Parish Matters Parish Office Hours: Revised during Holiday Season

Office Phone: (02) 9353 6300

Secretary: Maria Awad

Office Address: 74 Rosebery Ave, Rosebery NSW 2018

Postal Address: PO Box 1067, Strawberry Hills NSW 2012

roseberycatholic@gmail.com |

www.citysouthcatholiccommunity.org.au

PARISH DIARY

Monday 23/12 7.00am Liturgy of the Word with

Communion, Rosebery

Tuesday 24/12 The Nativity of the Lord 5.00pm Mass, Rosebery 7.30pm Mass, Redfern

Midnight Mass, Rosebery

Wednesday 25/12 The Nativity of the Lord 9.00am Mass, Rosebery

10.30am, Waterloo

Thursday 26/12 NO MASS

Friday 27/12

NO MASS

Sat 28/12 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

Waterloo Adoration: 4pm, Rosary: 4.30pm,

Confession: from 4.30pm, Benediction: 4.45pm

5.00pm Vigil*

Sunday 29/12 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

Rosebery 7.30am & 9.30am

Redfern 11.00am

4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT | 21ST / 22ND DECEMBER 2019

The Catholic Community of City South acknowledge the Gadigal People, the traditional custodians, who have walked upon and cared for

this land for thousands of years. We acknowledge the continued deep spiritual attachment and relationship of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to this country and commit ourselves to the

ongoing journey of Reconciliation of this land.

Dear friends, Parishioners from Rosebery, Redfern and Waterloo gathered last Saturday for the City South Christmas party. It was a delight to get to know new friends and to deepen old ones. I look forward to celebrating the Feast of the Nativity this week and praying with you and your family members. At Christmas we welcome many people who may only come to church once or twice a year. This is an opportunity to extend a welcoming hand and a festive smile in the hope that they experience the Church to be a place of welcome, respect and support and some may make attendance at our church a more regular practice. Advent Response Fr Paul: On this last Sunday of Advent, it is time for us to wake out of our sleep: salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. Fr Paul: God shows us mercy and love through his Son. May the Lord’s compassion support us in our weakness All: Come, Lord Jesus Fr Paul: As we light the fourth candle may it remind us that the Lord Jesus comes to bring us peace. All: Come, Lord Jesus Fr Paul: God offers us his spirit of understanding to forgive as we are forgiven. All: Come, Lord Jesus

Fr Paul Smithers | Parish Priest | Follow on Instagram & Twitter:

@frpaulsydney Sr Rosemary Mitchell RSJ

Pastoral Associate

CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF CITY SOUTH PRAYER INTENTIONS

Recently Deceased: Sr Vianney Hatton.

Death Anniversaries: Fr Terence Purcell (19 Dec); Moya Veronica Banfield (22 Dec); John Agnel D’Souza (26 Dec).

Those who are sick: Marlic Erland; Ana Lucia Solorzano; Dalila Quinatoa; Luis Chin; Mary Cunney; Joan Kenny; Abrelita Aguillar; Rosemary Cooley; Pat Frost; Helen Abbey; Joan Buist; and all the housebound.

Remembered in the Masses and names recorded at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Mt Carmel: Joseph Mizzi; Chiu Kue Hock; Lourdes Chiu; Tessie Chiu; Delfin Basilio; Alexis Espino; Charlie & Carmen Vassallo; Arthur & Janice Gray; Ethel & George Gray; Bill & Pat Clarke; Sydney & Violet Green; Arthur & Edna Dennett; John & Eileen Dennett; Hazel Holly; Arthur and Rose Dennett; Carmen Bonello; Bonello Family; Bill, Muriel and Marc Wickert; Shirley Turner; Sr Patricia Wilkinson; Anna, Stanley & Jim Atkins; Therese & Alfred Scerri; Margaret & Joseph Fenech; Isabel Fenech; Joseph & Rose Lia; Robert Clarke; Jay Rosenstrauss. All Souls, especially those that have no one to pray for them; All Souls of the Unborn.

Birthdays: Kath Atkins (23 Dec); Manuel Lascano (24 Dec); Wil Jackson (25 Dec); Cornell Harjanto, Dullce Burqhei (26 Dec); Wayne Lobo, Alice Balbi (27 Dec).

Wedding Anniversary: Laura & Greg Foster (27 Dec).

If you would like your name included in this section please email the parish office.

For Mass offerings, please use the envelopes available on the notice tables.

God, your stars shine brightly above me, like the Star of Bethlehem. May your brilliant star, Jesus, be my star too. May it guide me toward you in this Advent season.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON: Drop down dew from above, you heavens,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One;

let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON:

Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son; and his name will be called Emmanuel.

Waterloo Rosters Commentator Readers Extraordinary Ministers of Communion

5pm This Redfern / Ika

Yvonne Smith, Mark Blackman Next Melissa

Overhead Projector Melissa, Wendy

Cleaners 1

Redfern Rosters Readers Extraordinary Minister of Communion Commentators Music

December 22 Maria / Ralph Christine / Chris Sheila Helen

December 29 The Tongan Community

The Tongan Community The Tongan Community

The Tongan Community

Baptism

We congratulate Ariana and Emily being baptised at Rosebery.

God bless you and your family.

Morning Tea at Redfern Sunday 29 December after 11am Mass.

Morning Tea at Rosebery Sunday 2 February after 9.30am Mass.

ST VINCENT de PAUL CHRISTMAS APPEAL

Thank you to those that donated to last weekends St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Through your generosity, those less

fortunate in our Community will be assisted.

Lights of Christmas at St Mary’s Cathedral

Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Lights of Christmas at St Mary’s Cathedral with a special Opening Night Concert featuring Friar Alessandro, the Voice from Assisi, and internationally acclaimed Australian pianist Vivian Choi. A wonderful free community event starting Thursday, 5 December with the Opening Night Concert from 7.30pm. A Sydney tradition, the Lights of Christmas runs every night until Christmas featuring a range of choirs.

A collection of books, mainly religious, spiritual, theological, is being disposed of at Glebe. Some members of the parish may be interested in perusing them and taking what might interest them. The books are not new but some are fairly recent publications. Parishioners are welcome to come to the house where the books are: 11 Darghan St, Glebe (off St Johns Rd) on Sunday 22 Dec. from around 1 pm to 2.30 pm , and Sunday 29 Dec. from about 1.30 pm (after morning tea at Redfern) until about 3pm.

(electronic transfers only): Thank you for your contributions towards our Parishes.

Rosebery

Account Name: Rosebery Parish Church Account

BSB: 062 784 | Account No.: 053 750 02

Redfern

Account name: Redfern Parish Church Account

BSB: 062 784 | Account No.: 208 450 00

Waterloo

Account name: Waterloo Parish Church Account

BSB: 062 784 | Account No.: 062 750 01

The Tap N Go facility is an alternate way of giving to the 2nd Collection. It is not a payment to enter the Church. We thank those who use this facility and

remind you that the funds go to 2nd Collection which is for the upkeep of the Church and administration

expenses. Please continue to give to the 1st Collection plate which supports the Priests.

PARISH STEWARDSHIP

Rosebery Rosters Readers Extraordinary Ministers of Communion

7:30am This Kath A. & John S. Charlotte B.

Next Josette M. & Charlotte B. Kath A.

9:30am This Abbey K. & Amelia K. Lisa S. & Nancy P.

Next Nancy P. & Lisa S. Pilar P. & Nancy P.

Counters This T. Ellery, E. DiCristo, P.DiCristo

Next N & P Paredes

Joseph could not ignore Mary’s pregnancy, but he had an exceptional large-heartedness, so that he preserved a future for Mary even though she had apparently wronged him. If he had gone to sleep in a frame of mind to avenge his honour, he would not have been ready to have the deepest levels of his consciousness stirred in the way God wanted. In the deep sleep of a just and good man, Joseph was enlightened as to the divine dimension of Mary’s pregnancy. The old cycle of human history, literally generation after generation, was being broken. Something utterly new had happened. You and I are just as likely to receive an intuition as to God’s plan for us in the depths of sleep: who we really are, who we are destined to be, where we fit in to God’s plan for transforming the whole of creation. When we get these instructive moments in our sleep, what can we do when we wake up? We can do what Joseph did: get up and do what is needed to fulfil the message. We could pause for a moment to thank Joseph for showing

what dreams can be made of. Tonight might be the night! © Fr Michael Tate.

Gospel Reflection Gospel Reflection

Christmas Choir Rehearsal

Monday 23 December

St Joseph's Church, Rosebery,

beginning at 7:00pm.

Join in singing for either 5:00pm Vigil

Mass or Midnight Mass or both.

All Welcome.

The Parish Office hours during Holiday Season will be:

Mon 23 Dec 10am - 2pm, Tue 24 - Thu 26 Dec closed,

Fri 27 Dec 10am - 2pm, Tue 31 Dec 10am - 2pm,

Wed 1 Jan Closed, Thu 2 & Fri 3 Jan 10am - 1pm,

Tue 7 Jan to Fri 10 Jan 10am - 1pm.

Normal Office hours resume Tuesday 14 January 2020

First Reading Is 7:10-14

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a

sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or

from the heights above.’ ‘No’, Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the

Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said: ‘Listen now, House of

David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men

without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself,

therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child

and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a

name which means “God-is-with-us”.’

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-6.

(R.) Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

1. The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all

its peoples. It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters

he made it firm. (R.)

2. Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall

stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and

pure heart, who desires not worthless things. (R.)

3. He shall receive blessings from the Lord and reward

from the God who saves him. Such are the men who

seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob. (R.)

Second Reading Rom 1:1-7

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be

an apostle, and specially chosen to preach the Good News that

God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures.

This news is about the Son of God, who, according to the

human nature he took, was a descendant of David: it is about

Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit

of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all

his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through him

we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the

obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name.

You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus

Christ. To you all, then, who are God’s beloved in Rome, called

to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

send grace and peace.

Gospel Acclamation Mt 1:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

A virgin will give birth to a son; his name will be

Emmanuel: God is with us.

Alleluia!

Gospel Mt 1:18-24

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was

betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she

was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her

husband Joseph, being a man of honour and wanting to spare

her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made

up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to

him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid

to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived

what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and

you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save

his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the

words spoken by the Lord through the prophet: The virgin will

conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him

Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’. When

Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him

to do: he took his wife to his home.

Liturgy of the Word

Eileen O’Connor (1892-1921), Servant of God, attended Mass at Redfern and Waterloo and attended Our Lady of Mt Carmel School Waterloo. May she pray for us in our journey to unity and our desire to build a Church of welcome, respect and support.

READERS ROSTERS

The rosters for Readers and Extraordinary Ministers of Communion have been prepared and are ready for collection at Rosebery and Waterloo. Volunteers have been included on rosters, however if you do not complete a Working With Children Check (WWCC) and the Archdiocese Training (SALT) and submit to office for verification (together with your date of birth) by February, we will have to remove you from the roster. PLEASE NOTE, THAT ALL VOLUNTEERS REQUIRE A WWCC AND SALT Certificate, this includes counters and money collectors.

The link for WWCC https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-working-

children-check and for Archdiocese Training

https://bit.ly/2ZvKdf1

SAVE THE DATE

Anniversary Mass - death of Eileen O’Connor

Friday 10 January 11am

Chapel - Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor,

35 Dudley Street, Coogee.

Mass to celebrate the Cause for the Beatification

and Canonisation of Eileen O’Connor

St Mary’s Cathedral Thursday 20 February 5.30pm.

Prayer for the Beatification of Eileen O’Connor

Great and Merciful God, through the maternal love of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

you inspired your servant Eileen O’Connor, to care for the sick and dying poor

and to serve your Church through spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

Listen graciously to our prayers, and grant that Eileen may be raised to the glory of your altar.

We ask this though Christ our Lord. Amen.