Pope Leo XIV has announced the new Apostolic Administrator of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (OLSC) in Australia following the appointment of Most Rev Anthony Randazzo to Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts at the Vatican.
The Pope has named the Most Rev Steven Lopes, Bishop Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter as the Apostolic Administrator of OLSC Australia.
He will assume the role immediately as Archbishop Randazzo, who was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the OLSC in 2023, prepares to take up his new ministry in Rome next month.
A former official of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, and secretary to the Cardinal Prefect, Pope Francis appointed Most Rev Lopes Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter on Nov. 24, 2015. He resides in Houston in the United States and will continue to serve his new position from there.
In welcoming Bishop Lopes to his new role, Archbishop Randazzo, who remains remains Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Broken Bay until he leaves for Rome, said Bishop Lopes is no stranger to Australia having visited here a number of times.
“His pastoral care of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, will now extend to the Ordinariate in Australia.,” Archbishop Randazzo said.
“He is a man of the church and will strongly encourage the continued growth and mission of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross.“
The Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter was founded in 2012, a non-territorial diocese with the particular mission of unity among Christians. The Ordinariate parishes have come into full communion with the Catholic Church from the Episcopal/Anglican tradition.
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia was established in 2012, to serve groups of Anglicans who desire full communion with the Catholic Church in Australia and Asia. It has congregations across Australia and has a presence New Zealand, Guam, Japan and Philippines.
“The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross stands as a living, visible expression of Christian unity within the Catholic Church,” Archbishop Randazzo said following Mass for the Ordinariate of OLSC in Sydney on Sunday which celebrated the Crowning of Our Lady. This is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual where a statue of Mary is adorned with a crown of flowers, honouring her as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God.
“In Australia, the Ordinariate is experiencing steady, grace-filled growth, marked by spiritual vitality and new vocations.
“Though small in size, the Ordinariate carries a global significance, offering a hopeful model for ecumenism and future unity.
“As I conclude my time as Apostolic Administrator, I give thanks for the grace-filled growth of the Ordinariate and the faithful witness of its clergy and people. With confidence, I look to the future, trusting that this community will continue to flourish as a vibrant sign of unity in the Church.”
“It has been a privilege to serve the Ordinariate during this period of renewal and hope. I am encouraged by the strong foundations laid and the emerging signs of vitality, and I remain confident that its mission will bear fruit well into the future.”
From the United States Bishop Lopes said; “I am profoundly grateful to my friend and colleague of more than 20 years, Archbishop Anthony Randazzo. He has given the Ordinariate both the care of a pastor’s heart and a structure to enable its future growth.
“My task now is to be its custodian for a while, encouraging its people to grow in the beauty of holiness as the surest means of growth and fruitfulness.
“Happily
and providentially, I am no stranger to the Ordinariate in Australia having
visited several times over the years to participate in various Ordinariate
events and clergy gatherings.
“More
recently I returned to Australia to assist Bishop Randazzo in the Apostolic
Visitation of the Ordinariate, so I have met nearly all of the clergy and
visited many of the parish communities. I have seen first-hand the
vibrancy of Catholic faith lived out of the Ordinariate’s unique
patrimony.”
Concelebrating the Mass at The Church of the Immaculate Hart
of Mary in Lindfield on Sunday with Archbishop Randazzo was the Vicar General
of the OLSC, Fr Stephen Hill.
“I am most grateful to Archbishop Randazzo for the fatherly
manner in which he has served as Apostolic Administrator for the past three
years. His first concern has always been the good of the Church, both local and
universal, and I know he will apply himself to the service of the Holy Father
in the same way.”
For Archbishop Randazzo’s Homily at the Sunday Mass, click here.
