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
FaceBook: Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Weekly Newsletter: mlcathparish.blogspot.com.au
Parish Newsletter: mlcathparishnewsletter.blogspot.com.au
Secretary: Annie Davies Pastoral Council Chair: Mary Davies
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)
Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm– 5.45pm)
Penguin - Saturday (5:15pm - 5:45pm)
Weekday
Masses 1st - 4th April, 2014
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: NO MASS LATROBE
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone,
Devonport
Saturday: 9.00am
Ulverstone
Next
Weekend 5th & 6th April, 2014
Saturday Vigil: 6.00pm
Penguin
Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am
Port Sorell (L.W.C.)
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5.00pm
Latrobe
Ministry Rosters 5th & 6th
April, 2014
Devonport:
Readers:
Vigil - A. MacIntyre, M Williams, C Kiely-Hoye
10.30am - E. Petts,
K Douglas, K Pearce
Ministers of Communion: Vigil - M Doyle,
M Heazlewood, S Innes , M Gerrand, P Shelverton
10.30am: B Peters,
P Bolster, F Sly, J Carter, E McLagan , B
Schrader
Cleaners: 4th April: M.W.C. 11th April G & R O'Rourke & M & R
Youd
Piety Shop: 5th April: R McBain
6th April K Hull
Ulverstone:
Reader: C McIver Cleaners: M McKenzie, M Singh, N Pearce
Ministers of Communion: C
Singline, D Griffin
Penguin:
Greeters: G Hills-Eade, B Eade Commentator: Readers: M & D
Hiscutt
Procession: Kiely Family Ministers of Communion: A Hyland, E Nickols Music: M Bowles
Liturgy: Pine Road
Port Sorell:
Readers: J Kitson, T Jeffries Ministers of Communion: L Post Clean & Prepare: B
Lee,
A Holloway
Latrobe:
Reader: Elizabeth Ministers of Communion: M Kavic, Marlow Procession: J Hyde
Music: Hermie
Your prayers are asked for the sick: Tom & Nico Knaap, Rex Bates,
Kate Singline,
Terry McKenna, Lionel Rosevear, Kieran Simpson, Tony
Becker, Geraldine & Phillip Roden, Sandy
Cowling, Nancy Richards,
Shanon Breaden, Jamie
Griffiths, Jane Dutton, Anne Johnson
& ...
Let us pray for those who have died recently: Nancye Callinan, Henry
Lizotte, Geoff McBain, Ernie Collings and William Norquay.
Let us pray for those whose
anniversary occurs about this time:
Mary
Marshall, Horace Byrne, Eileen Murfet, Beris McCarthy, Fred Harrison, Ada
May they Rest in
Peace
Eucharistic Adoration:
Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Devonport: Benediction with Adoration - first Friday of each month.
Prayer Groups:
Charismatic Renewal - Ulverstone (Community Room) Every second and fourth Monday of the month 7:30pm - Devonport (Emmaus House) Thursdays - 7:30pm
Christian Meditation - Devonport, Emmaus House - Wednesdays 7pm.
Stations of the Cross: Our Lady of Lourdes Devonport Fridays 7pm, Sacred Heart Church Fridays 7pm and 10am Tuesday's, St Joseph's Mass Centre Port Sorell Wednesdays 3pm and St Patrick's Church Latrobe Fridays 7pm.
Readings this week: First Reading 1 Samuel 16:1.6-7.10-13
Responsorial Psalm: The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14
Gospel Acclamation: Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel: John 9:1-41
Prego Reflection on todays Gospel
I read and ponder this Gospel slowly. I let it flicker and dance in my heart like a candle in a dark room. I am joyful in the Word. Through it I come into relationship with Jesus, just as the blind man comes to knowledge of the Son of Man. What part of this story touches me most and why?
I look as the blind man is sent to wash in the pool. I consider Jesus, sent by the Father to be the light of the world. I might imagine Jesus seeking me out and saying: ‘do you believe in the Son of Man?’ What would be my response? In what ways am I being sent to those overlooked by the world?
I ask for the grace to see people with the eyes of the heart and not allow myself to make judgements based on appearances. I humbly ask that my eyes be opened to the true picture of Jesus of the Gospels.
I spend some moments with the Lord, who comes to offer me a deep faith based on trust. I am grateful that he is ever willing to grace me with new ways of seeing the world as illuminated by his light.
First Reading
FROM FR MIKE:
Last weekend was an interesting time for me as I
experienced the pain of kidney stones - at the same time I was able to
experience the professionalism of the staff at the Mersey Community
Hospital
At the last Pastoral Council meeting concerns raised by a
number of parishioners were aired and it was decided that (whenever possible)
there will be a First Friday Mass at Devonport at 9.30am and a First Saturday
Mass at Ulverstone at 9.00am. This will commence this week as we enter the month
of April.
We start our month of providing the wherewithal for Gran’s
Van next Sunday evening. We still need help with all aspects of the delivery of
this wonderful service to the needy - week 1 we have 1 stew (we need 3); week 2
we have 2 stews (3 needed); week 3 (Easter Sunday) 2 stews (3 needed); and week
4 we have 1 stew (3 needed). We have a driver for 1 weekend (3 more weekends
need to be covered); 3 helpers one weekend, 2 for the other three - setting up,
cleaning up and everything else is still up in the air. Please, we are a big
Parish and this is one month in the year - I know people volunteer and help in
so many ways but this is the first big request I’ve made ... Contact the Parish
Office early this week if you can help.
Coming up on Palm Sunday (April 13th) is the 5th Tasmanian
World Youth Day March - Palm Sunday is the date chosen whenever there isn’t an
international gathering and in Tasmania
it has been a March through the streets of Hobart concluding with the 6pm Palm
Sunday Mass at the Cathedral. Details regarding bus times and costs are
included in the newsletter and on the posters in each Church and on the
website http://www.cymtas.org.au/pspbuses/
- it isn’t possible for Fr Augustine or I to be there but we would encourage
any young people to join in this great event.
This week Fr Augustine and I will be away for a day or so
in Hobart
Until next week, take care on the roads and in your homes,
Fr Mike
OUR LENTEN LITURGY IN 2014:
The entire Christian community is invited to live this
period of forty days as a pilgrimage of repentance, conversion and renewal. In
the Bible, the number forty is rich in symbolism. It recalls Israel
Our liturgy too leads us ever deeper into the paschal mystery
this Lent by:
· Use
of violet/purple vestments. Violet recalls suffering, mourning, simplicity and
austerity.
· Mass
will begin with a sung Penitential Rite, Kyrie
Eleison or Lord have mercy. On the 1st, 3rd and 5th
Sundays of Lent, the Rite of Sprinkling (Asperges) may take place after Father
has reverenced the altar. The name ‘Asperges’ comes from the first word in the
9th verse of Psalm 51 in the Latin translation, the Vulgate.
· Silence
before and after the readings and after the homily [RGIRM (2007) 45.]
· At
the breaking of the bread (the fraction rite) there will be a short reflection
before intoning the Lamb of God.
· The
absence of flowers due to the penitential nature of the season.
· The
congregation leaves the church after the singing of a brief final hymn, then
following the celebrant in respectful silence.
· There
is no Gloria or Alleluia verse (replaced by a Gospel acclamation).
·
Images
are veiled immediately before the 5th Sunday of Lent in accordance
with local custom.
PROJECT COMPASSION
Your support to Project Compassion allows
Caritas
This week we meet Martina, a teacher in
the Solomon Islands Australia 's Disaster
Risk Management project which was established after a string of natural
disasters in the Pacific that threatened the homes and communities of people
living in the Solomon
Islands
Please donate to Project Compassion today
so we can continue to educate teachers like Martina and help keep children safe during an emergency.
BAPTISM:
We welcome and congratulate...
Aleks O'Toole and Finnlan Cox
who are being baptised this weekend.
Family Ministry
Hey Kids, We
would love to see your pictures at church! All children are invited to draw a
picture of their favourite story of Jesus.
We would like to use the pictures to decorate the parish newsletter, the
churches and the overhead screens.
Please send your picture (or a colour copy) to the parish office or
email to: mlcathparish-dsl@keypoint.com.au Please include your name, age and a short
description of the picture. You will
receive a small gift for sharing your picture with us. We look forward to
receiving your pictures. From the
Family Ministry Team
KNIGHTS OF THE SOUTHERN
CROSS: meeting
Community Room Sacred Heart Ulverstone, this Sunday 30th March 2014, 6.00pm
for 6.30pm.
MACKILLOP HILL SPIRITUALITY CENTRE:
Men
& Spirituality with Drasko Dizdar:
The first
men’s gathering for 2014 will be at MacKillop Hill, Forth on Monday 31st
March, 7.30pm - 9 pm. This is an opportunity for men to gather,
share and search for the deeper meaning of their lives. All men welcome! Phone 6428:3095 Email: rsjforth@bigpond.net.au
BAPTISMAL PROGRAM:
The Mersey Leven Catholic Parish invites anyone planning a
Baptism or thinking about the Sacrament of Baptism for their child, to a one
hour preparation session. The next session is on Tuesday 1st April, 7.30pm at
Emmaus House (88 Stewart Street
CWL ULVERSTONE: Next meeting 11th April, Community
Room Sacred Heart Church Ulverstone at 2pm.
**Members will be selling raffle tickets on
Sunday 6th & 13th April after 9am Mass at Sacred Heart Church with the drawing of the raffle on
the 13th April. Tickets $1 each.
MT ST VINCENT AUXILIARY: will be holding a Cake stall at the
Mt St Vincent Nursing Home Wednesday April 16th, 9am. Come along and buy your Easter
goodies!
FOOTY MARGIN WINNERS: Round 1 (split round) Sr. Colleen Power, Toni Muir, Zilla Jones.
BINGO Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall, Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers for Thursday 3rd April are Jon Halley and Peter Bolster.
MERSEY LEVEN CATHOLIC PARISH - HOLY WEEK & EASTER CEREMONIES 2014
DEVONPORT: Our Lady of Lourdes Church
Good Friday: Commemoration of the Passion 3.00pm
Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil 7.00pm
PORT SORELL: St Joseph’s Mass Centre
Good Friday Stations of the Cross 10.00am
Easter Sunday Easter Mass 8.30am
LATROBE: St Patrick’s Church
Good Friday Stations of the Cross 11.00am
Easter Sunday Easter Mass 10.00am
SHEFFIELD: Holy Cross Church
Good Friday Stations of the Cross 11.00am
Easter Sunday Easter Mass 11.30am
ULVERSTONE: Sacred Heart Church
Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7.30pm
(Adoration till 9pm followed by Evening Prayer of the Church)
Good Friday Commemoration of the Passion 3.00pm
Easter Sunday Easter Mass 10.00am
PENGUIN: St Mary’s Church
Good Friday Stations of the Cross 11.00am
Easter Sunday Easter Mass 8.30am
Evangelii Gaudium
‘In fidelity to the
example of the Master, it is vitally important for the Church today to go forth
and preach the Gospel to all: to all places, on all occasions, without
hesitation, reluctant or fear. The joy of the Gospel is for all people; no one
can be excluded.’
Para23,
from Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium, Pope Francis, Nov. 24, 2013
The essential elements of the sacrament of Reconciliation
‘The essential elements are two:
the acts of the penitent who come to repentance through the action of the Holy
Spirit, and the absolution of the priest who in the name of Christ grants
forgiveness and determines the ways of making satisfaction.’
From: Compendium
of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraph 302 (Contributed by the Catholic
Enquiry Centre’, http://www.catholicenquiry.com)
Saint of the Week – St
Francis of Paola, hermit (Wednesday, April 2)
Francis was born at Paola ,
Italy and was educated at
the Franciscan friary of San Marco. At the age of 15, he became a hermit near Paola. In 1436, he and
two companions began a community that is considered the foundation of the Minim
Friars. Later in life, he established foundations in southern Italy and Sicily ,
and his fame was such that at the request of dying King Louis XI of France , Pope Sixtus II ordered him to France Plessis , France
Spiritual resource – Reflections on living the
eremitic life
On June 21, 2002
Abbot Luke became a hermit and lived the life in a frame building on abbey grounds for nine months, when ill
health forced him to abandon the experience. Ill health has also prevented his
resuming it. Many people have wondered what he was doing and why, so he here
gives an account of how the call came to him, what he did as a hermit, and what
its value was.
Words of Wisdom
‘God has not
called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful.’
Blessed Mother
Teresa of Calcutta
FINDING THE STRENGTH TO REACH ACROSS DIFFERENCES
Reflection by Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI
http://ronrolheiser.com/finding-the-strength-to-reach-across-differences/#.UzaGnfmSw_Z
We are rarely at our best. Too often what shows forth in our lives is not what’s best in us: love, generosity, a big heart. More often than not, our lives radiate irritation, pettiness, and a small heart.
Too often, we find ourselves consumed by petty irritations, conflicts, frustrations, and angers. Each of these might be small in itself but, cumulatively, they take the sunshine and delight out of our lives, like mosquitoes spoiling a picnic. Then, instead of feeling grateful, gracious, and magnanimous, we feel paranoid, fearful, and irritable and we end up acting out of a cold, irritated, paranoid part of ourselves rather than out of our real selves.
Why do we do that? Because we are asleep to who and what we really are, asleep in a double way:
When St. Luke describes Jesus’ agony in the garden, he tells us that after Jesus had undergone a powerful drama, sweating blood so as to give his life over in love, he turned to his disciples (who were supposed to be watching and praying with him) and found them asleep. However he uses a curious expression to describe why they were asleep. They were asleep, he says, not because they were tired and it was late, but they were asleep “out of sheer sorrow”.
That says a couple of things: First, that the disciples are asleep out of depression. Depression is what is preventing them from seeing straight. But they are also asleep to what is deepest inside of them, namely, that they carry the image and likeness of God. Jesus was not asleep to that and, because of this awareness, was able precisely to be big of heart.
As Christians we believe that what ultimately defines us and gives us our dignity is the image and likeness of God inside us. This is our deepest identity, our real self. Inside each of us there is a piece of divinity, a god or goddess, a person who carries an inviolable dignity, with a heart as big as God’s.
And that great dignity is not meant to be a source of wrongful pride and a justification for making an unhealthy assertion with our lives. Sadly, too often it does and a rather simple commentary on the state of our planet might be to say that this is what things look like when you have six billion people walking around with each one of them thinking himself or herself as God.
But our great dignity, the Imago Dei inside each of us, is meant rather to be a center from which we can draw vision, grace, and strength to act in a way that, ironically, precisely helps us to swallow our pride.
We see this in Jesus. In a famous text, St. John tells us that at the last supper, Jesus got up from the table and began to wash the feet of his disciples, against their protests. That gesture, washing someone else’s feet, has classically been preached on as an act of humility. It was that, but in the context of the Gospel of John, it is something more. It was a particular kind of humility, one that requires having a huge, huge heart and swallowing a lot of pride. When Jesus washes his disciples feet in John’s Gospel and tells us he is setting an example for us to imitate, he is inviting us to have the strength to bend down in understanding and wash the feet of those whom, for all kinds of reasons, we would rather not have anything to do with. It is akin to having Pro-Life and Pro-Choice, strident conservatives and strident liberals, fundamentalists and atheists, wash each others’ feet. Normally we don’t have the strength to do that, there is too much pride and desire for righteousness at stake.
So how could Jesus do it? He could do it because he wasn’t asleep to who and what he was. In a stunning description of what is going on inside of him when he got up and took the basin and towel to do this. John writes: “Jesus, knowing that he had come from God and was returning to God, and that the Father had put everything into his hands, got up from the table and removed his outer garments.” (John 13,3-5).
Jesus took off his outer garments (which symbolize precisely all those things, including our everyday irritations and angers, which block the view of our deeper selves) to show us his deeper reality, namely, the fact that he had come from God and was going back to God. On the strength of that awareness, he could swallow all the pride that he needed to in order to reach out in understanding, forgiveness, and love, beyond wound, irritation, and moral righteousness.
When we are in touch with that fact that we too have “come from God and are going back to God” then, and only then, can we too swallow enough pride to be genuinely loving.
