The climax of the week is Mass later today Australia time. Please pray for the million pilgrims especially the Melbourne pilgrims who have been adversely affected by the extreme heat and are now accommodated in hotels.
A special collection will be taken up this weekend as a token of appreciation for the witness of these two religious sisters. There will also be an opportunity to say farewell to Srs Maureen and Mary at a shared lunch in the Parish Centre on next Sunday 28 August from 12.00 lunch time. Please bring a plate to share.
The Feast of the Assumption is on Monday 15 August and a Holy Day of Obligation.
Two Parish Masses in St Anne’s Church at 9.15am and 7.00pm.
At each Mass this weekend we welcome Michelle Faria. Her family are part of Sunbury Parish and their little boy Caleb has a very serious illness that needs very expensive life saving medicine.
There are petitions to sign that can be forwarded to our local member of Parliament, Ms Vamvakinou.
Please support this lovely little boy by signing the letter.
A Trivia Night and Auction will be held by the Sunbury Chaplaincy Committee on Saturday 20th August at Sunbury College commencing at 7pm. Come along for a fun night with raffles, prizes and auctions of sporting memorabilia. BYO basket supper and drinks. Tickets are $15 at “Just Planet” (37 O’Shannessy St) or ring Helen on 0407 506 507.
The Assembly will be held on Saturday 3 September from 9am to 12.30pm in the Parish Centre. Every parishioner is invited. As Pope Benedict said in 2009, “we must improve pastoral structures in such a way that we gradually promote the co-responsibility of all members of the people of God in their entirety. Lay people must no longer be viewed as collaborators of the clergy but truly recognised as co-responsible. (The Tablet– 16 July 2011 pg 17)
The assembly is one such structure for participation in decision-making and of being involved in the evangelising mission of the Church.
All parish groups and neighbourhoods are being asked to make a brief presentation on their activity in the past year and plans for the future.
We are being urged by our Church to nominate our Catholic religion on the Census form. An accurate number of Catholics helps us in our planning for the future.
Atheists are campaigning for a ‘non-vote’.
Married couples, make 2011 the year that you prioritise your relationship. It underpins your family life. Please join the Marriage Encounter weekend this year. Our weekend helps you to remember why you married and gives you skills to maintain your love for one another. Couples and a priest present the weekend. It is based around Catholic values but you don’t need to be Catholic to attend. There is no group sharing. The next weekends will be held on 19-21 August and 11-13 November. For further info. and bookings, contact Peter & Erika Smith on 03 9899 0824 or email vicbook@wwme.org.au.
Check out website for more information on http://www.wwme.org.au.
The CatholicCare (formally Centacare) Annual Appeal will take place at all Masses next weekend. CatholicCare has been supporting and caring for the families of Melbourne Archdiocese for over 75 years and relies on the support of our Catholic community. Please give generously so CatholicCare can continue to support families.
Last Friday was my last day in the Parish Office. Thanks to Fr Kevin, Fr Bert, Jim, Richard, Lyn, Karen, Joanne and parishioners for the support and kindness I have received over the years.
…..Marlene Bramwell
Fr John Petrulis, who was assistant priest at our parish from February 1987 to January 1990 and is now parish priest of Elwood / St Kilda West Parish, celebrates his 25th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood next month. A Mass of celebration will be held on Sat 20 August at 6.00pm at St Columba’s Elwood followed by a dinner function in the Parish Hall next door. On Sun 21 August a Mass of celebration will be held at 9.00am in St Columba’s Elwood and 11.00am at Sacred Heart, St Kilda West. If you would like to attend any of the Masses and functions, please RSVP Jane Hearns 9531 6120 or eskw@netspace.net.au by Monday 7 August.
We gather every fourth Sunday at St Anne’s Church between 6.30pm and 7.30pm and the next gathering is on the 24th July.
Please bring along a friend and your favourite board game. Fun and refreshments provided.
If you want to be on the email list and be notified of upcoming events, please forward an email to garnetjacob@yahoo.com.
We are unique in that we are the only parish in Australia with this title, not founded by the Carmelite Order who began their Australian mission from Ireland in 1881.
At our Parish Historical Committee Meetings, we have often discussed how our church was given the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 1864. Recently, I was doing some research into our pastor at the time– Father James Moore, who travelled to Sunbury monthly or fortnightly from Keilor for Mass. James Moore studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College, Dublin (like Fr Martin Ashe), where one of the lecturers in the 1850’s was Rev. Dr. Thomas Albert Bennett, who was the Provincial of Irish Carmelites from 1852 and was famous for his work around Dublin in founding secondary schools (still operating) and later in 1861 was President of All Hallows.
From the Carmelite Father Bennett, the seminarian James Moore probably learnt of the history of the friars of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who in 1274 came to Dublin from England where they had come back to in 1235 after abandoning Mount Carmel in northern Israel due to persecution. By 1500, there were 25 Carmelite monasteries in Ireland. Henry VIII and Cromwell persecuted the Carmelites. They did not die out completely and flourished again in the 18th Century.
As we prepare to celebrate our Parish Feast Day next Sunday, we honour the memory of Fr James Moore. In 1884, he was ordained the bishop of Ballarat and in the next 20 years became a resolute and fearless builder of schools and churches in the Diocese of Ballarat We can say he began his building well here. In 1904 he died of diabetes.
OUR PARISH FEAST DAY is on 23/24 July. All parishioners are invited to join us to celebrate with morning tea after 8.30am Mass. Please bring a plate to share. We look forward to seeing you there.
……Parish Coordinating Team
Training for young people wishing to become Altar Servers will be held at 1.00pm on Saturday 23rd in St Anne’s Church. Applicants must be 10 years of age and have begun to receive Eucharist. Any enquiries please ring 9744 2674.
During his visit to the U.K. in September 2010, Pope Benedict said, ‘As advances in medicine and other factors lead to increased longevity, it is important to recognise the presence of growing numbers of older people as a blessing for society. Every generation can learn from the experience and wisdom of the generation that preceded it. Indeed the provision of care for the elderly should be considered not so much an act of generosity as the repayment of a debt of gratitude’.
Pope Benedict has called for a worldwide ‘change of mentality’ regarding the environment saying humanity risked extinction if it did not act quickly and modify the way it treated the planet.
On 9 June 2011, the Pope addressed six new ambassadors to the Holy See: ‘All governments must commit to protecting nature and helping it fulfil its essential role for the survival of humanity. It appears necessary to rethink totally our approach to nature…..it is not a playground or a space to be exploited’. He called for ‘precise and sustainable solutions’ to help humanity better live its covenant with the created world. ‘The United Nations seems to be the natural framework for such a reflection, which should not be overshadowed by blindly partisan political and economic interests’.
The Archbishop is attending his fifth World Youth Day 9WYD) in Madrid from 13 to 24 August. The Melbourne pilgrimage group has 200 persons so please keep the WYD in your prayers.
Last week, Fathers Kevin Manning and Leo Saleeba entered eternal life after serving the Melbourne Church for 53 and 47 years respectively. In 2007, Fr. Manning said the introduction of the Mass into English was one of his ‘greatest joys’ as a priest. ‘The expansion of the role of lay people and their involvement in parish life has brought new life to the Church’, he commented.
Fr. Saleeba was one of our first priests from a migrant family from Lebanon. He had been parish priest of Kensington, Keysborough and East Geelong.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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