Category Archives: The Community

Three priests, Fr Ted Kennedy, Fr Fergus Breslan & Fr John Butcher arrived at St Vincent’s Redfern at the end of 1971. Their vision was to establish a new way of priestly life where each was equal, where they would be free to engage in community life and where their house, the presbytery, and for that matter, the Church, would be open houses of welcome for all, particularly the poor and marginalised.

Sister Pat Durnan or Sister John, as she was then known, was a woman drawn to that vision of Church. Although by nature quite conservative, Vatican II and … Continue reading →

One of the Church Mouse banner images – those at the top of the page that keep changing – that seems to attracts more attention than all the others is from a photograph of a framed image hanging in the back of the church.

It is a print of a work entitled "The First Supper" by Australian artist Susan Dorothea White, who says:

I was inspired to paint The First Supper after Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, by the narrative drama and magnificent composition of Leonardo’s painting. I wanted to challenge the … Continue reading →

The following "Letter by Fr Terry Concerning St Mary’s", posted on the St Mary’s Catholic Community South Brisbane website, so clearly sums up what is happening in the Catholic Church in general and in places like St Mary’s and St Vincent’s in particular that it would be remiss of the Church Mouse not to bring it to your attention.

There are many who believe the Catholic Community of St Mary’s in South Brisbane should have made compromises to sort out its difficulties with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

To suggest that compromise is possible in this situation … Continue reading →

T

he Vigil Mass this evening was beautiful just because the church was filled with people with love in their hearts. It was warm and cheerful….
 
One could not stop smiling…..and…the…singing….WOW!!!!!!
 
Thank you everyone….
 
Have a lovely blessed Christmas…..
 
God Bless
 
Ann

The St Vincent’s community regularly sets aside the last Sunday of the month to enjoy a cup of tea and a leisurely chat after Mass. Guests are especially welcome, and the broad spectrum of "Redfernites" who visit the parish infrequently for many and varied reasons are heartily encouraged to mark their diaries accordingly.

Last Sunday, special guests singer-songwriter Amanda McKenna, and her husband Brian Coyne, editor of Catholica (formerly Catholica Australia) accepted an invitation to get together with the community.

They generously shared stories of their own journeys; Amanda sang a selection of her compositions and Brian spoke passionately … Continue reading →