Holy Spirit Seminary Queensland

Banyo Blessing

Welcome speech at the blessing of the new seminary site
Father Michael McCarthy

Foundation of new building for Holy Spirit Seminary
His Excellency, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli

Homily for the blessing of the new seminary site
Archbishop John Bathersby D.D, Archbishop of Brisbane

Acknowledgement of Country
Joan Hendriks

Prayers for the blessing of the building site for the new Seminary
Introductory Rites

Bishops

The Bishops of Queensland gathered around the foundation stone at Banyo

Father Michael McCarthy

Welcome speech at the Blessing of the new seminary site at Banyo

Father Michael acknowledged the presence of the following invited guests;

It is my great honour to welcome you here today at the blessing of the site for the new buildings for the Holy Spirit Seminary at Banyo and the unveiling of the foundation stone.

I would like to record here officially my thanks all of those who assisted on this day.

To our committee of three; Christine Hickey and Bishop Brian Finnigan, and to Des Zagami and Patrick Cremin and his assistants and my colleague Father Ken for his putting together the program of blessing and to Brian Pendrigh for his wise advice.

On the 30 November 2001, the PIUS XII Seminary officially moved from this site and was situated at Wavell Heights. The process of relocating presbyteral formation to a parish based environment had been the result of a decade of discussions by the Bishops of Queensland. With the shrinking numbers of seminarians, it was no longer practical or affordable to continue formation in large buildings that had served the Province in forming presbyters for 60 years. The Bishops of Queensland invited the Australian Catholic University to occupy part of this site and the buildings. The University opened its doors in 2003. It was always the intention of the Queensland Bishops to return presbyteral formation to this sacred site. After many hours and days and years of discussion, the decision was made to return to Banyo.

Like the command of Jesus to Peter beside the Lake of Gennesaret, the Bishops of Queensland are putting their nets out ‘into the deep.’

It is through their prophetic vision by re-establishing a permanent home for presbyteral formation here on this site where most of the priests of Queensland were trained; that many will ‘come and see’ and be prepared for future priestly leadership for the five Dioceses of the province of Queensland and to serve the Catholic Church as priests.

I now invite Mrs Joan Hendriks who will offer her acknowledgment the custodians of the land.

I now Invite Professor Peter Sheehan, Vice Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University.

I now invite His Excellency to bless the site for the New Seminary Buildings.

Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli

His Excellency, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli.

His Excellency, Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli

Foundation of the new building for the new Holy Spirit Seminary

It is only just and right that in this liturgy of the Word our thoughts go to the workers and to all who will be engaged in the construction of this building. This is the first phase and an important one too. And we ask God's protection to keep them safe.

The second phase is that which will make of this building, once completed, the new home of THE HOLY SPIRIT SEMINARY. Every house is not a home, except to the extent that the inhabitants make it a home of shared purpose, commitment and responsibility.

So too, for Holy Spirit Seminary, from the bishops of Queensland as overseers to the last person responsible for maintenance and all that goes in between and that includes, of course, the seminarians!

And, both for home and seminary, the words and example of Jesus have their place: to serve!

As Christians we have embraced the person of Jesus, Son of Mary of Nazareth, Son of God. In that faith embrace, a seed has been planted in us which seeks to grow into that new creation of which St. Paul speaks. Jesus is that "living stone... chosen and precious in God's sight" which seeks to make of us "living stones ... (of) a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood". Thus, the just read scriptural reading from the 1st Letter of Peter.

That is the vocation which we have embraced as Christians.

The new creation in Jesus, while firmly anchored in and nourished by him, will reach out, in different ways, in each of us, for realising his purpose for taking on flesh and becoming one of us, "that we may have life and have it more abundantly" and continue to do so through each and every one of us, as "Ambassadors for Christ", as the second reading of yesterday's Mass, from the 2nd letter of Paul to the Church at Corinth reminds us.. We each have a vocation within a vocation.

The Holy Spirit Seminary, as do all seminaries, is dedicated to the formation of those who have responded to a vocation to the ordained priesthood, a special calling of service for the community of believers. It is a time not only of formation but also of testing of a vocation and what it entails for one who will give his final "yes".

The Ordained priest, as all Christians, must be well-rooted in the person of Jesus, his life, his words. That is the life-blood of his particular vocation, one that has to pulsate through the other branches of his formation - philosophical, theological, Church Tradition and Magisterium. And this is also true for his human formation which is not halted or stunted from being in a seminary, but rather should be enriched to be of that special service to the Church, which the Ordained Priesthood is challenged to provide.

Again, the words of Jesus come to mind, as a leitmotif: to serve!

Let us join together in prayer for the intercessions appropriate for this occasion.

Archbishops

Archbishop Bathersby and Archbishop Ambrose De Paoli

Archbishop John Bathersby D.D, Archbishop of Brisbane

Homily for the Blessing of the new Holy Spirit Seminary site at Banyo

Welcome to my brother Bishops, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

The relationship of our indigenous brothers and sisters with the land is remarkable. Most of us unable to replicate it can only wonder about it, because it is something that belongs to blood and culture that can’t easily be explained to others or understood by them. It seems to be a kinship with the land as if it were a living thing, a kinship that leaves non-indigenous people merely standing on the edge of that relationship filled with wonder and envy. The closest I have come to an understanding of it is my feeling towards Stanthorpe as a location, whose bushlands and mountains I have walked and climbed so frequently that I treasure almost its every grain of sand as I love its gaunt hillsides and sparse, scraggly foliage whose appearance is certainly not enhanced by the frosts of winter. Second only to Stanthorpe is my love of this hillside here at Banyo once called Beehive Hill and undoubtedly graced earlier by a better sounding indigenous name before it was finally christened with the name of Beehive. Anyone who spent 17 years on this hillside as I did, or even 7 as most Queensland Priests did, would have come to know and love, despite its pain of isolation, the sheer attractiveness of this location. For us every square inch of its surface has a story and many of the trees and shrubs that exists here now would have been planted and nurtured by one or more of the students who studied here in the past. It is indeed a special place for all of us. Even the ground we are standing on here where the seminary will be located is sprinkled with the sweat of student farmers and their plough-horses, as well as with the blood of chickens who sacrificed their lives unwillingly on the occasion of the big feasts to nourish hungry students in the refectory on top of the hill. Today, seven short years after departure from this hillside the church is once again returning to its place of memories. The former seminary buildings appropriately and effectively adapted for university use are already here, but now they will be joined by a new Holy Spirit Seminary that will provide accommodation and formation for students needed more than ever for service in the Church of Queensland.

The scripture so often challenges us with the words “Who can understand the mind of God?” If anyone has a right to ask that question it could be the ordained students of the 1960’s including my class of 1961 the largest ordination class to graduate from Banyo. At that time the growth of the Church seemed assured and the future rosy. In such a short time all seems to have been reversed, and today we seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as we grapple with the challenges of the present. There is no doubt this Holy Spirit Seminary will once again rise on what for various reasons we might easily call sacred ground, as trusting in the Holy Spirit we move confidently into the future that is God’s future, relying always on the fact that God is with us always in the person of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Please God we can say confidently with Blessed Julian of Norwich “All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.”

Today could I thank the other Bishops for their courage and faith in moving ahead on this significant construction. Could I also thank His Excellency Archbishop Ambrose de Paoli for joining us today for the blessing of the foundation stone of this new seminary and Mrs Joan Hendriks for representing the traditional owners. Could I thank the Rector Father Michael McCarthy, the Vice Rector Dean Ken Howell and Spiritual Director Father Gerry Kalinowski. Could I thank Fr Dr Dave Pascoe, Fr Dr Orm Rush and the staff of St Paul’s for their presence here today and for their work in St Paul’s Theologate. Also could I acknowledge the presence of Professor Peter Sheehan, the Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University , Dr John O’Gorman the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Macauly at Banyo. Finally and most importantly could I welcome the precious band of seminarians who one day, please God, will be able to say “I was there when the foundation stone for the New Holy Spirit Seminary at Banyo was blessed in 2007.”

Thank you all for your presence may God bless our dreams today for this brand new seminary which under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will educate and form Priests of the future who will move out confidently to spread Good News and to inspire those many people searching for answers in today’s secular society. May they embrace the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that filled with the joy of Christ they too may become apostles to shape a new and better world.

Joan Hendriks

Joan Hendriks

Joan Hendriks

Acknowledgement of Country

Your Excellency Most Rev Ambrose De Paoli, Most Rev Archbishop Bathersby, Rev Bishops of the Province of Queensland, Distinguished Guests, Elders, Brothers and Sisters

I am a descendant of the Ngugi people and our deep roots are in the land and waters of Moorgumpin (Moreton Island). Our clan is one of the three groups of original inhabitants from the Moreton Bay region which lies to the east of where we gather at this moment. I embrace you One and All with greetings and blessings from the Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders in Council from North Stradbroke Island.

For thousands upon thousands of years it has been customary for the original inhabitants of Australia to welcome neighbouring groups and visitors to country My place of belonging in Brisbane is of a historical nature and not traditional affiliation. Therefore I join with you in an acknowledgement of the ancestry of this place.

We begin with a reflection of the importance of people and places. In the interconnections of the Dreaming all things matter; and it is in the stories of creation that the foundation of an intense relationship begins with Biame our God. Different places have different names for Great Spirit of the Dreaming. Traditionally language, visual art, song and dance is the sole means of expression; and it is in the quietness of our minds and hearts that we listen and learn about the stories of formation of the land and waters, animals, plants and people, in accordance with the law of the land of particular nature of country. We are spiritual people and as children are taught the sacredness of the spirit of the land. We walk gently on the land knowing the spirit of the land is with us and that land is our very lifeblood, There is a lifetime of 57000 years as custodians of this land. prior to European contact.

Today as we come together my blessing is offered in the essence of listening and learning from the Earth our Mother. I invite you to join with me in a moment of quiet still awareness as we seek oneness with the Spirit of this place. Absorb the sounds of nature and search for the voice of Creation in the songs of the birds. Seek the quietness of the streams, lakes and billabongs. Look to the bush and witness the gentle swaying of the trees as the leaves dance with the gentle breeze. Travel to the shores and feel the softness of the grains of sand between your toes, and hear the roar of the ocean as it embraces the sandy beaches. In this quiet still awareness we sense the Spirit of life and know that God is always with us wherever we roam . This is our appreciation of Creation in the land where the Spirit of our Dreaming dwells.

Today we feel the pain of the environment in the struggle for survival against the odds of the carnage of materialism and modernisation. The Earth is our Mother and whole environment a means of the survival and enrichment of maintaining our physical, social and spiritual needs.

There are millions of footsteps embedded in this land prior to European contact. In more recent times God has been witness to the journey of the hundreds of seminarians who contemplated the quiet still awareness of God as they walked this land in the footsteps of the rich ancestry of this place.

Add to this the many students who continue with theology studies today, we realise we are walking a place of significance; that of the sacredness of the footprints that are cradled in the arms of Mother Earth.

Our presence here today leads us into a new era in the ongoing journey of ensuring the mission of Christ continues to be the essence of Christian life through the teachings and sharing of the gospel message.

As we absorb a moment of silence let us remember the descendants of the ancestry of this place as they continue to care for the land and waters of Brisbane. Also to acknowledge the presence of the memories of the spirit of all those who have gone before us in the journey we continue today.

May we journey together sharing common ground in building communities of peoples who believe in one another – sharing cultures, spiritualities and ways of living with the land. – In each other we must learn to trust. “I am Who We Are One Spirit, One people Embracing Difference”.

Congregation

Prayers

Prayers for the blessing of the building site for the new Holy Spirit Seminary: Introductory Rites

Gathering Hymn
Come Holy Ghost

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the. Holy Spirit.

Greeting
May the grace and peace of God our Father, the source of all blessings, be with you all.

The work we are beginning today for this new Seminary, should enliven our faith and make us grateful. We know the familiar words of the psalm: "If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor."
Whenever we look to the interests of our neighbor or the community and serve them, we are, in a sense, God's own co-workers.

Let us pray for his help through this celebration, my brothers and sisters, that God will bring this construction of the Holy Spirit Seminary to a successful completion and that his protection will keep those who work on it safe from injury.

Reading of the word of God
1 Peter 2:4-10

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen an4 precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it standsin scripture:

"See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,"The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the very head of the comer,"and "A stone that makes them stumble,and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.Once you were not a people,but now you are God's people;once you had not received mercy,but now you have received mercy.

Song
Psalm 104 - lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Homily
Archbishop De Paoli

Intercessions
Archbishop De Paoli: Brothers and sisters, let us ask God, our all-powerful Father, that the work we begin today will contribute to the building up of his kingdom and join us in faith and love to Christ, who is the cornerstone.

R: Blessed be God for ever.

Seminarian: Lord God, you have given us the knowledge and power to become your co-workers. Gift us with your Spirit.

R: Let us bless the Lord

Seminarian: Through your Son you have chosen to build your Church upon solid rock. Gift us with your Spirit.

R: Let us bless the Lord

Seminarian: Through the Spirit of your Son you form us into a spiritual house where you make your dwelling place. Gift us with your Spirit.

R: Let us bless the Lord

Seminarian: You inspire in us the firm hope that the building we begin today with your blessing will be brought to completion with your protection. Gift us with your Spirit.

R: Let us bless the Lord

Seminarian: With much labour you shape and polish us into living stones until you make us worthy to be built up into a new and holy Jerusalem. Gift us with your Spirit.

R: Let us bless the Lord

Seminarian: You inspire and guide the staff and students of Holy Spirit Seminary in their mission of responding to your call to ordained ministry. Gift us with your Spirit.

R: Let us bless the Lord

Seminarian: You have blessed countless students and priests who have been formed within the Seminary communities of Pius XII and Holy Spirit. Gift us with your Spirit.

R: Let us bless the Lord

Prayer of Blessing
All-powerful and all-merciful Father, you have created all things through your Son and have made him the unshakable foundation of your kingdom.Through the gift of your eternal wisdom, grant that the undertaking we begin today for your glory and our own well-being may progress day by day to its successful completion.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Hymn
Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation

The Lord's Prayer
Our Father....

Concluding Prayer
Watch over your Church of the province of Queensland, 0 Lord, which will build this new seminary under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,to gather the future ministers of Christ in community life and the study of your holy teaching, and so, by your grace, to form them for so great a service. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Concluding Rite
Bow your heads, and pray for God's blessing.

God never fails to provide his people with pastors. May he pour forth on his Church the spirit of reverence and courage, so that those who at his call accept the priesthood may by the grace of the Holy Spirit strive to live up to its demands.We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R: Amen

And may almighty God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

R: Amen.