By: Andrew Vaccaro,
Secretary of The Knights of the Southern Cross Priests Support and Education Fund
For many years now, Pentecost Sunday has seen Members of the Knights of the Southern Cross Victoria, along with the organisers of the Archbishop's Dinner (The KSC Priests Support and Education Fund Committee) and sponsors meet with the seminarians and staff of Corpus Christi College Seminary (CCC) in Carlton to not only launch the Dinner, but to also present two seminarians with bursaries to assist them with a trip to the Holy Land as part of their priestly formation. These bursaries are provided by the contributions of former BHP Billiton Director John Ralph AC and his wife Barbara, in honour of the late Cardinal John Foley, and from the estate of the late Walter P Martin, former State Chairman of the KSCV. Many seminarians have received this honour over the years, such as Marcus Goulding and Nathan Rawlins, now priests within the Melbourne Archdiocese, and soon to be ordained Deacon Andrew Kwiatkowski.
This tradition continued this past Pentecost Sunday on June 5, though due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, no bursaries were presented on the day - hopefully they are to be given later in the year. CCC Seminary Rector Fr Denis Stanley commenced proceedings by celebrating Mass in neighbouring Sacred Heart Church, before all guests were invited to the Seminary dining room (the “Clunies Room”) for Lunch. KSCV Deputy State Chairman and Priests Support and Education Fund Chairman Carmine Miranda formally launched the Archbishop’s Dinner by addressing the attendees, featuring members of Melbourne’s Catholic community. A highlight of the day was the honouring of longtime Committee member Val Sumner (who passed away in July 2021) with a memorial plaque to be placed in the Seminary dining room, in the presence of her daughter Leanne Campbell. The unveiling of this plaque featured PSEF Chairman Carmine Miranda, Fr Denis Stanley, and Lynda Rawlins, President of the CCC Parents and Friends Auxiliary, as Val Sumner was a long time member and contributor of both organisations. Many thanks go to those in attendance in supporting the day, and in particular to longtime Sponsors Pat and Helen LaManna, who also sponsored the Seminary Lunch.
The Archbishop’s Dinner has been held annually since 1999 (with the exception of 2020 and 2021 of course!) to raise money for the education of Victoria’s seminarians (from all 4 Victorian dioceses), and in recent years the Military Ordinariate of Australia, training chaplains for the Australian Defence Force. In that time, over the course of 21 Dinners, it has raised over $1.3 million for this worthy cause, assisting the seminarians with their text books and other educational needs. The last two years were particularly noteworthy, as the PSEF Committee was able to raise $60,000 each year without the benefit of a Dinner, thanks to the loyalty and dedication of our sponsors and donors. More on these great achievements at the following links:
https://melbournecatholic.org/…/supporting-seminarian-educa…
https://melbournecatholic.org/…/knights-of-the-southern-cro…
A great way for Catholics from all walks of life to connect, the Dinner is one of the biggest social events of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne’s calendar, and has featured many speakers, including then Archbishop George Pell in its inaugural year, Sir Peter Cosgrove, The Hon. Tim Fischer, Susan Alberti, and Andrew Bolt, who addressed the Dinner twice, in 2003 and 2018. Even the aforementioned Fr Marcus Goulding took part in a Q and A session with other seminarians in 2016 in lieu of a speaker.
This year's KSC Archbishop’s Dinner for the Priests Support and Education Fund will be held at Moonee Valley Racecourse on Friday August 19, 2022. This year’s guest speaker will be Emeritus Professor Greg Craven AO, with famous race caller Bryan Martin OAM as our Master of Ceremonies. Tickets are now on sale for $150 a head. The night will feature a silent auction, a raffle and an open auction conducted by real estate agent Bryan Cain.
For further information and tickets, please contact:
Nadia Bolzonello: 0407 055 237 - email: giveback@optusnet.com.au
Carmine Miranda: 0412 817 995 - email: carmine@vicinsurance.com.au
Norm McArthur: 9848 3449 or 0407 229 941 - email: norman.mcarthur@bigpond.com
Andrew Vaccaro: 0404 390 824 - email: avaccaro@internode.on.net
John Goold: 0417 564 551 - email: johngoold1945@gmail.com
📸: Corpus Christi College and Andrew Vaccaro