MESSAGE ON THE 3RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YR B)
Friday 15th December 2023
My dear people,
This is a final notification of the consultation with the architects on 19th December 2023 at 7:45pm in the church meeting room. Please come and share your observations and concerns about our church’s proposed refurbishments.
My proposal to bring about changes in the times of Masses on a Sunday morning has generated wonderful discussions and conversations among you. Members of the Leadership Team have received responses and feedback which have been sincerely welcomed. I have sent all of you an email this morning outlining the reasons for the need for more time between Masses. That email also contains the new proposed Mass times.
Our parish’s Carols by Candlelight, held last Sunday 10th December at the CRC Hall was a huge success. I would like to sincerely thank the Carols Organising Committee as well all the other volunteers for all their hard work to prepare for the night, the social committee for organising food and drinks and all the choirs for participating. I would like to also sincerely thank Byteway Pty Ltd for supporting our event. More importantly, I thank all of you who attended and made the night such a great success.
Earlier this year, I announced that a parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land was organised for next year. Owing to the situation in Israel at the moment, there has been a need to cancel that pilgrimage. Hopefully, we will be able to go to the Holy Land in 2025 or 2026. Instead of the Holy Land Pilgrimage, we are organising a pilgrimage to the Europe as a Marian Pilgrimage and Saints of Italy Pilgrimage. We will go to Fatima, Lourdes and Loreto and also to visit shrines associated with saints such as our own Patron Saint, St Catherine of Siena and also, St Anthony of Padua, St Teresa of Avila, St Francis of Assisi and St Padre Pio to name a few. A few days will be spent in Rome also. I strongly encourage you to consider coming on the pilgrimage since these can be wonderful experiences of encounters with Our Lord through the lives of the Saints whom He has inspired to live holy lives. There is a flyer on our website. Should you like to check the detailed itinerary please email the parish office and one will be sent to you.
As announced in the bulletin for a few weeks now, our Christmas Eve Masses (Sunday 24th December 2023) are at 6pm and 8:30pm. Our Masses on Christmas Day are at 12 Midnight, 9am and 10:30am. On the 20th December, there will be five priests here to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 7:30pm until 9:30pm.
We continue turning to our patron saint and we ask for her intercession.
St Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Fr Richard Rosse PP