Our Parish Vision Statement

‘We are a diverse and talented community drawing inspiration from the Jesus found in the Scripture and in the living tradition of his people, the Church. In valuing, celebrating and promoting life we support each other as we joyfully proclaim Jesus to the World’.”

Parish Priest: Father Dennis Crameri Assistant Priests: Father Paul Purcell Father Jake Mudge Pastoral Assistant: Sister Eileen Reardon Mt Beauty (0458 327 554) Weekend Masses Sacred Heart Church Wodonga:

Saturday 6.00pm Sunday 8.30am 10.30am Monday to Friday 9.10am

Our Lady Help of Christians Tangambalanga

2nd

, 4th Sunday 10.30am

St Francis’ Bethanga

2nd

Sunday 12 noon

St Joseph’s Dederang 1

st, 3

rd Sunday 10.00am

5th Sunday 10.00am

Liturgy of the Word & Communion

St Joseph’s Mt Beauty 1

st to 4

th Sunday 8.30am

5th Sunday 8.30am

Liturgy of the Word & Communion Reconciliation Sacred Heart Wodonga:

Saturday 9-9.30am Country Churches: before Masses

Parish Talk Advertising Rates Size Casual Annual (4 Issues)

Business card $ 50.00 $170.00 ¼ page $125.00 $450.00 ½ page $250.00 $900.00 Full page $500.00 $1750.00 Please note: these prices do not include GST: add

10%

Contact: Denis Gallagher 6059 3381

Dear Fellow Parishioners, Welcome to the Easter edition of Parish Talk. In the best traditions of Nellie Melba and Whispering Jack, this is yet another ‘final’ edition from me. It’s been an unforgettable experience where I have been through every emotion from frustration through despair to satisfaction and joy. Particularly I note with awe the enormous contribution to this ministry in parish communication made by Kevin and Diana McKinley and their company of Posties; Denis Gallagher and his advertisers; Urszula Stratton and her magical mastery of illustration and assembly and our contributors, both regular and occasional. I also really appreciate the backing, trust and freedom given to me by two parish priests: Monsignor Frank Marriott and Fr Dennis Crameri. Now, it really is time to pass on to newer and younger hands bringing in new skills and ideas. It’s been fun and satisfying … but, its time! Keith

Please make sure that you support our advertisers – they certainly support us and are good value. And do tell them where you saw their advertisement. They appreciate it and you will be surprised.

Our next edition is the Winter issue of Parish Talk; closing date for articles and reports is Wednesday 16

th May 2012.

Enjoy!

From our PastorFrom our PastorFrom our PastorFrom our Pastor…………

The generosity of people and their willingness to "put in" continues to inspire me. Recently,

at the Wodonga Parish Masses, I spoke of the relationship between faith and action/ministry

and the need we have for support for three important ministries. The three I mentioned were

the Children's Liturgy and the need for some more adults to assist with the sharing of the

Jesus stories with our young children during the Sunday masses; assistance from married

couples to help prepare engaged couples for their marriage and help in various areas of

preparing our parish magazine "Parish Talk" for publication and distribution.

In all of these ministries, parishioners came forth to offer their service. How good is that!! It is

this willingness to "have a go" that makes the church and our parish such a good place to be.

The Church is you, God's people; we are a community of faith. Yes, we know we are not

perfect and that at times living our faith can be challenging and difficult. We may feel at times

the church asks too much of us. But hopefully, we also know of the unconditional love of God

for each of us and that we are vital in God's plan of bringing the good news of Jesus to the

world. God's desire is that in responding generously and lovingly we will know and

experience the peace, the joy and the sense of well-being that only God can give.

I am reminded of the lady who went to the parish priest and explained that the church just

wasn't good enough for her and that she was going in search of a perfect faith community.

The priest said to her: you have my blessing - go and find the perfect church and join it but

remember, once you join that church it will no longer be perfect!".

We will never be a perfect Christian community and that is

precisely why it is so good.

A mixture of all sorts, all with different gifts, different needs,

different outlooks, different politics, different in so many ways, but

one in belief. Unity in diversity, we say and what a great place to

be.

There is a wonderful link in the Gospels between faith and action.

The gospel of a few weekends ago relates Jesus healing Simon's

mother-in-law. The Gospel reads: "she had gone to bed with a

fever...He (Jesus) went to her, took her by the hand, and helped

her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them".

In speaking about this, I emphasised the strong connection

between faith and service, that there is something like a sacred

exchange wherein the person of faith almost by necessity feels a

need to offer themselves in service of others...and she got up and

waited on them! Our parish community is called to reflect in life the faith we share and

celebrate.

Fr Dennis Crameri PP

Parish Pastoral Council News

We hope that you have all had a great

Christmas break and that this new year

will bring many blessings to you and your

families.

Our first meeting for the year was held on

the 1st Feb 2012. It was great to gather

with renewed energy and vibrancy to

continue our work in bringing our

community of faith together, and in doing

so, gain a greater knowledge of how we

can best address the needs and concerns

of our parish community.

Irish Night

A number of new initiatives are planned for

this year with an Irish Night proposed for

some time in the first half of this year so

have your dancing shoes ready and your

singing voice tuned. Megan Teefey is the

person to see for any info.

The Leadership Course: Community

Skills Development Program 2012

Our 2012 program commences this month

so please be on the lookout for many new

and varied projects from our new

participants. I ask that you support

participants of our course by attending the

events they present within the parish as

these projects are for the enjoyment and

benefit of us all.

Parish Community Mass: Leadership

Course 2011 Project

After our beautiful Mass at Frayne College

last November we will hold another

community Mass at a different school later

in the year with upcoming dates and

venue to be notified when arrangements

are finalized. Keep an eye out in future

editions of Parish Talk and Bulletins for

this information.

Happy Hour

Happy Hour will continue at the Priests

House on the 2nd Thursday of every month

from 5pm. It’s a wonderful opportunity to

catch up with each other and meet

someone new. For all who attended the

Christmas break up you will know what an

enjoyable time was had by all. Many

thanks to Marg Barrett and friends for

hosting that event.

Men’s Breakfasts

These are being planned for this year with

Fr Jake, Rob Horner, Aaron Moffat and

Martin Clifford organizing these events.

More info to follow as dates are set.

Welcoming Sundays and Saturday

Nights Wine and Cheese.

These are set to continue at all Masses at

Sacred Heart Church on the first weekend

of each month. Pauline Lewis is looking for

any new groups who would like to host

these events. Please contact the Parish

Centre if you are able to assist. Bronwyn

Craig is the go to person for the

Welcoming Saturday Night Wine and

Cheese.

Youth

Fr Jake is working with Rob Horner and

his Remar students to develop a Youth

Group within the Parish. Meetings are to

be held on the 4th Friday of the month.

Please see Fr Jake or Rob if you need

further information.

This is just a brief summary of some of

what the PPC is hoping to achieve this

year. We will continue to invite leaders of

groups to our meetings so that we can

remain a transparent parish working

together to bring Jesus’ message of hope

to our world.

And one more thing –Recently I was

visiting my daughter in Geelong what a

lovely City, (it’s a shame some of their

footie supporters are not so lovely!)

Anyway I was walking past a little church

which had a sign out the front which read,

LIVE TO GIVE AND GIVE WHERE YOU

LIVE. I thought it was a great slogan, so I

+would just like to remind you that your

parish has lots of groups that need your

help. Whether its reading to the kids in

Children’s Liturgy, visiting the elderly,

gardening, helping out in the office or

working for Vinnie’s there is something for

everyone, so if you have a little time to

spare please see Frs Dennis, Paul or Jake

or call Marg and Sonni at the Parish

Centre.Ph 0260243366.

Ros Revell

Parish Pastoral Council.

Wodonga Catholic ParishWodonga Catholic ParishWodonga Catholic ParishWodonga Catholic Parish

The Web SiteThe Web SiteThe Web SiteThe Web Site

Our parish now has a web site – thanks Sonni – which is well worth a visit. Not only can you now read your Parish Talk in full and brilliant colour, along with weekly mass bulletins, there is a growing range of features and photos and news to browse. So, visit:

www.wodongacatholicparish.com.au

and get up to date. And do, please, tell friends and old neighbours that they can keep in touch with parish news from the comfort of their computer! Wherever they now live.

THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS

Vatican City, 18 February 2012 (VIS) –

With the creation of twenty-two new cardinals in this morning's consistory, the College of Cardinals now has 213 members of whom 125, being under the age of eighty, are eligible to vote in an eventual conclave for the election of a new Pope. The non-electors, that is cardinals over the age of eighty and ineligible to vote in a conclave, now number 88.

Benedict XVI has created eighty-four cardinals in the four consistories of his pontificate.

The current members of the College of

Cardinals come from seventy-one States,

distributed as follows: Europe 119, North

America (U.S.A. and Canada) 21, Latin

America 32, Africa 17, Asia 20 and

Oceania 4.

St Augustine’s Primary School, 2012.

The holidays are lovely for the time to

catch up with family and friends, Celebrate

the festive season, relax and enjoy long

summer days, but school is back and so

we return to the chaos and business that

is school.

Term 1 has got off to a flying start at St

Augustine’s with a new group of 47 excited

little prep children, starting school for the

first time, as well as numerous new

students to other grades throughout the

school.

We warmly welcome them all.

We had a lovely informal morning tea the

first day of school to welcome them.

The children are catching up with friends

from last year, reacquainting themselves

and making new friends. It is a buzz of

excitement.

There are lots of things happening in the

classrooms with new learning

experiences, grade 5’s getting their

laptops for the first time, part of our 1-1

laptop program. Preps learning to read, all

are good and positive learning

experiences that St Augustine’s promote.

Term 1 is busy with parent information

nights, a family night at Wodonga pool,

walk to school breakfasts, school photos,

our annual Autumn Fair and Grade5/6

camp to Canberra as just some of the

great things to happen at school this term.

So keep us in your prayers this year that

our children continue to grow in body and

mind and that their school days are

fantastic life experiences for each and

every one of them.

For more details about any of the

above activities to be held at St

Augustine’s please visit the school

website:

www.sawodonga.catholic.edu.au or

contact the school on 0260242711.

Michelle McCarty

Community Co-ordinator

FRAYNE COLLEGE BARANDUDA

SEALING AND DRAINAGE WORKS AT FRAYNE COLLEGE

The much anticipated sealing and drainage works to our driveway entry and car parks

commenced during the 2011 summer holidays. Construction of retaining walls around the

Gathering Place and the Administration Office will enable us to landscape around these

buildings to enhance the visual appearance of our College.

All works are expected to be completed by the end of Term 1. This means we may no longer

live in fear of the next downpour of rain which in the past has resulted in major flooding of

Taylor House!

FRAYNE COLLEGE PRODUCE STALL: Frayne-grown fresh vegies, herbs & eggs available

for purchase from 3.15pm outside the Gathering Place on Tuesdays.

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY: We welcome our families and Baranduda residents to

join us in our Frayne garden on Tuesdays between 9.45am – 10.45am. BYO hat, gloves and

hand trowel.

Works in progress in January 2012 The bitumen going down on 13th February

Frayne College welcomed 18 new Prep students this year.2012 promises to be an exciting and fun-filled start to their primary education.

CATHOLIC COLLEGE WODONGA

One hundred and sixty-nine Year 7 students, fifty-eight Years 8-12 students and nine new staff join us this year, injecting a new energy into our community. Currently we have just below 110 students enrolled for the 2012 school year.

I spoke on the first staff day about the need for rest. Teaching is from the heart and is done with a depth of commitment that brings integrity, knowledge and courage to our students. Each teacher must renew their heart, mind, and spirit through the exploration of the inner landscape of their life. They need to reconnect with their identity and integrity - identifying and honoring their gifts and strengths and acknowledging their limits. In order to do this, they must rest and do what makes their hearts sing. We all need to wind up to serve the needs of others but we must also remember to wind down. As Michael Leunig says; ‘Tiredness is one of our strongest, most noble and instructive feelings.’

Staff are now well rested and ready to meet students with open and warm hearts in 2012.

We trust that students and parents have also rested and are ready to open themselves to new learning relationships with each other and teachers.

We are currently drafting our Annual Plan- embedding previous reforms, re-shaping others and imagining new ways to develop our students.

Our theme for 2012 is ‘We are God’s works of Art’. Our opening school Mass on 15th February will further explore the theme that has been drawn from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Feeling good about who we are as individuals created by the master creator, we can then go out and make the world a better place as we are ‘Called to share our gifts’.

Angela Killingsworth

Principal, Catholic College Wodonga

We welcome into our parish We welcome into our parish We welcome into our parish We welcome into our parish through Baptiam:through Baptiam:through Baptiam:through Baptiam:

Lucy Avery Gypsy Bentley-Clough Kiah Bentley-Clough Molly Bentley-Clough

Oliver Bowen Elliott Boyd

Connor Fabris Scarlett Fabris Aiden Farley Ellen Gillam Finn Howard Molly Howard

George Hughes Sienna Irwin Archer Irwin Lily Iudica

Ella Kavanagh Ruby Kelly

Henry Lethbridge Nate Lewis

Elliott Mayhew Eli McKay Mia Miller

Oscar Mollison Harrison Musca Chelsea Pollard

Nate Randall Paige Randell

Hunter Richardson Isobel Richter

Isabelle Spokes Rowdy Stephenson

Mia Stewart Oliver Taylor

Hannah Warden

We rejoice in the Marriages of:We rejoice in the Marriages of:We rejoice in the Marriages of:We rejoice in the Marriages of:

Justin Hynes & Bridget Stanton

Joel Godde & Katherine McQuinn

GODSTART IS A

GOOD START

By the time the

Easter edition of

Parish Talk has

been published, the

GodStart team will

have hosted the

ninth annual Prep

student’s morning

tea. This year it falls on Wednesday 22nd February,

Ash Wednesday. The morning tea allows us to give

a small gift of a GodStart prayer book and balloon,

to all of the Prep students who attend St

Augustine’s Primary School, St Monica’s Primary

School or Frayne College, on behalf of the

members of the Wodonga Catholic Parish – that is

you!

The children are graduating from the GodStart

program, and moving into the Religious Education

programs run by each of the schools. We enjoy

meeting the children and their Parents in a relaxed

atmosphere and wishing them well. It is also a great

opportunity for the children to catch up with their

friends from Preschool.

This year, in an attempt to reach our GodStart

children who aren’t attending the Catholic Primary

Schools, we have invited the children from the

Wodonga and district Public and Independent

Schools, to attend the morning tea via a message

on their school newsletters. Hopefully this will be

successful.

As you may already be aware, the Welcoming

Sunday events for April have been postponed due

to them falling on Palm Sunday. We have invited

the Children’s Liturgy team to join us and Playgroup

as hosts next year. This will mean that the three

ministries which focus on the children of the Parish

will be hosting the event together in the future. We

hope that the Playgroup will be back in full swing by

then.

Our GodStart Mass will be held on the 29th of July. If

you would like to contact us before then please

leave a message for us at the Parish Centre. Fran,

Annette, Helen, Melinda, Kate and I would love to

welcome you to our GodStart team.

Dianne Gibbs-Jones

GodStart Team

Wodonga Catholic Parish

GodStart Prep morning tea

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

The St Vincent de Paul Society began in 1833 with a 20 year old French university student named Frederic Ozanam. At the time, the people of France were experiencing tremendous political and social upheaval including the French Revolution, the industrial revolution and unjust employment practices. Ozanam gathered a group of colleagues together and began responding in practical ways to the poverty and hardship he saw around him by visiting people in their homes, offering friendship and practical support. Today this practice of ‘home visitation’ still remains a core activity for the St Vincent de Paul Society’s members and volunteers. The first Australian conference (local branch) was established by Fr Gerald Ward at St Francis’ Church, Lonsdale St., Melbourne on 5th March 1854. Today the Society in Victoria is made up of many Conferences throughout the state. The Wodonga Conference along with 5 other conferences is part of the Upper Murray Region. This Regional Council is one of 5 regional councils of the North East Central Council (Diocesan Council) which in turn is part of the Victorian State Council & it is part of the Australian National Council. The Wodonga Conference (St. Leo’s Conference) meets at 7.30pm on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at Sacred Heart Hall. The meeting consists of a spiritual reflection usually on the next Sunday’s Gospel, the volunteering of

members to the various rosters, together with Opening & Closing Prayers. The rostered members then spend a couple of hours at the society’s office ringing back people who have requested assistance & then visiting them in their homes to provide assistance if possible. This is repeated each day Monday to Friday by various volunteers. We are always looking for new members. Please ring John Goonan (Conference President) on 0431 353 241 if you would like to consider becoming a member or becoming a volunteer at Wodonga Vinnies Centre. In 2010/2011 year the Conferences in the Upper Murray Region provided aid in excess of $97,646 to 1398 adults and 1279 children. As well $21,628 of aid in the form of clothing, furniture and household goods was provided through the Wodonga Vinnies Centre. The material aid from the conferences consisted of $57,385 Food, $13,109 Utilities, $6,128 Accommodation, $6,174 Transport, $958 Prescriptions, $2,289 Whitegoods, $3,039 Education & $8,567 Miscellaneous. St Leo’s Wodonga Conference President & Members are grateful to the parishioners of the Wodonga Parish for their continued support in all ways, particularly with their generous donations to our Second Sunday Leaving Appeal. Mike Iverson – Acting Secretary

The REMARkable Collins Young Men

On Australia Day this year, Tim Collins

was awarded Young Citizen of the Year

for Wodonga. His two older brothers Dan

and Josh had been given the same award

in 2008 and 2010 respectively. How could

this possibly happen that all children of

one family are so highly esteemed in the

community? Well it hasn’t been magic.

Their story is quite a remarkable one with

their parents, Brendon and Karen,

navigating and supporting their sons

through some of life’s hurdles as they

were growing up.

The boys were educated at St.Augustine’s

and CCW, with Josh participating one day

a week in Frayne’s inaugural year as an

Yr8 student.

Growing up on a farm and Brendon

always having a building project on the go

meant the boys were exposed at a young

age to practical activity and play at home,

with a lot of time spent outdoors. So sitting

at a table/desk for a lengthy period at

school was hard to match home; activities

such as ferretting, yabbying, making a

flying fox, building rafts, building a hut in

the bush, welding, building a home-made

go-cart or making experiments that

involved a loud ‘BANG’.

Despite the boys being immersed with

literature, literacy skills did not come easy

to all of them, so extra assistance outside

school combined with Karen’s support with

a teaching background helped

enormously. During this time, Brendon and

Karen assured the boys that doing this

extra work was not negotiable The boys

learned during this period a life lesson; if

you work hard at something you are not

good at, with persistence and

perseverance you can get there. And it

happened for a long period, for all of them.

Simultaneously, Karen and Brendon

provided a very encouraging environment

in which to achieve. The boys’ individual

strengths were nurtured and their

enterprising spirit encouraged; with Josh

beginning, at age 14 his cattle business

that still operates today, Dan an importing

business at 16 and Tim supplying worms

to a local fishing shop at 13. They were

given the freedom to explore the hills and

rivers near home and learn through

‘hands-on’ experience in building and farm

work. Importantly, they always had to take

responsibility for their behaviour.

So by virtue of creative parenting, hard

work, wonderful teachers and great

educational opportunities that have come

their way, these young men have

developed into inspiring role models. Each

of the boys has travelled different paths,

yet they have enormous respect and

appreciation of each other’s

achievements, providing encouragement

for one another. They are all engaging

public speakers, have great

communication skills and are articulate

and comfortable speaking with a broad

range of people.

Brendan and Karen believe REMAR, a

leadership-training program at CCW, has

made a large contribution to the boys’

development. Rob Horner at the helm of

this program has been a great mentor to

Dan, Josh and Tim. REMAR exposed

them to the rewards of community work

and challenged them to think ‘outside the

square’. Rob has mentored many students

through this program and he has a unique

gift to draw the very best out of our young

people. Tim is the seventh REMAR person

in succession to have won Young Citizen

of the Year (Wodonga).

Dan completed the Kokoda Track in his

Year 12 year, having been sponsored by

the RSL. In a Gap year in 2007, he worked

in Tennant Creek, N.T. initially as a

volunteer but at 18 years incredibly,

became the manager of Centrecare’s

Youth Services Program, running a Drop-

In Centre for indigenous youth. He went

on to work in Kenya as a volunteer with

World Youth International spending time

there organising and managing the

construction of 10 houses for extremely

poor families many of whom were living in

tents with family members having been

AIDS affected. Generous donations from

within our parish supported Dan’s project.

Dan received a national award in

Canberra, the ‘Spirit of Kokoda’ award,

recognising the work he did in Tennant

Creek and Kenya. An article in the Border

Mail (Oct 6, 2007) stated, “When Dan

came to a fork in the road; he took the

harder path and discovered what was

most important in life”. Dan worked hard

at RMIT completing, firstly his Diploma,

then a degree in Construction

Management, graduating with first class

honours last year. Parallel to his studies,

in his first year Dan gained a part-time

position with Baulderstone, a national

building company, whereby he was trained

as a site-engineer on the construction site

of Crown. He gained two RMIT

scholarships in his second year, then in

his third year he was awarded by the

Masters Builders Association, the

prestigious award the ‘Florence M. Taylor’

medallion. Also in Dan’s third year of study

he took up study at a university in

Stockholm, Sweden for 6 months. While

he studied there, Baulderstone arranged

for him to work part-time with management

on a billion dollar tunnel in Stockholm.

Having graduated, Dan now works with

MIRVAC in Melbourne.

Josh at 21, has completed a carpentry

apprenticeship, a Diploma of International

Business, an Advanced Diploma of

International Business and is currently

completing his final year of a Commerce

degree. Josh’s achievements have been

nothing short of extraordinary given his

schooling background; a student who

struggled with literacy in his primary and

early secondary school years, skipping

Year 9 to enter the Year 10 VCAL program

at CCW (purely because he was old

enough to enter into a school-based

apprenticeship), yet going on to

completing Year 12. Last Dec, Josh was

awarded the Swinburne Vice-Chancellor’s

scholarship and is currently studying at

Limerick University, Ireland for 6 months.

Like his brothers, Josh does not let

opportunities pass him by. In a Gap year,

Josh spent several months working in

Alice Springs, some of his time at Santa

Teresa as a volunteer. He also worked as

a volunteer on a construction project in a

small community in Peru for 3 months with

World Youth International. Last year Josh

was chosen as an ambassador for

Swinburne University, giving lectures to

large school audiences. He was also given

a scholarship to participate in a study tour

of India in Feb 2010, giving lectures to

students in Indian universities.

Tim at 18 years has had fabulous role

models but has found his own pathway.

Tim was a Vice-Captain of CCW in 2011

and is a young man who has also helped a

lot of others. In Yr 11, Tim undertook a

150km hike across the rugged terrain of

the Great Divide to raise money to

sponsor 6 disadvantaged young people to

attend Mittagundi. Mittagundi is a not-for-

profit, outdoor, education centre set up as

a pioneer-style farm, established to

provide educational experiences for 14-18

year olds in the bush. In Year 11, Tim was

a participant of the CCW Bathurst Island

Immersion program living in the

indigenous community focused on building

community and sharing a positive cross-

cultural exchange. With REMAR, he has

worked and lived in the Condobolin

community assisting this small rural

community hard hit by drought (over page)

He has helped assimilate a Bhutanese

family in Wodonga, worked as a volunteer

at St Stephen’s Church on Christmas Day

and helped farmers re-fence their

properties after the fires. Last year he was

a committee member for the Red Carpet

Youth Awards. Like his brothers, Tim is

taking a Gap year. He too will be working

in Kenya later this year as a volunteer with

World Youth International. He will be

attending Swinburne in 2013.

This is a story about some of our

inspirational, young people in our parish of

whom we can be very proud.

The Collins family

Diana McKinley

MARTHA OR MARY?

I cannot choose; I should have liked so much

To sit at Jesu's feet-- to feel the touch Of His

kind, gentle hand upon my head,

While drinking in the precious words He said.

And yet to serve Him! ---oh,divine employ---

To minister and give the Master joy, To bathe

in coolest springs His weary feet,

And wait upon him while He sat at meat.

Worship or service--- which ? Ah, that is best,

To which He calls us, be it toil or rest; To

labour for Him in life's busy stir,

Or seek His feet, a silent worshipper.

( by Caroline Atherton Mason, 1911.)

Sent in by June Fuery.

CATHOLIC CHARASMATIC

RENEWAL

MICAH PRAYER GROUP,

WE ARE A CHARASMATIC PRAYER GROUP

COMING TOGETHERIN PRAYER AND

FELLOWSHIP. WE SUPPORT ONE

ANOTHER IN THE EFFORTS TO GROW IN

THE KNOWLEDGE AND LOVE OF GOD.

EACH MEETING IS OPEN TO ANYONE WHO

WANTS TO COME.

WHERE: ST AUGUSTINS CHURCH

WHEN: EVERY WEDNESDAY NIGHT

TIME: 6 – 7pm ADORATION 7 – 7.30pm CUPPA

7 .30 – 9pm PRAYER MEETING

WE INVITE YOU TO COME AND JOIN US.

Once again we begin the journey of

coming together to praise, pray and learn

about God, experiencing his touch in our

personal life and through the church.

This year we are having some awesome

sharing. Looking at who Jesus is, what is

the message of the Gospels and the birth

of the church, Pentecost, the gift to all who

believe.

We are also looking at Jesus the Healer

who brings healing to our spirit, soul and

body as he is the same yesterday, today

and forever (Heb 13:8).

Most of us, if not all have wonderful

testimonies of the power of God in our

lives which gives witness to the presence

of Holy Spirit.

We are looking forward to what God has

for us this year to do.

Our prayer group is but one brick in the

wall as we come together to unite our

prayers with those who walk and lead us

on the journey of faith.

Natsumi Suenobu is a17 year old exchange student, from Japan who joined our Parish community for 2011 and lived with the Moffat family. She was brought into our Catholic Christian community by the Moffats, as a Buddhist, but was very open to both the ways of our church and the community of Sacred Heart. For the last 6 months of 2011, our Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) Prayer group was blessed to have her as new member. Natsumi attended Prayer Group religiously and prayed and worshipped God with a gentle spirit. I know the CCR prayer group and The Moffats are richer for the experience of knowing Natsumi. It was a blessing to be part of Natsumi‘s experiencing God. Picture taken at a prayer group gathering: Brigita Hore, Marjory Serbinek, Natsumi Suenbo, Edwidge and Brigita Serbinek. Natsumi presented this Thankyou to the prayer group when you she as leaving to go home.

Lenten fast of nothing but beer J Wilson has vowed to fast on beer this Lent. The 38-year-old from Iowa is following the example of 17th-century Bavarian friars who did not allow solid food to pass their lips during the penitential season but kept going on strong, dark specially brewed beer called doppelbock, reports Anna Arco in the UK Catholic Herald.

The first three days of the fast are meant to be the worst, says Wilson when I spoke to him two days after Ash Wednesday. He says he feels fine and on Day Three he is certainly sounding more cheerful and compos mentis than I would have expected from a man on a diet of four 12-ounce bottles of dark lager a day.

He has a headache, he says, but doesn’t feel bleary or even that hungry. Wilson is writing about the experience on his blog, Diary of a Part-Time Monk, and plans to write a book on the topic.

Like the Paulaner friars of Munich, Wilson, a home-brewing English teacher turned newspaper editor, brewed his own doppelbock, adapting old recipes. The beer, which is sweeter, stronger and darker than normal lager, is filled with nutrients and was called “liquid bread”.

Doppelbock received papal approval in the late 1600s, so the legend goes, because the Paulaner friars sent a cask of the brew to Rome which turned sour on the long journey across the Alps. The pope tasted the sour liquid and decided that anything so disgusting must be good for penitents, giving it his sanction.

The Paulaner doppelbock, which is a strengthened version of the original Lenten beer known as bockbier, was called Salvator, and the other Bavarian breweries which make doppelbock give the brew a name ending in the letters “-or”. Wilson’s beer is an Illuminator.

As well as being the editor of the Adams County Free Press, Wilson is a beer blogger for a site called Brewvana. The idea for the beer fast came to him some years ago. He says he was first drawn to the “storied history” of the Paulaner friars developing the doppelbock to sustain them during Lent

Altar ServersAltar ServersAltar Servers

All school aged children (girls and boys)

who have received the Sacrament of

Eucharist are invited to come and learn

more about being Altar Servers.

This is a wonderful opportunity to come to

a fuller understanding of the Mass by

participating more closely in service at the

Altar. It is also an important ministry in the

church that is especially fitting for our

children.

Some thoughts from our current Servers:

I love being an Altar Server. It is

surprisingly fun because you see the Mass

from a different point of view and learn

how it really works. It makes me feel

important and like a leader to younger

kids. You get to know the priests, and the

other servers become your friends. It

makes me feel more a part of the parish

community. Erin

I do it because I like to help the priest with

the Bible and with Baptisms. Being up on

the altar at Mass is different to just sitting

in the church. Seamus

Being an Altar Server is about being a part

of the Mass and helping Father doing jobs

at the Altar such as getting the Altar ready

for Eucharist, folding the corporal (a cloth

on which chalice and paten are placed

during celebration of the Eucharist) and

holding and carrying the cross up and

back. It is great being an Altar Server. I

would say ‘Just go for it!’ if you want to

have a go. Edward

Edward had very much wanted to train as

an Altar Server since the age of 7! He

knew though that he had to wait until

receiving his Sacraments of First

Eucharist and Confirmation prior to

training!

As a preschooler he just loved role playing

Mass. He naturally played the role of the

Priest and used the family Oxford

Dictionary as the Missal. He would set up

the coffee table as the Altar and process

up to it and back!!

Although not a Priest he is loving his role

as Altar Server for our Parish and certainly

undertakes his tasks very seriously and

with great reverence! We are very proud

of you Edward! Anne

If your son or daughter is interested in

finding out more about becoming an

Altar Server please contact Fr Jake or

Michael McLinden 6059 2924.

“I DON’T KNOW HOW”

Many Catholics who, through whatever circumstances have wandered away from the Church feel they don’t know how to return. They need encouragement. Why do we, practicing Catholics, not invite our loved ones back? We find Christ in our Church but no discovery is complete until the desire to share Him fills our hearts. Wouldn’t it be great if we all feel like the Samaritan woman, who, after meeting Jesus at the well, invited the whole town back to meet Him? First we find, then we tell. Like the Samaritan woman Teresa Ellen wishes to share her discovery with you. I was a participant in the Catholics Returning Home program at Wodonga. I had a desire to reconnect with the Church for some time and. ’I would ponder on it and then put it on the back burner. I had been a student at Catholic primary and secondary schools in Melbourne but once I started work, then moved overseas for a while and dropped my participation. ‘When I returned to Australia I continued that way for some time but was still drawn to church at significant times like Christmas and Easter. Never completely severing the tie but never quite feeling a part of it Life’s distractions gave me an excuse to not address my own internal struggle with faith and the Church. Well, so I thought. One day I noticed an advertisement in the local newspaper for the Catholics Returning Home program. It touched a chord within me I thought ‘this is an invitation; a pathway back.’ Having been through the program, I now have a sense of hope that I am not alone in ‘the struggle’. ‘The’ Catholics Returning Home’ program is run at the Wodonga Catholic Centre in casual surrounds, which put me at ease. The facilitators were caring and helpful. We met one evening per week over a period of about six weeks. The program covers various issues facing the Church today and the changes since Vatican Council II. The program gave me the opportunity to listen, pray, share stories and learn.

Through the support of this program I have renewed my connection with the Church and Mass. I feel like its okay for me to be there and I am a small active part of it. Teresa-Ellen Gardiner.

The ‘Catholics returning Home’ program will be running for 6 sessions between Easter and Pentecost. We invite you to share the wonder of Christ with a loved one. Contact Parish centre 6024 3366 or Gerri 60562442

SANDHURST DIOCESE ‘CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL’ CALENDAR FOR 2012 March 24 : Scripture day with

Fr. Robb. St Brendan’s Centre 10.30-3.30 July 28 – Sat. Scripture with

Fr. MichaelFallon St Brendan’s centre 10.30-3.30 July 29- Sun Scripture with

Fr. MichaelFallon St Brendan’s centre 10.30-3.30 August 25/26 Dookie Annual Seminar. \ Live in or daily. Guest speaker t.b.n. Nov.17 Scripture day with

Fr. Robb. St Brendan’s centre 10.30-3.30 This will also be our wind-up party for the year 2012 Contacts: Wodonga & surrounding area

Gerri Boldrini 0260562442 gerboldrini@westnet.com.au

Wangaratta & surrounding area Margaret West 0357222821 Margaret.west@bigpond.com

PARISH MASS AND PICNIC 2011

During 2011 I participated in the Wodonga

Catholic Parish Leadership Course(now

known as the “Community Skills

Development Program) with 12 others from

our Parish and facilitated by Cathy

McGowan.

On completing the application form we were

asked to write down our “vision” for our

Wodonga Parish, mine being: ”Drawing ALL

(young, not so young, single married,

families, locals, country folk) in our large and

diverse Catholic Parish together as ONE to

share in true FELLOWSHIP”

One component of the Leadership Course

was to take on a “project’ an “event” so

bearing in mind my “vision” I chose to plan

and organise a Parish Mass and Picnic.

Let me now just share a little about my

“event”.

On Saturday November 19th 2011 ( in

between the torrential downpours and

thunderstorms), the Feast of Christ the

King, approx. 200 Parishioners ranging in

age from 6months to nearly 94(!!)

gathered out at Frayne College

Baranduda in the Deb Cousins Gathering

Space “coming together as one” to

Celebrate Mass

We were blessed to have Frs Dennis, Paul

and Jake all celebrating what was a truly

spirit-filled Mass to the strains of beautiful

music thanks to our very talented group of

fine musicians.

Two of our young trainee Altar Servers ,

Michaela Ward and Edward Tremethick

were commissioned and a group of our

Parish Reconciliation Candidates

celebrated their Baptism Revisited during

this Mass.

Following the celebration of Mass (and

there must have been many prayers said

as the rain held off) all spilled out into the

lovely grounds of Frayne to share in “true

fellowship” with a sausage sizzle provided

and a huge thanks goes to Nic Conway for

so generously allowing us to use the

Kinross Mobile BBQ.

Some parishioners had brought their own

picnic tea! There was a real buzz during

this time as people ate drank and mingled.

A cuppa was also provided for those who

wished to partake.

Light entertainment was provided during

this time of fellowship courtesy of our

resident Irish musician Joe Moran …

Thanks so much Joe for your contribution

to the special atmosphere on the evening!!

Although this Parish Mass /picnic was my

“project” it would not have happened

without the support and assistance of so

many… too many to name individually!!

My grateful thanks to all who so willingly

assisted in any way to ensure that this

celebration was such an enjoyable and

faith-filled time for all!

Thanks to Chris Telford and the staff at

Frayne College for generously opening up

your school, there were many comments

on what a lovely space and place it was to

gather to celebrate Mass and to share a

meal together.

Als Also to you the parishioners who attended

and those who were unable thank you for

your support and for being such an

integral part of my “vision”.

Cathy McGowan, Ros Revell and my

Leadership Buddies 2011 - thank you for

your continual encouragement of my

“project” it was an absolute pleasure and

so inspiring taking part in this course with

you all ☺

Last, but definitely not least, to Fr Dennis,

Fr Paul and Fr Jake for celebrating such a

beautiful Mass and for your full support

and trusting me implicitly with this Parish

“event” I THANK YOU ! It was a real joy

to organise such a Spirit - filled event!

Another Parish Mass is in the planning for

later in the year, keep an eye out for more

information to follow in Parish Bulletins

and future editions of Parish Talk.

Let me end he Let me end herewith some

inspirational words from St Mary of the

Cross MacKillop: “May the spirit of unity

and love reign amongst us (1884).

Anne Tremethick

Parishioner

Participant Wodonga Catholic Parish

Leadership Program 2011