Archbishop's Homilies 2001

Ordination To Diaconate Of Peter-Damien Mckinley

Celebrates by Archbishop Hart,
at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne,
on Sunday, 9th December, 2001, at 11.00am
(Second Sunday Of Advent)

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Church presents to us the energetic figure of John the Baptist crying to each of us to prepare a way for the Lord.

Peter-Damien McKinley today will make the significant step in his life when he receives ordination to the Diaconate at my hands. He will be a Deacon and Priest of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and will serve the Diocese in our parishes. At the same time he will be a member of the Emmanuel Community, a body of people who are an active presence in the New Evangelisation, and yet contemplatives whose strength is drawn from Mass and adoration of the Eucharist, community support and work among the people.

As we are united on this special occasion at the beginning of a new Church year, let us call to mind our sins, that with eager hearts we too may go forward to answer 'yes' to the challenge the Lord gives us, "Prepare a way for the Lord."

Homily

My dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peter-Damien McKinley has found a two-fold inspiration in his life. Father Damien of Molokai gave his life completely to serve the spiritual and temporal needs of his parish of lepers at a distant island in the Pacific. He held a courageous optimism in the ability to transform the hopeless lives of his lepers by living close to them as a priest and sharing the Eucharist. Secondly, the Emmanuel community founded by Pierre Goursat, who had a vision of a body of people who would be an active presence in the secular world and yet contemplatives and whose strength was drawn, (a) by living the graces of daily Mass and adoration of the Lord in the Eucharist and, (b) by meeting regularly to share their life of faith. Peter was drawn instantly to the joy and simplicity of Emmanuel, and yet the capacity which Emmanuel priests have to work and live in a Diocese, as part of a radical response to the call of Pope John Paul II for New Evangelisation. Peter-Damien is grateful for the two-fold call given him, to be a Deacon and Priest of our Archdiocese, and to be a member of the Emmanuel community within our Diocese and beyond.

He sees himself as a servant of the New Evangelisation by which Pope John Paul wants us first to contemplate Christ, then to seek the way of holiness before launching out into the deep with new inventiveness, enthusiasm and skill, to bring the love and knowledge of Christ to our brothers and sisters in the community.

The Deacon does this in a particular way and that is why we need to consider carefully the significant step, which he is taking today.

 

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.