“Remember we are but travellers here.”

“Remember we are but travellers here.” (Mary MacKillop, 1866)

In these weeks as we celebrate the life and witness of Mary MacKillop we are reminded of the history, story and spirit of our own local Church of Canberra and Goulburn. In the context of fast paced modern day life, the mass media, instantaneous communications and the diminished art of story telling in our society we run the very real risk of  “passing over” the rich treasure that is our recent history. 

One of the great privileges of working for the Archdiocese is the opportunity to listen to the wonderful stories of the past.  Amongst the staff at CatholicLIFE it often said that if you want some perspective on your work and ministry in the Archdiocese, then take a trip to Cootamundra and spend a few hours chatting with Fr Kevin Barry-Cotter! 

Recently we had the opportunity to visit the Sisters of Mercy Sesquicentenary Exhibition, which was located at the Rheinberger Centre.  This amazing exhibition, along with the personal anecdotes from Sister Barbra Murray, was inspirational and informative for the CatholicLIFE team members.  Then just this week Monsignor John Woods came to speak with us at the CatholicLIFE in-service day.  In his talk Mgr John introduced us to the short video he developed at the time of the 1989 Synod.  

While the video was made to give an overview of our local history to those interested in contributing to the Synod discussions it is probably of more interest now than it was in 1989!  The video discusses early church belief and Catholic experience, taking us from ‘obey, pray and pay’ right up to the encouragement of lay faithful to take part in the Synod, to have their discussions and thoughts heard with a new belief of ‘one people, one mission, different functions.’ This was a bit different to the 1949 Synod which involved Priests and Bishops only.  The video gives a brief history of European settlement, the setting up of Education Boards and Catholic Schools, and even mentions the School Strike of 1962.   From the first up until Francis Carroll, the names of our Bishops and their photos are included.  The video then provides an overview of the five Deaneries and the parishes they include, showing pictures of churches and surrounding points of interest. Four main challenges of the day are discussed – De-personalisation; Secularisation; Crisis of Credibility and Erosion of Traditional Values.  

So as we reflect this week upon the life of Mary MacKillop it is good to be reminded again of the importance of the past as we go about our ministry in our Parishes, Schools and faith communities. In the 150-year history of our Archdiocese there is an immense richness of wisdom that is profoundly relevant and instructive to the challenges and questions we now face as a Church. 

A big question is how to make the stories and wisdom from out past accessible to the leaders of tomorrow? As a start I have put the 1989 Mrg John Woods video online so it can be used more widely. Watch the video here and add your own thoughts and reflections http://cg.catholicnetwork.org.au/forum/topics/how-important-is-the-...

“Many things that seemed unaccountable worries have proved indeed to be hidden blessings.” (Mary MacKillop, 1870)