French's Forest Catholic Parish eNEWS

God of all creation hear our prayer; bring us rain to renew the ground, to replenish our dams, to activate seeds, to bring the possibility of some reward to those who have worked so hard. We turn to you in faith and hope.
We pray for families, rural communities and all affected by drought in our Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. We pray for all those who live under the shadow of drought.
We pray for those who work with the land, for farmers and their families, for those who rely upon the land for their life and relationships.
We pray for contractors, merchants and truck drivers, for rural counsellors and support workers, for all in our rural communities.
May the revitalising power of your Spirit be present in miraculous and truly human ways and be with all of us as we move forward in the days ahead. We pray too, for justice; for fair prices for our stock, our wool and our grain.
We pray for governments, banks and corporations – may they be driven by wisdom, generosity, justice and comp…

...my spirit rejoices in God my savior.For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness (Luke 1:47-48) God chose Mary to be the mother of his only son.In her joyful response, Mary expressed her gratitude in the words quoted above.But her joy and gratitude didn’t stop with the end of her earthly life. They continue to grow and expand forever in her new life that will never come to an end. Her new life is what we celebrate. This week, as we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption, we were reminded that we too have been chosen for a special purpose. It might be to help others through the work we do, or to foster peace and justice in our communities by the way we live.Joy and gratitude are the fruits of a life well lived. Joy that begins here will continue to expand throughout our life in eternity.Lord may I respond as Mary did.

Congratulations to our parish children who will be confirmed this weekend. We pray that the Holy Spirit will fill their lives with the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord.
We welcome Rev Fr David Ranson and thank him for visiting our parish and conferring the Sacrament on our Parish Children.

A special thank you to our many generous parishioners for your wonderful support. To date we have raised over $11,500.
It’s not too late to donate, envelopes are still available in each church and can be added to the weekend collections.
Donations are 100% Tax Deductible

Level 3 Course is being offered this term. The course is being held at The Sun Room, Holy Name Church, Wahroonga.BYO Lunch; times are 9.30am to 2.30pm on Fridays 10 August through to 28September.Please register for this course ASAP. You don’t have to attend all the sessions if this is not possible. Even though the course has started you can still register to attend the sessions you would like to attend.
Something to think about – We all can’t live in caves and pray; as we all can’t lead the world, in between are the cogs that keep the world rotating.Bringing up a family and running a business is a big cog worker.Prayer may take a lesser slice of the day.Somehow, we have to squeeze in what we can, when we can and of course God understands that. So when we are walking down the passage or working in the kitchen or going into our office, say a “one liner” to Jesus.He does not expect much more than our acknowledged love for him.Touch the hem of His garment and be blessed.

Plenary News - Listen to what the Spirit is saying Our Parish will launch the Plenary consultation process within the Parish on the weekend of 15/16 September.Please watch this space for information about the Plenary Council which will take place in 2020. The agenda for the Plenary Council will be developed from the “sense of faith” amongst the people of God in Australia.In the next couple of weeks, as a parish, we will learn more about how we can make a contribution and also invite others to do so.

All St Anthony's parishioners are warmly invited to attend the next St Anthony's community meeting, to be held on  
Monday 27th August , 7:30pm - 9pm in the St Anthony's Kitchen
The aim of the meeting is to create an open, friendly forum to share thoughts and ideas about our community.

Why are we involved in a movement for Christian Unity? Come and hear Rev Professor Gerard Kelly the Chair of the Faith & Unity Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).
Warnervale Catholic Church Mary MacKillop Drive, 91 Sparks Road Wednesday 29 August 2018 ALL WELCOME

THANK YOU! Our Curry Night last Saturday was an outstanding success. We had great fun, lots of music, entertainment and delicious food. Special thanks to Rev Fr David Ranson for his support. Of course none of this would have been possible without all our wonderful parishioners and our social committee. 

SABBATH - A TIME TO SIT QUIETLY WITH GOD
Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI, world-renowned speaker and spiritual writer will speak,via video, on “Creating Sabbath Space In Our Lives.”

WHEN: FRI 21 to SUN 23 SEPTEMBER: Friday: 7.00pm – 9.15pm Saturday: 9.00am – 4.30pm Sunday: 10.00am - 4.30pm
St Martin’s Davidson Facilitator: Leonie Puckeridge
For more details see flyers at the back of the church. Morning & afternoon tea provided, BYO lunch.
Bookings essential….. RSVP 13th September.

Youth Ministry Coordinator (P/T) Frenchs Forest Catholic Parish is seeking a Youth Ministry Coordinator (initially 8 hrs p.w.) to plan, resource and implement an interesting program of youth activities for youth aged 12-18, and young adults aged 18-35. Hours are flexible, but will include some evening and weekend work.
You’ll be a good organiser, with excellent people skills and a keen interest in developing young people within the context of the Catholic Church.
For more info including the selection criteria ring 9451 5097 or email parishoffice@ffcp.org.au 
The successful applicant will be required to comply with the relevant provisions of the Commission for Children and Young Persons Act 1998.

Saturday 11 August following 5.30pm Mass OLGC Hall
We’ll have a feast of curry, music and Bollywood dancing. Please bring a dessert to share.
Donations will be collected at the door

In the Gospel today Jesus asks us to believe him even though he speaks of many deep spiritual mysteries.He tells us to believe in the existence of eternal life and many other religious teachings.We may not understand some teachings, but we believe them, because it is the Lord speaking.We constantly believe thousands of things that exist in this world.For example, I have never been to Istanbul, but I believe there is a city by that name.I would like to go there sometime.We know of many historic places and famous people and events, and we trust these truths, when we rely on informed and trusted sources.Jesus is the most knowledgeable, honest, loving and best source of spiritual realities. We have not seen the heavenly kingdom, but because of Jesus, we can believe it exists.I cannot picture what heaven is like, but it must be great – I would like to go there sometime. Lord Jesus, I place my faith in the words you have spoken.

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION MASSES (Holy Day of Obligation)
TUESDAY 14TH AUGUST ( Vigil Mass) 7.00pm St Martin’s
WEDNESDAY 15TH AUGUST 9.15am OLGC & St Martin’s, 10.00am St Anthony’s 7.00pm OLGC

The College of Consultors of the Diocese of Broken Bay, the group of priests who have a canonical and civil role in the governance of the Diocese, met on Friday 3 August to fulfil its duty of electing a priest to serve as Diocesan Administrator, in the absence of a bishop following the appointment of Most Rev Peter A Comensoli as ninth Archbishop of Melbourne.
The College of Consultors has elected Rev Dr David Ranson, 59 years, who has accepted the position, effective immediately. Ordained to the Priesthood at Tarrawarra Abbey in 1992, Fr David was later incardinated into the Diocese of Broken Bay in 2006 whilst on appointment to the Catholic Institute of Sydney where he served from 2001-2015.

As Diocesan Administrator, Fr David will lead the Diocese of Broken Bay until the Holy Father, Pope Francis, appoints a new bishop. During this period between bishops, Canon Law states that there can be no innovation, but the many initiatives of Bishop Comensoli’s can be progressed through to the…

Level 3 Course is being offered this term. The course is being held at The Sun Room, Holy Name Church, Wahroonga.BYO Lunch; times are 9.30am to 2.30pm on Fridays 10 August through to 28September.Please register for this course ASAP. You don’t have to attend all the sessions if this is not possible. Even though the course has started you can still register to attend the sessions you would like to attend. Thank you to all our Catechists who attended our Term 3 Meeting on Thursday. “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest ”(Mt 9: 37-38). We need more “Labourers” – in the Catechist Ministry – can you HELP?Please phone Fran in Parish Office on 9451 5097 or email pastoral@ffcp.org.auWe have 2 classes without teachers at the moment.

This is the third session in our Program.In this session, the children will learn the concept of spiritual growth. Just as we grow physically, we must also mature spiritually.God sends the Holy Spirit to show us the path of God; to help us live ‘life in the Spirit.’The children will learn about the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit this week. Please continue to pray for our children and their families as they get ready for their Confirmation on Saturday 18 August.

THANK YOU
A special thank you to our many generous parishioners for your wonderful support. To date we have raised over $8,200.
It’s not too late to donate, envelopes are still available in each church and can be added to the weekend collections.
Donations are 100% Tax Deductible

ST VINCENT de PAUL DROUGHT APPEAL
Vinnies has launched an Appeal to help farmers affected by the drought.
Your donation will help rebuild lives.
For donations please call 13 18 12 or www.vinnies.org.au  or at any local Vinnies shop or in the poor box at Church (please give name if receipt needed)

Bishop Emeritus David Walker will be celebrating Mass for Serra at Sacred Heart Church, 2 Richard Porter Way Pymble on Thursday 23rd August 2018.
The evening will commence with Mass at 6.30PM followed by a light meal and a short meeting.
After the meal Bishop David will be our guest speaker.He will discuss the Holy Father's recent Apostolic Exhortation "Rejoice and be Glad".
Everyone is welcome. Please "come and see".
RSVP: Terry Scanlan on 0438 887 295