Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP will be the principal celebrant at a memorial Mass for Cardinal George Pell at St Mary’s Cathedral from 5.30pm on Wednesday 10 January, the first anniversary of his entrance into eternal life.
All are welcome to attend the Mass and pray at the cardinal’s tomb in the crypt. The Mass will also be livestreamed at the St Mary’s Cathedral YouTube channel.
A former Archbishop of Sydney from 2001-2014, Cardinal Pell died in Rome last year following complications from hip surgery and thousands of mourners from all walks of life attended his funeral at the cathedral.
The cardinal was also the Vatican’s Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy from 2014-2018 and had served on most of the Vatican’s dicasteries.
Archbishop Fisher recently paid tribute to him for doing more through his work for the church international and in his own country than any other Australian.
In Australia the cardinal was “a champion of education at every level, of vocations and seminaries, and of evangelisation and youth ministry,” Archbishop Fisher said in a homily for a memorial Mass for the cardinal and his “best friend” and sister Margaret Pell on the second anniversary of her death on 16 December.
“Sydney’s World Youth Day 2008 was arguably his greatest monument.
“But in keeping the rudder of the Church in Australia fixed upon the apostolic tradition, he did more than anyone to save it from the fate of the Church in much of Europe where it was losing much of its sense of identity and purpose.
“We have much to thank him for as will those who follow after us.”
The archbishop said the siblings had a powerful bond, a friendship “that sustained them through good times and bad.”
They included the cardinal’s trial and imprisonment for alleged crimes and later his unanimous acquittal by the High Court of Australia.