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In this edition:
| ACMRO Directors’ Gathering
| Ministry in Focus: Archdiocese of Brisbane’s Romero Centre
| Ministry in Focus: WDMR Celebration in Port Augusta Parish - Diocese of Port Pirie, South Australia
| We Wish You a Blessed Advent Season and a Joyful Christmas Celebration
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The ACMRO Directors met in the Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre in Brisbane from 25 to 27 November. It was attended by Fr Khalid Marogi and Don Gomez from the ACMRO, Fr Roland Maurer and Kylie Cullen from Sydney Archdiocese, Fr Joselito Asis from Melbourne Archdiocese, Eric Robinson and Liliana Ortiz from Brisbane Archdiocese, Tracey Tessitore from Adelaide Archdiocese, Fr Paul Anthony from the Armidale Diocese, Fr Jun Perez from the Divine Word Missionaries, and Dcn Greg Lowe from the Perth Archdiocese, who joined in via online.
The event was a great opportunity to gather, pray, share reports, and have formation sessions. In his address via Zoom to the Directors, Archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn and ACMRO bishop-delegate Christopher Prowse highlighted the importance of migrant communities and challenged the communities that bring so many gifts to Australia to be actively engaged not only in their church communities but also in political leadership roles that shape policy and decision-making.
Davide Bernocchi, the Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), provided via Zoom from Geneva great insights on the important work of the ICMC as well as a summary of the global data relating to migrants and refugees.
Fr John Quang SVD shared the history and story of the Vietnamese Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Brisbane highlighting the community's rich faith and culture.
One of the highlights of the gathering was the participants’ visit to the Romero Centre, the Archdiocese of Brisbane's ministry to people seeking asylum. The gathering ended in planning for future projects, such as the celebration of the Jubilee Year 2025, most specifically the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, as well as the Jubilee of Migrants in September to October 2025.
Members are known as “ACMRO directors” because of their close collaboration and cooperation in sharing information and reflecting on grassroots practices, as well as raising issues the ACMRO could bring to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference's attention through the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, which Archbishop Prowse chairs.
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The Romero Centre is led by a dedicated staff and volunteers. Centre Manager Mengistu Hailu said that all who visit this place will surely leave their hearts in it. The centre provides support for people seeking asylum and is a safe space for people to share their stories and journeys, which impact not only their lives but also the lives of the staff and collaborators.
Originally established and administered by the Mercy Sisters in 2000, the centre officially became a ministry of the Archdiocese of Brisbane in July this year. Mr Hailu emphasised that the centre is dedicated to helping the most vulnerable members of our community, especially in welcoming and supporting people seeking asylum, inspired by its namesake, Saint Archbishop Oscar Romero's vision, and a profound respect for the human sovereign soul.
Indeed, in Romero Centre, “Love has no borders.” It continues to be a beacon of hope by providing food and shelter for people seeking asylum living in Brisbane, facilitating free English classes, training and employment opportunities, providing support, process guidance, and access to lawyers, and bringing the community together through activities.
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We give thanks to God for our First Nations Peoples and the migrants and refugees and their descendants, who together make up our Great South Land of the Holy Spirit.
World Migrant and Refugee Sunday is celebrated by Catholics all around the world. It invites us to extend our compassion beyond our own suburb, city, and nation and reminds us that the plight of refugees and immigrants is world-wide.
Compassion and hospitality are central values of the Catholic Church. They are Jesus’ values. Welcoming, protecting, promoting, and integrating migrants and refugees into our local community is an integral part of our church life here at All Saints, Port Augusta. We are all part of this nation, and as we are here, it is our duty to see that we assimilate other cultures so that we can grow together based on love, respect, and acceptance.
It was happy to see a mixture of people from different age groups and nationalities, speaking a variety of languages, but united to worship and celebrate our faith.
The program on the day started with the Acknowledgement of the Country, a welcome by the Indian community, and Mass readings by the Australian and Filipino communities, followed by the participation of young children and youth, who did a wonderful job with presenting all our prayers and supplications to our Lord. The voices of the choir uplifted the spirit of everyone with beautiful singing by Australian, Indian, Timor-Leste, and Vietnamese communities.
Article and photos by:
Sr Sheela Thomas SSAM
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The ACMRO team sends you our heartfelt wishes for an Advent season and a Christmas celebration filled with peace, joy, love, and blessings. We thank you for being great collaborators in this ministry and a huge part of our journey.
May the eternal light of Christ shine brightly in your heart and home this Christmas and forever.
We look forward to continuing sending you our next newsletters in early February 2025.
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