Your own John the Baptists… Why John the Baptist? All the Gospels give great importance to the person and preaching of John the Baptist. In the iconography (religious paintings) of the early Church he held a prominent position. But did Jesus really need him? John the Baptist represents the culmination of the Old Testament. In him all the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people across the centuries find expression. But did God really need the Old Testament and Jewish history in order to offer salvation? No, God didn’t need any of this. God could offer salvation personally and individually to any one of us. But God’s plan of salvation involves not merely the supreme human mediation given through Jesus but all the many other people through whom God choses to bring to us grace and love. A prayer of thanksgiving often said in my community is for those who have brought our faith to where we are today. As a way of preparation for the coming of the Lord we would do well to recall the people who have formed our faith to what it is today. Perhaps it was grandparents, parents, teachers, the atheist who challenges or the friend who dies tragically – there are many different ways, both positive and negative, that God has used these people as channels of grace into our lives. As we recognise who they are and give thanks we make ourselves even more open to the coming of God in our lives.
‘You do not know when the master of the house is coming,…Stay awake!’
Steve Jobs, soon before he died, said that one of the determining practices of his life was to live each day as if it were the last. That practice has had a significant place in Christian spirituality. St Benedict exhorted his followers ‘to keep death daily before one’s eyes.’ This was not to be an exercise in morbidity but rather a liberation from entanglement in all the lesser passions of life and it has the ability to transform the quality of our lives. A story was told of St Francis de Sales. Someone was surprised to find this holy bishop playing cards and asked him: ‘What would you do if you knew that you were to die and face God’s judgement in 15 minutes.” “I’d tell them to hurry up and deal the next round,” he replied. Living with God’s presence before him, he was able to enter fully into each moment.
Life is not meant to be a filling in of time before we shuffle off this mortal coil. If it is that, we will alternate between boredom and distraction. Given the quality and type of much that passes for ‘entertainment’ nowadays, we could well be forgiven for thinking that our society lives in fear of a death it cannot face. That death will surely come – but it need not be dreaded. It can be the companion of our lives teaching us to enter fully into all the partial moments of living so that we can be ready to enter fully into the great moment of God’s embrace.
MASSES GOING TO 100 PARISHIONERS. THANKS FOR ALL THE PRAYERS
The 4 square metre rule stops us from going to higher numbers
The fine print will be sorted on Monday between the DHHS and the Archdiocese and we will know any details shortly afterwards. Meanwhile the following instructions will need to be adhered to: ……
There will be NO bookings for Masses and 100 will be the limit. The church will be open half an hour before Mass, and all Registrars and Ushers must be there when the church opens. All participants must be at the church at least 10 minutes prior to Mass starting. Parishioners will need to be registered by name and contact phone number. Sanitiser and Masks will be mandatory. An usher will seat each person/family who must remain in that seat until receiving Eucharist. Then return to that seat after Communion. In receiving Eucharist, please extend your arms as far as possible to allow for correct social distancing. Communion will only be in the hand. We will need to clear the church immediately after Mass. Each Mass will require the correct number of volunteers, if not Mass cannot go ahead. Please consider what role you can play in the celebration and phone the Parish Office with your offer.
Volunteers needed are: Set-Up, Lector, Musician, Singer, Registrars x2, Minister of Communion, Ushers x 4-5, Cleaners x 4
Our parish community has been extremely generous in supporting the LAP team but unfortunately, due to the pandemic restrictions, we will not be able to hold our planned fundraising collection at Masses in November. If you are in a position to make a once-off donation to enable the LAP team to continue their work, If you can help, could we please encourage you to make an electronic contribution using the following parish bank details:
While our Faith hasn’t changed, the world in which we express our Faith has. Our Parish of twelve months ago has gone. We are moving into unknown territory but we still have Jesus to walk beside us. Fr Kevin is calling for people who are walking with Jesus to come forward and help plan and manage how we face this new world.
A previous coordinating team.
PARISH COORDINATING TEAM PCT: Are you an active member of our Parish community who has reached the age of eighteen (18) years? Do you have an interest in, and a commitment to the welfare of all parishioners? Do you have a desire to be of service to the Parish community? Do you have a keenness to promote the teachings of the Gospel Values and ongoing Mission? Do you have an ability to work cooperatively and constructively with all other members of the PCT? And sufficiency of time (around 7 meetings per year, personal preparation and any allocated action items) to devote to PCT duties? If this is you and you would like to make a commitment as a Parish Leader, please send a note to Fr Kevin telling us: Why you would like to nominate for the PCT and what you can offer in helping our Parish achieve its Vision “Christlike relationships of friendship and faith, valuing one another and sharing our gifts for the good of all.” Nominations can be by Mail to the Parish Office or email to sunbury@cam.org.au Nominations should be sent by 18 November. …. Fr Kevin McIntosh
Regrettably, we have been unable to return to parish life with any sort of normality and at the time of writing this, it is difficult to imagine when we will be able to do so. However, the Finance and Development Committee (FDC) has continued to go about its business as best we can and we thought you might be interested in an update of our activities.
Staff Issues
From the time of our stage 4 lockdown, the Parish Office has been closed and all staff commenced working from home for their normal activities. As much as possible, our dedicated staff have continued to conduct all the normal operational matters of the parish with minimal disruption. Day-to-day matters have been managed well, although, obviously, some activities have had to be temporarily curtailed. The parish office will be reopened as soon as possible but, of course, in line with government requirements and practical measures in place. I would like to thank our staff for their commitment, dedication and flexibility in difficult circumstances.
Finance
While the FDC expected that the finances of the parish would be affected by Covid 19 and the restrictions imposed, we are pleased that the effect has not been as great as we has initially imagined.
Understandably, our weekly collections have reduced but many parishioners have opted to use electronic means of transferring funds to the parish and we are very grateful for this. It remains an available option and if you would like information on how it’s done, please leave a message on the parish office’s line and someone will return to you. Alternatively, if you would like to make an electronic contribution to our accounts directly, the relevant BSB & Account numbers are:
Church A/c-2nd Collection BSB: 083 347 Account: 546358602
Importantly, the parish qualified for the federal government’s JobKeeper program, the first phase of which ended on 30 September. Likewise, we qualify for the second phase, although the financial contribution from the government will reduce and at this stage, it will cease on 31 December. This initiative has been an enormous advantage to the parish as it relieved the financial impact of staff salaries on the parish.
Our income and expenditure continues to be closely monitored and where possible, we have deferred costs to a later date and have scaled back on non-essential items, including some general maintenance matters. As is our routine, the FDC formally reviews our financial position monthly, while expenses are managed on a day-to-day basis.
Parish Connectivity
Fr Kevin continues to live-stream Mass and I know many parishioners use this service.
Parish ministries are connected by Zoom technology, which has enabled many of these groups and the parish generally to continue to function, albeit with some difficulty and restrictions.
Of course, when we are able to attend Mass again remains unclear but the Liturgy Committee will ensure we are able to do so safely and in accordance with requirements when it does happen.
Risk Management
The dangers and restrictions imposed due to Covid 19 have enabled the FDC to implement a risk management strategy, for which we have utilised a risk management ‘tool’ developed by our insurer, CCI. This period has provided an excellent opportunity to ‘road test’ our recently developed risk management strategy and over time, you will see this in operation in the parish more frequently. The aim of the FDC is to ensure that appropriate risk management techniques are implemented in all ministries within the parish. Glenn Morris is leading this work and progress is encouraging.
Strategic Plan
The FDC has also used the additional time due to restricted activities to commence work on the parish strategic plan and while there remains much to be done, FDC members are pleased with progress. The plan is very much in its construction and draft stages and it will be released to all parishioners for comment and feedback in due course. We are fortunate to have the expertise of Michael McConville for this project.
On behalf of Fr Kevin and the FDC, I hope you continue to stay safe and well. Like all of us, I am keen to have life back to ‘normal’, although I can barely remember what that looked like. Please continue to look after yourself and to pray for each other that we will be able to gather again as a community in the not-too-distant future.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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