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CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP

CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” This refrain from Psalm 118 rings throughout the Church on this glorious Easter Sunday. His Holiness Pope Francis will echo that by proclaiming “He is risen!” from the balcony of St. Peter Basilica.

In today’s Gospel reading from John the empty tomb is described and emphasized. Although Peter and John, upon inspecting the tomb “saw and believed,” it was not the empty tomb that they began to proclaim throughout Judea and beyond, it was the Lord’s Resurrection.

That is the reason for our joy. For us as Catholics and Christians, this is the hope promised us by Christ. We are all familiar with that familiar phrase: “faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.” That is a formula for being a good steward as in sharing our love we fulfill our roles as disciples of Christ. To that formula on this magnificent Easter, we can add “Joy.”

Jesus fully understood the purpose of His life on earth. He endured the Cross for us with that purpose in mind. We each need to seek, find, and carry out the joy-filled purpose for our own lives.

 

Copyright © 2014 www.TheCatholicSteward.com

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PROJECT COMPASSION SOUTH SUDAN 2014 – DENG’S STORY

Deng, 50, grew up with his family in Barmayen village, South Sudan.
“I never attended school. Every day I would take the goats out to the bush with the other boys for grazing,” he said.
When Deng was six, he became very ill and with no medical facilities available, fell into a coma. After regaining consciousness, he awoke to find his right side partially paralysed. Not letting this deter him, he happily returned to the peaceful life he knew and loved.
In 1983 when civil war broke out and everything changed. Frightened and taken by surprise, Deng, his family and other villagers fled for the bush, leaving their homes, crops and livestock behind.
“We were unable to be in our village, life was unbearable and all the time we kept hiding from the militia in the bush … We were always on the move.”
Over the course of time, Deng and his wife, Aketch, 38, had eight children, but three passed away. Later on, Deng’s eyes became infected. As the head of the household, he was responsible for providing for his family. Losing his eyesight meant he could not do this anymore.
In 2005, the civil war ended and they were able to move back home. To assist with resettling, Caritas Australia’s partner, Hope Agency for Relief and Development (HARD) established a food security and rehabilitation program.
Deng and Aketch received two goats, five chickens, fishing nets and a selection of seeds to plant. They are now confident of a more secure future and are happy their children can attend school.
“Thank you very much and God bless you abundantly.”
Your donation to Project Compassion helps Caritas Australia pursue justice and assist those who are the most vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice.

 

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SISTERS OF ELISABETH CONVENT

Embed from Getty Images

We are delighted to invite you to see and purchase handmade religious articles made by the Sisters of St. Elisabeth Convent (Belarus). The exposition will take place on Wednesday 12 of March. Sisterhood of St. Elisabeth was founded in 1996. Our missionary began in a National mental hospital located not far from the Convent. Sisters take care of mentally challenged children and adults.
All these goods made with love and prayer bring blessings to their owners. We are happy and thanking God for the opportunity to introduce and offer them to you. With Love in Christ, Sisters of St. Elisabeth Convent.
Website with all information here.

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ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY: MINI VINNIES IN SUNBURY

This year, the Society of St Vincent de Paul will celebrate 50th Anniversary of its establishment in our parish. The Society is showing new growth, especially in our three Catholic schools. A conference of Mini-Vinnie’s has been set up at OLMC school with 38 members. Last Monday the Social Justice Group of St Anne’s school prepared 60 bags of sweets for the 126 guests at the Monday dinner run by Rotary. There is a Vinnie’s Conference at Salesian College.

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PREP 2015 INFORMATION

Information sessions will be held for families looking to enroll children for Prep 2015 (Foundation Year).
Sessions will be on Tuesday 11 March at 2pm or 7.30pm in the Parish Centre, 101 Riddell Rd, Sunbury

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MARY MACKILLOP HERITAGE CENTRE

MARY MACKILLOP HERITAGE CENTREMary MacKillop Heritage Centre at 362 Albert St, East Melbourne, is open to the public on Saturday 15 March from 10am to 4pm to enable visitors to tour the museum, pray in the Chapel, visit the gift shop and enjoy light refreshments. A guided Mary MacKillop walking tour will also take place at 11am. For information on the National Pilgrimage “In the footsteps of Mary MacKillop” contact Sr Therese Ley- don on 02 8912 4845.

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NATIONAL LAMENT

“We are a society which has forgotten how to weep.”…. Pope Francis

Pope Francis spoke these words when he visited the island of Lampedusa on 8.7.2013. Lampedusa is in Europe and receives many refugees fleeing the continent of Africa. Many perish in the dangerous journey. Our own country is not making conditions any better for those who seek refuge in our land. Catholic Religious Australia are calling for a campaign of prayer, penance and action for people seeking asylum in Australia. For more information refer to the website http://www.catholicreligiousaustralia.org. One very powerful way we can help our brothers and sisters is by sending a letter to Scott Morrison MP in the House of Representatives. A letter is on the website for you to sign and send off. Imagine if we all sent it! There would have to be action taken, surely! Some copies are on the welcome desk.

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SOCIAL SERVICES SUNDAY-HUMAN TRAFFICKING

On Wednesday 19 March from 6.30pm –8pm at Cardinal Knox Centre, 383 Albert St, East Mel- bourne a Lent information session will be held about the realities of human trafficking in today’s world. In this day and age it is still a reality which is unimaginable here in Sunbury, but don’t be fooled that it doesn’t exist in our world today. Find out more by contacting 9853 7559.
Also, the plight of refugees is never far from the media and political debates.  Visit  http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ym61tp8AAmc&fb_source=message for the speech by Claire O’Neil Labor MP for Hotham, (Former Student of Loretto Mandeville Hall)  on asylum seekers.

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OVERSEAS HUMANITARIAN PROJECT INDONESIA

LATEST RESULTS

FINAL TOTAL
$5946.30 Thanks to the generosity of the OLMC Parish Community, the total  from cash donations and regular pledge contributions will allow the parish to donate over $8,000 during the next twelve months to the group at the Catholic University in Jakarta caring for the children living with HIV-AIDS. We know how grateful they will be for your wonderful support.

Don’t forget our on-going support for the children living with HIV-AIDS in the slums of Jakarta. As little as $2 per week will make a difference. That $2 per week will provide vitamins for one child per week. Maybe setup a transfer of $10 per month to the appeal.
$30 per month provides one child with milk. So $40 per month provides nutrition and vitamins for one child per month. (the editor is an obvious maths wiz!)

To put it in perspective, our $8000 will provide nutrition and vitamins for 16 Children over the year. That’s about 10% of the total. (the editor is really showing off now!!)
We ask our parishioners and friends just to do what they can.

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PROJECT COMPASSION BRAZIL 2014 – MARISTELY’S STORY

Maristely, 18, lives in a favela (slum) in São Paulo, Brazil with her family.
Dark and cramped, favelas are groups of irregular, self-constructed houses often built on land that no one wants to live on due to threats of floods, landslides, or their proximity to roads and train lines. Many locals face daily discrimination from the wider community.
When Maristely was growing up, her family’s house, like many others, was made of cardboard and had no electricity, water or connected sewerage.
Caritas Australia’s partner, the Movement for the Defence of Favela Residents (MDF), is changing lives across 40 favelas in São Paulo. MDF understands the difficulties of favela life such as dense population, limited space, a lack of available jobs, constant threat of eviction and widespread poverty.  
Through MDF, Maristely’s family, along with thousands of others, now has access to clean water, electricity and connected sewerage. They also have a certificate of home ownership which provides greater security and means they can no longer be evicted.
Across the favelas, up to 70 percent of families experience violence in the home, and there is a dominant gang culture. This culture of violence is closely linked to a lack of self-esteem. MDF attendees participate in sessions which address their identity, favela history, and issues around drugs, gangs, violence and unemployment.
The program promotes peace so young people can attain education and employment, rather than joining local gangs.
“Being a part of MDF has given me awareness of my dignity … I know that to live in a favela is nothing to be ashamed of … Because of my perseverance, I live in a better place and we are recognised for that,” said Maristely.
Your donation to Project Compassion is helping Caritas Australia end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

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REFLECTION ON TODAYS READINGS – SISTER VERONICA LAWSON rsm

Reflection on the Gospel-First Sunday of Lent Year A, 9 March 2014 (Matthew 4:1-11)

Lent comes around each year and presents us with its usual challenge to take stock of our lives, to see more clearly what is in our hearts, and to discover what might be calling us out of our comfort zones. It is a time for personal as well as group reflection, a time for entering into ‘the wilderness’ and grappling with the mysteries of life, as well as a time of preparation for Easter. Today’s liturgy invites us to reflect on Jesus’ ‘forty-day’ experience in the wilderness. Jesus is ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ and, like so many human beings before and since, is ‘led by the Spirit’ into the wilderness of life to be ‘tested’ there. [‘Tested’ is a more accurate translation of the Greek than ‘tempted’].

Forty is a symbolic number in Israel’s story: the great flood lasts forty days and forty nights; Moses spends forty days and forty nights on the mountain of God; Israel wanders for forty years in the wilderness; King David reigns for forty years; the prophet Elijah travels forty days and forty nights in the wilderness on his way to the mountain of God.

The wilderness is ever so real and at the same time symbolic. In Israel’s story, it is the place of testing for God’s people: ‘Remember the long way that your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness… testing you to know what was in your heart’ (Deut 8:2). In Matthew’s account, the ‘devil’ is the ‘tester’ or ‘tempter’, the instrument of God’s testing. In each instance, the test is expressed in terms of Jesus’ relationship to God: ‘If you are the son of God….’ The Matthean Jesus passes the tests that the people of Israel have failed in the wilderness of Sinai. He refuses the way of special favour from God, the way of status or self-aggrandisement. He is prepared to suffer whatever it takes to bring healing and wholeness to a broken world. In other words, he chooses the way of God’s empire or the empire ‘of the heavens’ rather than the brutality of the Roman Empire. Jesus demonstrates that he is indeed ‘of God’.

Most people of faith would agree that being ‘of God’ right now has more than a little to do with the way we relate to Earth’s human and other-than human inhabitants, the value we ascribe to Earth’s precious resources, and the respect we show for life through our responsible use of those resources. In this context, Lent and wilderness take on a whole new meaning.

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PROJECT COMPASSION 2014

At the start of Lent it is good to remind ourselves that growth in faith is not a matter of doing more, or trying harder. We do not sanctify ourselves – God is the one who sanctifies us. We cooperate in the process by inviting the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts of stone into hearts of grace. Remember that grace is the freely given gift of God’s favour, if only we accept it.

The theme this year for Project Compassion is ‘That you may have life’.  It reminds us that only through Jesus can we have the ‘fullness of life’ – which will include sharing our time and gifts in bringing life to others.

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OUR OVERSEAS PROGRAM BIRTHDAY PARTY

Thank God all is running smoothly, and for good weather this morning until noon, for laughter and smiles of the sweet kids, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and all the extended family of the Rainbow Lantern Children. Bless the volunteers of the Children of the Rainbow Lanterns program so they may continue to serve and to seek the best for these children.

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ASH WEDNESDAY

Lent starts this Wednesday 5 March. It is a day of Fasting and Abstinence from meat. On all other Fridays, except solemnities, the law of the common practice is fulfilled by performing any one of the following:

  • Prayer, for example, Mass attendance, family prayer, a visit to a church or chapel, reading the Bible, making the Stations of the Cross, praying the Rosary, or in other ways
  • Self Denial, for example, not eating meat, not eating sweets or dessert, giving up entertainment to spend time with the family, limiting food and drink so as to give to the poor of one’s own country or elsewhere; Project Compassion is a major means of expressing our self denial in Australia
  •  Helping others, for example, special attention to someone who is poor, sick, elderly, lonely or over-burdened.

All who are over 18 and have not begun their 60th year are bound to fast. All who are over 14 are bound to abstain (Canon 1252)
The Season of Lent is a time of penance. During this season the faithful are exhorted to devote themselves in a special manner to prayer, to engage in works of piety and charity and to deny themselves. Each of the faithful is obliged to receive Holy Communion at least once per year. Lent is a most appropriate time to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation

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VERY IMPORTANT NOTICES

  • Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in St Anne’s church will be led by Legion of Mary on Friday 7 March from 7pm-8pm. All are welcome.
  • Legion of Mary also pray the Rosary in St Anne’s Church every  Saturday morning from 9am.
  • We thank Strathearn Glen Neighbourhood for hosting Morning Tea after 8.30am Mass this weekend.
  • We also thank the Maintenance team for organizing the Working Bee yesterday.
  • No Sing a long at Goonawarra Aged Care until Friday 4 April.

WELCOME: to the children and their families who will be celebrating First Communion in the Easter Season. This weekend the children will be looking for Prayer Companions who will pray for the children as they prepare to receive this sacred Sacrament.

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KINDER KINDA PROGRAM

Our Parish and both of our Primary Schools are very happy to announce the Kinder Kinda Program starting on 29 April in the Parish Centre each Tuesday morning during school term. The Kinder Kinda program runs from 9.15am to 10.15am. Mums stay with their kids for the session, so everyone learns lots of stuff. We met with Natalie from Victoria University on Wednesday morning to discuss how this program can help the families and children of our parish. Natalie introduced the program by explaining that children- from babies to preschoolers- and their parent/ grandparent can attend the weekly sessions free of charge. The young teachers in training from Victoria University will organize the fun sessions and lead the families with educational play. The parish and schools see this as a great beginning for families:

  • Youngsters access early childhood learning play for development of literacy and numeracy and motor skills
  • Parents/ Grandparents get to meet other parents/ grandparents and feel part of the community
  • Parents/ Grandparents will learn skills to help their children with early social and educational development
  • Young teachers from Victoria University will learn how to teach youngsters and develop fun and engaging activities with age appropriate games.

We hope that you will support the program by letting relatives know as it is a really great community project which will strengthen the community support to all families.
34 other communities are already running the program with great success.

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PROJECT COMPASSION 2014

Project Compassion 2014Next week Project Compassion boxes will be available in the gathering space for those who wish to support a very worthy charity. Each week our parish will hear of the stories of those who are living in conditions which compromise the dignity of the individual and of the community. Our financial support through Project Compassion is a way of Alms giving throughout Lent and will assist those who are in need of our support. Your generosity of Spirit will make a world of difference.

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INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY 8 MARCH 2014

International Womens DayInternational Women’s Day is a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women in the past, the present and the future. The theme the Australian National Committee has chosen for International Women’s Day on 8 March is Ending Poverty for Women and Girls through Economic Empowerment. Seventy per cent of the global poor are women. Although women perform two-thirds of the world’s work, they earn less than 10% of the world’s wages. Women are far more likely than men to live in poverty because of discrimination and lack of access to education, employment and financial services. For more information and resources please visit: https://unwomen.org.au/iwd/theme-and-resources

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HUMAN TRAFFICKING

On Wednesday 19 March from 6.30pm –8pm at Cardinal Knox Centre, 383 Albert St, East Melbourne a Lent information session will be held about the realities of human trafficking in today’s world. In this day and age it is still a reality which is unimaginable here in Sunbury, but don’t be fooled that it doesn’t exist in our world today. Find out more by contacting 9853 7559.
Also, the plight of refugees is never far from the media and political debates.  Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym61tp8AAmc&fb_source=message for the
speech by Claire O’Neil Labor MP for Hotham, (Former Student of Loretto Mandeville Hall) on asylum seekers.

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PREPARATION FOR SACRAMENTS

 Parents of children in Year 3 or older attending schools OTHER THAN Our Lady of Mt. Carmel or St. Anne’s are invited to an INFORMATION and REGISTRATION session this coming Tuesday, 4 March at either 2.00pm or 7.30pm in the Parish Centre at which we will make arrangements for preparation to celebrate First Reconciliation later this year and First Communion in 2015.  If you wish to be involved but are unable to attend one of these sessions, please contact the Parish Office on 9744 1060.