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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ
Over these past few months I have been asked how the Diocese is responding to the questions of the Plenary Council. Each month, Sr Noreen has been adding materials for the Plenary in this newsletter. Over these past few years, the Diocese has been engaged in a listening phase which culminated in a Diocesan Assembly pre-Easter 2019. From that assembly, the participants were invited to engage in nine task groups which are currently examining the propositions that emerged from the Assembly. These task groups will report back before the end of the year. At the assembly, all the material collated was handed over to the facilitator of the Plenary, Lana, and all our thoughts generated through the three years of listening have now been incorporated into the Plenary agenda. Over these past few months, I have been meeting with the newly formed Regional Pastoral Councils which have added a great layer of pastoral discernment across the Diocese. It is my hope that the Diocesan Pastoral Council will be formed soon.
In this edition of the Newsletter, there is news from many parts of the Diocese. Recently, I was invited to attend the weekend at Twin Hills by Alan Guilfoyle (Guillie). It was a great gathering of the people of the district and on the Saturday evening, Mass and a baptism was celebrated for the local community. I look forward to joining the community in 2021 to celebrate the 21st birthday of their gathering.
It was good to connect with the Ignite Youth Conference in Brisbane where many of our young people gathered for four days to ignite their faith in a weekend of faith, music, praise and worship. The Ignite weekend for our young is the middle weekend of the school holiday break in September. Thanks to Joy and Father Andrew who accompanied the Rockhampton group to Ignite.
Twin Hills Race, Campdraft and Rodeo Mass 2019
On the 26th to the 29th September 2019, over 2000 people gathered on the Twin Hills Sporting Reserve, 128km NW of Clermont for the annual Race meeting, campdraft and rodeo. This event has been held on the venue since 1927, seasonal conditions permitting.
With people camping for the duration, a real sense of community and camaraderie has long existed at Twin Hills. Being on a gidyea flat subject to periodic flooding from Mistake Creek has meant that any fixed camping facilities have remained basic but not so the hospitality. Dusty conditions are the norm, as any amount of moisture will turn the clay soils to glutinous mud. A few timely winter showers of rain this year also meant the Gidyea burr and “Bogan Flea” plants were in healthy profusion
In the year 2000 amid some musing and disbelieving comments, it was decided to hold a Eucharistic celebration, a first time ever. As one person put it “I have seen many things at Twin Hills but I have never seen Mass there before”.
The then resident Clermont Parish priest, the late Fr Bruce Little, readily accepted the challenge though naturally with some trepidation, a feeling in common with the Mass organisers. However, the response of the crowd to the presence of a priest in the camp was overwhelmingly positive, seeing over 150 people in attendance, an even mix of young and old.
Since then, Mass after the races on Saturday afternoon has been a feature with local families taking the opportunity to have their children baptised in a familiar and homely bush setting.
This year Bishop Michael McCarthy, Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Rockhampton, which includes Twin Hills, was a special guest, camping and spending the weekend meeting and mixing with the people, plus experiencing for the first time the unique atmosphere of rodeo and camp-drafting. He was accompanied by Fr Matthias Ogwo from the Peak Downs Cluster of Parishes who was certainly overwhelmed by an event so different from his native Nigeria.
After the last race on Saturday in the Cassiopeia camp hosted by John, Zoe, Bart and Tegan Wilkinson, Bishop Michael celebrated the Eucharist before a gathering of 180 people sharing prayers for those severely affected by the current droughted seasons across Australia. The ceremony also included the Baptism of Peter Gordon John Salmond, son of John and Tessia Salmond, a fitting celebration as John and Tessia first met at Twin Hills ten years ago in 2009.
At the start of Mass and on behalf of the Twin Hills community, Terry Kenny from Llanarth Station presented Bishop Michael with a commemorative Stole of blue denim bearing a damper and a quarter-pot beneath crosses all crafted in leather, denoting the inherent Christian hospitality of the Australian bush. The healthy- sized collection, taken up in a ringer’s hat, was a further material expression of the mood of those present.
In A Cathedral Built by God
(for the people of Twin Hills 16/9/2000)
With the setting sun slanting through the gidyea trees
And the dust barely moving in the gentle breeze
At the end of the bough shed in Dennis’s camp
A match was set to an old kerosene lamp
The lamp was lit so all could see
To gather as family where the action would be
Across the flat from all corners they came
Diverse in appearance but in spirit the same
The children in front sat on a row of hay bales
The ringers at the back leaned on a hitching rail
On a stump or carried chair all came to rest
Dusty denim, big hats, and fashion parade best.
Around the camp table at the end of the shed
No walls, no roof just the sky overhead
The Word opened and spoken for all to hear
Love and peace the message; not anger and fear
Bread on an enamel plate, wine in a quartpot
A sight not uncommon in the bush folk’s lot
Held high by the ordained for all to see
Blessing it he said “Do this in memory of me”
No high altars, gold vestments or buildings spectacular
The Word breathed and spoken as “liturgy in the vernacular”
For some the surroundings may appear terribly odd
But for all present there, it was a Cathedral built by God.
Alan Guilfoyle 20/9/2000
The Diocese of Rockhampton will celebrate with a special Eucharist on 
World Mission Sunday on 20 October at 9.30am. We will be joined by His Excellency, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana. The Mass will be followed by a special Filipino Festival. Come and join us!
This October the Universal Church observes and celebrates an Extraordinary Missionary Month. The Extraordinary Missionary Month was announced by Pope Francis to mark the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV's Apostolic Letter ‘Maximum Illud’.
The theme is ‘Baptized and Sent: The Church of Christ on Mission in the World,’ coinciding with Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of October, which is for a ‘Missionary Spring’ in the Church.
The Extraordinary Missionary Month initiative aims to awaken the awareness of the meaning of mission and reinvigorate the sense of responsibility for proclaiming the Gospel with new enthusiasm.
The pope launched the month with a prayer vigil in St Peter’s Basilica the evening of 1 October, on the feast of St Therese of Lisieux, co-patron of the missions and one of Francis’s favourite saints.
Pope Francis wants the entire month of October to have a focus on mission because he wanted to give ‘fresh evangelical impulse to her work of preaching and bringing to the world the salvation of Jesus Christ.’
In his message for the month, Pope Francis wrote: ‘God wills that all people be saved by coming to know the truth and experiencing his mercy through the ministry of the Church, the universal sacrament of salvation.’
The Extraordinary Missionary Month is an invitation for all to join in and do something extraordinary for mission.
Rockhampton Mercy Associates High Tea Fundraiser for Mercy Works.
Members of the Mercy Associates, with invaluable assistance from The Cathedral College (TCC) students and staff, hosted a High Tea in September 2019 as a fundraiser for Mercy Works as well as a way to raise awareness and appreciation of the people they assist. Following the success of our previous High Tea in 2018, this afternoon did not disappoint!
The historic Range Middle Hall rang to the sounds of laughter and chatter as those who gathered enjoyed entertainment provided by TCC students who also served the refreshments to 120 thirsty guests! This is quite an accomplishment for a Sunday afternoon in Term Time and our appreciation of their skills and efforts is great.
Donations of the variety of quality prizes for our Multi draw Raffle saw many people head home with big smiles but the best gift of the afternoon was the presentation that Kingsley Edwards, Donor development manager of Mercy Works, shared – the stories of just a few of those whom Mercy Works is currently assisting.
He spoke of Samuel in PNG who is a fourth year Med student now on a Mercy Works scholarship. Samuel had managed to study for the first 3 years of his degree using his savings but would have been unable to continue his studies without the help of this scholarship. Kingsley shared that Samuel is committed to completing his degree so he can return to his home town and provide much needed life saving medical attention which he knows will save many of their lives.
Batool is part of the Mercy Connect program in Sydney where she studies as a mature age student and is mentored by caring volunteers. Her story tells of living as a refugee as part of her family’s experience of fleeing from war in Afghanistan to Iraq, deportation to Syria and fleeing to Iran as a third generation refugee, finally making to Australia after being separated from most of her family and where she is now considered ‘stateless’ i.e. not having a country to call home.
The stories of these, and a variety of others, touched the hearts of those gathered and it was with great joy that the proceeds, tallying $3530, were handed over to Mercy Works so they can continue their ministry to so many who deserve our admiration and our assistance.
Barbara Lunney
Restoration of the Pipe Organ in St Joseph’s Cathedral.
The pipe organ was built in 1925-26 by Whitehouse Bros of Brisbane. The installation in Rockhampton was in progress till late April .
In the late 1970s, the organ was disassembled. While it has been subjected to vandalism it still remains intact. There have been proposals since around 2010 for restoration of the pipe organ by Max Thompson, a senior airline pilot (retired) from Bowral, NSW and Doug Milne, a retired school teacher. Doug has worked with two organ builders. In 2016, they, along with Karen Milne who is a research chemist and a qualified pianist, were invited to commence restoring the pipe organ.
The pipe organ had pneumatic action, the only electric parts being the blower and the light over the music. Almost everything must be repaired. Many parts have been repaired and are stored in boxes. The keyboard was the finest quality ivory with ebony sharps. However, the restoration of the keys will be plastic.
All the front half of the organ pipes are now working. Max and Doug are currently on the back half of the organ called the swell. On this trip it was discovered that the bellow would not fill with air because the dry weather had opened cracks in the bottom. This has been rectified.
The original blower was supplied by a rotary blower, driven by a three-phase electric motor. As we no longer have a three- phase electric motor, a new blower will need to be purchased.
Max and Doug visit Rockhampton three times a year to continue the restoration of what was an exceptionally fine pipe organ. The dream is to eventually link the pipe organ to the new Roland digital organ placed at floor level near the sanctuary.
National Police Remembrance Day
National Police Remembrance Day is observed annually in September as it marks the Feast of Saint Michael (the Archangel), Patron Saint of Police, who was always fighting evil. In 2019, the 30-year anniversary of National Police Remembrance Day was celebrated.
This year St Joseph’s Cathedral was the host and it was a time to pause, honour and remember as well as thank those police officers whose lives have been lost in the line of duty.
The service commenced with the reception of flags. Father Bryan Hanifin, Vicar General of St Joseph’s Cathedral welcomed all to the service. All were encouraged to care and support one another.
A symbolic lighting of candle ceremony was performed as the names of those who had lost their lives in the line of duty read out. Police officers gathered and prayed the Police prayer together: “Help us in knowing when to enforce and when to relax the letter of the law. Help us to be a personal example of the honesty, the goodness and the justice which it is our duty to maintain and grant that our actions will inspire in our community, confidence in its police officers”.
WITH HONOUR THEY SERVED
Marg Hallinan
Farewell Noreen
Many across the diocese may have a crotched blanket on their bed or couch that was given from the Blanket Buddies in Bundaberg.
On September 26th we farewelled one of our parish’s beloved daughters, Mrs Noreen Plath, founder of the Blanket Buddies, during a funeral Mass that celebrated her life of 79 years. Sometimes special people come into our lives and make a difference by being themselves. Noreen exemplified the stewardship way of life by using her talents, time and treasure to serve others. Noreen was a woman after Mary McKillop’s heart: never see a need without doing something about it, or as Fr Terry Stallard, presiding priest, suggested: “don’t find an excuse, find a way.” Noreen’s way was trusting in God.
Noreen’s strongest gifts were praying, singing and crocheting. One would never be done without the other. She prayed through song; she crotched while praying; she sang as she crotched, and so on!
I include here the article Noreen wrote for our 2018 parish magazine about her beloved Blanket Buddies. Noreen started this parish ministry in July 2011 with three ladies. More than 40 people now call themselves Blanket Buddies.
“We have encouraged anyone interested to join for fellowship and learning to crochet or knit. It has become a group of women who care not just for those in need but for each other as well. As the founding member my goal was and is to never find anyone either cold or in need. Over the years we have reached out with nearly 7,000 blankets plus beanies, scarves, premy baby needs, and shawls for nursing homes. We have taken the Angel Group under our canopy of love by providing groceries on the first Wednesday of each month to help those in need. We donate cash to other charities and blankets to St Vincent de Paul, Cancer Council and Impact. We raise money for wool by manning sausage sizzles at St Patrick’s School, BBQs at Shalom College, raffles at Spotlight. Some generous parishioners donate cash. We always have wool on hand.
With God’s help we will continue with our Dreams and Visions not forgetting any one in need, and always listening for those in need of our ministry. Every stitch is a stitch of Love.”
Noreen’s dream has been made a reality.
On Monday 30th September our dinner club met at the Boomerang Hotel. Guest Speaker was Craig Doyle CEO Mackay Regional Council. Craig gave an excellent talk about his progress from being firstly employed as a young sugar chemist to his present position. Various positions along the way included working at Mackay Sugar, Wilmar Sugar in various levels, including executive manager. Craig is also on the board for Qld Sugar Ltd. Before coming back to Mackay Craig was C.E.O of Gladstone Ports Corporation.
Craig holds an MBA in Technology Management and other academic qualifications. His wealth of experience in various areas was shared with our group. Canefarmer members were amazed at so much knowledge he has of their industry. He also spoke at length about the operations of council, progress of various projects and a projects envisaged by our council for the future.
Peter Sheedy, Frank Doolan, Terry Sheedy
Our next dinner is on Monday 28th October. Guest Speaker, Most Reverend Bishop Michael McCarthy (At the October dinner Ladies are also invited). In November our speaker will be Mark Day CEO Mackay Sugar. Visitors are always welcome.
What a month of activities!!!
We started off with the National Evangelisation Team visiting our Parish. The NET team is a peer to peer youth ministry who visited our schools and shared their faith and love of God. They also led the music at our Saturday night Mass, gave a brief talk on their ministry and then stayed for the parish BBQ.
The same weekend we held our Springtime Fair, which creates a lot of work but is very rewarding on the day. A great morning of fellowship and fun was had by all who attended from both sides of the Parish and the surrounding community.
Fr Matthew left the Parish for the month of October to travel to Longreach and minister to the Western areas. We all felt part of this ministry as we received a day by day photo shoot from Fr Matthew. Fr Andrew Chase stepped in to our Parish and became part of our family very easily. We also had Fr Noel step in for one weekend. Thanks Fr Andrew and Fr Noel for ministering to our Parish.
Last Saturday we held our Angel Party, to celebrate the newly baptised members of our church. A fun time was had by all who attended and there was even angel food!!! Pretty good looking bunch of angels attended.
Last month 58 children celebrated the Sacraments, including Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion. Congratulations to all and may you always be led by the Holy Spirit.
We also had our newly formed Leadership Team commissioned by Bishop Michael. It was a privilege to have Bishop Michael here with us for the weekend.
Helen McIntyre
On Thursday, September 5th, the North Rockhampton Parish Ladies Club held their annual Ecumenical Morning Tea at Holy Family Hall. This year’s theme was “Year of the Outback”.
The hall was decorated in Outback themed tea towels, souvenirs, hats and animals. The team of ladies who organised the morning tea looked lovely dressed in their country clothes.
The morning opened with a prayer read by Jan McSweeney then followed with a scrumptious morning tea served by students from Emmaus College. The crowd sang along with the U3A Choir who entertained the group with a variety of traditional songs. In keeping with the outback theme, the Choir also sang some well-known Australiana songs.
Those present were also entertained by the clever bush poetry written and presented by Jilli Andre. There were raffles and numerous lucky door prizes.
Proceeds from the morning tea went to the RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service. A representative of the service was there to accept the cheque for $1,250 raised at the morning tea.