French's Forest Catholic Parish Notices and News

Dear Parish Family, As we step into this grace-filled Christmas Season, I extend to each of you my warm and prayerful greetings. Christmas is a reminder of the most beautiful truth we hold dear: God chose to come near. In Jesus, born in Bethlehem, God entered our world—not in power or grandeur, but in simplicity and love. He came to stay with us, guide us, and save us. This same Jesus continues to live in our hearts today, binding us together as one family and filling our lives with hope. As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, my heart overflows with gratitude. First and foremost, I thank God for the gift of each one of you, your faith, your presence, your kindness, and the way you enrich our parish community. You are the living stones that make our parish a warm, vibrant, and loving home. I want to express my sincere appreciation to all our parish committees, and to all our wonderful volunteers across every ministry. Your dedication behind the scenes ensures that our parish continu...

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, Across many lands there is a venerable and beautiful custom: at the Christmas table, a place is set but left empty. It is a quiet sign of welcome for the unexpected guest, perhaps a stranger, perhaps someone in need. Such a simple gesture, yet it speaks profoundly of the goodness of an open heart and a willingness to receive and to share. In the busyness that so often accompanies Christmas, we can lose sight of these small but powerful symbols. The empty chair itself draws us back to the very first Christmas, when Mary and Joseph found no room at the inn. Into that humble setting, God chose to enter our world as a tiny child, carried by a young mother who dared to say “yes,” and protected by Joseph, who trusted the message of an angel. The place prepared for the Christ Child was nothing more than a manger, an open box where animals were fed, yet it became the cradle of our salvation. His birth in such unassuming surroundings was not only the fulf...

Christmas Eve  Wednesday, 24th December 2025 5:00 pm – Children’s Mass at SMDP, Davidson 5:30 pm – Children’s Mass at OLGC, Forestville 6:00 pm – Family Mass at St Anthony’s, Terrey Hills 10:00 pm – Midnight Mass at OLGC, Forestville Christmas Day  Thursday, 25th December 2025 8:30 am – SMDP, Davidson 9:00 am – St Anthony’s, Terrey Hills 10:00 am – OLGC, Forestville Please Note: There will be no evening Mass celebrated on Christmas Day

Please note that the Parish Office will be closed for the Christmas and New Year period  from Wednesday 24 December (12 noon) until Tuesday 6 January 2026. 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 and wish all our parishioners and families a blessed Christmas and a happy, safe New Year

You can make an easy, and secure contribution to support our parish—through a simple scan of the QR code or via The Tap’n’go, terminal in the church foyers. Or you can go to https://www.ffcp.org.au/giving

All parishioners are warmly invited to a special End of Year Thanksgiving at OLGC Church on Wednesday, 31 December 2025. Silent Eucharistic Adoration: 8.30 am Holy Mass: 9.15 am As we come to the close of the year, let us gather before the Lord to thank Him for His wonderful blessings throughout 2025 and to place the coming year into His loving hands. Welcoming in the New Year You are invited to celebrate the New Year Mass on Thursday, 1 January, at 9.15 am  at OLGC Church Forestville and St Martin’s, Davidson . Let us begin 2026 together in prayer, gratitude, and hope, seeking God’s continued blessings for ourselves, our families, and our parish community.

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...

Saturday 20th December 10:30-11am - The Centre Shopping (in front of Post Office) Forestville 7:30-8:30pm - Rural Fire Brigade, Borgnis St, Davidson Sunday 21st December 7:30-8:30pm - Rural Fire Brigade, Borgnis St, Davidson Wednesday 24th December 2025 9:30-10pm - at OLGC, Forestville

 Christmas Eve Children’s Family Mass St Martin’s at 5pm  OLGC 5:30pm Anthony’s 6.00pm This Family Mass is traditionally for the children and every year the children of the Frenchs Forest Parish present a Nativity play as part of the Children’s Christmas Mass celebration at all three of our churches. All children are invited to participate and in preparation. St Anthony’s Terrey Hills will have rehearsals: Sunday; 21st December at 10am (after the 9am Mass) – costumes Tuesday 24th December Christmas eve; 4pm before Mass OLGC Forestville will have rehearsals at the Church: Tuesday, 23rd December 3-5pm. There are roles for Angels, shepherds, stable animals, Mary and Joseph. Readers of the Prayers of the Faithful and Gospel story have speaking parts At St Martins Davidson will have rehearsals: Saturday 20th December at 4:15pm (before the 5pm Mass) Monday 22nd December at 3pm -4pm If you are unable attend the rehearsals but would like your child to be involved, please contact Susan...

Bishop Anthony extends a very warm invitation to the clergy and people of God in Broken Bay to join him for Mass and Closing of the Jubilee Year.   The Relics from our three Shrines of Hope will also journey to the Cathedral to be present for this Mass. Date: Sunday 28 December 2025 Time: 9.30am Location: Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara

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 ...