Presentation of the Lord (2nd February, 2014)

Mersey Leven Catholic Parish

Parish Priest:  Fr Mike Delaney   mob: 0417 279 437; email: mike.delaney@catholicpriest.org.au

Assistant Priest:  Fr Augustine Ezenwelu  mob: 0470 576 857

Postal Address: PO Box 362, Devonport 7310

Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street, Devonport 7310 

Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm

Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160 

Email: mlcathparish-dsl@keypoint.com.au 

FaceBook: Mersey Leven Catholic Parish

Newsletter: mlcathparish.blogspot.com.au

Secretary: Annie Davies   

Pastoral Council Chair:  Mary Davies

Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au  for news, information and details of other Parishes.

Our Parish Sacramental Life

Baptism: arrangements are made by contacting Parish Office. 

Parents attend a Baptismal Preparation Session on first Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October and December. 

Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist: Are received following a Family–centred, Parish-based, School-supported Preparation Program.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: prepares adults for reception into the Catholic community.

Marriage: arrangements are made by contacting one of our priests - couples attend a pre-marriage Program

Anointing of the Sick: please contact one of our priests

Reconciliation:  Ulverstone - Fridays (10am - 10:30am)

                         Devonport -  Saturday (5:15pm– 5.45pm)

                         Penguin    -  Saturday (5:15pm - 5:45pm)

Scripture Readings: The Presentation of the Lord - Year A

FIRST READING: Malachi 3:1-4

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (R.) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
SECOND READING:  Hebrews 2:14-18
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia!This is the light of revelation to the nations, 
and the glory of your people Israel. Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Luke 2:22-40

Next Week: 5th Sunday of the Year - Year A

FIRST READING: Isaiah 58:7-10

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (R.) A light rises in the darkness for the upright
SECOND READING:  1 Corinthians 2:1-5
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia!I am the light of the world, says the Lord; the man who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Matthew 5:13-16

Masses Next Weekend: 8th - 9th February, 2014

Saturday Vigil:     6.00pm    Penguin

                                        Devonport 

           

Sunday Mass:      8:30am    Port Sorell   

                          9:00am     Ulverstone

                        10:30am     Devonport

                        11:00am     Sheffield     L.W.C.

                         5:00pm     Latrobe

Masses This Week:  3rd - 7th February 2014

Monday             No Mass

Tuesday            9.30am - Penguin

Wednesday       9.30am - Latrobe

Thursday          12noon - Devonport & 7.30pm - Penguin (Healing Mass)

Friday              9.30am - Ulverstone

Ministry Rosters 8th & 9th February, 2014

Devonport:

Readers: Vigil:  P Douglas, T Douglas, M Knight  10.30am: E Petts, K Douglas, K Pearce

Ministers of Communion: Vigil – B & B Windebank, T Bird, J Kelly, T Muir, Beau Windebank

10.30am: J DiPietro, S Riley, B Schrader, F Sly, M Mahoney, M Sherriff Cleaners 8th Feb: M.W.C. 

14th Feb: K Hull, I Hunter, F Stevens  Flowers: J Cox, S O'Rourke Piety Shop 8th Feb: H Thompson 9th Feb: C Schrader

Ulverstone:

Reader:  B O'Rourke Cleaners: B & V McCall, G Doyle  Flowers: M Bryan

Ministers of Communion: E Standring, M Fennell, E & K Reilly  Hospitality: Filipino Community

Penguin:

Greeters: J & T Kiely Commentator: M Kenney  Readers: T Clayton, A Guest

Procession: M & D Hiscutt  Ministers of Communion: A Hyland, E Nickols  Music: M Bowles

Liturgy: Pine Road Setting Up: A Landers Care of Church: G Hills - B Eade, A Landers

Port Sorell:

Readers:  M Badcock, G Duff  Ministers of Communion: B Lee, V Duff  Clean/Flow & Prepare: G Bellchambers, M Gillard

Eucharistic Adoration:

Devonport:  Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus (starting again 31st January)

Devonport: Benediction with Adoration - first Friday of each Month.

Ulverstone:  First Friday 11.45am-12.45pm and Third Sunday  5pm – 6pm.

Prayer Groups: 

Charismatic Renewal - Ulverstone (Community Room) Every second and fourth Monday of the month 7:30pm - (in recession until Monday 10th February, 2014

                              - Devonport (Emmaus House) Thursdays - 7:30pm - (in recession until Thursday 30th January, 2014.)

Christian Meditation   - Devonport, Emmaus House - Wednesdays 7pm. Recommencing Wednesday 5th February, 2014.

Your prayers are asked for the sick:  

Laura Vella, Kieran Simpson, Sandy Cowling, Maria Karajovanova, Shanon Breaden, Glen Clark, Jamie Griffiths, Jane Dutton and Anne Johnson.

Let us pray for those who have died recently:

Sheila Bourke, Sheila Poole, Phil Green, Pat Lewis, Gerry Doyle, Benjamin Petts and Jim Woodhouse.

                                   

Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time:

Trevor Delaney, Thomas Kelly, Nicola Tenaglia,  Frank Meagher, Joan Nolan, Basil Cassidy, Darrell Smith, Betty Hodgson, Sylvia Strange, David Rutherford, Verna Crabtree and Harold Hawkes.

May they Rest in Peace

FROM FR MIKE:

Welcome to my first contribution to the weekly (printed) newsletter. Last Wednesday (29th) marked the end of month 1 of (at least – I hope) 120 months that I will be here in the Mersey-Leven Parish. It has been a little quiet

because of the school holidays but busy in the sense of getting to know what happens and when. Hopefully, this has been with as little disruption to normal programming as possible.

In the course of the month I have been to every Mass Centre a couple of times, have celebrated a Baptism and several funerals and have visited a number of the Nursing Homes as well as the Mersey Community Hospital. I’ve also managed to visit a few people in their homes and attended quite a number of meetings – thank God January is the quiet month!!

In the next few weeks we will be commencing our Sacramental Preparation Program for 2014. A small group has met to look at what we are going to do and more information will be available in the next few weeks. This is an important part of the life of the Parish and so I would hope that we will be able to further develop existing programs to support couples preparing for Marriage as well as families presenting their children for Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist.

Older parishioners and those who are sick are not being forgotten either – as well as Charismatic Renewal Masses we will be celebrating Masses during which we will also celebrate the Anointing of the Sick on a regular basis. Masses in the Aged Cared Facilities within the Parish will also be celebrated on a regular basis.

Most of the things above are already happening so I’m not telling you as parishioners anything new – I’m hopefully saying that these are important things that I would like to see further developed and supported and, with Fr Augustine, a source of hope and faith in our Parish Community.

Like communities everywhere there are differences between each of our Mass Centres in style, personality and make-up so another of my hopes is that we further build on what it means to be the Mersey-Leven Parish. My little contribution to this process is to invite all parishioners to the Parish House, 90 Stewart St, Devonport on Friday, 7th February from 7pm for a meet and greet. For me it is a chance to say hi in a less formal way and, perhaps, an opportunity to build greater links within the wider Parish community. If you drink something other than wine or soft drink then it is BYO – otherwise just come and enjoy a ‘good night’.

Arvy Pisarskis was the clever person who determined why September 15th was important and my suggestion for an Australian Day Celebration. It was the day for the opening of the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when all  aspects of Australian culture were celebrated from the Dreamtime to the present. He chose a cherry ripe as his prize.

Until next week, take care on the roads and in your homes,

Fr Mike

BAPTISM:

Baptismal preparation sessions are held at Emmaus House, Devonport from 7.30 – 8.30pm on the first Tuesday of February, April, June, August, October and December. These sessions are for any families who are thinking of baptism as well as those who have booked a date.

The next Baptism Preparation Session will be Tuesday 4th February, Emmaus House – 88 Stewart Street, Devonport at 7:30pm.

CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL: are sponsoring a HEALING MASS with Fr Michael Delaney at St Mary’s Catholic Church Penguin Thursday 6th February 2014, commencing at 7.30pm.

All denominations are welcome to come and celebrate the liturgy in a vibrant and dynamic way using charismatic praise and worship, with the gifts of tongues, prophecy, and healing. After Mass, teams will be available for individual prayer. Please bring a friend and a plate for supper and fellowship in the adjacent hall.

If you wish to know more or require local transport, please contact Celestine Whiteley 6424:2043, Michael Gaffney 0447 018 068 Devonport, Zoe Smith Latrobe 6426 3073, Tom Knaap Ulverstone 6425.2442.

MACKILLOP HILL:

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION:

Do you seek a regular short time of silent prayer to help you get through your day/week? If so, you may like to join a small group of people in our parish who are committed to the form of prayer known as Christian Meditation.  This prayer is based on Scripture (such as Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God) and follows the teachings of John Main osb (www.wccm.org.au). It is about experiencing the presence of God at the centre of our being. 

Where?  Emmaus House, 88 Stewart St, Devonport

When?  Every Wednesday - beginning 5th February from 7pm - 8pm no booking required

What do you do?  We have a short reading or listen to a talk on Christian Meditation, then we spend 30 minutes in silent prayer and conclude with a prayer or song (usually about 45 minutes in total)

Why not come along and experience this form of prayer?  All welcome.    Sr Carmel

WOMEN & SPIRITUALITY:

Resumes  Tuesday  11^th February  7.30pm - 9.30pm -  Enquiries:  Josephine Kelly  Phone 6424:4633

LITURGY PLANNING FOR LENT/EASTER:

The season of Lent is rapidly approaching and our liturgical preparation will commence in earnest. A meeting to assist us in our preparation for Lent/Easter will be held Sunday 9th February 2pm at Emmaus House, 88 Stewart Street, Devonport. All are welcome! Contact Peter Douglas 0419 302 435.

SACRAMENTAL ROGRAM:

Families with children in Grade 3 or above are invited to participate in our family-centred, parish-based and school-supported Sacramental Program to prepare to celebrate the sacraments of RECONCILIATION, CONFIRMATION AND EUCHARIST in April and June next year.

Information Sessions to explain the preparation program will be held on: Monday 24th February 7.00pm at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Stewart Street, Devonport or Tuesday 25th February 7.00pm  at Sacred Heart Church, Alexandra Road, Ulverstone.

For further information, please contact the Parish Office (6424 2783) or mlcathparish-dsl@keypoint.com.au

RELOCATION OF THE BELL PETER:

You are aware that planning is underway for the relocation of the Bell Peter to the grounds of Sacred Heart Church. As part of the installation a History Board is being developed and will be situated adjacent to the new bell tower. Thanks to the input of parishioners to date this summary has been developed.

Some copies of the text of the proposed history are available at the rear of the church. Please make the time to read it for historical accuracy and to see whether any significant milestone regarding the bell has been omitted.

Please return any suggestions to Carey McIver or Jeff Cox for consideration in finalising the content of the History Board no later than March 9th 2014.

“As a nation, Australia should ensure that its agricultural trade policies are formulated on the basis of the ‘right to food’. Trade agreements that we make with other countries must be focused on the needs of the poorest and ensure that small farmers are able to obtain fair prices for what they produce. Access to land and land tenure, fair market structures, information on market prices, equitable savings and lending services, and agricultural and crop storage techniques are among the critical underlying issues faced by farmers in poorer areas of the world.”

From the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Social Justice Statement 2013-2014: Lazarus at our Gate: A critical moment in the fight against world poverty.

BINGO:   

Come along and have some fun with BINGO Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall, Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!  

Callers for Thursday 6th February are Jon Halley and Peter Bolster.

EVANGELII GAUDIUM

‘The Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a higher plane, but with no less intensity: Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others’.

Para 10, from Apostolic Exhortation Evangeli Gaudium, Pope Francis, Nov. 24, 2013

EUCHARIST IS A 'PLEDGE OF FUTURE GLORY 

 The Eucharist is a pledge of future glory because it fills us with every grace and heavenly blessing. It fortifies us for our pilgrimage in this life and makes us long for eternal life. It unites us already to Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, to Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, to the Church in heaven and to the Blessed Virgin and all the saints.

From: Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraph 294

Prepared/contributed by the Catholic Enquiry Centre http://www.catholicenquiry.com

SAINT OF THE WEEK

St Agatha – February 5

Those of your parishioners who have experienced breast cancer, or who know someone that has, might be interested to know that one of the saints who has a feast day this week is the patron saint for breast cancer patients. St Agatha, who hailed from Sicily, is also the Patron Saint for bakers, wet nurses and the country of Malta.