The proposed Strong Futures Bill/extension of the N T Intervention for a further 10 years has been described by Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome as a Travesty. The government must consult with Aboriginal Communities before making decisions. In a bid to prevent this Bill, the Aboriginal Catholic Mission has joined the Sisters of St Joseph, the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, the Order of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) and the National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islands Catholic Council (NATSICC) in a submission to the United Nations. To see full details click here: http://www.sydneycatholic.org/news/latest_news/2012/201239_1024.shtml
ST VINCENT DE PAUL
Are you having a clean out? We are in urgent need of your good donations, such as Furniture, Clothing, Bric-a-Brac & books. If you run a business and have stock or equipment you do not want then please consider donating to us at Vinnies.
Donations can be delivered to our Sunbury Centre at 156 O’Shanassy St, during opening hours 9-5 Monday to Friday or 9-1 on Saturday.
For a donation pick up, phone 1800 621 329.
Do you have some spare time? We are looking for volunteers to assist us in our retail centre. We are very flexible with any hours you can spare. There are lots of different jobs to suit all applicants. If you have a few spare hours then please phone the manager on 9744 1447 or call into our Centre at any time to discuss how you can help us and our community. Thank you for your support.
OUR PARISH SCHOOLS-2013 ENROLMENTS
Two information sessions for parents will be held on Tuesday 20 March at 2.00pm and 7.30pm. As our schools are very popular with no vacancies at many levels, parents are advised that late applications may not be successful.
Enrolment forms will be distributed at each session.
Catholics from both our schools have priority for admittance at Salesian College which has already received a higher than usual number of enrol- ments for Year 7 in 2013.
YOUTH GROUP
Every weekend until 23rd March 2012 the ‘Youth and Children’s Choir’ practice is held at St Anne’s from 6.30 to 7.30PM on Fridays.
Ages 7yrs and above are welcome to join.
Training provided by Professional Music Teacher.
ANIMAL BLESSING SERVICE
The Lay Ecumenical Committee is organising an animal blessing service on the Village Green on the 18 March at 10.00am as part of the Sunbury Festival. Fr Bert will be taking part in the blessing service during this “Pets on the Green.”
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
“For God so loved that world that He sent His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This familiar verse which is a portion of today’s gospel reading speaks of a profound reality, a central truth of our Faith in which we wholeheartedly rejoice.
God the Father sent Christ into the world as a selfless, loving, life-giving gift to us and Christ, meanwhile, came willingly in order to give of Himself for our salvation.
How do we respond to such a gift?
We follow suit. We give of ourselves in utter gratitude to God. We recognize that He has given us gifts beyond measure, and we give Him our hearts and our whole lives. We live our lives in such a way that glorifies Him – lovingly serving one another. In so doing, we say “Thank you.”
Copyright © 2012 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
YOUTH GROUP EASTER SPECIAL
All Youth are invited to come and make ‘Easter Cup Cakes’ and lollie bags with assistance from a friendly Chef .
Come and have fun.
PROJECT COMPASSION WEEK 3
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT – Week 3 Zimbabwe
11 March
John 2: 13-25
In today’s Gospel we hear of Jesus’ forceful reaction to the abuse of the temple – his Father’s house – by the traders and moneychangers. Jesus’ dramatic cleansing of the temple is the sign of God’s action in the world. The wrong he observed moved Him to action.
This week’s Project Compassion story comes from Zimbabwe, where because of prolonged conflict and drought, thousands of people remain displaced and peace is fragile. With the additional burden of HIV-related illness, and the stigma that accompanies it, Colletta and her family, like many others, were reduced to extreme poverty.
In partnership with Caritas Australia, the local church is working to improve life for those who struggle under these conditions. Health care, sanitation, agricultural improvement and peace-building programs are having their effects. The community is being healed as poverty, illness and trauma are gradually being driven out.
Although we do not have the same knowledge of the human heart or the authority to act that Jesus had, we can, nevertheless, detect injustice and, in righteous indignation, as Jesus did, take forceful action against it.
We can show our solidarity with communities living in poverty, our compassion to those struggling against discrimination and stigma and our preparedness to challenge injustice. As Pope Benedict XVI said: “Our hearts cannot be at peace as long as we see our brothers and sisters suffering”.
If we want peace, we must work for justice.
Click on the image below to go to the Caritas website.
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
In the gospel reading today, Jesus, upon seeing all the buying and selling that was taking place in the temple, flips over tables and throws coins to the ground. At first glance, his reaction seems a bit radical. As Mark tells it, Jesus even “made a whip out of chords.” Indeed, it is radical, and for good reason. Jesus wants to call the people’s attention to what’s important. He is angry that the temple has become a marketplace. Jesus’ reaction tells us just how important worshipping God really is. We simply must put him before all else, and we must live our lives accordingly.
Yet Jesus doesn’t tell us that and simply expect us to listen to Him. He takes it to heart in His own life here on Earth, putting the Father’s will above His own wants, even to the point of death. On the cross, Christ offers us an example of just how selfless we must be as Christian stewards. We are called to follow the Lord, and put His will for us before our own. It is, then, to the cross we look to discover what should be our way of life — a complete and total gift of ourselves to the Lord, offering our time, talents, and treasures to serve Him. And for some (those whom we call martyrs), this gift of self will involve a sacrifice to the point of death.
As St Paul reminds us in the second reading “there is great power in the cross.” When we respond to Christ’s call by following His example and giving ourselves completely in love and service to God and neighbor, we will feel incredibly fulfilled.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
CARE OF OUR ALTAR
Volunteers are invited to be on a roster to clean with special equipment our altar of American Cherry Wood and the wooden floor.
Please contact Raeleen on 0402 071 815.
FREE E-BOOK
Son of God: The Daily Gospel
This free ebook consists of thoughts on the Gospel of every day of Year B-2 (this year 2012). It can be downloaded (free) to your computer or e-reader using this URL: www.catholic-thoughts.info/ebook/
STUDY TOUR OF BIBLICAL LANDS
A study tour led by staff of Catholic Theological College Melbourne
15 Nov to 18 Dec 2012.
Jordan, Israel, Turkey and Greece.
Information session on 15 March at 7pm, 278 Victoria Pde, East Melbourne
Ph 9412 3314.
VISUAL DISPLAY IN OLMC CHURCH
The audio/visual facilities at OLMC Church are being improved with the installation soon of a computer and data projector costing $1650 to be paid from our Thanksgiving Offering.
VISUAL DISPLAY IN OLMC CHURCH
The audio/visual facilities at OLMC Church are being improved with the installation soon of a computer and data projector costing $1650 to be paid from our Thanksgiving Offering.
FREE TO A GOOD HOME
A kind parishioner has a wheelchair for anyone who needs it.
Please contact the Parish Office on 9744 1060 if you are interested.
PROJECT COMPASSION WEEK 2
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT – Week 2 Thai-Burma Border
Mark 9: 2-10
Lent is a time of transformation. We look to prayer, fasting and almsgiving – the traditional practices of Lent – as ways by which we can experience it in our lives.
In today’s Gospel, when Peter, James and John are alone with Jesus, they experience something that renews and invigorates their commitment to follow His example. They see Jesus in conversation with Moses and Elijah and then he is transfigured before their eyes. “His face was shining like the sun and his clothes were dazzling white”. A voice from a cloud announces: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!”
For the disciples, this moment is a defining one. They see Jesus linked with Moses, who delivered the ancient Hebrews from slavery and oppression and with Elijah, the prophet of the people. They see clearly their mission to bring the Good News to the poor, and freedom to the oppressed. And the work is waiting for them. “Get up and do not be afraid,” Jesus tells them and he leads them back down the mountain to do that work.
The Project Compassion story this week comes from the Thai-Burma Border and is also about transformation. Khin and her family escaped the poverty, violence and instability in Burma by crossing into Thailand. Once there, they and many other refugees and migrants found that life was still difficult. They faced the daily struggle of making a living in a country where language and cultural differences made them feel alienated.
A program supported by Caritas Australia and its partners has established community-based learning centres – particularly for the children of migrant workers – in Ranong province, Thailand. In this way, communities have their right of access to education so they can adapt to life in Thailand with hope and dignity and plan for a more stable future.
If we want peace, we must work for justice. This program is working for justice. We can recognise the call to be partners in this work. We can support such opportunities for those who have experienced conflict and displacement. We can, like the disciples, “get up and be not afraid”. The work is waiting for us, too.
This season of Lent is a time for us to recommit to it.
Click on the image below to go to the Caritas website.
FAREWELL TO OUR REGIONAL BISHOP
This Mass will take place at Mass in the Cathedral on Tuesday 13 March at 7.30pm before Bishop Tim leaves for Perth.
PARISH CENTRE
The Parish Centre will be closed from 26 March to 15 April for painting and other maintenance.
SMALL GROUPS “TOWARDS THE LIGHT”
41 parishioners gathered at the three sessions last week. You are welcome to join in this week. Get the details of sessions by going to Clicking on this link. A LENTEN JOURNEY
THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE
Barry and Judy McAloney have represented our Parish on the Lay Ecumenical Committee (L.E.C) for eleven years and been very involved in setting up the Good Friday Service and Christian Carols Service on the Village Green and other ecumenical events. We thank them for their dedicated and important work. As they have now retired from the LEC, we now need two new representatives– the committee meets about 7 or 8 times a year.
Please contact the Parish Office on 9744 1060.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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