YOUR PRAYERS ARE REQUESTED FOR: Recently Deceased: Mick Comensoli, Chris Ryan, John Vella, Sr Malaki Deeb, Michael Mansour , Chahine Chahine Deceased: Noel Barsenbach, Caterina & Pasqualie Sergi, Fr Ron Hardon, Phero Nguyen, Joseph Assad, Yousef & Nabiha Dagher, Sarkis & Ramza Assaf Anniversary: Dan Day, Melhem Saliba, Annie Camage, John Lee, Victoria Fuentes, Teodore Tarongoy, Angela Tarongoy Sick: Bishop Geoff Robinson, John Sato, John, Alice Lasta, Eric Azeez, Peter Zic, Eileen O’Rouke, John, Mini Curtis, Felicidad Mallari, Patricia Costello Special Intention: Edite Aguiar Conceicao Mass intentions MUST be received NO LATER than Wednesday afternoon for publication in the following Sunday’s Bulletin. REMINDER OF LENTEN OBLIGATIONS: The obligations with regard to abstinence and fasting during Lent are as follows: Abstinence from meat, and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. All those who have completed their 18th year and have not yet begun their 60th year are bound to FAST. All those who have completed their 14th year are bound to ABSTAIN from meat. REMAINING STATIONS OF THE CROSS DURING LENT 13th March 9.30am 27th March 9.30am WORLD DAY OF PRAYER: This year our parish will be the host for the Ecumenical gathering with other faith traditions from our local area for the annual World Day of Prayer. The prayer has been prepared by the People of the Bahamas. This year’s theme is: “Do you know what I have done for you?”. NEXT Friday 6th March 2015 at 10.00am in St Jerome’s Catholic Church, followed by morning tea in the Parish Hall. HEALING MASS: Friday, 6th March at St Therese Catholic Church, Lakemba Rosary: 7.00pm Reconciliation 7.00-8.00pm Mass: 8.00pm Celebrant: Fr Hugh Thomas CssR FIRST PENACE: Please keep in your prayers the following children who are preparing to receive their First Penance: Jefferson, Stephanie, Zedrik, Rosemary, Josiana, Erica, Natasha, Helen, Lily, Mia, Jason, Juliette, Jescar, Ethan.T, Ethan.P, Jody, Nathan, Bradley & Thomas. These children will receive their First Penance on Saturday 21st March 2015 BUS TRIP TO THE BLOWHOLE AT KIAMA SUNDAY 8TH MARCH Payment THIS weekend 28 Feb/1st March Please see Nancy at the back of the Church after Mass for payment WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MARCH 2015 1st 2nd Sunday of Lent 4th First Penance - Session 3 7.00pm 5th Parish Pastoral Council Meeting 7.00pm 6th World Day of Prayer at St Jerome's 10.00am 8th 3rd Sunday of Lent Bus Trip to the Kiama Blowhole First Penance - Session 4 8.00am 9.45am 11th First Penance - Session 5 7.00pm 13th Stations of the Cross 9.30am 15th 4th Sunday of Lent First Penance - Session 6 9.45am 17th St Patrick, bishop First Penance - Session 7 Memorial 7.00pm 19th St Joseph, Husband of Mary Solemnity 21st Celebration of First Penance 9.30am/5.00pm 22nd 5th Sunday of Lent 25th Annunciation of the Lord Solemnity 27th Stations of the Cross 9.30am HOLY WEEK BEGINS 29th Palm Sunday - Blessing of Palms at all Masses 30th Monday of Holy Week 31st Tuesday of Holy Week INVITATION TO REFLECTION on a Wednesday evening, 7.30 – 9.00pm, from now to Holy Week. Time for silent meditation and the opportunity to share thoughts in a group. Pope Francis’ The Joy of the Gospel will provide the text for each evening. No prereading required. Texts provided. Attendance free and welcome on any evening. At the Grail Centre, 22 McHatton St, North Sydney. Tel: 9955 3053. Email: [email protected] POSSIBLE BUS TRIP TO SINGLETON to visit the old historical convent. This Heritage Tour consists of an introductory film followed by a walking tour taking in the heritage room, museum, convent, chapel, chancel and gardens and, if time permits, the Sisters' historic cemetery. Commentary from trained volunteer guides. Cost will be $52.00 per person (includes morning or afternoon tea, lunch, tour and bus trip) If interested place your name on the sheet at the back of the church and depending on numbers. This will be the last weekend to put your names on the sheet. POSSIBLE PARISH TRIVIA NIGHT to be held sometime in the middle of the year. Are you interested ?? If you are please place or name on the sheet at the back of the Church under your preferred day and time This your the last week weekend to put your name down.. ROSTER FOR 8th March 2015 Thank you to all those you assist with the various ministries for our liturgical celebrations. Counters: Group D Church Cleaning: B Flowers: Victoria Breda, Saturday 6.00pm Sunday 8.00am Sunday 10.00am Acolyte Brian Robertson Ellis Vu Doan Michael Reaiche Reader and Commentator Willy Enriquez (R) Sara Cincotta (C) Rhonda Nasser (R) Catherine Gray (C) Maria Winterstein (R) Alyson Younes (C) Extra-ordinary Ministers of Communion Stefanie Breda Sharon Magann Marie Sorouni Dung Doan Jacinta Fata-Too Edna Rumore Eva Tarchichi Jackie Vella Music Ministry William Fernandes Ipod (Vu Doan Family) ipod (Younes Family) Greeters Barry Camage Any Volunteers Please! Christina & Lilian Vella LITURGIES THIS WEEK DURING LENT Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 3rd March 4th March 5th March 6th March 7th March Mass Mass Mass Mass Mass Reconciliations CUPPA AFTER MASS: NEXT weekend 7th/8th March after all Masses, refreshments will be served in the Parish Hall. It is also an opportunity to catch up with fellow parishioners over a cuppa or even a cold drink! OUR CONDOLENSCES are given to Jackie Lorenzatto, our parish secretary, who’s father Chahine Chahine died last Sunday. May the Lord gently take Chahine into his loving arms. May he rest in peace. Xt3 2015 DIGITAL LENT CALENDAR AND APP. Let social media help your journey through Lent. The Xt3 digital Lent Calendar and App is now available with videos, reflections and podcasts. Visit www.xt3.com/lent or download the free App by searching for “xt3 Lent” in the Google Play or App store. VISITING ROME? STAY AT DOMUS AUSTRALIA. Domus Australia is a 32 room guest house established by the Australian Catholic Church, welcoming travellers to Rome seeking comfortable accommodation and an ideal base from which to explore historical and cultural sites of the Eternal City. Centrally located with a magnificently restored Chapel featuring daily Mass in English, Domus Australia is the perfect oasis in the heart of Rome for Aussie pilgrims. Enquiries:[email protected] or www.domusaustralia.org. EASTER CHOCOLATE RAFFLE 1 Ticket for $2.00 3 Tickets for $5.00 Drawn Saturday 22nd March at the 6.00pm Mass Tickets available after Sunday Masses at the back of the Church from NEXT WEEKEND 8.00am 9.00am 9.00am 9.00am 9.00am 9.20am & 5.30pm Gospel Reflection by Greg Sunter Like so many other important events in the Bible, the events of this week’s gospel occur on a high mountaintop. Mountaintops were places of special and dramatic encounter with God and the disciples’ experience of the transfiguration is clearly no exception! In this instance, the disciples suddenly see Jesus’ power fully revealed but they fail to fully understand what is going on. One might think how much more obvious could God be about trying to reveal Jesus’ identity to the disciples, but still they don’t really catch on. Peter thinks he has caught on to the message. When the great prophets Elijah and Moses appear beside Jesus, Peter understands Jesus to be part of the line of prophets in the Hebrew tradition. He believes he has had a great insight and is so impressed that he wants to remain on the mountaintop – setting up tents in honour of Jesus, Elijah and Moses. In essence, Peter has still only partially understood who Jesus is. He thinks he is the Messiah, but a Messiah in the same mould as the prophets of old, a prophet of the old tradition. He has not understood that Jesus is breaking that mould and creating a new vision, a new tradition – one that is endorsed by the voice of God on the mountaintop. Rather than allowing the disciples to set up tents and remain in the ‘high’ of this experience, Jesus immediately leads the boys back down the mountain. This is perhaps the greatest message of this passage: that life is not lived on the mountaintop but back down in the valley. Although the mountaintop experience may have provided some new insight and new energy, it is back down in the valley that the world waits; that the real work needs to be done; that the sick and the poor are crying out for God’s love and mercy.
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