From Fr Greg's Desk: Sunday 14th April, 2024

Hi everyone, and thanks for looking after the Parish while all our priests were away at the ‘live-in' Clergy Conference at Wollongong this week. The Clergy Conference was a wonderful opportunity for us to both reconnect with the many priests and Bishops of our Archdiocese (there was about 250 of them present!) And listen to some very well informed and inspirational speakers sharing their insights about the Synod for Synodality in Rome and what that means for us. I will be writing in future bulletins with some of the insights gleaned from the conference.

Particular thanks, of course, goes to Br. Antonio who we have heard did a wonderful job of leading the Parish with Holy Communion services at each of the usual 'Mass slots' from Tuesday to Thursday. Br. Antonio has been instituted as an Acolyte by our Superior General in Rome and is currently undertaking his theological studies towards his eventual Diaconate and then Priestly Ordination in coming years. His efforts this week certainly auger well for his future missionary pathway. Thank you, Br. Antonio!

Parliamentary Enquiry into the proposed "Greenwich Equality Bill.
It seems that, sadly, we are forever being bombarded with ever new attempts to limit our ability to practise and teach our faith and protect our children from exposure to evil and immoral influences. However, the current "Greenwich Equality Bill" before NSW Parliament is one which easily exceeds anything attempted so far in its reach. It is an attack on the most vulnerable, on religion and on public decency.

This Bill, which was tabled in NSW Parliament over Easter and will soon be voted on, has attracted its own Parliamentary Enquiry to investigate its appropriateness and explore its' possible reach. You are asked to give your own submission to the enquiry via a survey form which can be found online here: https://bit.ly/3Udqm3P They will be accepting responses until midnight this Sunday 14th April, so you will have to get cracking on your own.

If you would like a bit more info, Monica Doumit wrote an excellent piece on page 17 of the Catholic Weekly last week, which can still be found online at the Catholic Weekly Web page. You could use this to write your own responses via the survey. I invite you all to read through what this is all about and take part in the survey yourselves, and make your own voice heard.

In summary, there are five main issues with this 'Equality Bill' which could well be passed in the next few weeks, and whose implications you need to understand. These are:

1. The removal of religious protections from all religious organisations (not just religious schools and universities but all religious organisations, including our Parish) contained in anti-discrimination law. We, as a Parish, would be obliged under law to behave like any other secular organisation. As Monica notes, the Parish "would not be able to refuse to hire a prostitute as the Parish secretary, nor a biological male who insisted he was a woman as the Sacramental Coordinator", meaning we would no longer be unable to ensure that our religious beliefs and sexual morality were neither practised nor modelled by those employed to teach and model them to our kids.

2. Public decency laws for prostitution would be abolished. If this Bill is approved, prostitutes would be permitted to both advertise and offer their services outside Churches and schools.

3. A 'Sex Self-Identification Law' permitting anyone to change their sex on their documents (birth certificates and drivers licenses). All one would have to do is fill out a form at Service NSW for that to be accomplished.

4. Permit anyone any NSW resident to engage in commercial surrogacy arrangements overseas. Though this might sound harmless enough to some, especially those unable to have children and seeking to 'source' a child overseas, we have been warned by the former Chief Justice of the Family Court, John Pascoe, that it could actually open the door to trafficking and abuse of women and children, for cash, and without legislative oversight.

5. Override the need for parental consent for children's medical treatment including puberty blockers and other sex change 'treatments'. Parents would no longer have any say in what their children might request from a medical practitioner.

It really is that bad. This is no exaggeration. Please voice your opposition and dismay to this Bill using the QR code on the opposite side of the page to take a five minute survey which will be sent directly to those undertaking the Parliamentary Enquiry into this Bill. Again, we only have until Sunday night to do so. thank you in advance for your support in both opposing this Equality Bill, and in praying for the politicians who are representing us.

And that's about it for now. We wish all our local students and teachers a wonderful and safe holiday break, and we hope you will all enthusiastically come back in two weeks’ time to inaugurate Term 2 at our Colleges and schools.

Your brother in Christ's missionary service,

Fr. Greg