Category: Liturgy and Worship Space

Liturgy lines and anything of that sort

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LITURGY WORKSHOP & MASS

Some Year 7 & 8 students from Salesian College will take part in a workshop on the Eucharist with Fr. K. Kam, College Chaplain on Thursday morning 19 August at St Anne’s Church concluding with a celebration of the Eucharist at 12.15pm to which parishioners are very welcome.

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CANDLES IN CHURCH

The latest magazine of Catholic Church Insurances has an article ‘Over the last four years Catholic Church Insurances has received a significant number of property claims arising from fires started by candles’. The insurer advised that candles should be separated from flammable materials and not left alone (p.7).

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COMING TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION

In 2008, the Australian Bishops directed that we should bow slightly one back from the minister of communion. Genuflecting before receiving was not permitted as it is a safety hazard especially for people behind unsteady on their feet, who can be easily tripped up and fall causing a broken hip. We have just prayed aloud: ‘Lord, I am not worthy to receive you……..’ Our parish is committed to having a safe environment for the benefit of all and to satisfy the parish’s legal responsibilities.
……Fr Kevin

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BLESSING OF THE CENTENARY BELL TOWER

The Blessing is on today (Sunday) within the 10.00am Mass in the grounds of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and School. The construction of the tower has been completed ahead of time and under budget. The first step in the process was to raise the necessary funds. By a successful Gala Auction Dinner at Rupertswood Mansion plus raffle, the fundraising committee achieved the objective.
The design was by Randall Lindstrom, the well-known liturgical architect who has worked with us on our churches since 2006. The construction committee obtained the planning and building permits and liaised with the steel fabricator, the structural engineer, the concreter, the electrician, a paint factory and providers of a sizzer lift, a truck and a crane truck. A working bee by school parents and teachers completed the garden last Saturday.
The bell works by remote control, powered by solar energy. The original bronze bell was made in Melbourne about 1910 and weighs 125kg. There are four programs of rings: Angelus, call to Mass, weddings and funerals.
Today, we welcome back past parishioners, priests and teachers. We welcome back Fr. Allan Mithen. We have received apologies from Fr. Martin Ashe (Ministry to Priests, Melbourne) Fr. Greg Bourke P.P. (Hoppers Crossing) Fr. Gerard Keith P.P. (three Geelong parishes) Fr. Michael Moody P.P. (Melton) Fr. John Petrulis P.P. (Elwood and St Kilda West Parishes) and Fr. Linh Tran P.P. (Dallas). Sunday morning is not a convenient time for priests!
We welcome today Sr. Josephine Dubell, Provincial of the Sisters of St Joseph, Sr. Anne Tuck, former principal and Sr. Rita Malavisi, a former teacher at O.L.M.C.
Later during this 150th year, the school will arrange a reunion and other events when the extensions to the building are complete providing space for celebrations.

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PALM SUNDAY

Palm Sunday is next Sunday 28 March. Before each Mass, we will bless the palms/olive branches and come singing into the church following our donkey, commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Donations of palm are most welcome—please leave your donation outside St Anne’s Church.

Fr Kevin

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COMING TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION

In 2008, the Australian Bishops directed that we should bow slightly one back from the minister of communion. Genuflecting before receiving was not permitted as it is a safety hazard especially for people behind unsteady on their feet, who can be easily tripped up and fall causing a broken hip. We have just prayed aloud: ‘Lord, I am not worthy to receive you………’ Our parish is committed to having a safe environment for the benefit of all and to satisfy the parish’s legal responsibilities.

Fr Kevin

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NOTES FROM OUR PARISH LENTEN EXERCISE

We started with a welcome and a prayer and then went straight into an introduction and an overview.

There was discussion of how we, as the people of God, are a sacrament to the world.

The group was sitting in Neighbourhoods and these were joined with other Neighbourhoods to discuss the subjects of ourselves as a Sacrament of Communion, as a Sacrament of the Reign of God, and as a Sacrament of Universal Salvation. A good starting place is the old Childrens Catechism which says a Sacrament is an outward sign of inward Grace. We didn’t get too far into sacramental theology but we were able to see that we, as a group, are a sign and an instrument of the presence of Jesus in the world now.

Next came a brief discussion on prayer, centred on the words of Jesus in Mathew 7:7. Ask, Seek, Knock.

Then we moved to “What the Parish does”

Community Life…
  • Whole Parish Community
  • Neighbourhoods
  • Small Groups
  • All Families
Pastoral Service…
  • Catechesis
  • Liturgical
  • Schools
  • Justice, Peace, Environment
Workers in the Vineyard…
  • Recruitment
  • Formation and Training
Decision Management…
  • PCT/PC
  • Parish Team
  • Finance
  • Office Administration
  • Maintenance
  • General Gatherings
Other Sectors…
  • Play Group
  • Youth
  • Evergreens

The next step in our Neighbourhood Plan is to move a considerable amount of this to the Neighbourhoods by the Neighbourhoods taking on a four phase strategy, namely To Gather, To Serve, To Represent, and To Communicate. By this strategy we can decentralise many of our services and the Neighbourhoods can become small, active faith groups.(that is Big Faith, Small Groups) The Neighbourhoods can bring their issues via their PCT representative to the PCT meetings.

The Neighbourhood Groups then had a practice run at a Neighbourhood meeting using a guide book written for that purpose and available in the future from the Parish Office. Each meeting involves some prayer, scripture reading an discussion/sharing of our faith.

There was a break for lunch and much discussion. This was followed by a summing up and a discussion on “Where to now?”

Those Neighbourhoods who had a Coordinator present set up meetings to present the theme of Gather, Serve, Represent, and Communicate. Others would take the information and the strategy back to their Neighbourhoods to then do the same.

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BLESSING OF THE BELL TOWER

Sunday 21st March

BLESSING OF THE BELL TOWER

Blessing and Liturgy of the Word at OLMC, 10am

Opening hymn – OLMC school choir – theme of celebration, love of God eg “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord”

Penitential Rite theme of acknowledging past hurt, healing, new deeds

1st Reading – Isaiah 43: 16-21

Psalm as per day-“The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy”

No second reading

Gospel

Homily

Liturgy of the Eucharist at St Anne’s church, 10.30am

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LENT 2010—’CALLED TO BRING HEALING AND HOPE’

Our liturgy planning group last week discussed our theme for Lent as we begin our centenary year. We want to focus in Lent on our need to be healed of the wounds which we as a community have suffered over these 150 years and move on in hope. In Biblical times, a jubilee year (every 50 years) was a time of reconciliation and forgiveness of debts so that a new beginning could occur.

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LENT 2010

The season of Lent has two characteristics:

  • It recalls for most of us our Baptism or prepares a few of us for Baptism at Easter. It stresses a penitential spirit…..during Lent, penance should not be only internal and individual but also external and social (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican II, Nos. 109/110).
  • Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting (for those over 18 years and under 60 years) and abstinence from meat (for those over 14 years).

Lent is the season of penance—more time given to prayer, to works of charity and welfare, and more effort at self-denial.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in a communal way with several priests on Tuesday 30 March at 7.45pm.

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DEDICATION OF THE REFURBISHMENT AT ST ANNE’S CHURCH

Today, 7th February, Bishop Tim Costelloe blessed the new Ambry, Ambo, Font,Presiders Chair, and Altar in St Anne’s Church and con-celebrated Mass with Father Bert, Father Peter, and Father Kevin.

Fr Kevin spoke on the Parish Renewal process that was adopted in order to ascertain the parishioners Values, Needs, and what they considered their Treasures. Several meetings were held, facilitated by Sr Margaret Smith sgs, Very Reverend David Orr osb, and Randall Lindstrom.

Randall Lindstrom then spoke of the ideas and symbols behind the various works, such as the Ambo representing a book being opened to the gathered people of God while the Altar shape represented (among many things) a drawing in towards the centre in Communion of the people.

Bishop Tim started his homily with a promise not to talk for more than 45 minutes but he is such a spellbinding speaker with the gift of drawing all his listeners along with shared enthusiasm, that no one would have noticed the time.
His final point was that the Church, in it’s buildings and in it’s people in Sunbury and surrounds, is like a sacrament. Our parish with our buildings and people are an outward sign of the presence of God in our community. Jesus still helps the poor, teaches those who will listen, and works for the Kingdom of God here today in our community just as he did when he walked through Palestine all those years ago. Today he does it through his mystical body, us. We, the ordinary people of our parish, provide Jesus with his hands and feet in our time.

Dedicating the Font
Dedicating the Font
Incensing the Altar
Incensing the Altar
The Homily
The Homily
The Final Blessing
The Final Blessing
Bishop Tim and Helpers
Bishop Tim and Helpers

The Symbology of the Dedication

The Anointing of the Altar
By being anointed with consecrated oil of Chrism, the altar becomes a symbol of Christ, who before all others is called “The Anointed One”; for the Father anointed him with the Holy Spirit and constituted him the High Priest who on the altar of his body would offer the sacrifice of his life for the salvation of all.

Incense
Incense is burned on the altar to signify that the sacrifice of Christ, which is then perpetuated in mystery, ascends to God as an odour of sweetness, and also is a sign that the prayers of the people rise up pleasing and acceptable, reaching to the throne of God. The People of God are incensed for they are the living temple in which each faithful member is a spiritual altar.

The white cloth on the altar
The cloth indicates that the Christian altar is the altar of the eucharistic sacrifice and the table of the Lord; standing around it priests and people, in one and the same action but with a difference of function, celebrate the memorial of the death and resurrection of Christ and partake in the Lord’s Supper. The altar is prepared as the table of sacrificial banquet and adorned as for a feast. This is the Lord’s Table at which all God’s people meet with joy to be refreshed with divine food, namely the Body and Blood of Christ sacrificed.

The lighting of the altar
This teaches us that Christ is “a light to enlighten the nations” (Luke 2:32), whose brightness shines out in the Church and through it upon the whole family of humanity. (Taken from “Rite of Dedication”)

Note: A report on a course run by Bishop Tim for the Northern Parishes and attended by some of our parishioners can be found here.

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PARISH COORDINATING TEAM MEETING 3RD FEB 2010

We started our first meeting for 2010 with a prayer and reflection on the current “Year for Priests”. We prayed

That the Simplicity of the Gospel may reach the ends of the Earth

We then recited Mary’s Magnificat, followed by a reading from Mark

Jesus called them and said, `You know the people who rule over countries make their people obey them. The great will tell the others what to do.
But that is not the way it is among you. Anyone among you who wants to be great must help the others.
Anyone among you who wants to be first shall be a servant to the others.
The Son of Man did not come to have others help him. But he came to help others. He came to give his life to make many people free.’

We continued with prayers of intersession and finished with the Lord’s Prayer.

Then it was down to the evening’s business.
We looked again at “Journeying Together”, the book of analysis and diagnosis that resulted from the continuing Parish Renewal sessions held in August and September 2006. In particular we looked at the problems with the then current structures for Parish Decision-Making and with the current structures for Making Proposals and for Planning. The basic problem was seen to be that the decision makers were unrepresentative and that there was no means of reporting back. Also that the processes have to be sufficiently visible so as to promote participation.
With this in mind we decided to move the proposed Parish Assembly back a little and hold a Formation Session of one and a half hours for Neighbourhood Teams, groups of Parish Posties, and indeed anyone who may be interested. These sessions will cover both the spirituality of what needs to be done as well as the practicalities. There will be a choice of times and dates (2nd and 3rd March) to try and spread as wide a net as possible. It is then to be hoped that the attendees will take the information back to their neighbourhoods, groups, friends etc. and assist the whole parish to become an active participant in the upcoming Assembly.

The Dedication of the Altar, Ambo, etc. at St Anne’s Church was discussed, as was the working bee for cleaning up around the church on the 6th Feb from 9.00am to 12.00. Indeed a group from the local Knights of the Southern Cross were out shortly after this meeting removing dead wood etc from the St Anne’s grounds.

The next item was a discussion of activities for the second half of the Year for Priests. Tenative proposals were for a dinner on the 23rd May and a working bee around the presbytery.

Finally there was a report back on the Parish Centenary Book (………a work in progress), and a suggestion that an A3 signature booklet be produced in full colour (4 X A4 pages) containing information about the parish and some of our timeline as well. The plan would be to get this publication incorporated into the “Home-Buyers Pack” that is handed out by local real estate firms.

The next meeting will be on the 4th March, immediately following the “Building Communities” formation sessions.

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THE SYMBOLISM BEHIND THE DEDICATION CEREMONY

The Anointing of the Altar

By being anointed with consecrated oil of Chrism, the altar becomes a symbol of Christ, who before all others is called “The Anointed One”; for the Father anointed him with the Holy Spirit and constituted him the High Priest who on the altar of his body would offer the sacrifice of his life for the salvation of all.

Incense

Is burned on the altar to signify that the sacrifice of Christ, which is then perpetuated in mystery, ascends to God as an odour of sweetness, and also is a sign that the prayers of the people rise up pleasing and acceptable, reaching to the throne of God. The People of God are incensed for they are the living temple in which each faithful member is a spiritual altar.

The white cloth on the altar

Indicates that the Christian altar is the altar of the eucharistic sacrifice and the table of the Lord; standing around it priests and people, in one and the same action but with a difference of function, celebrate the memorial of the death and resurrection of Christ and partake in the Lord’s Supper. The altar is prepared as the table of sacrificial banquet and adorned as for a feast. This is the Lord’s Table at which all God’s people meet with joy to be refreshed with divine food, namely the Body and Blood of Christ sacrificed.

The lighting of the altar

Teaches us that Christ is “a light to enlighten the nations” (Luke 2:32), whose brightness shines out in the Church and through it upon the whole family of humanity. (Taken from “Rite of Dedication”)

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DEDICATION MASS AT ST ANNE’S CHURCH NEXT SUNDAY AT 10.30AM

Bishop Tim Costelloe, Bishop of the Northern Region of Melbourne, will preside at his first liturgy in our parish. In recent weeks we have described the ceremony which is very beautiful, full of symbolism and good music. After the Mass finishes about 12noon, we are invited to lunch together in the Parish Centre, please bring some lunch to share. Tea and coffee will be provided.