Unfortunately, due to a public relations' oversight, neither Catholica nor Fr Donal Hartigan got a formal invitation to the big party in Parramatta last night. However, being the intrepid members of the fourth estate that we are, we got Fr Donal, and the sisters from our cloister, to do a bit of poking around to find out what all the fuss was about at St Bunnings Cathedral in the Diocese of Parramatta in Western Sydney...

The outstanding record of the Cecil B. de Pell Production Company...

It would appear that the Cecil B. de Pell Production Company has pulled off another Australian epic. "Go West Young Man", the one-night only production at St Bunnings Cathedral, Parramatta was streamed live to the youth of the world on the social networking site xt3.com last night.

Readers will recall the outstanding record of this Company with features such as: the medieval classic, "Auxiliaries for Sydney" (2003) a gripping tale of poor choice and flawed judgement. Then there was "Catholic Carnivale" which almost sent the Knights of the Southern Cross broke and has now seen the director of that magnificent endeavour given a send-off by the Knights and promoted to oversee all the liturgical happenings in the Archdiocese replacing the gentleman who mysteriously arranged for a dead body to be carted to Sydney for World Youth Day but who himself disappeared off the scene before he could take credit for the arrival of the body in Sydney. This was followed in 2007 by "Delusional" a sensitive study of a young man who battles ill health and Church protocol to reach priesthood. Available on DVD, this story continues to enthral Catholics across Australia, and we hear an imminent announcement will be made by his eminence of a new priest-counsellor to the youf of the world on xt3.com.

The all out extravaganza, "WYD 08" was the first attempt at a big budget production to capture an international audience. State and Federal Governments contributed to the coffers and expected significant boosts to tourism and the Australian economy. By and large, it was not a great box office success, falling short of expectations with some pilgrims even overstaying their visa — and some say it might even have helped trigger the Global Economic Crisis.

Last year (2009), the salute to clerical triumphalism in "Alive and Well" marks an experiment to convince rural Catholics in outback New South Wales that a junior Roman diplomat would enliven their Church as bishop. This story pursues a theme somewhat akin to the 1939 film "Mr Chips goes to Washington" but in reverse! This story reveals a bureaucratic plan for the Church of the Golden West.

Last night (March 4, 2010) the Cecil B. de Pell Production Company presented the premiere of "Go West Young Man" at St Bunning's Cathedral Parramatta. The story centered on the ritual installation of Anthony Fisher op, as the third bishop of Parramatta. But it raises the intriguing questions about the creeping control of the Archdiocese over the Diocese of Parramatta which is a canonically distinct entity not to mention the envious eyes that are being cast northward to takeover the Diocese of Broken Bay to better care for the enclaves of Opus Dei souls resident in that beautiful part of Sydney. While this production lacked anything close to the budget for "WYD 08", when the final cleaning up is completed it is expected the price tag will come in somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 not including the travel and accommodation costs for the many dignitaries who flew in for the one night performance.

Opus Dei funds flooding into Australia in the wake of the collapse of the Euro...

Understandably, Canberra and a State government still recovering from the financial commitment to World Youth Day and the Global Economic Meltdown that it brought in its wake has declined any requests to finance this production. It would appear that the word "installation" has become politically incorrect in the nation's Capital and on Macquarie Street even with a former Miss World Youth Day who is now Premier of the State. It seems the Metropolitan has found other benefactors in the bankers of Opus Dei Europa whom it is rumoured have pulled all their money out of Spain, Portugal and Greece in light of the threatened run on the Euro and have entrusted the good Cardinal of distant Sydney to safely invest it in the strongest economy in the OECD, Australia.

Bishop Anthony Fisher, Third Bishop of Parramatta and possibly Last if someone gets his way to re-amalgamate a few dioceses. Photo credit to David Schütz, friend of the bishop and ardent blogger at Sentire Cum Ecclesia — we here at Catholica are still endeavouring to convince him that it ought to be Sentire Cum Dei lest we be led astray and into Hades by those presently running the Ecclesia. The photo was taken during the installation ceremony last night and beautifully captures the nervousness we are sure His Lordship harbours of what he might find in this new territory — and the plans of you-know-who to grab the territory back. (PS: If you feel our satire of a serious liturgical and spiritual event might be in bad taste you might better appreciate the public relations spin that David gives it on his blog this morning.)

Yet The Company continues to ward off any criticisms of its budget for the installation and rejects suggestions that the money could be better spent on the social and financial problems within the Parramatta Diocese. Such trivial criticisms are not allowed to rain on any parade orchestrated by the Cecil B. de Pell Production Company. The red carpet was rolled out for scores of freeloading bishops and friars who jetted into Sydney to partake of the largesse from all around the country, from the Pacific Islands of Oceania and from as far away as the mother country.

But who will pay? Up front the Archdiocese will foot the bill but eventually the Catholic people of Parramatta will be invoiced — you know, the Islanders, the poor Africans, and the many other refugees from the Middle East and other places struggling to make a go of their lives in a new country and who make up a large proportion of the bouyant sacramental participation figures that are the envy of every other diocese in Australia. You will appreciate, of course, that the Opus Dei people are not moving their money into Australia to lend it out interest free! Unfortunately, the people who will be required to pay have not been asked whether they wanted such an extravagant party. Now it is known who will pay it is time for the faithful of Sydney still left in the Church to focus on the evening's theme and they have been invited to make it part of their Lenten 2010 reflection: "...the poor you will always have with you but not the Cardinal!" So let's party!! And tomorrow, let us pray that the new pacemaker fitted for His Eminence holds up and he is quickly rewarded with his long overdue promotion and perpetual sabbatical in Rome.

Later this year The Company will return to Rome (yet again) for some well deserved rest before putting finishing touches to the next feature "Mary: Model for the Young" due for release in October to coincide with the canonisation of Australia's first saint, Mother Mary of the Cross Mackillop.

Cheers 'til next time
Fr Donal Hartigan (sorry, no relation to John O'Brien or Fr John Hartigan, if you were expecting some poetry)

[Index of Articles by Donal Hartigan]