Following Fr Peter Kennedy's last Mass at St Mary's South Brisbane, up to 1,000 parishioners yesterday made the trek down to the Trades and Labour Council building, where they took communion. The Courier-Mail reports the move heralded the end of a nine month battle the church community has waged with the Brisbane Archdiocese, since being accused by Archbishop John Bathersby of being out of communion with the Catholic Church.
"It's a considered option, this going into exile," parishioner Mary O'Gorman, 70, told the Courier-Mail.
"It was either that or stay in a situation typified by Peter being sacked without any due process and the community not being consulted with in any way as part of any process regarding their leadership."
Before the congregation left St Mary's, Father Kennedy, who has been at St Mary's for 28 years, told them he felt a "wonderful liberation from all the doctrines and dogmas, rules and regulations that are so much a part of the institution of the Church."
To loud applause, he promised their relocated church community would feature greater leadership roles for women.
"Let us remember that our story as it unfolds will not change the Church let alone change the world, but it is a political act," Fr Kennedy told the congregation.
"Let us talk of love, compassion, forgiveness ... tolerance, peace and justice. You and I know they are all movements of the heart," he said.
"It will be interesting to see how we develop over the next few weeks and months, but hang in there."
St Mary's priest-in-residence Terry Fitzpatrick, who has also moved across to the new Trades Hall Council services, conducted two final baptisms at the parish church before worshippers began their symbolic procession towards their new spiritual home, the Brisbane Times says.
After assembling in the open meeting area on the second story of the Trades Hall Council, the community sang together "All Are Welcome" by Marty Haugen reinforcing their belief the Church generally should be more inclusive.
Fr Kennedy said the majority of the St Mary's church community would join his congregation.
"Fr Ken Howell (the newly appointed St Mary's administrator) will have to rent a crowd," Fr Kennedy said.
"Our story might give hope to all those Catholics you know who've left the church for all sorts of good reasons," he said according to an ABC report.
"Those who have been excluded on grounds of gender or sexual orientation, or just people who have been oppressed by the doctrines and dogmas and regulations and rules of the Catholic Church.
"We are liberated now to speak out about the Church. The media will come to us for our opinion from now on."
But Brisbane Archdiocese canon lawyer Fr Adrian Farrelly said said there was some disappointment within the Catholic Church at Fr Kennedy's actions in leading his congregation to a new building, as it was creating "division'' in the Church, the Brisbane Times says.
"What he's done now is a very public act and it's an act that's seen as moving away from full communion with the local church,'' he said.
"The parish of St Mary's continues. St Mary's is not going anywhere. It is staying put. It's been there since 1893.''
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(Source: CTHN)