The Word of God focuses on the mission of the Church as the expression of the living power of the risen Jesus. The Ascension marks a watershed moment for his disciples. There is no idle looking up at the sky as he is withdrawn from them. Rather, as the two angelic messengers affirm, the time has come for them to go forth as witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” Like the angels in the empty tomb story, they commanded the disciples to seek and to be the presence of Jesus. [...]

The Diocese of Parramatta has welcomed the NSW Government’s record $4 billion investment in Western Sydney as a potentially significant step towards long-term renewal and support for one of the state’s fastest growing and most multicultural regions.  [...]

In the quiet early hours of Friday, 13 June 2025, in the comfort of her family home in Springvale, Victoria, Maria Mung Thi Nguyen – the beloved mother of Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta – passed away peacefully at the age of 98, surrounded by the love of her family.  [...]

On this feast of the Ascension, we hear both the conclusion of Luke’s gospel and the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. Written by the same author, these two passages provide us with the link between the two books. It’s the moment when the apostles are asked, ‘Why do you stand looking into heaven?’ The two men who ask the question are in white garments and they appear to the apostles just as Jesus is being lifted up and disappearing from them. Two men in white garments, just as there were at the Transfiguration (evocative of Moses and Elijah), and just as there were when the women went to Jesus’ tomb. [...]