By Jackson Saunders
“Barrack for Gospel joy and not just your footy team.”
These words from Archbishop Peter Comensoli stood out for me in his homily at his installation Mass as the ninth Archbishop of Melbourne.
There was an uplifting and hope-filled sense of aura at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne on Wednesday, August 1, as more than 3000 people gathered to witness the historic occasion. About 40 bishops and 300 priests were among those who gathered for the two-hour ceremony.
As a seminarian for the Sandhurst Diocese studying at Corpus Christi College, it was a great joy to be part of this historic moment.
It was a night where I was once again reminded of that proud feeling of being a Catholic and a disciple of Christ.
As the seminarians processed into the Cathedral that night with bishops and priests from across Australia, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy. A new era was to begin.
Archbishop Denis Hart had been a faithful and dedicated leader of the Archdiocese and our seminary for the past 17 years, but his time had come to retire and a new chapter in the history of the Church was about to begin.
I felt privileged to be part of this inspiring ceremony as I considered that this may not happen again for more than 20 years. Archbishop Comensoli is 54 and is not due to submit his resignation until age 75.
Full story in the September edition of the SandPiper newspaper in the Sandhurst Diocese, www.sandpiper.org.au
Corpus Christi seminarians outside St Patrick's Cathedral on the night of Archbishop Comensoli's installation as the ninth Archbishop of Melbourne. Picture: Jackson Saunders.