Last Sunday at OLMC church was our first Festival of Carols and Readings. For those who attended, it was a very uplifting and happy experience. The readings and carols were beautifully read by those present– no practice was required. The nine readings told our story– starting with the Fall of Humanity in the Garden of Eden, the foretelling of the birth of our Saviour, the Annunciation, Birth of Jesus, Visit of the Wise Men among some of the stories. The carols were sung after each reading and included, All the ends of the earth, City of God, Silent Night, We three Kings and not forgetting Joy to the World. Everyone sang beautifully– it had nothing to do with the Champagne and Orange Juice served before the service. The Sausage sizzle went well also.
SOLEMN FEAST OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
The Solemn Feast of Mary Mother of God is on Wednesday 1 January. The Eucharist will be celebrated at 10am in the St Anne’s Church.
THANK YOU FROM CARITAS
Thank you from Caritas Australia for the generous support shown by the parishioners for the Typhoon Haiyan Appeal. $2957 was donated to help those affected by the devastation of the Typhoon. Please continue to pray for those working tirelessly to rebuild their lives.
THANK YOU
St Vincent de Paul Conference would like to thank each of you, our parish community at Mass, on behalf of the friends we visit, for your generous donation of $3990.00. Various parishioners and school staff donated toys and other gifts. Your continued prayers and support are much appreciated.
PARKING ATTENDANTS NEEDED FOR CHRISTMAS EVE MASS
On 24 December, we need attendants to help park cars. Traditionally, we have 1650 people at Rupertswood Stadium and parking is made much easier with the assistance of volunteers. Please advise the Parish Office on Monday if you are able to assist with this very important service.
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER CELEBRATES 40 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA IN 2014
Marriage Encounter (ME) in Feb 2014 will be celebrating 40 years of running weekends in Australia. We want to hear from couples and priests who may have been involved with ME in the past and who would like to gather and share memories, celebrate what has been and hear about ME today and our vision for the future. We are having a special celebration on Saturday February 22nd. So we ask you all to start spreading the word.
Please ask people to contact Helen & Leo Wursthorn or call (03) 9874 6979 or helenandleow@gmail.com for more information.
LEGION OF MARY
The Legion of Mary will continue with Adoration of Blessed Sacrament on Friday 3 January from 7-8pm.
They will pray the Rosary on Saturday 11 January at 9.00am in St Anne’s Church.
All are welcome.
MODIFIED PARISH OFFICE HOURS
During early January our parish office hours will be modified. The office will be closed on Tuesday 31 Dec and Wednesday 1 Jan, Tuesday 7 Jan and Thursday 9 Jan 2014. Normal hours (Mon to Frid 9am to 5pm) will commence from 13 January 2014.
ANGLICARE VICTORIA
Become a foster carer and provide a secure and loving temporary home for a child in need. Foster carers can be single people, couples with or without children, or families with grown up children. Anglicare’s Foster Care Program provides training, equipment and 24 hour professional support to caregivers. We also pay a foster care allowance ($140-$224 per week per child) to help cover costs. Phone Anglicare on 9301 5200 and be part of the real spirit of Christmas.
FESTIVAL OF READINGS AND CAROLS
The Festival will be held next Sunday 22 December at 7.30pm at OLMC Church. Readings will be from the Old and New Testament beginning with the Fall of Adam and Eve and concluding with God’s coming at Bethlehem. Well-known hymns and carols will follow each of the Readings which have been used for 400 years in England.
A sausage sizzle, champagne and orange juice will be served after 5.30pm Mass for those who would like to stay. All we ask is for some assistance moving the pews in the church around and lots of singing.
“TIME”- PERSON OF THE YEAR IS POPE FRANCIS
The editor said our Pope has become a new voice of conscience “For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for committing the world’s largest church to confronting its deepest needs and for balancing judgment with mercy. Pope Francis is TIME’s 2013 Person of the Year, “ wrote managing editor Nancy Gibbs.
“Rarely has a new player on the world stage captured so much attention so quickly–young and old, faithful and cynical– as Pope Francis.”
“In his nine months in office, he has placed himself at the very centre of the central conversations of our time: about wealth and poverty, fairness and justice, transparency, modernity, globalization, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the temptations of power.”
YEAR 6 GRADUATES
126 students from our two schools graduated at two Masses last Monday and Tuesday evenings. The celebrations continued in the Parish Centre with musical and computer presentations during supper.
PARISH BINGO
Thursday evenings at Sunbury football Club, Riddell Road, where all are friends. Santa came last Thursday and gave a lucky bingo player $2000. Ray Lethlean, a parish volunteer for 21 years retired last Thursday. Thanks for your great generosity , Ray. Parish Bingo resumes on Thursday 16 January at 8pm.
BELIEVE YOUTH CONFERENCE FOR LIFE
Believe Youth Conference for Life
January 17-19 at St Mark’s Parish, 9 Lee St, Fawkner. Early bird rate $35 sign up by January 6 or $50 after 6 January.
For further info, contact Believeit2014@gmail.com or Abraham 0411 515 828.
KIMBERLY CATHOLIC VOLUNTEER SERVICE
The Diocese of Broome, WA, requires volunteers to assist with the work of the local Church on Aboriginal Missions. There are various important voluntary tasks: administration, building maintenance, gardening, shop staffing, cooking, cleaning etc.
In particular we are seeking a couple to oversee the needs of several church properties. The role is based in Broome but will include travel to remote missions. Accommodation, transport and food provided. For further details, and an application form, please contact:
Volunteer Coordinator: Anneliese Rohr Phone: 08 9192 1060
Email: volunteers@broomediocese.org
CHRISTMAS OFFERINGS
These offerings are given to support the 230 active and 92 retired priests of the Melbourne Archdiocese.
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
The Gospel from Matthew proclaims “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’.” St. Paul introduces himself to the Romans, to whom he is writing in the second reading as “Paul…called to be an apostle, and set apart for the Gospel of God.”
That essentially sums up what and where we need to be as we complete our Advent preparations on this Fourth Sunday of Advent with Christmas fast approaching. We, too, are called to be Apostles — the Greek roots of the word “apostle” meant messenger. Thus, there are two important clues for us as stewards as to what Advent and Christmas mean to us personally.
First, is the Good News (Gospel) that God is with us (Emmanuel). The second is that we are called to be messengers of that Good News among all peoples. Christmas is not just a time for us to celebrate the birth of Christ, but it is a time for us to be renewed and to accept our calling to be those messengers, those disciples.
There are often a lot of good feelings at Christmas, but the best is the joy produced by the understanding that God loves us. We join with shepherds and wise men and angels proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill to all people.”
Copyright © 2013 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
VOCATION VIEWS: Vocations from God are not always clear. Not all of us are like Joseph who had an angel appear to him saying: “Take Mary as your wife, and fear not.”
ST VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS APPEAL
Our Parish will be supporting St Vincent de Paul Society with Special collections rather than having the Christmas Tree present donation.
Vouchers for gifts deliver the dignity to those families in need to be able to buy the gifts they truly need.
This is only one of two collections our Parish has for St Vincent de Paul.
The work undertaken by the volunteers is central to the message of Jesus– look after the poor and give them the dignity they deserve.
Special Collections will be taken up this week and next week.
FESTIVAL OF READINGS AND CAROLS
The Festival will be held next Sunday 22 December at 7.30pm at OLMC Church. Readings will be from the Old and New Testament beginning with the Fall of Adam and Eve and concluding with God’s coming at Bethlehem. Well-known hymns and carols will follow each of the Readings which have been used for 400 years in England.
A sausage sizzle, champagne and orange juice will be served after 5.30pm Mass for those who would like to stay. All we ask is for some assistance moving the pews in the church around and lots of singing.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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