VINNIES CHRISTMAS APPEAL “RESTORE HOPE”

This Sunday and next Sunday, there will be our usual collection for St Vincent de Paul Society to assist the local residents of Sunbury who are in need this Christmas.
The generous parishioners of Sunbury have helped St Vincent de Paul volunteers to achieve the following last month:

52 households requested food vouchers for 58 children and 85 adults ($4160)
Many care packs, gift cards and kind messages of Hope from the children at St Anne’s and OLMC Primary schools from Young Vinnies
Essential Transport ($125) and prescriptions ($63)
Two homeless women and two children were given emergency supplies ($472)
and one nights motel accommodation ($250)

December 10, 2015January 4, 2016

NEW VENUE AND TIMETABLE FOR OUR CHRISTMAS FAMILY MASSES

NEW VENUE & TIMETABLE FOR OUR CHRISTMAS FAMILY MASSES:

Vigil
Thursday 24 December 6.00pm St Anne’s Church
Thursday 24 December 8.00pm St Anne’s Church
Thursday 24 December 10.00pm St Anne’s Church
On Thursday evening St Anne’s School carpark on Stewarts Lane will be open, for a short walk to our church through the school grounds.
Children are invited to take part in the dramatization of the Gospel story of the Nativity at the 6.00pm and 8.00pm Masses.

Christmas Day
Friday 25 December 8.30am St Anne’s Church
Friday 25 December 10.30am St Anne’s Church

On Tuesday 22 December at 7.00pm there will be a brief working bee to set up St Anne’s Church for a larger congregation. Volunteers are needed for carparking, welcoming, ministering communion. Please sign up next Sunday.

WHERE DO I GO?

December 6, 2015December 12, 2015

Knights of the Southern Cross Christmas Function 2015

The Knights of the Southern Cross Sunbury Riddell and Gisbourne held their Christmas Dinner and Presentation Night on Saturday 5th December. Present were widows of past members, Fr Bert, Sr Jose, John Attard Branch Chairman, Stuart Robertson District Chairman, John Hennessy the State Chairman, and Colin Walsh the Senior Vice-Chairman of the International Order of Catholic Knights. As well as members, wives and guests.

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November 2, 2015November 13, 2015

OUR NEW ALTAR COVERINGS

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We have a new set of banners for our Altar in St Anne’s church. They were created by Judy Dioszegi and her daughter Debbie Vicini, who, with advice from Randall Lindstrom, also created our vestments and church banners. All the designs complement each other and will be used for major liturgical feasts and seasons.

October 29, 2015December 6, 2015

NOVEMBER MONTH OF PRAYER FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED

Those who wish to write the names of those who have entered eternal life for prayer, the sheets for names are available from today a the rear of our churches.
The Annual Blessing of the Graves in Bulla and Sunbury Cemeteries will take place on Sunday 8 November at 2.30pm in Bulla and 3.30pm in Sunbury.

October 16, 2015October 29, 2015

RUPERTSWOOD HARVEST

October 12, 2015November 2, 2015

FUND RAISING DINNER FOR VICTIMS OF CYCLONE KOMEN IN MYANMAR (BURMA)

MESSAGE FROM FR WILL MATTHEWS

FUND RAISING DINNER FOR VICTIMS OF CYCLONE KOMEN IN BURMA
WHERE: LAKESIDE STADIUM at SALESIAN COLLEGE
WHEN: SATURDAY 31ST OCTOBER at 6PM to 10PM
WHAT: BUFFET DINNER, BURMESE CULTURAL DANCES AND SONGS
WHAT ELSE: BURMESE CULTURAL ITEMS ON SALE, FUN AND GAMES
BYO DRINKS AND NIBBLES
Tickets can be bought directly from me by ringing WORK [9744 0019] or HOME [9740 6322] before monday 20th October.
$30 adults and $15 for children under 12. This includes admission and buffet dinner..
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AS MANY PARISHIONERS AS POSSIBLE.

October 8, 2015November 19, 2015

STEWARDSHIP RESULTS….WE HELP JESUS WITH HIS MISSION BY FINANCING IT AND WORKING IN IT

Jesus gave us a mission. We have responded.
THANK YOU TO THE 319 DONORS FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR PARISH. THIS IS 17% INCREASE IN DONORS.

Our Stewardship Program has finalised and once again we wish to warmly thank everyone for their involvement and generous support. A special thank you goes to Karen Rose and Program Leadership Team and Lorella DiPaolo and to all the volunteers who assisted with the follow-up process.
Letters of confirmation, and where possible, new sets of Stewardship envelopes, are available for collection today– in alphabetical order of surname. Members of the Program Leader- ship Team will be on hand to assist at all Masses. The new pledges take effect from next week and some envelope numbers will have changed. To avoid any confusion please destroy any old envelopes that you may still have.
Pledge cards are available at the church entrance if you have not yet had the chance to complete one. Completed cards can be left in the collection plate or delivered to the Parish Office.
A reminder that Time & Talent sheets are currently being processed and those who responded will be contacted in the near future.

September 30, 2015October 16, 2015

FR KEVIN AT RENEWAL CONFERENCE IN POLAND

In 1952 following the destruction of World War II, Pope Pius XII urged Catholics to build a better world. In response, Fr.Riccardo Lombardi S.J. of Italy formed a group of Catholics of various vocations and the Pope resourced substantially this new group. Today, this group has 565 members in 25 countries, e.g., 83 in India, 52 in Korea, 42 in the Congo, 39 in PNG, 38 in Italy and smaller groups e.g, 9 in Spain, 8 in Australia, and 6 in France. Our parish renewal project is from this group.
The delegates of the group meet every four years over twelve days. This year they met in September in Krakow, Poland where I attended as a delegate of Australia. We gathered in a centre for spiritual formation. The Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow met us all individually. The conference uses three languages; imagine listening to a sermon three times in French, Spanish and English!
Krakow is where St. John Paul II was born in 1920 and lived until he was elected pope. This year, the diocese had seventy priests ordained. The city is 97 per cent Catholic with 150 churches. It is the venue for World Youth Day in August 2016.
We visited the nearby Auschwitz concentration camp where 1.1 million persons were executed by the Nazis – a very confronting place. We saw the hair, the clothes, and the children’s shoes of those exterminated between 1940 and 1945.
Today, since the fall of communism Poland is growing economically, with good educational and medical facilities, a safe place with good public transport. …..Kevin McIntosh

September 30, 2015October 29, 2015

OCTOBER 2015 STEWARDSHIP MONTH

A MESSAGE FROM FR KEVIN
My dear friends,
This weekend we commence a special program — a Parish Stewardship Program. We undertake the Program recognising that “Parishes are the Heartbeat of the Church.”
Over the next few weeks we will ask ourselves what it means to be a part of our parish community. We will reflect on the three key areas that identify our parish as a special community of faith:
Firstly, that we are a parish which celebrates faith. We know the importance of gathering as a community to celebrate the Eucharist at Mass, We know that it is the foundation of who we are as a Catholic community. But importantly, we don’t merely attend Mass, we celebrate our faith. As Pope Francis says, “……… it is a beautiful thing to do.”
Secondly, that we are a parish that values engagement. We recognise the importance of being involved in parish groups and ministries. We encourage parishioners to be involved in the many opportunities available to nurture, grow and live our faith — as listed in the Program Time & Talent sheet.
Thirdly, we are a parish that supports generously. We firmly believe in the need to plan and budget for our personal financial commitment to our parish – giving us the resources to sustain our parish today and to grow and respond to Pope Francis’ call to Mission.
| encourage your active involvement in the Program – read the materials, listen to our speakers and discuss the issues with your family and friends. I also invite you to attend the key meeting of the Program —the Parish Information Meeting.
Let us all use this Program as a wonderful opportunity to grow our community of faith in our parish
Yours in Christ,

Rev Kevin McIntosh
Parish Priest

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRPERSON
Dear fellow parishioners,
Father Kevin has asked me to be the Chairperson of our Parish Stewardship Program and I am happy to offer and use the gifts I have for this Program.
Together with my fellow members of the Program Leadership Team, i have met with Lorella Di Paolo from the Parish Development Office of the Archdiocese who will be guiding us through the Program. We have all been impressed with the message and structure of the Program and believe it will provide a wonderful opportunity to reflect, discuss and reaffirm what it means to be a parishioner here at our parish.
We are confident that with your support and involvement the Program can bring great benefits for us all as individuals as well as for our entire parish community. I endorse the Program and encourage your active participation. Throughout the course of the Program, please do not hesitate to contact me with any queries.

Warm Regards,
Karen Rose

The brochure which includes the Stewardship Pledge Card can be seen and downloaded here.

September 22, 2015October 8, 2015

SALESIAN COLLEGE OPEN EVENING

COLLEGE OPEN EVENING – All Welcome

Thursday 8th October

Commences at 5.00 pm with tours. Evening finishes at 7.00 pm

Come and experience the stunning grounds of Rupertswood first hand. Visit the classrooms, see live activities happening around the College; come and visit our Year 9 Centre; and take a look at our newly refurbished Dance Studio and Arts Centre with the amazing view!

Information and enrolment packs will be available.
Key staff will be on hand to answer your questions.

September 7, 2015September 30, 2015

REPORT AND SLIDESHOW FROM THE 2015 PARISH ASSEMBLY

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September 5, 2015September 11, 2015

ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY 2015

ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY
This occurred on Saturday 5th September from 9.30am to 12 noon in the Parish Centre.
Those present thanked the representatives of our schools and Parish Pastoral Team and the representatives of all our various volunteer groups that are active in our parish.
The future development of the current and additional schools in our parish, as well as the maintenance required by our two churches, was subject to concerned discussion. It was discovered that some important work needs to be carried out immediately in St Anne’s Church. A contract has been let for the repairs to the St Anne’s car park.
All this discussion led to the urgent need for viable funding required to carry out God’s work in our parish. Our evangelising efforts will come to nought if those evangelised lose their cars down a hole in our car park.
Additionally it was discussed as to ways to call more parishioners to a more active role in all the tasks that are required so that the Word of God may be heard in our parish area.
“I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit” John 15:16

September 3, 2015September 30, 2015

CHRISTMAS ON THE GREEN 12th DECEMBER 2015

Christmas on the Green is our annual Inter– Church celebration of the Birth of Christ our Saviour. I attended a two-hour meeting last Wednesday night of representatives of the Anglican, Catholic, Encounter, Methodist and Uniting Churches of Sunbury. There is so much to organise for this event– advertising in the press, with posters, with billboards, security, the animal farm, children’s activities, St John’s Ambulance, CFA, Police, Western Water, Sunbury schools, Sunbury Chorale, sponsorship, printing the programs, setting up marquees, emergency plan, 3NRG, Hume Council, food stalls, etc. The event will be on Saturday 12 December from 5pm and Carols at 7pm to 8.30pm on the Village Green. …..Kevin McIntosh

Are you able to do FACE PAINTING? Are you willing to VOLUNTEER? Are you available on Sat. 12th Dec. 2015? Costs can be reimbursed. Please ring Wilmy on 9740 9448

September 3, 2015September 30, 2015

TRUTH, JUSTICE, HEALING COUNCIL

The Truth, Justice and Healing Council is coordinating the Catholic Church’s re- sponse to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse with a commitment to justice and compassion for survivors. There are twelve members of the Council including men and women with professional expertise in areas of child sexual abuse, paedophilia, trauma, mental illness, suicide, education and public administration.
From the Truth Justice and Healing Council blog:

We are now hard on the half way mark of the Royal Commission, both in terms of the time allocated and the public policy and examination work it has set itself.
By the end of the year it will have undertaken 33 of the up to 60 public hearings it indicated would form the examination component of its work.
Commissioner McClellan has indicated that what will surely be the last of the public hearings involving the Church will take place in early 2017.
This hearing will look in more depth at a range of cultural, institutional and systemic issues that have been touched on during public hearings so far but haven’t been the subject of dedicated examination.
The big questions of what it was about the culture of the Catholic Church at the time that led to the extent of child sexual abuse and why it was responded to the way it was will come into focus.
That hearing will likely look more closely at the role of the Vatican in the crisis, issues such as clerical training, the screening of candidates for the priesthood and religious life, the impact of clericalism, the management of offenders and the role of women, amongst others.
There is little doubt that by the end of 2017 the number of public hearings into the operations of the church will leave few, if any, stones unturned.

Read it all here:http://www.tjhcouncil.org.au/media/tjhc-blog.aspx

August 28, 2015September 3, 2015

PARISH CENSUS DATA

Thanks to the hundreds of you who filled in the census cards last Sunday. If you did not fill in a census card last Sunday, please do so today. The census data is only for our the good of our parish. The cards will be handed out at the first collection and collected at the second collection.

August 9, 2015August 17, 2015

DON BOSCO’S 200TH BIRTHDAY

DON BOSCO’S 200TH BIRTHDAY
On Sunday 16 August the Salesians will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Don Bosco’s birth with a mass at 10.30am in St Anne’s Church. All are welcome, especially those with a special link to Salesian College. All are invited to join us at the parish centre after Mass for refreshments and the cutting of the birthday cake. Those who can, bring a plate. Those who can’t, just bring yourself.
All Welcome on Wednesday at 9am Mass With Our Archbishop at Rupertswood
…. Fr Bert Fulbrook sdb