By Rachel Curry
Father Michael Quynh Do says he is excited about taking on his first role as a Parish Priest, after being welcomed into Cloverdale Parish by some 400 people at a recent Installation Mass.
Celebrated by Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, the Mass was held on Sunday, 28 August at the Church of Notre Dame and was followed by a morning tea, giving the parishioners a chance to better know their newly installed priest.
Fr Quynh Do, who spent the previous four years as an Assistant Priest at St Mary’s Cathedral, said that he was very excited to be taking on his first role as a parish priest at Cloverdale, continuing the good work of Fr Nelson Po, who is now at Applecross.
“It was a fantastic day for me and a big day for me in the parish,” he said.
Cloverdale, which was amalgamated with the Belmont-Redcliffe parish in 2008, is a large parish with two primary schools – Notre Dame Catholic Primary School and St Maria Goretti’s Catholic School – and six aged care facilities.
There are four Masses held every weekend, with about 1300 people attending, but Fr Quynh Do said the size of the parish didn’t daunt him in the slightest.
“It depends on the way you view the parish. I would like to dedicate myself to the parish in the future,” he said.
“Over the next few years I’d like to put the faith of the community first. I’d like to get the children to Mass, to get the parents to Mass and to get all the people to Mass.”
Fr Quynh Do added that he was still getting to know the parishioners and the Cloverdale community after a month in the job.
“I want to take some time to learn the names. One of the big things for me is to stay behind at the back of the Church after Mass and introduce myself to people,” he said.
For Mass times at Cloverdale Parish visit www.ndparish.org.au.