Sacred Heart Parish Mildura 257—261 Eleventh Street Mildura Parish Office: 5021 2872 Fax: 5023 0337 Presbytery: 5022 9959 P.O. Box 10037 Mildura, Vic 3502 [email protected] Fr. Michael McKinnon PP Fr Gregory Tait Fr Peter Jose CMI www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/parishes Our Lady of Lourdes Werrimull St. Francis Xavier Elms Street, Irymple Parish Secretary: Carmel Russo Fourth Sunday of Advent / Year B 20th & 21st December, 2014 Weekend Mass Times Sat: 6:00 pm Sun: 9:00 am, 5:00 pm Irymple: 8:30 am Werrimull 11:00 am (2nd Sunday each month & 5th Sunday) Weekday Masses If there is a Funeral Mass on Wed, Thurs, the advertised Mass will be cancelled. Tues: 7:00 pm Wed: 9:10 am Thurs: 9:30 am Fri: 5:40 pm Sat: 10:00 am Weekly Prayer Opportunities Prayer of the Church: Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri. 8:40 am Scripture Reading: Thurs 10:30 am - 20 Beasy Court Christian Meditation: Sat 11:30 am Parish Prayer Room Charismatic Prayer Group : meet Tues 7:30pm in Church Reconciliation: Saturday 11:00 am to 12:00 noon RECENT DEATHS: Luciana Ghidinelli, Rhonda Smith ANNIVERSARIES: Sunday 9am: Domenico Mammone, Jim Byrne Sunday 5pm: Peter Belej (30 day Mass), Kylie Davis, Leo & Antonietta DeMaria Tuesday 7pm: Francesco Nesci (Ten year anniversary) (Only members of the deceased’s immediate family are permitted to arrange anniversary Masses.) PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK:: If you want a sick person prayed for, ask for their permission. Please let us know when to take their name off the list. John Devilee, Ethan Neyland, Mathew Spain, Sr. Pattie McKinnon rsm, Georgie Manning, Dorothy Norris, Dan Roden, Fr Justin Woodford, Fr Denis Dennehy, Kevin (Sid) Robinson, Eileen Flanner, Vince Manno, Eli MaddenAndrews, Mary Baldock, Kel Townsend, Vince Alicastro, Sophie Sitters, Terry Perera GOSPEL REFLECTION We are all familiar with Luke’s story of the annunciation, a story that has inspired artists through the ages. God’s messenger, Gabriel, approaches a young Galilean Jewish woman, Mary of Nazareth, and greets her as God’s graced one. The angel’s greeting to Mary is unique. No other person in the Christian scriptures is addressed as “favoured one” or “graced one”. The Greek form kecharitōmenē contains within it the notion of grace, charis in Greek. Mary is troubled by the angel’s greeting, succinct as it is. After being addressed as “favoured one”, she has been told only that God is with her. She knows the traditions of her people. She knows that the graced or favoured of God, Noah and Moses and Gideon and Samuel, are called to be agents of God’s saving action and to carry heavy responsibilities. In a formula that forms part of angelic announcements of birth, the angel tells Mary not to be afraid and reassures her by stating explicitly that she has been graced by God. The angel then proceeds to announce the conception and birth of the child she is to name “Jesus”. This child will reign forever. The prophecy of Nathan, recounted in today’s first reading, is to be fulfilled in the conception and birth of Mary’s son who is also, and especially, God’s son in the line of David who in his turn was first of many “sons of God” called to rule with the justice and the wisdom of God. In the face of almost constant failure on the part of the kings, later prophets projected Israel’s hope into the future and looked for one who would truly have the characteristics of God, who would truly be “son of God”. Mary’s response to the angel, “How can this be…?” echoes the prayer of David that follows today’s first reading: “Who am I…and who are we that you have brought us to this point?” (2 Sam 7:18). Mary learns that God’s dwelling place is her own human flesh and that this extraordinary event will be accomplished through the grace of God and the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Mary is also to learn that her cousin Elizabeth with conceive a child despite her age “for nothing will be impossible for God.” The mysterious workings of God in our world invite the response of Mary: “How can this be…?” As we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we might pause to wonder at the goodness of God at work in our own lives and in the lives of those who incarnate the grace of God for us. Let us name them, and give thanks in the spirit of today’s gospel. - Veronica Lawson rsm PARISH OFFICE CLOSED— FROM 25TH DECEMBER 2014 TO MONDAY 12TH JANUARY 2015 All calls & enquiries directed to 5022 9959. SACRAMENTAL LIFE & LITURGY COMMUNITY LIFE & OUTREACH NATIVITY PLAY CHRISTMAS EVE 2014 All children are invited to attend and be part of our annual and traditional Nativity Play on Christmas Eve at 6:00pm. The second practice session will be a dress rehearsal on Monday 22nd December at 4pm in the Sacred Heart Church. Contact Lisa Cirillo 0408337297 or Louise Higgins 0407315148. The last bus trip to Werrimull which was held on 30th November, raised $172.00 for Fr Michael’s The Shared Table. Congratulations to Marilena D’Alessandro who was the winner of the Hamper Raffle which was kindly organised by Ken Knight. MIDNIGHT MASS We are celebrating Midnight Mass again this year. Please spread the word, because numbers have dropped off over the past two years. If numbers are not sufficient, we will have to reconsider programing the Mass in the future. We will be accompanied by some beautiful music again this year, provided by some extremely talented musicians from around the Sunraysia. Each year this Mass has been particularly beautiful and prayerful – so please make sure you do some advertising among family and friends, even if you are unable to attend yourself. MILDURA CHRISTMAS MASSES 2014 CHRISTMAS EVE 6:00pm 8:00pm 12 Midnight Mildura Mildura Mildura CHRISTMAS DAY 8.30am 9.00am 9.00am Irymple Mildura Werrimull BUPA NURSING HOME MASS A Mass will be held on Tuesday 23rd December at 10.30am. WAITING “The spirit of Advent largely consists in living close to Our Lady during this time when she is carrying Jesus in her womb. We can think of the whole of our life as a somewhat longer Advent, a time of waiting for that definitive moment when we will at last find ourselves with God forever. The christian knows that he has to live this advent beside Our Lady every day of his life if he wants to be certain of attaining the only thing in the whole of his existence that is really important–finding Christ in his life, and afterwards being with him in eternity. There is no better way of preparing for Christmas, which is now so close, than by keeping Mary company, getting to know her and deepening our love and trust in her. Mary imparts a great joy to our souls, because when we turn to her she leads us to Christ. “ VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE CHRISTMAS MASSES. ROSTER SHEETS AT THE BACK OF CHURCH. SLOVENIAN CHRISTMAS MASS Will be held in Sacred Heart Church on Saturday 27 December, at 8.30 AM. Bus of 50 Slovenians, including 3 visiting priest will be stopping in Mildura from Melbourne on the way to Adelaide. Please join us and make them welcome! Contact Jozica Gerden, 50237325. PARISH FINANCE Last week’s collections 1st Collection (support of Priests & Presbytery) $1417.55 2nd Collection $2950.15 Loose Plate $ 709.65 CHURCH/PRESBYTERY KEY REGISTER We are currently updating our Church/ Presbytery Key Register if you have a key please contact the Parish Office on 5021 2872. MONAGHAN CENTRE The Building Program is advancing at a great rate at the moment. We have had great numbers on the site working hard to get the job done before Christmas. Paving has begun around the outside, and the interior is fast approaching completion. With a bit of luck, we may be able to access the Church via the Centre by Christmas. SACRED HEART YOUTH The Christmas Party organised by the youth was a great success, despite the fact that numbers were a little disappointing. Congratulations to our young people for the hard work they put into preparing the evening. We are very grateful to a number of local businesses that supported the evening through the donation of gifts for the raffles. Well done to everybody involved. Santa Clause was extremely impressed by the beautiful sleigh created for his entrance into the hall – an extraordinary piece of workmanship! CHRISTMAS MESSAGE As we draw near to Christmas I take this opportunity on behalf of all the priests to wish the families of Sacred Heart Parish a very blessed and joy filled Christmas. For many, Christmas will be a sad occasion because of the loss of loved ones over the past year. We had more funerals this year than in my previous years in the Parish. We once again extend our sympathy to all who are still grieving these losses. We thank God for a very successful year. Much has been achieved, and The Monaghan Centre is very close to completion. I would like to thank all those who have committed themselves to this project, either through the Parish Council, the Parish Finance Committee or through the Building Committee. I have felt a lot of personal support since the time we seriously committed ourselves to this construction, for which I am very grateful. The Monaghan Centre promises to be a wonderful venue for such a variety of Parish activities, and I sincerely congratulate Marc Dixon the architect for his vision and creativity. We can be proud of our Catholic Primary Schools as we acknowledge another very successful year, and we are also extremely grateful to all who are associated with St. Joseph’s College. I thank all those people who continue to take on responsibilities for the pastoral life of our Parish Community through their commitment to various programs: Sacramental, Youth, Children’s Liturgy, and the Bereaved. In particular, I would like to mention those who visit the sick and elderly with communion. At nearly all our weekend Parish Masses we have music –indeed a wonderful blessing. The Church grounds are always neat and lovely, which serves to create a welcoming environment for all who come to share in our celebrations. Those associated with St. Vincent de Paul deserve a special mention as far as I am concerned, as well as our volunteers at the Parish Soup Kitchen. I am also grateful to the Knights of the Southern Cross for their supportive presence within the Parish. And we are very fortunate to have the Sisters of Mercy among us, providing such a credible witness to Christ’s love amongst us. Thank you to the people who continue to offer their time in the Parish Office, volunteering to assist us in a number of ways. Besides enabling us to operate more efficiently, these people bring warmth and humour to our working environment. In a special way, I would like to thank Carmel Russo, our Parish Secretary, whose dedication is noted by all. Also Margaret McDonald for her work at the Presbytery, and Gwen Hill, Mary Grivec and Paul Kerr for their valuable commitment to the duties of the sacristy. I pray you all have a happy, peaceful and joyous Christmas, and may 2015 be a year of blessings for us all. Fr. Michael McKinnon SOUP KITCHEN Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen provided a Christmas Dinner for 25 people on Monday evening. Thank you to all those who helped, and a special thank you to all the volunteers who commit themselves to this service throughout the year. Special thanks to Paula Cox for the work she continues to do in coordinating the Soup Kitchen. BISHOPS CHRISTMAS APPEAL 2014 Each year during the Christmas Masses we have a special collection called the Bishop’s Christmas Appeal. The proceeds from this collection go to a number of missionary projects which are directly supported by people associated with our Diocese. Since my time in Peru, a part of this collection has been sent to the Columban Missionary Society’s work there, especially The Shared Table. On behalf of all those who benefit from The Shared Table, I thank you for your generous support, and encourage you to give once again this year during our Christmas Masses. Fr. Michael Our Parish Schools Our Parish Vision “Our Parish is a Eucharistic Community united by our faith in Jesus Christ. We work together in the power of the Holy Spirit to spread the good news of God’s Kingdom.” Sacred Heart Primary School Principal: Des Lowry 5023 1204 St Paul’s Primary School Principal: Vince Muscatello 5023 4567 St Joseph’s Secondary College Principal: Anthony Banks 5018 8000 20th & 21st December 2014 27th & 28th December 2014 THIS WEEK’S READINGS NEXT WEEK’S READINGS First Reading: 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Resp Psalm: 88:2-5, 27, 29. R. cf. v. 2 Response: For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. Second Reading: Rom 16:25-27 Gospel: Lk 1:26-36 First Reading: Gen 15:1-6; 21:1-3 Resp Psalm: Ps 104:1-6, 8-9. R. vv. 7,8 Response: The Lord remembers his covenant for ever. Second Reading: Heb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19 Gospel: Lk 2:22, 39-40 EUCHARIST MINISTERS SATURDAY EUCHARIST MINISTERS SATURDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY 6PM 9AM 5PM 6PM 9AM 5PM 7 Ministers required 7 Ministers required 5 Ministers required 7 Ministers required 7 Ministers required 5 Ministers required Maria Cirillo Sara Visona Melanie Ransome Robert Symons Lyn Welsh Danielle Mazzini Anne-Maree Greville Barbara Bunting Bill Dolence Katy Quinlan Sheryl Pettinau Greg Johnson Margaret Sheahan Robert Tindall Jacqui Willis Jen Ditchfield Giuseppe Scopacasa Sandra Walker Courtney Symons Louise Belej Sue Hermans Margrett Gilson Maria Scopacasa Mario Zema Christine Carmichael Nancy Leonardis Volunteer please Trish McNamara Mary Grivec Josie Zema Judy Hall Elena Garreffa Morris Henderson Minda Wright Margaret McDonald Maryanne Modica Leo Kearney Johanna Bagacay MUSIC Sacred Heart Group Tongan Choir M Faingaanuku MUSIC M Hammond N Armsden Sacred Heart Group M Hammond J Macri J Macri M Faingaanuku J Ljubic ALTAR SERVERS 2 Servers required Please volunteer 2 Servers required Please volunteer ALTAR SERVERS 2 Servers required Please volunteer 2 Servers required Please volunteer READERS Tricia McNamara Cathy McErvale or 2 Servers required Please volunteer 2 Servers required Please volunteer READERS Barb Bunting Christine Carmichael Talia Faingaanuku Tony Finn Paul McErvale COUNTING TEAM 7 COUNTING TEAM 6 BRIAN BLEESER 5021 1828 JIM O’DONNELL 5021 4939 IRYMPLE - SUNDAY READER Joe Kearney EUCHARIST MINISTER Robin Hill IRYMPLE - SUNDAY READER David Nichols EUCHARIST MINISTER Ken Knight
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