The Dinner has now been totally sold out. Please no further enquiries for tickets.
Congratulations to the hard-working committee, and to everyone smart enough to have obtained a ticket.
VICTIMS OF CRIME AWARENESS WEEK
Prayer Service at St Francis’ Church Melbourne on Wed 11 November at 7.00pm for the recognition and support of persons affected by crime and violence and in remembrance of all victims. All welcome! Refreshments to follow.
OUR PARISH RETREAT
Our Parish Retreat is on today 25 October from 11.30am to 2.30pm in our warm Parish Centre (cool, wet weather is forecast).
The retreat will cover two aspects of the Spirituality of Communion strongly taught by Pope John Paul II in 2001.
The aspects for today’s retreat are Participation and Prayer.
The facilitators are Jill Gibbs and Father Kevin.
Please bring some lunch to share and your Bible.
PARISH COORDINATING TEAM MEETING
A report from the meeting of the 22nd Oct 2009
Prayer Led by Jill Gibbs with a reading from 1 Peter Ch5 1-5
Sacramental Program Confirmation organising is fine. We need more resources.(people) The focus is on the students growth and conversion. In the Holy Communion program, First Communion will take place in the middle of the program in order to build towards there being a second Communion, and third etc. We still need animated Neighbourhoods and broad parishioner support and enthusiasm for this to be successful.
Renewal and Parish Retreat This was discussed at length. It was felt that the numbers on Wednesday were somewhat lacking, those that attended felt it was very enjoyable.
Youth Group They have had a couple of gatherings but they, like so many other groups need to become visible so that the Parish can feel a part of their successes.
Mass of Thanksgiving This will be on Nov 22nd at 10.30am Mass. All asked to bring a plate. Some volunteers required to setup the Parish Centre.
National Committee for Professional Standards A sun-committee was set up to investigate a “Code of Conduct” and report back.
Centenary Celebrations Report It will be a busy year with a great range of activities for all. Bulla will be involved, Parish Ball, Car Rally, etc. Raffle tickets and other fundraising will take place after Masses on Sunday 25th.
“Year for Priests” A letter with various suggestions was recieved from Bishop Tim Costelloe. One of our main activities will be celebrating the 40th Aniversary of our Parish Priest on Sunday the 23rd May 2010. Further information on the Year for Priests can be found at this website.
PCT Membership All Neighbourhood coordinators or a permanent representative will be permanent members of the PCT from the Parish AGM on the 27th Feb 2010.
Parish Assembly or AGM Will be held on the 27th Feb 2010 and written reports from all Parish groups will be hung on the walls and each group will be asked to give a verbal report of about half a minute.
Parish Census Neighbourhoods will deliver the cards as they deliver the final letter for the year and it is expected that some will need extra “Posties” to cover their areas. We will need calls for help to be in early and we will need all the volunteers we can get.
Next meeting 25th Nov to setup for the AGM among other things.
A REPORT FROM THE PARISH RETREAT
Spirituality in Our Times
This year our Parish Retreat was on the theme “Spirituality for our Times” and was led by Father Kevin and Jill Gibbs.
We commenced on Wednesday 21st Oct by exploring the “Spirituality of Communion“. We discussed the difference between a monologue and a dialogue, between being talked at and conversing with. In a dialogue we seek to share our way of seeing and our personal history with others and to try to see their way and their history. It is an attempt to build up the Body of Christ, not tear it down.
Next we talked about the power of silence and how we can use silence to give space to those to whom we wish to listen. In Christian Meditation we use silence to simply “BE” in the presence of God.
On Sunday 25th we took the themes of “Participation” and of “Prayer“.
We saw how things were different in the early days of the Church, when all of the members of the Body of Christ brought their individual gifts to the service of all the other members of the Body. The members had different gifts but all were expected to share in the Whole.The Body grows in this multiplicity of gifts but it is not chaotic or haphazard growth because it has a unifying focus: the growth of the whole Body of Christ. From this point of view participation is a gift of the Holy Spirit. We are called, in our diversity, to participate and contribute to the unity and growth of the Church, the Body of Christ to which we all belong by virtue of our Baptism.
We then talked about the need to make time for prayer in our lives and indeed to make a prayer of our lives. We spoke of personal prayer and community prayer and we read Psalm 139. St Paul’s statement “Pray without ceasing” in the first letter to the Thessalonians was looked at from the point of making one’s life a prayer. Prayer consists of saying “Yes” to God with one’s intelligence and will to the point of identifying oneself with, and freely conforming to, the will of God. It is the “Thy will be done” of the Our Father, of the Annunciation, and of the Agony in the Garden. It is the ordinary Human Life lived in God. It is the “Yes” of the ordinary Jewish girl to her God in which Mary participated in bringing forth the redemption of the world through her son, Jesus.
VOCATION VIEW
We pray for the souls gone before us, all who have taken their vocation of Christian service seriously. May the Lord’s merciful love purify them completely, that they may look upon the face of God and rejoice forever. A Vocation dwells within us, with the powerful possibility to transform our own lives and make us saints.
CATHOLIC THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE OPEN DAY
Study your Faith—Understand your Spirituality.
Study options, building tour, refreshments.
Wed 4 November 4.00pm to 6.30pm or 6.00pm to 8.15pm.
Bookings/info: 9412 3314 or ctc@ctc.edu.au
RSVP Fri 30 October.
MONTH OF NOVEMBER
November is the month set aside for prayer for our departed faithful. November 2nd is the Commemoration Day of the Departed. Masses will be at 9.15am and 7.00pm both at O.L.M.C. Church.
Memorial Services at Cemeteries
Saturday 7 November 9.00am Sunbury Cemetery
Saturday 7 November 10.00am Bulla Cemetery
CENTENARY BELL PROJECT
In mid 2006, all parishioners were invited to a discernment about renewing our churches held over five Saturdays. The group of up to fifty-five parishioners published a booklet of concepts to guide the renewal and was delivered with your Thanksgiving envelopes in December 2006. One concept was ’at both locations, we long to be called to our liturgical celebrations by the sound of a church bell. At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, this may only require restoration of the existing tower bell.
To mark the centenary of our parish and the sesquicentenary of our school, the Centenary Committee is promoting a new tower to house the original bell which was at O.L.M.C. from about 1908 to 1922.
The Parish Finance Committee states the project needs to be funded before commencement.
There are two main forms of fundraising—Raffle and a Dinner:
(a) Raffle for a Home Theatre Package valued at $3,500—tickets are $2.00 each. Please take home a book of ten tickets today and return the book sold or unsold this Sunday.
(b) Dinner 4-course at Rupertswood Mansion on Friday 13 November at 7.00pm. Tickets $120 per person. This function is nearly sold out—the remaining thirty places are now for sale. Please contact Pat Reddan 0418 310 866 or Margaret McLellan 9740 5020.
Don’t forget to return sold or unsold raffle tickets this weekend.
SING A LONG
Goonawarra Nursing Home Friday 6 November, 2.30 to 3.15pm.
All welcome.
Please come along to help entertain the elderly residents.
Enquiries: Irene—9744 1060.
HELPERS NEEDED
Helpers needed after 9.15am Mass on Wed 4 November to coordinate Thanksgiving Envelopes at the Parish Centre.
Please come along even if you can only give half an hour of your time
THANK YOU
Special Collection World Mission Sunday—amount donated $1,280.90
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION – SPIRITUALITY THROUGH SILENCE
A free seminar/information night exploring the ancient practice of meditation as a way of prayer in the Christian tradition. The Australian Christian Meditation Community is an ecumenical body with members in many Christian traditions. Details: Monday 26 October 7.30pm; Romsey Community Hub, 98 Main St., Romsey.
Enquiries: 54295907
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGISLATION OF ABORTION IN VICTORIA—SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER
Where do we go from here? What can we do?
Come to St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne.
Pray for better solutions for mothers and babies and for an end to abortion.
Be inspired to change the culture, one person at a time.
Events: 11.00am Mass St Patrick’s Cathedral; 12.30pm Prayer Service; 1.30pm Light Lunch/Refreshments Cardinal Knox Centre; 2.00pm Conference Cardinal Knox Centre—be inspired by Dr Eamonn Mathieson (Catholic Doctors Association of Victoria) Bernadette Black (Barnardo’s Mother of the Year 2009) Gwen Winterscheidt & Rosemary Woods (John Paul II Centre for Family & Life).
LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR SAT 31 OCTOBER AT 2.00PM AT ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL
The Little Sisters of the Poor of St Joseph’s Home, Northcote celebrate 125 years of welcome and care of the Aged in Melbourne and the Canonisation of their Foundress Jeanne Jugan.
The Little Sisters welcome you to attend this special celebration.
Details: http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org.au
THANKSGIVING
Sincere thanks to all those families who completed cards last weekend. Special welcome and thanks to 24 families who joined the program and the 43 others who increased their giving. As a result we can expect to receive $259 a week extra—thank you.
If you weren’t here last weekend and you would like to complete a card, these are available at the Welcome Desk in St Anne’s Church and at the back of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
WOMEN’S SPIRITUALITY REFLECTION DAY
Saturday 31 October 9.30am to 4.00pm at St Mary’s Parish Hall, Main St. Romsey (next door to Catholic church).
Cost $5.00. BYO lunch to share. Tea/coffee and morning tea provided.
Presenter: Sr Madeline Duckett, who is a Sister of Mercy, teacher and spiritual director.
Through reflection on our own experience and drawing upon the experience and inspiration of women who have gone before us, we will deepen and broaden our appreciation of how our spirituality unfolds throughout our lives and what it can become if we are faithful to the journey.
RSVP: Joanne 54 292 130 by Wed 28 October.
VOCATION VIEW
Life’s rewards are tied up in the spirit of service. Just as the Son of Man came to give his life, so too are we then called through our profession of faith to serve others. Lord, we pray:
let your mercy be on us as we place our trust in you to do your will
NOT JUST JAZZ NIGHT
Sat 24 October 7.00pm to 10.30pm at Sunbury Uniting Church Hall, cnr. Brook & Barkly Streets.
Supper provided.
Adults $8 Students $5 Family $20 (2 adults, 4 children).
This is a ‘no alcohol’ event.
OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL BELL TOWER RESTORATION RAFFLE
OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL BELL TOWER RESTORATION RAFFLE
1st prize: Home Theatre Package—value $3,500. Tickets only $2.00—limited number of tickets. Tickets available after Mass next weekend.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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