Archbishop-designate Shane Mackinlay touched down in Brisbane as part of a short stay yesterday to introduce himself and meet with leaders and staff of his new archdiocese. Source: The Catholic Leader.
He offered a message of welcome and hope as he toured the archdiocese the day after his appointment by Pope Leo XIV.
Archbishop-designate Mackinlay had been to Brisbane many times but this trip he came with a different perspective – the idea of being archbishop at the front of his mind.
He said proclaiming the Gospel today, the Church needed to be “clear and unembarrassed about our faith – and about why it matters to us”.
“I don’t think that means necessarily being on a soapbox on every street corner, but we’ve got an enormously rich tradition that we’re confident in proclaiming – that the fullest human life includes a relationship with God lived in community and responding to the Gospel that Jesus has proclaimed following after him,” Archbishop-designate Mackinlay said.
“We need to be clear about doing that ourselves and doing that in a way that’s clear and invitational.”
He said the fact that people had less to do with churches of any kind, there “is often a wondering” because there was not so much of a pre-established idea of what any particular church was like.
He said there was a curiosity among many people, especially those who had little exposure to the Church.
He said it was a real opportunity when the Church was open, inviting and joyful in witness.
He said Jesus’s first invitation to the disciples of John the Baptist was simple – “come and see.”
“I don’t think we should be telling people what to do, we should be inviting people to come and see, and offering a witness that is an attractive and interesting one,” he said.
Archbishop-designate Mackinlay’s installation Mass will be celebrated on September 11, which is slightly longer than the customary two-month period, which he said was due to some existing commitments.
FULL STORY
Archbishop-designate Shane Mackinlay shares Jesus’ invitation to ‘come and see’ in first visit to Brisbane (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
