Fathers, Proud of their Families
Dear Parishioners,
Firstly to wish all the Fathers a very Happy Father’s Day and God’s Blessings for today and everyday on you and your families. Our Families Committee have arranged for a Prayer Card with a beautiful Prayer of Fathers for their family to be prayed and circulated at the 9:30am English Family Mass and we, as Priests and Fathers of our Parish Family, make it also our Prayer.
Fathers are always proudest of their Family, especially when they are united and work together for the good of the whole family. All the Priests of the Parish are so proud of how well members of Parish family and friends worked so hard and were so generous towards our Feast Week Events.
With all the Priests, and especially Fr Raphael and Fr Tony who worked so closely and such long hours with all the volunteers for Feast Week, I feel humbly proud and grateful for the faith, love, generosity and hard work of all who contributed to the spiritual and community building fruits that have come out of our Feast Week journey. The hard work and generosity also contributed to us raising $203, 000 over all the Feast Week Events. This is only slightly less than last year and if not for the poor weather for that heavily affected the Annual BBQ attendance we would have well exceeded last years’ total. However, thanks be to God, this is a wonderful achievement considering and is a credit to all our Volunteers and sponsors and Parishioners who participated.
As previously announced, some of the funds raised will go towards the New Presbytery ($100,000), the annual Church Insurance Bill ($48,000) and the remainder will be put towards our ongoing loan repayments and other Church running costs.
The Parish will be opening a Presbytery Building Fund and these Funds, with those contributed by the Diocese and those contributed by our other Parish Groups, such as the Sodality, will be placed in this account to prepare for the building of the New Presbytery, which is expected to commence the end of this Year.
Again a Big Well Done to One and All.
Monsignor Shora Maree
Not Carrying an Umbrella
Dear Parishioners,
In the three days leading up to the Annual Feast BBQ and Family Day last weekend some of our team of volunteers were really worried about the weather forecast and the RAIN. I said to them it will be ok and that I will NOT be carrying an umbrella all day Saturday.
They asked me why. I said it will be a sign of our faith and trust in the One who calmed the storm and the winds for the apostles in the boat that through the prayers of His Blessed Mother He will keep the rain away from our Parish Events.
And that is exactly what happened and the team of volunteers continued to work in faith and trust despite the rain on Friday and showers during the day on Saturday. The Saturday BBQ and Festival Night went ahead even though there was occasional drizzle and the Family Fun Day had bright Sunshine. We thank the Lord that all went of so well and we had such a good turn up considering the threatening weather. The drizzle was, I think, God just having a little fun with me wetting me lightly.
And with all the Priests and I hope all of you I thank the Lord for hard work, long hours and sacrifice of our teams of PARISHIONERS who volunteer towards Feast Week and our parish mission all year round. With the help of one of the co-ordinators we worked between all the Committees, Choirs, and Prayer Groups and Volunteers, we had 480 parishioners involved in arranging and setting up and leading through the 15 Faith Events and Masses and 9 Community and Fundraising Events. They range from a young 12 year old helping the men on the BBQ to those Senior Ladies and Men some well into their 70 s who set up and stood and baked and cooked and cleaned all day.
And don’t let that number think your involvement is not needed. We pray that like in the Early Church “that the Lord will add to our numbers those who are being saved.” (Acts 2:47).
Our Parish Treasurer is still putting all the figures together from the Events and we should be able to announce next week what the Fundraising events raised for the new Presbytery and the running costs and loans of the Parish.
So with the Gospel be the good soil to let the Word of God planted in you to produce fruit for our Community, your Family and to the Fringes of our Society.
To help the Seed Grow we as workers with Christ in his field should reflect on God’s Word in Sacred Scripture every day. Our Parish Gift Shop has affordable Catholic Bibles (black leather cover) at only $30. These are the ones we are using in our Bible Talks at present. If you don’t have your own Bible yet I really encourage you to have one to help your personal relationship with our Lord to develop more deeply and to bring along to Bible Talks..
Finally, we pray for all the MCHF Year 3 Students who will make their First Holy Communion this Sunday at 2:30pm Mass celebrated by Bishop Antoine Tarabay, with their Families and the Sisters and Teachers with the College Chaplains who have guided them in their preparation.
I will not carry an Umbrella on Sunday trusting the Lord to bless the families with good weather for this wonderful Celebration.
Monsignor Shora Maree
‘Step up!’, Don’t let the Joy end
Dear Parishioners,
We are now into days four and five of our Eleven Day Journey of 19 special Faith and Community Events for our Parish Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.
In journeying with the Bishop, Priests, Sisters, our large team of hardworking staff and volunteers, and so many parishioners in these events it has been inspiring to experience the qualities expressed by Pope Francis in this weeks Paragraph of His prayer to Mary. These qualities are the ”radiant witness to communion, service, ardent and generous faith, justice and love of the poor,”.
You can see some of this spirit in the photos in the Newsletter and our facebook page.
Fr Youakim passed on to me the following story that can inspire us to step up still now, if we have not yet started, to follow in the example of Mary in Radiating the Joy of the Gospel.
There was a talented tightrope walker who decided to put on a special show for the people on the main street of the city by demonstrating how to walk on a tightrope between two high buildings.
As he was preparing a big crowd of passers-by began to gather. When he started his first crossing they were amazed and could not believewhat was happening before their eyes. When he completed the first crossing they were in awe and applauded him with joy.
Seeing the large crowd below, the tightrope walker asked for a volunteer to help with his most important act, namely to get on his shoulders while he walked back across the tightrope. He waited a long time and no one came forward. He was sad no one trusted him to participate and said to the crowd of watchers: “I am sad and sorry that no one has stepped up to bring you greater joy.…Therefore the show is over. It is finished”.
The moral of the story is that in God’s most important ‘action’ and work of salvation in Christ Jesus his Son, the Lord does not need just watchers, but participants, people who are willing to step up with faith and ready to serve humbly like Mary.
So let us continue or be renewed in stepping up to be part of the remaining faith and Community events and radiate the Joy of the Gospel, which reveals God’s amazing plan of Salvation.
To help us we continue to pray with Pope Francis:
Mary,
Star of the new evangelization,
help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith,
justice and love of the poor,
that the joy of the Gospel
may reach to the ends of the earth,
illuminating even the fringes of our world. Amen. Alleluia!
Monsignor Shora Maree
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