All of you, in one way or another, are touching the suffering of others, the needs of others, Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton has told the personnel and volunteers of the archdiocese.
Leading the 2026 Eucharistic Celebration with Church Personnel on Friday 7 August at St Mary’s Cathedral – the eve of the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop – Bishop Don said while the work is often fulfilling, encountering the needs of others can also seem quite overwhelming at times.
Joining Bishop Don were concelebrants the Very Rev Fr Minh-Thuy Nguyen, Vicar for Clergy and Fr Francis Nguyen, St Charles’ Seminary Rector, assisted by WA Catholic Migrants and Refugee Office Director, Deacon Greg Lowe.
“You encounter poverty and loneliness in people’s lives. You work with people who are going through family breakdowns, or who are facing the challenges of mental health issues. You work with those who need our protection through safeguarding. You work with limited resources, and you work within a community of faith that is increasingly putting expectations on all of us,” he said.
While we can sometimes be burdened by this work, he added, it is the work that we are called to do with Christ.
Reflecting on the example of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Bishop Don said she was “a very powerful witness and an encouragement to us all…a woman who showed the deep trust that she had in Jesus.”
This trust, he continued, was not simply an idea or aspiration, it was a way of life for her, even in the face of the challenges, uncertainties, limited financial resources, opposition, misunderstanding, personal suffering and setbacks she faced.
“All of this would have really tried her trusting in the Lord’s promise, and yet she remained convinced that God’s providence would guide this work,” he explained.
“She believed, and she rose to the occasion. She saw a need, and she responded with trust, courage, and practical action.
“As a consequence of that faith and trust, she was successful in founding so many schools around Australia. She formed so many communities. She accompanied families, advocated for those on the margins, and trusted in whatever she was able to do on her part that it was enough for God to act.”
Like Mary MacKillop, Bishop Don reminded all Church personnel and volunteers that they are participating in the Church’s mission.
“The way in which we generously serve is often unseen, perhaps not even recognised at times,” he said.
“But when you are before someone with a great challenge in their life, it’s your patient listening that is required; it’s your sitting with someone as they grieve; it’s your welcoming of the newcomer; the completing of an administrative task that allows ministry to flourish; it’s your giving of your time which may not be recognised. In these ways, you are being a sign of God’s care for His people.”
Notwithstanding the challenges, pressures, demands, uncertainty and concerns that we can face in these roles on a daily basis, Bishop Don suggested Jesus does not dismiss such concerns. Rather, He asks us, “Do you believe that God is already at work in the midst of them?”
“Today, then, we call on the Lord to strengthen that spirit, that generous spirit that motivates us, that calls us to act in a certain way, in a way quite different to what might be exercised in other organisations, because of our faith in Christ, our faith in that communion that we have with Christ,” he added.
Referring to the focus on synodality across the global Church, Bishop Don said he hoped that “as we continue working, that we’ll work together. We’ll listen deeply to one another. We’ll respect the dignity of every person, we’ll seek solutions together, and we’ll place mission before individual interests.”
“As Jesus said,” he continued, “do not be consumed by worry. Trust God’s providence. See the need before you. Respond generously. And the first thing you seek is the kingdom of God.”
