Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury
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At O.L.M.C School, demolition of two classrooms is proceeding where four new classrooms will be constructed with a lift included has continued.
The Bell Tower to house the restored bell at O.L.M.C. Church is proceeding well.
At St Anne’s School, plastering and other fitting out is progressing in the 3/4 Level Block.
The road marking in St Anne’s car park has been repainted. Please observe the changed markings on the road.
Come on, continue your Baptism by baptising others in the Holy Spirit and fire. “You are my beloved child,” says the Lord!
Do you have a few hours to spare every week and would like to make some new friends? Come and volunteer at our Sunbury Vinnies Centre. Our centres raise funds for the Society to provide those in need with recycled clothing, furniture and other goods. We are looking for retail volunteers to help out in our Sunbury Centre, 156 O’Shanassy St. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain personal satisfaction from making a positive contribution to St Vincent de Paul Society as well as to learn new skills. If you can help please contact the manager on 9744 1447.
Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec 18 2009 (Zenit.org) – the biggest climate change talks of history wrapped up today amid a general sense of disappointment, but the Holy See had something hopeful to say.
Archbishop Celestino Migiliore, the leader of the Holy See delegation in Copenhagen and its permanent observer at the United Nations, said Thursday that the conference reiterates just how long it takes to come up with clear and firm political will.
But he said in his address to the conference, ‘society and local authorities did not wait for the expected political and legally binding conclusions of our meetings, which takes such an incredibly long time. Instead individuals, groups, local authorities and communities have already begun an impressive series of initiatives’.
The Archbishop gave some suggestions about why it is so hard for international leaders to come to a consensus.
‘Is this political will slow in taking shape due to the complexity of the interlinking issues that we must tackle’? he asked. ‘Is it mainly a problem of conflicting national interests? Or is it the difficulty in translating into numbers the by-now acquired principle of common and differentiated responsibility? Or is it still the predominance of energy policies over care of the environment’?
It’s all of the above, the prelate asserted. Regardless, he said there are two cornerstones of the response to climate change: adaption and mitigation. ‘While technical solutions are necessary, they are not sufficient. The wisest and most effective programs focus on information, education and the formation of the sense of responsibility in children and adults towards environmentally sound patterns of development and stewardship of creation,’ the prelate contended.
And according to Archbishop Migliore, these initiatives ‘have already started to build up a mosaic of experiences and achievements marked by a widespread ecological conversion. These new attitudes and behaviours have the potential to create the necessary intra-generational and inter-generational solidarity and dispel any sterile sense of fear, apocalyptic terror, overbearing control and hostility toward humanity that are multiplied in media accounts and other reports’.
The office will be staffed on weekdays from 9.00am to 1.00pm during January school holidays.
There is a 25% increase in our premium for insuring our parish property for 2010, our premium being $25,937.00 which is paid out of our Thanksgiving Offering.
In addition our two schools paid $66,884 in insurance premiums last year which was paid from school fees.
Thank you for your generosity towards the collection for Melbourne Overseas Mission last month when you gave $1,178.00, an increase of 13% on the 2008 collection.
A moral problem threatening peace and human life…..Benedict XVI: On 15 December, Pope Benedict issued a message to world leaders for World Peace Day…..
’Can we remain indifferent before the problems associated with such realities as climate change, desertification, the deterioration and loss of productivity in vast agricultural areas, the pollution of rivers and aquifers, the loss of biodiversity, the increase of natural catastrophes and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions’?
‘It is becoming more and more evident that the issue of environmental degradation challenges us to examine our lifestyle and the prevailing models of consumption and production, which are often unsustainable from a social, environmental and even economic point of view’.
Pope Benedict XVI (full story Catholic News Service 15 Dec 09).
On 7 February at 10.30am Mass, Bishop Costelloe, Bishop of the Northern Region, will dedicate the new altar and font at St Anne’s Church.
On 21 March we will celebrate 150 years of O.L.M.C. School beginning a year of celebrations for the school and the centenary of our parish in February 2011.
Our parish debt is $690,120. In addition, our combined debt on both our schools is just over $2 million. Thanks to our 997 donors who gave an average of $7.50 a week in Thanksgiving Offering.
Thanks to all who have supported the activity of our parish by their giving generously of their time and money to support the activity of our parish;
Thanks also to all those employed in our parish office and our two schools as pastoral, secretarial, support and teaching staff for their wonderful contribution throughout 2009.
Parish Renewal—sessions of spiritual renewal were offered in April and October. We continued on our target of giving all 14,000 Catholics of our parish a sense of belonging. To assist this, our infrastructure of 22 neighbourhoods was strengthened. We were invited by the Archdiocese of outline our process to other large outer Melbourne parishes in November.
During the first four months, we worshipped in the Parish Centre while a new ceiling, heating/cooling, a new altar, a new font, new ambo, new ambry, audio loop were installed in St Anne’s Church.
In May a proper access ramp was constructed at O.L.M.C. Church.
In November a gala auction dinner and raffle raised sufficient finance to restore the bell tower at O.L.M.C. Church hopefully by the time of the sesquicientary in March. The steel has arrived in the factory.
In March, Paul Hogan, Deputy Principal at Essendon, was appointed Principal at O.L.M.C. School. In June, Shane Crawford—Deputy Principal at Heidelberg was appointed Deputy Principal at St Anne’s School. Sadly, we lost Helen Williams, a staff member for 26 years, in October as she entered eternal life.
During the third term, the carpark at St Anne’s Church was asphalted with a new bus terminal. The Federal Government granted $200,000 and the school took out a ten year loan of $142,000.
Painting of the exterior of St Anne’s Church—was completed over five days under the expert guidance of Santo Munafo. Sincere gratitude to the 20 parishioners who willingly gave their time earlier this month.
123 parishioners were baptised into the Body of Christ and brought into the life of our Church.
Confirmation was conferred at St Patrick’s Cathedral on 8 November—two sessions to accommodate the 137 Confirmands.
27 weddings were celebrated at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
32 funerals took place in our churches.
Wednesday at 7.00pm.
In recent years, it has taken us only 30 minutes to set out 1,500 chairs which can easily be carried by a child—so many hands make light work!
Thursday at 6.15pm.
Carparking attendants are required on Thursday evening from 6.15pm.
All Christmas Masses
All Christmas Masses will need volunteers to welcome and hand out newsletters.
Anyone able to help please ring Parish Office—9744 1060.
Pope Benedict is following Sunbury’s lead and is celebrating Christmas Night Mass at 10.00pm in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome.
Kairos is now on sale ($2) from the gift shop at St Anne’s Church or may be viewed on www.kairos.com.au—featuring bushfire recovery, child protection, testing in schools, Advent and Christmas.
At the Carols on the Village Green last Sunday, the children from Our Lady of Mount Carmel School superbly presented two Carols before an audience of 2,000 and broadcast live on FM local radio. They sang ‘This Little Boy’ and ‘The Inglewood Carol’ – the children knew every word by heart and sung distinctly.
Our music teacher is Ruth Lethlean.
On Friday, the second major slab was poured from 52 concrete trucks with a large team of workers at St Anne’s. Last week, the relocatable classroom was re-positioned at O.L.M.C. for use in the next twelve months while new classrooms on the ground and first floor are built and a lift installed. The builders on both sites ceased work on Friday for the Christmas holidays and will resume on 11 January.
The steel has been purchased for the bell tower and a builder surveyor has been engaged.
The audio loop has now been installed under all the pews at St Anne’s Church. Those with hearing aides are invited to switch their hearing aide to ‘T’ for better hearing. Any comments are welcome today on the performance of the audio loop. Leave a comment below.
Sunbury celebrates Christmas 2009 on the Village Green—Sunday 13 December at 7.00pm.
Free BBQ at 6.00pm. BYO seating.
Performances by Sunbury Divas; local primary schools; combined churches chorale & band.
Organised by Sunbury Christian Churches and sponsored by Sunbury businesses.
Don’t forget Mass at 11.15am St Anne’s Church followed by Christmas lunch (for those who have booked) Tuesday 15 December at Sunbury Football Club at midday
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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