Readings for Pentecost Sunday. Year A
FIRST READING: Acts 1:12-14 | Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8. “Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”
SECOND READING: 1 Pet 4:13-16
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. John 14:18). Alleluia, alleluia! Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love.
GOSPEL: John 17:1-11a
Image: Shuttertock licensed stock illustration ID: 64763715. Holy Spirit, Pentecost dove, people and tongues of flame or fire.
Abstract modern religious digital illustration background. By “Thoom”
“Come Holy Spirit. Make us your home”
THE PASTOR’S POST
Without doubt, one of the greatest frustrations I am experiencing at the moment (and there are many) is not deciding which program to watch on telly or whether some Covid carrier has used the shopping trolley just before me, but rather, it’s trying to work out what is the best way to come back from these weeks of solitude and changed approach to our parish, which is now operating like a small country parish similar to the one run by the Vicar of Dibley. ScoMo has it easy. He only has to worry about how to get the country back on its feet. We have the gem in the Archdiocesan crown, (a personal attribution) to get ramped up again, and frankly it’s giving me jip (to use a phrase I haven’t heard since my grandfather used it when referring to the rotary lawn mower when it threw a blade in 1966). It didn’t take me long to discover that a large parish is easy to run if you don’t have any parishioners, but thanks to modern communication techniques and the skill of master computer whiz Fr. Paul, we have discovered that many of our parishioners are staying connected through the weekly E-Newsletter and the Sunday readings, with many asking the question, “when does Mass begin again”?
It’s a more difficult question to answer than you might imagine, given that we have already been given permission for gatherings in Church or up to 10 parishioners (20 for funerals, and 10 for weddings and baptisms). Apart from the added requirement of needing to record names and contact details of those attending and having social distancing requirements and hand-sanitiser available, we are also required to completely clean the pews after every service. My chief issue is: how do we select the chosen ten for participation at the Mass. Even Jesus had at least 12 apostles, not to mention dozens, sometimes thousands, of others who seemed to gather around him whenever he shared his thoughts, as well as bread and fish, with them.
It has been suggested that we could introduce a type of lottery system, where parishioners nominate themselves for attending mass, with the lucky ten winners being notified by phone as to which Mass they are able to attend. Would this then require us to call the ‘losers’ and let them know that they didn’t make the cut – bad luck? I can’t work out how even 20, 50 or even 100 participants could be selected, when the restrictions are relaxed (Even our weekday masses average about 70 parishioners and visitors). This would require someone to stand at the door and turn others who arrived uninvited or over the quota, to be turned away.
Unlike some restaurants that have chosen not to open at this time, this is not a financial decision but one of equity.
I know that these are desperate times, and that many people are anxious to return to the sacraments and to their much-missed communities, but I cannot bring myself to utilise this ‘raffle’ suggestion, for fear that some may think the draw was rigged and that favouritism had a part to play. I just can’t see it working in our multi-church, many mass-communities parish. I’m inclined to an ‘all-or-none’ approach in an attempt to be as fair as possible. When the doors are finally opened I want them to be open to all who freely want to attend, not by winning a place, by holding ‘a golden ticket’, but by knowing that the health crisis has past and that they have made great sacrifices to arrive at this day.
One thing that is vital is that we have as wide an opportunity to communicate with our parishioners so that we can tell them when and how the lifting of restrictions will affect our parish and its activities. Just as we seemed to hang on every report from the Chief Health Officer on the media, so I want to ensure that as many people as possible have access to parish information through the parish website and other online communications.
Please pass on to those you know from Church any information you get just in case they have not given the parish their email address or if you have any practical suggestion as to how we may ease back into ‘normal’ parish life, I would be delighted to hear from you. If only to ease just one frustration in my life. The others I can share with God.
Fr Peter Dillon PP.
EXCELLENT NEWS - NEW ST VINCENT’S SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
I am delighted to be able to announce that the new Principal of St Vincent’s School for 2021 will be Mr. David Sewell.
David is presently the Principal of St. Brigid’s, Nerang, who will no doubt be very sorry to lose their popular education leader. David has had a long association with Catholic education and was a teacher at St. Vincent’s several years ago, and is looking forward to his return to the school community.
Although David is an active member of the Burleigh Heads Parish, he will be present at our parish liturgies involving the school and he will be introduced to the parish when gathering restrictions are lifted.
David will replace Mrs. Kerry Rowlands who as a very popular principal, has been an outstanding leader of staff, students and parents at St Vincent’s for the past 13 years and will leave the school to enjoy retirement. Kerry will remain connected with our parish after a well-earned sabbatical.
Once again, God has smiled on us with this appointment.
Fr Peter Dillon PP.
THE GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND
Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash
We the followers of Christ, continue the wonderful work of the Kingdom. We do this work in tangible ways - putting into action the "warming breath" of God's Spirit of justice, love and practical care... "God-breathed into the first Human being the day of our creation. The book of Genesis tells us that the Lord put his lips to ours and breathed in us and gave us his spirit of life. And so we became human beings. And John tells us that on the day of Pentecost, the risen Lord breathed on us a second time and gave us new life. After receiving the Holy Spirit, courage replaced caution, and a "fire" was lit in our hearts that scattered the darkness of fear forever. We, like those first disciples, are now a new creation.
I have my favourite quotes about the Holy Spirit… there is something about this text that I do believe captures the truth about the power and action of the Holy Spirit in our lives….. it is written by the brilliant Jesuit writer, Karl Rahner. He writes:
"Did we ever do a kindness to a person from whom we could not expect as much of a shadow of gratitude or appreciation, while at the same time we had not even the compensation of feeling that we had acted unselfishly or decently in doing so? Let us look into our lives, then, and see if we can discover whether any such experience ever came our way. If we find that it did, we may be sure that the Spirit was at work within us then, and eternity and ourselves had a brief encounter, that the Spirit means more than an ingredient in the make-up of a transient world. That explains the remarkable lives of the saints… They know well that God's grace can also bless the dull round of daily tasks well done, and bring the doers a step nearer to God…. When we Christians experience the action of the Spirit, it means that we are, in point of fact, having contact with the supernatural, although that contact may be scarcely perceptible." (Karl Rahner SJ, 1904-1984, In Belief Today, 40-41).
We have been called to live an heroic life, and to be instruments of God's peace and mercy in this beautiful and broken world."
Fr. Paul Kelly
The Sequence of Pentecost:
Give us joys that never end. Holy Spirit, Lord of Light,
From the clear celestial height
Thy pure beaming radiance give.
Come, thou Father of the poor,
Come with treasures which endure
Come, thou light of all that live!
Thou, of all consolers best,
Thou, the soul's delightful guest,
Dost refreshing peace bestow
Thou in toil art comfort sweet
Pleasant coolness in the heat
Solace in the midst of woe.
Light immortal, light divine,
Visit thou these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill:
If thou take thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay
All his good is turned to ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew
On our dryness pour thy dew
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will
Melt the frozen, warm the chill
Guide the steps that go astray.
Thou, on us who evermore
Thee confess and thee adore,
With thy sevenfold gifts descend:
Give us comfort when we die
Give us life with thee on high
YEAR OF REFLECTION UPON LAUDATO SI
This is the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, with which he sought to call attention to the cry of the Earth and of the poor. The pope also announced a special anniversary Year of ‘Laudato Si’, to reflect on the Encyclical, from May 24 of this year to May 24 of next year.
Pope Francis explained: “I invite all persons of goodwill to adhere to it, to take care of our common home and our more fragile brothers and sisters. The prayer dedicated to this Year is published on the site. It will be good to pray this.”
(Source: Zenit. https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-announces-special-year-of-laudato-si/)
Prayer for the Special Year of the Anniversary of Laudato Si’
Loving God,
Creator of Heaven, of earth and of all that they contain.
Open our minds and touch our hearts,
so that we can be part of Creation, your gift.
Be present to the needy in these difficult times,
especially the poorest and most vulnerable.
Help us to show creative solidarity in addressing
the consequences of this global pandemic.
Make us courageous in embracing the changes geared to the search for the common good.
Now more than ever, may we be able to feel that we are all
interconnected and interdependent.
Make sure that we succeed in listening and responding
to the cry of the earth and to the cry of the poor.
May the present sufferings be the birth pangs of a
more fraternal and sustainable world.
We pray to You through Christ Our Lord,
under the loving gaze of Mary Help of Christians.
Amen.
WHAT CAN WE DO WITH OUR FEAR?
Posted by Richard Rohr, OFM (Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash)
Minute Meditations
Our age has been called the age of anxiety, and I think it’s probably a good description for this time. We no longer know where our foundations are. When we’re not sure what is certain, when the world and our worldview keep being redefined every few months, we’re going to be anxious. We want to get rid of that anxiety as quickly as we can. Yet, to be a good leader of anything today—to be a good pastor, a good bishop, or, I’m sure, a good father or mother—we have to be able to contain, to hold patiently, a certain degree of anxiety.
Probably the higher the level of leader someone is, the more anxiety he or she must be capable of holding. Leaders who cannot hold anxiety will never lead us to anyplace new. That’s probably why the Bible says so often, “Do not be afraid.” I have a printout showing that the phrase appears 365 times—one for each day of the year! If we cannot calmly hold a certain degree of anxiety, we will always be looking for somewhere to expel it. Expelling what we can’t embrace gives us an identity, but it’s a negative identity. It’s not life energy, it’s death energy. Formulating what we are against gives us a very quick, clear, and clean sense of ourselves. Thus, most people fall for it. People more easily define themselves by what they are against, by who they hate, by who else is wrong, instead of by what they believe in and whom they love.
—from Richard Rohr’s book The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder
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Our faith sustains us through challenging times. Now, more than ever, your support is needed to help our Parish to continue valuable pastoral activities and to provide ongoing sustainability. To assist you to support the Parish during this time of isolation, you can give via
http://parishgiving.brisbanecatholic.org.au
We will continue to serve you through online resources and webcasts. If you are able to continue to support us, we would be most grateful. For all those who have been making payments via credit card and those who have donated directly into the parish account, we thank you. The spirit of generosity is alive in our parish. If you would like confirmation of your donation or a receipt emailed to you please contact me at manager.surfers@bne.catholic.net.au
Yours faithfully,
Sonya Slater, Parish Manager
REDUCING COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS AT SURFERS PARADISE PARISH
Protocols that remain in place:
Surfers Paradise churches will not be open for gatherings of private prayer due to the logistics, until the numbers permitted significantly increases.
The celebration of Mass continues to be suspended at this time.
Priests will continue to celebrate Mass (the Mass for the people) on Sundays without a congregation, with people able to follow Masses live-streamed from their parish or from the Cathedral on Sundays and weekdays.
No one is to enter a church, parish building or Archdiocesan workplace if feeling unwell in any way.
Step 1. From 23rd May. Funerals - 20 people indoors (30 people outdoors), 10 people for weddings, 10 people for baptisms. The ten people limit is too small for resumption of Masses or gatherings for private prayer at this stage in this parish. The logistics and requirements for safeguarding, supervising and sanitising are not practical for a parish of this size.
Step 2. 12th June. Funerals - 50 people, 20 people for weddings, 20 people for baptisms. The logistics and requirements for safeguarding, supervising and sanitising are not practical for a parish of this size. And so, the 20 people limit is too small for resumption of Masses at this stage in this parish.
Thank you for your patience and understanding at this difficult time.
(Note that in all cases, the rules of one person per 4 square metres, 1.5 metres between people, and hygiene protocols remain paramount, they are an individual and collective responsibility)
Current Parish Office Operating Protocol
The office is still not open for pop-in visits. The Parish has phone contact hours Monday to Friday 9 am until 12 noon, where we will endeavour to answer the phone for any inquiries.
We are also contactable anytime via email surfers@bne.catholic.net.au. In the case of emergencies, there is also the same parish office number (with a button option to press for emergency contact) for the on-call priest 24/7. The Parish phone number is 5572 5433.
In preparation for Pentecost. Year A.
The resources can be found on the Liturgy Brisbane website and will be updated each week.
In these unique times where our Sunday Masses have been suspended, you may wish to read the Sunday readings and associated commentaries at home.
This resource is designed for families with young children and has been a joint endeavour of Liturgy Brisbane and Evangelisation Brisbane. An extract from the Sunday gospel is provided, along with some reflection questions, family activities and a worksheet for children.
A HANDY RESOURCE FOR PRE-FUNERAL PREPARATION
(From our local Parish community)
Please find this resource which may be very helpful, especially in these times of isolation and social distancing, where it is very difficult or impossible for people to gather to prepare for these important events.
Here is the link: https://fs19.formsite.com/paulkelly/form7/index.html
Photo by Fabrice Nerfin on Unsplash
THE CATHOLIC LEADER
The Catholic Leader dated 31st May 2020 digital edition is now available here
Access to previous digital editions also available here: https://catholicleader.com.au/digital-newspaper-covid19
The flipbook is downloadable in PDF and printable. First, enter full-screen mode by clicking the ‘full-screen’ button in the centre of the pages. Using the icons above the newspaper, you can select print or download.
Alternatively, you can visit the website: https://catholicleader.com.au/
Beginning their faith journey through the SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM this weekend, we welcome and give thanks for Elsa Plank and her family.Please keep Elsa and her family in your prayers.
The Chaplet of the Blessed Sacrament was approved on May 30 1911 by Pope Pius X.
The Blessed Sacrament beads are usually made of Job’s Tear seeds, a Spiritual Communion medal is also attached. The 33 beads represent the thirty-three years of Christ’s life on earth.
On the medal one makes a spiritual communion as follows:
As I cannot receive thee, my Jesus, in Holy Communion, come spiritually into my heart and make it Thine own forever.
On each bead say:
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us.
In 2018 Pope Francis announced that Catholics around the world will mark the feast of "the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church" on the Monday after Pentecost each year, which is this Monday June 1st.
Honoring Mary as mother of the church on the day after Pentecost also highlights for Catholics that Mary was present with the disciples on Pentecost, praying with them as the Holy Spirit descended. Mary has never ceased to take motherly care of her pilgrim church on earth.
Assorted chaplets and marian items are available at the Religious Goods Shops in our Parish
further enquiries please ring 0404 805 819
Over the course of six weeks (Sunday 26th April until Sunday 31 May – Pentecost), pilgrims will enjoy over 20 talks, which run for 20 minutes, the last session being this Sunday (Pentecost), It is not too late to join and access the previous talks. Register now at www.pentecostpilgrimage.com
Home Resources:
You can visit the Stay Connected page on our website to find an extensive list of information and resources to help during these times of isolation. Below are quick links to help stay in touch with our Parish and celebrate Mass at home:
Liturgy for you at Home (produced by SPP): https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Weekly Homily (produced by SPP): https://homilycatholic.blogspot.com
Surfers Paradise Parish Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/surferscatholic/
Breaking Parish News (SPP Blog): https://news-parish.blogspot.com/
Livestream Catholic Mass (from Brisbane Cathedral, usually around 10 am): St Stephen’s Cathedral live webcast
Video on Demand of Masses: https://www.youtube.com/user/CatholicBrisbane/videos
Mass for You at Home (free-to-air TV):
Channel 10, Sundays 6:00 - 6:30 am and on-demand at https://10play.com.au/mass-for-you-at-home
also available on Foxtel 173 Aurora Channel
IN OUR HEARTS AND PRAYERS AT THIS TIME
FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK: All suffering from the effects of Covid-19.
Also, the following who are ill (not Covid-19):, Baby Charbel Raphael, Angela Duvnjak, Judy Dempsey, Monica Bailey, Rachel Raines, Savannah Ayoub, Lisa Mangan, Colin Virtue, Ann Harris, Ann-Marie Loder, Angel Salvador, Brian Woodgate, Kate Smith, Tricia Baumann, Gus Reeves, Baby Maeve Lombard, Kathy Kiely, Greg Sharah, Sr. Christine Chia, Kurt and Betty Hilleshiem, Roy Ferraro, Ron Perry, Kim Parkes, Rosslyn Wallis, Jabour Haddad, Yvonne Lofthouse, Maureen Murphy, Peter Walsh, Arthur Haddad, Jean Di Benedetto, Damian Callinan, Rosemary Wales, Peter Allsopp, Yvonne Campesi, Louis Couch, Steve Wayt, Michael Tracey, Joanne Mooney, Joanne Parkes, Peter O’Brien, Michelle MacDonald, John & Molly Robinson, Mary Kerr, Eileen McCarthy.
RECENTLY DECEASED: Mary Imeson, Angelo Ramunno, Mansour Soueidan, John Joseph Chappell, Geraldine Coyne, Eric St Clair, Bob Dean, Eddie Camilleri, Christina Nel, Brian Elsmore.
(Apologies: correction from May 17th ed. - Patricia Bridge-Wienand)
ANNIVERSARY: Edvardas Eidejus, Beryl Hodge, Mary Ward, Arnold Grace, Gary Johnstone, Edvardas Eidejus, Anton Kasalo, Agnes Cox
Readings for Trinity Sunday. Year A
FIRST READING: Exodus 34: 4-6, 8-9
Ps Daniel 3:52-56 “Glory and praise for ever.”
SECOND READING: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Revelation 1:8). Alleluia, alleluia! Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
GOSPEL: John 3:16-18
The Archdiocese of Brisbane holds that children and vulnerable adults are a gift from God with an intrinsic right to dignity of life, respect and security from physical and emotional harm. They are to be treasured, nurtured and protected from any harm.”
As a Parish Community we pray for a change of heart, that we respond to our grief by reaching out to one another in truth and love.
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