The Emerald Parish in the Central Highlands of Queensland is a thriving faith community which also embraces a cluster of small country churches in a rural district renowned for its warm welcome and hospitality.
Parish Priest, Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD and Assistant Priest, Fr Francois d’Assise Andrianihantana SVD, say they are very happy in the fast-growing community of Emerald and its more rural surrounds, where they’ve enjoyed getting to know the people, the land and the significant cattle farming enterprises that drive the region.
The Parish of Emerald includes the communities of St Patrick’s Emerald and the Gemfields Catholic Community in Anakie. The Parish Cluster also incorporates Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Springsure and St Theresa’s, Rolleston.
“It is a very loving and welcoming community,” said Fr Truc, who is originally from Vietnam and has previously been a missionary in Thailand.
“There is a good spirit out here in the country. We have felt very welcome here from the beginning and I think the people are also feeling they are cared for by us, too.”
Despite the distances between some of the churches in the parish cluster, Fr Truc said he and Fr Francois love getting out to celebrate Mass with the smaller communities and also to visit their parishioners at home, on their vast cattle stations.
“We love to get out and meet the people,” he said.
“We enjoy spending time with people, not only at church but in their daily lives as well. For example, we celebrate Mass for families in their homes at Willows and Sapphire.
“It’s good to see how people are living and what their situation is. It helps us to really get to know people.”
Fr Francois agreed, describing Emerald as “one of the most beautiful, peaceful and tranquil towns in the Central Highlands”.
“It is surrounded by the best of Queensland’s countryside, cattle farming, and heritage-listed sites,” he said.
He enjoys visiting some of the nearby sites and the sapphire area of Gemfields where he experiences the daily life and activities of parishioners who live and work in the gem field, as well as visiting some of those who live on different properties.
“It gives me joy to visit them, experience their daily activities with them, to see their thousands of 
cattle grazing in their farmland and to experience how to feed the calves and master the livestock,” he said.
He said he and Fr Truc enjoy the country life, even growing their own fruits and vegetables in the backyard at the presbytery.
The parish cluster includes a number of Catholic schools, which both Fr Truc and Fr Francois visit regularly, including Marist College, St Brigid’s Primary School and St Patrick’s Primary School, in Emerald Parish along with Our Lady of The Sacred Heart Primary School and Kindergarten in Springsure.
“There is a marvellous collaboration between the schools and the parish,” said Fr Truc. “The principals of St Patrick’s and St Brigid’s are both members of the parish pastoral council and the Principal of Marist College is a member of the financial committee.
“In Emerald the schools are very active in collaborating with us on our major fundraiser, the annual Parish Fair, and we have regular Masses at the schools. In the parish, every Friday we have a Mass for 
classes from the different schools.”
Fr Truc says the parish is missionary in nature, reaching out to an increasingly multicultural local population as well as to tourists making their way through outback Queensland.
“The parish is definitely growing in multiculturality,” said Fr Truc. “Recently, for Holy Trinity Sunday, we had a multicultural celebration and the church was packed.
“We have growing numbers of fruit-pickers coming here from countries like Fiji and Papua New Guinea, as well as a group from Timor-Leste and the Philippines, working in the mines.
“This means that in Emerald, the church is often packed full with a very young and active congregation.”
Fr Truc said the multicultural Mass began with a Welcome to Country by a First Nations teacher who is a member of the Parish Council and saw the opening hymn sung in both English and Tagytay languages. The Offertory was presented by the East Timorese community and the Gospel was processed in by Tongan members of the parish, while the Prayers of the Faithful were read in a variety of languages.
“After the Mass there was cultural singing, dancing and music and a multicultural banquet provided by different families. It was a really great day.”
Other recent celebrations include the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Sacred Heart parish in Springsure, with the anniversary Mass celebrated by Rockhampton Bishop Michael McCarthy and a 
wonderful day enjoyed by the “small but loving community”.
“It is always good to have the Bishop present in the parish,” said Fr Truc. “He is very happy with the Divine Word Missionaries in the diocese and appreciates our presence here.”
The parish has a number of active groups, including a Faith Journey Group which meets to share the faith together, a Mothers’ Group, a Youth Group, Rosary Group, Good Shepherd Prayer Group, RCIA, RCIC and Sacramental groups.
For those who can’t get into town as often, Fr Truc and Fr Francois continue to meet them where they’re at.
“Next week, for instance, I will drive for an hour to a property and say Mass for them. They normally travel 30 to 50km to go to church, so sometimes, instead, we go to them,” he said.
Some of the townships are so tiny that it’s not uncommon for only one person to turn up to Mass.
“But I don’t mind,” Fr Truc said. “It keeps the community going and we are there for them if they are able to come.”
Parishioners enjoy reaching out to the tourists who pass through town, providing them with a prayer card created especially for them as a blessing on their journey.
“People on holidays with their caravans come to church and we like to make them feel at home. They seem to really appreciate the prayer card and the warm welcome they receive,” Fr Truc said.
And, as with most country towns, there is a very collegial relationship among the local churches, with church leaders taking turns giving the opening prayer for the local council meetings, as well as holding regular meetings among themselves and creating a shared website where churches can post their local events. On Good Friday, the churches take part in the Passion of the Lord liturgy together and at 
Christmas this year there will be a community ‘Walk to Bethlehem’.
Fr Truc said that overall, there is a great sense of collaboration in the local community and within the parish itself.
“We are all walking together,” he said. “As parish priest I do not work on my own, we all work as a team.
“We are supported by a wonderful staff, as well as the Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance Council.
“We do things together, working also hand in hand with the schools, co-responsibly. It is a very grass-roots kind of synodality that Pope Francis envisaged for the Church."
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Rockhampton Bishop Michael McCarthy with Parish Priest Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD and Assistant Priest, Fr Francois d’Assise Andrianihantana SVD at a recent First Holy Communion celebration.
TOP LEFT: Fr Truc with a family after a baptism.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Fr Truc and Fr Francois visit a parishioner out on their cattle station.
MIDDLE LEFT: Harmony Day at Marist College's Harmony Day celebration. The area is fast-growing and increasingly multicultural.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Parishioners at Springsure celebrate their 100th anniversary, following a Mass presided over by Bishop Michael.
BOTTOM LEFT: Fr Francois with parishioners at the small community of Anakie following Mass.
FAR BOTTOM RIGHT: Fr Truc with some of his country parishioners.