Thank you to the teachers of both Our Lady of Mount Carmel Primary School and St Anne’s Primary School for donating $485 from their Kris Kringles to St Vincent de Paul Society.
AFTER CHRISTMAS
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
By Rev. Dr Howard Thurman (1899-1981) (pictured) Baptist Theologian, Civil Rights Leader and mentor to Martin Luther King.
VALE FR HANS DOPHEIDE SDB
We offer our prayerful sympathy to the Salesian Community as their Confrere Fr Hans Dopheid SDB entered eternal life last Sunday after a long illness.
Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Fr Hans Dopheide SDB will be celebrated in the College Chapel at Salesian College “Rupertswood”, Sunbury, on TUESDAY (Jan. 3, 2012) at 11 a.m. The Funeral rites and burial will follow the Mass immediately in the Salesian College Cemetery at Sunbury.
The Salesians of Don Bosco of the Australia-Pacific Province mark the passing to the Lord of Fr. Hans Dopheide on Dec. 25, 2011. Fr. Hans was born in Utrecht, Netherlands on Nov. 26, 1936, was professed as a Salesian at Sunbury in 1958 and was ordained a priest in Italy in 1967. Fr. Hans worked at Salesian College “Rupertswood” from 1968 to 1985 in the roles of Teacher, Headmaster, Farm Manager and Vice-Rector. From 1986 to 2005 Fr. Hans worked in the Salesian missions in Samoa and Pakistan where he oversaw the construction of two Technical schools. In 2005 he returned to Australia where he needed ongoing medical care. Fr. Hans was a man of great talent which he shared willingly with so many – music, agriculture, technology, finance and boundless energy – all of which were driven by Don Bosco’s love of God and young people.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Wishing Gods blessings and grace with you at Christmas and throughout the New Year
…..from the Parish Office Team.
THANK YOU
Thank you for the generosity last week for Melbourne Overseas Mission special collection.
$823.50 was raised in total.
The funds raised will go to the people in Papua New Guinea, Timor, India, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Botswana, Nigeria and Peru.
THANKS AND FAREWELL
Thanks and farewell to Fr Peter Monaghan SDB who has been the Rector of the Salesian Community in Sunbury for ten years and has been transferred to Salesian College, Chadstone. Fr Peter was the initiator of the VCAL program and has been very involved with staff and students. He has been a member of Salesian College Council for these ten years.
CHRISTMAS INVITATION
Sunbury Baptist Church warmly invites you to a Free Christmas Lunch.
On December 25 from 12-2pm at Sunbury Baptist Church at 207 Gap Rd, Sunbury.
RSVP 9740 7683.
Please don’t be alone this Christmas.
More information in St Anne’s Church foyer.
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
CHRISTMAS DAY
Today, we celebrate the tremendous love Christ has for us, the love that led Him to enter into human history. On that first Christmas many years ago, Jesus became man. He existed before the world was made, He, in fact, has no beginning, because He is God and, therefore, has always existed, took on humanity, became one of His mere creatures and then entered into human history.
It is a baffling mystery.
How Christ can be fully God and, at the same time, fully man is beyond our comprehension. Yet, we know that He is. That first Christmas, when Mary and Joseph welcomed the sweet baby into the world, they were, in fact, welcoming their Lord and God.
Jesus entered human history as a human being so that He could take upon Himself the sins of mankind and free us from the bonds of sin and death. He came because He loves us so much.
It’s amazing. Our God is wonderful. His love is selfless, and it is boundless.
So, as we sit and exchange gifts with one another in an effort to showcase our love for each other, as stewards, let us be sure to take the time to thank the Lord for the gifts He has given us, particularly the gift of His Son through whom we can attain salvation!
Merry Christmas!
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
THANK YOU
Thank you for the generosity for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. In addition to the $1875.35 collected the week of 27 November, $1047.65 was collected on the weekend of 4 December. The money collected will help support the many families who need assistance this Christmas. The money raised will help maintain the dignity of the families struggling to buy gifts for their children and buy basics like food and clothing. It will also provide practical support for struggling families and emotional support for those who have no-one to turn to. Sunbury community continues to be generous in their support of such worthy causes.
FREE TO A GOOD HOME
Lions Hostel has an organ available to anyone interested. Please contact Jenny at the Lions Hostel on 9744 7001 for further info.
HELP NEEDED FOR OUR FAMILY MASS IN THE STADIUM
The Parish needs people to help at the 7pm Christmas Mass at Rupertswood Stadium.
We need Ushers, Ministers of Communion, and Car-Park Attendants.
If you can assist please contact the Parish Office on 9744 1060.
CHRISTMAS EVE MASS
Calling all men, women and children.
We are looking to set up Lakeside Stadium at Rupertswood on Wednesday, 21 December at 7pm and need all the helpers we can get to set up around 1500 chairs for Christmas Eve Mass. Don’t be shy! Last year we set up in 25 minutes!
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
In today’s Gospel, Mary finds out she will conceive Jesus. Christmas is right around the corner, but, much like Mary in today’s Gospel, we are still in waiting.
A young Jewish girl, Mary would have been very familiar with the expectant hope for a Messiah. So, you can imagine how flustered, fearful, and even a bit confused she might have been when the angel Gabriel appeared to her, announcing that she had been chosen to bear the long-awaited Savior.
Mary exclaimed, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
There is so much we can learn from Mary’s response. She recognized her life was not truly her own. She surrendered to God’s will. What a powerful witness of the amazing things God can accomplish through us as stewards, when we give ourselves to Him in service, when we surrender our lives to Him.
Because of Mary’s “yes” to God, the Lord will continue the good work He begun in her. The reading from 2 Samuel today communicates this same message. The Lord has done great things for King David – protecting him from his enemies, and more, and, when David sets out to build a temple for the Ark of the Covenant, the Lord reminds him that He is source of all good things, He is the giver of all good gifts, and He promises to care for His people.
Much like David and Mary, we all play a role in Salvation History. We are God’s instruments, His disciples through whom many will come to know Him. He has given us so many good gifts, and it is our responsibility, as stewards, to make a free-will decision, much like Mary did, and allow Him to work through us, to use the gifts He has given us to show forth His glory, living lives that bear witness to His goodness.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
CATECHETICS NEEDED
We are looking for two people to work on a part-time basis with the parish Religious Education Coordinator and the parish primary schools to provide the teaching component of religious education and preparation for celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation for children attending other schools in our parish area. Qualification to teach Religious Education in Catholic primary schools is highly desirable. If you are interested please contact the Parish Office for a more detailed explanation of what is involved in this important work. We have a lot of fun together doing this!
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING (11th Dec)
Today, we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. In the midst of our preparations for Christmas, we are reminded to stop and spend time rejoicing for what God has done for us.
It is interesting, however, to note that the writers of today’s readings are not simply rejoicing in the mystery of the incarnation. In the reading from Isaiah, the prophet rejoices because the Lord has sent Him to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and release to prisoners.” Today’s Responsorial Psalm, the Magnificat, echoes these same sentiments. In the Gospel reading, we find John the Baptist rejoicing in the mission God has given Him. He tells those who have gathered around Him that He is not the Messiah. He tells them, “I am the voice of the one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’”
What’s more, in his letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul reminds us as the Christian Church to rejoice always. We are called to rejoice, proclaim and, as stewards, to use the many things God has given us – our time, our talents, and our treasure – to help others recognize the many good things God does for us.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
SPEAKING PERSONALLY…………….FR KEVIN
I consider myself to be very fortunate and blessed to have been able to do study in Europe. The study tour organised by Yarra Theological Union was wonderful, far beyond my expectations. The scholars and leading figures we met were so generous with their time. We saw new modern churches in suburban Paris with a strong social welfare programs we visited the immersion font where St Augustine and his son were baptised at the Easter Vigil in 397 and the chapel in Belgium where the first Mass facing the people was celebrated in 1922. However, we can also be proud of the efforts made in Australia on liturgical renewal since the 1950’s……..Kevin McIntosh
OUR GROWING PARISH
Hume City Council held a public information and consultation evening at the Memorial Hall last Wednesday when twenty residents attended and saw the proposals for growth. A member of our Parish Education Board and Salesian College Council was present as there is proposed a possible establishment of homes for 10000 people in Diggers Rest and South Sunbury in the next five years. The State Government will make the final decision.
CHRISTMAS PENITENTIAL SERVICE
The Christmas Penitential Service will be held on Wednesday 14th December at 7.30pm in St Anne’s Church.
A cuppa will be available afterwards.
All are welcome.
CHRISTMAS ON THE GREEN
Christmas on the Green will take place on Sun- day 11 December. The event is being sponsored by the Combined Churches of Sunbury and tells the Christmas message in story, song and festivity. Please come and join in the festivities. This is a family friendly environment. It starts at 3.00pm with face painting, jumping castle, games, art and craft activities, clowns and a giant slide. Carols singing will start at 6pm with great gusto and smiles will be out in force! Please bring your own chair and safety candles will be on sale on the night. This years celebrations will focus on the birth of Jesus with a nativity scene with stable and animals. There will also be a light and sound music show.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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