BRISBANE archdiocese’s Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre took another step towards its destiny as “a powerhouse of prayer” when Archbishop John Bathersby turned the first sod on the site of what will become the main chapel.
Archbishop Bathersby also took the opportunity at the ceremony, held not far from the grounds of heritage-listed “Ormiston House” and the Carmelite Sisters’ monastery on March 19, to announce a major archdiocesan gathering – Pray 2010.
Among centre planning committee members present at the site blessing were Auxiliary Bishops Joseph Oudeman and Brian Finnigan, Holy Spirit Seminary spiritual director Fr Gerry Kalinowski and Faith and Life vicariate advisor Mike Humphrys.
Standing on the future site of the spirituality centre and looking across to Moreton Bay and Stradbroke Island, Archbishop Bathersby noted that the blessing of the site marked the “beginning of the renovation and construction work for the Santa Teresa Spiritualty Centre”.
“With God’s blessing, (the centre) will continue to be a powerhouse of prayer and wisdom for the life and mission of our archdiocese,” he said.
He reminded those gathered that the centre was built on land from the Carmelite monastery and overlooked Stradbroke Island where the first Catholic mission “to our indigenous brothers and sisters” began in 1843.
The site blessing marked an important stage in the building and renovation of the centre which will be able to host up to 30 retreatants and will include a main chapel, Blessed Sacrament chapel and extension of existing lounge areas.
Several of the buildings being renovated were originally part of the Cenacle Retreat Centre run by the Cenacle Sisters from 1980 to 2006.
Jesuit Father Chris Gleeson has been appointed as first director of the new spirituality centre.
When Archbishop Bathersby announced the new spirituality centre in May last year, he noted it had been named in honour of St Therese of Lisieux, the 19th Century Carmelite nun.
At the site blessing, the archbishop went on to say in his homily that the gathering in this “small but beautiful corner of God’s earth (was) not to destroy it but to rejoice in it”.
“People can come here to learn more about God’s love for them and for all God’s beautiful creation, a small fraction of which people will be able to see simply by looking out the window of the chapel that will be built on this very spot,” the archbishop said.
“The chapel will open us up to the magnificence of God’s ocean and God’s islands, so that inspired by it all we will praise and worship God in prayer, especially in the celebration of God’s great act of thanksgiving, the Mass.”
Archbishop Bathersby petitioned that “Santa Teresa and St Joseph pray for the future of this powerhouse of spirituality, and may Mary the mother of Jesus pray for the work of the Jesuits who in the future will lead people here to her Son”.
Pray 2010, planned as a major spiritual event in the life of the archdiocese next year, was also launched by the archbishop during the blessing of the site.
Archbishop Bathersby said it was his hope that the event “will prove to be a wellspring that will renew the prayer life of Catholics throughout this archdiocese and beyond”.
“Pray 2010 will immerse participants in prayer experiences that seek to encourage them to be renewed in their commitment to pray daily and to bring their prayer to bear upon the mission of the archdiocese to make Jesus known and loved and to strive to make the world a better place,” he said.
It is hoped the Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre will be completed by the end of September in time for the official opening by Australia’s papal nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto on October 4.
