At a recent Mass for Caritas I spoke in my homily about an old priest in Italy who had a wonderful gift for communicating with young people. On one occasion, he listened carefully to criticisms of the Church by a young man and then responded simply by saying, “I see what you see, but I see more.”
Within the Archdiocese of Brisbane, the ADF has consistently shown that ability to “see more”. Not only does the Fund support the construction of new buildings and facilities in schools and parishes, but it also enables a host of less tangible, even invisible things which enable the Church’s mission to flourish in this part of the world. Here I am thinking of the financial support offered to things like Evangelisation Brisbane, the Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre and Centacare’s Catholic Psychiatric Pastoral Care.
As Archbishop, I see more than most just how much the ADF contributes. I would like to thank Andrew Musial and the ADF team, as well as the Chair and members of the ADF Board. Without their commitment and expertise, the mission of the Archdiocese to help others “see more” would be vastly diminished. We are all in their debt.
+ Mark Coleridge
Archbishop of Brisbane