French's Forest Catholic Parish eNEWS

Dear Parishioners, This week the Gospel calls us to a life of vigilance. We are to be ever watchful, alert to the signs of the times. This vigilance, however, is not to be led by fear or anxiety. Rather, it is to be marked by hope and trust in God's promises. Ultimately, the message of this passage is one of both judgment and salvation. As we await the return of Christ, we are called to live lives that are pleasing to God, to love our neighbours, and to share the good news of salvation with others. In the face of uncertainty, let us cling to the hope that Christ offers. May we live each day as if it were our last, and may we be found ready when the Son of Man returns. Let's make this Christmas a truly special one! We're starting to plan our Christmas celebrations and welcome your involvement. If you're keen to help with our Christmas Masses, please contact the office. Your contribution will help create a memorable experience for our community. Each month we have a famil

On behalf of our parish community, we extend a warm welcome to Bishop Jose Porunnedom, the Bishop of Mananthavady, Kerala, India.  We are honoured to have him visit Australia and stay next week with Fr. Biju Mathew, a priest from his diocese.  We wish Bishop Porunnedom a pleasant and fulfilling stay in our parish. Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH

There will be no Mass celebrated at St. Martin's Davidson on Tuesday the 18th November.

Join us at Frenchs Forest Parish for a beautiful evening of music, joy, and reflection as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ this Advent season! Date: Saturday, 7 December 2024 Time: 6:45 PM at OLGC Church. Enjoy inspiring carols performed by our talented musicians and choirs, bringing the Christmas spirit alive. This is a wonderful opportunity to gather as a community, celebrate the season, and share in the joy of Advent

Invitation to Join the Nativity Play! Calling all actors and singers/musicians, young and young at heart for our Christmas Eve pageants. St Anthony’s Chirch Pageant and Choir: Calling all angels, shepherds, hoteliers, wise people, stable animals, readers and singers who would like to be involved in our upcoming pageant? All ages are most welcome. Where: St Anthony’s: (outdoor Mass weather permitting) When: Xmas Vigil – Tuesday, 24th December 6PM Parts and kick off : Sunday, 1st Dec after the 9am Mass Rehearsals: Each Sunday in December (after the 9am Mass) Contact: Jo Reid or joreid@westpac.com.au or call the parish office. St. Martins and OLGC Preparations for Nativity Play during the Christmas Children's Mass is underway for St. Martins and OLGC. If your child would like to be part of this wonderful tradition, whether as Mary, Joseph, an angel, a shepherd, or even a star, we would love to have them join us! No prior acting experience is needed, just a joyful heart and a willing

RED Wednesday is an international initiative of Aid to the Church in Need. It is a day to stand up for faith and freedom and gather to pray for those who suffer and are persecuted for their faith.  This year on RED Wednesday, Bishop Anthony will celebrate Mass in Our Lady of Dolours Church Chatswood at 7pm.  A very warm invitation is extended to all. Please see details on flyer and further information here .

Dear friends, We need your generosity and support! Our Diocese of Broken Bay will be launching at the start of November the Pastoral Works (PWBB) November Appeal.  The Appeal supports various charities in our Diocesan community, particularly the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) and the Hospital Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Program. PWBB also supports St Lucy's School and St Edmund's College for students with disabilities, and the Ephpheta Centre supports the deaf community. This financial year, 2024/2025, our Frenchs Forest Parish, has been asked to contribute to the charity works of our Diocese with $ 38527.00. These ministries need our community’s generosity as they get little or no Government funding. Please consider donating to help us reach this year’s goal. We at Frenchs Forest Parish make our November appeal on the weekend of 9/10 & 16/17.  ALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE! Kind Regards Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH, PP

Parishioners are warmly welcome to view the movie ‘The Gospel of John’ When: on Tuesday November 12, at 9.45 am for 10 am - 12.30 pm Where: St Martin’s ‘The Gospel of John offers a unique contribution to our vision of the person and work of Jesus, it makes Jesus so visible Whilst all four of our gospels are special, inspired, and unique in their own ways. John offers a unique contribution to our vision of the ministry of Jesus. He proves that Jesus’ person is so deep, so multi-faceted and so profound that there are always more things to say about him. You’re welcome to bring along a sandwich if you would like to chat with others after the movie.

Come & join us as we embark on a spiritual journey of illumination this Advent and Christmas The Light: Advent and Christmas Daily Reflections 2024 These reflections can help us to deepen our spiritual journey from the beginning of Advent through to the Baptism of the Lord, offering profound insights and contemplative thoughts that invite us to explore the depths of our faith as we anticipate the joy of God’s presence in the world. Join us on When: Tuesday mornings from November 26th, through to December 10th Where: at St Martin’s Booklets are $5 and will be given out at the first session. Some booklets will also be available at the back of the churches, please place money in containers provided.

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 which is the “SCAN ME” symbol in our parish bulletin . 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 joi

CCD Annual Mass: Saturday 16 November 11.30am, OLR Cathedral, Waitara The CCD Annual Mass is our opportunity to recognize and celebrate the devoted SRE catechists in our Diocese. We honour those who have served our ministry for 15 years or more, and this year we are thrilled to present a 60 years of service award. We also recognize catechists who have achieved high levels of training. We invite all clergy to concelebrate the Mass, and all catechists, family, friends and parishioners are welcome to attend. Ongoing Classroom Management: Experienced SRE catechists are invited to join us for Ongoing Classroom Management training in the next school holidays. Those who are due to renew this training will be contacted by their Parish Catechist Coordinator or CCD Registrations. Contact Alicia at our Registrations desk on registrations@bbcatholic.org.au or 02 8379 1643 for enquiries or to register.  CCD Ministry Induction Course. A Ministry Induction course is about to commence in Term 4, on M

Commencing Wednesday, 16 October 2024 Time: 9.45am - 10.30am Every Wednesday morning during school terms  Location: Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School Hall 11 Currie Road, Forestville This FREE program will be run by Alexis Conn, Assistant Principal / Teacher

Dear Parishioners, Over the next 12 months, the parish will need to replace a number old and dated computers, for security reasons. We are in need of a used laptop, desktop, deskside and screens in good working condition. If you have a device that you no longer use and would be willing to donate, it would greatly benefit the parish's needs. Your generosity, as always, is deeply appreciated. If you're able to assist, please contact the parish office on EMAIL: parishoffice@ffcp.org.au or TEL: 9451 5097. Thank you for your continued support and kindness. Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH, PP .