Many aspects of the life and activities of the Christian Churches go unknown and unreported. A few incidents from my experience last week reveal something of this hidden world.
On Monday I presided at the funeral of Sydney priest, Father John McCaffery, ordained in 1962. He was buried from the Church of Rydalmere, which he built and where he had been parish priest for 22 years. There were 300 at the vigil and the funeral Mass was overflowing with people of every age and type, all the aisles were crowded and dozens standing outside.
Father John was a leader and a good organizer, but he wasn't loved just for that. A quiet man of genuine service, he had a gift for enduring friendships, encouraged lay leadership and initiative and was prepared to spend much time with the bereaved and those in trouble. For him the sacraments and especially the Mass were communal acts of worship and celebrated with dignity and prayer. This was loved and appreciated.
It was moving to see so many grieving for a friend, who had served them well as a priest.
St. Laurence was a Roman deacon and martyr of the third century. When the prefect of Rome asked him to deliver up the treasures of the Church, he assembled his poor parishioners.
At John McCaffery's funeral it struck me again that the real strength of the Church, hidden from the wider world, lies in the faith, and love of the people with their priest, brothers and nuns.
Early on Wednesday morning a group of us took off in a helicopter to fly over greater Sydney down to the Western suburbs, looking for a site for the final Mass of World Youth Day in 2008. No site is ideal, as we need space for 450,000 to 600,000 people, accessible by public transport.
The World Youth Day will bring Pope Benedict here and the number of foreign visitors might exceed those at the Sydney Olympics. It will be a powerful call to faith, not only for young Catholics, but to all young Australians who are seekers for truth.
Later that morning I attended the ground breaking ceremony by Premier Morris Iemma and blessed the site for the new Victor Chang Cardiac Research Unit at the St. Vincent's Research and Biotechnology Precinct, Darlinghurst.
The Sisters of Charity established their first hospital in Sydney in 1857 and Catholic health care for the sick and suffering is a well known aspect of Catholic life.
Less well known is the Catholic commitment to scientific research, especially for health purposes and the high level of government support for this. The Victor Chang Centre will join the well established Garvin Centre to constitute a research precinct of nearly 800 researchers and will bring untold blessings to sufferers.
It too is a worthy activity for a Christian Church.
