9 April 2021
The community of the Church of Broken Bay gathered last night to mark our 35th Anniversary. It was a joyous occasion with representatives from across the Diocese and from the community in our region. Bishop Anthony Randazzo celebrated the jubilant Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara to mark 35 years since Pope John Paul II issued the Papal Bull announcing the formation of a new Diocese in Northern Sydney.
Joining Bishop Anthony to celebrate Mass was Bishop
Emeritus David Walker, the second Bishop of Broken Bay, as well as Bishop Bill Wright from Maitland-Newcastle, Bishop Richard Umbers, Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney and Fr Peter Williams, Vicar General in Parramatta Diocese, along with Clergy from the Diocese of Broken Bay.
Special guests included The Hon Phillip Ruddock, Mayor of Hornsby, Mr Alister Henskens, Member for Ku-ring-gai, and representatives from the Office of Emma McBride, Member for Dobell, as well as Bishop Peter Stuart, Anglican Bishop of Newcastle, Fr Bassilious Gad, Coptic Orthodox Parish Priest
"We acknowledge those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, we celebrate this moment in the present, and we look humbly yet confidently to the future filled with Christian joy and hope," said Bishop Anthony in his homily. "Above all, we give thanks to Almighty God for His unfailing love and mercy."
A light supper was enjoyed by guests in The Light of Christ Centre, following the Mass.
May this anniversary year provide an opportunity for profound and prayerful contemplation upon our past. May it be a blessed time of festival and delight in the present. And may it be a Spirit-filled time of renewal to animate us to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ the risen Lord into the future.
Watch the 35th Anniversary Celebration Mass here: