Bishop Anthony Randazzo has highlighted the vital role played by families, grandparents, children, and elders on Wednesday, saying they are the treasure of the Church.
Ahead of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly, set to be celebrated in Rome over the weekend, Bishop Anthony celebrated Mass for the Jubilee at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara.
The Mass was also a chance to acknowledge and honour the mission and witness of CatholicCare Broken Bay, the lay apostolate whose daily work is a testament to the love of Christ at work in the world.
In his homily, Bishop Anthony stressed the importance of families and ministries like CatholicCare, with both playing a vital role in the life of the Church.
“My dear people, families, grandparents, children, and elders: You are the treasure of the Church,” he said.
“You are not forgotten. You are not alone. God is with you. And through the ministries of love and accompaniment, like CatholicCare, the Church is with you too.”
He praised the people of CatholicCare, who bring hope and dignity to people who are most in need.
“This lay apostolate is not merely a service provider or an institution. It is the merciful face of the Church in action,” he said.
“The people who embrace CatholicCare as their place of work and mission does not seek to judge, limit, or define families by categories. Instead, they listens. They accompany. They companion. They bring healing, hope, and dignity to those who are most in need.
“Whether supporting a child in foster care, walking alongside a person with a disability, aiding someone experiencing domestic violence, or counselling a family in distress, the women and men of CatholicCare fulfill the apostolic call that Paul proclaimed in Athens: to make known the God who is already near, to reveal that in Him we live and move and exist.”
He closed his homily by calling on the Church to continue to embrace a hope which recognised the dignity of every person.
“This is the kind of Church we are called to be in this Holy Year, a Church of Hope,” he said.
“A Church that recognises the sacredness of every person and the centrality of the family in the communion of society. A Church that believes no life is too broken, no relationship too wounded, no future too dark for the light of Christ.”
Following the Mass, families, CatholicCare workers and clients all gathered together outside the Cathedral for refreshments.
Read Bishop Anthony's full homily here.