Archbishop Emeritus John Bathersby will celebrate a farewell Mass in Brisbane on Sunday 18th December at 2.30pm.

The Mass will be held at the Cathedral of St Stephen, 249 Elizabeth St, in the city.

An afternoon tea for well wishers will be held on the Cathedral lawn following the Mass, from approximately 3.45pm.

The mass will offer an appropriate opportunity for Archbishop Bathersby to conclude his ministry in the Brisbane Archdiocese.

Archbishop Bathersby was granted his wish to retire by Pope Benedict in November, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in July.

He succeeded Francis Rush as Archbishop of Brisbane in 1991 (Installation was in January 1992) and had served as Bishop of Cairns for five years prior to that.

He now retires to live close to family in the granite belt area of Queensland.

Mass attendees are advised there will be no reserved seating or car parking, and the Cathedral Car Park also has a limited number of spaces available.

 

Released by the Catholic Communications Office

December 16, 2011