Our March outing is Tuesday 27 March, Reading Cinema Sunbury to see the film “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” 12pm session.
Meet in foyer 11.45am. Enquiries Frances 9744 1999.
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PROJECT COMPASSION WEEK 5
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT – Week 5 Peru
25 March
John 12: 20-33
In this week’s Gospel story, Jesus speaks of his approaching death. The gospel focuses sharply on his great sacrifice – not merely on the outcome. We are reminded that, before His glorious Resurrection, He had to suffer anguish and death. Jesus uses the powerful image of the grain of wheat, which produces nothing unless it is dropped into the ground, where it dies. He challenges us to “lose” our lives in order to preserve them, by “dying to self” – a confronting idea.
This week’s Project Compassion story comes from Peru. Communities living on the outskirts of Lima have struggled with poverty, poor sanitation and lack of access to basic services. All of this has led to illness and high levels of stress. Violence in the home is also a common outcome.
With its local partners, Caritas continues to work alongside these communities; together they are improving access to health care and better sanitation, establishing nutrition programs and supporting families in caring for their children. In working for justice, they are healing relationships and peace is being restored. People’s lives are being transformed.
During Lent we too can become a new and better version of ourselves. Perhaps we can make our own small sacrifices by becoming partners in this work not only to help those who are in need but so as to be transformed as we shift our focus from “self” to “other”.
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 today’s Gospel, Jesus hones in on the sacrificial element of Christian living. He explains that a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die in order to bear great fruit – to become the wheat it was meant to be. Then, Christ makes some startling remarks. He says, “whoever loves His life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”
That is not to say that we are to hate life here and now and solely focus on the afterlife. After all, god has placed us here, so He clearly sees fit for us to live an earthly life. He has clearly not called us to heaven quite yet. But what Christ’s words communicate to us is a sobering reality still. We are not to be living for ourselves and the things of this world. Rather, we were created to know, love and serve the Lord. We were created to go beyond ourselves and selflessly give in love and service to others. When we do so, we, like the wheat that gives of itself in “death” will bear great fruit.
God has given us innumerable gifts with which we can do so. It is our job to reflect on those many gifts and determine how He is calling each one of us to use them for His greater glory.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
PROJECT COMPASSION WEEK 3
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT – Week 4 Philippines
18 March
John 3: 14-21“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”
In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus is described as the greatest gift of love that God gave to us. He is the “light come into the world”, and faith in him means everlasting life. The choice is ours – to live in that light or in the darkness.
This week’s Project Compassion story comes from the Philippines. Conflict, greed and exclusion have destroyed the peace and security of many indigenous communities, and have forced them into isolation and poverty.
Programs supported by Caritas Australia have opened up new opportunities for these indigenous people – supporting them as they protect their traditional lands, address the humanitarian crisis and engage with other groups in the community to contribute to the process of peace-building.
We are being called to lend our support to this work. When we respond with compassion, we enter into a partnership with Caritas Australia to help build the just and compassionate world that God desires. Perhaps the one who works for justice, in order to have peace, is doing as the gospel today is saying: “…whoever does what is true comes to the light in order that the light may show that what he, or she, did was in obedience to God”
If we want peace, we must work for justice.
Click on the image below to go to the Caritas website.
FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION…….CAN YOU HELP?
We need two people to help the children and families preparing for First Communion by leading a small Home Group meeting in the last week of March.
Everything needed to lead the meeting will be provided and we will have a training session on Tuesday 20 March at 7.30 in the Parish Centre.
If you can help please contact the Parish Office (9744 1060) as soon as possible.
NEWS FROM THE SOCIAL JUSTICE GROUP
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.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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