Archbishop’s Liturgical Launch of 2021 Christmas Appeal – for Parish Priests and Parish Appeal Representatives
On Tuesday evening 2 November 2021 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Archbishop Costelloe SDB, joined by Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton (Chairman, LifeLink), Rev Fr Peter Whitely (Vicar General) and Rev Dr Sean Fernandez (Dean, St Mary’s Cathedral) warmly welcomed more than 150 parish priests, parish representatives and invited guests to a special Liturgical Service.
Archbishop Timothy said “I was so grateful to the parish priests and parish representatives who made time to join Bishop Sproxton and me for this event, particularly given it was All Souls Day and Melbourne Cup day.
This annual Service is an opportunity for Bishop Don and I to thank everyone for the wonderful support they provide in helping to make this appeal possible each year, and most importantly, for us to join together to reflect on and pray for people struggling in our community who rely on our Church agencies for help
My Christmas Appeal is the only fundraising conducted in our parishes each year to help financially support the vitally important work of the Church’s welfare agencies in this Archdiocese. Without the enthusiastic and generous support of parish priests and parishioners, this appeal would simply not be possible, or as successful as it is.
More than 60% of the funding which the Archdiocese provides for welfare services each year is provided through the gifts made to my Christmas Appeal. It is indeed fitting therefore that we jointly celebrate Pope Francis “World Day of the Poor” on our appeal launch weekend.
As Pope Francis includes in his message to us this year, “The World Day of the Poor should help local churches evangelise by meeting the poor personally wherever they may be.
We cannot wait for the poor to knock on our door; we need urgently to reach them in their homes, in hospitals and nursing homes, on the streets and in the dark corners where they sometimes hide, in shelters and reception centres’. It is important to understand how they feel, what they are experiencing and what their hearts desire,” he said.
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