THE P RTAL
October 2014
Australia Pages - page 10
Visit to Victoria
The Ordinary of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross,
Monsignor Harry Entwistle, writes of his recent visit to Victoria
M
y visit
to Victoria began with the Ordinariate group of St Edmund Campion, Mentone, which
meets in the Catholic Church of St Patrick, Mentone. It’s here that the Ordinariate Mass is offered
twice a week: every Sunday and on one weekday, with Evensong and Benediction on a regular basis.
the Ordinariate liturgy
I presided and preached at the morning Mass for
the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Southern Cross. It
was a privilege to experience the Ordinariate liturgy
in a place where it is part of the regular worship of a
Catholic parish, and it was very encouraging to find
how welcome it is and how it enriches the spiritual life
of the community of all the faithful.
Later that day, at 4pm, Fr Fryer, the assistant
priest, officiated at Evening Prayer [Evensong] and
Benediction which were sung by the St Patrick’s
Catholic Church choir, who have been mastering the
intricacies of Anglican chant. The congregation for
this worship was an impressive ecumenical mix of
Christians who clearly value this form of devotion and
spiritual experience.
heritage who were holding a novena in honour of Our
Lady of Health: Vailankanni. It was wonderful to share
this and rejoice in honouring two titles of Our Blessed
Lady.
Maffra: Celebrations of Olsc
Later in the week, I headed off to Gippsland, where Fr
Clark is the priest of the Most Holy Family Ordinariate
group which holds Mass on Sundays in Heyfield and
on Wednesdays at Cowarr.
This group is still less than a year old, but has grown
from very small beginnings to a group of over twenty.
Because of the long distances that members travel
to worship in the Ordinariate, there is a fluctuating
number of visitors, but there is a thirst for traditional
worship and orthodox teaching.
a valid expression of the Latin Rite
Following the mass, a dozen of the congregation
Following Benediction, I was invited to celebrate the went to a local hotel for lunch when I was able to
regular 5pm Sunday evening Catholic Parish Mass, discuss with them and encourage them to discern
an honour that demonstrates that the Ordinariate is what ministry God is calling them to undertake.
a valid expression of the Latin Rite, and is the visible
face of what genuine Christian unity looks like.
Fr Clark assists in the local Catholic Diocese when
called upon and so is very much part of the life of the
On the following day, Monday 1st September, Sale Diocese as well as the Ord [