Bringing people together to celebrate this special time in the year is key for the Diocese, says Vicar General, Fr Brian Mascord:
"Christmas is time for rest and reflection on the year that was, and also a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus with our nearest and dearest,"
"2016 has been a busy year for the diocese – marking our 150th anniversary, reopening St John's at Maitland, announcing two new schools as Chisholm and Medowie, and being the subject of the Royal Commission's Case Study #43. I'm pleased to see so many people throughout the region come together to mark this important time in the year together – often with many generations of families celebrating as one," said Fr Mascord.
On Christmas Eve at St Mary Star of the Sea Tuncurry, nearly 900 people came together for mass, while midnight mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton saw over 700 people fill the Cathedral to full and many more mass services full to standing room only including Holy Name, Forster which saw nearly 1200 attend Christmas Eve services.
