Friday, 22 August 2014

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mersey Leven Catholic Parish



Parish PriestFr 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 Phone6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160 
FaceBook: Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Weekly Newsletter: mlcathparish.blogspot.com.au
Parish Newsletter:  mlcathparishnewsletter.blogspot.com.au
Secretary: Annie Davies/Anne Fisher
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)

 
FIRST READINGIsaiah 22:19-23
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
(R.) Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
SECOND READINGRomans 11:33-36
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION:Alleluia, alleluia! You are Peter, the rock on which I will build my Church; the gates of hell will not hold out against it. Alleluia!
 GOSPEL: Matthew 16:13-20

PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY'S GOSPEL:


I go to my place of prayer. I try to become still.
I ask to be as open, generous and courageous as I can in this prayer. I might like to:
a) read the text a few times and then enter the scene with my imagination
or b) read the text stopping where I am moved. (Lectio divina)
What tone of voice do I hear Jesus using? What do I think he wants or expects to hear? Do the responses surprise me? What might I respond when he asks me directly? And what would Jesus reply to me if I asked “And who do you say I am?”
I might like to continue the conversation. Who do I want to become? Which of my qualities might Jesus concentrate on to enable me to grow into my full potential? What role does the Lord want to offer me? Can I accept the privileges and responsibility that go with the role? Can I give others responsibility, freedom, opportunities?
What do the “keys” I have been given represent? I talk to the Lord about this.
I gently bring my prayer to an end “Glory be to the Father...


Weekday Masses 26th - 29th August, 2014
Tuesday:        9:30am   Penguin
Wednesday:    9:30am   Latrobe ... St Monica
Thursday:       12noon   Devonport ... St Augustine
Friday:           9:30am   Ulverstone ... The Passion of St John the Baptist


Next Weekend 30th & 31st August, 2014
Saturday Vigil:     6.00pm     Penguin       
                                           Devonport      
                                              
Sunday Mass:       8:30am     Port Sorell   (LWC)    
                            9:00am    Ulverstone    
                          10:30am    Devonport  
                          11:00am    Sheffield    (LWC)  
                            5:00pm    Latrobe
       

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  (In recess over winter)                                                                                                      -  Devonport (Emmaus House) Thursdays - 7:30pm
Christian Meditation   -  Devonport, Emmaus House - Wednesdays 7pm. 


Ministry Rosters 30th & 31st August, 2014
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: M Gaffney, H Lim 10.30am: K Pearce, J Phillips
Ministers of Communion: Vigil J Cox, B O'Connor, R Beaton, K Brown, P Shelverton, 
Beau Windebank
10.30am: M & B Peters, L Hollister, F Sly, B & C Schrader
Cleaners 29th August: K.S.C. 5th Sept: M.W.C.
Piety Shop 30th August: R Baker 31st August: M Doyle Flowers: M Knight, V Mahoney


Ulverstone:
Reader:  D Prior Ministers of Communion:  B Deacon, J Allen, G Douglas, K Reilly
Cleaners: K.S.C.  Flowers: M Bryan Hospitality: B O'Rourke

Penguin:
Greeters: J Garnsey, S Ewing  Commentator:  Y Downes Readers:  E Nickols, A Landers
Procession: Y & R Downes Ministers of Communion: J Garnsey, S Ewing
Liturgy:  Sulphur Creek C Setting Up: M Murray Care of Church: M Murray, E Nickols

Port Sorell:
Readers:  V Duff, G Duff  Ministers of Communion: P Anderson Clean /Prepare/Flowers: G Bellchambers, M Gillard


Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Connie Clavo, Rose Ackerley, Theda (Joan) Bates, Joy Griffiths, Nene Reyes, John Purtell, Louise Murfet, Joan Stafford, Shanon Breaden, Tom Knaap, Kieran McVeigh, Kath Smith, Jamie Griffiths, Anne Johnson, Peter Reynolds, Sarah Gill, Arlene Austria &......

Let us pray for those who have died recently: Lionel Rosevear, Nico Knaap,
David Covington, Athol Wright, Teresa Maddox, Pauline Taylor, Maureen Harris,
Nancy Padman, Enis Lord, Clarrie Byrne, Joan Jeffrey and Laurie McGuire.
               
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time:
Bernard Hensby, Jean Flight, Vincenzo De Santis, Joseph Hawkes, Michael Cassidy, Jack Page, Grace Hocking, Rita & Cyril Speers and Robert Lee.
                              
May they Rest in Peace



Readings Next Week; 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
First Reading: Jeremiah 20: 7-9 Second Reading: Romans 12: 1-2
  Gospel:   Matthew 16: 21-27   




FROM FR MIKE:

I have now joined the many in our community who have got a heavy cold and/or the flu and like all men I am now suffering from the ‘man flu’ and am about to ‘die’.

This has been another busy week with a Council of Priests Meeting in Launceston on Tuesday with some significant issues being discussed – a bit naughty to mention because I am not able to give out too much detail but one thing I can tell is that some extra priests will be working in the Archdiocese within the next month or so. 

Fr Jaison Kuzhiyil is now working in the Central Tasmania Parish and Fr Edwin Thunathil will be working in the Launceston Parish until Fr Richard returns from his touring around Australia. When the two priests from Nigeria (replacing Fr Kene & Fr Felix) arrive they will be given some time to settle into life in Tasmania before being appointed to parishes – exactly where is not yet decided.

One of the other reports was regarding our seminarians. Currently we have two students on pastoral placement in the Diocese and 5 actually studying at Corpus Christi College – so there are good signs for the future.

Please remember that there is a significant more material on the newsletter blogspot
mlcathparish.blogspot.com.au

The brain has stopped functioning and I know there are many more things that need to be here but ....

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

Fr Mike

MIGRANT AND REFUGEE SUNDAY:
This Annual acknowledgement of our heritage and social responsibility will be held next Sunday 31st August  across Australia. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Pope Francis has named its theme to be 'Towards a Better World'. A better world, he maintains, will come about only if attention is first paid to individuals; if no one is neglected, including the poor, the sick, prisoners, the needy and the stranger; if we can prove capable of leaving behind a throwaway culture and embracing a culture of encounter and acceptance.





BAPTISM:
We welcome and congratulate .....
 Phoebe Lunson & Luella Stott who are being baptised this weekend.




FAITH MINISTRY: The August edition of Faith Families is available at the back of the Church - Please take one today!



OLOL READERS:    New rosters are available from the sacristy this weekend.


CHARISMATIC RENEWAL RALLY :
Join with local Catholic Charismatic prayer groups and Ecumenical Evangelist Fr. Jack Soulsby S.M and lay Evangelist Mrs Jan Heath for Praise, Worship, Intercession, Prophecy, Teaching and Healing. Monday 25th August 2014  Sacred Heart Church, Community Room, Ulverstone, 7.30 pm. to 9.30 pm. All welcome, please bring a plate for supper. For further information contact: Devonport: Celestine 6424:2043, Zoe 6426:3073, or Michael 0447 018 068. Ulverstone: Tom 6425:2442.





MT ST VINCENT AUXILIARY: 
will be holding a cake stall at Mt St Vincent Nursing Home Friday 5th September starting at 9am. Donations of cakes, etc would be greatly appreciated. All welcome!







CWL ULVERSTONE - INVITATION:
Catholic Women’s League is an organisation who have made a difference in our Ulverstone Community since 1944. To help us celebrate our 70th birthday we invite any women of the parish and our Catholic Schools communities to join us at 11am Mass on Tuesday 2nd September  followed by lunch at the Lighthouse Hotel Ulverstone. For catering purposes or any enquiries please phone Marie Byrne 6425:5774.



MACKILLOP HILL SPIRITUALITY CENTRE:

Listening to the Universe: Living Responsively
Presented by Kateri Duke rsj    “Each individual person has the power of participating in the transformation of the whole earth … the magnitude of the earth’s adventure staggers the human imagination”. (Brian Swimme)  This day invites you to be part of this journey.  Saturday 13th September   10.00am – 3.00pm       Cost  $30.00    Bookings necessary Phone: 6428 3095 -  Email: mackillophill.forth@sosj.org.au



SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMENT:
“In 1967, and again in 2002, Australia joined with other developed nations in pledging to commit 0.7 per cent of its GNI to overseas aid. It has never achieved that goal. We believe that a rich country like Australia, whose economy is healthy by comparison with most others in the world, should show the leadership it lays claim to by making a generous commitment to an aid budget after 2015, and keeping its promise by living up to that commitment.”
From the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Social Justice Statement 2013-2014: Lazarus at our Gate: A critical moment in the fight against world poverty.


FOOTY MARGIN:  Round 21 Geelong won by 6 points. Winners: B Lee, P Barker, Charlies Angels


BINGO Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall, Devonport.  Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers for Thursday 28th August are Merv Tippett & Bruce Peters
HELP REQUIRED .....WE NEED MORE CALLERS.
If you able to assist in any way please contact the Parish Office.



Newsletter items must be received before 12 noon Thursday – thank you.


Evangelii Gaudium

‘Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to others, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.’

-          Para  127  from Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis, Nov. 24, 2013

What is eternal happiness?

‘It is the vision of God in eternal life which we are fully “partakers of the divine nature: (2Peter 1:4) of the glory of Christ and of the joy of the Trinitarian life. This happiness surpasses human capabilities. It is a supernatural and gratuitous gift of God just as is the grace which leads to it. This promised happiness confronts us with decisive moral choices concerning earthly goods and urges us to love God above all things.’

From: Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraph  362  (Catholic Enquiry Centre www.catholicenquiry.com)


Feast Days this Week


25 Aug     St Joseph Calasanz, priest  (1557 - 1648)

Saint Joseph Calasanz, founder of the first Christian public school and of the Order of the Piarist Fathers (formally known as Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum, Sch. P. or S. P., was born in Peralta de la Sal in 1557. God gave Calasanz some natural gifts and a family context which allowed him to have a long and positive Christian and cultural education. God called him to be a priest, a ministry that he practised in various curial and pastoral missions. Nine years after his ordination as a priest, he went to Rome, where he was struck by the misery of the youth in the poorest suburb of the city.
This is the context where his vocation was originated. He heard the voice of God calling him: ‘Joseph, give yourself for the poor. Teach these children and take care of them’.

25 Aug                   St Louis                        (1214-1270)
He became King of France (as Louis IX) at the age of 12. He was married and had eleven children. to whom he gave an excellent upbringing. He was noted for his spirit of prayer and penitence and for his love of the poor. He ran his kingdom not only to give peace to the people and economic stability but also for their spiritual good. He founded the Sorbonne and was a friend of St Thomas Aquinas. He was trusted by his fellow rulers in Europe and often asked to arbitrate in their disputes. He undertook two unsuccessful crusades to liberate Christ's burial place and on the second of these he died, near Carthage, in the year 1270.

27 Aug                    St Monica               (333-387)
Monica – the mother of St Augustine - was born of Christian parents in North Africa. She married a pagan, Patritius, who became a Christian before his death. As a young man, Augustine was wayward and lazy.  She followed her son to Rome and then to Milan, praying for his conversion. She was consoled with the words, ‘the child of those tears shall never perish’. In Milan, she had the joy of seeing Augustine baptized. She died at Ostia on their way back to Africa.

28 Aug          St Augustine            (354-430)
Augustine is the most significant theologian of the Patristic era and one of the most important theologians in church history. After a time of moral laxity, he was converted at the age of 33 when hearing a child's voice singing ‘Tolle lege!’  (Take up and read!), he began to read Scripture.  He made major contributions in theology in relation to God, free will, salvation, the church, and the end times.
Two of his well known reflections are:
‘Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they shall not rest until they rest in you.’
 ‘Too late have I loved you, O Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! Too late have I loved you. And behold, you were within, and I abroad, and there I searched for you. I was deformed, plunging amid those fair forms, which you have made. You were with me, but I was not with you. Things held me far from you – things which, if they were not you, were not at all. You called and shouted, and burst my deafness. You flashed and shone, and scattered my blindness. I tasted, and I hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.’

29 Aug                    Passion of St John the Baptist

Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, had John imprisoned when he denounced Herod’s adulterous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half brother Philip. John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head at the instigation of her mother. John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching. John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. From the very beginning John paves the way for Jesus. There are similarities about their birth, their work and their death. Yet, as John always insisted, he was just preparing the way for Jesus, the thongs of whose sandals he was not worthy to loosen.

Words of Wisdom – A touch of Robin Williams’ humour

This was part of a post on the Facebook page of our good friends at CathNews, shortly after the death of American actor and comedian, Robin Williams.   
‘The late Robin Williams, who has died tragically in the United States after a long battle with depression and substance abuse, was not Catholic - in fact, he used to joke that he was 'Episcopalian, which is Catholic-lite' (the Church was not spared from his parodies).
When he was once asked about the first thing he would like to hear from God if he reached the Pearly Gates, this was his reply: “There's seating near the front! The concert begins at 5, it will be Mozart, Elvis and anyone of your choosing”.’

Meme of the week

This image is taken from the Facebook page of a self-described ‘Bible Geek’. Mark Hart is man with a passion for sharing about his faith, his fatherhood and his family. The picture of him with his son is a pointer to all three, especially when you also read the post accompanying it:

‘Prayer is crawling up into the Father's arms and letting Him love you.’



TEN SECRETS TO HAPPINESS

An article by Fr Ron Rolheiser originally appearing at http://ronrolheiser.com/ten-secrets-to-
happiness/#.U_fWbvmSzAY

The past five years have seen a growth in interest in studies on human happiness. Numerous books have been published on the topic, not least Sonja Lyubomirsky's, The Myths of Happiness, which has become for many a secular bible for happiness and meaning. In a recent book, Called to Happiness, Sidney Callahan critically evaluates many of these studies. Whatever the merit of these studies, all of us nurse our own secret dream of what will bring us happiness and often that fantasy is at odds with what we know to be true at a deeper level. What will make us happy?

In a recent interview (July 29, 2014) for the Argentine weekly, Viva, Pope Francis weighs in on this topic, submitting his own "Top 10 Tips" for happiness. What are Pope Francis' tips for happiness or, as he puts it, "for bringing greater joy to one's life"?
In presenting these, I will be faithful to his captions but, because his commentary on each one was rather lengthy, I will risk synthesizing his central point in my own words:

1. Live and let live.

All of us will live longer and more happily if we stop trying to arrange other peoples' lives. Jesus challenged us not to judge but to live with the tension and let God and history make the judgments. So live we need to live by own convictions and let others do the same.

2. Be giving of yourself to others.

Happiness lies in giving ourselves away. We need to be open and generous because if we withdraw into ourselves we run the risk of becoming self-centered and no happiness will be found there since "stagnant water becomes putrid."

3. Proceed calmly.

Move with kindness, humility, and calm. These are the antithesis of anxiety and distress. Calm never causes high blood pressure. We need to make conscious efforts to never let the moment cause panic and excessive hurry. Rather be late than stressed.

4. A healthy sense of leisure.

Never lose the pleasures of art, literature, and playing with children. Remember that Jesus scandalized others with his capacity to enjoy life in all its sensuousness. We don't live by work alone, no matter how important and meaningful it might be. In heaven there will be no work, only leisure, we need to learn the art and joy of leisure not just to prepare for heaven but to enjoy some of heaven already now.

5. Sundays should be holidays.

Workers should have Sundays off because Sunday is for family.Accomplishment, productivity, and speed may not become our most valued commodities or we will begin to take everything for granted, our lives, our health, our families, our friends, those around us, and all the good things in life. That is why God gave us a commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. This is not a lifestyle suggestion, but a commandment as binding as not killing. Moreover, if we are employers, the commandment demands too that we give our employees proper Sabbath-time.

6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people.

If you want to bless a young person, don't just tell that person that he or she is wonderful. Don't just admire youthful beauty and energy. Give a young person your job! Or, at least, work actively to help him or her find meaningful work. This will both bless that young person and bring a special happiness to your own life.

7. Respect and take care of nature.

The air we breathe out is the air we will re-inhale. This is true spiritually, psychologically, and ecologically. We can't be whole and happy when Mother Earth is being stripped of her wholeness. Christ came to save the world, not just the people in the world. Our salvation, like our happiness, is tied to the way we treat the earth. It is immoral to slap another person in the face and so it is immoral too to throw our garbage into the face of Mother Earth.

8. Stop being negative.

Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. Negative thoughts feed unhappiness and a bad self-image. Positive thoughts feed happiness and healthy self-esteem.

9. Don't proselyte, respect others' beliefs.

What we cherish and put our faith into grows "by attraction, not by proselytizing." Beauty is the one thing that no one can argue with. Cherish your values, but always act towards others with graciousness, charity, and respect.

10. Work for peace.

Peace is more than the absence of war and working for peace means more than not causing disharmony. Peace, like war, must be waged actively by working for justice, equality, and an ever-wider inclusivity in terms of what makes up our family. Waging peace is the perennial struggle to stretch hearts, our own and others, to accept that in God's house there are many rooms and that all faiths, not least our own, are meant to be a house of prayer for all peoples.

Offered with apologies for whenever my own thinking replaced that of Pope Francis.






















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