Pope Benedict XVI, Parish life, Bishop Brian Mascord
Bishop Brian Mascord is inviting us all to gather as a diocesan community to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Pope Benedict XVI at Masses in Wollongong on Thursday 5 January 2023:
7am at St Francis Xavier Cathedral (36 Harbour Street, Wollongong) celebrated by our vicar general, Fr Bernard Gordon.
9:30am at St Brigid’s Catholic Church (119 Gipps Rd, Gwynneville) celebrated by Fr John Stork.
12:10pm at St Francis Xavier Cathedral (36 Harbour Street, Wollongong) celebrated by Bishop Brian Mascord.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB says Pope Benedict XVI will long be remembered fondly in Australia as the Pontiff who led young people from around the globe in prayer at World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008.
Pope Benedict, born Joseph Ratzinger, led the Church from April 2005 until February 2013, becoming the first Pope in centuries to resign. He had earlier served as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the Vatican’s most influential departments, for more than two decades.
Pope Benedict died in Rome, where he had lived since his papal retirement, on Saturday evening, Australian time.
“From his time as an expert adviser – or peritus – at the Second Vatican Council onwards, there was no question that Joseph Ratzinger was a major figure within the Church around the world,” said Archbishop Costelloe, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
“His papacy will be remembered as one of rich teaching, including his encyclicals on love, hope and truth, as well as his book series Jesus of Nazareth, and for important reforms in areas like liturgy and in the handling of child sexual abuse.”
Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, the bishop who oversaw World Youth Day in 2008, said Pope Benedict had been a key influence and someone with whom he became close.
“I had the great privilege of spending some private moments with Pope Benedict, away from the spotlight,” Archbishop Fisher said.
“They were moments I will forever cherish. He had a great intellect, which he shared through his work as a professor, a Church leader and ultimately as Pope.
“He did not seek nor enjoy the spotlight, but he produced some magnificent works that have shaped and will continue to shape Catholic thought and Catholic life.”
Archbishop Fisher said he was very grateful to spend some time with Pope Benedict during his visits to Rome.
“Reminiscing about his time in Australia and learning from this gentle father figure was a real joy,” he said.
Archbishop Costelloe said parishes around the country will hold special memorial Masses for Pope Benedict in the coming days, encouraging those wishing to attend to visit local church and cathedral websites for more information.
“These Masses will be a chance to celebrate the life and faith of Pope Benedict, but also to pray for the repose of his soul – just as we do for anyone who has died,” he said.
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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 bluerepresenting 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 greendepicting the hills and plains of the Macarthur. The fourth is dark green illustrating the forests of the Southern Highlands.
