French's Forest Catholic Parish Notices and News

For the agrarian Jews of Jesus’ time the sacrifice of a lamb demonstrated how serious they were about atoning for their sins. Jewish law dictated that a lamb had to be killed at least once a year, at Passover. Such a sacrifice cost the shepherd big time. Lambs were currency. This was tithing writ large. Saying Jesus is the Lamb of God is a shorthand way of telling us two things. The first is that Jesus is God’s most precious gift; God’s own self, given to the world that we might know how serious God is about us. God can give us nothing more than Jesus. As a result of Jesus’ innocent suffering and death there is no need for any lambs to be religiously slaughtered ever again. We need to keep hearing this message because some Christians get caught into glorifying Jesus’ suffering so much they get trapped in their own world of pain and go looking for more. Jesus never sought out suffering. He bore what came his way. And the same must be true for us. Christians are not meant to be smiling m...

Three young men from the Diocese, Nicholas Gomez (Cathedral Parish), Joseph Nicholls (Gosford Parish), and Bryce Gonlin (Chatswood Parish), will begin formation at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in the next few weeks. Please keep them in your prayers as they enter the Seminary and begin their formation. They will join current seminarians Alfred Soliman, Matthew French and Victor Atahura. There are a number of other men and women within the Diocese discerning whether God is calling them to a religious or priestly vocation. Please keep them all in your prayers as well.

World Interfaith Harmony Week invites people of faith to reflect on how our beliefs shape the way we relate to one another, especially in a world marked by division, conflict, and fear. For Catholics, this week calls us back to the heart of the Gospel: love of God and love of neighbour. In Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV reflects on love as the starting point of all authentic Christian action A love that sees the other not as an idea, label, or threat, but as a person created in the image and likeness of God. When we focus on love as our lens, we are drawn beyond ideology and fear toward encounter, responsibility, and care. Interfaith harmony does not ask us to set aside our Catholic faith. Rather, it invites us to live it with greater depth and integrity. Pope Leo XIV reminds the Church that love rooted in truth resists dehumanisation and calls us to uphold human dignity wherever it is threatened. From this foundation, dialogue, respect, and peace can grow. We are encouraged to mark this week...

Antioch Weekend Retreat 2026 Through the Garden Just as every plant begins as a small seed, our faith grows stronger as we nurture it with prayer, community, and through God’s love. This year’s theme, Through the Garden, invites us to journey together through the stages of growth, discovering how God cultivates our hearts and helps us flourish into the beautiful creations we are meant to be. To book, click  here . Download the flyer  here .

Sincere apologies there will be no Mass at St Martin’s Davidson on Friday 23rd January. Please feel free to join in the 9:15 Mass at Forestville

From Tuesday 6 January until the end of February 2026, the Parish Office will be open on Tuesdays to Fridays only. We thank you for your understanding .

Monday 15 December 2025 NO POLITICS - IGNORANT AND VIOLENT ANTISEMITISM MUST END I write today with a heavy heart, in profound sorrow at the loss of innocent human life in the shooting at Bondi during the Jewish Festival of Hanukkah. Families have been shattered, communities left grieving, and our Jewish brothers and sisters once again subjected to fear, trauma, and hatred. No words can undo such loss, yet silence is not an option. This is a moment of urgency for Australia. We must put down the ways of violence. We must reject hatred in all its forms. We must turn away from brutality and completely reject antisemitism. Violence corrodes the soul of a nation, and when it is directed at a people because of who they are, what they believe, or how they pray, it strikes at the very foundations of our common life. I wish to speak clearly and respectfully. There has been a call from government and sections of the media to speak of this primarily as “evil”. While the moral horror of such acts...

Dear Parish Family, Thank you so much for your incredible generosity and ongoing support! Because of you, our parish continues to thrive and serve the community. As you know, this vibrancy relies on your generosity for which there are now many different ways of giving using modern technology. In recent times we have introduced Tap’n’go machines in our churches. We have now added a new, easy, and secure way to make a contribution to support our parish—through a simple scan of a QR code. This small code allows you to give a single gift directly from your phone at any time, wherever you may be. All you need to do is open your camera, scan the code and you'll be taken directly to our secure giving page. It’s fast, easy, and helps the parish to continue the great work we’re doing together. Of course, like Tap’n’go, contributions by QR code are a once only gift. If you would like your donation to be regular and automatic, please join our Planned Giving program which is easily arranged ...