MESSAGE ON THE 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YR C)
Friday 5th September 2025.
My dear people,
All details about the Grand Final Fundraiser to be held on Saturday 27th September 2025 are now available. These are on the poster in the gathering space, on our website and on our Facebook page. Furthermore, when you book for this event on TryBooking, the confirmation email will also contain all the prices and other details. We kindly ask you to please register via this link https://www.trybooking.com/DFEHR so we can organise how many sausages and other items to purchase. Again, the purpose of the fundraiser is to enable required refurbishments to the church and build a parish hall.
A reminder that our younger parishioners who do not attend the two parish schools will receive Holy Communion for the first time over the weekend of 13th and 14th September. We pray particularly that these children and their families realise how awesome it is to be receiving Holy Communion for the first time and to make sure it is not an isolated event in their lives but one which ignites in their heart a great love for Jesus and for his Church.
Next weekend will be the last weekend when Deacon Ian will be with us as a deacon on his diaconal placement. Deacon Ian will return to the parish as Fr Ian to be the Principal Celebrant at all Masses of the weekend of 4th and 5th October. The 12:30pm Mass on 5th October will be followed by a celebration of his Ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ. That event will be combined with our annual International Food Day. As mentioned last weekend, we will hire two buses to take all the people who have indicated that they will go by bus to Deacon Ian’s ordination on 20th September. The buses will leave at 8:30am sharp. Please be advised that the parish will subsidise the cost of the buses and we are asking you to contribute $15 per person for adults and children 12 years and above.
Following his pastoral visitation to us from the 25th to the 27th July, Bishop Martin has written to us to give a report of the time he spent with us. The report is now available on our website for your perusal.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the fathers in our community a very Happy Father’s Day. Fathers have been given a truly wonderful vocation from God and for that we need to thank him. We continue to pray that he will give them, and indeed others who take on the role of father in many different ways, the strength and courage to continue with their vocation especially at times when being a father, although rewarding, can be difficult. Let us also pray that God provides them with more times of joy and solace. Happy Father’s Day to all fathers.
I will be away next week for my annual retreat, leaving on Sunday and returning on Friday. This year, I will be at Kenthurst Retreat Centre in Sydney, joining 20 other priests from around Australia for a time of quiet with Our Lord. Since it will be a silent retreat, I will not be contactable from Sunday evening until Friday afternoon. My absence next week is the reason why we are having a message this week.
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