By Alex Woolnough and Marilyn Rodrigues
From candlelit streets in Fairfield to a rain-soaked Croatian celebration and the unveiling of a Marian statue in the heart of Liverpool, Sydney Catholics proudly took their devotion to Our Lady out to the public square for the Feast of the Assumption.
Thousands gathered across the city on 15 August to mark the solemnity, which celebrates the taking of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heavenly glory.
In Fairfield, Catholics from three Eastern and Western Catholic communities came together for a candlelit procession through the streets.
Bishop Richard Umbers, Monsignor Lenard Ina, Fr Maher Kourial and other clergy led faithful from Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, the Syriac Catholic Church and St Mary’s Assumption Chaldean Catholic Church, walking together in prayer behind an image of Our Lady.
Earlier in the day the rain could didn’t deter almost 1500 Croatian Catholics who gathered at the St Nikola Tavelic Croatian Catholic Centre at St John’s Park.
Catholics primarily from St John’s Park, Bonnyrigg Heights and Blacktown converged for one of the largest turnouts for the community’s annual Assumption celebration.
Mass, concelebrated by Bishop Umbers and Fr Klaudio Milohanovic OFM, was followed by a Marian procession and a community picnic featuring traditional Croatian music and folkloric performances.
“The weather wasn’t great, but it was amazing to see so many Croatian Catholics celebrate Our Lady,” Fr Milohanovic told The Catholic Weekly.
For organiser Christina Pasovec, the feast carries particular significance because of its deep connection to Croatian Catholic identity.
“It’s always a really special day because there’s a bit of a connection [between the Feast] and our heritage,” she said.
“You could really feel the spirit, the grace and the blessings, so it was amazing to honour Our Lady and share in the Eucharist.”
The feast also left a permanent mark on Liverpool, where a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was unveiled and blessed in Bigge Park.
Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun and Bishop Tony Percy unveiled a plaque bearing a prayer to Our Lady, and Bishop Percy also blessed the statue before a gathering that included civic representatives and leaders from numerous Christian communities.
The mayor described the statue as a symbol for Christians but also as an invitation to a deeper kind of social cohesion in which Australians learn to respect what is sacred to their neighbours.
Bishop Percy said the image, situated near Liverpool Hospital, offered a reminder of “life and love” amid the frenetic pace of modern life and could become a place of prayer and reflection.
That has already begun, as All Saints parish priest Fr Paul Monkerud later told The Catholic Weekly parishioners had already started gathering at the statue to pray the rosary early on Friday mornings.
Students from All Saints Catholic College also described seeing passers-by stop during prayer at the statue.
The celebrations in Sydney echoed Pope Leo XIV’s message for the feast given at Castel Gandolfo, where he reflected on the beauty revealed by a life shaped by love.
Rather than seeking to conceal the marks of age, the pope said Christians should recognise the “signs of love” impressed upon people through lives given to others.
He pointed to weary parents, devoted grandparents and dedicated workers as everyday witnesses to the same love and charity seen in Mary.
“Love transfigures, transforms, ennobles and lifts us up,” Pope Leo said, making people “light, free and close to God” amid the difficulties of life.
Across Sydney, the feast offered its own expression of that reality: communities of different cultures and traditions looking to the same Mother of Christ.
