Seventy Years of Faith and Gratitude
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Today, with grateful hearts, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of our parish.
Seventy years of parish life is a story about people and faith. It is the story of those who have prayed here, baptised their children, received Communion and Confirmation, married, mourned the loss of loved ones, and found strength and consolation in the Lord.
It is also the story of people who came to Australia from different parts of the world and found a home here at St Bernadette’s. Different languages, cultures and traditions have come together around the one altar, becoming one family in Christ.
Our history is woven from great achievements and from countless acts of kindness and generosity that may never have been recorded: someone preparing a meal, visiting a sick person, driving someone to Mass, teaching a child, welcoming a newcomer, cleaning the church, serving at a parish function, or simply taking the time to ask, “How are you?” These seemingly small acts of love are the threads from which the fabric of our parish community is woven.
We give thanks for all these people who have made St Bernadette’s what it is today. Their faith, sacrifices and generosity helped build the parish we have inherited, and we are here today because they cared enough to build before us.
Now it is our turn. We pray that St Bernadette’s will continue to be a vibrant, faith-filled, joyful and welcoming community: a place where people of every age, culture and background feel that they belong; where our children and young people can grow in faith; where those who are searching can encounter Christ; and where we become missionary disciples, sharing the love of Jesus in word and action.
To everyone who has contributed to the life of St Bernadette’s during these 70 years, thank you. And to those of you who continue to give of yourselves today, thank you for your generosity and love for our parish community.
May the Lord bless you and your families, and may He guide St Bernadette’s faithfully into the years ahead.
Fr Silvio