Advent Pastoral Letter

Just as importantly, as Catholic followers of Christ, we must do what we can, individually and as a community, to live decently, to walk in the paths of the Lord; not to follow the example of the believers before Noah's flood who suspected nothing, were unaware of the spiritual challenges which surrounded them.

As Catholics we have received a precious heritage of faith, love and hope, which we must pass on to future generations for their free acceptance. We are especially called to be a community of hope, expressed through service to society, which confidently proclaims its Catholic faith and searches out ways to spread the work of the Kingdom of God.

Naturally your priests and bishops share these hopes and have discussed them at a three-day Clergy Forum at Windsor on 14-16 October 2003 and more recently at a day-long meeting on 28 October this year.

There was an overwhelming consensus among us that we should work steadily to develop a set of goals and priorities for parishes, regions and the Archdiocese to strengthen Catholic life and respond to changing circumstances. Some see this as an Archdiocesan pastoral plan, but it will not be a straitjacket, will rely on free cooperation and participation and will respect the vast diversity in Sydney Catholic life.

I am pleased to accept this recommendation and set up the Archdiocesan Renewal Planning Committee, chaired by Bishop Julian Porteous and comprising clergy, lay people and religious.

This committee will work within the parameters of Catholic doctrine, will build on our formidable strengths and foster cooperation between our many different Catholic agencies. It will acknowledge and strengthen the religious vitality of our ethnic groups. Naturally it will encourage ecumenical cooperation and inter-faith dialogue.

There will be opportunities for input and feedback from parishes, communities and agencies and it is envisaged that a set of proposals would be put to a Sydney Archdiocesan Assembly, perhaps in 2006, identifying priorities for a five year period.

Priests
The number, quality and morale of our priests are crucial factors for Catholic life. There are many other important contributors too, but in the Catholic scheme of things priests will always be vital and necessary.

For each of the past five years we have been blessed with a goodly number entering our seminaries. We now have 33 seminarians for Sydney Archdiocese in Good Shepherd Seminary, Homebush and the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of the Neo-Catechumenal Way at Pagewood. Many people remain unaware of this improvement, unaware of these blessings. When it was announced recently to a small parish community that 43 young men were attending the November retreat weekend for prospective seminarians, there was a round of applause.

However we need more priests and the pressures on parishes will continue, not least from the change in the distribution of Catholic population as well as the ageing of the clergy. Already 14 groups of parishes have been partnered and other possible partnerships have been identified (See Appendix). In a partnership, one priest is responsible for two or more parishes.

A Committee was set up in April 2002 to identify parishes which may be partnered in the short, medium and long term. There was wide consultation at various stages and the contents of their report are found in the appendix to this letter. I thank them for their good work.

These proposed changes are a list of possibilities. They are not set in concrete and parish priests involved are asked to continue local discussion so that they can be implemented as opportunities arise. There are no plans to close or suppress local communities.

This restructuring will place additional burdens on some priests and parishes. No community wants to lose its resident priest. Therefore I ask all parish communities to rally behind their priests and support them and one another in every way during this next challenge. Our collective thanks are due to all priests, laity and religious who work so consistently to enhance Catholic life.

As an Archdiocese we are facing significant challenges in the coming years; we need to read the signs of the times. Every age in the Church has faced challenges of faith, of expansion or decline, of social change, and our age is no exception. Our challenges are not met solely by our human efforts; we have the promised Spirit of truth, our Advocate to be with us forever (Jn 14:17), guiding us into all the truth (Jn 16:13). In this Year of the Eucharist we must be conscious of the power of prayer, the power of all the sacraments and especially of the Eucharist celebrated in our communities, where with Jesus Christ we offer a perfect sacrifice to God the Father along with our expressed needs and concerns.

May the Lord be with us all as we move forward.

+ George Cardinal Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (8 December 2004)

Appendix

Current Partnered Parishes:
o Annandale-Stanmore
o Arncliffe-Rockdale
o Balmain-Rozelle
o Blakehurst-Hurstville South
o Bondi-Woollahra
o Earlwood-Clemton Park
o Edgecliff-Paddington
o Forest Lodge-Pyrmont
o Mosman-Neutral Bay
o North Sydney-Lavender Bay-Kirribilli
o Randwick-Randwick North
o Revesby Heights-Revesby
o Rose Bay-Dover Heights
o Penshurst-Peakhurst

Possible Partnered Parishes
o Ashbury with Campsie
o Auburn with South Auburn
o Bass Hill with Georges Hall
o Beauty Point with Clifton Gardens, Mosman and Neutral Bay
o Belfield with South Strathfield
o Beverly Hills with Kingsgrove
o Bondi Beach with Rose Bay and Dover Heights
o Botany with Pagewood and Daceyville
o Camperdown with Newtown (2x priests needed for RPA Hospital)
o Carlton with Hurstville
o Clovelly with Coogee
o Concord with Mortlake
o Denistone with Meadowbank
o Dulwich Hill with Summer Hill
o Flemington with Strathfield
o Gladesville with Ryde
o Greenacre with Punchbowl
o Kogarah with Sans Souci
o Lewisham with North Leichhardt
o Malabar with Matraville
o Maroubra Bay Beach with Maroubra
o Mascot with Rosebery
o Miranda with Sylvania
o Surry Hills with Waterloo