The Catholic Parish

This Sunday, 10th December is the second Sunday of Advent. This week we light the second candle, the candle of peace. As we light this candle let us stop to reflect on the conflict in the world and pray for peaceful resolutions to all war.

The Vinnies Christmas Appeal is this weekend. Please give generously if you can as there are many people in need of help and assistance. Well done to the wonderful Vinnies volunteers.

I express my gratitude to all our hard-working volunteers. Many of you have been preparing the Churches with washing windows, gardening and making the Churches look lovely in time for Christmas. We look forward to thanking you all and our committee members at our annual thank you dinner on December 15th. Please know all that you do is appreciated and doesn’t go unnoticed.

During Advent our parish choir members are performing a Carol evening for us. I invite you to join us on Saturday, 16th December after the 5.30pm vigil at OLGC (approx. start time 6.45pm). Please bring along your friends and family as we look forward to the coming of Jesus at Christmas.

I am glad to welcome Lilybeth P and Rowena to our FFCP as musicians. They will be rostered to sing every second Sunday’s 10am Family Mass at OLGC. I thank all our musicians for using your talents to celebrate the liturgy in a meaningful way. I thank you for your generous support with our PWBB collection and we have collected $ 17,491 till today and have a shortfall of $ 3189 to fulfill our target for the November appeal.

Congratulations to Joan and John Higgins on celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! They will receive a blessing at the vigil Mass on Saturday at OLGC. We acknowledge what an incredible milestone this is for them and their family! And wish them many more anniversaries to come.

I invite you to come and celebrate the second form of Reconciliation on Thursday 14th December at St. Martin’s Davidson, at 7.30 pm.

Please continue to pray for peace in the world.

May God bless you.
Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH

Reflection (10/12/2023)

John immersed, baptised, his followers in water, symbolising the washing away of the sins of the past. But he could not empower people by drenching them in the dynamic life of God. John anticipates ‘Someone’ (not named!) who does have the power to inundate, baptise, people with the Holy Spirit. From the heading of St Mark’s Gospel, we know that that ‘Someone’ is ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God’ who came to flood our lives with that Divine Power which can effect a completely new future for humanity. That is why St Mark took the term ‘gospel’ (good news) which was used on inscriptions announcing an Emperor’s birth or victory, and used it to describe his inspired rendering of the mission of Jesus Christ, which was to inaugurate the ‘Kingdom of God’, overcoming the pretensions of all Emperors of any kind throughout history.

We could pause for a moment to thank God for the Good News of our being baptised with water in the ‘Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’

CHANGE OF PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Beginning October 2023, the Parish Office will no longer be open on Mondays. The Office will be open Tuesday - Friday 8:30am- 2:30pm. For any urgent matters when the office is closed please call the office number 9451 5097 and press 1 for the Priest on call.

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