A Letter to the People of Broken Bay
Tuesday 8 October 2019
My dear brothers and sisters,
To our great joy, our waiting is over! The Holy Father, Pope Francis has appointed us a new Shepherd to guide us into the future. How extraordinary, too, that this would occur on 7 October – the patronal feastday of our Cathedral, Our Lady of the Rosary.
With open arms and hearts, we welcome Bishop Anthony Randazzo to our diocesan family! I am confident that you will receive him enthusiastically and warmly. We are enormously blessed by his appointment. Bishop Anthony is young and energetic. In fact, on the day of his appointment he turned just 53. Yet, he brings remarkable experience of leadership already – from his pastoral experience in the Archdiocese of Brisbane, his studies in Canon Law, his service in Rome at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, his time as a Seminary Rector in Queensland, and more recently his term as an Auxiliary Bishop in Sydney during which he has enjoyed significant involvement in youth, education and clergy. I have known him personally for many years and have enjoyed his very personable, engaging and humorous personality on many occasions, most recently during the
Ad Limina pilgrimage in Rome. On behalf of our Diocese, I express our profound gratitude to Pope Francis for gifting us with a leader of such calibre and stature. We can be confident in the future that opens before us.
For my part, I will serve our new Bishop to the very best of my ability. As Bishop Anthony assumes the complex task of leadership, he knows he has my complete support and friendship and I look forward to working with him in continued service to our Diocese.
At the end of my term as Administrator of our Diocese, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to you. To serve in this role for you over the last 15 months has been, unmistakably, the greatest privilege of my life. I want to thank you for the trust and the confidence that you have placed in me, for your affection, and for the many, many ways you have encouraged me. On your behalf, I thank especially our clergy and our Diocesan staff, all of whom have been indefatigable in their support which has enabled me to provide our wonderful new Bishop with good account of our Diocese. I also want to record my deepest appreciation to my beloved Parish Family of Holy Name Wahroonga who have been so patient with my absence over this time. I thank, especially, Fr Anselam Lakra HGN and our Parish Secretary, Jackie Thornton, for their generous commitment to the Parish over this time which has been a gift to the whole Diocese.
It has been a remarkable time as, together, we have faced the various challenges that have presented, seeking always the opportunities given us by the Spirit of God. I have learnt so much over these months and what I have learnt has only made me love the people and priests of our Diocese so much more. I am privileged to be a member of our local Church of Broken Bay. And with this love, I commit myself to you in new ways, now through my dedication to our new Bishop.
With my immense gratitude and affection, and with renewed hope in Christ Jesus,
Very Rev Dr David Ranson
Diocesan Administrator