Mother of the Church parish community in Macquarie Fields has welcomed the Migrant Jubilee Cross as a celebration of faith and cultural richness.
The cross is on a year-long journey across Australia following its launch on the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees & Jubilee of Migrants on Sunday October 5.
Parish Priest, Fr Bosco Son SVD, said he was delighted to be offered the opportunity to host the Migrant Jubilee Cross when it was passing through the Diocese of Wollongong in New South Wales.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity for the parish to have the cross to acknowledge who they were as faithful migrants,” he said.
“Some of our parishioners might have been born overseas then migrated to Australia, and some might have been born here in Australia, but their ancestors would have migrated to this country some time ago.
“The visit of the Migrant Jubilee Cross helps remind us why we need to appreciate each other for our faith, presence, talents and gifts in the parish community and it helps our parishioners to realise that they are all God’s beloved children.”
Mother of the Church Parish is both geographically and numerically large, and continues to grow and expand because of new housing developments, and it is this growth which helps make it such an active parish.
The parish includes people from a variety of cultures, including Indians, Filipinos, Indonesians, Koreans, Croatians, and people from different countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands, as well as Australians of Anglo-Saxon background.
Fr Bosco said that with the current public and political debate around immigration levels, the visit of the Migrant Jubilee Cross was a timely reminder of the central role of migration in the Christian story.
“As we are all aware, the Holy Family was a great example of migrants and refugees,” he said.
“It was not new thing for the parishioners to know and to accept cultural differences as well as the way of practicing their faith because differences always existed in them. It was great to re-affirm that the cross brought us unity and faith.”
The Jubilee Migrant Cross was formally launched at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra on the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, marking the beginning of a year-long national pilgrimage, recognising the contributions of Australia’s migrant and refugee communities.
“This is an opportunity for the Church to honour the vital role of migrants and refugees,” said Canberra-Goulburn Archbishop Christopher Prowse, who is bishop delegate for migrants and refugees.
“We are very much in the Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope. One of the initiatives taking shape now is highlighting the great contributions that migrants and refugees make to Australia.”
Crafted from Australian recycled timber and set on a boat-shaped base, the Jubilee Migrant Cross carries deep symbolism.
“This cross will move through 28 dioceses – a migrant and refugee cross set on a boat, symbolising the pilgrimage we are all on,” said Fr Khalid Marogi, National Director of the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office.
“The cross represents the journey of migrants, and the boat represents the Church as a pilgrimage toward a safe harbour.”
At its centre are the Southern Cross constellation and relics of the Holy Family and Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, reflecting the faith that unites communities across generations.
Fr Marogi said the cross acknowledges the gifts and resilience of migrants.
“My hope is that this cross allows our wider community to see migrants as people who contribute to the Church and enrich our society.”
Fr Bosco said the arrival of the cross in the parish provided a time of spiritual nourishment, with the program including a Mass, veneration of the cross and the praying of the Rosary, followed by morning tea.
“Even though it took place on a Tuesday, more than 100 people attended, not only from our parishioners but also from neighbouring parishes as well,” he said.
Parishioners embraced the opportunity to celebrate the place of migrants in the Church.
“It was a blessing, reminding us that our community is filled with the rich diversity of migrants that have in common, the love of Christ,” said one parishioner.