Father Greg Bellamy baptizes an infant at The Parish of St Mary and St Joseph, Orange, Australia. Web.
Shortly after Father Greg arrived as parish priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church, he found out that newcomers Lynda and Ray left the parish for another denomination: “they had been going to Mass in Orange for weeks and weeks and weeks and not a single person had spoken to them."
This is their story.
Lynda Kerr with inset by Jacqueline Marie | July 17, 2024
My husband Ray and I arrived in Orange (about 250 kms west of Sydney) in 2018. We were looking forward to retiring outside of the fast pace of Sydney city life. We hoped Orange, with a population of about 48,000, would offer country hospitality and friendliness.
At first our hopes were fulfilled. Even at the local gym everyone was friendly, welcoming, and had time for a cuppa [cup of coffee/tea] after class. However, when we first attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church it was not welcoming at all. Everyone seemed in a rush to get in and then get out of Mass. This was a shock.
So, we went to the Uniting Church in Orange to see if this was just the culture of the churches in town. It could not have been more different. At the Uniting Church, we were welcomed at the door, introduced to people, offered a cup of tea/coffee after service and even a dinner invitation from the minister. I was also asked personally if I would like to attend a weekly Bible study. The hospitality was wonderful and made us feel at home.
But, despite the wonderful hospitality at the Uniting Church, we missed attending Mass.
We decided to try again at St. Mary’s. The welcome was not much better, but this time we persevered: there was a new priest, Father Greg, who was just getting to know Orange and the parish himself.
Then things began to change.
The parish functioned in dysfunction and was not hospitable to newcomers. He found the attitude to be: “We are not going to welcome. We are going to expect others to fit in with us.”
Seven years ago, “someone handed me Divine Renovation to read…I resonated with the discontent being named.”
Now years into the parish renewal journey, he says, “It’s been a really healthy thing…it’s ongoing, you’re never finished with growth and mission and renewal, but I’m happy knowing the ministries may be smaller but they are healthier and people are happy to be in them…I think that is the firm foundation for growth in our parish.”
The parish functioned in dysfunction and was not hospitable to newcomers. He found the attitude to be: “We are not going to welcome. We are going to expect others to fit in with us.”
Seven years ago, “someone handed me Divine Renovation to read…I resonated with the discontent being named.”
Now years into the parish renewal journey, he says, “It’s been a really healthy thing…it’s ongoing, you’re never finished with growth and mission and renewal, but I’m happy knowing the ministries may be smaller but they are healthier and people are happy to be in them…I think that is the firm foundation for growth in our parish.”
One weekend after Mass, Father Greg introduced the book “Divine Renovation” and said you could sign up for small group discussion. HOORAY! We loved what he shared about Divine Renovation and could not wait to get our hands on a book and join a group. After working through the book with discussion and gathering of information, things started to change.
Divine Renovation has been the catalyst for noticeable change in our parish.
We have a Pastoral Strategy team that I am a part of led by Father Greg that has worked to put in place a plan for now and the next five years. We currently have Alpha running in our parish, a mens’ group, a youth group and other faith-based activities to come, through this we are beginning to experience a shift towards a more active engagement.
For myself personally, I always come back to the power of a cuppa. I’m now part of the hospitality team and we host a regular morning tea monthly after Mass at both St. Mary’s and St. Joseph. It’s a powerful way to casually interact with others, promote connection and it leads to a parish culture where we are more at ease to talk with one another about our faith. It’s a way to belong. It’s from this sense of belonging that has engaged me to be more active in our parish. A feeling of connectedness comes from a sense of belonging has made this community home now.
My heartfelt appreciation goes to Father Greg for his persistence and courage for leading this change.
Father Greg beams when he shares, "Lynda? She runs the hospitality now…She discovered all the things we were trying to do and she came back to that Mass…She is really into hospitality and welcoming and she is spearheading efforts right now to do connectors.”
