Fr Richard’s Message ON THE 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YR A)
Friday 27th January
My dear people,
I am very pleased to sit at my desk in order to write to you again. While I enjoyed the few weeks’ break from it, I must say that, since it is the principal way in which I communicate with you about parish matters, it is great that we are back at our lives for this year. For my first weekly message of the year, I want to wish you all the very best for the year ahead. I do pray that all your hopes, desires and endeavours for this year will come to fruition and that you will achieve all you seek to achieve this year. I also hope that at the level of the parish, we will continue to move ahead in terms of missionary renewal.
I hope that the month of January has been relaxing and restful enabling you to recharge your batteries for the year ahead. I hope that the celebration of Christmas was also a great way to come together with our families and enjoy each other’s company. I know it was for me. I was fortunate to go to have week off in Mount Eliza for the first week of January. I found that time to be very restful.
Today, I will be celebrating Mass with the teachers of our two primary schools. This is the way in which we formally start the year with the teachers. Fr Joel and I will celebrate Masses in each of the two primary schools in the next few weeks to start off the year with the students also. Several priests of the area are celebrating Mass with the staff of CRC CS and then with the students also. These are a telling sign that the routines of daily life are about to resume.
Nimmi has prepared a survey which we hope will assist us in deepening our faith and strengthening our parish community. Please complete this survey to help us understand ways in which we can grow as a missionary parish, and in our own individual spirituality, so that in becoming better Catholics, we can better present Christ to others. I strongly encourage you to take the time required to fill out the survey as it will enable us to hear your thoughts and opinions. The survey will be sent out next week by email to those on the weekly message mailing list. Hard copies will also be available at all Masses.
We will resume Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the first Friday of February, which will be on the 3rd February. We will begin with Mass at 7:00pm and this will be immediately followed by prayers for the Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There will be a period of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrament of Confession will also be available at that time.
Our parish playgroup, for pre-school children and their carers, will start again on the 9th February. A reminder that the group meets every week on Thursday at 10:30am for one and a half hours in the church meeting rooms.
We continue turning to our patron saint and we ask for her intercession.
St Catherine of Siena, Pray for us.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Fr Richard Rosse PP