Cardinal Pell and ACN

The George Cardinal Pell Memorial is an annual event held by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) which honours the memory of Cardinal Pell and unpacks his legacy, while as the same time supporting suffering and persecuted Christians.

In the late 1980’s, when Aid to the Church in Need was seeking to set up a formalised presence in Australia, and appoint its first National Director, one of the key people contacted for advice was the newly consecrated, Bishop George Pell. The Secretary-General of ACN International was Antonia Willemsen - the niece of ACN’s founder, Fr Werenfried Van Straaten - and in 1989 she travelled to Australia to seek strategic advice from a small group of Catholics including Mr Bob Santamaria and Bishop Pell. As a result of that visit, ACN was formally established in Australia, leading to what has become the prayerful and financial offerings of tens of thousands of faithful Catholics in support of the suffering Church.

Cardinal Pell became himself a personal supporter and benefactor of ACN. During his time on trial and in wrongful imprisonment, many benefactors of ACN were offering Masses for the Cardinal through ACN. As soon as his convictions were quashed in 2020, ACN invited him to be present at an event in his honour. This was unfortunately delayed due to Covid, but finally in late 2022, a wonderful luncheon was held with His Eminence and ACN’s benefactors. This would be one of his last major events, as he was called home to the Lord very soon afterwards.

During the Solemn Pontifical Funeral Mass of Cardinal Pell, held at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney on 2 February 2023, former Prime Minister, Mr Tony Abbott, offered some words of eulogy which concluded,

“In these times when it is more needful than ever to fight the good fight, to stay the course, and to keep the faith, it is surely now for the Australian Church to trumpet the cause of its greatest champion. There should be Pell study courses, Pell spirituality courses, Pell lectures, Pell high schools and Pell university colleges.”

It was these words that inspired the idea of The George Cardinal Pell Memorial; a modest effort from Aid to the Church in Need to honour and spread the work, legacy, and faithfulness of the Cardinal. The first event was held in Melbourne on 21 May 2023 (the 36th anniversary of his episcopal consecration in 1987). The keynote speaker was the Cardinal’s brother, Mr David Pell, who was introduced by Mr Abbott. The intention is to hold an event each year, alternating between his two former Sees of Melbourne and Sydney.

We thank God for the gift of George Cardinal Pell to the Church in Australia and pray for his eternal repose.  

Aid to the Church in Need will host the second annual George Cardinal Pell Memorial Dinner and Address on, 

Saturday 18 May, 6-9pm

at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Sydney 

The keynote speaker will be Dr Gerard Henderson, columnist, commentator, and Executive Director of the Sydney Institute – a forum for debate and discussion which enjoys good relations with both sides of Australian politics. He is a columnist for The Weekend Australian and writes the weekly blog, Media Watch Dog. Gerard is the author of several books including, Mr Santamaria and the Bishops (1982), Australian Answers (1990), Menzies’ Child: The Liberal Party of Australia (1994), A Howard Government?: Inside the Coalition (1995);  Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man (2015), and Cardinal Pell, The Media Pile-On & Collective Guilt Cardinal Pell, the Media Pile-on and Collective Guilt which outlines the climate of prejudice that was around the Cardinal and seeks to rebalance the commentary.      

Dr Gerard Henderson    

Dr Gerard will be introduced by Dr Michael Casey. Since 2016, Michael has been the Director of the Australian Catholic University’s public policy think-tank, the PM Glynn Institute. From 1997 to 2014 Michael served as the Private Secretary to Cardinal Pell. Michael holds a PhD in sociology from La Trobe University, Melbourne, and degrees in law and arts from Monash University, Melbourne and has been a Visiting Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Centre, Washington DC. His published writings are focused on democracy, culture and religion.

 Dr Michael Casey

The evening will include drinks, canapes, and a three-course meal.

Tickets are $150 per person. Aid to the Church in Need will also be sharing it’s work supporting Christians in the Holy Land and seeking assistance with this project.  

Holy Land Appeal

Aid to the Church in Need is providing its second phase of support to the Christians within the Holy Land in the three most in need areas according to our project partners.

These three areas include:

Emergency Packages for Christian families:
The Church in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel want to distribute food, help to pay rent and medical care expenses for the poorest families. They need your help very urgently to survive and be able to remain in their homes

Salaries in the Face of Unemployment Among Christians:
More than 4,000 Christians have lost their jobs and cannot support their families. Almost all pilgrimages to the region have been cancelled. Those who worked on the other side of the Jerusalem wall have lost their jobs and many Jewish families who used to hire Christians are now hiring Indian citizens instead of Palestinians. With your urgent help, the Church will be able to pay salaries of AU$900 per month for 50 families to work in church institutions related to education and health. These families will be able to remain in the Holy Land with your support.

Vocational training scholarships for young Christians:
It is extremely necessary for young people to see opportunities for the future in their country and to be able to take vocational training programs so that they acquire new skills and improve their employment opportunities. With your support, the Church will be able to provide 60 scholarships to these young people, and thus prevent their emigration.