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
Weekly Homily Podcast: podomatic.com/mikedelaney
Parish Magazine: 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)
SCRIPTURE READINGS:
FIRST READING
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: (R.) Lord, make us turn to you, let us see your face and we
shall be saved.Alleluia, alleluia! Lord, show us your mercy and love, and grant us your salvation. Alleluia!
GOSPEL: Mark 13:33-37
PREGO REFLECTION :
As I settle down to pray, I take several moments to allow
myself to relax in the presence of God. I become aware of and alert to all the
movements within myself as I listen, wait and pray; in doing this I become
still. I read these words of Jesus slowly aware that this time of prayer is
graced.
I imagine being with the disciples and hearing Jesus
telling us this story. I visualise the scene described in the parable. Perhaps
I find myself being the doorkeeper. How do I wait for my Lord as Advent begins?
Patiently, anxiously, with excitement, fearfully, doubtfully…… Without
judgement I name my feelings and speak to the Lord of my concerns.
Perhaps I give thanks for all who have been doorkeepers for
me, who have watched, waited and encouraged, who have welcomed me.
If I feel drawn, I pray for all those who are in despair,
who feel their situation is hopeless. In what manner can I be a sign to them
that the Lord is present, that he will come? In what ways can I make this part
of my Advent preparation this week?
If in prayer I notice the times I have missed a word of
kindness, of encouragement, of reconciliation I speak to the Lord of this too.
I finish my prayer quietly with a renewed act of hope and making the
sign of the cross.
Weekday Masses 2nd - 6th December, 2014
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
- Anointing Mass
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
& Devonport
Saturday: 9:00am
Ulverstone
Next Weekend 6th & 7th December, 2014
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin & Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell (LWC),
9:00am Ulverstone,
10:30am Devonport,
11:00am Sheffield
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 - Devonport (Emmaus House) In
recession until Thursday 5th February 2015.
Christian
Meditation - Devonport,
Emmaus House - Wednesdays 7pm.
Ministry Rosters 6th & 7th December, 2014
Devonport:
Readers:
Vigil: A McIntyre, M Williams, C Kiely-Hoye 10.30am:
10.30am: B Peters, F Sly, J Carter, E
Petts , B Schrader,
P Bolster
Cleaners 5th Dec: M.W.C.
12th Dec: G & R O'Rourke, M & R Youd
Piety Shop 6th Dec: H Thompson 7th Dec: P Piccolo Flowers: J Cox, S O'Rourke
Ulverstone:
Reader: M McLaren Ministers of Communion: E Reilly , M & K McKenzie, M O'Halloran
Cleaners: K.S.C. Flowers: E Beard Hospitality: T Good Team
Penguin:
Greeters: G Hills-Eade, B Eade Commentator: E Nickols Readers: A Landers, M Kenney
Procession: M & D Hiscutt Ministers of Communion: J Garnsey,
S Ewing
Liturgy: Penguin Setting Up: E Nickols
Care of Church: G Hills-Eade, A Landers
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: M Mackey Procession: M Clark & Co
Music: Hermie & Co
Your prayers
are asked for the sick: John Kirkpatrick, Mely Pybus, Melissa
Gilbert, Shanon Breaden, Shirley Fidler, Shirley White, Tom Knaap, Kath
Smith, &.....
Let us pray for those who have
died recently: Bishop Jeremiah Coffey, Fr Aldo Rebeschini, Beverley
Woolacott, Gwen Thorp, Corrie Kink, Laurie Cleary, Jamie Griffiths Marjorie Farruge, Ted
Matthews, Jason Brook, Bill Hutton, Margaret Pratt, Gloria Woodward and Christine
MacDonald.
Let us pray
for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: Allan Morley, Cyril Knaggs, Arthur
Cooke, Terence Murphy, Noreen Johnson, Cecilia Rootes, Lorraine Sullivan,
Neville Tyrrell, Marjorie Simpson and Peter Flynn and all those named in the
November Remembrance Book.
May they rest in peace
First Reading
ADVENT PRAYER
Our heavenly Father,
As once again we prepare for
Christmas,
help us to find time in our busy
lives for quiet and thought and prayer:
that we may reflect upon the wonder
of your love
and allow the story of the Saviour's birth
to penetrate our hearts and minds.
So may our joy be deeper, our
worship more real,
and our lives worthier of all that you have
done for us
through the coming of your Son,
Jesus Christ the Lord.
Amen
BAPTISM:
We welcome and congratulate Archer
& Alice Parry
who are being baptised this
weekend.
FR MIKE
There
are many challenges to experiencing the Advent Season when all around us the
shops, etc are virtually shouting Merry Christmas at every turn and we are being
invited to attend end of year functions – so busy that some days there are two
or three ‘things’ we’re invited to.
The late
Henri Nouwen wrote in his book Gracias: A Latin American Journal (Orbis Books,
Maryknoll, N.Y.: 2009) that he kept and shared the journal of his six-month
sojourn in Peru and Bolivia in an effort
to discern God’s voice and find the way to be obedient to that voice. When he
was in Bolivia
Many
thanks to Fr Augustine and Belinda Chapman and all those who helped make last
weekend’s Mass for Children at Ulverstone such a success. The pictures below show some of the joy of the children as they used the time to
make Advent craft items reminding them of the themes of this special season.
Please
don’t forget the Anointing Mass on Thursday at OLOL at midday – early in the
year I mentioned that we would celebrate these Anointing
Masses regularly but so many things have happened this year that this is
another of those hopes that didn’t happen as I would have wished, however, next
year will be different as I will be better prepared.
Details
of the Christmas Mass Times for the Parish can also be found on
blogspot-mlcathparish.blogspot.com.au - As
is the weekly newsletter every week with even more than what's in the printed
edition and all for nothing extra!
Until next week take care in your homes and on the roads
LITURGY PREPARATION GROUP: Change of date
You are very warmly invited to join parishioners and
members of local liturgical and musical groups to assist in the preparation of
our parish Christmas liturgy. The meeting will be held at Emmaus House as per
below:
Christmas: Sunday 7th December 2.30 pm - 4pm. Further information contact: Peter
Douglas on 0419 302 435
MACKILLOP HILL SPIRITUALITY CENTRE:
ADVENT CELEBRATION: Wednesday 3rd Dec
10.00 – 12 noon The Word of God came down to earth and lives among us … lives in our
fragile universe sharing our human fragility. Phone: 6428 3095 Email: mackillophill.forth@sosj.org.au
Booking necessary, Cost: $15.00 / donation.
KNIGHTS OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS: Next meeting this Sunday 30th November, at Emmaus
House - 88 Stewart Street
The empty crib will be in place this Sunday in Our Lady of
Lourdes Church Devonport. Parishioners are welcome to place gifts or non-perishable
food in the crib for distribution by St Vincent de Paul Society with their
Christmas Hampers to those less fortunate in the community. The Society is
appreciative of the kindness of parishioners throughout the year and generosity
to families needing a helping hand.
BAPTISMAL PREPARATION SESSION: Tuesday 2nd
December 7:30pm at Parish House, 90
Stewart Street
HOUR OF GRACE: As Our Lady requested, the Rosary
Group will conduct an Hour of Grace at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Devonport Monday
8th December from noon to 1pm. Please come along. See Church
noticeboards for details.
CWL
DEVONPORT & ULVERSTONE CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON:
A
Combined luncheon for CWL Devonport and Ulverstone will be held at the Lighthouse
Hotel Ulverstone on Friday 12th December, 12noon
for 12:30pm. All parishioners are very welcome to join us!
RSVP 5th December to Marie Byrne on
6425:5774
ULVERSTONE CHURCH ROSTER: are now being prepared for Sacred Heart
Church
Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall,
Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers for Thursday 4th December are Tony
Ryan & Bruce Peters
Evangelii
Gaudium
“Evangelisation
aims at a process of growth which entails taking seriously each person and
God’s plan for his or her life. All of us need to grow in Christ.”
Par 160
from Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis,
Nov. 24, 2013
Countdown
to Christmas
To help you and those
you love, and all members of your community, prepare for Christmas, Bulletin Notes is proud to share with
you some of the resources designed to help with the Christmas countdown. Each
week, during Advent, we will provide you with a chosen image from the pages of
Pinterest. We hope they help you prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.
The first one has a
strong American influence. However, why not adapt it, to give it a more over
Australian, or even Catholic, flavour and then insert it into your parish
bulletin?
Feast Day of the Week –St Francis
Xavier, priest (December 3)
Words
of Wisdom – St John Damascus
“Think of the Father as a spring of life begetting
the Son like a river and the Holy Ghost like a sea, for the spring and the
river and sea are all one nature. Think of the Father as a root, and of the Son
as a branch, and the Spirit as a fruit, for the substance in these three is
one. The Father is a sun with the Son as rays and the Holy Ghost as heat.”
Meme of the week
One is a super-hero to
millions of people... the other is an actor. This picture of Robert Downey Jr
(who plays Iron Man in the Marvel movies) wearing a John Paul II t-shirt is an
example of, dare we say it, ‘Pope culture. ’
CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES 2014
OUR LADY OF LOURDES STEWART STREET
Christmas Eve 6.00pm Children’s Mass
8.00pm Vigil Mass
Christmas Day 10.30am Mass
ST PATRICK’S, GILBERT STREET
Christmas Day 9.30am Mass
HOLY CROSS HIGH, STREET, SHEFFIELD
Christmas Day 11.00am Mass
ST JOSEPH’S MASS CENTRE, ARTHUR STREET
Christmas Day 8.00am Mass
SACRED HEART ALEXANDRA ROAD
Christmas Eve 6.00pm Children’s Mass
Christmas Day 9.00am Mass
Christmas Eve 8.00pm Vigil Mass
TWO CHURCHES, TWO SACRED PLACES, TWO STRUGGLES
An article by Fr Ron Rolheiser, OMI. The original article can be found at http://ronrolheiser.com/two-churches-two-sacred-places-two-struggles/#.VHZLSIuUfAY
God has given us two churches, one found is everywhere and the other is found at select places. Some of us prefer one of these and struggle with the other, but both are sacred places where God can be found and worshipped.
When most people think of church, they generally think of a building, a cathedral, a shrine, a temple, a synagogue, a mosque, or a holy site. Roman Catholics might think of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome or some famous cathedral or their local parish church. Anglicans and Episcopalians might think of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London or their local church building, even as Muslims might think of Mecca or their local mosque. These are all churches, privileged holy places where God meets us. This is one kind of church, housed in a building or a holy location. But what grounds this concept?
In the Book of Genesis we read that Jacob had a dream within which he saw a ladder connecting earth to heaven with angels going up and down on this ladder. Waking from the dream, Jacob realizes that he has had a very privileged experience within which the gap between heaven and earth was, for a moment, bridged. Not wanting to lose this experience, nor this special place, he sets up a stone as a pillar, as an altar, to mark the place, a concrete physical spot, where he sensed a special connection between heaven and earth, so that he find his way back to this privileged spot. That’s the first church building and that’s ultimately the meaning of every church building, every temple, every shrine, every mosque, and every holy site. It’s a privileged place where there’s a ladder between heaven and earth, with the angels of God ascending and descending. It’s a special place where one can go to pray.
But there’s a second kind of church that has nothing to do with buildings, churches, temples, shrines, or holy sites. This is the church that Jesus reveals to the Samaritan woman in John’s Gospel. Most of us are familiar with the dialogue Jesus has with this woman. In their conversation she confesses a certain confusion regarding churches. She tells Jesus that she lives in a world that disagrees about where the real church, the real ladder between heaven and earth, is to be found: The Jews tell her that the real place to worship, the authentic church, is the temple in Jerusalem, but her own community, the Samaritans, tell her that the proper place to worship is Mount Gerizim. So which is the proper place to worship?
Jesus tells her that she need not necessarily worship at either of those sites. Rather the real temple, the real sacred place, the real privileged place where a ladder runs between heaven and earth, upon which angels ascend and descend, is inside of her. The real church is not always a building or a holy site, but a place of conscience and spirit inside a person, accessible to us without having to travel to the Holy Land, Rome, London, Salt Lake City, Mecca, Lourdes, or your neighborhood church. The ladder upon which angels ascend and descend between heaven and earth can be found everywhere, nature itself is a cathedral and, inside each of us, there’s a church.
Thus there are two real churches given us by God; one is outside of us, physical and concrete, the other is inside of us, spiritual and amorphous. Ideally, of course, a healthy sense of church would have us all worshipping deeply at both places, outside in our church buildings and inside in our heart and conscience. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Today huge ecclesial tensions exist within all major religions and within all Christian denominations, between those who define church primarily or exclusively by one’s active participation inside of a church building (If you aren’t coming to church, you aren’t a real believer!) and those who define church, however unconsciously, as sincerity and worship within conscience and spirit. (I’m spiritual but not religious!)
Both are right, both are wrong, and both need to widen their understanding of church. God gave us both churches, and both are vital. I know persons, not least some very good male friends, who struggle with spiritual interiority. They grasp the meaning of church buildings, holy sites, and church structures, and these genuinely ground their religious lives. They can relate to the church as a building and as an institution that holds holy services; they can grasp Jacob’s ladder there. Conversely, I have good friends, not least some women friends, who have a rich spiritual interiority but struggle with the church as an institution, one that, to their mind, too-easily and sometimes idolatrously privileges certain human organizations, sites, and persons as sine qua non avenues to heaven; they struggle to see Jacob’s ladder inside such concrete, imperfect physicality.
Both need to learn from each other, and grasp more deeply the interrelationship of the two churches that God gave us.
Love Is the Only Goal
An article by Fr Richard Rohr - from his daily email posted on 25th November 2014
Jesus said the whole law (and there were about 897 of them
at that point) and the prophets, too, are summed up in the two great
commandments: “to love God with your whole heart and your whole soul and to
love your neighbor just as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:37-40). It’s almost
too simple, and yet as you well know, it’s almost too hard. It’s sadly easier
to just obey laws and to live inside of an always defeating reward/punishment
system. Somehow a win/win worldview where God wins and the soul wins too—is
largely unbelievable…until you experience and allow God’s grace.
True spiritual encounter changes you at a deep and
unconscious level. Henceforth, the most important thing is to grow deeper and
deeper in love. What spurs you on in that journey into love is actually the
constant experience of your own un-love. You can now see your impatience,
irritation, or self-centeredness. Paul called these the “thorns in the flesh to
keep me from getting too proud” (2 Corinthians 12:7). You will have them until
the end of your life. They allow you to love God and others by reason of a
Larger Love flowing through you, not because “you” are doing it right or even
know how to love!
Francis of Assisi granted all of reality, even elements and
animals, an intimate I-Thou relationship. He called all things “sister” and
“brother.” This could be a definition of what it means to be a contemplative,
which is to look at reality with much wider eyes than mere usability,
functionality, or self-interest, but with inherent enjoyment for a thing in
itself as itself. Remember, as soon as your loving needs or wants a reward in
return, you have backed away from divine love, which is why even our common
notion of a “reward in heaven” can keep us from the actual love of God or
neighbor! A pure act of love is its own reward, and needs nothing in return.
Love is shown precisely in an eagerness to love.
Francis moved beyond the world that most of us inhabit. He
rebuilt the spiritual life on “love alone” and let go of the lower-level needs
of social esteem, security, self-image, and manufacturing of persona. Remember,
when your only goal is love, especially love of God, you really cannot fail.
Adapted from The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of
Saint Francis, disc 6 (CD);
and Franciscan Mysticism: I AM That Which I Am Seeking, disc
4 (CD, MP3 download);
