IF YOU NEED A PRIEST URGENTLY,
PLEASE CALL THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER:

Business hours 9am-4pm Mon - Fri – Parish Office – 9949 4455

After hours (Evenings and weekends) – 0490 898 464

BBI 35 years

PLEASE CALL THE PARISH OFFICE TO ORGANISE A SUITABLE DATE AND TIME - 9949 4455

Fr Daveworld day of migrants and refugeesDear Friends

        On this Sunday, we seek to meet the challenge of Pope Francis’ Message for the 107th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2021… that we ought to work ‘Towards an ever wider “WE”’.

        Recent, tragic events in Afghanistan confront us yet again with the incredible suffering people are forced to endure and how Australia might respond by offering places to those wishing to come here… like our response to refugees from Vietnam and Syria. We are aware too of the present plight of the Tamils, known as ‘the Biloela family’ from Sri Lanka.

While acknowledging the legal complexities of responding to refugees and asylum seekers, this is a stark reminder of how we need to respond as Christians. The 20th anniversary of the Tampa incident in August awakened memories of the divisive and at times bitter debates on this issue about which we have yet to find a compassionate consensus. Hopefully, this annual World Day of Migrants and Refugees can renew our resolve.

 Archbishop Christopher Prowse, Chairman of the Bishops Commission for Evangelisation, Laity and Ministry, provides a commentary on the Pope’s 2021 Message. Francis writes: ‘We are all in the same boat and called to work together so that there will be no more walls that separate us, no longer others, but only a single “we”, encompassing all of humanity…’ and goes on to say: ‘…we find many migrants and refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking, to whom the Lord wants his love to be manifested and his salvation preached.’

livestreaming mass

LIVESTREAMING – SUNDAY MASS at 9.30am
During the lockdown period, Sunday Mass will be livestreamed from St Kieran’s Church at 9.30am. On Sunday September 26th, Fr Peter will be the Presider and Homilist.

Link to 9.30am Mass Live:
https://www.facebook.com/NorthHarbourCatholic  or YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt8Dxm0ehFt-5r1ie9xOjLw

LIVESTREAMING – WEEKDAY PARISH MASS - Thursdays at 8.30am During the extended lockdown period in September, Weekday Mass will be livestreamed from the St Kieran’s Priory Chapel at 8.30am on Thursdays. Access to this Mass will be via the ZOOM LINK below. Just click on the ZOOM link and follow the instructions.
https://zoom.us/j/95722533549?pwd=ekI3aHdDSll3TlRNSzZ4cWEwQVRJUT09 

Meeting ID: 957 2253 3549  Passcode: 654308 

Livestreaming Daily Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in Waitara can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNenwlfI7i14XB9TsVBrLvQ

family candle

Our Parish family candles for use during the weekly livestreamed celebration of Mass or during family or personal prayer are available again. Candles are free and can be collected contactless from the Parish, one per household please. During office hours, candles are available at the weekday entrance to St Kieran’s or at the front door of St Cecilia’s anytime. If you are unable to come to the Parish please call or email the Parish office and we will arrange to have a candle delivered to you.

parish council logoAt this time, we are calling for nominations for membership of the Parish Pastoral Council for 2021 onwards. The PPC serves the Catholic Community of North Harbour through Parish Mission to witness to and to proclaim the word of God and to pray and celebrate the Liturgy in word and sacraments so that we may be of service to others and form a community of ‘one mind and one heart on the way to God.’ (St Augustine).

The PPC promotes our Parish Vision to be a community which is welcoming, friendly and hospitable; open to change, willing to learn, grow and collaborate; served by the rich diversity of our talent and ethnic composition; paying particular attention to the needs of families and youth; celebrating both socially and liturgically; striving to be Christ centred while reaching out to others

Like to know more? Talk to a member of the PPC or the Parish Team.

NOMINATIONS PROCESS - Parishioners are invited to nominate a fellow parishioner to the PPC.
Forms to facilitate this are available in our churches. Please speak to the person beforehand.
Click here for the form, and please return to the parish office 
no later than MONDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2021.          

mary undoer of knotsWEEK 5 26-30 SEPTEMBER

The Diocesan Office for Safeguarding places a special devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots. Her feast day is celebrated Tuesday 28 September. You are invited to pray the Mary Undoer of Knots Novena. A wonderful prayer resource can be accessed here.

      The First General Council Assembly starts Sunday 3 October and we are inviting the community of the Church of Broken Bay to an online prayer vigil with Bishop Anthony on Saturday 2 October from 7.00-7:30pm.

       “Listen to what the spirit is saying” has been the theme of this Plenary Council acknowledging the importance of prayer and God’s relationship with His Church. This prayer vigil will call the community to come together as one Church to offer our prayers of support to the Bishop, Members, Delegates, and the whole Assembly gathering.
        We encourage you to attend and take part in this special prayer night. To register please visit: www.bbcatholic.org.au/bayconnect

plenary councilplenary council 7

                     

michael gallagherI wish to inform you that Michael Gallagher, Principal of St Kieran’s Primary School, has advised of his decision to resign at the end of the 2021 school year. Michael has served the community for almost 5 years now and led the school with great care and sensitivity through the difficult and uncharted waters of the COVID pandemic. I have appreciated his patience, personal concern, professional competence and his attentiveness to fostering strong relationships within the school community and parish. The process of finding a suitable successor is being arranged. Later in the year, we will celebrate Michael’s significant contribution to Catholic Education at St Kieran’s and thank him for his excellent service and leadership.

augustinian logoEach year at this time of the year, the Order in Australia promotes the Augustinian Appeal. The Appeal is being held over 2 Sundays.

We are very aware that many individuals and families in our ministries are struggling so this informing you of the 2021 Appeal is done with sensitivity. There are three causes for which the Order invites assistance – our community in Vietnam, the Augustinian Seminary and Augustinian Volunteers Australia. You are welcome to choose to which of these you may wish to contribute, however our greatest need is support for the community in Saigon, Vietnam. Frs Phu Tran, Minh-Tan Hoang, Quang Tuyen Pham and Michael Sullivan are doing great work in hosting young vocation enquirers learning about Augustinian community life and guiding pre-novices and professed in the formation programme. While of our three causes, this Vietnam Mission Appeal is not able to attract a tax deduction, we hope you will consider helping us in supporting this mission.

Donation envelopes are available in our parishes and can be placed in the collection basket or mailed to the Province Office, or you may wish to make a direct deposit as detailed below: 

This issue features Bishop Anthony's message about looking after your spiritual wellbeing, the new Pastoral Discernment Project on the Central Coast, online parenting help in lockdown, Bishop David Walker's 25th anniversary and so much more. Read it online here: https://issuu.com/bbcatholic/docs/broken_bay_news_september_2021_issue_211

Special thanks to the children from St Cecilia’s School, Balgowlah, who have written messages to parishioners who are unable to have visits from their loved ones to let them know ‘that we are thinking of you and you are not alone’. These messages have been delivered to parishioners in the 5 aged care facilities in the parish. The children and their families are experiencing the stresses of lockdown too and so this gesture to reach out to others is very thoughtful. Well done! 

augustinian magazine august 2021

If any of our parish families would like some online Catholic resources for their children to use, please go to The Broken Bay Diocese Website (www.bbcatholic.org.au). The CCD Team have created some beautiful online lessons based on the Catechist “Walking with Jesus” learning program. They are very easy for the children to use and beautifully created. The lessons are on Power Point so children can scroll through the lesson independently.

To access all activities, click on the link : Catholic SRE Online         

Planned Giving receipts for the 2020/21 financial year have been emailed to all those with email addresses recorded by the Parish.  Please call the office if you have not received your copy and we will post to you or update our records and email to you.

Dear Friends,

One very significant challenge we face as a Parish is that our income is largely derived from our weekly collections – which of course won’t be taking place whilst our church buildings are closed.

For those on Planned Giving credit cards, we thank you for your continued support.

For those who have supported us for many years by placing your donations or envelopes on the collection plate, we couldn’t exist without you. In our Parish, your contributions make up a significant part of our income.

We ask those able to consider going onto Planned Giving by credit card or making a donation to our bank account (details below). These options can be arranged for only the period when our churches are closed allowing you to resume your usual giving method once things return to normal.  We know that some of you will be experiencing hardship and will not be able to contribute as you have in the past.

Thank you to all those who have made donations to our accounts, please note last week both the Parish and Priory have been issued with new bank account numbers as below.  Please also note inward payments that have already been set up will continue to work.

Fran TaylorI wish to inform you that Fran Taylor, Principal of St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School, Balgowlah, has advised of her decision to retire at the end of the 2021 school year. Fran has held school leadership positions within the Diocese of Broken Bay for over 20 years and has been Principal of St Cecilia’s since 2015. Her personal and professional gifts are many and she has fostered strong relationships within this community and parish. The process of finding a suitable successor will begin soon. Later in the year, we will acknowledge Fran’s significant contribution to Catholic Education at St Cecilia’s and thank her for her excellent service and leadership.

sacramentalWelcome to the Sacramental Program 2021-2022

Parish News

Baptism of Young Children Program

Families and Lent

Stations of the Cross

Works of Mercy an Opportunity for Family Reflection


Sacramental Program News

CONFIRMATION UPDATE

Parish Sacramental Coordinator Janette Davidson has written to families of children preparing for Confirmation and will continue to keep you informed of what is happening.

Basically, the Confirmation program is on hold until further notice, with practice sessions and ceremonies cancelled for now. However, we are keen for the preparation groups to maintain their momentum in a COVID-Safe way and complete the preparation by the middle of August. That will allow us to reschedule other activities when the way forward is clear.

Bishop Anthony has sent a message of prayerful support and appreciation to the children, families and all involved in the program. Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in North Harbour has been deferred to later in the year. In the meantime, Bishop Anthony stresses the importance of our communities remaining as safe as they can be during these challenging times and encourages us all to be generous in our flexibility and adaptability.

St augustine

St Augustine—  

Let me know You, O You Who know me. Let me know You just as I am known to You.  Virtue of my soul, come into it and make it over for Your own use, that You may possess it without spot.

Confessions 10, 1