National Briefs
From left: Fr Michael Whelan SM, Theresa Ardler, Roger Apte, NSW Governor Margaret Beazley and her husband Dennis Wilson. Photo: Giovanni Portelli
St Patrick’s parish honours leaders
In a landmark step forward for Indigenous Reconciliation, St Patrick’s parish, Church Hill has made history in unveiling what is believed to be the first statues honouring an Aboriginal couple from the early days of the colony of NSW who were both well known as great community leaders of that era.
NSW Governor, the Hon. Margaret Beazley AC QC unveiled the two bronze sculptures honouring Aboriginal leaders, Bennelong and Barangaroo, in a ceremony on 12 December in the St Patrick’s courtyard, directly next to the church on busy Carrington Street.
Fr Whelan, Parish Priest, said he hoped the new sculptures remind Sydney Catholics of the long custodianship which many generations of Indigenous people have maintained with the land.
- Catholic Weekly
Queenslanders urged to wear masks again as 18 local cases detected outside quarantine overnight
QUEENSLAND authorities are bracing for a surge in COVID as Health Minister Yvette D’Ath reported 22 new local cases with 18 of them detected outside quarantine this morning.
Queensland chief health officer Dr John Gerrard warned cases of the Omicron variant would increase in the coming days.
A mask mandate has not been announced but officials were “actively considering” it, Dr Gerrard said.
- Catholic Leader
Tung Ngo with members of the Vietnamese community.
Vietnamese refugees give back
The generosity of former refugees from South Australia’s Vietnamese community will help refugees and asylum seekers become job ready and obtain employment through a program developed by the Vinnies Refugee and Asylum Seeker Service.
Tung Ngo MLC, co-chair and founder of the Vietnamese Boat People Monument Association, presented a donation of $50,000 to the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) last month. “Australians such as Vinnies (members) opened their arms to welcome me and thousands of other Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon in 1975, and now we want to open our arms to today’s refugees and help in any way we can.”
- The Southern Cross
Perth Catholic Cathedral to host first of two vaccination clinics this weekend
Continuing its long-standing tradition of service to the people of Perth, St Mary’s Cathedral will this weekend host the first of two vaccination clinics.
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said in approving the establishment of the clinics, the position of the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth is aligned with the position of Pope Francis.
- The eRecord