News & Events

 

 

Bishop Joe Announces Cathedral appointment

Monsignor Francis Marriott adm has been appointed as administrator of the Sacred Heart Cathedral and the Chancellor of the Diocese of Sandhurst. Mgr Marriott was formerly Parish Priest of Wodonga and prior to that had appointments as Parish Priest in Kennington, Heathcote and Nagambie. He fills the position left after Mgr John Duffus's death earlier this year. He takes up his new appointment on 12 April 2008

Chrism Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral

Holy Monday each year, priests and representatives from parishes of the diocese gather at the Sacred Heart Cathedral as the mother church of the diocese to celebrate the Chrism Mass. This year Bishop Joe blessed the oil of the sick, the oil of catechumen (oil of baptism) and consecrates the Chrism (the oil for Confirmation, Holy Orders, and consecration of altars and churches). 

Also at the Chrism Mass priests recommit themselves to their priestly life and ministry, religious sisters and brothers to their vocations and the Gospel counsels and all the baptised as witnesses to Christ.

Pictured below is Deacon Jake Mudge proclaiming the gospel (Luke 4:16-21). Second photo: Bishop Joe pours a mixture of perfumes and spices (balsam, myrrh, cane, cassia and cinnamon) into the olive oil. Third picture: The Bishop, as the chief priest of the diocese leads the prayer of consecration while the priests unite around him with hands extended over the oil. Fourth Picture: Servers from St John's Parish, Euroa assist at the Mass.

     

    

 

 

The World Youth Day Cross and Icon Arrive in Sandhurst Diocese

  

Bishop Joe addresses the Students of the Primary Schools around Shepparton and the Students of Notre Dame College pass the cross around the Mercy Centennial Stadium and two of the many events inShepparton when the WYD Cross visited the Sandhurst Diocese. For further stories on the journey of the Cross and Icon visit www.sym.org.au and Journey of the Cross & Icon Site and the Catholic Education Sandhurst Site

 

Mgr John Duffus is mourned by thousands of people

On Friday evening, 11 January, Monsignor John Duffus died surrounded by family and friends at his presbytery in Bendigo. They saw a, dedicated and greatly esteemed priest of Sandhurst quietly and peacefully leave this earthly life to enter into eternal life. 

About 2000 mourners packed the Cathedral for the Requiem Mass, which was also attended by overseas and interstate mourners. Bishop Joe Grech led the service where readings from the books of Isaiah, Philippians and Luke were read. During the service, students from Catholic College Bendigo read the Prayers of Intercession and Mgr Duffus’ nieces Suzanne Ion, Rachel Duffus, Terese Knight and Philipa Nolan took gifts to the altar. Mgr White, in the homily described how, they turned their planned holiday into a pilgrimage to visit places in Victoria that Mgr Duffus held dear. See Obituary Page for further comments.

(Photo: Bendigo Advertiser)

 

 

 

Jacob Mudge ordained deacon at Sacred Heart Cathedral

Bishop Joe Grech ordained Jacob (Jake) Mudge to the diaconate at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Friday night, 26 October. The Mass was attended by a great number of family, friends, parishioners from parishes he did pastoral work and many parishioners from the parishes of the Diocese and well as priests from Sandhurst and Melbourne and his fellow students from Corpus Christi College Carlton. 

Pictured left: Bishop Joe during the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination of Jake Mudge.

At the time of Jake Mudge’s diaconate ordination, it is appropriate to reflect on the role of the deacon

In the Catholic Church there are two types of deacons: transitory deacons - those preparing for ordination to the priesthood; and there are permanent deacons - those who remain deacons for the rest of their lives. 

Transitory Deacons: 
In our diocese we are more familiar with transitory deacons. This is the first step on the way to ordination to priesthood. All our priests have moved through this diaconate to ordination to priesthood. Hands are imposed, by the bishop only, not to priesthood but to a ministry of service. 'For strengthened by sacramental grace, in communion with the bishop and his group of priests, they serve the people of God in the ministry of the liturgy, of the word and of charity.' (Vatican II, Dei Verbum art. 11 ) 

Permanent Deacons
The Second Vatican Council restored this diaconate as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. The first permanent deacon in Australia was ordained on 8 August 1972 in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. In Australia now we have less than 100 deacons. The diaconate is open to men aged between 30 - 60, whether married or single. 

Deacons' ministries
It is the duty of the deacon, to the extent that he has been authorised by competent authority, to administer baptism, to bring viaticum the dying, to be custodian and dispenser of the Eucharist, to assist at and bless marriages, to read the sacred scripture to the assembly, to preach at mass, preside at public prayer, and assist at funerals. Deacons also minister in parishes, marriage tribunals, schools, the military, prisons, ports, hospitals, as industrial chaplains and in diocesan agencies. 

Ordination Rite
At the ordination of a deacon it is only he bishop who imposes hands, to signify his special relationship with the bishop.

Sandhurst Diocesan history
In looking at the possibility of permanent deacons in the diocese, we initially we had two permanent deacons address all the clergy. Then in 2001 Fr Steve Bohan and Mr Bill Lomas attended a deacons' conference in Adelaide and reported to the Council of Priests' meeting. There were many practical issues that arose and it was decided to leave it to the Bishops’ Conference guidelines that were to make a definite policy for Australia.

From SandPiper November 2007, prepared by Fr Joe Taylor St Therese 's Parish, Kennington 

 

Sacred Heart Cathedral floodlit at night

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With funding from the City of Greater Bendigo Council, Powercor and Bendigo Trustees and the Diocese of Sandhurst, the Sacred hHeart Cathedral is floodlit at night dominating the city's skyline and highlighting this extraordinary example of Neo-Gothic architecture. Photos are courtesy of the Bendigo Weekly.

Pictured above: Cr Julie Rivendell (Bendigo Council) , Bishop, Neil Atherton (Sandhurst Trustees), Ian Gillingham (Powercor) and Mons Duffus.

Fr Cyril Hally addressed the Sandhurst Priests' Conference 
Fr Cyril Hally, a missionary priest with the Columban Society, a sociologist and octogenarian addressed the Sandhurst Priests during their two clergy conference 21-22 June in Bendigo. The conference began with Mr Paul White, pastoral planning officer for the Diocese of Sandhurst, presenting statistical summary of parishes and a forecast of the next ten five, ten and fifteen years regarding clergy distribution. Fr Cyril helped in facing these issues by giving a broad overview of church ministry over two millennia, and how the church responded or adapted to culture and change and contemporary forces in society and church. The priests studied several questions and their responses will be collated and used for further reflection and response during the year. The Council of Priests organised the agenda and the Chancery and St Kilian's hosted the days.
Pictured: Fr Andrew Fewings, Fr Cyril Hally, Columban Mission Father, Bishop Joe Grech and Fr Joe Taylor.

 

Three Philippino Seminarians arrive in the Diocese

In Mid June three seminarians arrived in Bendigo in preparation to go to Corpus Christi College Carlton to resume studies for the Priesthood and hopefully serve in Sandhurst parishes after ordination. They are pictured here: Eugene, John-John and Bernard at the occasion of the clergy conference in Bendigo while they acclimatise to our Victorian winter and our Australian culture. 

 

 

 

 

 

Housekeepers and Secretaries Mass and Luncheon

The annual Presbytery Housekeepers and Parish Secretaries Day was held in Numurkah on Wednesday 16 May beginning with Mass at St John's and the luncheon at the Numurkah Golf Club. The occasion is to say thanks to the "Welcoming Faces" (as Bishop Joe calls them) at the presbyteries around Sandhurst. Many photos of the participants at the lunch appear in the July issue of Sandpiper. Pictured here are the Bishop and priests before the altar at the conclusion of the Mass.

 

 

 

 

 

Children participate in Anzac Day Ceremonies

This year across the Diocese, Sandhurst School children dressed in their school uniforms (for a public holiday) and represented their schools at their respective local Anzac Day marches and wreath laying ceremonies at cenotaphs and memorial parks. Pictured here are some of the children from St Joseph's School, Nagambie getting ready for the procession from the Memorial Hall to the cenotaph. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitors from Paderborn help prepared for World Youth Day

  
Fr Meinolf Wacker and Mr Klemens Reith visited the Bendigo and Shepparton regions in April and spoke at the deanery meetings and other gatherings of World Youth Day. Paderborn Diocese hosted the Sandhurst pilgrims at the last World Youth Day event in Germany last year and we will host them in Bendigo prior to the Sydney WYD08. They are pictured here with Karen Lunney, youth minister coordinator. Photo on right is them with some of the priests and deanery representatives at lunch in Shepparton.

 

 

Cardinal Oscar Rodiguez speaks in Shepparton

 

The 2007 Helder Camara Lecture in April was delivered by Cardinal Oscar Rodiguez, Archbishop of Honduras in central America. The theme of his talk: "Signs of Hope" reflected on his own people's struggles with poverty, natural disasters and institutionalised corruption. While the circumstance are different in Honduras, what gives hope is universal and relevant for Australians. A summary of the talk is printed in the June edition of the Sandpiper. Pictured here are Dr Bill Quilty, Cardinal Rodriguez and Fr Rom Hayes.