Easter at Brunswick Moreland Catholic Community
“He Is Not Here, for He Has Risen”
Easter 2026 has been a profound season of grace for the Brunswick Moreland Catholic Community (BMCC), a time when our Lenten journey reached its joyful fulfilment and the light of the resurrection shone brightly among us.
Lent is never an end in itself. It is a path of renewal that leads us, deliberately and prayerfully, toward Easter. What began with ashes - marked by repentance, longing, and hope - was transformed by fire and light. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday, signs of our frailty and mortality, were symbolically undone as the Easter fire was lit and the Easter Candle proclaimed Christ risen from the dead. What seemed spent and lifeless was rekindled by resurrection hope.
This year, BMCC entered Lent with intention and generosity of spirit. Many parishioners took part in the Lenten Walk, allowing prayer and movement to deepen reflection. The Lenten Concert offered beauty and contemplation through music. Our support of Project Compassion expressed our commitment to justice and compassion beyond ourselves. Penitential services, the Anointing Mass, and other opportunities for prayer and healing allowed hearts to be renewed and burdens gently lifted. All of this prepared us individually and communally for the great celebration of Easter.
That preparation came to its richest expression in the RCIA journey. Fifteen people walked this path since September last year, supported by a dedicated team and faithful sponsors. At the Easter Vigil at St Ambrose’s, ten members were baptised and confirmed into the faith we had just proclaimed in word and symbol. Then, on Easter morning at the 11:00 am Mass at St Fidelis, a further eight - adults and children - were baptised and confirmed. In total, eighteen new members were welcomed into the life of the Church. Their “yes” to Christ is a powerful witness and a source of joy for us all.
The Easter Triduum was celebrated with remarkable unity and vitality. For the second year in a row, the whole of BMCC gathered at St Joseph’s for a single Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. Parishioners from all our worshipping communities stood together as one people, remembering the night when Jesus broke bread, washed feet, and gave himself completely in love. The energy and reverence in the church were palpable, enriched by the BMCC Choir and the beauty of the liturgy. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose drew us into the solemn watch of love that leads to the cross.
On Good Friday, many gathered for the Stations of the Cross in the morning and the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion in the afternoon. Together we stood at the foot of the cross, contemplating love poured out to the end. Then came the sacred silence of Holy Saturday, a pause in which the Church waited in hope.
That silence was broken at the Easter Vigil, as the Easter Proclamation - the Exsultet - was sung in the darkness by the light of the Easter Candle. We prayed together:
May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death’s domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
In that moment, darkness gave way to light, and death to life.
Easter morning greeted us with joy. We rose to meet the Risen Christ, who goes before us to Galilee, the place of everyday life. It is there, in the ordinary, that we are promised an encounter with him. The Easter liturgies across BMCC were filled with gratitude, warmth, and welcome, as parishioners and visitors alike celebrated the heart of our faith.
As we now move through the Easter season toward Pentecost, the fire lit at Easter continues to burn. This is a season not just to celebrate resurrection, but to allow it to work within us. Easter invites us to let what has been buried rise again: grief softened by hope, regret met with mercy, guilt transformed by forgiveness, and hatred overcome by love. The Risen Christ stands among us and says, “Peace be with you.”
We give heartfelt thanks to all who made this Easter so rich: liturgical ministers, musicians, choir members, sacristans, servers, readers, hospitality teams, office staff, and all who served in visible and hidden ways. Together, we witnessed that Christ is truly alive among us.
May this Easter joy continue to shape our lives and our parish, and may the peace of the Risen Lord remain with us all.
