French's Forest Catholic Parish eNEWS

Christmas and New Year Message Dear Beloved Parishioners, As we come together to celebrate the joyous season of Christmas, I am filled with immense gratitude and love for each one of you. Christmas is a time of hope, peace, and renewal as we rejoice in the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the true light of the world. His coming reminds us of God’s infinite love and calls us to be bearers of that love in our families, our parish, and our community. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your unwavering support, prayers, and active participation throughout this past year. Your presence and contributions have been a source of inspiration and strength for our parish community. Your prayers, support, and active participation have made our community vibrant and alive with faith. Thank you for being the heartbeat of our parish, where Christ’s love is alive and tangible. To our parish staff, I extend my heartfelt appreciation for your tireless dedication and commitmen...

Join us as we bid farewell to Fr. Jose Philp OSH as he take up his new appointment as the Vicar General of the Society of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart. He has been a cherished part of our parish community. Fr. Jose will celebrate his Farewell Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church (OLGC) on Saturday, 4 January 2025 @ 5:30 PM. Let us come together to express our gratitude for his dedicated service to our parish and wish him well as he returns to India to take up his new appointment. All parishioners are warmly invited to attend. Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH

The Joy of Advent Reflections from Pope Francis On this Fourth Sunday of Advent we focus on Mary. She does not know by what road she must venture, what pains she must suffer, what risks she must face. But she is aware that it is the Lord asking and she entrusts herself totally to Him; she abandons herself to His love. This is the faith of Mary! Mary teaches us to seize the right moment when Jesus comes in our life and asks for a ready and generous answer. When we are so immersed in our own thoughts, our own Christmas preparations, we often don’t notice him coming and asking for acceptance, asking for a ‘yes’ like Mary’s. In the mystery of Christmas, at Mary’s side there is the silent presence of Joseph. He did not persist in following his own plan for his life, he was ready to make himself available to the bewildering news that was being presented to him. By accepting himself according to God’s design, Joseph fully finds himself, beyond himself. What we learn from Mary and Joseph is th...

Letter to the people of the Northern Beaches (extract click this link  to read the Bishops full letter) “Just prior to my departure for Rome in September 2024, I gratefully received the Final Report of the Northern Beaches Pastoral Discernment. Since my return from overseas, I have now had the opportunity to reflect on its outcomes and to consider my response. In so doing, I have recognised that there are a number of significant pastoral opportunities that will require further conversation across the Deanery. These discussions, with their continuing discernment, will be an important means of me “listening further” into the fruits of the conversations which have already taken place. Consequently, they will enable me with greater confidence, ultimately, to propose practical pastoral actions that may benefit the growth of Mission in the region. Given the period of summer and commitments to which I am obligated early in the new year, I intend to hold these further discussions in March...

Bishop Anthony Randazzo prayerfully welcomes clergy and the People of God in Broken Bay to join him on the Feast of the Holy Family, Sunday 29 December for 9.30am Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara and to officially mark the beginning of the 2025 Holy Jubilee. It is hoped to have representation from each of our 26 Broken Bay parishes in attendance at this Mass. To this end, we extend an invitation to all of you to be present at this Mass and to receive a special commemorative candle to bring back for your Parish, a Jubilee initiative of Mission Broken Bay. If anyone would like to attend this please contact the parish office on parishoffice@ffcp.org.au by Wednesday 25 December.

Pope Francis Peace Message for 2025 is: “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace.” Read the full message at https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/08/08/240808b.html

Invitation to Clergy and the People of God in Broken Bay Bishop Anthony Randazzo prayerfully welcomes clergy and the People of God in Broken Bay to join him on the Feast of the Holy Family, Sunday 29 December for 9.30am Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara and to officially mark the beginning of the 2025 Holy Jubilee. It is hoped to have representation from each of our 26 Broken Bay parishes in attendance at this Mass. To this end, we extend an invitation to all of you to be present at this Mass and to receive a special commemorative candle to bring back for your Parish, a Jubilee initiative of Mission Broken Bay. If anyone would like to attend this please contact the parish office on parishoffice@ffcp.org.au by Wednesday 25 December. More information will be made available on parish website ffcp.org.au

Please be advised that the Parish office will be closed from Tuesday, 2 4th December 2024 to Monday, 6th January 2025 inclusive . We will reopen on Tuesday, 7th January 2025. For any emergencies, please contact on parishoffice@ffcp.org.au or 02 9451 5097. Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a Blessed New Year 2025

This week, we bid farewell to Adrian Pulley, our esteemed Principal of St Martin's Davidson.  We express our sincere gratitude for his six years of exceptional leadership. Adrian's unwavering dedication to our school and parish community has been inspiring. We are grateful for his guidance in fostering a strong and supportive school community. We will miss his friendly, supportive nature, his sense of humour, and his strong leadership.  Adrian has always been a valuable member of our parish community, and we are grateful that he will continue to be part of it as a parent and parishioner. Also, he will serve our parish as a PPC member.    As he embarks on a new chapter as Principal of St Kevin's Dee Why, we wish him continued success. Fr Satheesh Antony OSH.

The Social Justice Group invites you to reflect on daily readings this Advent season with the Advent Calendar prepared by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. Visit our webpage to download the calendar and join us in preparing our hearts for Christmas. https://socialjustice.ffcp.org.au/

Tuesday 24th December Christmas Eve 5.00 PM Children's Mass St. Martin's, Davidson 5.30 PM Children's Mass OLGC, Forestville 6.00 PM Family Mass St. Anthony's, Terrey Hills 10.00 PM Mass OLGC, Forestville Wednesday 25th December Christmas Day · 8.30 AM St. Martins, Davidson 9.00 AM St. Anthony's, Terrey Hills 10.00 AM OLGC, Forestville Please note: There will be Christmas carols prior all Masses There will be no Mass celebrated in the evening on Christmas Day

An Invitation to Join the Nativity Play! The Christmas Family Mass is traditionally for the children and every year the children of the Parish present a Nativity play as part of the Children’s Christmas Mass celebration. ST ANTHONY’S CHURCH 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. 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 Preparations for Nativity Play during the Christmas Children's Mass is underway for St. Martins . 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! To sign up or ...

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...