4th / 5th March 2017 Year A: Vol.42 No.15

We are an active and welcoming Catholic community,

where people of all ages draw closer to God.

His love is expressed through each one of us by prayer,

liturgy and reaching out in service to one another.

Pari sh Vi si o n St atem e nt

Please visit our Parish Website: www.standrewsmarayong.org.au

FIRST

SUNDAY of

LENT

PARISH STAFF:

Monsignor Ron McFarlane

Father Joby Kadambattu MS

Father Alfonsus Nahak SVD

Maria Hyson

(Sacramental Coordinator)

Michelle Sultana &

Joe Clemson

(Office staff)

PARISH OFFICE & PRESBYTERY:

Phone: 9622 0817

Fax: 9671 7971 40 Breakfast Rd, Marayong 2148

[PO Box 4345]

Email Address:

saapm@bigpond.com

Office Hours:

Monday to Friday

9.00am to 4.00pm

FR. BYRNE CENTRE: (Parish Meeting Rooms)

38 Breakfast Rd, Marayong.

WEEKEND MASSES:

Saturday (Vigil) 6.00pm

Sunday:

7.30am, 8.45am, 10.30am

SUNDAY SCHOOL:

Each Sunday morning

after the 8.45am Mass.

Weekday Masses: Monday: 9.15am

Tuesday: 9.00am

Wednesday: 9.00am

Novena & Mass: 7.00pm

Thursday: 8.00am

Friday: 9.00am

Mass &

Stations of the Cross: 7.00pm

Saturday: 9.00am

Mass for the Sick:4th Saturday

of the month at 9.00am

Rosary: Before each morning

Mass and before the

Saturday Vigil Mass

SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

After weekday morning

Masses.

Saturday: 4.30pm - 5.30pm

Anytime by arrangement.

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

Baptisms: 1st & 3rd Sunday

of each month at 11.45am

Baptismal Preparation:

2nd Wednesday of each month

at 7.30pm

in the Fr Byrne Centre.

Please book for Baptisms

with the Parish Office.

PIETY STALL:

Open after Masses on Saturday

night and Sunday morning or

by asking for an appointment

at the Parish Office.

PARISH SCHOOLS:

ST. ANDREW’S PRIMARY

Principal: Mr M. Tonnet

Phone: 9671 6622

Address: 36 Breakfast Road

Marayong 2148

ST. ANDREWS COLLEGE

College Principal: Mr N. Vidot

Phone: 9626 4000

Campus -

JUNIOR CAMPUS (YRS. 7-10)

Address: 116 Quakers Road

Marayong 2148

SENIOR CAMPUS (YRS. 11-12)

Address: 50 Breakfast Road

Marayong 2148

PARISH REGISTRATION

If you have not filled out a Registration Form, please do

so as soon as possible and return it to the Church or Parish

Office. Forms are available at the back of the Church.

If you are a new parishioner, we ask you to complete a

Registration Form, and return it to the Parish Office.

Bullet in Highl ights …

LENTEN MESSAGES POPE FRANCIS, BISHOP VINCENT

PROJECT COMPASSION

LENTEN DISCUSSION / REFLECTION GROUPS

STATIONS OF THE CROSS DURING LENT

UPCOMMING PARISH AND DIOCESAN EVENTS

PROJECT COMPASSION

Project Compassion promotes peace by pursuing justice.

Please take home a project compassion box and/or set of envelopes and give generously this

Lenten season. Your donations allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic agency for international aid and development, to work with communities to reduce poverty and hunger around the world. Caritas Australia is part of an international network of Caritas agencies that working more than

200 countries to alleviate poverty and bring hope to communities that are much less fortunate than ourselves. Project compassion is Caritas Australia's annual Lenten appeal. It enables Caritas to provide long-

term development programs in partnership with some of the world's most vulnerable communities, for whom poverty and injustice is a daily reality, and also to deliver emergency assistance in the event of disasters.

MASS READINGS -YEAR A

THIS SUNDAY:

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

First Reading: Genesis 2:7-9. 3:1-7

Psalm: Ps 50:3-6. 12-14. 17

Second Reading: Romans 5:12-19

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

NEXT SUNDAY:

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

First Reading: Genesis 12:1-4

Psalm: Ps 32:4-5. 18-20. 22

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:8-10

Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

Please contact the

Parish Office, if you are

unavai lab le for your

rostered Ministry.

From Monsignor Ron … On Ash Wednesday, we commenced the season

of Lent. St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians

emphasised the importance of living in the present

moment. Too often, many of us make a habit of

living in the past by lamenting lost opportunities,

thinking about how times were better before, and

constantly beating ourselves up for past mistakes.

Others, live in the future, always making big plans

with no commitment to action, hoping for a better

quality of life but having no strategies for achieving

it. What the season of Lent is about is focusing on

the present possibilities and the blessings of the

moment. I believe we are being called to make this

our best Lenten season ever. We are being invited

to begin our journey to East with a commitment to

live fully with the graces of the present moment. We

need to take advantage of every day of Lent to

grow spiritually. If you have not done so already, it

is time to make a resolution and begin today for

now is the acceptable time.

This weekend we have the confrontation between

Jesus and Satan. We need to look at how Jesus

dealt with this confrontation. He simply sent Satan

packing by invoking the power of God. He reminded

Satan a very simple truth. God is above all. There is

no power and existence which is greater than God’s

strength or influence.

We have just begun our six weeks of this Lenten

journey to Easter. This is the time to battle with our

areas of sinfulness and our self-centredness. It is

going to be a difficult struggle for all of us and in

fact we cannot win this battle on our own. We need

to do what Jesus did which was to call upon the

power of God. At Easter, we hope to renew our

baptismal promises. We will renounce Satan and all

his works. We will profess our faith in Jesus and in

his Church. We will only be able to do this honestly

and sincerely if in these weeks we courageously

enter into this battle and invite God to accompany

us every step of the way. This is the challenge of

Lent.

THIS WEEK’S ROSTER: 4th - 5th March 2017 [1st Sunday of the Month - Odd Month]

M INISTRIES 6.00pm 7.30am 8.45am 10.30am

ACOLYTE Ruben Bables

Joe Doyle Ged Oblea

Rufino Oblea Thong Nguyen Mario Spiteri

Robert Bautista Luis Ortiz

COMMENTATOR Joyce Vincent Mary Anne Xuereb Charmaine Mathias YouthWorks!

FIRST READER Roshan Thomas Dianne McKinnon Nerissa Toong YouthWorks!

SECOND READER Martin Zammit Julie Nunez Zoe Victoria YouthWorks!

PROJECTOR OPERATORS

Delia Fernandes Nicholas Mathias Shekha Raviraj

WELCOMER Henryka Ogrodniczek Annette Hudson

Rita Vaughn Dot Kaster, Des Zammit

YouthWorks!

MUSICIANS Lorraine's Group NO Music Mass NO Music Mass YouthWorks!

MINISTERS OF COMMUNION - First Sunday of the Month

Reflection on the Mass The first thing we need to remember about the Mass -- we are praying with Jesus. But through this program something wonderful is going to happen for your children and it will happen each time that they go to Mass after their first Holy Communion. Jesus gives himself to us in Holy Communion. Because he wants to be as close to us as possible, he took bread and wine and changed this into himself so he could always be with us in this very special way. This is the reality of God's love for us; surely our response to this is shown in our participation frequently at Mass.

Request for Prayers:

At this time, young people in our parish are preparing to

make their First Holy Communion. This is an important

stage in the faith journey of all Catholics and we request

the prayers of all parishioners for our candidates and for

their families that they may always appreciate the

wonderful gift of love offered to us in this wonderful

Sacrament.

NEXT WEEK’S ROSTER: 11th / 12th March 2017 [2nd Sunday of the Month - Odd Month]

M INISTRIES 6.00pm 7.30am 8.45am 10.30am

ACOLYTE Romy Gapud

Emmanuel Tabone Gus Kaster

Edsel Paltoo Noe Adan

Mario Picart Robert Bautista

Ferdi Chin

COMMENTATOR Nenette Gapud Claire Blunt Lita Picart Peter Maw

FIRST READER Ralph Vaz Antonette Elogious Ivy Mantua Alan Brady

SECOND READER Myra Estrera Belinda Elogious Maria Toledo Maryanne Bautista

PROJECTOR OPERATORS

Nicholas King Derica Elogious Nicholas Mathias Abigail Chin

WELCOMER Annette Hudson Claire Blunt Linda Dessa

Mathias Family

MUSICIANS Hearts NO Music Mass Couples For Christ Dingalings

MINISTERS OF COMMUNION - Second Sunday of the Month

Message of Pope Francis for Lent 2017 Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ’s victory over

death. This season urgently calls us to conversion. Christians are asked to return to God

"with all their hearts” (Joel 2:12), to refuse to settle for mediocrity and to grow in friendship

with the Lord. Jesus is the faithful friend who never abandons us. Even when we sin, he

patiently awaits our return; by that patient expectation, he shows us his readiness to forgive

(cf. Homily, 8 January 2016).

Lent is a favorable season for deepening our spiritual life through the means of

sanctification offered us by the Church: fasting, prayer and almsgiving. At the basis of

everything is the word of God, which during this season we are invited to hear and ponder

more deeply. I would now like to consider the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (cf. Lk

16:19-31). Let us find inspiration in this meaningful story, for it provides a key to

understanding what we need to do in order to attain true happiness and eternal life. It

exhorts us to sincere conversion.

Dear friends, Lent is the favourable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in

is word, in the sacraments and in our neighbour. The Lord, who overcame the deceptions of

the Tempter during the forty days in the desert, shows us the path we must take. May the

Holy Spirit lead us on a true journey of conversion, so that we can rediscover the gift of God’s

word, be purified of the sin that blinds us, and serve Christ present in our brothers and

sisters in need. I encourage all the faithful to express this spiritual renewal also by sharing in

the Lenten Campaigns promoted by many Church organizations in different parts of the

world, and thus to favor the culture of encounter in our one human family. Let us pray for

one another so that, by sharing in the victory of Christ, we may open our doors to the weak

and poor. Then we will be able to experience and share to the full the joy of Easter.

From the Vatican, 18 October 2016

A LENTEN MESSAGE FROM BISHOP VINCENT

My dear people,

Lent is an important season for us Catholics insofar as it

reminds us of the need for conversion. We cannot live life to the full if we gloss over the inconvenient truths about ourselves. We cannot grow to full maturity if we ignore

the obstacles that prevent us from reaching our potential. Pope Francis always asks people to pray for him because he says he is a sinner. It is characteristic of a true Christian who recognises the darker side of himself and

seeks metanoia, a change of heart.

To read Bishop Vincent’s Lenten Message in full & watch the video, please visit:

http://catholicoutlook.org/bishop-vincent-longs-lenten-message-2017/

Sunday

5 1st Sunday of Lent

Counters: Group 1

Outlook - Due Out

08:45 FHC Class 2

09:30 Sunday School

10:30 Youth Mass

11:45 Baptism

Monday

6 Catholic Schools Week

09:15 Mass

09:30 Rosary

18:00 Legion of Mary

19:15 RCIA 14

Tuesday

7 Commemoration of Saints

Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs

SAC Open Day Junior Campus

09:00 Mass

09:30 Rosary

Wednesday

8 Commemoration of

Saint John of God, Religious

09:00 Mass

09:30 Rosary

19:00 Novena & Mass

19:30 Baptism Preparation

20:00 Lenten Discussion

Group

Thursday

9 Commemoration of Saint

Frances of Rome, Religious

08:00 Mass

08:30 Rosary

10:00 Life Ascending

Australia Group

Meeting - FBC

Friday

10 09:00 Mass

09:30 Rosary

19:00 Mass &

Stations of the Cross

20:00 Choir Practice HJM

Saturday

11 09:00 Mass

09:30 Rosary

09:40 Jnr Legion of Mary

10:00 Church Cleaning CFC

16:15 Legion of Mary

19:30 Prayer Meeting HJM

LENTEN DISCUSSION / REFLECTION GROUPS The season of Lent will commenced last Wednesday as did our discussion groups. It is important that we do not simply drift through this season without making the most of the opportunities to grow in our faith and use this time as a time of renewal. One of the ways in which we can do this is to become involved in Lenten Discussion Groups which are being held each Wednesday evening after the evening Mass until 9:00pm in the Fr. Byrne Centre. Booklets are available for purchase in the piety store at a cost of $9. These can be used privately, but I would suggest that being involved in a group will be more beneficial.

FAMILY LENTEN PROGRAM The diocesan Life, Marriage & Family Office has produced a Family Lenten Program as a support for families in their faith journey towards Easter. The program is based around the theme of Lead us to Living Water. It is based on the Sunday Gospel reading with reflections, colourful pictures, prayers and activities that the whole family can do together. Copies of this resource are available from your parish and for download at

https://parralmf.org.au/lent2017/

ST PATRICK'S FAMILY FESTIVAL: 18 MARCH This festival is organised by the Life, Marriage & Family Office and will be held from 2pm-5pm at St Patrick’s Cathedral Precinct, 1 Marist Plc, Parramatta. The Irish themed event will include live entertainment, food, rides for all ages and a historical display about the contribution the Irish have made to our Diocese. The event will also raise awareness about the World Meeting of Families taking place in Dublin next year and raise funds for families to be able to attend. All are welcome! For more information check out: www.parralmf.org.au/St-patricks-day Anyone interested in volunteering to help run stalls, prepare food, assist with crowd management and other duties tel (02) 8838 3441,lmf@parra.catholic.org.au

LIFE ASCENDING AUSTRALIA This coming week we have our next meeting for seniors in our parish community. This commences at 10:00am on Thursday. We do encourage seniors to come along for this morning. At this meeting and in subsequent meeting we are presenting a DVD course for those over 60. The first topic will be “The Autumn of Life.” The video goes for 30 minutes and then there is time for discussion.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS DURING LENT: This will take place during Lent on a Friday evening following Mass. As we have done in the past we

would like the groups in the parish to volunteer their services in leading this devotion.

If your group is able to volunteer, please contact the office.

The proposed leaders for the Stations of the Cross are as follows:

Friday, March 10:

Friday, March 17: The members of SAYWAT.

Friday, March 24:

Friday, March 31:

Friday, April 7: The members of HJM as part of the Holy Hour.

Good Friday, April 14: This year Good Friday falls in the middle of the school holidays so it is hoped that

the members of SAYWAT will be able to take responsibility for the Stations of the Cross.

OPEN DAY 2017—TUESDAY 7 MARCH St Andrews College is about creating dynamic learning environments that challenge and nurture students to be people of companion, compassion, confidence, competence, creativity, conscience and with the conviction of faith to transform the world. St Andrews College is offering parents and students the opportunity to tour the Junior Campus.

Tour Times: 9.00am, 9.40am and 11.05am For Tour Bookings visit: www.standrewscmarayong.catholic.edu.au

Parents of Year 6 and Year 10 students, who wish to enrol their child for Year 7 or Year 11 at St Andrews College must submit an application form before Friday the 5th of May, otherwise their child may miss out on a place. Parents can download an Enrolment Application from the College website, or phone 9626 4000 for a Prospectus.

Applications close at 3pm on Friday 5 May 2017