At the height of COVD-19 restrictions during Holy Week this year, the diocese was unable to hold its annual Chrism Mass. The Chrism Mass takes its name from one of the holy oils which is blessed during the celebration of the Eucharist on the night. At the Chrism Mass—unique to the cathedral of each diocese—we gather to pray with the bishop and his collaborators, the priests of the diocese, in thanksgiving and praise to God and to pray for them as they renew their commitment to the service of God and his priestly people.
After consultation with his clergy, Bishop Brian Mascord and the clergy of the diocese will be celebrating the Chrism Mass at 6pm Tuesday 29 September 2020 at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Wollongong. Usually there is a large attendance of parishioners from across the diocese, but because of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, attendance has been restricted to invites only. However, you can download the Mass booklet and watch a livestream of the Chrism Mass below:
Bishop Brian Mascord has released updated directives (21 September 2020) for parishes as a result of the changing Government protocols dealing with COVID-19. We have created a page on our website dedicated to the latest guidance from the diocese outlining its role in preventing the spread of the virus in our communities. The diocese will always act in accordance with the guidelines of health authorities and update its advice as necessary.
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Since announcing the cessation of Bishop Brian’s Sunday Mass online from Fairy Meadow, he has been inundated with correspondence from all corners of the country thanking him for his online Masses and asking that he continue broadcasting from St John Vianney Co-Cathedral in Fairy Meadow during these uncertain times.
All of us have been truly touched by the outpouring of support, and while we thought we understood the impact we were having, it was not until we finished up and the feedback came in that we had time to reflect on what the Holy Spirit is doing. The amount of support we have received, not just from the Diocese of Wollongong, but also from interstate and increasingly from around the world has been staggering.
Our intentional format of engaging you at home as much as possible through the cinematography, music, titles, additional footage and beautiful artwork from our rich Catholic tradition, have all combined to produce a virtual experience that we hope is truly worthy of the source and summit of the Christian life—the Eucharist.
Therefore, the decision has been made that we will continue broadcasting Sunday Mass online from Fairy Meadow! As you can imagine, there is a lot behind the scenes that goes into producing such a product on a weekly basis from our readers, musicians, cathedral staff and volunteers, production management, production crew and post-production, so we will need a couple of weeks to organise the gang and reassign some human resources and budgets in order to see how we can pull this off. However, we are hoping to be online again from Sunday 30 August (22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time) at the usual time of 9:00am.
Thank you for reaching out to us and letting us know how much these online Masses have given you comfort during this difficult time, and we are so happy that we can continue being a part of your lives going forward. We are also thankful to those of you who have acknowledged the resources required to produce these online Masses, have donated towards these, or have asked how you can support this ministry. Whilst you are encouraged to financially support your local parish (especially during these times), Bishop Brian also invites you to consider gifting a one-off or ongoing donation to the production of the ministry. If you are passionate about supporting this online Mass ministry, click below and select “Sunday Mass online with Bishop Brian (non-tax deductible)” from the drop-down list.
We are excited to announce that we are now taking orders for Adore— an 88-page pocket-size book containing short daily reflections from the beginning of Advent through to the Baptism of the Lord. Inspired by the shepherds, Magi and our Blessed Mother, Adore provides a wonderful opportunity for us to take a quiet step out of our daily lives and refocus our attention on the Lord in adoration of what he has done for us through his Son. Includes discount pricing for bulk orders as well as a GST free option for Australian Catholic Religious Groups!
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During these times of uncertainty and isolation, nourishing our faith becomes even more important. Through spending time with God and with one another we find the hope, comfort, guidance and certainty that our loving God and Father wants to share with us. Jesus wants to be with us and care for us during these days.
On this page you will find resources for:
The daily readings are taken from the lectionary which divides much of the Bible into three years worth of readings.
Weekly radio program and podcast developed by the diocese all about faith, hope, love and life.
Award winning magazine celebrating the good things happening in Catholic culture and life in the diocese.
Opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith in a friendly, open and informal environment. Alpha is an experience!
Free weekly faith-sharing small group resource to help to build and develop community and faith.
Popular pocket-sized book with beautiful artwork and daily reflections for Advent and Christmas.
Popular book and music resource for Lenten groups and individuals. Includes beautiful artwork and daily reflections.
Provides music recommendations for Mass as well as tonnes of liturgical resources and information.
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Our diocesan logo is theologically rich and very succinct. As a hand, it depicts our mission as a diocese and as individuals within the diocese, of bearing (bringing, carrying) Christ’s love to one another and to the world around us. In this, we are the hand of Jesus Christ, and we are offering ourselves to him so that he might work through us.
We can be the bearers of his love only as a response to his call and in the strength of his grace. We are reminded of this in two ways—through the symbol of the dove (the Holy Spirit) also present in the logo, and by the incorporation of the cross that segments the logo. The presence of the cross is a reminder that bearing the love of Christ will inevitably cost us if we live it authentically. However, in the way that the Cross is the portent of redemption and life—an echo of the tree of life in the book of Genesis—so becoming bearers of the love of Christ will also bring us to life.
The four fingers of the hand also represent the four regions of our diocese. The first is blue representing the beautiful water of the Shoalhaven. The second is a blue and green combination representing the waters and escarpment of the Illawarra. The third is green depicting the hills and plains of the Macarthur. The fourth is dark green illustrating the forests of the Southern Highlands.
