St John the Baptist Church welcomes visit from India
St John the Baptist Church in Woy Woy has had a visit from the Provincial of the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales from the Province of Pune, India, Fr Johnson Gonsalves.
St John the Baptist Catholic parish in Woy Woy is part of the Broken Bay Diocese, which is ministered by the Fransalian order from India.
"He was welcomed at the mass in St John the Baptist Church, Woy Woy, on Sunday, December 8, and had a chat with the parishioners over a cup of tea," said parish publicity officer Ms Jane Rutherford .
"It was a pleasure to have him in our midst."
Ms Rutherford said: "Bishop Anthony Randozza is the head of our diocese and guides our priests and parishioners along their faith journey.
"Our parish priest Fr Timothy Raj and his two assistants Fr Alex Peter and Fr Vincent belong to the same province of Pune, India.
"The Congregation was founded in 1838 in France and, in 1845, six pioneer missionaries were sent by founder Fr Peter Mermier from France to India.
"In Australia, the missionaries began the ministry in 1998 with the arrival of Fr Mani Malana to the Archdiocese of Sydney.
"Today, there are 17 confreres from three provinces in India, working in the dioceses of Parramatta, Broken Bay, Toowoomba in Queensland, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney."
Ms Rutherford said Fr Johnson had has visited all his seven members of the province in their places of ministry.
He had also visited the bishops of Broken Bay, Paramatta and Toowoomba.
SOURCE:
Media release, 4 Dec 2024
Jane Rutherford, St John the Baptist Church