A quiet paddock outside Mathoura, near Deniliquin in the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes, became holy ground on the weekend of 10–11 January as the first stage of a new Discalced Carmelite monastery was formally set in motion with a historic liturgy.
Cardinal Mykola Bychok CSsR, Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the nun’s future chapel and choir, having travelled straight from the Extraordinary Consistory in Rome with a blessing and good wishes for the nuns and their supporters from Pope Leo XIV.
He was joined by Wilcannia-Forbes Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green OSPPE, Colleen Jreissati, representing the Jreissati family, principal patrons of the chapel, and Murray River Mayor John Harvie.
The next morning, on the Feast of the Holy Family, beneath three marquee tents erected on the site of the future chapel, Bishop Macbeth-Green celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass, with Cardinal Bychok presiding.
A Carmelite monastery is never just another building, but a “powerhouse of prayer,” the cardinal said in his address.
“Hidden from the world, yet at the very heart of the church, it is a place where day and night the cry of humanity is lifted up to God.
“From these walls will rise prayers for the church, for priests, for families, for those who suffer, for those who have lost hope, and for those who do not even know how to pray.
“The church has always known that her strength does not come first from activity, strategy, or numbers, but from prayer – faithful, persevering, loving prayer.
“The Carmelite vocation reminds us of this truth. Through silence, sacrifice, and contemplation, the sisters share in Christ’s own offering to the Father for the salvation of the world.
“For this reason, this Carmel is a blessing not only for the Diocese of Wilcannia–Forbes, but for the entire church in Australia. In a time of noise, haste, and uncertainty, the witness of a contemplative community speaks powerfully and prophetically.
“It tells us that God is real, that he listens, and that prayer truly changes the world.”
Bishop Macbeth-Green praised the sisters as prophets for today, interceding for the entire country from the wilderness of the Australian bush.
“There’s something about the natural world that opens ourselves to the Spirit, and opens ourselves to the grace, ultimately, of Jesus Christ,” he said in his groundbreaking ceremony speech.
“You sisters have seen and have acknowledged there’s something greater than you here. You’re listening to God in the silence of your own heart, in your cloister, in your chapel. And you’re sharing that with everybody else. You intercede and pray for us all and you are a prophet to us. We see you and we take inspiration from you.”
About 750 people travelled from every state, with some driving more than 10 hours, to witness the once-in-a-lifetime moment for the church in Australia.
They included clergy from across the country including Sydney’s Bishop Richard Umbers, local Anglican clergy, members of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, representatives of Aboriginal communities, local councillors, and the architects and engineers responsible for the monastery’s design.
The ceremony was followed by a relaxed gathering with food and wine, including a commemorative Pinot Noir from the Jreissati family’s Levantine Hill winery.
On Sunday, the liturgy was a rare and moving expression of the church’s catholicity, concluding with Cardinal Bychok imparting the final solemn blessing using the dikirion and trikirion candles of the Ukrainian rite.
The choir and organists from the parish of the Maternal Heart of Mary in Lewisham provided music, including an original polyphonic setting of Exodus 3:5 — “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground”.
For Prioress Mother Mariam Joseph OCD and the other sisters of the Carmel of Elijah who have lived their contemplative life in the district for seven years, the weekend was an affirmation and a revelation.
Cardinals alone may enter the cloister, and they said Cardinal Bychok’s visit to them inside was a moment of “profound encouragement.”
Stage one of the monastery is centred on erecting the chapel is underway and the sisters are seeking benefactors to help complete the work. See elijah.org.au for details.
