News - November 2020 RSS Feed

Deacon Jude will be ordained to the priesthood at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, on Saturday, 5 December and celebrate his Mass of Thanksgiving at Our Lady of Victories Basilica on Sunday, 6 December.  Jude has spent the year among our parishes assisting with sacrament preparation and planning, pastoral care, archiving and administration.  We have been blessed to have him as part of our team this year.

Waiting is part of life.  The expectation which accompanies waiting gives us hope of what is to come.   There is something particularly symbolic about the opening of our Churches coinciding with the beginning of Advent, the season of waiting and expecting, the season of the already but not yet, the season par excellence of what is to come. 

When the Roman empire was gradually becoming Christian, it was a standard strategy of the Church to take already existing feasts and Christianise them.  The date of 25 December was chosen because there was already a Roman midwinter feast celebrating the darkest time of the year, that is the time of least sunlight.  Just as is the case with our winter solstice in June.  The Roman feast was a celebration of the returning sun.

Mimi Kin May Tuck, entered eternal life 2 November 2020.

Surrey Hills Wattle Park parishioner Barbara Emerson, reflects on the kindness of friends, the unexpected actions of strangers and how a flourishing French lavender hedge has provided sustenance and support during Covid-19.

St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies) are seeking donations to the Annual Christmas Appeal to Help support families at breaking point this year. By donating to the Christmas Appeal you will help members and volunteers offer practical assistance directly to families and individuals who need it most.

This weekend we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, Our Holy Redeemer.  Geoffrey Horgan, an iconographer, reflects on how he was commissioned to "write the icon" for Our Holy Redeemer Church in Surrey Hills.  Read about the process, history and traditions involved with producing an icon. 

On this Feast of Christ the King, we are reminded that  God’s culture is one that sets all human beings side by side; all loved, all honoured, all precious...

Peter Collery, Chair of the Parish Interim Parish Leadership Team, sets out some of his thoughts about where our Parishes are currently, where we might be in the future and how we, as parishioners, can support and develop the parish of the future...

With Christmas only five weeks away, Kate Baines is starting to think about preparing for this wonderful time of year, of coming together with family and friends.  But her thoughts have also turned to the disadvantaged members of our community and how can we look out for one another at this time of year through charitable donations.

St Columban is a well known Irish missionary who left his homeland to wander in the name of Christ around Europe in the exile known as the "white martyrdom".  He set up a monastery wherever he stayed, but came into conflict with many in the local Frankish Church because he followed the rather different customs he brought with him from Ireland.

Join us as we remember those who have experienced the loss of a family member, friend or colleague during the past year at the Annual Remembrance Mass today at 6.00 pm.  To join the live streaming of Mass, click on the image.

Our faith communities, parishes and diocese have been entrusted with such incredible gifts...are we using these to the best of our ability? Fr Brendan reflects on the parable of the talents and what it means in today's society...

Students attending their final year of primary school in 2020 have had an unusual year.  They have had to draw on their incredible talents to stay connected with friends, fellow students and teachers.  Some have stayed at home with their families, some have been in school as parents work in essential services.   We asked the School Leaders from the parishes' primary schools to reflect on their Year 6.  Here are their stories...

The feast of St Clement takes place on 23 November.  Clement appears third on the traditional list of Bishops of Rome: Linus, Cletus, Clement…. and St Irenaeus of Lyon suggests that he was Pope from 92 to 101.  Fr Frank looks at what we actually know about Clement and the history of the Basilica of Clement in Rome.

Postponed to November this year, NAIDOC Week 2020 gives us the chance to appreciate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Pope Francis recently gave a TED talk about climate change and acknowledges ’environmental problems are linked to human needs’.  His Holiness points out that taking care of the earth is a human right and we all have a duty to do something about it.  In his TED talk, he highlights three steps we can take to act on climate change...

Last weekend was the first opportunity for some of us to gather to celebrate Mass at our various parishes. When only a few can gather you are reminded that the Mass is never a private devotion.  While there may be only small numbers physically present, every Mass is actually celebrated so that the life of Christ can be shared with the whole of humanity...

Remembrance Day should definitely be a time to remember the dead and the tragic loss of thousands of (young) lives in wartime. It is easy in a time of peace to forget that working for peace is something that human communities need to continue to do...

Fr Frank is current writing a theological paper about ‘Does sin matter?’  Some would remember the long lines regularly waiting to go to confession and even longer queues leading up to Easter and Christmas. No one has to wait very long these days!  Such a change needs discernment and to look to the future...