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/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)
Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm– 5.45pm)
Penguin - Saturday (5:15pm - 5:45pm)
Scripture Readings
FIRST READING
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: (R.) The Lord is
near to all who call him.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Alleluia, alleluia! Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son. Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Matthew 20:1-16
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY'S GOSPEL:
I take time to become familiar with this parable, which
Jesus is using to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. It may help my prayer to
consider with whom I most readily identify in this challenging situation.
When I am ready, I enter the scene in prayerful imagination
watching the day draw on from dawn to dusk and feeling the temperature rise
from a comfortable coolness to an energy sapping heat.
Where do I want to be; am I drawn to stand on the
side-lines observing - maybe join those who have laboured all day - perhaps be
with those who were called at the eleventh hour - or do I prefer to stand with
the bailiff and the landowner? .........................
I see that many are called to work in the vineyard, some
for a short period of time and some for longer as the landowner chooses.
At the end of the day the bailiff pays each worker
according to his master’s instructions. The outcome is not what was expected; I
see the discontent this causes for those who have laboured all day...how do I
feel about this, do I see the master’s decision as just or do I also challenge
it?.....................................
I try to deepen my prayer to ponder what this means to me...have
I been tempted to equate God’s love for his people as something that can be
earned or deserved only by long service, do I envy the ‘late comers’? I speak
to Jesus of what is in my heart, I quietly listen to his voice in the
stillness.
In the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy
Spirit Amen I finish my prayer by glorifying God, Glory be to the Father ….
Weekday
Masses 23rd - 26th September, 2014
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin ...St Pius of Pietrelcina
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 12noon Devonport ... Mass for deceased members
of St Vincent de Paul
Friday: 9:30am
Ulverstone
Next
Weekend 27th & 28th September, 2014
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin & Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell,
9:00am Ulverstone,
10:30am Devonport,
9:00am Ulverstone,
10:30am Devonport,
11:00am Sheffield (LWC),
5:00pm Latrobe
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 - Devonport (Emmaus House) Thursdays - 7:30pm
Christian Meditation - Devonport, Emmaus House - Wednesdays 7pm.
Ministry Rosters 27th &
28th September, 2014
Devonport:
Readers:
Vigil: M Gaffney, M Gerrand, H Lim 10.30am: A
Hughes, T Barrientos, C Morriss
Ministers of Communion:
Vigil M
Heazlewood, B&J Suckling, G Lee-Archer, M Kelly, T Muir
10.30am: G Taylor,
M Sherriff, T&S Ryan, M&B Peters
Cleaners 26th Sept: B Bailey, A Harrison, M Greenhill 3rd Oct: M.W.C
Piety Shop 27th Sept: H Thompson 28th Sept: M Doyle Flowers: M Knight, V Mahoney
Ulverstone:
Reader: B O'Rourke Ministers of Communion: M Murray, C McIver, J McIver, J Pisarskis
Cleaners: G&M
Seen, C Roberts Flowers: E Beard Hospitality: M McLaren
Penguin:
Greeters: G Hills-Eade, B Eade Commentator: M Kenny
Readers:
M Murray, E Standring Procession: M & D Hiscutt
Ministers of Communion: A Guest, J Barker 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: B
Lee, A Holloway
Latrobe:
Reader: P Marlow Ministers of Communion: Z Smith Procession: I Campbell
Nene Reyes, John Purtell, Louise Murfet,Joan Stafford, Shanon Breaden, Tom
Knaap, Kath Smith, Jamie Griffiths, Anne Johnson, Arlene Austria &.....
Let us pray for those who
have died recently:
Margaret Scanlon, David Windridge, Br Tony Smith, Shirley Ranson, Ted McCarthy, Joan
Scully, Russell Foster, John Kopplemann, Terence Doody, Marion Roberts, Allan
Horton, Robert Sheehan, Kathryn McLennan and Laurie
McGuire.
Let us pray
for those whose anniversary occurs about this time:
Peg McKenna, Mike Downie, Phyliss Arrowsmith, Harry Desmond,
Shiela Mathew and
Joan Chettle.
May they rest in peace
First Reading
Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
Baptism
We welcome and congratulate Hudson Radunz
who is being baptised this weekend.
FROM FR MIKE:
One of the things that I have heard parishioners speak
about frequently during my 39 years of Priesthood is how often people are
frustrated when papers/documents are presented and they have been asked to
comment (and they spend time reading and commenting) and then the
paper/document disappears and nothing happens.
In June Archbishop Julian asked if parishes would discuss a
document ‘START AFRESH FROM CHRIST - A Pastoral Vision for the Archdiocese of
Hobart’ which he had prepared as his reflection on the future. At the time I
mentioned to the Archbishop (and later to the Parish Pastoral Council) that our
Parish had been working for some time on our own Pastoral Plan and I felt that
we needed to continue working on that document in order to be fair and honest
to the many people who had contributed to what was a significant plan.
The Archbishop accepted my comment and asked if there might
be some comment from members of the Pastoral Council to add to the Diocesan
comments. I might add that there were several parishes who said that the
contribution they would be making would also be comments by their Pastoral
Councils only so I didn’t feel as if we (our Parish or region) would be
disadvantaged in any way.
I know that some parishioners might feel as I made ‘an executive’
decision but, as I mentioned above, I didn’t want the positive work done by
members of our Parish in preparing the Draft Pastoral Plan and the efforts of
those parishioners who have made comments about it to be disregarded as we move
forward as a Parish. Thank you to all who have already done so and we hope that
others will contribute before the end of the month.
If anyone wishes to have a copy of the Archbishop’s
Document then they are available from the Parish Office and they are also free
to make any response to the Archbishop as an individual, family or ad hoc
group.
Last Wednesday a
successful planning meeting for the MenAlive Weekend (15/16th Nov) was held in
the Parish House. There will be a great deal more info regarding the weekend in
the coming weeks but at the moment, I am asking that you simply note the dates
and, also, that you pray that this will be a successful weekend for our Parish.
Next weekend (Grand Final Weekend) the 2014 Social Justice
Sunday document is being presented. The title for this year’s reflection is A
Crown For Australia – Striving for the best in our sporting nation. There are some copies available as hard copies
– the document is also available online at http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/
and clicking on the link.
Until next week, take care on the roads and in your homes,
Fr Mike
SICK AND RETIRED PRIESTS FUND APPEAL - THIS SUNDAY:
The fund began in January 1948 and was set up to ensure
that all diocesan priests incardinated into the Archdiocese of Hobart would
receive adequate material and financial care when they retire or should a
priest become sick. Each year an annual appeal is launched throughout the
Archdiocese of Hobart appealing to Parishioners to please give generously, so
that the Sick and Aged Priest's Fund can continue to provide material and
financial assistance to all sick and retired priests. At the present moment we
have a total of fourteen priests who are no longer involved in active ministry
due to health and ageing issues. The Sick and Aged Priest's Fund supports these
priests, meeting some of their medical, accommodation and other incidental
expenses.
Please give generously to this annual Appeal so that those
priests who have laboured in the Archdiocese of Hobart can be cared and
provided for in their declining years - Giving envelopes for this appeal can be
found on Church pews - Thank you!
SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY;
We
celebrate Social Justice Sunday on 28 September. This year’s Social
Justice Statement is titled: ‘A Crown for Australia
The
Statement celebrates the place of sport in our national life, especially
the way in which it brings individuals and communities together and contributes
to our health and wellbeing. At the same time, the Statement challenges to look
at sport’s darker side – the potential for violence, abuse and corruption that
blemish its image and disillusion those who love it most.
For
further details about the Social Justice Statement, visit the Australian
Catholic Social Justice Council website (http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au).
MACKILLOP HILL:
SPIRITUALITY IN THE COFFEE SHOPPE: Monday 22nd September 10:30am -
12noon Come along...share your issues and enjoy a lively discussion
over morning tea! Phone 6428:3095 email mackillophill.forth@sosj.org.au
MACKILLOP HILL - FOUNDATION COMMITTEE: meeting MacKillop Hill, Thursday
25th September at 10am. Everyone welcome!
JESUS: A FRESH LOOK AT THE GOSPEL CALL: Presented by Clare Kiely-Hoye. “There was fire in Jesus’ heart. He knew what he wanted to do: he would bring
fire to the earth.” (Jose A Pagola). This programme is being offered twice: Wednesday
8th October 10.30am – 12 noon Thursday 9th October 7.30 – 9pm.
Cost $15.00 Bookings necessary Phone: 6428 3095 Email: mackillophill.forth@sosj.org.au
ST MARY'S CHURCH PENGUIN:
Saturday 27th September St Mary's Penguin is having a Soup
and Sandwich night after Mass. Wear your footy
colours if you wish as it is Grand Final day - celebrate or commiserate! All
welcome.
PASTORAL
COUNCIL DRAFT PLAN:
Responses to the draft plan need to be at the Parish
office, either delivered, placed on the plate or sent by email by the end of
September. If you have not yet seen the
draft, it can be accessed on Blogspot mlcathparishplan.blogspot.com.au or you
can obtain a hard copy from the Parish office.
VINNIES: If you are looking to fill in a few
hours volunteering, Vinnies Shops would welcome you at our local Vinnies
stores. Please contact TONI on 6427:7100 or call into Vinnies Ulverstone,
Penguin, Latrobe, Devonport, East Devonport .
SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMENT:
“As Australians – individuals, communities and a nation –
let us strive to bridge the chasm of inequity, injustice and conflict in our
world. That is the goal that we work towards, one that we pray for God’s help
to bring about.
God is waiting for us in the lives of our poorest brothers
and sisters. Who is at our gate?”
From the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Social Justice
Statement 2013-2014: Lazarus at our Gate: A critical moment in the fight
against world poverty.
COLUMBAN CALENDARS: The 2015 Columban Art Calendar is now
available from the Piety Shop's at OLOL
Church and Sacred Heart
Church Mission
FOOTY MARGIN TICKETS:
Hurry,
hurry, hurry it's your last weekend to purchase $2.00 footy margin tickets.
GRAND FINAL TICKETS:
$10.00
tickets – hurry and get yours today!
The winner of the $10 tickets will receive $500.00
and the holder of the ticket with the number either side of the winning number $100.00. The $10.00 tickets are only available from
Devonport and Ulverstone or Mary Webb 6425:2781.
FOOTY MARGIN: Second Final held Friday 12th Sept Kangaroos won by 6
points
Winners: V Webb, R Wright
BINGO Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall, Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers for Thursday 25th September are Tony
Ryan and Merv Tippett.
SAINTS OF THE WEEK:
Sept 21 St
Matthew, Apostle
Matthew, also known as Levi and son of Alphaeus, was a
Galilean. A tax-gatherer at Capernaum
Sept 23
St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
1887-1968
Born to a southern Italian farm family, he became a
Capuchin friar and was ordained in 1910. While praying before a cross, he
received the stigmata in 1918, the first priest ever to be so blessed. As word
spread, the priest himself became a point of pilgrimage for both the pious and
the curious. He would hear confessions by the hour, reportedly able to read the
consciences of those who held back. It is also reported that he was able to
bi-locate, levitate, and heal by touch. He founded the House for the Relief of
Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920's, he
started a series of prayer groups that continue today with more than 400,000
members worldwide. He was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 2002. On June 21,
2009 Pope Benedict visited the tomb of St Padre Pio and spoke of him as an
ideal model for priests to follow.
Sept 27 St Vincent de Paul c.1581-1660
Born to a peasant family in NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
Feast of St. Therese of
the Child Jesus: Wednesday 1st October, Carmelite Monastery, 7 Cambridge Street Mass.
Evangelii Gaudium
“The study of the sacred
Scriptures must be a door opened to every believer. It is essential that the
revealed word radically enrich our catechesis and all our efforts to pass on
the faith. Evangelization demands familiarity with God’s word, which calls for
dioceses, parishes and Catholic associations to provide for a serious, ongoing
study of the Bible, while encouraging its prayerful individual and communal
reading.”
-
Para
175 from Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis, Nov. 24, 2013
A
will to shape the future
Part of the Catholic tradition
is supporting organisations, or ministries, that support those in need. For the
next few weeks, Bulletin Notes, will
offer information on a range of causes that could be (perhaps even should be?)
on the hearts and minds of all Catholics as they consider what legacy they will
leave for future generations. The focus of this section will be encourage
discussion and dialogue around the importance of having a will prepared and the
idea of leaving a bequest to any of the Catholic charities mentioned.
This
week, the focus is on the St Vincent de Paul Society. Its website says that “a
bequest to the Society makes lasting positive change” and is a “powerful
reflection of the values and principles you treasure.”
Perhaps
include the link below in either your parish PowerPoint or drop it into your
parish newsletter, with any of the above text.
Words
of Wisdom – St Thomas Aquinas
“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized
than true friendship.”
Meme of the week
Excuse
the dorky looking guy but I think that’s kind of the point of this meme. It’s
not that being a Catholic is geeky but it does have its own culture and traits
and these, to an outsider, can be somewhat, awkward and unusual. There is a
series so keep an eye out for them.
ON HOW WE REACT TO CRITICISM AND OPPOSITION
An article by Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. The original can
be found at http://ronrolheiser.com/on-how-we-react-to-criticism-and-opposition/#.VBthzvmSzAY
Have you ever noted how we spontaneously react to a
perceived threat? Faced with a threat, our primal instincts tend to take over
and we instantly freeze over and begin to shut all the doors opening to warmth,
gentleness, and empathy inside us.
That’s a natural
reaction, deeply rooted inside our nature. Biologists tell us that, whenever we
perceive something or someone as threatening us, paranoia instinctually arises
inside us and has the effect of driving us back towards a more primitive place
inside our bodies, namely, the reptile part our brain, that remnant still
inside us from our evolutionary origins millions of years ago. And reptiles are
cold-blooded. So too, it seems, are we when we’re threatened.
This, I believe,
helps explain much of the paranoia and violence in our world today as well as
the bitter rhetoric that, almost universally, is blocking any real possibility
of meaningful discussion apposite our tensions today within politics,
economics, and our churches.
We live in a
bitterly polarized world. All of us recognize this, and all of us see a
lot of cold-bloodedness inside world politics, inside the politics within our
own countries and communities, and, sadly, not least, inside our churches. What
we see in nearly every discussion today where there is disagreement is a cold,
hard rhetoric that is not really open to genuine dialogue and is, invariably,
the antithesis of charity, graciousness, and respect. What we see instead is
paranoia, demonization of those who disagree with us, ridicule of our
opponents’ sincerity and values, and blind self-defensiveness.
Moreover this
bitterness and disrespect, so contrary to all that’s in the Gospels and to all
that’s noble inside us, is invariably “sacralized”, that is, it is rationalized
as demanded by “God” because we believe that what we are doing is for God, or
for truth, or for country, or for the poor, or for mother-nature, or for art,
or for something whose transcendent value, we believe, justifies our bracketing
both Jesus and common courtesy. If you doubt this, simply turn on any radio or
television station that does commentary on politics or religion or listen to
any political or religious debate today. We are, as John Shea puts it, more
skilled in justification than in self-examination; but, then, we can sacralize
our disrespect and lack of elemental charity.
But, in doing this
we are far from the Gospel, far from Jesus, and far from what’s best inside us.
We’re meant to be more than the reptile part of our brains and more than the
instincts we inherited from our ancient ancestors, the beasts of prey. We’re
called to something higher, called to respond to threat beyond the blind
response of instinct.
Admittedly, this
is difficult. Our instinctual self is not easily subdued. Like everyone else, I
struggle a lot with this. Every time I hear or read someone who dismisses my
preaching and writing as heretical, or dangerous, or (even more biting) as
light-weight fluff, the reptile part of my brain stirs to do its ancient job
and my natural instincts bitterly resist the high road that St. Paul
But, that’s the
test; indeed one of the litmus tests of Christian discipleship. When we look at
the core of Jesus’ moral teachings and ask ourselves, what more than anything
else sets Jesus apart from other moral teachers? What particular challenge of
his might serve as a litmus test for genuine discipleship?
I submit that at
the core of Jesus’ teaching lies this challenge: Can I love an enemy? Can I
bless someone who curses me? Can I wish good to someone who wishes me evil? Can
I genuinely forgive someone who’s been unfair to me? And, perhaps even
more importantly, can I live in patience when I’m in tension, not rushing to
defend myself, but leaving that defense to history and to God?
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