On Saturday 31 October, Archbishop Shane Mackinlay celebrated, for the first time, a special Commissioning Mass at St Stephen's Cathedral to formally commission 2 Carmelites as the chaplains of the newly established Papua New Guinean and Timorese Catholic Chaplaincies.

Fr Paul Sireh OCarm was commissioned as Chaplain to the Papua New Guinea community and Fr Anacleto Guterres da Costa OCarm as Chaplain of the Timorese Catholic Community. Both are members of the Carmelite Community at Coorparoo (QLD) and also assist in the parishes of Our Lady of Mt Carmel and Regina Caeli.

The occasion also provided an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate all currently appointed cultural community chaplains for their leadership and dedicated service to the diverse cultural groups of the Archdiocese of Brisbane.

The Mass brought together members of both communities, along with representatives of other cultural groups and parishioners from across the archdiocese, to celebrate this significant milestone and to pray for the chaplains as they continue their ministry and pastoral care within their communities.

Congratulations and prayers to Frs Paul and Anacleto for their ministry in their cultural communities.

More photos below