It has been a busy time in the Central West with Lent, Triduum and Easter celebrations as well as Fr Raj's farewell tour.  

St John's Church in Aramac revived Stations of the Cross this year, with a small group gathering on Good Friday to journey with the Lord in his Passion.  It has been many years since Stations were last held, and some participants had never been before.  A special thanks to Sacred Heart Church in Barcaldine for sharing their booklets and thus enabling this to happen with such short notice.

The Easter long weekend unofficially marks the beginning of the tourist season in Western Queensland.  A Back to Isisford Reunion was held, with many people flocking back to their old home town to catch up with family and friends.  Thanks to the wise forethought of Billie Edwards, an Easter Mass was celebrated in Isisford at an appropriate time, with the visitors causing an eightfold increased in numbers and almost filling the Church to its COVID-safe capacity.  Although tinged with sadness upon hearing of Fr Raj's departure, it was a joyful time to celebrate the Risen Lord and re-live memories of Masses and special occasions in days gone by.  

It is with great sadness and uncertainty that the West farewells Fr Raj.  We will miss his easy going nature, his humour, and his ability to mix with many different people, quickly making each person feel at ease in his presence.  Unfortunately, given the short time frame and the large region, Fr Raj was unable to celebrate 'one last Mass' with each of the communities, however thanks to Fr Shaiju's flexibility Fr Raj was able to say farewell to most people.  We are also thankful that due to a different COVID vaccination program in the West, he is now fully vaccinated prior to his return to India.  The people of the West have been blessed by his ministry and wish him all the very best for his future. 

Although the future availability of clergy for the West remains uncertain, we are fortunate that during the coming months we still have Fr Shaiju working hard to provide a priestly presence - celebrating the sacraments and providing pastoral ministry throughout the region.  We are extremely grateful for his service, his willingness to travel and do his best to minister to everyone.

Loretta McKeering