November
Sun     17        Kindy 2020 Welcoming Mass 9.30am SK
                       Vinnies Ladies Craft Stall following 9.30am Mass SK
Tue     19        Heaven on Earth Retreat with Fr Paul, SC 9-10.30am
Fri       22        Feast of St Cecilia - 90th Anniversary Celebration SC School 9.15am
Sat      23        Mass and Supper for Bishop Randazzo 6pm Mary Immaculate Manly
Sun     24        Feast of Christ the King
                       Kindy 2020 Welcoming Mass 9.00am SC
Wed    27        Anointing Mass SK 10am   
December
Sun     01        1st Sunday of Advent Year A
                        Baptism Preparation Course 11am SK

Fr DaveDear Friends,

           In some ways, the Feasts of the Saints and the Faithful Departed are different sides of the same coin. We carry in memory the loss of loved ones individually and as a community, highlighted at a recent funeral in St Kieran’s where a lighted candle was placed at the end of the pew where the lady sat every Saturday night – such is our place in the community.

While serving in country parishes, I experienced the whole spectrum of deaths of people of all ages, including young children and babies – from farm and road accidents, various diseases and health issues, sometimes criminal activity, to mention a few. Funerals could be held on any day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday. There was usually no hurry and a farewell could take most of the day. In many cases, the same people came to every funeral, a significant challenge when preparing the homily!

During this Month of the Holy Souls, we pray for our dead, record their names in the Book of Remembrance, and perhaps visit their resting place. We may be surprised at how raw our sense of grief can be at this time and how easily we shed tears. Two thoughts give me strength, the realisation that we don’t have to be good at grieving and the fact that Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35).  

A helpful mantra is the following: ‘Pray, see more!’ How true this is and how slow we are to do this. A helpful prayer suggestion this month is to read the Beatitudes often and think about our loved ones and the beatitudes they exemplified. Whether our preferred introduction to each beatitude is Blessed, Happy or Holy, we need to realise that these are not commands but affirmations from the Lord which mean, ‘Congratulations! You are in a good place…’ In these days, the most poignant is of course, ‘Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted’ – the beatitude we live today.

cwfThe  Charitable Works Fund (CWF) appeal is being held this weekend 9/10 November, and we are excited to show you the video that was recently filmed at Our Lady Help of Christians church, Epping-Carlingford Parish.  The video is about Rachel and Clare. Two catechists who attended a public school in our Diocese and who received a Catholic Special Religious Education through the CCD. Clare even converted to Catholicism thanks to her positive experience with the CCD. We are grateful for the 31 catechists who play an important role in the faith formation of 800 children in our Parish. Perhaps you or someone you know has benefited from a Catholic Religious Education class in a NSW Public School, made possible through donations of the faithful?
Donations to the Charitable Works Fund help our community through five charities and agencies that serve the people in our Diocese. These are:

  • ·Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD),
  • ·Catholic Care Hospital Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Practitioners,
  • ·St Lucy’s School, St Edmund’s College
  • ·Ephpheta Centre

Donations to the CWF are Tax-Deductible.

Bishop Anthony RandazzoYOU ARE INVITED TO MEET BISHOP ANTHONY RANDAZZO who will be celebrating the 6pm Vigil Mass at Mary Immaculate Church Manly (cnr Whistler & Raglan Sts, Manly) on Saturday 23rd November. Supper will follow afterwards.

RSVP for supper by Wed 20/11/19 to Manly/Freshwater Parish Office 9977 5822 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

AVA cruise

heaven on earth

ST CECILIAS 90TH

The Catholic Bishops of Australia have announced a National Prayer Campaign for Drought to take place during November. People across the country are encouraged to pray for the gift of rain, for people affected by the drought and to provide practical support, where possible. The Bishops note that large parts of the country are directly affected by the drought, but the impact is national – and so should the response be national. Access resources and find out more at: www.catholic.org.au/drought

augustinian logo

AUGUSTINIAN APPEAL 

Each year, supporters of the Augustinians from our ministries and elsewhere contribute generously to the work of the Province, particularly to the formation of our seminarians and our social justice outreach.   Augustinian Seminary Trust Fund – These funds are used exclusively for the ongoing provision for our seminarians.  Envelopes are available in our parishes and you can make a donation by cash, credit card, or direct deposit to
BSB: 082-146 Account No: 13-610-4220.

Other ways you can support the Province’s ministries are by donations to:Augustinian Volunteers Australia Trust Fund, or Bequests.  Mailing address is:
Order of St Augustine , PO Box 7278, Warringah Mall, Brookvale NSW 2100. 

For further information, please contact the Province Office on (02) 9938 0200 or Anna Heath at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you for your generous support!
Donations are tax deductible

He Who has given us the gift of being also gives us the gift of being good. He gives it to those who have turned back to Him. He even sought them out before they were converted and when they were far from His ways.                                                         [St Augustine, On Psalm 103 (4), 2]

Letter from Bishop-Elect of Broken Bay Most Reverend Anthony Randazzo DD

Letter from Very Rev. Dr David Ranson

Bishop Anthony RandazzoPope Francis has announced the appointment of Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Most Rev. Anthony Randazzo, as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Broken Bay.

Born in Sydney, Bishop Randazzo grew up in southeast Queensland and studied at the Pius XII Provincial Seminary and the University of Queensland. He was ordained a priest for Brisbane Archdiocese in 1991 and, after parish and diocesan responsibilities there, he moved to Rome, where he gained qualifications in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University, later working for five years at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Upon returning to Australia, Bishop Randazzo served as rector of Holy Spirit Seminary, which trains priests for the five dioceses of Queensland, before being appointed an auxiliary bishop for Sydney in 2016.

Bishop Randazzo said during his ministry, and especially his ministry in neighbouring Sydney Archdiocese, he had observed the Diocese of Broken Bay to be ‘a vibrant, animated, and Spirit-filled Church’. Of his appointment, he said:

St augustine

St Augustine—             

I call upon You, my  God, my Mercy, my Creator.  I had forgotten You, but You held me ever in Your sight.  Come, then, into my soul, which You have prepared for Your own reception by inspiring in me a longing for Your goodness.

Confessions 13, 1

Would you like to learn more about Catholic Faith and Practice or how to become a Catholic?
A group in the parish is beginning this journey and you are most welcome to join us on Saturday 19 October between 10.30am and 2.30pm in the Parish Centre. Please contact Janette on 0408 866 521 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  if you would like more information.

plenary council 2020bPreparation for the Plenary Council 2020 is continuing and the next phase of consultation is about to begin. Based on the submissions from groups and individuals across Australia, including the Catholic Community of North Harbour, organisers have published 6 themes that will be the focus of the second phase of consultation through a process of Communal discernment. Themes are as follows:

How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred Church that is:

Missionary and Evangelizing;

Inclusive, Participatory and Synodal;

Prayerful and Eucharistic;

Humble, Healing and Merciful;

A joyful, Hope-filled and Servant Community;

Open to Conversion, Renewal and Reform.

Information about these themes will be provided in the Parish bulletin and the Parish Pastoral Council will consider how the Parish can participate in the process at the next PPC Meeting on 8 October.

Augustinian MagazineClick here to see the latest edition of the Augustinian Magazine

tuan anh solemn profession photos

thank you catechists

On Thursday 30 May 2019 the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards were released in response to the recommendations from the Royal Commission. To read about these standards here is the link to the Catholic Professional Standards Ltd webpage
https://www.cpsltd.org.au/

Low gluten hosts re now available on the table with the offertory gifts in both churches. Parishioners wishing to receive a low gluten host are asked to place a low gluen host in the pyx or glass dish marked low gluten before Mass. These hosts will be consecrated at Mass and available from the priest at Communion time. Alternatively, parishioners are welcome to follow our current practice and speak to the priest or senior server ahead of time to request a low gluten host.

Gluten Intolerant? - The Coeliac Society NSW has issued the following advice about low gluten Communion bread.

The low gluten hosts contain traces around 6 parts per million (ppm) and in Australia, the Food Advisory Board say that no detectable gluten must be found in order to label foods gluten free which is why the communion wafer is called low gluten.  If low gluten products were on the supermarket shelves we wouldn’t be able to consume them.

Because communion is taken in such a tiny amount, it is an exception to the rule and therefore safe for Coeliac’s.  

If you are gluten intolerant, low gluten hosts are available at the church. Let the priest know prior to Mass to receive one at Communion.

childrens liturgyThe children’s liturgy ministry is always looking for new mums, grandparents and carers to be involved in this wonderful and rewarding ministry.  Being a volunteer in this ministry involves helping with children’s liturgy that takes place on Sundays at the churches of St Cecilia and St Kieran’s.  You will be placed on roster alongside another volunteer who is currently doing children’s liturgy to help out about once to twice a term.  Children’s liturgy only takes place within the school term and doesn’t take place when school class family masses are scheduled.  All information, resources and activities are printed off and provided by the children’s liturgy co-ordinator on a weekly basis.  All volunteers will be required to obtain a working with children check number, but this is simple to do, and this is something that I can help you obtain. 

music ministry