The Catholic Weekly 10 May 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 6 NEWS 10, May, 2020 THE LONG-TIME former par- ish priest of Cabramatta, Fr Patrick McAuliffe, was fare- welled at a funeral Mass cele- brated by Archbishop Antho- ny Fisher OP on 30 April. ‘Fr Mac’, as he was affec- tionately known by his parish- ioners, had served the Sacred Heart parish for 42 years and died from cancer on 24 April. Many posted tributes on- line expressing a deep sense of loss and sharing memories of their favourite priest, de- Over a remarkable 42 years in one parish, priest won widespread respect ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Cabramatta farewells beloved ‘Father Mac’ ‘Father Mac,’ as he was affectionately known, celebrates his 60th anniversary of ordination in 2016. PHOTO: GIOVANNI PORTELLI scribing him as a “gentleman”, a “source of strength” and a “lovely priest” with a wicked sense of humour who loved sport and people. More than 800 people watched the Mass which was live-streamed from Sacred Heart church. Present at the Mass were concelebrants par- ish priest Fr Lam Son (Remy) Bui, Fr Liem Duong and Fr Lewi Barakat, and members of Fr Patrick’s family. The de- voted priest was a “humble man of great faith and gener- ous service”, Archbishop Fish- er said. “He was enormously loyal to his parishioners and their affection for him was palpable.” Following the Mass Fr Pat- rick’s family thanked all who assisted with the funeral. “Father Pat was cherished by so many people and it breaks our hearts that you could not share the Mass cele- brations in person, but we are eternally grateful that it was live-streamed so at least you could be part of Father’s send- off,” a family message that was posted on the parish website said. “We are touched by the many sympathy wishes, the sharing of your memories and stories, the pictures you have emailed or put on Facebook.” Fr Patrick was ordained at St Mary’s Cathedral by Cardi- nal Gilroy. He served as assis- tant priest at Surry Hills, East- wood, Pagewood, Lane Cove and Kingsgrove before his appointment to Cabramatta in 1974. LIFELONG SHEPHERD P24 In brief Right to Life’s new office Those who inspire AFTER 40 years at its York Street address in the Syd- ney CBD, Right to Life NSW is moving house. Its relocated office in Bligh Street is a modern, shared office space close to Parliament House. “Moving out of York Street and leaving all that history behind was hard,” said chief executive of- ficer Dr Rachel Carling. “However we are look- ing forward to the new opportunities which our base in Bligh Street will bring”. The new address is Suite 11b, Level 12, 37 Bligh Street, Sydney and phone number remains 9299 8350. PRIESTS AND doctors who gave their lives car- ing for the spiritual and physical well-being of others during the coro- navirus pandemic are like Jesus, the good shepherd, who laid down his life for his flock, Pope Francis said. Celebrating Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday, 3 May, the pope said the feast reminded him of the more than 100 priests and 154 doctors who have died in Italy “in an act of service” to victims of COVID-19. “May the example of these ‘shepherd-priests and shepherd-doctors’ help us to take care of God’s faithful holy peo- ple,” he said. The pope began his homily by re- flecting on the Sunday Gospel reading from St. John, in which Christ not only presents himself as the shepherd but also as “the gate for the sheep.” ARCHBISHOP’S HOMILY P8 HOSPITAL CHAPLAINS P16 THOUSANDS OF Sydney Catholics celebrated the East- er triduum at home with spe- cial care packages put togeth- er in a mammoth effort at short notice. Within days of all Masses being suspended due to the pandemic, the director of par- ish 2020 Daniel Ang proposed that faith kits be provided to the faithful locked out of churches during Holy Week. A working group of the newly-formed Catholic Arch- diocese of Sydney Covid-19 Response Taskforce under ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Easter faith kits a hit Sydney Catholic Youth’s Elizabeth Pasion, left, and Gelina Montier- ro assemble the faith kits for distribution. the direction of Bishop Rich- ard Umbers began exploring the possibilities as well as the hygiene precautions required. Less than two weeks from the initial idea a small team had planned, resourced, packed and delivered more than a thousand kits for par- ishes and homes across the city and beyond. Each pack included holy water, illustrated guides to the Easter Triduum (Good Friday to Easter Sunday), and liturgy booklets. Digital versions of the litur- gy resources were also made available to people who re- quested them, with some even being sought by people living overseas. “In the wake of the restric- tions placed on church and other gatherings during this time, it was important to pro- vide practical support to our parishes and pastors in their spiritual accompaniment of their people during Holy Week and the Easter Tridu- um,” said Mr Ang. “The intention of the kits was that they serve as a sign of the presence of Christ and that of the wider Church in the homes of Catholics and others of good will. “The materials they con- tained sought to nourish family and household prayer, giving the ‘domestic church’ pride of place in our out- reach, as well as older pa- rishioners who may appre- ciate a concrete sign of the Church’s care in this holiest of seasons and most chal- lenging of times.” Organisers were “thrilled” by the enthusiastic response to the idea and positive feed- back about the kits them- selves, “at a time when hope, solidarity and generosity are needed more than ever”, Mr Ang said. We are touched by the many sympathy wishes, the sharing of your memo- ries and stories, the pictures you have emailed or put on Facebook.” Message from Sacred Heart parish website