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.
At the recent Parish Information Session on Stewardship, a request was made for knowledge about the Presbytery Account which receives the First Collection, Baptism and Funeral donations. No money from Stewardship is deposited in the Presbytery Account.
30% of the Presbytery Account income is forwarded to support the ninety retired Melbourne priests, our four bishops, fifty-nine priests in parishes unable to support fully their priest and two Melbourne priests on overseas mission.
Other expenses paid from the account are: the payment of the lease and running costs of the priest’s car, fees for Fr. Bert assisting at Sunday Mass, provision of food and laundry at the Presbytery, and finally a living allowance of $320 a week from which the priest prays for his professional development, retreat, holidays, Thanksgiving Offering and other charities.
Applications for enrolment at our two schools should be forwarded to the school office before this Friday 8 April. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal a further increase in Catholic school enrolment in Victoria. From 2005 to 2010, enrolments increased 5.3%. Parents are choosing Catholic schools for their unique and distinctive learning environment and their strong academic results. In 2010, Catholic schools in Victoria continued to score well above state averages in national tests.
We would appreciate hearing from anyone available to read at any of our Easter Celebrations. Please contact Joanne Spiteri on 0448 566 270 or 97407151.
The Prayer Group will not meet on Thursday April 14 but will be attending a ladies’ day at the CCR Centre, 101 Holden Street, Nth Fitzroy (enter from Dean Street) from 10.00am to 3.00pm. BYO lunch to share. Those attending will meet at St Anne’s church at 9.00am. All ladies welcome. Further info/transport please contact Lambert & Elaine on 9744 4029.
Applications for Year 7/2012 are still being accepted at Salesian College ‘Rupertswood’ Sunbury. Further info. assistance and Enrolment Application forms are available at the College Office—please call in or contact the Registrar on 9744 0000.
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.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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