Archbishop Tony visits Launceston

By Catherine Sheehan

Archbishop Tony celebrated Mass at the Church of the Apostles in Launceston on Sunday 10 August, just days before his Installation as Archbishop of Hobart.

In his homily, Archbishop Tony said he visited Launceston 30 years ago to give “teacher accreditation lessons” and that he had also been there for “a couple of holidays”.

“So, as I prepare for this new chapter of service as Archbishop of Hobart, I’m grateful that my first Sunday in a parish is here with you,” Archbishop Tony said.

“To be with the people of Northern Tasmania – in a place where faith has been quietly and faithfully lived across generations – is a gift and a joy. I come not as a stranger, but as a fellow pilgrim, walking with you into the future which God has prepared.”

Drawing on the Gospel reading of the day (Lk12:32-48), Archbishop Tony encouraged the faithful to be “people of action”.

“As I take up this ministry among you as Archbishop that is the kind of Church I hope we will become together: not passive spectators, but people of action; not merely comfortable, but courageous.

“A Church with lamps lit. A Church dressed for action. A Church ready to respond to the call of Christ – in our homes, in our streets, in our workplaces, and in the quiet interior places of our hearts.”