Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday I was honoured to be invited to the observance of Hosanna mass for Palm Sunday at the parish of St Rafqa in Austral. The service was conducted by Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Father Sarkis and other clergy. It was a very large and very welcoming congregation, and I was overwhelmed by the welcome, support and love from everyone.

In December 2008, in response to the growing population in Austral, the parish purchased a three-acre block land to build St Rafqa's church. The congregation is currently housed in the building adjacent to the church, which is under construction. The parish is home to more than 800 local families, with ties to other churches in the area. St Rafqa's has a thriving youth group which assists in the organisation of events at the church. The church also provides Arabic language classes for up to 100 children every week.

The youth leaders tell me they spent many hours preparing for yesterday's wonderful service and the feast afterwards. I was privileged to be invited to the lunch, which in true Lebanese tradition was bountiful and delicious. Thank you to all the volunteers who are working tirelessly in this church's community. Thank you so much for your invitation and the opportunity to speak with Bishop Tarabay and many members of the congregation. It was a wonderful day, and I enjoyed my time sharing with the community.