THANK YOU SO MUCH, PETER
Peter Readman- has been our voluntary maintenance coordinator for twenty years. In that time, he has carried out maintenance on our two churches, convent, parish office and presbytery. In addition, he has coordinated the engagement of carpenters, electricians, fencers, plumbers, painters, slate repairers and other tradesmen. He has helped us fulfil our statutory obligations for health and safety.
Peter has been available and prompt to assist at all hours. His wife Pat has been a gracious secretary taking phone calls whenever there has been a crisis. A visiting priest said recently ‘you have a big plant here’. Only Peter would know how many hours he has given to our community in service since 1991.
Peter has decided to finish this service and will continue to serve us in other ways.
As a result of our Stewardship Program we now have four men doing the maintenance Peter did: Ben, Colin, Jo and Vern. There was a hand-over meeting of several hours last Tuesday. When three of our buildings are over 100 years old, there is much maintenance to be done.
NEWS FROM PARISH SOCIAL JUSTICE GROUP
The Social Justice Group was formed in 1999 and during the Jubilee Year (2000) we focused on acknowledging the Aboriginal people as the traditional owners of this land. Following contact with a local Wurundjeri elder we passed on the story of this area and in 2002 the parish made a formal acknowledgement. The plaque stands between St Anne’s Church and the parish office. We present Aboriginal aspects in the liturgy on Sorry Day and Aboriginal Sunday. We place notices in the newsletter regarding other social matters as they come to our attention and we welcome anyone wishing to join us in this work. Over the coming weeks we will share some insights into Aboriginal Spirituality. Further info. contact Joan Koren 9744 3357.
LIVE IN SUNBURY: VICTORIA WELSH CHOIR
Presented by Sunbury Chaplaincy Committee.
Sunday 1 May at St Andrew’s Uniting Church.
A GREAT MOTHERS’ DAY GIFT IDEA.
Adults $25, children (under 18) $5. Bookings essential—tickets from Just Planet 37 O’Shanassy St. Sunbury (9740 3106) or ring Helen—9744 3031.
Flyer on noticeboard.
Plates of food needed for afternoon tea, i.e. sandwiches, savoury, cakes (small /large). Please write your name & phone number on list on noticeboard OR ring the Parish Office—9744 1060.
NEWS FROM PARISH SOCIAL JUSTICE GROUP
Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, will visit Australia in May. Last year Aboriginal Elders visited Geneva to raise the Northern Territory Intervention with the Commission. The intervention imposed in June 2007 without consultation, continues to be a source of grave injustice. You can help by signing a letter requesting Navi Pillay to address this issue. Copies from http://www.concernedaustralians.com.au or at Welcoming Desk. Also at Welcoming Desk copies of ‘New Detention Centre—a hard-hearted response: Bishop’; Pope Benedict’s World Peace Day Message—The Path to Peace; Feast Day Mass of St Joseph the Worker—all workers are invited.
CATHOLIC MISSION VOLUNTEERS
For 50 years, lay Catholic missionaries from Australia have been sent through Palms Global Mission program. There is enormous potential to serve and learn in such communities. Experienced teachers, medical staff, farmers and tradespeople are needed in Africa, Timor and the Pacific.
Placements start from July 2011.
Enquiries: www.palms.org.au
CONFERENCE IN LONDON ON CHRISTIAN—MUSLIM RELATIONS
Last month, key thinkers at a two-day conference saw as a basis for unity, the common belief of Christians, Jews and Muslims that God erupts into human history. From this basis, we can build towards a recognition of the centrality and sanctity of the human person as a seeker of God, and neutralise ideologies that aim to sideline religion or promote violence and intolerance. We can also work towards a recognition of religious freedom as the first of human rights. Christians and Muslims, who together make up 54% of the world’s population, have the common task of helping society open itself up again to God.
AUSTRALIAN CATHOLICS
Available this weekend.
Please take a copy home with you. Special issue on the parish of the future.
SHARE THE DREAM—FAMILIES TRANSFORMING THE WORLD
Friday 15 Apr—Sunday 17 Apr at Xavier College, Barkers Rd. Kew.
Registration details on pamphlets at Welcoming Desk— www.sharethedream.org.au
CALL FOR PRO LIFE VOLUNTEERS
Pregnancy Counselling Australia runs a 24/7 telephone counselling for pregnant women in crisis, providing compassionate, non-judgemental support.
Volunteer counsellors are needed. For more info. call Tahlia 9740 7378.
PROJECT COMPASSION
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.”
SING A LONG
FRIDAY 1 APRIL 2011 2.30—3.15pm
Goonawarra Nursing Home, Anderson Rd. Sunbury.
Please come along and help entertain the residents.
New faces always welcome
PUSHBIKES FOR CAMBODIA
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 BISHOPS LENTEN REFLECTION
The Lenten Reflection 2011
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.
This program became an integral of my Easter preparation last year and I can’t recommend it enough.
Click on this line to go to Archdiocese website for more information.
Better still, just go to http://thereflection.vividas.com and watch the welcome video.
FIRST SECOND AND THIRD WEEK NOW OUT
PARISH STEWARDSHIP MEETING
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.
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND
Married couples, make 2011 the year that you prioritise your relationship. It underpins your family life. Please join us for a Marriage Encounter weekend this year. Our weekend helps you to remember why you married and gives you skills to maintain your love for each other. Couples and a priest present the weekend. It is based around Catholic values but you don’t need to be Catholic to attend.
The next weekends will be held on 8-10 April, 3-5 June & 19-21 August.
Further info/bookings contact Peter & Erika Smith (03) 9899 0824 or email vicbookings@wwme.org.au.
Checkout the website for more info on http://www.wwme.org.au Information brochures available at back of St Anne’s Church.
PROJECT COMPASSION
Please take home a Project Compassion Box and/or a set of Lenten envelopes and give generously to the appeal during Lent.
THANK YOU
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For your generous response to the Christchurch earthquake. $1158.30 will be forwarded to Caritas New Zealand.
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From St Vincent de Paul Society Rockhampton, Queensland ‘Thank you for your most generous donation of $1,940.00 towards the Society’s Flood Appeal. The Society’s resources at these times of natural disaster are always stretched and it is only through the generosity of our donors and benefactors that the Society can give the assistance it does to those families who do enjoy the full support of the St Vincent de Paul Society. May God’s choicest blessings be bestowed upon you…..Neil Dwyer, President’.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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