As the Pilgrimage of the Migrant Jubilee Cross continues to make its way around the state, the Catholic Youth Ministry’s Penelope Watt offers the following reflection.
On Sunday 19 April, the Catholic Youth Ministry celebrated the arrival of the Migrant Jubilee Cross in Perth with a summit and mass at St Mary’s Cathedral.
With the number of participants exceeding all expectations, the event commenced with music led by the CYM Music Ministry that set both a reflective and celebratory tone ahead of the procession.
The Migrant Jubilee Cross, which arrived in Perth from Melbourne, was carried in procession around the cathedral grounds. The procession included several stops, notably at the olive tree, recognised as a World Youth Day tree, highlighting the themes of unity and peace. Volunteers contributed to the procession by offering short reflections at the various stoppage points.
Adding depth and personal insight to the occasion were the addresses delivered by Howard Ong, who shared his personal journey as a Catholic migrant in Australia, and Deacon Greg Lowe, Director of the West Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office that has coordinated the visit of the cross to Western Australia.
The celebration continued with the Mass celebrated by Perth Auxiliary Bishop, Don Sproxton. Incorporated into the liturgy was the reciting of the Universal Prayer in multiple languages, reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds present within the church and broader community.
Following Mass, attendees gathered for a shared meal featuring food from a wide range of cultures, further fostering social connection among participants.
The event concluded in a spirit of community and celebration, marking a successful and meaningful introduction of the Migrant Jubilee Cross to Perth.
The Migrant Jubilee Cross is symbolic of the faith, gifts, contributions and resilience of migrant communities. It is considered a gift from migrant communities to the Church – a place that symbolises welcome and belonging, integration and solidarity.
Deeply symbolic and sacred, the Migrant Jubilee Cross is made from Australian recycled timber and incorporates the Southern Cross constellation.
It also contains sacred relics of the Holy Family – fragments from the Holy Crib of Our Lord, the veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the cloak of St Joseph – as well as a relic from the 1914 cedar coffin of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
It is currently in the Bunbury Diocese (until Sunday 17 May) after which it will be welcomed into the Geraldton (Monday 18 May – Sunday 31 May) and Broome Dioceses (Monday 20 July – Sunday 2 August).