Archbishop Anthony Randazzo celebrated his last Mass as Apostolic Administrator of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross on Sunday as he prepares to take up his new ministry as Prefect of the Dicastery of Legislative Texts at the Vatican next month.
“The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross stands as a living, visible expression of Christian unity within the Catholic Church,” he said following Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Killara.
Archbishop Randazzo was joined by the Vicar General of the Ordinariate, Fr Stephen Hill in celebrating the Crowning of Our Lady. This is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual where a statue of Mary is adorned with a crown of flowers, honouring her as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God.
“In Australia, the Ordinariate is experiencing steady, grace-filled growth, marked by spiritual vitality and new vocations,” Archbishop Randazzo said.
“Though small in size, the Ordinariate carries a global significance, offering a hopeful model for ecumenism and future unity.
“As I conclude my time as Apostolic Administrator, I give thanks for the grace-filled growth of the Ordinariate and the faithful witness of its clergy and people. With confidence, I look to the future, trusting that this community will continue to flourish as a vibrant sign of unity in the Church.”
“It has been a privilege to serve the Ordinariate during this period of renewal and hope. I am encouraged by the strong foundations laid and the emerging signs of vitality, and I remain confident that its mission will bear fruit well into the future.”
The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (OLOSC) in Australia was established in 2012, to serve groups of Anglicans who desire full communion with the Catholic Church in Australia and Asia. It has congregations across Australia and has a presence New Zealand, Guam, Japan and Philippines.
Then Bishop Randazzo, Pope Francis appointed him OLOSC Apostolic Administrator in April 2023.
Pope Leo XIV this week announced the Most Rev Steven Lopes, Bishop Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter as the Apostolic Administrator of OLSC Australia.
As a farewell gift Archbishop Randazzo was presented with a framed print of the Icon of Our Lady of the Southern Cross and an1835 edition of Chronological History and Graphic Illustrations of Christian Architecture in England.
Fr Stehen said; “I am most grateful to Archbishop Randazzo for the fatherly manner in which he has served as Apostolic Administrator for the past three years. His first concern has always been the good of the Church, both local and universal, and I know he will apply himself to the service of the Holy Father in the same way.”
