STUDENTS from St Brigid’s Primary School in Rosewood took part in a Mass at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Ipswich on Friday to welcome Archbishop Charles Balvo.
The Archbishop has travelled to Australia in his role as Pope Francis’s Ambassador.
He is an American Prelate, who has been serving in the diplomatic service of the Holy See since 1987.
Archbishop Balvo said that this was his first visit to the Ipswich area, and he was “humbled to have been welcomed by Parish Priest Father Stephen Bliss of the Ipswich Catholic Community and the parishioners who joined the local schools” in what was described as a once in a lifetime event.
“To be able to experience the great things that the Ipswich Catholic community are achieving is wonderful and I bring with me special blessings from Pope Francis and will be sharing all of my experiences that I have had here in Australia with him,” Archbishop Balvo said.
Father Stephen said he had been preparing for many days for the arrival of Archbishop Balvo and that he felt proud to have welcomed him to Ipswich.
“When the people of Ipswich started to hear that Pope Francis’s representative was arriving, they were extremely thrilled and very excited,” Fr Stephen said.
“Thank you very much to Archbishop Balvo for his kind words and prayers that he had shared with us during and after the mass.
“Together we will all remember this occasion, as it was an extremely important and special gathering not only for our parishioners but also for our school children.”
