East Vic Park a ‘beacon of hope’

15 Dec 2010

By The Record

By Anthony Barich
ARCHBISHOP Barry Hickey has described East Victoria Park Parish as a “beacon of hope” for the Church, as a Bishop, two priests, one Religious Brother and 10 Religious Sisters have emerged from it.
The parish celebrated its 75th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the current Our Lady Help of Christians Church with a Mass and lunch on 12 December.
Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan – principal celebrant of the Mass with current parish priest Fr MC Arulraj, his predecessor Fr Brian Harris, Fr Peter Bianchini whose father built the church and Fr Paul Carey SSC who has supplied for the parish – told The Record that it all started with Mgr Francis O’Connor.
Bishop Holohan, who grew up in the parish, remembers Mass being celebrated in the parish hall, the excitement at the arrival of Christian Brothers and the tireless pastoral work of Mgr O’Connor.
“I knew what a priest was because of Mgr O’Connor. Many of the vocations to come from this parish stemmed from the time under his care,” Bishop Holohan told The Record.
“Mgr O’Connor was always there for everyone. If you were stranded after Mass he offered to give you a lift home.”
The relationship with the parish priest is critical to religious vocations, both to the diocesan priesthood and for male and female Religious, he said. The parish starting in “tough times” may have also drawn people closer to God, he added.
Also crucial to the promotion of vocations to religious life in parishes is the level of conversion of the priest, Bishop Holohan said.
“If I visit people in my parish as a priest out of love, I am acting in the Person of Christ,” Bishop Holohan said. “If I’m doing it by considering the people merely as numbers, I’m not acting in the Person of Christ.”
Fr Bianchini, now Highgate parish priest, who grew up barely two streets away from the church, said four priests at East Victoria Park influenced his life and were “proably why I offered myself for the priesthood. The (Mercy) Sisters and the Christian Brothers also had an enormous influence on my Christian life and vocation”.
Fr Bianchini recalled Mgr O’Connor was “a man of prayer” who was very dedicated to the sick. “I do try to pray as he taught,” Fr Bianchini said.
Fr Pat Ahearn taught Fr Bianchini to altar serve and of the value of continued study after ordination.
Fr Cyril Stinson was the first priest to invite Fr Bianchini into the presbytery and was “a brave priest” who showed great compassion.
Fr Phil Farrelly was “an interesting and colourful priest” who gave Fr Bianchini the opportunity as a newly ordained deacon to celebrate weddings and funerals. “If anything in my priesthood, I have learned a love of these celebrations from him and to make myself available for these ceremonies,” Fr Bianchini said.
“East Victoria Park Parish has been important in my developing years and has had a place in my priesthood,” he said, adding that he felt privileged to bury his parents from the parish church. “The joy of having so many parishioners at these celebrations was a great comfort to our family,” he said.
The element of personal conversion was a central theme of Bishop Holohan’s homily: “People often think of faith as an individual idea, but the Apostles and the early Christians soon learned they could only come to know Jesus better by gathering as a community and realising the depth of His power in their lives.”
Catholics’ power to experience God’s healing depends largely on their own conversion, including preparation for Mass and recognising their faults, he said. “We won’t experience that healing unless we open ourselves to His power,” the prelate said.
“Christ will guide us to conversion as we gather in community, which is what people do in parishes. Harmony with God leads to harmony within. This is the peace that God offers.”
The key for Catholics, then, leading up to Christmas, he said, is being open to drawing closer to God in community; being open to God’s healing and freeing power of His resurrection, especially when they are struggling with temptations.
The fact that Christ conquered death means he can also conquer any struggle or temptation in our lives, Bishop Holohan said.
In his message to the parish for the anniversary, Archbishop Hickey said the parish church’s name clearly focuses on Mary, Mother of God, helper to all Christians. “Her model of faith, commitment and sincere desire to serve our loving Father when she said ‘yes’ to be mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ should continually remind us of our  vocation to service to God,” he said.
“The parish has supported Catholic parents in their principal role as faith educators, both pastorally and sacramentally. Over the years, the impact of societal values that are countercultural to the message of our Saviour requires strong faith and support. Our Lady Help of Christians’ Parish has no doubt provided our Catholic families the pastoral leadership and guidance in encountering these challenges.