Year in Review 2025 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst 7 “The time I spent with parishioners, school students, their pastors, the sick and the elderly was extremely fruitful. I was heartened to see the faithful and generous involvement of these communities.” Iam writing this at some distance from Sandhurst; the Archbishop’s Office at St Stephen’s Cathedral in Brisbane. As you are aware, 2025 was a year of profound change for me, for the Diocese of Sandhurst and for the Archdiocese of Brisbane. But, while I may now be geographically distant, I continue to have strong affection for Sandhurst and feel closely connected to the people and activity of the Diocese. The first part of this year was overshadowed by momentous changes in the life of the universal Church. In March and April, people around the world prayerfully accompanied Pope Francis on what was to be the final stage of his long struggle with frailty and ill health. After his extraordinary return to St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, his death the next morning led to an enormous outpouring of grief, which spoke profoundly of his impact as a beloved global figure. He was rightly mourned as a compassionate and visionary leader, determined to speak out for the dignity and needs of the poor, the marginalised and the forgotten. His call for us to become a more synodal, listening Church was transformative and has ignited a great spirit of collaboration, understanding and renewed mission among all the baptised. Only a short time after its commencement, the Conclave to elect a new pope gave us Leo XIV, the first pope from North America, and a man who is committed to continuing Francis’ legacy. In a few short months, Pope Leo has shown how much he has been shaped by his time as a missionary in Peru and his international experience as the Augustinian Prior General. He has endeared himself to many through his warmth, humour and humility. It is clear that, like Pope Francis, Pope Leo is not afraid to speak for those without a voice, calling for justice and generosity in a world where communities are increasingly self-interested. The Jubilee Year, with its theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, was marked in the Diocese by a number of initiatives. Many individuals and groups have undertaken pilgrimages to our five Jubilee sites. As a Diocese, we have focused especially on the continuing formation of the people of God. I am glad that I was able to formalise this priority as part of the Diocese’s Strategic Mission and Pastoral Goals before the commencement of my time in Brisbane. Formation is also embedded in the new Formation Support Plan, which was released in June, and which identifies key actions and initiatives to be undertaken over 2025–26 to implement our goals. I was pleased to hear of the success of the Diocesan Formation Gathering in Shepparton in October, and I am confident that related initiatives will continue in the future. In keeping with the theme of the year, I undertook a pilgrimage of sorts in July to attend the annual commemoration of St Liborius in Paderborn, Germany, along with Fr Stephen Bolling (Parish Priest of St Liborius, Eaglehawk) and Fr Nathan Verallo, who was already in Europe. Our pioneer priest, Dr Henry Backhaus, came from that Archdiocese. I was honoured to be the main speaker at the Festival’s Opening and to preside and preach at one of the Festival Masses in Paderborn’s Cathedral. The challenge of doing this in another language renewed my respect and gratitude for those priests who serve us from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. We saw a number of changes in the Diocese’s clergy during 2025. In February, after only a year as Parish Priest of Shepparton South, Fr René Ramirez RCJ was ordained as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Melbourne. I was privileged to act as a co-consecrator, and was deeply moved by the warmth of the welcome given to Bishop René. I am very grateful for the continuing commitment to Sandhurst of the Rogationist community, who sent Fr Ronald Masilang RCJ from the Philippines as Fr René’s successor. Since then, there has been further significant change for the Goulburn Archbishop Shane Mackinlay
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