# Official Sydney Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela

> An Ecumenical Memorial Service will be held in Sydney’s CBD today (Friday 13 December) to commemorate and celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela.

11 December 2013 · News

Canonical: https://insights1.uca.org.au/articles/official-sydney-memorial-service-for-nelson-mandela/

An Ecumenical Memorial Service will be held in Sydney’s CBD today (Friday 13 December) to commemorate and celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela.

The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW and the ACT, acting Moderator, the Rev. Niall Reid has expressed his gratitude for Mandela’s extraordinary life of grace- filled service and asked leaders and members of the public to join in prayer to remember and celebrate Mandela’s life.

The service will be held at 3 pm at Pitt Street Uniting Church, a congregation that has championed human rights and equality in South Africa throughout the 1980s. It will be presided over by Uniting Church Minister the Rev. Dorothy McRae-McMahon.

“Nelson Mandela was a truly humble man, one who reached out to others and lived with such courage and commitment to justice that he became a model for us all,” said Rev. McRae-McMahon.

Ecumenical leaders of the Christian Church will participate in the liturgy.

South Africa’s Acting High Commissioner, Mr Ray Sithole has said, “Uniting people across cultural, racial, economic, religious and national diversity was the cornerstone of Mandela’s pursuit towards a better South Africa, Africa and the world.”

The Rev. Dorothy McRae-McMahon is available for interviews ahead of the service.

**For further information please contact:**

Lisa Sampson, Media Consultant
 [lisas@nsw.uca.org.au](mailto:lisas@nsw.uca.org.au)

Adrian Drayton, Communications Manager
 [adriand@nsw.uca.org.au](mailto:adriand@nsw.uca.org.au)