A Neo-catechumenate priest has been appointed to the
Redfern parish of St Vincent de Paul.
Fr Gerry Prindiville, an Australian priest on loan
to the Sydney archdiocese from his home diocese of Newark,
New Jersey, celebrated his first Mass at Redfern on
Sunday, July 20.
A Neo-catechumenate deacon, Clesio do Nascimento Mendes,
a Brazilian who is preparing for ordination for the
Perth archdiocese, will assist him in parish ministry.
Fr Prindiville grew up in Perth. He later moved to
Canberra and was a public servant before deciding to
become a diocesan missionary priest of the Neo-catechumenal
Way.
He was ordained in 1995 and for the past four years
has worked in the West Indies.
The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr George Pell, said the
new priest “will rebuild the local parish community
and minister to all the locals, especially the Aboriginal
people.
“He will be supported by members and seminarians of
the Neo-catechumenal community with which he’s been
involved since the mid 1980s. I welcome him and thank
him for taking up this ministry.”
The Redfern parish has been without a priest since
Fr Bob Irwin, provincial of the Missionaries of the
Sacred Heart, asked Fr Peter Carroll to withdraw from
the parish because he had been “placed in an intolerable
position that is most unreasonable for any parish priest”.
http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/03/jul/27/05.html
by Catholic Weekly
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