MESSAGE ON THE 19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YR A)
Friday 11th August 2023
My dear people,
It is with great delight that I report the Ablaze Youth Group trivia night held on Saturday 5th August 2023 raised $1,408.50. I sincerely thank the leaders of the Ablaze Youth Group for the great efforts they put into organising the event. I likewise thank all those who attended and made the night a fun filled event. Let us continue to pray for our younger parishioners, that the Ablaze Youth Group will be a place where they grow in their knowledge and love of Our Lord and the Church while forging friendships which will help them navigate the challenges of our times.
The following day, the first “Family Day” was held. It was also a great success, with around 120 people in attendance. The feedback from parents and their children has been very positive. I thank the Alliance of the Holy Family International missionaries for coming up with the idea as well as organising and running the event. We look forward to hosting another “Family Day” before the end of the year.
As previously mentioned, we will be organising a parish mission to be held here from 28th to 30th August. The archdiocese has invited Mr John Pridmore to lead the missions in five parishes of the archdiocese and we are one of them. The title of the mission is “Gangland to Promised Land – Melbourne Tour.” Please refer to the flyer in the bulletin as well as in the gathering space for more information. The Parish Mission will be run from 7:30pm until 8:30pm. John will also be here to talk to us at the Masses of 26th and 27th August. Since the mission will run on the evening of Tuesday 29th August, our parish Mass on that day will be at 9:30am, preceded by Adoration and Confession at 8:30am.
On Tuesday 15th August, we will celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady, a Holy Day of obligation in Australia. In order to enable the fulfilment of that obligation, there will be two Masses in our parish. There will be a Mass at 9:30am and our parish Mass at 7pm, as usual, preceded by Adoration and Confession starting at 6pm. As we celebrate Mary’s entry into heaven, we are reminded that if we follow her fidelity to our Lord, we are also promised eternal life in heaven. Let us continue to ask for her to intercede for us so that we will always follow God’s will in our lives.
Starting this weekend and for the next six weekends, our younger parishioners in Grade 4 will receive their first Holy Communion. Most of these will take place at the 6pm, 9am and 10:30am Masses. Seats will be reserved for the first communicants and their families for these weekends. As these children progress to this most significant part of the initiation into the catholic faith, let us pray for a renewed sense of the presence of God in their lives and an increase in their desire to be disciples of our Lord.
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