MESSAGE ON ‘THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD’ SUNDAY (YR A)
Friday 15th May 2026
My dear people,
I will start by thanking those of you who came to the Parish Town Hall yesterday. It was an opportunity to share with you the good news that, last year, we had a net operating surplus of $19,070. The Offertory Giving campaign, which ran in March last year, was fruitful and our thanksgiving income increased by $51,679, compared to 2024. However, owing to our debt repayment, our net situation is still a deficit of $40,739. Again, I thank all of you who support the parish financially. It is thanks to your contributions that we can not only continue to keep the lights on, as it were, but also to provide for the pastoral initiatives that we do in the parish.
Our parish will be hosting a Marian Procession on the afternoon of 23rd May (next Saturday). The Solemnity of Our Lady, Help of Christians is celebrated on 24th May every year and Our Blessed Mother, under this title, is the patroness of Australia. Since Pentecost Sunday falls on 24th May this year, the church in Australia will celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lady, Help of Christians on 25th May. Nevertheless, we will hold the Marian Procession on 23rd May. I look forward to seeing many of you next Saturday. The procession will start at 4.15pm and the path will be as follows: upon exiting the church, we will turn right on The Parade, left on Lake Street, left on Caroline Springs Boulevard and left on College Street to return to the church. We still need volunteers to help carry the statue of Our Lady. There is a sign-up sheet in the gathering space for you to indicate your availability to assist.
The first of our Healing Masses for this year was a vibrant success. There were around 130 people present, all of whom found the Mass to have brought them what they were looking for. We thank Fr Vespa for celebrating the Mass and the members of SRM for their tremendous work in preparing for the Mass, as well as all who helped with the logistics of the Mass.
This Sunday, at 3pm and 5pm, our younger parishioners from St George Preca Catholic Primary School will be confirmed by Bishop Martin Ashe, the Auxiliary Bishop for the Western Region. We continue to pray for all these younger parishioners of ours that, in confirming their faith, the Holy Spirit will fill them with gentle promptings to always stay close to our Lord. We also thank Bishop Ashe for his generosity in giving his time to confirm them.
I would like to let you know that I will be on annual leave from 7th June until 3rd July this year. Fr David Cartwright and I will travel together to Johannesburg and Mauritius. I will also travel to New York to attend the Ordination to the Priesthood of Deacon Nick Waldron. Deacon Nick, a candidate for the priesthood for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, spent a month with us from June to July in 2022 on a pastoral internship. I was quite moved to receive an invitation to attend his ordination and since it is on 20th June, which is during my annual leave this year, I decided to attend. Please pray for Deacon Nick as he prepares for his Ordination to the Priesthood.
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