“When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near,he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”  John 19:26-27

Congratulations to all our graduates here this evening!  I hope that you are really proud of yourselves and your accomplishments in completing your schooling. But let’s not forget all the people who also share in that pride –- your mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters; your grandparents and friends – your teachers; all of whom took this journey with you in ways both seen and unseen.  So this is their day, too.

In a few moments Ashley Caldow will be invited to step forward, stand here in front of us all and, through his ordination as a deacon, commit himself as a member of that group of men whom we call the ordained ministers of our Church. He will declare before all of us his willingness to do his best to rise to the great challenges which this way of life will put before him ........

Bishop Les Tomlinson delivers a homily to two thousand members of the Catholic Education Community gathered in Bendigo on May 24-25, 2012 for the second Catholic Education Sandhurst Diocesan Conference

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
As we gather for the Mass of Chrism in this beautiful Cathedral, we are given the opportunity to reflect together on a significant aspect of our faith. Traditionally, the Chrism Mass helps us to focus on the sacramental life of the Church, as we bless the holy oils that will be used in the celebration of four of the seven sacraments. This reminds us that God communicates divine life to each of us by means of the sacraments.

The death of someone close to us always confronts us with our own mortality, although when the person is of advanced years we may seek to distance ourselves from death with the thought that a great deal of time separates us from the reality because we are not yet at such an age. Never the less, we cannot dismiss the inevitability of our own death. The second reading of today's Mass may further disturb us with the reminder of the encounter with God our Judge, following our death.

Solemn Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral

It is on occasions such as this, when we gather together in this magnificent Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, that we remember with deep gratitude that we were drawn into the life of God and indeed became part of God's family when we were Baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.