PDF version of this parish newsletter here:
Also, you can access an online copy of the newsletter *here*
"All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:15)
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Vector ID: 650942674 Vector illustration of a Banner for Trinity Sunday. Vector - Contributor: suns design
Please note that our new parish number is (07) 56717388
(the old parish number 5572 5433 will still divert -hopefully- to the new number for about a year and then it will cease)
PASTOR’S POST. Our Common Home
I overheard a rather heated discussion recently about how the removal of plastic bags from Woolies was “just taking things too far.” When did we become as arrogant as to take a small attempt to change our damaging habits as a personal affront? They are only removing plastic bags, for goodness sake, not banning beer. It was also interesting to see that climate change and care for the planet were major factors in the recent election campaigns. For many of us, these are relatively new concerns, but I can only say, thank God they have been brought to our attention before it is too late (unless it is too late already). I may be slow at getting the message, but now I am awake and really listening.
As school kids, we were certainly told to put our lunch wrappers in the bin and don’t waste water, but we had little idea about any of the larger issues of global warming and rising sea levels, and even if we did, it was surely beyond anything we could do as individuals to change. We never noticed excess wrapping on shop-bought groceries, or what happened to the old cabinet-box televisions when we all revelled in the arrival of the flat-screen TV. Carbon credits and coal-fired power stations were the concern of scientists, not us mere mortal consumers. Ecological sustainability was considered a big-ticket item, so it required a “big ticket’ response from the government. These matters were certainly never spoken about in Church, so therefore care of the planet was not viewed as a very important spiritual issue, not like missing Mass on Sunday and avoiding birth control.
In fact, it wasn’t until the arrival of Pope Francis that we, as a universal church, started to take notice and some responsibility for this God-given earth. It wasn’t a huge response but a slow burn started to be kindled. Perhaps it is that we have become a nation of travellers who now see the devastation that is happening around the world or that the media has put the world and its ecological disasters into our lounge rooms through television and newspapers, but we have started to take notice, but still expecting someone else to take the reins. It’s not just the droughts and flooding rains that have made us sit up and ask questions, but the unpredictable heating and cooling of our local seasons, which give us a twinge of concern.
It took a loud and clear encyclical from our spiritual leader to shake the tree and remind us that we are stewards of creation and are therefore all responsible in whatever small way we can help. Awareness of what is involved can feel overwhelming, but when we start to give in to that way of thinking then who would do anything at all. I am reminded of the words of St Theresa of Calcutta, when it was suggested that all she did for the poor in India was simply a drop in the bucket, she replied, “With enough drops, the bucket will eventually be filled”.
Laudato si’: the Papal Encyclical of 2015 takes its name from the invocation of Saint Francis of Assisi, “Praise be to you, my Lord” which in the Canticle of the Creatures reminds us that the earth, our common home “is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us”. These grand words speak of a deeper reference to the value we put on this fragile earth and the way we treat it and those who live on it. With events like the war in Ukraine, we are much more conscious that we are not the only people who live here, and not all people live with the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy here in this great South Land.
The heart of the Pope’s message highlights the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, the conviction that everything in the world is connected, the critique of new paradigms and forms of power derived from technology, and the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress, the value proper to each creature, the human meaning of ecology, the need for forthright and honest debate, the serious responsibility of international and local policy, the throwaway culture that infects each of us.
None of us likes to be made to look at uncomfortable and confronting images, we only want to hear good news. But as long as we see these concerns as belonging to those with greater power than us, then we remove ourselves from participating in the rights that come with living on this magnificent planet. Just because we vote for someone does not mean we abdicate all responsibility to them.
Fr Peter Dillon PP.
SURFERS PARADISE CATHOLIC PARISH - NEW TIMES FOR WHEN THE TWO COLLECTIONS ARE TAKEN UP DURING WEEKEND MASSES-
For Masses within Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish - effective from now.
Surfers Paradise Parish has changed the times of the Collections during Sunday Mass.
First Collection at the Offertory time (when the previous Second Collection took place)
Second Collection after Communion when everyone is seated the celebrant often reads some notices.
These collection times are less intrusive in the flow of liturgy and allow some space in between each collection. Many thanks, Fr Peter Dillon, PP
ENROL NOW FOR CATHOLIC EARLY EDUCATION CARE AT ST KEVIN’S BENOWA. (CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW FOR THE CONTACT LINK).
FAMILY FESTIVAL - St Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane
(please click the link below for a link to tickets)
Family Festival free tickets here:
Star of the Sea - Catholic Primary School - Merrimac -
Initially Prep to Year 3, with an extra year level being added each year until 2026. The school is master-planned to accommodate approximately 550 students. - Website: Star Of The Sea Merrimac and Facebook Page: Star of the Sea
SHARE IN REFLECTION FOR AN UPCOMING WEEKEND'S SCRIPTURES:
In order to deepen our appreciation of God's Holy Word, each week you are invited to read the Scriptures for Sunday Masses a few weeks ahead. After you have prayerfully read these texts from the Bible, spend some time in silent contemplation and prayer over these texts. Then read the Scriptures over again slowly and meditatively. Write down anything in the readings that delights you, intrigues you, confuses you, challenges you and so on. Also, write down any thoughts that come up to you about these texts and what they are saying to you. You are welcome to share these thoughts in the feedback process in this link. Please come to this site every week and engage in this advanced preparation and immersion into God's living word which cuts finer than any knife and is lifegiving and nourishing for our lives here and now. Please visit the following link and join in the process. An insight, question or observation may end up in the weekly homily too. https://scripturereflectioninprogress.blogspot.com/
Plenary Council Second Assembly-Walking in the Spirit
The Framework for Motions for the second assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia has been published this morning. It emerges from more than four years of listening, dialogue, discernment, reflection and prayer within the Catholic Church in Australia. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, the Plenary Council's president, says the document “will form the backbone of our reflection, discussion and decision when we gather” for the second of two assemblies, to be held in early July. You can download the Framework for Motions at: https://bit.ly/FrameworkForMotions.
The People of God are invited to make a prayerful journey towards the Second Assembly of the Plenary Council through the Walking in the Spirit prayer campaign.
Walking in the Spirit runs until the second Assembly, which opens on Sunday, July 3.
Find out more at: ww.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/walkinginthespirit
MASS TIMES: SURFERS PARADISE MASS TIMES
A VOCATION VIEW:
Human beings establish lasting, loving bonds. But the Trinity shows us perfect love: you, God and neighbour. There's nothing more than love. To talk to someone about your vocation, contact Vocation Brisbane: 1300 133 544. vocation@bne.catholic.net.au and www.vocationbrisbane.com
STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION -
“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth...” (John 16:13)
It has been said that the best gift we can give someone is to teach them how to pray. If you don’t talk and more importantly, listen, to God every day, how else will you know what He is calling you to do? Just as you talk to family and friends every day, get in the habit of talking with God every day. Develop a daily prayer routine. Keep your prayers simple and sincere. This is best done in silence when you can hear His response.
The vision of Stewardship speaks in every aspect of life, inviting everyone to be thankful, generous and accountable for what each has been given.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK: Fred Grioli, Lynn Nunan, Elaine Casonati, Michael Murtagh, Kim Parkes, Cecily Cellinan, Betty O’Connell, Barry James Edmonds, Kevin Brennan, Margaret Cusack, Fabiola Menzs, Peter O’Brien, Rachel Raines, Ray Burton, Mary Jackson, Vince Shanahan, Ilene Simpkins, Claire Perera, Jayani Antony, Panfilo Bantugan, Sandii Wall, Kath Kiely, Joanne Mooney, Therese Mullins, Michael Connell, Zeb Deane, Miriam Hill, Amando A. Mirasol Jr., Gus Reeves, John & Molly Robinson, Laila Mikael, Jean Di Benedetto, James Goodwin, Scott Mitchell, Malcolm Ward, John O’Brien, Ludwig Mueller, Kent Vince, Colleen Grehan, Carmelita Dulu, John Davis, Bobby Courtney, Lisa Mangan, Robyn Skein, Kye Oh, Olga Hamshari, Roy Ferraro, Margaret Haerse, Milka Barac, Rodney & Norma McLennan, Lois & Doug Wood, Duncan Dawson, William Franklin, Maria Mihalic, Annie Scicluna, Anne Logan, Margaret Thompson, Patricia Moor, Helen Bohringer, Savannah Ayoub, Baby Maeve Lombard, Arthur Haddad, Michael & Denise Tracey, Joanne Parkes, Michelle MacDonald, Mary Kerr. And all suffering from Covid-19 and its effects.
RECENTLY DECEASED: Frances Collins, Therese Hunt, Bill Gilmore, Jacqueline Lesley Pannekoek, Constantin Francisc "Frank/Ferry” Onea, Adam Alfred McGuffie, Shirley Ellen Pettiona, Margaret Mary Milton, Mary Ashton, David Falvey, Margaret (Peggy) Lyon, Elizabeth Cheetham, Gerald O’Halloran, Milka Marusic, Colgero (Joe) Misuraca, Jill Carlyle, Karen Tansey,Tony Weinand, James (Jim) McCloskey, Michael James, Hans Gringel, Sr Mary Teresa, Tony Ghusn, Bill Heuston, Cathy Cooper, Rosario Lazzaro, Lucena Gabriel, Brad Holman, Mieko Kanayama, Fr Patrick Cassidy, Fr Ian Howells SJ.
ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH: Rainer and Reuben Empen, Alfonso Lim, Fr Charlie Casey, Aileen Pettersson, Maria Silve Ri-Fiore, Valma Sudgen, Andrew Hale, Mary John On, Stephen Gallagher, Mary Reid, Francis (Frank) Kevin Stephens, Jean Anne Burgess, Annette Mary Anning, Lorna Sabina Wheeler, Don Cope, Lorna Sabina Wheeler, Helmut Kaltenthaler, Raymond Victor Assaisso, Rita Woodhouse, Teck Lim, John Cooper, James Mark Tamai, Anthony Teck Lee Lim, Amelia Catherine Limbert, Grazyna Zyner, James William Fuller, Pearl Agnus MacCartney. And also: Pam Chapman, Phillip Taplin, Henry Wirth, Judith Gilliland, Keith Patrick Hoolihan, Neville John Malcolm Nielsen, Jacqueline Faye (Jackie) Hogan, Myrtle Joyce Condon (Mitchell) (Mother of Robyn Hunt), Albert Lewis Bush, John Alexander Kazimierowicz, Janmaree Walsh, George Arthur Higgs, Antoinette Denise Brennen, Costanzo Letizia, Maureen Patricia O’Connor, Dorothy Ryan, Irene Wholohan, Anna Marmina, Felicitas Fay Robbins, Casey Jones Townsend, Judith Lorraine Taylor, Roy Jackson.
TAKE FIVE FOR FAITH: Mirror the unconditional love of God
On this day six years ago, 49 people were murdered and 53 wounded in a mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando. Most victims were members of the LGBTQ community and people of colour. Expressions of horror and support poured in from around the world. Archbishop, now Cardinal, Blase Cupich of Chicago said: “Our prayers and hearts are with the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, their families and our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. . . . In response to hatred, we are called to sow love. In response to violence, peace. And, in response to intolerance, tolerance.” And Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston further crystallized the message: “We must meet the challenges of combining freedom, pluralism, and unity in our increasingly diverse society if the United States is to continue to be a beacon of hope to the world." Sow love, champion diversity, and be the hope. SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. “We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:1-5). SIGN UP FOR "TAKE FIVE" DAILY ww.takefiveforfaith.com/subscribe.
MASK WEARING
People should not feel the need to explain and apologise for continuing to wear masks and we ask that people respect their choices and needs. The risk of Flu and of Covid is still present, and there are quite a few vulnerable people in our community, so using hand sanitiser and reasonable social distancing where possible is still highly prudent.
BAPTISM for Children in Surfers Paradise
Baptism is the first of three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Surfers Paradise Parish follows the policies of the Archdiocese of Brisbane as it welcomes each person into the family of the Church through the waters of Baptism.
Infants and children are baptised at the request of parents. Within the Baptism ritual, parents promise to accept the responsibility of training their children in the practice of the faith and to raise their children to understand and live God’s commandments. Parents can request baptism for their child by filling out an enrolment form, available on our parish website www.surfersparadiseparish.com.au Once the online baptism form has been received, the Parish Office will email details for preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism and confirm the online booking.
Two primary school-age children are currently preparing for Baptism. Although their personal stories vary, each of the children has asked their parents to organise their initiation into our Catholic Faith. For our part, may we keep these children and their families in our prayers, especially throughout the upcoming Easter Season?
Sacrament of EUCHARIST - First HOLY COMMUNION 2022
Over 90 children celebrate their First Holy Communion this year. The first of these celebrations for First Communion will be held this Sunday, June 12 at 11:00 am. There will also be a celebration of First Communion on Sunday, June 19 at 11:00 am and August 13 at 5pm, at Sacred Heart Church. As they receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time, these children will become fully initiated members of our Catholic Faith. We welcome them into the community of Surfers Paradise Parish with joy and thanksgiving.
Please pray for these children over the next few weeks: My Jesus, these children are about to be nourished by Your word and Your body. May they go out into the world as Your hands and feet to live as Your disciple; to spread the Good News.
Sacrament of CONFIRMATION 2022
Baptised children who are in Year 3 or greater are invited to be included in the 2022 Preparation for Confirmation group. Parents are asked to go to the parish website at www.surfersparadiseparish.com.au and complete an online enrolment application. Please use the drop-down menu under Sacraments and click on Confirmation (under Sacraments). Then scroll down to and click on CHILDREN’S SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM APPLICATION FORM (in the blue box). Once you click on SUBMIT, you will receive an automated response so that you know that your completed application has been received.
By the end of June, all families that have completed an online application for their child will receive an email reminding them of the information that follows here: Parent Meeting which is to be held either Monday, July 11 at 6 pm or Tuesday, July 12 at 6 pm in Sacred Heart Church. (Parents are asked to choose to attend one of these meetings but do not need to attend both. Only children who are represented by a parent at one of these meetings will be included in the Confirmation Preparation Program.) After the Parent Meeting, parents will be emailed copies of the At Home Preparation for Confirmation Program to be completed by the child and their parent/s, and then returned to the Sacramental Team. The Final Meeting which includes the rehearsal for Confirmation will be held on Monday, August 29 at 6 pm or Tuesday, August 30 at 6 pm (Children and parents are required to attend one of these meetings, not both.)
The Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation will take place in Surfers Paradise Parish on Friday, September 2, 2022.
Sacrament of PENANCE - RECONCILIATION
If you missed the March opportunity for your child to celebrate their First Reconciliation, we would like to offer you another opportunity this year. The First Rite of Reconciliation will be celebrated on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at 5:30 pm in Sacred Heart Church.
Reconciliation is a Sacrament of Healing. The Children’s Sacramental Program follows the Sacraments of Initiation. That is, Reconciliation, also known as Penance, follows Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion.
The Surfers Paradise Sacramental Team has prepared a program similar in style to the Confirmation and First Communion At Home Preparation Programs. If your child was previously enrolled in the Surfers Paradise Parish Sacramental Program and then was either Confirmed or made their First Communion in Surfers Paradise, there is no requirement for you to complete a new online enrolment form. Children making their First Communion in June 2022 will also be eligible to participate in this Preparation for Reconciliation.
If you are unsure if your child will be included in the group, please email our Sacramental Coordinator, Cathy Anderson at andersoncm@bne.catholic.net.au
THIS WEEKEND’S GOSPEL - Holy Trinity - God’s inner nature, God’s invitation
-To listen to the whole Sunday Mass each week (including homily) from Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish, including the Easter Mass - please visit this link:
Liturgy for you at Home (by SPCP) - https:- soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks.
This weekend, the feast of the Most Holy Trinity is a celebration of the very inner nature of God. This inner nature of God is such a profound mystery that we will never fully be able to express it, but it is so very helpful to comprehend it, as far as humanly possible.
It is the mystery that there is ONE God… and only one God… and that God, in his own divine nature, is three persons, equal in majesty…. One in nature, (as God), but three distinct persons within this one nature… Father, Son and Holy Spirit…
This Means… God's very nature and essence are about community, diversity, unity, and sharing. God is, by nature, generous, loving, giving, sharing and so much more…..
So much has been written about the Trinity… as a means of explaining its meaning to us, as believers…. Some very insightful Spiritual writers have captured some very profound ideas about God – the Trinity of persons…..
For example…. Within God there is perfect ease when it comes to the concepts of authority……."….Christ willingly submitted to the Father, without a word of protest. It is precisely that willingness that we are called to imitate in submitting ourselves to God the Father's authority. …..(So)….Jesus… who is one with the Father…. Is also perfectly comfortable subordinating himself to the Father…. And the Father, in return, gives his son, all authority and power……….Within the Holy Trinity, we see that the notion of subordination does not carry with it the notion of inferiority. [i]….. In return, the Heavenly Father gives back this obedience from the Son, as a profound re-gift. There is a hierarchy, without domination and without any form of indignity,……. This reminds us that in life, there can be equality of dignity but still distinct roles and ranks…. But that this never means inequality of dignity or lack of importance…… especially where there is mutual respect and cooperation and unity of purpose…..
The Trinity reminds us that God is by nature generous, and giving and sharing……. "God created us so that the joy God has in God's very self might be ours too. God does not simply think about Himself or talk to Himself. God is filled with joy and love, within Himself! He celebrates with infinite and eternal intensity the beauty of this internal nature as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we've been created to join the party! [ii]
God as Trinity tells us that God's nature is love…. And a will to include us… share with us … and save us,……. "It was the whole Trinity, which at the beginning of creation said, "Let us make humanity". It was the whole Trinity again, which at the beginning of the Gospel seemed to say, "Let us save humanity". [iii]
"The Blessed Trinity is the mystery of mysteries, before which even the (Angels of heaven) cover their faces, singing with astonished wonder their thrice-repeated song…'Holy, Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts.'"[iv]
Because God is Trinity, God is by nature and essence a perfect community of sharing and union and love… This inner nature of the community means that God is, by definition, generous, and cannot help but allow God's loving sharing, and generosity to flow out into the creation of the universe and of creating the world, and humans and all the creatures in it…. And God's nature as a community in perfect union, cannot help but flow out into inviting his beloved people to share in this life forever too…
In the early church, there were various heresies about the nature and meaning of God … and who Jesus really was….. One of the heresies was that of modalism… which suggested Jesus was not a distinct person but just God wearing a different face…. But really this clearly is unsatisfactory.. and was rejected utterly by the church… because the distinction of the different persons within God is very clear in the gospel … and also, very clear, is the assertion that although the Son is distinct from the Father and the Spirit is distinct from the two others… there is a profound unity at the same time… and hence the mystery of the Three-in-one God that we profess…. Because the heresy of Modalism asserts that there is only one person in the Godhead, it makes nonsense of passages that show Jesus talking to His Father (e.g., John 17), or declaring he is going to be with the Father (John 14:12, 28, 16:10) One role of a person cannot go to be with another role of that person or say that the two of them will send the Holy Spirit while they remain in heaven (John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:13–15; Acts 2:32–33).[v]
And so, we celebrate today and always, that Our God's inner nature, motivation and essence are that of a perfect communion of persons, sharing the one nature as God, and lovingly inviting us his disciples to share in this life…. and to echo in our own lives and actions, the profound generosity, community, inclusion, love, respect, diversity, distinction, authority and mutuality, that God's nature inspires.
To listen to the whole Sunday Mass each week (including homily) from Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish, please visit this link: Liturgy for you at Home (by SPCP) - https:- soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks.
(REFERENCES: FR. PAUL W. KELLY; MISSION 2000 – PRAYING SCRIPTURE IN A CONTEMPORARY WAY. YEAR C).
[Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 1345663283 Holy Trinity. Trinitarian. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Illustration - fresco in Byzantine style. Important information Release information: Signed property release on file with Shutterstock, Inc. - Contributor =Julia Raketic)
The Trinity
“When God laughs at the soul and the soul laughs back at God, the persons of the Trinity are begotten in them. When the Father laughs at the Son and the Son laughs back at the Father, that laughter gives pleasure, that pleasure gives joy, that joy gives love, and that love is the Holy Spirit.” ― Meister Eckhart
“The way I see Jesus has not changed much at all since I was a child, but my imprisonment and all that followed made me love Him even more. His being the Son of God makes sense to me, because I believe God to be loving, just, forgiving, and merciful. I also believe that He respects free will. After all, He has given it to us so that we can choose to love or hate Him, do good or evil. But is it fair for a loving God to sit on His throne in Heaven and let us struggle and suffer on our own? Would any good father abandon His children this way? It makes perfect sense to me that God decided to come among us, live like us, and die a horribly painful death after being tortured. This is a God I can love with all my heart. A God who sets an example. A God who has bled and whose heart has been broken. This is who Jesus is to me. I don't pretend that I understand the Holy Trinity. But I understand love and sacrifice. I understand faithfulness.” ― Marina Nemat
“But simple as the Sign of the Cross is, it carries a brave weight: it names the Trinity, celebrates the Creator, and brings home all the power of faith to the brush of fingers on skin and bone and belly. So do we, sometimes well and sometimes ill, labour to bring home our belief in God's love to the stuff of our daily lives, the skin and bone of this world — and the Sign of the Cross helps us to remember that we have a Companion on the road.” ― Brian Doyle.
“In spite of our sinfulness, in spite of the darkness surrounding our souls, the Grace of the Holy Spirit, conferred by baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, still shines in our hearts with the inextinguishable light of Christ ... and when the sinner turns to the way of repentance the light smooths away every trace of the sins committed, clothing the former sinner in the garments of incorruptibility spun of the Grace of the Holy Spirit. It is this acquisition of the Holy Spirit about which I have been speaking.” ― St. Seraphim of Sarov.
“The Trinity is the answer to the questions of Plato. If there is only one God, what does He think about? He thinks an eternal thought: His eternal Word, or Son. If there is only one God, whom does he love? He loves His Son, and that mutual love is the Holy Spirit. The great philosopher was fumbling about for the mystery of the Trinity, for his noble mind seemed in some small way to suspect that an infinite being must have relations of thought and love. But it was not until the Word became Incarnate that man knew the secret of those relations and the inner life of God, for it was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who revealed to us the inmost life of God.” ― Fulton J. Sheen, Three to Get Married
“Because we are spiritual beings having a human experience, as much as we are human beings having a spiritual experience, I have decided to let that duality takes his rightful place in my everyday life.” ― Laurence BL
The "name" of the Most Holy Trinity is in a certain way impressed upon everything that exists, because everything that exists, down to the least particle, is a being in relation, and thus God-relation shines forth, ultimately creative Love shines forth. All comes from love, tends toward love, and is moved by love, naturally, according to different grades of consciousness and freedom... The strongest proof that we are made in the image of the Trinity is this: only love makes us happy because we live in relation, and we live to love and be loved. Pope Benedict XVI.
O Trinity, eternal Trinity! Fire, the abyss of love... Was it necessary that you should give Even the Holy Trinity as food for souls?... You gave us not only your Word Through the Redemption and in the Eucharist, But you also gave yourself In the fullness of love for your creature. St. Catherine of Siena
A Christian receives divine wisdom in three ways: by the commandments, teachings, and faith. The commandments free the mind from passions. Teachings lead to true knowledge of nature. Faith leads to the contemplation of the Holy Trinity. Maximus the Confessor
The Holy Trinity doesn't need our permission to carry on in their endlessly resourceful work of making all things new. That we are invited to catch even a glimpse of the splendour is grace. All of it, every breath and every second is grace. Rachel Held Evans
God is not silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The second person of the Holy Trinity is called "The Word." The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God's continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of His mind. Aiden Wilson Tozer.
As the Holy Trinity, our God is One Being, although Three Persons, so, likewise, we ourselves must be one. As our God is indivisible, we also must be indivisible, as though we were one man, one mind, one will, one heart, one goodness, without the smallest admixture of malice - in a word, one pure love, as God is Love. That they may be one, even as We are One (John 17:22). John of Kronstadt
St Barnabas
According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. Named an apostle in Acts 14:14, he and Paul the Apostle undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the Judaizers. They travelled together making more converts ( c. 46–48) and participated in the Council of Jerusalem
Saint Anthony of Padua
The breadth of charity widens the narrow heart of the sinner.
O Father, in your Truth (that is to say, in your Son, humbled, needy and homeless) you have humbled me. He was humbled in the womb of the Virgin, needy in the manger of the sheep, and homeless on the wood of the Cross. Nothing so humbles the proud sinner as the humility of Jesus Christ’s humanity.
Alas, alas! He who is the liberty of captives is made a prisoner. He who is the Glory of the angels is mocked. The God of all is scourged. The spotless mirror of the eternal Light is spat upon. The Life of mortals is killed. What is there left for us poor wretches to do but go and die with him? Draw us forth from the mire, Lord Jesus, with the hook of your Cross; so that we may run, not to your sweetness, but to the bitterness of your Passion.
The wisdom of God is reflected in the face of the soul: she will see God as he is, and she will know as she is known.
So the religious soul finds in the heart of Jesus a secure refuge against the wiles and attacks of Satan and a delightful retreat. But we must not rest merely at the entrance to the hole in the rock, we must penetrate its depths. At the mouth of the deep hollow, at the mouth of the wound in his side, we shall, indeed, find the precious blood which has redeemed us. This blood pleads for us and demands mercy for us. But the religious soul must not stay at the entrance. When she has heard, and understood, the voice of the divine blood, she must hasten to the very source from which it springs, into the very innermost sanctuary of the heart of Jesus. There she will find light, peace, and ineffable consolations.
APPEAL FOR THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE - Caritas International (Catholic)
Ukraine Crisis
Over 2.6 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine, and there have been at least 1,581 civilian casualties.
You can help the Caritas Ukraine staff on the ground to provide families with emergency food, water, shelter and hygiene support.
POPE FRANCIS:
We ask the Lord for many things, but how often do we forget to ask him for what is most important and what he desires most to give us: the Holy Spirit, the power to love. Indeed, without love, what can we offer to the world?
Let us #PrayTogether for Christian families around the world; may each and every family embody and experience unconditional love and advance in holiness in their daily lives. #PrayerIntention
The elderly, in their weakness, can teach those in other ages of life that we all need to surrender ourselves to the Lord, to invoke his help. For God is always our hope and our support. #BlessingofTime
The blocking of grain exports from Ukraine endangers the lives of millions of people. I make a heartfelt appeal that every effort be made to guarantee the universal human right to food. Please do not use wheat, a staple food, as a weapon of war!
Every educational process must be centred on persons and concentrate on what is essential; everything else is secondary. But never without roots and hope for the future.
We are sure that with the weapons of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and with the gift of grace, the hearts of people and the fortunes of the entire world can be changed. #HolyRosary #Peace
Pope Francis
Today we lift our hearts to You, Queen of Peace: intercede for us before Your Son, reconcile hearts filled with violence and vengeance, and let your lasting peace reign over all the earth. Amen. #HolyRosary #Peace
(source: https://twitter.com/Pontifex - Pope Francis official Twitter site @Pontifex)
(Image Credit: Shutterstock licensed image: 561912127 ).
RELIGIOUS GOODS SHOPS
Inside this month’s June edition of the Catholic Leader, available now at the Religious Goods Shops for only $4.
Pope Francis announces his June prayer intention is for families
BCE opens first Brisbane senior school in over half a century
Rain or shine, Logan deanery brings families together at festival day
Laudato Si’ plan commits Brisbane to long-term “ecological conversion”
Bishop Barron moves to Minnesota and hopes to be a ‘good spiritual father’ to his new flock
St John Fisher College Student selected as United Nations Ambassador
Bold and the Beautiful Church Friendship Group LUNCH 23/6/22
The Bold and the Beautiful Church Friendship Group is meeting for lunch 12 noon Thursday 23rd June at RQ’s Tavern, Cnr Robina Pkwy & Markeri St, Robina. Everybody welcome just turn up. Leona Ph: 56308206
COMMUNION TO RESIDENTS AT NURSING HOMES. HELP NEEDED!
We have had to reduce our visits with Holy Communion to the residents at Nursing Homes, and urgently require more people to assist with this service. Can you spare 3 hours per month for this important Ministry?
Listed below are Nursing homes with their Day and time of visitation.
Lady Small Haven, Benowa. Tuesdays 9.30 am to 11.00 am
Merrimac Park Private Care, Merrimac. Wednesdays 1.30 pm to 3.00 pm
Bupa Nursing Home, Merrimac. Thursdays 9.30 am to 11.00 am
Tricare, Mermaid Beach Nursing Home, Mermaid Beach Fridays 10.15 am to 12.00noon
Tricare, Cypress Gardens Nursing Home, Clear Island Waters. Sundays after 9.00 am Mass Sacred Heart to 12.00 noon
For further information ring the Parish Office, or Maxine Sela on 0421051193.
MEDITATION PRAYER GROUP
In the Morris prayer room Tuesdays from 10 am to 12 noon. The Meditation Group would very much like to welcome new members. All enquiries please phone Pam Egtberts 0428090703
ART AND CRAFT GROUP - Every Wednesday in the PHC from 9 am until 12noon.
The Group meets in the Parish Hospitality Centre on Wednesdays, 9 to 12. Activities include art, (watercolour, oils, acrylics, pen and ink drawing etc), as well as various kinds of Craftwork (Knitting, Embroidery, Crocheting, Cardmaking, Sewing etc.), making Rosary Beads (later sent to the missions), and any other activities that individuals may have an interest in. We come together to enjoy each other's company in a relaxed environment. New members, both men and women, are most welcome to join. For further information, phone John 0412 759 205, or the Parish Office.
Praying the Rosary - Our Lady’s Statue in the Parish
Details of the statue of Our Lady which is going around the Parish. If you would like to have her in your home and say the Rosary:
please contact Maxine or Pat on 0412 519 404
The Roster for the next four weeks:
13/6/2022 Mary Winters and Family
20/6/2022 Mary Winters and Family
THE SACRED HEART BRIDGE CLUB- (20 Years Young)-
Meets at the Sacred Heart - Parish Hospitality Centre, Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters.
Playing Bridge keeps your brain active and increases your social network! So why not give us a try?
Learn to play Bridge at “Our Friendly Club” - Free Lesson. “Introduction to Bridge”
Easy to learn format, no previous card playing experience is necessary. All are welcome.
For more information and to enrol, Please phone: Cheryl 5538 8821 or Mob 0417 772 701
SILENT DAY RETREAT at MARIAN VALLEY
Visit with Mary 16 July 2022
Contemplative day
to reflect on who Mary is for you
When: 9.30am for prompt 10am start – 3pm Saturday 16 July 2022 RSVP : 8 July 2022
Where: Marian Valley Retreat Centre, 2541 Beechmont Rd, Witheren. Via Canungra Qld 4275
What: Program for quiet individual time and a group spiritual conversation.
• Optional: hill walk and individual Spiritual direction for those interested.
• Tea & Coffee provided
• BYO lunch, water & picnic chair
Cost: $15 suggested donation
Who for: All welcome
Who by: St Mary’s Coomera Retreat Team
Contact: Catherine : csmith3183@gmail.com phone 0401070821 or Lynne: lynne.head.weir2@gmail.com phone: 0409198545
or Anne Marie : amoconnor54@hotmail.com Phone : 04294915
or Mareece : mareecem@hotmail.com Phone: 0413071552
Worldwide Marriage Encounter:
A weekend experience for married couples, priests and religious, away from the distractions of everyday living. Take time out of your busy schedule, to invest in your most precious asset and revitalise your Sacrament. This is a unique opportunity to reconnect, rekindle and refresh your relationship. It gives you the opportunity to grow in your relationship with your spouse or your community.
Our live-out weekend will be held at Siena College, Sippy Downs from 1 to 3 July – going home on the Friday and Saturday evenings. Our COVID-SAFE live-in weekends will be held from Friday evening 14 October to Sunday afternoon 16 October (including Mass) at Santa Teresa, Ormiston. For bookings/details contact Maria and David Murphy: 0481 307 821 qldbookings@wwme.org.au Watch Archbishop Mark Coleridge’s support video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o_Wp6qGB44
Information website: www.wwme.org.au
EXERCISE CLASS - LOW IMPACT - FOR HEART HEALTH -
Spring has sprung! Join Rochelle for a fun functional exercise class at Casey Hall. Low impact cardiovascular exercises for heart health, improve strength and balance- an all-around fitness class for over 65’s. Stretch and strengthen the whole body, make new friends and feel great. Tuesday mornings @9.30 Beginners welcome. Contact Rochelle for further information on 0438 333 308.
YOGA AT THE PARISH HOSPITALITY CENTRE-
Come join us for our friendly class in the Parish Hospitality Centre next to the Parish Office. Classes run every Tuesday at 10:45 am. Learn to relax, yet gain greater flexibility, inner strength, body awareness and concentration, all while increasing your breath support and general wellbeing. Ruth is an IYTA accredited instructor with wide experience and runs a caring, carefully monitored one-hour session costing $10 (new attendees need to arrive by 10.30 am to prepare adequately for class). For more information, call Ruth on 0421338110.
Position Vacant – Youth Ministry- Jubilee Parish - Brisbane
Applications are open for a position at the Jubilee Catholic Parish. A casual youth minister is required starting 20 June 2022
https://clientapps.jobadder.com/68451/aob-internal-career-opportunities
- Application close: 10 June 2022
Position Vacant – Parish Secretary - Camp Hill Parish
Applications are open for the above position at the Camp Hill Parish. The position is part-time 30 hours a week Monday to Friday. The parish requires a candidate with administration and finance experience.
For additional information, please visit the Archdiocese of Brisbane website https://brisbanecatholic.org.au/ and to careers.
Applications close: 20 June 2022.
Position Vacant – Parish Secretary Booval Parish
Applications are open for a position at the Booval Parish. A person with excellent administration and secretarial skills is required for a part time 3-year contract position of Parish Secretary for 20 hours per week, 5 hours on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. For additional information, please visit the Archdiocese of Brisbane website- https://clientapps.jobadder.com/68451/aob-internal-career-opportunities. Closing date – 5 July 2022
The Archdiocese of Brisbane has standards of conduct for workers to maintain a safe and healthy environment for children. Our commitment to these standards requires that we conduct working with children checks and background referencing for all persons who will engage in direct and regular involvement with children and young people (0 - 18 years) and/or vulnerable adults. The organisation is fully committed to child safety and has zero tolerance for abuse of children or vulnerable adults.
SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF POPE FRANCIS’ GROUNDBREAKING LETTER - LAUDATO SI’ - An excerpt from the Pope’s groundbreaking Encyclical.
6. My predecessor Benedict XVI likewise proposed “eliminating the structural causes of the dysfunctions of the world economy and correcting models of growth which have proved incapable of ensuring respect for the environment”.[10] He observed that the world cannot be analyzed by isolating only one of its aspects, since “the book of nature is one and indivisible”, and includes the environment, life, sexuality, the family, social relations, and so forth. It follows that “the deterioration of nature is closely connected to the culture which shapes human coexistence”.[11] Pope Benedict asked us to recognize that the natural environment has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behaviour. The social environment has also suffered damage. Both are ultimately due to the same evil: the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human freedom is limitless. We have forgotten that “man is not only a freedom which he creates for himself. Man does not create himself. He is spirit and will, but also nature”.[12] With paternal concern, Benedict urged us to realize that creation is harmed “where we ourselves have the final word, where everything is simply our property and we use it for ourselves alone. The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any higher instance than ourselves when we see nothing else but ourselves”.[13]
United by the same concern
7. These statements of the Popes echo the reflections of numerous scientists, philosophers, theologians and civic groups, all of which have enriched the Church’s thinking on these questions. Outside the Catholic Church, other Churches and Christian communities – and other religions as well – have expressed deep concern and offered valuable reflections on issues that all of us find disturbing. To give just one striking example, I would mention the statements made by the beloved Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with whom we share the hope of full ecclesial communion.
8. Patriarch Bartholomew has spoken in particular of the need for each of us to repent of the ways we have harmed the planet, for “inasmuch as we all generate small ecological damage”, we are called to acknowledge “our contribution, smaller or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction of creation”.[14] He has repeatedly stated this firmly and persuasively, challenging us to acknowledge our sins against creation: “For human beings… to destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation; for human beings to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins”.[15] For “to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God”.[16]
9. At the same time, Bartholomew has drawn attention to the ethical and spiritual roots of environmental problems, which require that we look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity; otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms. He asks us to replace consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism that “entails learning to give, and not simply to give up. It is a way of loving, of moving gradually away from what I want to what God’s world needs. It is liberation from fear, greed and compulsion”.[17] As Christians, we are also called “to accept the world as a sacrament of communion, as a way of sharing with God and our neighbours on a global scale. It is our humble conviction that the divine and the human meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garment of God’s creation, in the last speck of dust of our planet”.[18]
Acknowledgement of Country
This is Kombumerri Country - The Traditional Custodians of this region.
We respectfully acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First People of this country. We pay our respects to the Kombumerri people, who are the traditional custodians of the land, waterways and seas upon which we live, work and socialise throughout this Catholic Parish of Surfers Paradise. We acknowledge Elders, past and present and emerging, as they hold the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of our Indigenous people. We pay tribute to those who have contributed in many ways to the life of the community. We affirm our commitment to justice, healing, and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
(see further: The Kombumerri People)
Commitment To Child Safety and Vulnerable-Adult Safety
Thank you for the irresistible beauty of these messages. I was unaware of the words of Benedict, and of Patriarch Bartholomew and am grateful for the introduction. Particularly I appreciate the deep focus on love in this work.
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