Bishop Greg Homeming OCD, Bishop of Lismore, concelebrated Mass with Fr Paul Gooley, Parish Priest of St Agnes’ Catholic Parish, at the St Teresa of Kolkata Chapel at Emmaus on Tuesday, 17 September. The Mass was held to bless the chapel and its altar after recent renovations.

The renovations were completed as part of the construction of the Emmaus Village Community Centre. The chapel was expanded to increase its seating capacity. Behind the altar, a cross made of translucent, amber-coloured bricks was installed. Two beautiful stained-glass windows were also added, depicting the chapel’s namesake, St Teresa of Kolkata, and The Walk to Emmaus, on either side of it.

At the beginning of Mass, Bishop Greg blessed the altar, the people present and, lastly, the walls and doors of the chapel itself.

In his homily, Bishop Greg asked those gathered to imagine that the builder got it wrong and there is a brick missing.

“If there’s a brick missing, you’ll go and find a brick to put in there, patch it up and paint it over because somehow when you look at a church every brick, everything, has its proper place; and if one thing is missing, this would not be the church or chapel that it is,” said Bishop Greg.

“I hope you also noticed,” he said, “that when I did the blessing, I blessed you first of all and, only after I blessed you, did I then bless the bricks of the church. The bricks were the last things I blessed and there’s a real meaning in that because the real bricks of the church are us”.

“We think that a church is a building, but it is not a building. A church is a place in which the real bricks can gather together and pray and be with each other. You are the bricks; if one brick, if one of you, is missing it is not the same chapel”.

He concluded by saying to all present, “what God wants of you is still ahead of you; never sit back and say, ‘it is all in the past’, no, because, through you, heaven and earth will come together.” (Read the full transcript of Bishop Greg’s homily)

Addressing those gathered at the conclusion of Mass, Sr Anne Hannigan, Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team Leader, expressed her gratitude to the Parish for undertaking the renovations and her delight that such a lovely, sacred place is available for those who need it.

“It is lovely to have such a space for our Masses, communion services and prayer services – thank you to the Parish and to everyone involved in completing the renovation”, said Sr Anne.

“This chapel is a beautiful sacred space where anyone can come, just to sit, to be with their thoughts or with God – it is a place of quiet and peace, a refuge for all in need of space to think,” she added.

The Mass was attended by residents of Emmaus Home and Emmaus Village as well as Parish staff, parishioners, and visitors.