Dear brothers and sisters,
New principal for St Joseph the Worker
Following a substantial process, I am happy to welcome Ms Gabi Tobin as the new principal of our parish school at St Joseph the Worker from next year. Coming from the diocese of Wollongong, Ms Tobin will be bringing considerable gifts and experience into our parish. I would also like to thank Susie Mravunac for helping us as acting principal this year: She has been a reliable and passionate co-worker who has been easy to work with. May God bless her in her next position!
Prayer Intentions and Mass Intentions
Please entrust your intentions to the parish either by: (1) a Mass Intention envelope, in which you place an offering, in order to participate in the sacrifice of Christ for the intention; (2) a prayer intention, which you can place in the box in front of Our Lady Help of Perpetual Help. For these reasons there will no longer be a glass vase on the altar for prayer intentions.
Flowers Service
Every parish is a place for us to give and receive. Our flowers are an offering of love to Jesus, and make our church a better place to pray. We need at least four families to take responsibility for the flowers once a month. Offerings from your own gardens are welcome, and the parish budget will make up any shortfall. On Saturday morning 18 November at 9:30am, we will have a brief workshop in the church for those who can help us in this way. Thank you for your generosity!
Advent spiritual preparation
We will soon need to start preparing for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. We are proposing a novel kind of Advent group. From Tuesday 5 December, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration from 7:15am to 8:45am Tuesday to Friday. Our group will be our parishioners, and our book for meditation will be the baby Jesus himself. Come Lord Jesus!
Draft Mission Statement
We are identifying what our goals are, and so plan accordingly to achieve these goals. If you would like to contribute, please contact the parish secretary. The current draft is as follows:
Our Mission
The mission we have received from Jesus Christ as the parish of St Peter Chanel and St Joseph, Berala, is that given by Jesus to His Apostles:
1. to preach the Good News of Salvation with love;
2. to invite all people into unity with God through His Holy Church;
3. and, to serve them with love and mercy by attending to their spiritual and corporal needs.
Our Plan
In response to this call of Jesus, we seek to fulfil our mission, in communion with our Archbishop and the whole Church, by preparing and giving ourselves in the following three ways:
1. Leitourgia (Worship)
Worshipping God, meditating his Word and receiving his grace in the Sacraments of the Church, so that they bear fruit in the daily lives of Christians as members of a priestly people, living through love to the praise of God’s glory. (Rom 12:1; Eph 1:5-6)
2. Kerygma-Martyria (Evangelisation and formation)
· Proclaiming the love of God revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and encouraging the discipleship of all who put their trust in Him as Lord, Saviour and Friend
· Shaping Christian disciples who willingly sit at the feet of Jesus in order that they might grow in faith and understanding and be formed humanly, spiritually, intellectually and pastorally.
· Motivating, serving and inspiring people committed to cooperating with the Holy Spirit, and drawing upon their charisms, to share the Gospel and to build up the Kingdom of God.
3. Diakonia (Service)
Fostering genuine spiritual communion and service within our communities of faith, marked by the virtue of charity: “By this everyone shall know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
Yours in Our Lord,
J+
