Bishop Bill's 2012 Christmas Message
The Pope may be on Twitter, but Bishop Bill Wright of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is this year sharing his thoughts about the Christmas season with the local community via a video message on YouTube.
With the recent launch of a new diocesan website, Bishop Bill has been able to embrace the latest technologies to reach a wider audience.
Parishes will be encouraged to play the video, where possible, for parishioners at weekend Masses over the coming weeks.
Like most people Bishop Bill is amazed at how quickly the Christmas season has come around and uses his message to reflect on the meaning of Christmas for Christians.
"We are remembering the birth of Christ – that central moment in all of human history, when God plainly showed his love for the whole human race," Bishop Bill said.
"Not willing to let us remain separated from him, God became one of us. He came into our world, into our human family, and that changed everything, and that is something to celebrate," he said.
Although the delivery of the Christmas message may have changed, the heart of Bishop Bill's message is timeless – how can we best "spread a little joy in our corner of the world" as we remember the birth of Christ?
"Will the old lady down the street be all by herself this Christmas? Or do the Buddhist family from work know that our 'goodwill to all' includes them too?" Bishop Bill says.
For those people wishing to connect with their local faith community over the Christmas period, the Christmas Mass times for all diocesan parishes are also now available.
View the video and full transcript of the Christmas message here.
Happy Christmas from everyone at the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, Catholic Schools Office, CatholicCare Social Services Hunter-Manning and the Catholic Development Fund.
