At the beginning of last year Bishop Michael appointed two priests (Frs Shaiju and Raj) to work in solidum (together) across the vast region of the West.  During 2020 both priests resided in Longreach, travelling extensively each weekend to various places.  At a meeting of the Regional Pastoral Council late last year, it was decided to trial something quite different for the West.  The two priests are separately rotating their weekday residence through the three largest towns, namely Longreach, Barcaldine and Blackall.  This will hopefully facilitate more opportunities for the priests and parishioners to get to know one another and for the priests to provide pastoral support to the Catholic schools and the nursing homes.  This is a significant change for our clergy and despite reducing the kilometres they will be travelling each month, the strain of living in three homes is a concern.  This 'rotation roster' is being trialled for a three month period, after which time it will be reviewed and assessed based on feedback from the priests and parishioners. 

Loretta McKeering