Archbishop Mark Coleridge welcomes you to our website – the window on the world of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. We hope that you’ll do more than just look in the window. We hope you’ll walk through the door and discover something of who we really are.
Transcript
I’m not sure who you are or where you’ve come from. Perhaps you’re from the Archdiocese of Brisbane; perhaps you’re from somewhere else in Queensland or Australia; perhaps you’re from somewhere much further away. Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, let me say Welcome to the Archdiocese of Brisbane – or at least to the website which is our window on the world.
I’m not sure why you’re here. Perhaps you’re just surfing the net, or looking for information, or exploring more generally. But whatever you’re looking for and no matter why you’ve come here, I hope that you’ll do more than just look in the window. I hope you’ll walk through the door and discover something of who we really are.
People hear and read all kinds of strange things about the Catholic Church and Catholic people. Here’s your chance at least to learn a little more of who we really are in this part of the world. We’re flesh and blood like everyone else, the usual mix of good and bad you find in human beings everywhere. The difference is not that we’re better than others – it’s simply that, with all our faults and failings, our doubts and hesitations, we choose to put our faith in Jesus Christ crucified and risen. That means we say yes to love and mercy, to peace and joy – the gifts promised by the Risen Jesus to those who open their hearts to him. Here you find an open heart.
We’re also a community, not a bunch of individuals. We’re a community because you can’t follow Jesus on your own. You can do it only with others. To discover him as the one to follow is to discover brothers and sisters as companions on the journey. That’s at the heart of what it means to be Catholic anywhere; it’s at the heart of what we are as the Archdiocese of Brisbane.
So welcome aboard! The ship might have sprung a leak or two, but still we sail on, even across rough seas – keeping our eye firmly on the one who comes to us across the waves and through the dark, then gets into the boat, calms the sea and leads us safely to the shore. Welcome!