E-Newsletter 5th Edition
Sunday May 3, 2020
Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year A
Good Shepherd Sunday
Readings for the
Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year A
FIRST READING: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
PSALM: Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6. “The Lord is my shepherd,
there is nothing I shall want”
SECOND READING: 1 Peter 2:20b-25
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: (John 10:14). Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord. I know my sheep and mine know me.
GOSPEL: John 10:1-10
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The Good Shepherd
(Shutterstock licensed stock photo
ID: 779033308. LONDON, GREAT BRITAIN - SEPTEMBER 14, 2017
The modern painting of Good
Shepherd in church St. Mary le Bow from 20. cent. Photo by Renata Sedmakova)
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THE
PASTOR’S POST
On The Other Side.
In recent days I’ve dared myself to wonder what
life might be like on the other side of the virus. I’ve realised I have become
too comfortable with a daily routine of not too much work or stress, and that
I’ve had to remind myself I’m not retired (yet) and that if we believe the
experts, this unusual time in the history of the world will eventually come to
an end. As I mentioned last week I’m not worrying when that end of restrictions
will come. When it’s ready, I suppose. But I’m not so sure that we will return
to “normal”, and in lots of ways that’s not a bad thing. In fact, I’m hearing
from a few people that not everything about isolation and social distancing is
a bad thing, if only to let us know how much we should value things we take for
granted.
Let’s start with the sense of competition that
exists among countries in the Western world, where we like to think we are as
Australians are up there with the best of them. Now each night as I avidly wait
to see the total number of virus sufferers and resulting deaths throughout the
world, I am so happy to see that we are not winning that race here in the land
of plenty. I do not envy any other countries, their circumstances, nor do I
wish to live elsewhere at this present time, (although I could give Antarctica
a visit for a few weeks. I’m a cold fish in reality). It makes me realise
that the little inconveniences that we are now easily incorporating into our
days are like taking medicine, which each day seems to be slowly curing us. A
bitter pill at first, but over time it just becomes the necessary duty, that
gets more palatable the more we see it working.
From a parish perspective, I had never appreciated
how simple and supportive a phone message or email can be, particularly when it
doesn’t come with a problem to be solved, a complaint to be salved or a task to
be completed. The “catch-up” call with parishioners, family or friends, has
taken on a new significance and has come to replace the familiar handshake or
hug that again, we have taken for granted each day.
I look forward to being able to watch a TV program
and not feel a slight twinge of discomfort when I see the actors not observing
social distancing on some pre-COVID show. How quickly we have become used to
obeying health directives.
One of my great hopes is that absence from the
Sacraments might make our hearts grow fonder. When we were forced to suspend
daily Masses, I assumed that it might be for a few weeks only and that before
long, we would be back to the same routine with the same faces sitting in the
same seats. Now five weeks into the suspension or large gatherings, I’m not
only missing the regular community gatherings, but wondering what people are
doing to replace our Eucharistic celebrations. Do people read the daily
scriptures, pray the Eucharistic prayers and contemplate the wonder of Christ’s
death and resurrection. I’ve been reminded of the people of the Amazonian
countries, who have recently met with Pope Francis, saying that it is often up
to a year between Masses for them. Not because of illness or virus, but a lack
of ordained ministers to consecrate the elements of bread and wine. It does beg
the question of whether we still remain a community of believers if we are
separated from the Eucharist, and if not, what binds us together. If we don’t
receive the body and blood of Christ, do we stop being the Body of Christ?
When we eventually get the all clear from whoever
has the power to say that all is well again, I wonder will we move back to the
“old ways” or have we discovered a new way of valuing that which has become too
familiar. Will we pray with greater earnestness and celebrate the Eucharist
with more sincerity? Will we become more aware of the hands that we shake and
the arms that hug us? Will we have learnt how to acquire less and appreciate
more of what we have stored up already? Will we simply say “Thank God, that’s
over” or “Thank God we survived and became better people?”
Fr Peter Dillon PP.
(Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash)
COUNTING
OUR BLESSINGS IN THIS DOWNTIME
Another inspiring message from a parishioner:
Just a little thought after re- reading the
Newsletter that came in Saturday night. As usual there are a lot of
little 'gems' in there but I have just realised that there is an added bonus
given to us via' corona'.!! At Mass we all listen to your homilies
and are inspired by them but, it is often difficult [certainly for some of us
of a certain age] to remember all the thoughts and insights that you two
provide for us but now... hey!!!! we can print them off or keep in a
'folder' on our computers where we can access them as needed !! How good
is that?... you will be immortalised in our inboxes!!
There is another bonus that I, for one, have found,
and that is all the extra time for reading without time constraints and so much
more time just to be quiet and still. Sad and all as I am without our
opportunities for that special time just after Communion in the Mass I am
really realising now, more than ever before, just how much the gathering of the
whole community contributes to the Eucharistic celebration. Sometimes it takes
a big 'shake-up' to make us [me] be aware of what has been in front of me all
the time. I've taken the friendship and camaraderie of the community a
bit too much for granted as always just being there. I am a bit slow at times
with eyes maybe only half open. Ohh it is going to be so, so special when
next we can gather as a parish in our beautiful churches.
From a Surfers Paradise Parishioner (name supplied)
WHERE
IS GOD IN THE MIDST OF THIS PANDEMIC?
A Reflection by Fr. Ted Penton, SJ.
...Everywhere we look. In the brave health care
workers who put themselves at risk on behalf of others. In the food service,
grocery and pharmacy workers who may earn low salaries, but are still taking on
personal risk to keep us nourished and healthy. In the people working night and
day to find a vaccine or a cure. God is in the opportunity we have to rethink
the way we live, to re-examine our priorities. God is in the extra time some of
us have to spend with family and friends, to take a nap, to read a book, to
pray. God is in our solidarity with and help for those who are most vulnerable.
God didn’t make the pandemic happen so that health
care workers could prove their bravery, or even in order to lower greenhouse
gas emissions — that would be abhorrent. That would be like a return to human
sacrifice, killing off some so that certain good effects could come about, and
that is not how God works.
But God is present here with us today, helping to
create community, to build up our faith, to build up our hope, to bring a
moment of joy into a very difficult time.
If God is here in these many ways, the next
question is: How is God calling me to participate in the work of
transformation, of helping God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven?
The world is not fair, but we can work to make it more fair, more merciful.
That is how we participate in the work of God.
I firmly believe that God is calling each of us to
respond to these challenges in our own way, to each offer the little we have.
I’m in quarantine myself, (note: Fr. Ted Penton later tested negative to
coronavirus but was unsure at the time of writing), and I’m no doctor and
I’m no nurse, but I am a priest, and today this Mass is the little I have to
offer.
My sister had a great suggestion — to keep a
“COVID-19 Gratitude Journal.” Each day, to write down the things you’re most
grateful for. Because every day has at least something in it that is good.
However bad things get, God continues to be with us, to love us and will never
abandon us, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. THAT
is why we call the Gospel the Good News.
And filled with that gratitude, we can then ask God
and ourselves where and how we can best be of service, how we can best love one
another. Because however tough the situation of the present moment, knowing,
loving and serving God and one another, that is the ultimate reason why we’re
here.
Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, is the Secretary of the Office
of Justice and Ecology at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United
States. He was born and raised in Ottawa, Canada. From the Jesuits
WHAT
ARE WE GRATEFUL FOR, EVEN DURING THIS PANDEMIC?
By
Christopher Lamb (From
THE TABLET (UK), 27 MARCH 2020)
Lockdowns, restrictions on movement and being
forced to stay at home. The strict rules in place across most parts of the
world, to stop the spread of Covid-19 are forcing us to rethink how we live our
lives.
Yet in the midst of the difficulties caused by the
restrictions, we are learning about the often forgotten virtue of
gratitude.
Right now millions of people in the west are
realising just how much we have taken for granted: our health, travel,
socialising and even trips to the park. Ironically, it is when these are
stripped back that we start to appreciate the things that we have.
This experience is even more pronounced for those
who have been struck down by the virus.
“It changed me. I understand the importance of
things that used to seem insignificant,” Fausto Russo, 38, a fitness trainer
living in Latino, the south of Rome explained. “Things that signify living –
breathing, a walk, a hug, a glass of wine – because this virus wants to take
that away from you. It wants to take away your freedom."
Slowing down, and becoming more grateful can be a
powerful tool for navigating the current crisis. It is also an antidote to
rampant consumerism and a transactional culture where everything can be bought
and sold. It is a culture where everything has a price, but few things have
value.
Two prominent spiritual thinkers see gratitude as a
key element in developing the inner life of a Christian and becoming more fully
human.
Fr Timothy Radcliffe, the former global leader of
the Dominican religious order and popular spiritual writer, says remembering to
give thanks is about connecting to reality.
“We may think that gratitude is a feeling. It is
much more than that. It is simply living in the real world, in which everything
is a gift from God, ‘the giver of all good things’,” he tells me. “Someone who
thinks of things as fundamentally to be bought and sold and owned is living an
illusion."
He stressed that this temptation to transactional
thinking has always been a temptation for humanity but he says it got worse in
the 16th and 17th century. Fr Timothy cited the Austro-Hungarian economic
historian who wrote about the “commodity fiction”, the idea that “land and
water could be simply owned, and even other human beings in the great explosion
of the slave trade.” He added: “To give thanks is to open your
eyes.”
Covid-19 is a human catastrophe. But it is also
making millions assess what is important, and to count their blessings -
particularly if they have not contracted the illness. This is a pandemic which
pays no respect to wealth or status: it has infected princes (the Prince of
Wales; Prince Albert of Monaco) and celebrities. The fact we are all in this
together is bringing communities together, and forging bonds of solidarity.
That in itself is something to be thankful for.
Fr James Martin, the Jesuit writer and
Editor-at-Large for America, explains that one of the hallmarks of the
spirituality of the Jesuits is gratitude, even in painful times. The
Coronavirus pandemic, he points out, is no different.
“During stressful periods, we tend to focus on the
stress, and so can overlook the places where God is reaching out to us,” he
told me. “Cultivating an attitude of gratitude, hackneyed as that sounds, is
essential to maintaining perspective. God is active in the midst of the
coronavirus - through the actions of heroic medical teams, loving relatives and
compassionate friends. But are you allowing yourself to notice these actions of
God? Noticing is the beginning of gratitude.”
Across Europe, people are finding ways to thank
nurses and doctors for their self-sacrifice service to those suffering from the
virus. On 26 March thousands across the UK clapped in appreciation for NHS
workers battling Covid-19. Instead of taking them for granted, we are
recognising the vital importance of our health systems and how everyone relies
on them.
By sitting in “our cells” during the Covid-19
pandemic there is an opportunity to rediscover the value, as we read in the
letter to the Ephesians, of “always giving thanks”.
THE
GOOD SHEPHERD AS THE MODEL FOR ALL LEADERSHIP
Jesus gives an example of himself
as a good shepherd, the perfect leader. Sadly, the world has witnessed plenty
of examples of bad leaders, who were motivated not PRIMARILY for the good of
others, but their own ambitions and ego. Christ, instead, puts his people
first. He knows them personally, and he is not in it for himself. Christ
literally “gives of himself completely” for our sake. What a superb example and
model for all leadership. Our Lord uses the image of the ‘shepherd BEING
the gate,’ which is an amazing and unusual image. Back in Jesus’ time,
the sheepfold would not have a timber gate, but rather, the shepherd
himself would lie across the opening of the sheepfold and his body would act as
a human gate. Nothing could pass by without disturbing the shepherd. The
shepherd would also be the first to be attacked if a predator sprung into
action. The shepherd would risk life and limb to protect his sheep. True
leaders put themselves on the line. Christ, the good shepherd, literally puts
his body on the line, for those in his care.
Fr Paul.
Image: shutterstock licensed. stock photo ID:
324607754. Jesus Christ Good Shepherd (art composition, details). By
Zwiebackesser
FAITH AT HOME: Spiritual
Nourishment
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Some other
suggestions of classic reading that is available via many e-books, audio books,
or purchase from online bookshops:
- Listening for God
in Everyday Life, by Joseph D., PH. D. White
- Saint Ignatius of
Loyola - Personal Writings
- Sayings of the
Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection, by Metropolitan of Sourozh
Anthonyhe
- Orthodoxy, by G.
K. Chesterton
- Imitation of
Christ, by Thomas à Kempis
- Introduction to
the Devout Life by Francis de Sales
- True Devotion to
Mary, by Louis de Montfort
- Summa Theologica
(5 volumes), by Thomas Aquinas
- Christ, the Life
of the Soul, by Columba Marmion
- The Practice of
the Love of Jesus Christ, by Alfonso María de Liguori
- The Life of St.
Catharine of Siena, by Raymond of Capua
- How to Be a
Monastic and Not Leave Your Day Job: An Invitation to Oblate Life, by
Benet Tvedten
- Peace of Soul:
Timeless Wisdom on Finding Serenity and Joy by The Century's Most
Acclaimed Catholic Bishop, by Fulton J. Sheen
- Way of
Perfection, by Teresa of Ávila
- The Seven Storey
Mountain, by Thomas Merton
- My Life with the
Saints, by James Martin
- Story of a Soul:
The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux
- Signs of Life: 40
Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots, by Scott Hahn
- Confessions
(Books 1-13), by Augustine of Hippo
PLEASE PRAY
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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): 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, Brian Ellsmore, Greg Sharah, Sr.
Christine Chia, Kurt and Betty Hilleshiem, Judy Ferraro, Ron Perry, Kim Parkes,
Rosslyn Wallis, Jabour Haddad, Yvonne Lofthouse, Maureen Murphy, Helen
Bohringer, Peter Walsh, Arthur Haddad, Jean Di Benedetto, Damian Callinan,
Patricia Bridge Wienand, 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: Jim Carroll,
Nicholas Braid, Yvonne Holt, Nicholas Leo (Nic) Angelucci.
ANNIVERSARY: Barry Toomey, Patrick Kiernan, Kath Ryan, Gordon Lepp, Frank
Glynn, John McGrath, Douglas March.
CHANGES TO QLD COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS
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THE
CATHOLIC LEADER
Sign up here https://bit.ly/2ShdcSZ to receive The
Catholic Leader digital edition delivered free to your inbox every Thursday
morning. A free subscription is available while Masses are suspended across the
Archdiocese of Brisbane due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope this offer gives
readers a sense of connection, inspiration and renewal in the faith, at a time
when living the faith has changed.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Leader
dated 3rd May 2020 digital edition is now available here. The Digital edition is also available 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/
RELIGIOUS GOODS SHOP
Have you ever wondered what medals
are available for purchase in our Parish Religious Goods Shops, look at
the selection - Agnes, Ann, Anthony, Benedict, Catherine, Charbel, Christopher,
Divine Mercy, Fatima, Francis, Gabriel, Gerard, Guardian Angel, Holy Family,
Infant of Prague, Our Lady Help of Christians, Joseph, Jude, Lourdes, Lucy,
Martin, Mary Mackillop, Matrix, Michael, Miraculous, Mother Teresa, Our Lady of
Czestochowa, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Padre Pio, Patrick, Peregrine, Peter
& Paul, Philomena, Rita, Scapular, Serenity, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacred
Heart of Mary, Therese, Thomas & more…
Do you know that …...
St Benedict is the patron
saint of students and schoolchildren.
St Joseph is the patron for
fathers, workers, immigrants and travellers.
St Peregrine is the patron for
cancer, foot conditions and other incurable conditions
St Francis of Assisi is the patron
of pet owners.
St Therese is the patron of
florists, missionaries and protector of many causes including sicknesses
St Anne is the patron of childless
couples, and married women.
Ring Pat 0404 805 819 and
she will be happy to help you with purchases of medals or any other products
that are currently available.
PARISH FINANCIAL SUPPORT A New Way To Parish Giving
Donations and Financial Contributions Welcome.
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.
You can make a donation via our Parish Giving
online payment system or download and use the Parish Giving mobile
applications.
You will need to create an account the first time
you log in. After you are logged in, you will need to select the Surfers Paradise
Parish from the group and fill out the prompts. Please click on one of the
buttons below to make an online payment to the Parish. Alternatively, you can
visit parishgiving.brisbanecatholic.org.au
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.
Yours faithfully,
Sonya Slater,
Parish Manager
STAYING CONNECTED AND RESOURCES FOR PRAYER AT
HOME
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Current
Parish Operating Protocol
Just a reminder that, in line with health
guidelines, the office is not open for pop-in visits. The Parish has phone
contact hours Monday to Friday 9am 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 less face-to-face
contact in these times of pandemic, the quicker we hope this situation can
return to “normal.” The Parish phone number is 5572 5433.
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 enable you to
stay in touch with our Parish and help you celebrate Mass from home:
Liturgy
for you at Home (produced by SPP): https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Surfers
Paradise Parish Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/surferscatholic/
Livestream
Catholic Mass (from Brisbane Cathedral, usually
around 10am): 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 - 6:30am and on demand at https://10play.com.au/mass-for-you-at-home
also available on Foxtel 173 Aurora Channel
Home
Resources For Families:
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.
Family
Prayer: Week by 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. Sunday
Readings: Read at Home
Right now, there is frequent messaging that we’ll make it through the
COVID-19 pandemic together. The notion that we’re stronger together and we all
just need to be kind to each other is reinforced by our leaders, from
celebrities and public figures, and broadcast widely across social media. Yet
something is missing from this encouraging messaging set to keep our spirits up
and that’s the need to offer kindness within, too.
During this time of uncertainty and distress, we need to permit
ourselves to take a break and go easily on ourselves with the small stuff, like
dishes still needing to be washed or those seeds still lying unplanted.
As with any crisis, it’s normal for many of us to have heightened levels
of stress, anxiety, fear and confusion, which are compounded right now with
feelings of uncertainty. As Olivia
Willis wrote for the ABC, ‘The coronavirus pandemic has
profoundly disrupted the ways in which we live and work, and many of us are
feeling understandably stressed, confused, and frightened.’
Many Australians have lost their jobs, have had massively reduced hours,
or know someone who is struggling from the job cuts. We’ve all been cut off
from physically seeing those within our orbits and many are missing social
connection. Plus, there’s an air of anxiety around our safety and the safety of
those we love. As a country, we’re in a state of unease.
So, part of self-kindness is allowing yourself to feel bad when you need
to feel bad. What’s going on is a lot, and sometimes it’s hard to feel like we
are allowed to feel bad because there are a lot of people worse off. And yes,
perspective indeed is a much needed and important thing right now, but we also
need to remember that we’re going through a pandemic — it’s okay to not feel
great all the time. While it’s essential to manage stress and anxiety,
especially if you’re prone to mental illnesses, it’s reductive to force
yourself to feel positive without acknowledging negative feelings when they
arise.
As Psychologist Lea Waters, from the Centre for Positive Psychology at
the University of Melbourne, was
quoted in ABC Life, ‘People think there's a hierarchy to suffering, and if the thing that's
causing you disappointment is lower on the hierarchy we have this tendency to
dismiss our emotions.’
'Being in isolation doesn’t give
you extra hours to be productive when you’re consumed with worry or anxiety.
It’s okay not to push those feelings away in order to learn a new skill.'
‘But if we store up all of these little sadnesses on top of the big
collective fear and anxiety, it's not going to be a healthy recipe for our own
mental health.’
Giving yourself a moment to feel a little sad is an act of kindness;
it’s giving yourself a break and acknowledging that you’re a human going
through something unusual and traumatic. Plus, by acknowledging negative
feelings when they arise, they’re less likely to amalgamate into bigger issues
or compound on the stress and anxiety of the situation.
Along with the distress of the situation, there’s also an added pressure
right now to use our time indoors to learn new skills and be extra productive.
This can easily cause feelings of guilt when time is spent not being
productive. Yet it’s important to remember the goal of the crisis isn’t to
acquire a bunch of new skills or read all those classic books sitting on the
bedside table. It’s to survive and see the other side.
If you do manage to learn a new language or master the making of
sourdough, all power to you. It’s great to be busy and improve upon oneself.
But if you’re not feeling up to it, give yourself permission to take a break.
It’s more than okay to re-watch Friends episodes into the night.
Being in isolation doesn’t give you extra hours to be productive when
you’re consumed with worry or anxiety. It’s okay not to push those feelings
away in order to learn a new skill.
What would you say to a friend feeling stressed or anxious? Whatever
that advice would be, offer to yourself too. I bet you’ll enjoy the extra baths
and cups of tea.
The kindness we give to others is vital to make it through this period,
but it’s equally as important to direct that same kindness inwards. Give
yourself a break and press play on Bridget Jones for the tenth time. And when
you’re watching, stop thinking about the dirty mug from yesterday that needs
cleaning — it can wait another day.
ONLINE
PILGRIMAGE PROGRAM FOR CATHOLICS
By David
Ryan - April 27, 2020
It’s never
too late to join the online community such as the Pentecost Pilgrimage
In the
midst of a global pandemic, the seeds of hope are stirring for innovations in
the living of the faith. For Brisbane Catholic Martin Brennan, who was
inspired by Pope Francis’ Easter message, this has manifested in the ‘Pentecost
Pilgrimage’ – an online pilgrimage of prayer resources open to faithful across
the world via Zoom.
The
pilgrimage is a way of circumventing the effects of COVID-19 on the faithful’s
access to the sacramental life so crucial to the tangible Catholic faith.
In a time
where many faithful cannot physically commune in the tangible Catholic
sacramental life, we are trying to come up with creative alternatives to
supplement this loss.
“On Palm
Sunday I prayed and felt really strongly that God wanted to break through our
isolation, that it was time for a world-wide fight-back, time for something
full of hope and joy and connectedness during this time of separation from each
other and the sacraments,” said Mr Brennan.
GOD WANTED
TO BREAK THROUGH OUR ISOLATION
Mr Brennan
and a team of committed catholics in Brisbane have worked vigorously, utilising
their local, national, and international Catholic networks, to organise the
program in less than a month.
The
Pentecost Pilgrimage was partly inspired by the Virtual Catholic Conference in
early April that gathered over 65, 000 Catholics internationally for 26 hours.
Over the
course of six weeks beginning on the weekend of Sunday 26th April until Sunday
31 May – Pentecost, pilgrims will enjoy over 20 talks, which run for 20
minutes, released every Wednesday and Sunday from internationally acclaimed
speakers including Dr Ralph Martin and Dr Mary Healy. Australian speakers
include Archbishop Julian Porteous of Hobart and Robert Falzon of menALIVE.
Archbishop
Julian Porteous of Hobart will be one of the speakers at the International Zoom
Pentecost Pilgrimage
“Like the
Apostles locked in the upper room awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
we too are locked up in our homes, and Jesus is saying to us “Do not be
afraid”, Jesus is calling us to trust in Him,” said Mr Brennan.
JESUS IS
CALLING US TO TRUST IN HIM
Pilgrims
who register their participation will have free access to all talks and
pilgrims will be afforded the opportunity to speak online with some of the
speakers. It is not too late to join.
Article from The Catholic Weekly: https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/online-pilgrimage-program-for-catholics-during-covid-19/
(By Fr. Paul)
A friend
of mine posted on social media the following message:
I am sick of social distancing!
I am sick of social distancing!
I am sick of social distancing!
I
thought I would be helpful by posting back this reply:
Could you possibly space this out a bit
better… for safety !
I am sick of social distancing!
I am sick of social distancing!
I am sick of social distancing!
That’s better
!
When I was about eleven years old, one of my
hobbies was creating interesting images using forced perspective. This was well
before the days of photoshop, so it had to be done while actually taking the
photograph on 33mm film. Sometimes if involved rolling back the film and
double-exposing the images. These can symbolise the fact that in life we
can see things up close and they appear to be one thing, but take a step back
and they can be something quite different.
Here are a few of my creations: I didn’t know
my own strength
(Paul Kelly
1979-80)
Light at the end of the tunnel?
Light at the end of the tunnel?
some things never change!
Fr Paul (2019)
_________________________________________________________
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