The Parish Council met this week to discuss a range of events and issues from across the Parish. We have been very thankful for your outreach to us both individually and collectively on issues that are concerning you such as the persecution of Catholics in India as reported in many media sources. We continue to pray for our fellow Catholics and have been on the search for ways we can help through organisations like Caritas.
We welcome several new members to the Council after the discernment evening in mid-July with current and new candidates. It was an evening of prayer and reflection for the attendees, and something we would like to do annually to refresh and renew the council. We will be able to announce Council membership in the coming weeks in the bulletin and post who they are in the Parish foyer. If you see the councillors around at Mass or other events, please reach out as we want to hear from YOU.
With first Eucharist on in the Parish now and 188 smiling candidates, we took the time to consider how the parish can do more to reach the children (those between 0 and 16) and their parents. The very robust conversation ranged far and wide on the subject. Some of the ideas we hope to roll out in the coming months are an Altar server recruitment event to acknowledge this calling for our candidates, engaging new families to our schools in the new year with a letter to connect with us at Mass, and looking towards more post mass morning teas as the weather gets warmer.
There is still more groundwork to do, but if you have any ideas, please reach out to us through the parish office email or at Mass with the councillors. In the meantime, we ask all parishioners to congratulate and encourage our young candidates and their parents each week as they progress to their first Reconciliation and Eucharist in September.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the upcoming Parish Games Night on 26 Aug 23. Proceeds from the night will go to rejuvenating our youth programs. From experience, we know our dedicated teachers usually win the evening, so we are looking forward to seeing these carry over champions on the evening. Because of this we have given ourselves an informal theme and challenge for the night, “Beat the Teachers.” Please book a table or a chair on the website or inquire at Mass about tickets in the coming weeks. We still need a couple of volunteers for the night to “laugh at,” judge the answers. Information is in the bulletin.
The 30th Anniversary will be on us soon (8-15 October). The week will start with an uplifting Youth Mass, fresh off their World Youth Day pilgrimage, on 8 October 2023. During the week we will have a Ministries and Groups Expo event on 12 October 2023, whole of Parish dinner planned for 13 October 2023 and events, like a Parish Assembly, around the Masses at Holy Spirit (Amaroo) and St Francis Xavier (Hall) over 14/15 October 2023.
We are looking for any groups in the Parish to reach out and register their interest in having a table at the Expo event. We have already had some groups reaching out and register interest. Please do not miss out. Mark the dates in your calendar and watch out for booking and other details.
I will close with how well we have come through COVID and listened to the Plenary Council, and so we are actively on the hunt to hear your insights and thoughts on the next thirty years for the Parish. Please send us messages and talk to us at Mass, in the playgrounds, and through the other activities of the Parish. Through your insights we can remain vibrant and blessed.
Sean Ryan
Chair of the Parish Council
