Liturgy marks movement from the impossible to the possible

In welcoming the congregation to the Covenant Renewal Liturgy at Sacred Heart Cathedral on 27 May, Dean Monsignor Allan Hart said that, like the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the Covenant marks a movement “from the impossible to the possible”. The Tri-Diocesan Covenant was signed last year by the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay, the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle and the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, and this year’s liturgy was an affirmation and a ‘stocktaking’ of the commitments made by the three communities.

While the formal Covenant – like the baptismal promises of the neophytes who processed into the cathedral with Easter water and paschal candles – is a youthful commitment, there have long been expressions of co-operation between dioceses, parishes and ministers. The bishops’ exchange of stoles signified this co-operation, after which Bishop Michael prayed: Strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to live the gospel we have embraced. Deliver us from self-seeking and cause us to work for the common good.

Deacon Robyn Pullin proclaimed the gospel and one participant remarked afterwards, “Wasn’t it great to see a woman in the pulpit?”

Luke Edwards, parishioner of St Joseph’s Toronto and Ministry Co-ordinator at St Paul’s Booragul, reflected on the gospel, saying that

“…the commitment to covenant that we celebrate tonight is an attempt to communicate authentically with…truth. It is part of our evolutionary history….It is part of our search as Christians to be true to our mission; in response to having been sent into the world….The evil one, that Jesus is so concerned to protect us against, has manifested itself in the shape of our current ecological plight. As Thomas Berry says, we have become autistic to the rhythms and processes of Earth. Perhaps this is what Paul is striving to guard us against? The savage wolves may be the flawed human, the very presence of evil that has turned human-earth relations away from communion to dominion…”

A Litany of Praise and Lament affirmed the areas where the Covenant is being fulfilled and acknowledged the regrets that still exist for the times when co-operation is not yet possible.

“The Covenant is a reminder for us all that within the one faith community, the Body of Christ, we share a responsibility to bring ourselves into closer relationships with other Christians,” Bishop David Walker of Broken Bay said. “As we affirm our commitment in this gathering, we acknowledge this responsibility and pledge to continue the things that we are doing together, with a commitment to be open to further involvement in the future.”

Tracey Edstein