AS the years go by, more and more significant anniversaries come to our attention.
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Centenaries and sesquicentenaries are becoming quite the thing in our young country of Australia.
150 years ago the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst was formally established.
Its first Bishop, Michael Quinn, left Ireland on the Empress together with seven young ladies from the Sisters of Mercy in Charleville to establish both the diocese and the life and ministry of the Sisters of Mercy in Bathurst and the Central West of New South Wales.
They spent three months crossing the ocean before eventually arriving in Bathurst via Cobb and Co Coach at the end of October, 1866.
During these 150 years the sisters have ministered in education, childcare, visitation, aged care, healthcare, pastoral care and chaplaincy in many locations in western New South Wales and beyond.
Over these years many changes have taken place, especially regarding religious dress and lifestyle and the practicalities of our ministries, but one thing remains firmly embedded.
Our Foundress Catherine McAuley bequeathed a strong and lasting doctrine to her sisters: the service of the poor, the sick and the uneducated.
On Saturday, October 29 the Sisters of Mercy will be holding a Garden Party from 2pm to 5pm with various interesting attractions at St Joseph’s Mount, also known as Rahamim Ecological Learning Centre in Busby Street, Bathurst.
The Diocese will be celebrating a special Mass in St Michael and John’s Cathedral on Sunday morning.
This will be preceded by a procession from MacKillop College and be followed by a barbecue in McChattie Park.
It’s an occasion to celebrate, to be happy, and to look to the future with gratitude and hope.
It’s interesting that our sesquicentenary falls within the Year that Pope Francis declared as the Year of Mercy.
Mercy itself never goes out of fashion.
THE REAL REASON FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S BLACKOUT?
IT seems obvious that the statewide blackout in South Australia was not caused by problems associated with renewable energy, as Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce stated.
The blackout seems to have been caused by a transmission failure during the 80,000 lightning strikes amidst savage storms.
Far from being a one-in-50 years storm, it can only be described as an extreme weather event, caused by climate change.
Climate scientists have been warning government for years that we can expect more of these events.
One Sydney Morning Herald headline summed the situation up with “Renewable energy isn't the problem - it's coal.”
In that same newspaper a letter to the editor concluded with “The real question is to what extent is our infrastructure ready for extreme events we should expect as climate change bites.”
Members of parliament, please take note.
Keith Curry
AUSTRALIA’S UNLUCKY NUMBER IS OBVIOUS
BALI Nine and Budgie Nine: any Aussies travelling overseas in groups of nine should disband immediately.
