the poor, the afflicted and the ailing planet, the
consequences can only be destructive.
When we are out of touch with the natural world
and our spiritual roots, we deprive ourselves of the
antibodies we need to confront adversity.
This ecological crisis we are living through is a
symptom of a deeper malaise, a sign that we have
alienated ourselves from the God of life and love; that
we have become dull to the cry of God’s poor and
the cry of God’s creation.
Therefore, it is an opportunity
for us to recognise our own
sinfulness that contributes to
the suffering of the Body of
Christ, now, at this moment,
in the poor, the dispossessed,
the marginalised and our
wounded Mother Earth.
It is a kairos for us to further God’s restorative justice
in the world.
Laudato Si’ was and is for Catholics and non-
Catholics, domestically and globally to enter into an
ecological dialogue and an immediate call to action.
The moral imperative, of all Catholics, is to respond
to this ecological crisis, one we have witnessed
recently through bushfires following on from
years of drought.
Go forth, imagine and enact change in your circles
of influence.
This is an edited version of Bishop Vincent Long’s
past message to celebrate Laudato Si’. In this
2023 season of Spring and new creation, it is
offered once more for your prayerful reflection.
Images: Bishop Vincent in his sacred space – his mother’s
topiary garden. Courtesy: ABC Compass: Sacred Space,
The Franciscan of Parramatta.
35

Heart coming home © Jan Richardson
www.janrichardson.com

Looking Deeper
How is your heart?
STORY BR MARK O’CONNOR FMS
Spring means new life and hope all around us!
For as Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ exults:
And for all this,
nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness
deep down things.
But such ‘new creation’ can only really happen
for us, disciples of Jesus, if we allow ourselves to
develop a richer and deeper inner life of the Spirit.
For as the famous UN Diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld,
once put it:
The longest journey is the
journey inwards.
And so, as we pilgrims travel from the darkness of
winter to a new springtime, we are called to convert
from a “heart of stone” and replace it with a “heart of
flesh” and mercy.
No wonder, then, that it is reported that St Francis
de Sales, on meeting people in the streets
of his hometown, Geneva, would ask them
“How is your heart?”
That’s not a bad question for each of us to ask
ourselves, as we reflect and pray, in this season of
new life and hope.
Certainly, one is struck at times at how much
darkness, anger and resentment exists today in the
Church, even here in our Diocese of Parramatta.
That’s not a recipe for peace and joy in life. Some
people seem to ‘fear the light’ and prefer to wallow in
negativity and darkness.
Instead, each Christian disciple must look more
deeply into their own ‘diseased’ hearts. That’s why St
John Chrysostom tells all of us “Find the key to your
heart; you will see this key will also open the door of
the Kingdom.”
Sadly, one does still come across those who act
as if they believe the opposite! They are always
denouncing others who are the ‘enemy’. It seems
they are convinced that they alone possess the
‘truth’ and believe they are already ‘in’. Their mission
apparently, is to close doors and keep the ‘others’
out. Effectively they want to throw away the key!
Paradoxically, however, the central message of our
faith is that, like Jesus, we can only emerge into
new life, if we are willing to face our own personal
demons and die to our own egos.
Thomas Merton expresses all this movingly in The
Monastic Journey: “The Christ we find in ourselves
is not identified with what we vainly seek to admire
and idolise in ourselves – on the contrary, he has
identified himself with what we resent in ourselves,
for he has taken upon himself our wretchedness and
our misery, our poverty and our sins.
“We will never find peace if we listen to the voice of
our fatuous self-deception that tells us the conflict
has ceased to exist. We will find peace when we
can listen to the ‘death dance’ in our blood, not
only with equanimity but with exultation because
we hear within it the echoes of the victory of the
Risen Saviour.”
Yes, our God gifts us with new life. His Spirit graces
us especially when we honestly face our own
vulnerability and brokenness. This is the very heart of
the Good News of Jesus of Nazareth!
So, during this new Spring Season of Creation 2023,
let’s meditate on the words of the Brazilian bishop
and mystic Hélder Câmara to:
Accept surprises that upset
your plans, shatter your
dreams, give a completely
different turn to your day and
who knows? – to your life.
Leave the Father free himself to
weave the pattern of your days.
Br Mark O’Connor FMS is the Vicar for Communications in
the Diocese of Parramatta and the Editor of Catholic Outlook.
37

Ask the cattle and they will instruct you,the birds of the air and they will inform you.
The creeping things of the earth will give you lessons and the fish of the sea will explain to you.
(Job 12:7-8)
Reflections on a personal journey
in eco-spirituality
STORY DR KEVIN TRESTON OAM
I was invited by Catholic Outlook to reflect on my
own spiritual journey, especially as it is woven and
infused with the wonder and mystery of creation.
Perhaps it is fitting to begin by acknowledging the
spiritual and cultural heritage of thousands of years
bequeathed to us by our First People, our Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Indigenous sisters and brothers,
who have so much wisdom to share.
My journey
My early childhood years during the 1930s and 1940s
on a sugar cane farm in Innisfail, North Queensland,
very much involved me in the rhythms of farm life, the
daily tasks, floods, planting, harvesting, animal care,
fruit and vegetable gardens, cyclones. When I think
about it, my lived Irish-shaped Catholic faith did not
really connect with the rhythms of creation all around
us every day. In my childhood faith experience,
our stay on earth was portrayed in Church life as a
brief time where we were tested to judge if we were
worthy or unworthy of a heavenly eternity. Our daily
prayer ‘Hail Holy Queen’ expressed a gloomy earthly
human fate of ‘mourning and weeping in this valley
of tears’. The big thing – actually, the only thing that
ultimately mattered – was to get to heaven.
And yet, looking back on my early childhood
spirituality, perhaps in the depth of my
consciousness of my inner spirit, the profound
rhythms of nature were deeply embedded in my soul:
the regular ventures into the rainforests, the swamps
teeming with life (including deadly black swamp
snakes), regular farming cycles according to the
seasons, catching a horse to ride to school…
Metanoia
So what happened in my faith life journey to enrich
this early childhood inner spirit of nature?
I came to understand the divine energy of the Holy
Spirit does not separate the Dream of Jesus as the
Christ into discrete sections such as humanity and
creation. A Hebrew understanding of ‘reign of God’
suggest a meaning of ‘reign of unity’. We are not
separate from creation.
For the cosmic story is our story too. Every morning,
I say a little prayer: ‘Thank you Mother Earth for
giving me the oxygen and nitrogen from the trees,
oceans, grass and all nature enabling me to breathe
(I take a breath) and live’. I am conscious daily that I
would be dead within a few minutes if I did not have
nature’s oxygen to breathe. If the Incarnation means
anything, surely it explains that God’s revelation in
Jesus as the Christ is a manifestation of God’s love
into the oneness of creation.
The universe story
And here is the most important learning for me. What
is becoming increasingly evident in the beginning of
this third era of the Church’s story, is the imperative
of the Church to reframe the Christian Story within
the Great Story of the Universe.
For the story of the universe is a narrative that spans
almost 14 billion years since the Big Bang or Flaring
Forth: galaxies and stars formed between 13 to 8
billion years ago; our solar system with the stars, sun,
planets and earth about 3.8 billion years ago, then
the succession of eras such as the Cambrian era
485 million years ago. Over millions of years, trees,
plants, animals, mountains, rivers, flowers, grass,
emerged. Perhaps, about seven million years ago,
ape-like creatures appeared and eventually homo
habalis, homo erectus and homo sapiens evolved.
Sometimes, it is true that some people can get
carried away by unchanging rosy feel-good images of
nature. The rhythms of nature’s cycles are often brutal
38

Looking Deeper
with bushfires, floods, earthquakes, searing heat,
droughts and threats to land adhesion (half of the
parishes in Manila (Philippines) exist below sea level).
But let’s never forget that the trauma and anguish of
Calvary, those hammered nails, the passion of Jesus
are integral to the mystery of nature’s cycles of birth,
growth, death, extinction and resurrection emergence.
We continue to struggle in faith to link our suffering
from nature’s cycles of degeneration with a puzzling
faith association to the eternal question: ‘Why did
Jesus suffer and die?’ Calvary and resurrection
are always present within the cycles of an
evolutionary cosmos.
Pathways
So what can we Catholics practically live out
Pope Francis’s urgent call in Laudato’ Si for an
ecological spirituality?
Our Christian faith thrives on our beliefs in a
Risen Christ and God’s love for us. What is a way
forward for people of hope? I simply name without
elaboration some pathways in deepening our
eco-spiritual journey.
1. Become involved in nature. Plant flowers and herb
gardens, go for bush walks, surf, music and art,
switch off your iPhone for at least one hour per day,
gaze at the stars. It is not acceptable as a survey
indicated that about 50% of Australian children
have never been to a farm and 25% of children
don’t know where fruit and vegetables come from.
2. Be informed about contemporary issues which
both affirm and denigrate the wellbeing of our
planet. For example, find out about Fiji’s project to
move villages that are threatened by submersion
due to climate change. Discuss the pros and cons
of building dams or nuclear energy.
5. Encourage your parish and faith community to
become more ecologically aware and involved.
Is your parish and Catholic school attuned to
enhancing earth care through the implementation
of climate-friendly use of resources and
energy sources?
6. Invite our Aboriginal sisters and brothers to share
their thousands of spiritual wisdoms and their
cultural connectivity within creation.
7. Link with others, community and national
associations, to work together for groups or
organisations such as Catholic Earthcare, A Care
of Creation: Guide for Parish Groups, Australian
Conservation Foundation, Uniting Eco Group,
United Nations Environment Program.
8. Generate enthusiastic support and participation
in creation among the cultural, ethnic and multicultural
religious diversity in your local area.
9. Support creative possibilities rather than be
paralysed by the formidable blocks to earth care
through the dominance of economic systems.
10. Begin somewhere for earth care. It doesn’t matter
how small, such as avoiding plastic as much as
possible, or recycling.
11. Learn and practise the way of dadirri (Miriam Rose)
of inner deep listening and quiet still awareness.
Let us joyously celebrate as integral members of all
creation with a loving creator God.
This an edited version of a longer, very rich article
by Dr Kevin Treston that readers can find online
at catholicoutlook.org
Dr Kevin Treston OAM is an author and has been involved in
educational ministry for over 60 years in multiple countries.
3. According to one’s age, health, and levels of
potential giftedness, we are encouraged to
become involved in personal, community, national
and international projects which enhance earth
care. Green centered transition projects are
everywhere. Get involved.
4. Allow personal and communal prayer to be
infused with the Holy Spirit; the Divine Energy
of all creation. How is parish liturgy, especially
the Eucharist, a communal celebration of the
faith community living within the web of life in
creation? What a wondrous belief is the Eucharist
where the body and blood of the Christ becomes
present in nature’s bread and wine!
39
‘St. Francis Preaching to the Birds’ 1299 by Giotto.
Fresco, portico of the Upper Church at the Basilica of
San Francesco, Assisi. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Our Father © Jen Norton
www.jennortonartstudio.com
Hope
STORY DR MICHELE A CONNOLLY, RSJ
Hope is what gets us out of bed every day. It is
because we hope that each new day brings us
life, possibilities, challenges of course, but also
joy and pleasure through the people we meet,
especially those we love, that we are able to go
into each day looking forward to what it will bring.
Some of us are helped in this by being an upbeat,
cheerful kind of person. These are great gifts of
personality which can make life easier, at least on the
surface of things.
However, the hope I am talking about here is not just
the product of a sunny personality. Christian hope
40

Looking Deeper
is something that still functions even when trouble
brews on the horizon and our emotional prospects
are not so warm and shiny.
Hope – Christian hope – is a gift of God. Both faith
and hope are gifts. God enables us to believe and to
trust to God’s goodness and love for us. Really, what
we hope is that God is at work to bring all things to
a good purpose. It may be that we cannot see how
God can achieve good in a particular situation; hope
trusts that despite our limited vision, God can and
will bring life to whatever situation of death we may
be experiencing.
Hope is wide awake about the past and the present
but has an eye to the future that God wills for God’s
creation. This is so, even though we human beings
cause hurt to one another and to this Earth that God
has entrusted to us.
Christian hope has a history. That is, both the ability
to hope and what we hope for as Christians goes far
back in history to Abraham and even further back to
Noah. Always, God is committed to helping God’s
creation flourish. Before God brought a great flood
on the earth, God made a covenant with Noah and
his family, to keep them alive (Gen 6:17-21). Later,
God made a covenant with Abraham, promising him
land, descendants and that he would be a blessing
(Gen 12: 1-3; 15: 1-21). These covenants that God
offered to Noah and Abraham are the deep basis of
all our hope. They are promises by God to ensure life,
often in situations that are strongly marked by death.
Here, we find hints about how we keep Christian
hope alive. Of course, we need to do everything
we can at a practical level to make life as positive
as possible. We need to take care of our bodies,
our minds, our feelings and our relationships with
those people central to our lives. Beyond our own
immediate needs, we must care for our world, God’s
creation, and work for peace and justice. In all these
activities, we use the best knowledge and practices
that human wisdom has learned from experience.
But when we have done all the best practices in the
world, we may still find that our hearts are empty or
easily troubled. This calls us to activate our Christian
hope, looking each day for the small, quiet but steady
evidence of God’s creative activity all around us. The
resurrection of Jesus reverberates, echoes and pulses
in the life of the world. As Pope Francis said,
It is the Resurrection that gives us the greatest hope,
because it opens our lives and the life of the world to
the eternal future of God, to full happiness.” 2
1
Walter Brueggemann, A Gospel of Hope, First edition. (Louisville,
Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018) p. 104-105.
2
Pope Francis, general audience, April 3, 2013.
Associate Professor Michele Connolly RSJ is a Doctor,
author and theologian.
But the absolute basis for our hope is Jesus himself,
in his resurrection from the dead. This act of God
changes everything. It shows us God’s ultimate,
loving intention – that in some way that is real for the
kind of body-persons that we are, God intends to
bring us beyond death to a life free from mortality, free
to be in ease-full, sublime union with God’s own self.
The great US biblical scholar, Walter Brueggemann,
sums up Christian hope when he writes:
Hope in Gospel faith is not just a vague feeling that
things will work out, for it is evident that things will
not just work out. Rather, hope is the conviction,
against a great deal of data, that God is tenacious
and persistent in overcoming the deathliness of the
world, that God intends peace and joy. Christians
find compelling evidence, in the story of Jesus, that
Jesus, with great persistence and great vulnerability,
everywhere he went, turned the enmity of society
toward a new possibility, turned the sadness of the
world toward joy, introduced a new regime where the
dead are raised, the lost are found, and the displaced
are brought home again. We draw our hope from the
breath-taking memory of this Jesus! 1

A cuppa with the priest
Fr John McSweeney
Parish Priest
Sacred Heart Parish Blackheath
STORY CHRISTINA GRETTON
Many people both inside and outside the Diocese
of Parramatta would recognise the name Fr John
McSweeney.
Over the 40 years since his ordination, he has served
as Parish Priest at St Finbar’s Glenbrook, Dean of St
Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, and Parish Priest
of St John XXIII Glenwood-Stanhope Gardens. Now
he is Parish Priest of both Sacred Heart Parish,
Blackheath and St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
Parish, Upper Blue Mountains.
In between parish postings, he spent 20 years in the
Australian Navy as a reserve chaplain and the first
Australian chaplain in Baghdad at the end of the
Second Iraq War in 2003.
Having gained his licence in Biblical Studies at the
Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and Jerusalem (a
challenging course which called on his skills in the
eight languages he speaks), Fr John also lectured at
the Catholic Institute of Sydney and the Orthodox
Seminary for many years.
In total, it has added up to an extremely full and
varied 40 years. A lifetime that Fr John feels has filled
him with a sense of contentment.
Contentment and Christian joy more important
than happiness
“Sometimes contentment is more important than
happiness,” reflects Fr John. He goes on to explain,
“Contentment is something that links into the whole
concept of Christian joy, whereby we can still be
joyful, even in the midst of disaster.
“Happiness is not a constant, sadness is not a
constant. But if you have that contentment and joy,
then no matter whether there’s happiness or sadness
or everything else in between, there is some type of
equilibrium in your life.”
“Not your normal Catholic kid”
Looking at Fr John’s upbringing in Glenbrook –
educated in the state system, and with a family who
weren’t practising Catholics – he may not have been
the most obvious person to join the seminary when
he left school.
“I was not your normal Catholic kid,” he says.
“I’d never even been to a weekday Mass.”
He attended a St Columba’s Seminary open day in
Springwood at the invitation of the young seminarian
catechists teaching him religion at the time, but, he
says, he “hated it”.
Later that year, he found himself back at the
seminary. “I must have had some sort of religious
experience,” he recalls, “because I have no
memory of it. But leaving that chapel that day, I was
convinced I needed to become a priest. Whatever it
was, the conviction still stays with me.
“Even when the going has been rough at times over
the past 40 years, that conviction has never left me.”
The Diocesan Synod a chance to reinvigorate and
build community
I ask what his hopes are for the Diocesan Synod.
“I do think we have a chance to reinvigorate
and renew our parishes,” he says. “It must have
practical application to the lived life of the people in
the pews.”
Responsible for six churches, he is building parish
councils that can foster the charism of each church
community. “Each village (in the Blue Mountains)
has a particular approach to things,” he says. “By
allowing each church within each village to have its
42

Fr John McSweeney with his dog Spencer at Sacred Heart
Church in Blackheath. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
own charism, I hope people will feel attracted to one
of the different communities within the two parishes.”
It’s a cold and rainy day in Blackheath, but there is
busyness around the parish offices with a Catholic
Care group meeting, people dropping in, and Fr
John’s dog Spencer by his side the whole time. Fr
John has started up biblical studies sessions with
dozens of attendees, and we discuss the strong
faith-based social justice and environmental activities
by the parishioners. It seems the Blackheath parish is
certainly a central part of the village. Check back on
page 10 to read about how Blackheath's community
kitchen garden is helping their local village and
themselves.
Ordination has given so many things
Fr John credits the incredible experiences over his
life to the priesthood, saying he would never have
had the opportunity to do what he has done unless
he had been ordained.
“The Gospel passage is so true that anyone who
‘gives up father, mother, wife, husband, children,
home for My sake and for the Gospel will receive 100
times over in this life and then the next eternal life.’
“No, I haven’t had the ‘normalities’ of life, but I’ve
had so many other things.
“That’s what I’m grateful for: that gift of realisation
that I am in the right place.”
43

The dedicated parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish outside
St Joseph’s Church, Megalong Valley. Image: Supplied.
Parish Profile
Sacred Heart Parish
Blackheath
A parish that ‘walks the talk’
STORY MARY BRAZELL
At the furthest edge of the Diocese of Parramatta,
Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath, embraces its
village environment and looks beyond the walls of
the church building.
There are three churches in the boundaries of Sacred
Heart Parish – the main church at Blackheath, St
Paul’s at Mount Victoria and St Joseph’s in the
Megalong Valley. Speaking to parishioners, you’ll
hear how stepping in and stepping up to help is part
of their culture.
Dianne and Murray Stewart have lived in Mount
Victoria since 1976 and play a huge role in maintaining
St Paul’s. Dianne, who has been an altar server for 30
years, cleans the church and sets up for Mass on a
Saturday night. Murray, who is not Catholic, has been
the church groundskeeper for 30 years.
“We’re all like a big family,” Dianne explains.
“We just all get in and help.”
44

Vitality in the parishioners
Julie O’Keeffe, a parishioner of over 40 years, talks
about the purpose she’s found since getting more
involved in the parish.
“There’s a vitality and energy up here in the high
altitude that makes you want to get involved.”
“There are parishioners who quietly go about doing
what needs to be done – they’re the unsung heroes
of the parish,” she says.
Parish ‘a family of Christ’
Pat Drummond is another familiar face of Blackheath
Parish. A musician by trade, Pat has served
for years in the parish’s music ministry, writing
original hymns for Mass, and is the parish’s SRE
catechist coordinator.
Pat credits the community feel of the parish to its
leadership during the early 1990s when the parish
was in the care of the Sisters of Charity without a
resident priest.
“The parish is centred on caring for the people in
front of you. It’s very people-centred.”
“There’s so much input from the parishioners and
the priests that minister to us work in a really lovely
harmony with the people they serve,” he explains.
Fr John very ‘Christ-centred’
Parish Priest of three years, Fr John McSweeney,
understands the village nature of Blackheath Parish,
having grown up himself in the Mountains.
“Our parish has attracted people from across the
Upper Blue Mountains to worship here because
they are attracted to the charism of our church
community,” he explains.
Julie describes Fr John as being very approachable
in his ministry in Blackheath. “He’s very friendly, has
a great sense of humour and he’s really effective.”
Pat added, “He [Fr John] focuses on the way that
Jesus was in the time of His ministry, of meeting
people where they are, and leading them towards a
productive and holy relationship with the Lord.”
Parish continuing to look towards those
on the margins
The Blackheath parish frequently collaborates with
other local Christian churches. Together, with the
A beautiful and inquisitive child gets up and close with the
nativity scene. Image: Supplied.
local Anglicans, Baptists and Uniting Churches, they
celebrate the World Day of Prayer every March and
the veggies from the parish’s community garden are
used in the Uniting Church’s weekly soup kitchen (flip
back to page 10 to read more).
“We’ve become great friends with other faith
communities,” Julie describes.
“We’re very open and outward-looking. We have a
tenacity that even though we are a small parish, we
are determined to keep going.”
The parish has a strong Vinnies group, they support
the local neighbourhood centre and have a great
relationship with the Catholic Care Drop In Centre
at Springwood and the Blue Mountains Refugee
Support Group.
“We have had great people over the years who
were and continue to be dedicated and have great
conviction working with social justice issues. They
didn’t sit back, they were really active and they
walked the talk,” Julie said.
Fr John explains, “It’s about living the Gospel in your
own lives and utilising the words of the Lord in your
own words. As St Paul suggests, speaking the truth
in love and that should always be the truth, never
condemnatory, but invitational.”
45

Farewell to our Vicar General and friend,
Fr Christopher de Souza
STORY MONSIGNOR RON MCFARLANE
Vicar General Fr Christopher de Souza
is seen in the Mary MacKillop Chapel
at the Diocesan Bethany Centre.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta

Fr Chris has accepted the invitation from
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB to become
the new General Secretary of the Australian
Catholic Bishops Conference.
This is not an elected position but one that is offered
after discernment by the bishops. It seems to be a
very complex and complicated position and it is a
sign of the regard in which Fr Chris is held not just in
our Diocese but across Australia.
In one of his farewell speeches, Fr Chris explained
his acceptance of the invitation and in this, we see an
insight into the person. To him, as with his ordination,
he has always made the decision to say “yes” to
such invitations. After committing, he said it was a
matter of discernment, seeking advice and prayer on
how to carry out each ministry.
Fr Chris’ journey in our Diocese has been rather
extraordinary. When I think of his ministry, I recall
Gerald Hughes’ book The God of Surprises. I am
sure many of the directions in which Fr Chris found
himself travelling would have been completely
unexpected and challenging. The important thing is
that he was and is always open to the directions in
which he is called.
Fr Chris was ordained in 1983 and in 1986, when
we became the Diocese of Parramatta, Fr Chris
was selected to become a member of Bishop Bede
Heather’s first Council of Priests and College of
Consultors. At that stage, he was a representative of
the younger priests in the Diocese.
What is extraordinary is that with the exception of
the time he spent studying in Ireland, he has been a
member of both advisory bodies to each of the four
bishops of the Diocese of Parramatta - Bishop Bede
Heather, Bishop Kevin Manning, Archbishop Anthony
Fisher OP and until now with Bishop Vincent Long.
As well as this, Fr Chris has been one of our Vicar
Generals since 2012. He has also been Episcopal
Vicar for Education and Formation, Director of the
House of Priestly Formation, Vice Rector of the
Seminary, Director of Deacons, and involved in
other committees as needed. He has held all these
positions on top of his parish duties.
He was the assistant priest in St Matthew’s Parish,
Windsor, and St Nicholas of Myra Parish, Penrith.
He later became Parish Priest of Penrith in 2003 and
then the Parish Priest of St Oliver Plunkett’s Parish,
Harris Park, from 2014 until the present.
Our bishops have always appreciated his loyalty and
wisdom. He is knowledgeable on a wide variety of
topics but is extremely down-to-earth.
Whether he is talking about quantum physics,
spirituality or presenting a homily, he is able to
express his thoughts, opinions and offer his advice in
a well-thought-out manner. He always has a very real
awareness of his audience.
I feel that while a priest is a teacher, sacramental
facilitator, and servant, it is important that
he is also a person who walks with his fellow
parishioners. It is the people who make up the
Church and as a community, we express what the
Church is about. I see that in Fr Chris.
Over the years, whenever I have visited one of his
parishes, parishioners always ask about Fr Chris.
It is obvious that part of his ministry is to empower
the people with whom he walks. He really lives out
the belief that each person is important and has
something to offer.
This has been obvious in so many ways. We saw
it in his role as Episcopal Vicar for Education and
Formation, on the impact he had on teachers and
principals on their pilgrimages; we saw it particularly
in his role as Director of the House of Priestly
Formation. We see this on a regular basis in the very
practical but theologically sound homilies that he
gives each time he celebrates Mass.
I remember that in many of the talks Fr Chris
gave after his return from Ireland, he constantly
emphasised the importance of asking ourselves
daily: where have we found Jesus in our day?
We thank Fr Chris for his personal contribution in
working so closely with our four bishops. He has
helped develop our relatively new Diocese with a
vision for the present and into the future. This is of
course a work in progress, but we have come a long
way. We will always remember and appreciate the
integral role that Fr Chris has played since Bishop
Bede was installed on 19 May 1986.
I should point out that Fr Chris remains a priest of the
Diocese of Parramatta and hopefully one day he will
return to full-time ministry here. I am also sure he will
return on a regular basis as Parramatta is his home
and the people here are his family. We wish him all
the best in his new appointment, and I am sure we
will always keep him in our prayers and thoughts.
Monisgnor Ron McFarlane is Chancellor at the Diocese of
Parramatta. He has worked with Fr Chris for many decades.
47

Watch, Read, Listen, Reflect
Catholic content for Spring
Read
Towards the End of My Days By Bishop Geoffrey Robinson,
Co-ordinating Editor, Seamus O’Grady
Outspoken yet loyal priest, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson’s last book is a
fearless account of the problems he sees facing the Catholic Church
with guidance on how they might be met.
Written in his last days, he chose to write his truth: hard-hitting, yet
compassionate, calling out corruption and stubborn regressiveness yet
offering hope-filled solutions of how to follow Christ authentically.
Published by Garratt Publishing.
The Episcopal Podcast
Listen
Theology, pop culture and apostolate are back together again with the
return of Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers’ Episcopal Podcast
for its third season. Bishop Umbers will once again be joined by young
Catholics, theologians and international guests to bring elements of
the Christian intellectual tradition to bear on contemporary life.
Hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever good podcasts
can be found.
Inside the Vatican
Each week, Colleen Dulle goes behind the headlines of the biggest
Vatican news stories with America’s Rome correspondent Gerard
O’Connell. They break down complicated news stories that have a
whole lot of history behind them in an understandable, engaging way.
Find it on Apple and Spotify.
48

Watch
Padre Pio, Rated R
In a world dominated by secular stories, it is
refreshing to see a Catholic story debuted at the
Venice Film Festival in 2022. This movie brings to
life the extraordinary journey of one of the most
beloved saints in modern history, Saint Padre Pio
of Pietrelcina – the Italian priest who received the
stigmata - as well as featuring the harshness of life in
a small village after WWII.
The 2022 Italian-German biographical film is
directed by Abel Ferrara. It stars Hollywood actor
Shia LaBeouf as Padre Pio. As a result of his role in
this movie and his spiritual experiences, LaBeouf
converted to Catholicism.
The movie is R-rated as it features many of
the struggles that Padre Pio had to go through
to become a saint. It is not suitable for young
audiences, and it is suggested that you read up on
the life of Padre Pio before watching the movie.
Whilst there have been critics of the movie, it is one to
watch for LaBeouf’s reverence and love for the faith and
to see how this process ignited his path to conversion.
Look for Padre Pio on Amazon Prime.
Good deeds will live beyond your
lifetime with a gift in your Will to
your parish and faith community.
After providing for your family and loved ones,
please consider sharing God’s blessings with
future generations.
For information on remembering your
family in Christ and our compassionate
Catholic ministries in your Will, please scan

KIDS CORNER
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Saint Francis of Assisi Icon © TheCatholicKid.com

Directory of services
(02) 8843 2500 or visit catholiccarewsbm.org.au
Chancery Office
www.parracatholic.org
(02) 8838 3400
diocese@parracatholic.org
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv
(02) 8838 3400
bishop@parracatholic.org
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
parra.catholic.edu.au
(02) 9840 5600
communityliaison@parra.catholic.edu.au
Community Ventures
(Catholic Diocese of Parramatta
Services Limited)
(02) 9407 7044
enquiries@cdpsl.org.au
www.communityventures.org.au
Ambrose Early Years Education
and School Age Care
(02) 9407 7044
enquiries@ambrose.org.au
www.ambrose.org.au
Catholic Care Western Sydney
and the Blue Mountains
(02) 8843 2500
catholiccarewsbm.org.au
Mission Enhancement Team
(MET Parramatta)
Catholic Youth Parramatta;
Peace, Justice, Ecology; Marriage;
Natural Fertility; Worship;
MET Facilitators
met@parracatholic.org
parracatholic.org/met
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
(02) 8838 3486
ccd@parracatholic.org
Tribunal Office
(02) 8838 3480
tribunal@parracatholic.org
Vocations
(02) 8838 3460
vocations@parracatholic.org
Parramatta Catholic Foundation
(02) 8838 3482
yourfoundation@parracatholic.org
Diocesan Development Fund
(02) 8839 4500
enquiries@parraddf.org.au
Holy Spirit Seminary
(02) 9296 6300
Office for Safeguarding
(02) 8838 3419
safeguarding@parracatholic.org
Ageing Well
Whatever your age, you will never be invisible to the people at Catholic Care. Our range of
supports aim to keep you living independently in your own home for as long as possible,
while staying connected with your friends and community.
Our Commonwealth Home Support Program support elderly people to stay living
independently at home, while our Community Visitor’s Scheme aims to reduce loneliness
and enrich people’s lives through fortnightly visits to residents at aged-care facilities.
Bringing a baby into the world
There are few things more important than caring for a newborn child. Our programs have helped
many young women who are feeling lost or have been excluded from their community and are
at risk of homelessness, to get the support they need. Our parenting support program supports
new parents finding the challenges of a newborn overwhelming.
Chaplaincy
Our chaplains provide spiritual and emotional support for patients and inmates, their
families and staff in the seven hospitals and three correctional centres throughout the
Diocese of Parramatta. An inclusive ministry available to all faiths, our 15 chaplains work
alongside others involved in the care of patients and inmates.
Children
Catholic Care offers a range of support services to ensure children are taken care of in any
situation. It starts with early years learning and childcare — our home-based early learning and
parenting program for families with young children helps them and their parents develop skills,
and our family day care helps kids get a good start with their education. Our creche is a thriving
early learning centre, providing care for children of Sudanese refugee women enrolled in English
classes offered on the grounds of Catholic Care.
Connecting with my Community
Our drop-in centres provide a safe place for people to belong and connect with others.
They are a place to be, a place to get information, join a group, and be accepted.
In Emerton, Aboriginal Catholic Services is a drop-in centre led by Aboriginal people for
Aboriginal people. In Blacktown, culturally and linguistically diverse families are accessing
support to settle into life in Australia by the team at All Saints of Africa. And at our Springwood
Drop-in Centre, established to support the community after the 2014 bushfires, clients stop by
for a chat, join a reading group or seek support with their mental health.
Living well with Disability
We all need a support network to live our lives to the fullest. Our disability support team, can
help you with living, learning and overcoming obstacles on your journey, whatever they may
look like. We can help you set goals, and achieve them, and help you build a brighter future.
As a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider, we support clients
at home and in the community, whether you want to learn how to cook, need support with
personal care, or want to play sport.
Support for my Family
When life gets tough for our families, the people we care about most can suffer. Our range
of family support services can support you to better relate to your spouse and understand
their behaviour, to deal with dependence or gambling problems, single parenting, or just
connecting with your kids.
We support families who are going through the most difficult of times to cope through
separation, and with grief and loss. We help parents deal with all the stresses that can
impact your family, from anxiety and depression to money worries, gambling—we have the
people, the resources and the support to help you make it through.
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Latest appointments
Most Rev Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta,
has confirmed these appointments in the Diocese of Parramatta:
Sr Patty Andrew OSU
Vicar for Consecrated Life for the Diocese of Parramatta
as of 28 April 2023.
Mr Jim Hanna
Chairman of the Diocesan Honours Committee for three years
as of 16 June 2023.
Rev Shinto Francis
Administrator at Sacred Heart Parish, Luddenham-
Warragamba as of 29 June 2023 to 13 October 2023.
Very Rev Paul Marshall
Administrator at St Oliver Plunkett Parish, Harris Park,
as of 1 August 2023.
Rev Renato Zecchin SJ
Assistant Priest at Holy Family Parish, Mt Druitt,
as of 12 August 2023.
Rev John Hogan
Administrator at Christ the King Parish, North Rocks,
as of 21 August 2023 to 31 October 2023.
Rev Galbert Albino
Administrator at Our Lady of the Nativity Parish, Lawson
as of 4 September 2023.
Director of Vocations for three years as of 4 September 2023.
Rev Christopher del Rosario
Administrator at St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood
as of 2 October 2023
Voice of the people
What gives you hope and heart today?
“For me, moments of silence help me to catch the balance, restore inner peace and
help me to notice the many ways my spirit gets lifted. Spending time among friendly
people from the Church is very uplifting for me. Even more, hearing conversion-seeking
confessions and knowing to be instrumental in bringing God’s grace is a sheer joy.”
Fr Piotr Kruk OP, University chaplain and Priest in Residence at St Joseph’s Parish, Kingswood.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
“My mission and desire for my wife and baby son to get to heaven gives me hope and
being their role model and inspiration in the faith gives me heart.”
Thanh Nguyen, Formation Leader and Leader of Liturgy K-12 at Santa Sophia Catholic College,
Box Hill. Image: Supplied.
“I have recently had the privilege of accompanying some young people in Europe for World
Youth Day. Their commitment to their own faith, their reverence in church and desire to
want to attend Adoration on a regular basis was a great message of hope for me for the
youth in our church. They became a great example to me and inspired me to be better in
my daily prayer life.”
Helen Zammit, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Hills Regional Coordinator and parishioner at
St John XXIII Parish, Glenwood-Stanhope Gardens. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
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“The new digital payment system organised by
the Diocesan Development Fund has allowed us to
reach a diverse range of givers on a wide range of
payment platforms. It makes fundraising events easier
to organise. Payments for facilities hire, donations
for weddings and other sacraments are received
promptly.” – Mili Lee, Manager, St Patrick’s Cathedral Parramatta
Quest Terminal
MAKING DONATIONS EASIER
THROUGH DIGITAL PAYMENTS
The Diocesan Development Fund (DDF) is offering digital payment systems to all parishes.
Making it easier for people to donate to parishes in today’s cashless society, they reduce
the amount of cash you need to keep on premises and make reconciling easier.
DDF can help with online payment platforms including tap-to-donate solutions such as
Smart devices and Quest terminals.
Merchant facilities are provided through the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
The Diocesan Development Fund (DDF) provides financial services that helps to promote
the continued growth and development of a vibrant and evangelising Catholic Church in
the Diocese of Parramatta.
Smart Device
The DDF’s services include:
• Providing loans to assist Catholic agencies to further their Mission. Loans are available for any worthwhile purpose including
construction, renovation, land purchase, furnishings, and equipment.
• Facilitating transactional services to Catholic agencies such as parishes and schools.
• Operating efficiently to generate income for the Diocese to support the Mission of the Church, pastoral priorities, and ministry
programmes.
• The development of deep long-term relationships with all Catholic entities within the Diocese.
To contact the DDF please phone (02) 8839 4500 or email enquiries@parraddf.org.au
Visit the DDF website at www.parracatholic.org/ddf
Disclosure Statement: The Diocesan Development Fund Catholic Diocese of Parramatta (DDF) (the Fund) is required by law to make the following disclosure.
The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities
and Investments Commission. An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or thedepositor protection provisions in the
Banking Act 1959 (Cth). Investments in the Fund are intended to be a means for investors to support the charitable, religious and educational works of the
Catholic Diocese of Parramatta and for whom the consideration of profit are not of primary relevance in the investment decision. The investments that the
Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by Australian Securities and Investments
Commission. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and an of the Fund are not comparable to
investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed at https://parracatholic.org or by contacting
the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.