www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Russian-Catholic Parish in Australia - Update

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From: R D'Cruz & A Usher

Sent: Sun 8/17/08 7:04 AM

Just to let you know that the Russian Catholic Church
community in Melbourne, Australia moved to a new home two weeks ago:

Chapel in the Old Convent (behind St Brigid’s Church),
27 - 33 Alexandra Parade,
North Fitzroy,
Victoria 3068
Australia

The priest in charge is Fr Lawrence Cross (previously deacon). Services are at 10 am on Sundays, followed by breakfast.

Fr George Brianchaninoff retired last Christmas.

Fr Peter Knowles passed away on 11 March 2008 at the age of 81 and was buried on 15 March 2008 in Adelaide, South Australia (details and funeral photos at http://www.catholicukes.org.au/tiki/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=580&highlight=knowles).

With thanks,
Anton Usher
(lay reader)

Hmm... Wasn't Archpriest Prof. Lawrence Cross a priest for a long time already?

Depends on what you mean by a long time.I don't recollect
when he was ordained, but I'm sure it's less than ten
years. It can't be that long since he visited us in NYC
and he was then still a deacon.

Edmac

Hmmm. When I was there in 2,000 the good Father was still a deacon - and an excellent deacon. I believe that he was ordained priest a year or so later.

Glad to know that the Melbourne Russian parish has found a new home.

Fr. Serge

By the way... Isn't Father Lawrence a Melkite priest as well?

No. There are no Russian-Catholic bishops in Australia, so they asked the Melkite bishop to look after Fr Lawrence Cross and act as his local hierarch.

On page 4 of this newsletter [melbourne.catholic.org.au] one can see photos of both Father Lawrence and our own Father Serge.

Many years,

Neil

From three priests, the active Russian Catholic clergy in Australia is now down to one.

I hope that something can be done to increase the Russian Catholic presence throughout the world. At the rate that it is shrinking (churches and parishes closing, no more bishop since the death of +Andrei Katkoff, priests dying, the Russian Catholic parishes in Russia locked in a struggle with their own Latin hierarch over the legal standing of the old Russian Exarchate, etc.) it does seem endangered. May God forbid that it ever disappear.

I agree with you, Asian Pilgrim. as a Russian Catholic, this is a way serious situation. would that we had the pull in Rome for the Holy See to step in and deal with the situation in Russia. I feel that once that is settled and a new Exarch is named, things will turn around for us Russian Catholics. GOD bless you for your concern, bro.
Much Love,
Jonn

Jonn & Asianpilgrim;

Well, Rome has already done something and that was to give
the idea of reviving the Exarchate a pass, and under the
circumstances, I can't fault them for that. Our congregations
at least now have canonical status, which they did not have
previous to being put under Bishop's Werth's omophor. The situ-
ation is very far from ideal, nonetheless.

I am puzzled about Asianpilgrim's remark about our clergy
being in contention with their bishop about the Exarchate.
Bishop Werth has nothing to do with the Exarchate, formally
speaking, except in what advice he may give to or receive from Rome,
and it seems very unlikely that any such communications would be made public.

We in the diaspora need an Exarch even more than they in Russia
do, most critically for the coordination of the provision of
priests. How does one become a Russian-Catholic priest? The
answer at present seems to be "you can't".

Edmac

Ed,

I'm inclined to agree except for the circuitous route (outside of Russia) of being ordained by the Melkites for the service of the Russian Church (or "loaned" to it). Ours is a truly curious connection, as much or more so now than it was when Father Nicholas Tolstoy, of blessed memory, was incardinated into the Melkite patriarchate more than a century ago.

As to AP's remark about the relationship between Bishop Werth as the "Ordinary" (of an Ordinariate never yet formally designated by Rome) and the clergy, there is the less-than-subtle indication that the Ordinariate was "established" - albeit not canonically erected - in response to the actions by the presbyterate to resurrect the Exarchate. A conclusion that there may be some residual tensions is probably not w/o some merit. A thought that His Excellency's Jesuit credentials and the past history of the Society as a source for Russian clergy might represent a positive step has not borne fruit - at least not that can be readily discerned.

Just a note to folks. It does strike me that the thread is wandering from news as to the status of the community in Oz, into the broader topic of the Russian Church as a whole. If it's to continue in that vein, a new thread in one of the other fora might be a more appropriate approach.

Many years,

Neil

Neil;

Indeed, where would we be without the Melkites?

It is my perception that the Ordinariate was created for the
reason you mention. The Russian clergy had made it difficult
for the Roman authorities to ignore their existance any longer.
Something had to be done. That there are tensions I do not doubt.

You are right about us getting off-topic, but whenever
anything to do with the Russian CC comes up, this is where we always
seem to go.I hope to be able open a new thread
soon.

Ed

Greetings all!
A little bit of history, and an update of the St Nicholas Russian Catholic Church Community of Melbourne Australia.

Because of the retirement of Father George, the last Service to be held at the Church's former home (in Kew, Melbourne) was on Christmas Day, 2007. From February until July of 2008, the Community, under the leadership of Archpriest Father Lawrence Cross, celebrated Divine Liturgy each week at Australian Catholic University Melbourne. On Sunday the 3rd of August, 2008, the Community celebrated its first Divine Liturgy in its new home at North Fitzroy, Melbourne.
As a matter of interest Father Lawrence Cross was ordained to the priesthood on 25th June 2001. His anniversary of ordination was celebrated in great style at breakfast after the Divine Liturgy on 29 June 2008, at ACU.
God's blessings!
Brendan Cooke