Clover to speak at Darlo "Rescue Rally"

In an important expression of support, the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, is to be the keynote speaker at the "Rescue Rally" for Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Darlinghurst this Saturday.

Head of the Pastoral Council, Laelie Scwartz, told Online Catholics that the Lord Mayor had agreed to speak in favour of heritage listing the 1847 site. It is understood that former Prime Minister, Paul Keating, has contacted the Deputy Lord Mayor, John McInerney, expressing his support for the heritage listing.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church is under threat due to the plan for a medical school to be housed on the site. The medical school, part of the yet to be established Notre Dame University Sydney campus, is proposed to open in 2007.

The "Rescue Rally" is the culmination of a four week campaign to alert Sydney siders of the threat to the Church, which was amongst the earliest Catholic churches to be built in Australia and believed to be the first in the city's eastern suburbs.

For four weeks the community has held an ongoing vigil every Saturday, conducted tours of the Church's interior (which is significant for an extremely large glass mosaic of Jesus, as well as a collection of fine stained glass windows) and held prayer meetings. One parishioner who has attended Sacred Heart for 50 years, Cath Quain, has been almost continuously present, in what one local paper has called "a little old lady demo".

Laelie Schwartz says that the fate of Sacred Heart has generated 'tremendous' support. "I had two tourists hand me $50 dollar bills," she says. "I said I wasn't collecting money, but they told me: You'll have expenses. This is important. You keep it. I have two people who come all the way from Killara to sit for two hours at the vigil. I have a petition with over 3000 signatures," she says. "People care about what's happening here."

The heritage listing is believed to go to Council later this month. Ironically the Archdiocese - which as late as last year argued in favour of a heritage listing - will be arguing against protecting the Church in favour of the Notre Dame development, which is currently planned to include some retail outlets.

It is understood that the parish priest, Fr Brian Egan, received a letter signed by Archdiocesan Business Manager, Mr Danny Casey. The letter is believed to have requested that Fr Egan sign a 'Heads of Agreement' to give up his canonical rights over the property. It is alleged that Mr Casey in the same letter asked for Fr Egan's early response, reminding Fr Egan that his term at Sacred Heart expires on October 28 2004.

Fr Egan is on holiday and is unavailable for comment.

Laelie Schwartz is confident that Sydney City Council will protect the Church on heritage grounds. "I speak a great deal about heritage because that is what matters to everyone. But to Christians, I want to say that it is very important that people care for other people.

"We have homeless people here, we have people with AIDS here. We have old people, lonely people, young people. I am a widowed working mother, I am just an ordinary person doing the best I can do.

"But if we don't fight to keep our Church here, who will help all those people who need our help?"

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