On May 7, Australia’s Catho-lic bishops officially approved a liturgy used in a remote Western Australian diocese that incor-porates elements of Abori-ginal language and culture. The liturgy has been celebrated for over 50 years in the Diocese of Broome, where some 13,000 Catholics live in nine parishes across an area about the size of Texas, with a total population of just over 50,000. The Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit – in Latin, “Missa Terra Spiritus Sancti” – now awaits the Vatican’s official recognition after the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference passed the motion at its plenary meeting in Sydney on May 7.
Bishop Administrator Michael Morrissey of Broome said the decision was a milestone. “After a lengthy period of engagement, it’s a significant acknowledgment by the Australian bishops.” Two Indigenous elders, Maureen Yanawana and Madeleine Jadai, presented the Mass to the bishops and shared its impact on their community. “Singing at the top of our voices brings us peace,” Yanawana shared during the presentation at the bishops’ meeting in Sydney’s Mary Mac-Killop Place, highlighting the spiritual enrichment it brings.