April 4, 2008

Over 1,000 people gathered in Newcastle's Christ Church Anglican cathedral on Wednesday to welcome the signing of a historic covenant on ecumenical cooperation between the Anglican diocese of Newcastle and the Catholic dioceses of Maitland-Newcastle and Broken Bay.

While similar covenants have been signed between Anglican and Catholic churches at parish level, it is believed to be the first covenant between Anglican and Catholic Dioceses in Australia, a Maitland-Newcastle media release says.

The congregation was called to prayer by the sound of the didgeridoo, followed by a smoking ceremony.

Recognising the reconciling elements of water and fire within Aboriginal culture and the centrality and commonality of baptism within the Anglican and Catholic traditions, Anglican Bishops Brian Farran and Graeme Rutherford (Diocese of Newcastle) and Catholic Bishops Michael Malone and David Walker (Dioceses of Maitland-Newcastle and Broken Bay) gathered with Aboriginal elders at the Baptismal font. They prayed over the water together, before sprinkling the congregation.

The Very Reverend Graeme Lawrence, Dean of Newcastle and Christ Church Cathedral welcomed the congregation to what he characterises as a"joyful and historic occasion."

Preacher Dominican Sr Jenny Gerathy OP compared the occasion of the signing of the covenant with the recent Earth Hour initiative.

Just as last year Sydney had led the way with Earth Hour which has recently been taken up throughout Australia as well as internationally, Sr Gerathy said that "tonight we lead the way, as we take this small but significant step which we hope will lead the way for others, locally and globally."

"Our Covenant invites us into relationship, with our God and with each other, beyond the signatures on the page. The Covenant must take on flesh and bones and we the people of God are those flesh and bones."

"Tonight is the night to let go of the wounds of the past, whatever they be, because of earlier divisions between our Churches," Sr Gerathy continued.

"What a gift we are being offered! Tonight is the night to transfer all that is fearful into boldness of heart, for the kingdom." Representatives from each diocese presented the Bishops with a stole, a sign of their priestly office. As the stole was placed around each bishop s neck, they were reminded that they serve Christ and Christ s people.

Vested in the stoles which they had just received, the bishops moved to stand behind the altar to receive the gifts of bread and wine, brought forward by two young families from the Catholic and Anglican traditions.

In the words of Anglican Dean Graeme Lawrence, "Acknowledging those things that still separate us, but recognising that what unites is far greater than what divides, we, the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay and the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle come together to enter into a Covenant relationship that we hope will help to build that unity which Christ desires for all his Church."

Anglican diocese of Newcastle