Bach lives with his wife and four children in Thua Thien-Hue, one of Vietnam’s poorest provinces. He lost his fingers in a mining accident. His daughter is deaf and paralysed, requiring constant care.
Sadly, like many people with disabilities, Bach’s family lived isolated from their community until recently, struggling to make ends meet.
Caritas Australia supports the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development to improve the health, livelihoods and social integration of 750 people living with a disability, encouraging them to form Disability Support Groups to gain practical social and employment skills.
“We people with a disability started coming together, which had never happened before,” Bach explained. “We shared our experience of caring for our daughter, started accessing information, creating household plans and feeling more confident.”
The program provides a healthcare and rehabilitation fund for each group to manage, agriculture training and small loans. “I received finance skills and a loan to buy a pig,” Bach explains.
Caritas Australia also funds the province’s Disability Vocational Training and Employment Centre, training staff to teach employment skills to people with disabilities. Bach hopes his daughter can join these activities one day.
“Participating in this group has increased my hope in life. I’m earning an income from growing cassava, rice and beans. I want to invest more in pig-raising,” Bach told us. “Now I help others to participate, be confident and look for relevant jobs.”
Tuesday night before Ash Wednesday, Stephen Littleton was a guest of our parish to launch the Stewardship Program. We started with a welcome from Fr Kevin who led us in the Stewardship Prayer. Stephen Littleton then took over and summarised Christian Stewardship. He said it is primarily a personal call to renew ourselves, a call to holiness, worship, and action. Having renewed ourselves over the years it may be easier to visualise as refreshing ourselves through our prayers, our efforts, and our sharing, in love, of ourselves with others. I see Stewardship as carrying on with that which Jesus asked of us when he said: “I have called you friends” and “I chose you, and I appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
In this same spirit Stephen Littleton went over the recent history of our parish. What had been achieved in the way of bricks and mortar at our churches and our schools and what we needed to be concerned with in the future. Things such as the pastoral care of a much greater population, the foundation of one or more schools, increased ministry to the elderly and so many other functions required by a greater and greater community. All of which costs more money than we currently have. Our expenditure on maintainance, salaries, utilities, loan repayments etc is more than our envelope collection each week. Our average envelope amounts to $8.44. The message was that in order to meet our present costs and future expansion, we need to boost our income, but as followers of Jesus. We can’t get caught up in how little some give as that’s not our concern. Remember Jesus in Luke’s Gospel with his reaction to the widow who gave all she could, small as it was. Our reaction as the friends Jesus left behind to carry on as his stewards should first be to pray about it. Maybe we could ask what we should do, ask the Father for help. As Jesus said in the Gospel of last Sunday, “enter into your inner room……..and pray to your Father”. We will be answered in some way or other. It could be to take the message to others, to ask for the help of others, to contribute more ourselves, to pray more for the parish community, to put more effort in to the workload of the parish. We also evangelise by our example.
Stephen Littleton then threw the meeting open for questions and then Fr Kevin closed the meeting with a prayer.
Special thanks to our parish collectors who are doing a favour to those who forgot to return their Time & Talent Sheet and their Pledge Card last Sunday, by collecting these items when visiting their homes so that the program can be signed off this week. Thanks to Fr. Peter for his presence among us last Sunday at the four Masses and celebrating four Baptisms while Fr. Kevin was doing the same at Cheltenham parish.
All visitors are invited to a Social Evening on Wednesday at 7.30pm to wind up the program and hear the news of how our Stewardship program has gone.
As we gather today to celebrate the gift of these children to our families and to our parish community. The Prep children, who are only in the second month of their schooling, have prepared the window display—‘Jesus gives us life’, and will receive a Jesus Stamp before the Final Blessing and Dismissal.
7.00pm Thursday 31 March at Sunbury College.
Further info. on noticeboard at St Anne’s Church or contact Zelma on 9744 2719, email: sunburychaplaincy@hotmail.com
Providing education opportunities for young people in remote poor village.
$60 buys a bike, pump and repair kit to get them to school.
Donations to Salesian College front office, to Fr Bert or contact Fr Peter on 9744 0039.
The group meets at St Anne’s Church at 10.15am on Thursdays.
All welcome, including children.
For further info/transport please contact Lambert & Elaine van der Weerden on 9744 4029.
An opportunity for those who have suffered a loss due to the death of a loved one or separation/divorce—to join a grief and loss peer support group for adults. Dates: 18 & 25 March, 1 & 8 April—7.00pm at St Francis of Assisi Parish, Mill Park. Email carmel.mcleod@cam.org.au or phone 9407 3176.
Tuesday 5 April—two guest speakers—Wendy Davis, Director of Nursing, Sunbury Hospital and Anne Fewster of Sunbury Police Community Register from Sunbury Community Register, followed by afternoon tea at 2.00pm in Parish Centre.
Cost $5.00.
Bookings Frances 9744 1999.
As you know, Irene is leaving us on Wed 6 April. If you would like to contribute towards a gift for Irene, there will be donation boxes at both Churches next weekend. Alternatively, you can leave your donation in an envelope at the parish office. There will be a Morning Tea for Irene on Sunday 3 April after 8.30am Mass. All parishioners are warmly invited to attend. The people who are coming to 10.30am Mass might like to come early and have a cuppa beforehand.
The Youth Group will not be meeting at St Anne’s Church this coming fourth Sunday (27 March). Instead members have decided to gather at ‘The New Canterbury Estate’ park opposite Phillip Drive, Sunbury on Sun 27 March around 12 noon.
All are welcome.
Please bring along some snacks and soft drinks.
The group has planned yabbying and some outdoor games.
Further info. please contact Garnet Jacob on 9740 8328 / 0411 286 428.
As this year we are having the Stewardship program in Lent, our home discussion groups will be in Easter time using the booklet ‘Journey Together’ (not ‘Journey’ used some years ago).
There will be five meetings of parishioners gathered in homes in nearby neighbourhoods, if possible. The topics are:
1. The Parish: a community called to holiness;
2. Humankind: in the image and likeness of God;
3. Jesus, the Word of God;
4. New life in Christ;
5. Leadership
The ‘Journey Together’ program is to form us to be involved actively in parish life. The gatherings are where we can reflect on, pray about and communicate our experience in the light of the Scriptures and the Church’s teaching.
The meetings can be in the daytime or evening. Those wishing to be in a daytime group are asked to meet in the Parish Centre on Tuesday 29 March at 11.30am; those wishing to be in an evening group to meet in the Parish Centre on Tuesday 29 March at 7.30pm.
If you are looking for ways to enrich your personal Lenten experience, or even to undertake something that will bring family and friends together in a new way during the Easter journey, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (Commission for Mission and Faith Formation) invites you to join in their innovative program – The Reflection.
Launched last year, the success of The Lenten Reflection 2010 was overwhelming.
Just click on the website http://thereflection.vividas.com and click on “Click to install” then launch the welcome videos or go to the 2010 program which also has a link to the “Mary,first disciple” series of talks. Or wait untill 7th March for this years series to start.
Welcome to our parish to speak to us all on Stewardship. Fr. Peter is parish priest of Cheltenham, chairperson of the Retired Priests’ Foundation and lecturer at Catholic Theological College. We are grateful for all the time and effort he has put into our Stewardship Renewal.
Today, the second Sunday of Lent, our Catechumens, Candidates, their sponsors and families together with the RCIA team will join hundreds of others at the Rite of Election at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 2.30pm. The Candidates and Catechumens are presented on our behalf by their sponsors to the Archbishop and reaffirm their commitment to becoming members of our Catholic community. It is a very moving ceremony which marks the beginning of an intense period of preparation for those who will be received into the Church for the first time at the Easter Vigil. If anyone is interested in attending this inspirational ceremony, you will be most welcome. Contact Jo Wiegerink on 9744 5788 to arrange transport.
Meet at St Francis Church, cnr. Elizabeth & Lonsdale Streets, Melbourne at 2.00pm on Sat 26 March. Bookings: 9926 9300 or macyac@sosj.org.au Further info. on noticeboard.
Lord, we thank you for your unconditional love which we celebrate in the Eucharist.
During this time of preparation, enable these children to discover more and more the gift of your love for them in the Eucharist.
Draw them and all of your family ever closer to you and to each other as we meet around your table.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Last Tuesday night Stephen Littleton was a guest of our parish to launch the Stewardship Program. We started with a welcome from Fr Kevin who led us in the Stewardship Prayer. Stephen Littleton then took over and summarised Christian Stewardship. He said it is primarily a personal call to renew ourselves, a call to holiness, worship, and action. Having renewed ourselves over the years it may be easier to visualise as refreshing ourselves through our prayers, our efforts, and our sharing, in love, of ourselves with others. I see Stewardship as carrying on with that which Jesus asked of us when he said: “I have called you friends” and “I chose you, and I appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
In this same spirit Stephen Littleton went over the recent history of our parish. What had been achieved in the way of bricks and mortar at our churches and our schools and what we needed to be concerned with in the future. Things such as the pastoral care of a much greater population, the foundation of one or more schools, increased ministry to the elderly and so many other functions required by a greater and greater community. All of which costs more money than we currently have. Our expenditure on maintainance, salaries, utilities, loan repayments etc is more than our envelope collection each week. Our average envelope amounts to $8.44. The message was that in order to meet our present costs and future expansion, we need to boost our income, but as followers of Jesus. We can’t get caught up in how little some give as that’s not our concern. Remember Jesus in Luke’s Gospel with his reaction to the widow who gave all she could, small as it was. Our reaction as the friends Jesus left behind to carry on as his stewards should first be to pray about it. Maybe we could ask what we should do, ask the Father for help. As Jesus said in the Gospel of last Sunday, “enter into your inner room……..and pray to your Father”. We will be answered in some way or other. It could be to take the message to others, to ask for the help of others, to contribute more ourselves, to pray more for the parish community, to put more effort in to the workload of the parish. We also evangelise by our example.
Stephen Littleton then threw the meeting open for questions and then Fr Kevin closed the meeting with a prayer.
With sadness and much regret, we learn of Irene’s decision to cease being our pastoral associate. Over twelve years Irene has served our parishioners, especially the housebound, in aged care, in palliative care and suffering chronic illness.
Irene is blessed with faith, perception, compassion, discretion and a marvellous memory (ask her husband Keith!).
Fellow pastoral associates, parish staff and priests have all greatly benefited from Irene’s presence among us and her support to us in our pastoral ministry.
Our prayers of gratitude and best wishes for your future as you move into the next phase of your life…..Fr Kevin
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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