The victims of the Bondi massacre have been remembered and commemorated in a vigil Mass held at St Anne’s Catholic Church, North Bondi on 15 December.
The vigil took place just a day after the Sunday attack on Jewish Australians at the “Chanukah by the Sea” event, which left 16 dead and 40 others injured.
Fr Anthony Robbie, parish priest of St Anne and St Patrick, both based in Bondi, said the community has gone through “more than their fair share of distressing experiences” over the past few years.
“We had the stabbings last year at Bondi Junction, and now this, and even if only a small number of people are directly affected, in that the wider ramifications are very strongly felt,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“There’s a true sense of unease, distress, anxiety, which spreads through people, and some of those feelings go on for a very long time, so we can expect to be dealing with this and looking after people for quite some time to come.”
He said the victims, the majority of whom are Jewish people, must now “live with the constant dread of what might happen” in the wake of the attack.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Malcolm Arthur Lanyon APM declared the violence a terrorist attack shortly after the shooting, a designation which was confirmed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Fr Robbie condemned the attack as a “terrible outrage” which was a shock to not only those directed impacted but the wider community in Bondi and beyond.
“It’s particularly awful that people who are trying to celebrate with their families or seeking happiness in a famous tourist spot should be confronted with some cruel violence unexpectedly,” he said.
“The violence visited upon the innocent is always the worst and becomes the most shocking and most deeply felt to the kind-hearted among us.”
The Mass, a special event held by the parish, attracted over 100 mourners, some who were visibly affected by the events of the previous day and seeking spiritual solace.
“This is our reminder that our hope doesn’t come from within this world, that we understand that only the solution to the evils of this world is from the acceptance of God,” he said.
“The cruelty of the human heart can only be softened by divine grace when it’s accepted and, of course, requested and so our prayers must always be that people will have the humility to accept the grace of God and to ask for his consolation.”
Outside the vigil Mass, the streets of Bondi, particularly on Campbell Street near where the massacre occurred were packed with mourners. They left flowers, heartfelt notes, and congregated outside the Bondi Pavilion, where terrified locals had hidden.
The forecourt of the Pavilion became a place of remembrance for those who lost their lives and had been injured. Members of the public and faithful alike then watched the second candle of the Menorah be lit.
Back at St Anne’s, Fr Robbie in his homily spoke of the gloom which comes with times like this and the light of God.
“The light which is there in the darkness indeed is more powerful than the darkness and always overcomes it, even if darkness catches our attention and seems more dramatic and seems more overwhelming and frightens us,” he said.
“Beneath the fright, there is a serenity which comes from the Almighty, he is the consolation of all difficulties, he is the calm behind every storm, he is the reality to which everything returns after those moments of disruption and fear.”