36 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Year in Review 2025 A New Pope for the World At dawn on 8 May, two women in Kyabram watched their televisions with quiet focus, eyes fixed on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square. Like millions around the world, they waited for a name, a face, a sign of the Church’s future. When the new Pope stepped into view, recognition came swiftly. A phone vibrated. “It’s him.” “Peace be with all of you!” were the first words spoken by the newly elected 267th Bishop of Rome, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost OSA, now Pope Leo XIV. For Kyabram parishioner Alma Limbrick, the face on the balcony belonged to someone she had met years earlier through the Augustinian community. She first encountered the future Pope at an Augustinian conference for the laity, describing him as “very gentle, inspirational and authentic.” Alma met him again in December 2005 when, as Prior General of the Augustinian Order, Fr Robert Prevost celebrated Mass at St Augustine’s Church in Kyabram. The visit took place just weeks before the Augustinians concluded 103 years of ministry in the town. “I’ve been fortunate to be educated and challenged by the Augustinians and Brigidines,” Alma said. “I’m very proud that an Augustinian is now our Pope. The Augustinians were good listeners, and their encouragement spurred me on to study and serve in the parish.” Looking back, Alma recognises in Pope Leo XIV a charism long familiar to local communities. “The Augustinians talked a lot about synodality – but we didn’t call it that back then,” she said. Their emphasis on community is summed up in the phrase ‘one mind and one heart, intent upon God’. For Augustinians, the Eucharist shapes both worship and life: in the transformation of bread and wine, the community itself is formed into one body, called to live in service and love. That spirit was echoed at the Augustinians’ farewell dinner in January 2006, when parishioner Maureen Atkins spoke on behalf of the Kyabram community. “For many years, the Augustinians have focused on the importance of collaboration in ministry,” she said. “We have been challenged to accept our baptismal responsibility, and we know we can move forward with confidence.” As Pope Leo XIV begins his ministry as pastor of the universal Church, those same values resonate more broadly. Testimonies emerging from around the world point to a Pope shaped by the Augustinian tradition: attentive to community, committed to truth, and guided by a shepherd’s care for the people of God. Catholics recognise in Pope Leo XIV a leader who will encourage the faithful to live their baptismal calling together, building on Pope Francis’ legacy — particularly the call to care for the poor and for our common home — through a commitment to peace, missionary outreach and leadership rooted in service. The connection between the new Pope and the Diocese of Sandhurst is marked by his brief but meaningful visit twenty years ago, in December 2005. Vicki Arnel recalls that Fr Robert Prevost OSA was met at Tullamarine Airport by Fr Dave Austin OSA, parish priest of Kyabram at the time. Together they travelled to Bendigo, where the Augustinian story in the Diocese began with the appointment of Bishop Crane in 1874. After meeting Monsignor Frank Marriott, they visited Rochester to view the stained-glass windows depicting Augustinian saints, before continuing on to Kyabram. On Sunday 11 December 2005, Fr Prevost celebrated Mass at St Augustine’s, Kyabram. Later that day he visited Echuca and, on Monday, joined Bishop Joe Grech and Sandhurst clergy for lunch in Melbourne. The Augustinians were pioneer priests in the Diocese of Sandhurst. Our first two bishops, Crane and Reville, were Augustinians, and the Order ministered in Kyabram, Echuca and Rochester for more than a century. With the election of Pope Leo XIV, that enduring Augustinian presence finds new expression in the life of the universal Church. A Charism Known to Our Diocese Pope Leo XIV.
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