Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
Mob: 0417 279 437
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
Mob: 0437 521 257
Postal Address: PO Box 362
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Weekly Homily Podcast: mikedelaney.podomatic.com
Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
Parish Office Closed until Tuesday 22nd
January, 2019
OLOL Piety Shop will
be closed until 3rd February, 2019
PLENARY COUNCIL PRAYER
Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Parish Prayer
Heavenly Father,
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.
Amen.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Devonport Friday Adoration:
Recommences 1st February, 2019.
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
Amen.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Baptism: Arrangements are made by contacting Parish Office. Parents attend a Baptismal Preparation Session organised with a Priest.
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 Friday Adoration:
Recommences 1st February, 2019.
Devonport: Benediction (1st
Friday of the Month) - Recommences Friday 1st February, 2019
Prayer Groups: Charismatic Renewal – In
Recess until Monday 4th February, 2019 - Healing Mass sponsored by
CCR will be held at St Mary’s Church Penguin on Thursday 14th
February, 2019
Weekday Masses 1st - 4th January
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
12noon Devonport
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
12noon Devonport
Weekend Masses 5th - 6th January
Saturday: 9:30am Ulverstone
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Readings this week –The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Year C)
PREGO
REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL:
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Christiana Okpon, Joy Kiely, Robert Harcourt-White, Rose Grimes, Isabelita Santos, Vic Slavin, Lionel Faustino, Marg Stewart & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Carmel Cook, Gladys Ballini, Nestor Manundo, Fortunata Paule, Pat Faulkner, Denise Payne, Zeta Mahoney, Monica Piggot, Isabel Archery
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 29th December – 5th January
Claude Coad, Thelma Batt, Barbara George, Rob Belanger, Pearl Sheridan, William Cousins, Bill Kruk, Ian Stubbs, Tori Enniss, Nicola Tenaglia, Roy Beechey, Cavell Robertson, Joshua & Elizabeth Delaney, Tess Landers.
Weekly
Ramblings
Justice Close to Home
Over the last few weeks I’ve explored justice in a broad
way. Today I’d like to bring it closer to home, in a little longer meditation,
so you get a fuller picture and some of the nuances in my own life.
My first assignment as an ordained deacon in 1969 was
working with the Acoma Indians, a Pueblo people living west of Albuquerque. I
quickly fell in love with this multi-cultural and beautiful “Land of
Enchantment.”
In 1986 when I felt called to start the Center for Action
and Contemplation, I returned to New Mexico. Its physical proximity to the
U.S./Mexico border, Franciscan legacy (both good and bad), extreme poverty
(only Mississippi and U.S. territories have higher poverty rates in the U.S.),
and history of nuclear testing made this seem like a good place to live in
solidarity with suffering and practice contemplative approaches to justice and
peacemaking.
I am still learning to hold the tension of our stunning
landscape and rich art with so much injustice and pain. I’ll share just a few
examples of New Mexico’s complex past and present.
The Catholic “Doctrine of Discovery” sent Spanish
Conquistadors in search of gold, beginning in the sixteenth century. [1] As the
area was colonized, many indigenous peoples were massacred, enslaved, or forced
to assimilate. Colonial governor Juan de Oñate (1550-1626) had one foot cut off
of each man in Acoma Pueblo after they rebelled against Spanish domination. By
the late eighteenth century, approximately one-third of New Mexico’s native
population was enslaved. [2]
The exploitation of Native Americans continued under Mexican
and then United States rule. In the late 1800s, two federal “Indian” boarding
schools in the state tried to “remove the cultural and individual identity” of
Native American children by prohibiting them from “practicing their native
language and beliefs.” [3] Anglo settlers stole land from both Native Americans
and Hispanic residents. The U.S. Army forced the Navajo or Diné people onto a
small reservation on the eastern side of the state in 1864; the “Long Walk to
Bosque Redondo” from the Navajos’ home in western New Mexico—which covered 300
miles of desert and mountains—was an attempt at ethnic cleansing. [4]
The U.S. government has formed numerous treaties with tribes
and pueblos, only to blatantly disregard them and give preference to
corporations and private interests. Today Native Americans continue to struggle
to protect their land, water, and diverse cultures. Even while many in the U.S.
try to keep immigrants from crossing our country’s borders, they have broken
promises to respect the boundaries of those who were here before us.
Migration—whether chosen or forced—is a reality we must
continue to face. U.S. interference in Central America has led to
destabilization and violence. In 1986, the year before the Center for Action
and Contemplation officially opened, our governor declared New Mexico the
country’s first “State of Sanctuary,” a welcoming place for those fleeing civil
wars in Central America. Albuquerque’s mayor, Tim Keller, recently affirmed
that we are an “Immigrant Friendly” city, limiting city resources in the
enforcement of federal immigration laws. [5] I support this decision and
applaud the faith communities who are sheltering undocumented immigrants!
The policies of separating families at the U.S./Mexico
border and of criminalizing those who seek asylum are disgraceful. Throughout
Scripture we see God’s mercy toward the outsider and the vulnerable. Jesus
makes our treatment of "the least of these brothers and sisters" the
only real criteria for the final judgment (see Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus himself
was a refugee, and his life and teaching show us what it means to welcome the
stranger in our midst. Without love, "law and order" mentalities too
often lead to dehumanization, concentration camps, and genocide. In today’s
political arena there is a lot of finger-pointing; we need to move beyond blame
and rhetoric to take action on behalf of those who are suffering.
With its high desert environment, New Mexico is particularly
vulnerable to climate change. The Rio Grande, which begins in Colorado and
finally borders Texas and Mexico, often dries up in the summer before it
reaches the Gulf of Mexico, and droughts will only worsen. The over-consumption
of fossil fuels in the U.S. has significantly contributed to global warming.
Those in power must take responsibility for caring for the people and places
most impacted. We’ll all have to come together as a community to find creative
ways of sharing and preserving our resources.
Our history is complex and layered. There is no single side
of the story, though history is often written from the perspective of the
“victor.” [6] We continue to peel back the layers and learn more about the many
people who call New Mexico home, often displacing or marginalizing the previous
residents. I can only touch on a few of the issues I’ve learned about. In doing
so I hope to spark curiosity about your own place in the world. Who lived on
“your” land before you? If you don’t know, find out. [7] How might this
awareness change the way you live and your attitudes and actions toward
indigenous peoples and immigrants?
[1] For more on the Doctrine of Discovery, see Sunday’s
meditation, [link to 6/17 DM].
How to be grateful
Weekday Masses 1st - 4th January
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
12noon Devonport
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
12noon Devonport
Weekend Masses 5th - 6th January
Saturday: 9:30am Ulverstone
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Readings this week –The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Year C)
First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24
Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
PREGO
REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL:
Before starting my prayer, I take a
few deep breaths, then breathe normally, conscious of the life -giving air
filling my lungs. Full of gratitude for this gift of God, I turn my attention
to the text above and read it slowly and prayerfully. What strikes me as I
imagine the everyday life of the Holy Family? Does it bring to mind instances
in my own life? I speak to the Lord about any similar incidents with my
children or grandchildren, my nephews and nieces, or my young neighbours. Maybe
I was the difficult adolescent? I read the story again. I try to experience the
initial relaxed response of Mary and Joseph ... then their worry, followed by
relief ... and eventually puzzlement at their son’s apparent lack of concern.
How does it make me feel? I may want to pray for all parents who struggle to
come to terms with their rebellious children. I entrust them to the Lord and to
his mother, whom the poet compares to a virtuous rose. I conclude my prayer:
Gloria in excelsis deo ! Gaudeamus!
Readings next week –The Feast of the Epiphany (Year C)
First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Second Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Christiana Okpon, Joy Kiely, Robert Harcourt-White, Rose Grimes, Isabelita Santos, Vic Slavin, Lionel Faustino, Marg Stewart & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Carmel Cook, Gladys Ballini, Nestor Manundo, Fortunata Paule, Pat Faulkner, Denise Payne, Zeta Mahoney, Monica Piggot, Isabel Archery
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 29th December – 5th January
Claude Coad, Thelma Batt, Barbara George, Rob Belanger, Pearl Sheridan, William Cousins, Bill Kruk, Ian Stubbs, Tori Enniss, Nicola Tenaglia, Roy Beechey, Cavell Robertson, Joshua & Elizabeth Delaney, Tess Landers.
Weekly
Ramblings
Over these past twelve months we have been focussing on
deepening our relationship with God through our prayer life and the scriptures.
Many of you have been using the Saviour program during this Advent &
Christmas Season and we will again be having small groups that will meet during
Lent and Easter to further this important part of our faith journey.
Another aspect of our focus this year has been our
participation in the preparation for Plenary 2020 and we will continue to look
at ways to allow parishioners to contribute their stories and reflections on
what God is asking of us as Church into the future.
As we come to the end of another year (my 5th year as your PP) I would like to express my thanks to everyone who has done so
much to help me in so many and varied ways – there are too many to mention in
all the centres who work to ensure that our Liturgy is celebrated well, our
Churches are clean, tidy and looking good, our counting and fundraising
activities are both celebrated and successful.
I would particularly like to express my thanks to Fr
Paschal and Fr Smiley for their forbearance and friendship to me and for their
priestly ministry amongst us. To Annie, Anne and Digna for their assistance and
friendship in the house, the Office and in the Parish – thanks. To John and
Grainne who support Fr Paschal and I as members of the Parish Leadership Team –
your assistance and friendship has been wonderful – I would not be able to do
it without your support.
Justice Close to Home
This article is taken from the Daily Emails from Fr Richard Rohr OFM and the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the emails here
Over the last few weeks I’ve explored justice in a broad
way. Today I’d like to bring it closer to home, in a little longer meditation,
so you get a fuller picture and some of the nuances in my own life.
My first assignment as an ordained deacon in 1969 was
working with the Acoma Indians, a Pueblo people living west of Albuquerque. I
quickly fell in love with this multi-cultural and beautiful “Land of
Enchantment.”
In 1986 when I felt called to start the Center for Action
and Contemplation, I returned to New Mexico. Its physical proximity to the
U.S./Mexico border, Franciscan legacy (both good and bad), extreme poverty
(only Mississippi and U.S. territories have higher poverty rates in the U.S.),
and history of nuclear testing made this seem like a good place to live in
solidarity with suffering and practice contemplative approaches to justice and
peacemaking.
I am still learning to hold the tension of our stunning
landscape and rich art with so much injustice and pain. I’ll share just a few
examples of New Mexico’s complex past and present.
The Catholic “Doctrine of Discovery” sent Spanish
Conquistadors in search of gold, beginning in the sixteenth century. [1] As the
area was colonized, many indigenous peoples were massacred, enslaved, or forced
to assimilate. Colonial governor Juan de Oñate (1550-1626) had one foot cut off
of each man in Acoma Pueblo after they rebelled against Spanish domination. By
the late eighteenth century, approximately one-third of New Mexico’s native
population was enslaved. [2]
The exploitation of Native Americans continued under Mexican
and then United States rule. In the late 1800s, two federal “Indian” boarding
schools in the state tried to “remove the cultural and individual identity” of
Native American children by prohibiting them from “practicing their native
language and beliefs.” [3] Anglo settlers stole land from both Native Americans
and Hispanic residents. The U.S. Army forced the Navajo or Diné people onto a
small reservation on the eastern side of the state in 1864; the “Long Walk to
Bosque Redondo” from the Navajos’ home in western New Mexico—which covered 300
miles of desert and mountains—was an attempt at ethnic cleansing. [4]
The U.S. government has formed numerous treaties with tribes
and pueblos, only to blatantly disregard them and give preference to
corporations and private interests. Today Native Americans continue to struggle
to protect their land, water, and diverse cultures. Even while many in the U.S.
try to keep immigrants from crossing our country’s borders, they have broken
promises to respect the boundaries of those who were here before us.
Migration—whether chosen or forced—is a reality we must
continue to face. U.S. interference in Central America has led to
destabilization and violence. In 1986, the year before the Center for Action
and Contemplation officially opened, our governor declared New Mexico the
country’s first “State of Sanctuary,” a welcoming place for those fleeing civil
wars in Central America. Albuquerque’s mayor, Tim Keller, recently affirmed
that we are an “Immigrant Friendly” city, limiting city resources in the
enforcement of federal immigration laws. [5] I support this decision and
applaud the faith communities who are sheltering undocumented immigrants!
The policies of separating families at the U.S./Mexico
border and of criminalizing those who seek asylum are disgraceful. Throughout
Scripture we see God’s mercy toward the outsider and the vulnerable. Jesus
makes our treatment of "the least of these brothers and sisters" the
only real criteria for the final judgment (see Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus himself
was a refugee, and his life and teaching show us what it means to welcome the
stranger in our midst. Without love, "law and order" mentalities too
often lead to dehumanization, concentration camps, and genocide. In today’s
political arena there is a lot of finger-pointing; we need to move beyond blame
and rhetoric to take action on behalf of those who are suffering.
With its high desert environment, New Mexico is particularly
vulnerable to climate change. The Rio Grande, which begins in Colorado and
finally borders Texas and Mexico, often dries up in the summer before it
reaches the Gulf of Mexico, and droughts will only worsen. The over-consumption
of fossil fuels in the U.S. has significantly contributed to global warming.
Those in power must take responsibility for caring for the people and places
most impacted. We’ll all have to come together as a community to find creative
ways of sharing and preserving our resources.
Our history is complex and layered. There is no single side
of the story, though history is often written from the perspective of the
“victor.” [6] We continue to peel back the layers and learn more about the many
people who call New Mexico home, often displacing or marginalizing the previous
residents. I can only touch on a few of the issues I’ve learned about. In doing
so I hope to spark curiosity about your own place in the world. Who lived on
“your” land before you? If you don’t know, find out. [7] How might this
awareness change the way you live and your attitudes and actions toward
indigenous peoples and immigrants?
[1] For more on the Doctrine of Discovery, see Sunday’s
meditation, [link to 6/17 DM].
[2] Learn more about the Genízaros, Native American slaves
sold to Hispanic families under Spanish rule,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/us/indian-slaves-genizaros.html. See also
“Of Bloodlines and Conquistadors,”
https://latinousa.org/2018/05/18/ofbloodlinesanconquistadors/.
[3] See Santa Fe Indian School,
http://www.sfis.k12.nm.us/about_sfis. See also Albuquerque Indian School,
http://www.navajotimes.com/entertainment/2009/0709/070909remembering.php.
[4] See Mark Charles, “The Historically Accurate Abraham
Lincoln,” http://wirelesshogan.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-historically-accurate-abraham-lincoln.html.
[5] See City of Albuquerque,
https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/mayor-keller-stands-up-for-albuquerque-families-signs-immigrant-friendly-resolution.
[6] For an in-depth exploration of the negative impact of
colonization upon Native Americans, see Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous
Peoples’ History of the United States (Beacon Press: 2015).
[7] See “Tribal Nations Map,” https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/06/24/323665644/the-map-of-native-american-tribes-youve-never-seen-before.
How to be grateful
‘Gratitude, being nearly the greatest of human duties, is also nearly the most difficult,’ wrote G.K. Chesterton. Luckily, St Ignatius is on hand to help us to cultivate gratitude, so that our hearts may be disposed ‘to receive more, to appreciate more, to love and be loved more.’ Sarah Broscombe views gratitude through psychological, spiritual and Ignatian lenses, helping us to see how and why growing in gratitude is a priority as well as a joy. Sarah Broscombe is a freelance trainer, facilitator, retreat guide and coach, from the UK but now mainly working internationally. Her connection with the Jesuits began in 2002 in the field of social justice, then international development, and is now in the fields of leadership and spirituality.
Virtually every language has words for it, and all the world religions encourage it.[1] Positive psychology is researching its sources, attributes and impact, and popular psychology is extolling its virtues. Gratitude, long understood as a spiritual heavyweight, is now known to be a psychological heavyweight, too. But why? What is it? Why is it important? And how can we use St Ignatius Loyola’s insights to cultivate gratitude in our lives?
You can find the complete article on the ThinkingFaith.org website by clicking here
‘Gratitude, being nearly the greatest of human duties, is also nearly the most difficult,’ wrote G.K. Chesterton. Luckily, St Ignatius is on hand to help us to cultivate gratitude, so that our hearts may be disposed ‘to receive more, to appreciate more, to love and be loved more.’ Sarah Broscombe views gratitude through psychological, spiritual and Ignatian lenses, helping us to see how and why growing in gratitude is a priority as well as a joy. Sarah Broscombe is a freelance trainer, facilitator, retreat guide and coach, from the UK but now mainly working internationally. Her connection with the Jesuits began in 2002 in the field of social justice, then international development, and is now in the fields of leadership and spirituality.
Virtually every language has words for it, and all the world religions encourage it.[1] Positive psychology is researching its sources, attributes and impact, and popular psychology is extolling its virtues. Gratitude, long understood as a spiritual heavyweight, is now known to be a psychological heavyweight, too. But why? What is it? Why is it important? And how can we use St Ignatius Loyola’s insights to cultivate gratitude in our lives?
You can find the complete article on the ThinkingFaith.org website by clicking here
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