MESSAGE ON THE 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER (YR A)
Friday 21ST April 2023
My dear people,
The eighth session of Alpha will start in our parish next Wednesday 26th April. As this is the eighth session, you can imagine that many of our fellow parishioners have now experienced Alpha. People who have gone through the program have always mentioned to me that they have found it to be extremely beneficial for their life of faith. Many of them have contacted me to enquire about becoming catholic and one was baptised at the Easter Vigil this year. Catholics who have attended also mentioned that it has improved their prayer life. Some of them are now in ministries and contributing to the life of the parish in ways they had never done before. Alpha speaks for itself, so give yourself the opportunity to grow in your relationship with Christ and sign up today!
29th April is the Feast Day of St Catherine of Siena, our Patron Saint. This means that it is the Feast Day of our parish. I have asked the Social Committee to organise a dinner for us to celebrate our parish Feast Day together and this will take place on 6th May. Unfortunately, the cafeteria is not available on 29th April. I take this opportunity to strongly encourage you to come to the dinner to celebrate our patronal Feast Day. There is a signup sheet in the gathering space for you to indicate your intention to attend. It will be a spit roast for the dinner and the ticket prices are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Also, to celebrate our Patronal Feast Day, we will have an event on Friday 28th April starting at 7pm. There will be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament including Vespers, and finishing with Benediction. This will be followed by some refreshments in the meeting rooms. More information about vespers here: https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgy-of-the-hours/evening-prayer.
Many of you have asked about the next parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I am pleased to announce that a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is being organised for our parish next year. It will leave on Monday 20th May 2024 and be back around 2nd June 2024. I am giving these dates early so that you can plan your holidays for next year and start saving, as will I. More information will be given in due course.
Our monthly parish BBQ will take place this Sunday at 1pm. You are all most welcome. It would be great to see many people there and we hope that those who have not attended the 12pm Mass will return for some fellowship.
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