ST MARTHA’S PARISH STRATHFIELDstmarthas.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Sunday-3rd-March-2019.pdf · ST MARTHA’S PARISH STRATHFIELD Safeguarding Officer: ‘Filled with the Holy Spirit,

ST MARTHA’S PARISH STRATHFIELD

‘Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by the Spirit through the wilderness where he was tempted’

… Luke 4

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR CATHOLIC PRESS.

Copies of the Catholic Weekly $2 & Catholic Leader $2.50 are available at the Church Entrances.

GLUTEN FREE HOSTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY CELIAC PARISHIONERS. IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION PLEASE TELL THE CHURCH WARDEN OR SEE AN ACOLYTE IN THE SACRISTY PRIOR TO MASS.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

IF YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THE

FOLLOWING MINISTRIES YOU ARE

REQUIRED TO SIGN IN - ACOLYTES;

READERS; EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS; CHOIR; CHILDREN’S LITURGY

(LEADERS & CHILDREN) & SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM (LEADERS &

CHILDREN). SIGN IN FOLDERS ARE KEPT IN THE SACRISTY. THANK YOU

FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.

ALTAR SERVERS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE SACRISTY

WITHOUT A PARENT/TEACHER. THE SIGN IN FOLDER IS

LOCATED IN THE CORRIDOR OUTSIDE THE SACRISTY.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Safeguarding Office

If you or a person close to you has been abused by someone working or

ministering within the Archdiocese of Sydney we invite you to contact us.

We will listen to you respectfully, offer support and discuss the options you

have available to you. Please contact the Safeguarding and Ministerial

Integrity Office on 9390 5812.

Please be aware that if you “TAG” St Martha’s in photos on your Facebook page, the images also appear on an “unofficial” St Martha’s Facebook page. This “unofficial” page was created

automatically by Facebook and is not controlled by St Martha’s. We kindly remind you to take care when uploading photos of any

children without parent consent.

SHARING OF THE WORD The weekly meetings at St Martha’s parish hall

have recommenced on Monday evenings at

7:30pm. Everyone is welcome and we would love

to see new parishioners. All Bibles are supplied.

MASS TIMES

Tuesdays: 7.30am Wednesdays: 9.10am

Thursdays: 9.10am Fridays: 9.10am

Saturdays: 9.10am, 5pm Vigil Mass

Sundays: 8.00am; 10.00am & 6.00pm

1st Saturday of every month: 8-9am Adoration, 9am Benediction,

9.10am Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick, followed by

reconciliation

RECONCILIATION: Saturday after 9.10am Mass or by appointment.

BAPTISM:

2nd & 4th Sundays of the month at 11.00am

by appointment only. (One months’ notice is required).

Contact the Parish Office.

Next Preparation Session: 3rd March 2019 at 9.15am in Parish Hall

MARRIAGES: By appointment only.

(6 months’ notice is required).

ROSARY: Tuesday after morning Mass, Wednesday to Saturday 8.30am

and 7.30pm on Fridays in conjunction with Marian Movement of Priests Cenacle and Divine Mercy Chaplet.

LIFE ASCENDING GROUP:

Tuesday 19th

March 2019

PRAYER GROUP / ADORATION AT

ST MARTHA’S CHURCH: Monday 10.30am to 11.30am

SYDNEY MALAYEALEE ROMAN CATHOLIC

COMMUNITY

Rosary, Mass & Adoration from 6.30pm to 9pm on

the 2nd Saturday of each month. Rosary & Bible Sharing 6.30pm on

the 4th Saturday of the month

ADORATION AT SISTER DISCIPLES

OF THE DIVINE MASTER: Daily from 2.30pm-6.00pm

Ministry Coordinators and contact numbers

may be found on the Parish Website.

THE PARISH OF ST MARTHA’S ACKNOWLEDGES THE WANGUL PEOPLE AS THE TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS OF THE LAND ON WHICH THE CHURCH IS BUILT

Parish Priest: Fr Jacek (Jack) Cichy Priest in Residence: Fr Michael Milinga

Administration Coordinator: Nicolle Mazzaferro (Mon-Thurs) [email protected] Office Assistant: Elizabeth Phillips (Fridays) [email protected]

Lectors/Communion Ministry: Helen Williamson Music Ministry: Marcella Ayoub & Jane Phillips

Plenary Council 2020 Ambassador: Helena O’Neill Sacramental Coordinator: Patricia Saad (Monday & Tuesday) [email protected]

Safeguarding Officer: Dianne Dawson [email protected] Youth Ministry: Jessica Gereis [email protected]

St Martha’s School: 9764 1184 Email: [email protected]

Principal: Judy Gastin Assist Principal: Leanne Meehan

Acting REC: Angela Smith

Vision:

Welcoming

Eucharistic

Transformed by the Word

Full of Grace

Proclaiming Good News

Mission:

Alive with the Spirit

Inspired by St Martha

We Celebrate & Witness

God’s love

Using our Gifts & Talents

70 Homebush Rd Strathfield NSW 2135 Phone: 9746 6131 Fax: 9764 3040

Email: [email protected] Website: www.stmarthas.org.au

Parish Office: Mon- Fri 9.00am-3.00pm

Please continue

to support the St Vincent De Paul Society

through the Church Poor Boxes.

LENT 2019

THE SEASON OF LENT COMMENCES ON WEDNESDAY 6TH MARCH

ASH WEDNESDAY IS A DAY OF FAST AND ABSTINENCE.

6.45am Mass & Distribution of Ashes

9.10am Mass & Distribution of Ashes (with the school community)

7.30pm Mass & Distribution of Ashes

Chocolate Paschal Lambs will be available to buy for $10 each. Delivery is expected by the weekend 16th & 17th March. There will be a choice of milk chocolate or white chocolate. These Paschal Lambs make excellent symbols of the Easter Season for your family and friends. By purchasing a Chocolate Lamb you are also supporting The Michaelite Mission Priests in Papua New Guinea. Many thanks in advance for your generosity and support!

Wollongong Diocese

2019 Lenten Program

Commences on Monday 4th March from 10.30am to

11.30am in the Church.

If you would like to join the program, please leave your

contact details on the sign up sheet at the back of the

church. Thank you to Cathy Milgate and Anne Dillon

who will be running the program.

Project Compassion boxes and envelopes are now available

to take home from the foyer of the Church.

LENT 2019 WITH BRUCE DOWNES THE CATHOLIC GUY. Be inspired, Be refreshed, Be renewed! Come on a 40 day journey with me and I know this will be a powerful and prayerful Lenten journey together. Receive a video each Sunday and an inspirational email each day during Lent. This program is FREE and you can sign up here: www.TheCatholicGuy.com/Lent Call 1300 734 880 for more info.

We have received notice that Fr Jarolsav Simek will be in Australia between 1st & 31st March. Although he will be staying at Holy

Innocents’ Croydon he intends to celebrate some Masses with us at St Martha’s and information will be provided in due course. We look

forward to welcoming him soon.

Catechist helpers are urgently needed to teach Special Religious Education across

Kindergarten to Year 6 in the nearby public schools on Wednesdays between 10.30am

& 12.00pm during school terms only. Please contact the Parish Office on 9746 6131

(option 2) for more information. PLEASE NOTE: TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED AND

YOU MUST COMPLETE THE WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK AND COMPLIANCE

BEFORE PARTICIPATING IN THIS MINISTRY.

Important Diary Date: Fr Jack’s 60th Birthday celebration will be held on Sunday 8th

September. Bishop Tony Randazzo will be joining us for 10.00am Mass followed by a festivities in the school hall.

Contact: Patrick Gould

It is with much sadness that we advise of the unexpected death of former & organ player

parishioner, Di Turtle. She was laid to rest on Friday 1 March at Rose Chapel, Palmdale.

A funeral Mass will be held at St Martha’s to celebrate the life of Anne-Marie Bukland on

Tuesday 5th

March at 12.00pm.

Please keep Di, Anne-Marie and their families in your prayers during this sad time.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

The Bishop’s Blend: Looking to network

with other young Catholic professionals

and learn how to live your faith in the

workplace? Then join the Most Reverend

Bishop Richard Umbers, Auxiliary

Bishop of Sydney on Monday, 11 March

2019 at 7:00am at the Radisson Blu

Plaza Hotel Sydney for The Bishop’s Blend, a quarterly

breakfast series for young professionals. Online booking is

essential. For more information and to purchase tickets go to

https://thebishopsblendthirdedition.eventbrite.com or

contact us at [email protected]

THE NEW ROSTER IS NOW AVAILABLE

FROM THE SIDE ENTRANCE OF THE

CHURCH OR IT CAN BE ACCESSED VIA

THE PARISH WEBSITE.

Roster 9th & 10th March

VIGIL 8AM 10AM 6PM

Special Peter McCluskey Gina Surjadinata Rachel Suriano Andrew Bova

Ministers Marian McCluskey Andri Surjadinata Mark Phillips Theresa Kuk

Therese Issa

VIGIL 8AM 10AM 6PM

Readers Julie Erskine-Henness Rob Reberger Sheba Varghese Jenny O’Hehir

Camille Kafka Francis Aidoo-Mensah Merlyn D’Souza Lena Melhem

VIGIL 8AM 10AM 6PM

Altar Christian S. Thomas C. Michael S. Nathan C.

Servers Matthew A. James T. Anthony S. Volunteer Needed

Frederick S. Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed

Christian S. Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed

Wardens VIGIL 8AM 10AM 6PM

Joy Li Peter Yamin Trudie Rogers Vince Blefari

Children’s 10AM 10AM

Liturgy Anu Mendez Vinsensia Christiano

Parish Nursing Homes Masses:

Wednesday 13th March 10.00am Strathdale Nursing Home

Friday 15th March 10.00am Meredith Nursing Home

Wednesday 20th March 10.00am Jesmond Nursing Home

Friday 22nd March 10.30am Goondee Nursing Home

Wednesday 27th March 2.00pm Strathfield Gardens

Mass Intention Envelopes are available at the Church Entrances

The next Pastoral Council Meeting will be at 7.00pm on Wednesday 13th March.

St Martha’s Parish is inviting more members to

expand the Parish Pastoral Council.

Role of a Pastoral Council - A Pastoral Council consists of the Pastor together with a group

of parishioners chosen by the parish community. The Pastoral Council’s role is to promote

the Church’s mission to live and communicate the love and values of Christ in our world.

The Pastoral Council shares in the responsibility for the ongoing life and development of

the faith community, working together with parishioners to provide support for their efforts to live as followers of

Christ.

Functions of a Pastoral Council - A Pastoral Council seeks to: enrich the quality of parish life, provide opportunities for

parishioners, to grow in holiness & to discover and live out a personal and community call to mission to live as

Catholics who effectively transform society.

In order to fulfill its role, the Pastoral Council will:

search out and respond to the hopes, ideas, needs and concerns of parishioners

grow in knowledge and awareness of what is already happening in the parish

encourage and support the good work of existing groups within the parish

evaluate carefully information gathered in order to contribute towards the making of decisions that reflect the

values of the gospel and the teachings of the Church

set long-term and short-term pastoral goals for the parish

provide opportunities for parishioners to grow in their relationship with God and with each other

develop, implement & improve parish initiatives to assist parishioners’ continuing efforts to live as effective

Christians in society.

By way of explanatory note, pastoral issues, the core concern of the Parish Pastoral Council, are those that impact on

the life of parishioners in the areas of:

integration of their faith into everyday life – home, work, community.

nourishment and support of their faith as they strive to live as faithful disciples of Jesus.

outward focus for the development of an alive Christian community, actively engaged in Jesus’ mission of

service and influence in the wider world.

If you would like to be considered for this committee please write your details on the list in the Church Foyer.

MASS INTENTIONS

Recently Deceased:

Eva Sommer, Di Turtle, Anne-Marie Buckland, Peggy Smith, Imelda Gilbert, Paul Slattery, George Manuel Pillai, Dan Dillon, Maureen Keating, Moses Kelli, Giuseppina Bucciarelli & Joyce Garland.

Repose Of The Soul:

Fr Adrian Horgan, Fr Paul Ryan, Br Ray Dowding, Ken Fraser, Paul Daniel Maher, Lois Walsh, Aldo Amarino, Salvatore (Phillip) Puglisi, William (Bill) & Dorothy Starr, Roger O’Reilly, Michael & Mary Cassar, Francesco & Maria Colagiuri, Lisa Cooke, Anne Cecilia Glass, Reginald & Agnes Glass, Gerald & Frances Gleeson, Faado Herro, Elias Mounayer, Guiseppe & Romilda Reginato, Patrick & Janet Reynolds, Jim Reynolds, Ken Rich, Monica & Patrick Ryan, Stephen Maxwell Stewart, Dr Stephanie Winfield, Philip Winfield, Joseph Sahyoun, Elie Sahyoun, Dominic Wang, Maria Huang, Kim Dong Jun, Reg, Patricia & Elaine O’Neill, Anthony Lijic. Aldo, Maddalena & Enrichetta Rosso, Norman Coorey & Family, Dino Pratelli.

Anniversaries: Andrew Coote, Tom O’Rourke, Kathleen Woodland, Edmund Duggan, Mary & Paddy Fitzsimons, John Reilly, Eddie & Bridie O’Brien, Tiarnan Rafferty, Mrs P. Raju, Jim Henness, Dorothy Harris, Grace Hunt, Peter & Marie Hetherton, Dot & Dick Anglin, Harry Russo, Joseph McGannon, Richard Sullivan, Maureen Sarks & all those whose anniversaries occur at this time.

Sick Intentions: Monsignor Kerry Bayada, Gerard Wilson, Frances Spicer, Beryl Morahan, Harry & Mary Soliman, Paul Van Tho Phan, Freda Bracks, Sarina Vartulli, Minh T Hoang, Sharon Phillips, June Jessop, Ma Concepcione Cue, Mildred Azares Panes, Cedric Fernandez, Rosalinda & Gerard Ison, Alicia Pearce, Jean Broudou, Adele Di Lorenzo, David Freeland, Estelle Thurn, Br Jude Butcher cfc, Antionette & Maria, Lucy Washburn, Cristiano Missak, Rita Fragassi, Peter Starr, Valerie Bleasel, Sophia Druart, Anthony Chow, Francisca Mendoza.

Special Intentions: Members of the Fitzsimons, Rooney & Massaad Families, Peter, James Druart, Matteo & Caterina Genova, Giuseppina, Filomena Tarzia, Antonietta & Giuseppe Pagano, Teresina & Raffaela Pagano, Giuseppe Sette, Elizabetta Annetta, Peter, Teresa & Raffaele Rosso, Michelangelo, Caterina, Aldo & Raffaele Agostino. Deceased Friends, Relatives & Benefactors of the Dominican Order & the St Vincent de Paul Society & Benefactors, Holy Souls.

ON THE DANGERS OF

DEFINING OURSELVES

B Y R O N R O L H E I S E R

Given the speed and change in our world today, the oceans of information being given us by the new technologies, the

speed with which knowledge now passes through our lives, the increasing specialization and fragmentation inside higher

education, and the ever-increasing complexity of our lives, you occasionally hear someone say, usually just after offering

an opinion on something: But what do I know anyway? Good question: What do we know anyway?

On the surface this may sound humble and, if sincere, does depict a certain humility; but this kind of admission has a sad

underside: What do I know anyway? Indeed, what can we know amongst all the complexity and sophistication of our

world?

Well, we can know our own light, our own moral center, our own heart, our own mystical center. Ultimately we can know

what’s most real and most precious to us and this is the most important knowledge of all. We can know what’s ultimately

important. Next to the inchoate knowledge we have of God, knowledge of our own light, of our own moral center, is the

most important thing we will ever know. Indeed knowing our own center is intimately intertwined with knowing God.

This is something we need to highlight today because so many forces around us and inside us conspire to deflect us from

being awake to and attentive to our own deepest center, that is, from being in touch with who we really are. When we’re

honest we admit how difficult it is to be genuinely sincere and how difficult it is for us to act out of our real center rather

than acting out of ideology, popular opinion, fashion, fad, or out of some prefabricated concept of ourselves that we’ve

ingested from others around us. Often our attitudes and actions do not really reflect who we are. Rather they reflect who are

friends are, the newspapers and websites we’ve read recently, and what newscasts and talks shows draw our attention.

Likewise we often understand ourselves more by a persona that was handed to us by our family, our classmates, our

colleagues, or our friends than by the reality that’s deepest inside us. Beginning from on infancy we ingest various notions

of who we are: “You’re the bright one! You’re the stupid one! You’re a rebel! You’re timid! You’re selfish! You’re afraid?

You’re slow! You’ve got a quick mind. You’re a loser! You’re bad! You’re good! You’re destined for higher things!

You’ll be a failure!”

And so the challenge is to be more attuned to our own light, to our own moral center, to be more in touch with what’s

ultimately most real and most precious to us. No small part of that is the challenge to resist self-definition, to not picture

ourselves and act out of an image we’ve ingested of ourselves as a the bright one, the stupid one, the rebel, the timid one,

the selfish one, the generous one, the bad one, the good one, the successful one, the failure, the one who needs to say: “But

what do I know anyway?” What’s the price we pay for doing that?

First, both our compassion and our indignation then become prescribed and selective. We will praise certain people and

things and be incensed by other people and other things not because these speak to or speak against what’s most precious

inside us, but because they speak to or against our image of ourselves. When that happens we not only lose our real selves

we also lose our individuality. Ideology, popular opinion, fashion, fad, group-think, and hype, ironically, bury us into a sea

of anonymity. In Rene Girard’s words: In our desire to be different we all inevitably end up in the same ditch! One needs

only to look at any popular fad, such as wearing a baseball cap backwards, to see the truth of this.

How might we healthily define ourselves in a way that doesn’t deflect us from being awake to our own light? What kind of

self-definition might help free us from ideology? How might we think of ourselves in a way so that image of ourselves that

we ingested in childhood might no longer hold us captive in adulthood so that we are strong and healthy enough to not let,

as William Stafford says, a simple shrug or a small betrayal break our fragile health and send the horrible errors of

childhood storming out to play through the broken dykes?

There’s no easy answer, but here’s a suggestion: Early on in his ministry, when people were still trying to figure out who he

was, they came to John the Baptist and asked him to define himself: “Who are you? They asked: “Are you the Christ? Are

you Elijah? Are you a prophet?” John replied that he was none of these. “Who are you then?” they persisted. John’s

answer: I am a voice crying out in the wilderness! Just that, no more!

Now that’s a healthy self-image and a true humility, with no sad underside.

Plenary Council

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost. Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.

O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia

and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.

Give us the grace to see your face in one another

and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.

Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.

Give us ears to listen humbly to each other

and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.

Lead your Church into a hope-filled future, that we may live the joy of the Gospel.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey

from age to age. Amen.

Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.

St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.

Wednesday 6th March - Ash Wednesday - is the

last day to send submissions into the Plenary

Council 2020.

Tell your story.

Share your experience of faith lived in the

Church in Australia.

At

plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/resources/have

your say.