Fr Lourigan, Fathers, Deacons, Religious, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On my father’s side I am descended from an Irish great-grandmother from Borrisofarney Tipperary, descended I was told only last year from the famous Ned Kelly family from Ballangarry, while on my mother’s side I am descended from my great grandfather a Scottish Presbyterian minister from Edinburgh Scotland.  Over the years I have visited both areas more frequently on the Irish side than the Scottish.  When I visited my Kelly relations last year in Tipperary I was explaining, full of pride, that we had celebrated our Sesquicentenary that very year.  Lest they misunderstood the meaning of that strange word, I explained with enthusiasm that the Church in Brisbane was already one hundred and fifty years old. They looked at me with some amazement and not a little humour, as if to say “so what.”  “Do you really want us to tell you how old Ireland is?”

However if we ever wanted to move into ancient time we need go no further that our own Indigenous people.  Pope John Paul II never received me in Rome without talking about them.  He was amazed by their age and mentioned that they existed 30,000 years before God called Abraham to be the father of His chosen people.  Time is always relative and yet amazingly we are all called into existence by God’s love, maintained in existence by that same love, and destined to live forever.  Because of that we can never ever be separated from our friends and loved ones, provided we live lives of love and are destined by God’s good news to live in communion with God, the saints, our loved ones and friends.  Our destiny is to live forever in the loving presence of God.  Nevertheless all time is precious, and we should never waste it, whether it is 10 years, or the 50 years that we are celebrating today.  God gives us time always to look back on what we have achieved and what we still wish to achieve in the future.  Fifty years seems a long time, and yet in reality it is merely a moment and yet in that moment great things have happened here in your parish. 

One has only to think what has been achieved – the churches here at Grovely, Mitchelton and Samford, the school buildings, the enormous amount of work that has been done by the priests, especially your founding father Fr Daly leading on to the large number of assistant priests over the years, then on to Fr Frank Lourigan who has done so much in such a comparatively short time, the work of the Franciscan and Redemptorists in earlier days, the work of Deacons in more recent years, the marvellous work in the past by the Good Samaritan Sisters in the school and parish, the work of lay people who followed the sisters in the school, the enormous work and support of lay people who gave generously of their own money and encouraged others to do likewise, finally the marvellous work also of the pastoral workers here in St Williams in more recent years.

Good has been done also in areas of social justice, especially helping the poor and lonely people of this area, your remarkable radio station that does so much in communicating good news to people.  Let us not forget after the sadness with the departure of the sisters your joy when lay teachers brilliantly took up the work that had already begun, not forgetting the youth groups organised here, but above all the marvellous Sacraments and prayers celebrated in the churches and the worship that took place. Today I congratulate Fr Lourigan and all those religious and lay people who made this parish what it is.  You have every reason to feel proud.

The scripture today is basically about the urgency of the Kingdom.  The first book of Kings describes the call of the prophets.  Religion is not about wasting our lives, lives that go all too fast.  Called by God we must respond.  The letter to the Galatians speaks precisely about what we should do.  It is love.  Summarised in a single command “Love your neighbour as yourself”.  Finally the gospel of Luke speaks precisely about what is needed “Your duty is to go and spread the good news of the Kingdom”.  Never before have we needed to listen to the urgency of God’s call.  We can’t say “I will make up my mind when I am 70 or 80.”  We are called by God to worship and that is the key to God’s Kingdom. Jesus performed acts of goodness during His lifetime, but above all He was driven by the will of His father whom He loved dearly.  What I desire above all else is for the communities of St Williams, the Sacred Heart Church, and our Lady of Dolors to set out towards your Centenary celebration in the future, never forgetting the need of the Church today for the worship of God, not occasionally, but each and every week of our lives.  We are made to return God’s love if we wish to spend eternity with God.  Considering the quality of what has happened here in the past golden age of the Parish, I haven’t the slightest concern that it will not be repeated again into the future, supported by your patron St William and the burning love of Jesus manifest in His Sacred Heart.  Finally may Mary the mother of Jesus, Our Lady of Dolors and Blessed Mary MacKillop the patron of the Archdiocese, be there for your inspiration and prayerful support always.

Archbishop John Bathersby

June 27, 2010