A MASS to celebrate the silver anniversary of Australia’s oldest diocesan Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) has been held at the church of its founding – the Holy Family Church, Indooroopilly.
Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane celebrated the Mass on November 5.
One of the organisers, Brisbane archdiocese’s CJPC executive officer Peter Arndt said the roll-up of more than 150 people to the Mass “had exceeded expectations and was a worthy tribute to the organisation’s work and people involved over the years”.
More than 70 Catholic women and men, religious, priests and bishops have served as members of the commission in its 25 years.
Among those who have served on the commission are Bishops John Gerry and Joseph Oudeman, Senator John Hogg, State Member for Morayfield Mark Ryan, Aboriginal elder Aunty Joan Hendriks and former Josephite provincial Sr Margaret Robertson.
“Since its founding, the commission has walked with many people who face injustice, violence and discrimination,” Mr Arndt said.
“The commission has been there with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as they struggled for justice in relation to native title, the Stolen Generations, stolen wages, deaths in custody and the Northern Territory Intervention.
“We have tried to bring Catholics face to face with the indignities confronting refugees as they sought protection in Australia.
“The commission has also tried to support the struggle of people for their human rights and for justice in places like East Timor, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and West Papua.
“Many Catholics around Brisbane also joined with the commission in challenging Australia’s participation in the Iraq War.”
The commission was established by the late Archbishop Francis Rush in 1985 and held its first meeting in what was then the Indooroopilly Parish Education Centre.
Its first chair was the late Fr Morgan Howe, then parish priest of Indooroopilly.
With the opening by the Sisters of Mercy of Justice Place in Woolloongabba in 1992, the commission established an office and moved its meetings there.
Former Queensland Catholic Educat-ion Commission deputy director Garry Everett and Mt Gravatt’s St Agnes’ Primary School principal Rick Sheehan have followed Fr Howe in the role of CJPC chair.
The commission has been served by three executive officers, Brian O’Halloran, Josephite Sister Annette Arnold and Mr Arndt.
Mr Arndt said Archbishop Bathersby’s homily at the Mass was particularly interesting for his revelation that at one point during his priesthood he had considered working as a priest in India with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity order.
“Sr Arnold in her address after the Eucharist discussed St Mary MacKillop’s canonisation and her challenges to the contemporary Australian Church,” Mr Arndt said.
“She noted some young Catholics, inspired by Australia’s first saint, are working with the Josephites to help people living on the edges of society and said the Church should extend an invitation to other Catholics to do the same.”
Towards the end of Mass, Archbishop Bathersby, as part of a re-dedication ceremony, presented a lit candle to current CJPC chair Mr Sheehan who is entering his ninth year in the role.
