Go to home page - diocesan shield

The Anglican Church in Tasmania                                                             Search

a healthy church...transformingLIFE

Tasmanian Anglican

October 2004

 

 

 

 

 

 


All Saints' shrine of Our Lady

  

 


The procession of priests and servers lined up outside St Francis Xavier Church

 

Mary and the Martyrs - the Church at mission at All Saints

by René Knaap

 

 

The Body of Christ, the community of faith that confesses Jesus as Lord, comprises a rich, beautiful and necessary diversity of practice, belief and custom. Uniformity and division are offensive to the vision Christ has for his Body.

'Unity-in-diversity' is the tension the Church is called to, reflecting the perfect communion of the Trinity. Within our own Anglican tradition there are many expressions of difference, complementing the one truth.

This communion and reconciliation that God calls us to was realised when Christians from Anglican, Catholic, Uniting and Orthodox traditions joined for a celebration of the Feast of the Assumption.

Friendship extended

The gathering was hosted by the South Hobart churches of All Saints and St Francis Xavier, who have a long history of ecumenical witness: for over twenty years they have joined on Good Friday for the Way of the Cross through South Hobart streets.

This friendship extended when the two parishes met with others on Sunday 15th August to thank God for the gift of Mary, Mother of Our Lord. After praying the recently developed Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary at St Francis Xavier Church, a procession moved to All Saints, where the shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham had been lovingly decorated. The combined choirs of All Saints and St David's Cathedral led the large congregation in Choral Evensong.

Supper in the hall deepened our friendships and understandings, a true and encouraging sign of the Church at mission.

Martyrs inspire the faithful

In early centuries, Christians declared that the church was built on the blood of martyrs. The life and witness of men and women who died for their faith have inspired the faithful for countless generations: identifying with the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, they are a powerful model against individualism and materialism. To experience transformation into the image of the Risen Christ all Christians are called to a life of self-sacrifice.

Vibrant

The Church in Australia has a unique calendar of martyrs. September the 2nd remembers the New Guinea martyrs, men and women, religious and lay, from Australia and elsewhere, who were killed in World War II. These courageous Saints of God remained faithful and died for refusing to abandon the New Guinea communities they had been called to serve.

The Feast of the New Guinea Martyrs was remembered with a Solemn Mass celebrated by Fr David O'Neill and sung by the choir of All Saints. A presentation from ABM told enthusiasts of the vibrant life of the Church in Papua New Guinea today, which has been built on the blood of the martyrs.