CAMPUS MINISTRY

OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

The Blessed Virgin Mary is a beautiful and essential figure in Christian life and this is reflected in the Church’s calendar.

Her feasts are as varied as the cultures of the world, with each having special traditions, customs and habits of piety.

The Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, which we celebrated on Tuesday, dates back to the 16th Century, which was not a peaceful time in Europe. It has been celebrated in Australia since 1844 and the infant Church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. In those early and mostly priest-less days, it was largely the Rosary that kept the faith alive.

Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary, and was the first nation to choose her, under the title of Help of Christians, as Principal Patron. The Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, reminds us that “to rejoice in Mary is to celebrate God’s greatest creation – the vessel he fashioned to be his own mother, the woman who would bear him into the world." With maternal love for us, Mary wants what is best for us – she wants Jesus for us, so she urges us, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Then she helps us as we lead others to know and love her Son too.

Her feasts not only empower us to turn to her in prayer, but also to love Jesus and others with a greater love.

PCG MORNING MASSES

A reminder that our PCG morning Masses begin at 8:10am on Tuesdays and Fridays. Please arrive by 8:05am so that Mass may begin promptly. All members of our community are welcome to attend these Masses.

The Mass Roster is linked in the Upcoming Events section of every Newsletter.

Mr Chris Kan

Dean of Campus Ministry