French's Forest Catholic Parish eNEWS

Dear Parishioners, In the Gospel this week Jesus does not command us to love ‘God’ in the abstract. Teaching Jew to Jew he says: ‘You shall love the Lord your God’ – the Lord who had rescued the Jewish people from slavery. So, commanding a love which responds to an initiative of Divine Love. Why wouldn’t one respond ‘heart, mind, strength, soul’ in gratitude for the gift of life itself, for some particular person or incident, for the beauty and grandeur of nature, for rescue from some situation which seemed to engulf us? And if the Lord God loved you in such a way, why wouldn’t you love yourself? Then you can properly ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. There is nothing sentimental in his teaching from Leviticus 19:18 and the preceding verses. Jesus was pointing to the system of social justice which looked after the poor. It is up to us as global citizens of the 21st century to recognise as ‘neighbours’ those beyond our borders and to love them in the practical ‘Levitical’ way. I wish t

It is amazing to note how leaving out just one half of one verse of the Gospel can affect the Christian life for centuries. All of us know by rote the command of Jesus that we must love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and we must love our neighbour. But the second half of verse 31 is not usually quoted because, sadly, it is not as imbedded in our memory. It reads: ‘You shall love your neighbour AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF.’ There are very clear historical reasons why the second part of Jesus' summary of the commandments was quietly forgotten. Given the chequered personal experience he had of his own body, St Augustine, in the fifth century, had very ambivalent feelings about the human body. He thought that, generally, it was to be feared as the instrument through which we would sin. He encouraged us to tame it through prayer, mortification and penance. Augustine's ideas about the body held sway until Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century and the Jesuit Theologians of the

The month of November each year is a time when we especially remember in our prayers all those who have died. What is the purpose of Mass intentions for the dead? Mass intentions can be applied to living persons, but why pray for the dead? As Catholics, we believe the Mass is the highest act of worship — the greatest form of prayer. We know the practice of Masses for souls of the dead dates to the early church. Praying for the dead is a great act of mercy. Praying for the dead, lighting a candle which symbolizes this prayer and offering a Mass for these souls is a beautiful and powerful way to live our faith. And we care for each other by our prayers. If you wish to offer a Mass for your departed dear ones, please you may collect the November Mass envelope and write the names of your loved ones you wish to pray for. You are welcome to bring back those Mass offerings and give to the priests or place them in the collection bag or bring it to the parish office. A daily mass will be offere

Youth Landcare Day is on at St Anthony in the Fields, Sunday 3rd, Nov 3-5pm finishing with refreshments. A community actively caring for plant and wildlife communities at Kierans Creek. Tools provided. Please contact Anne Lanyon or Brian Norman via the Parish Office for details.

In response to the call by Pope Francis to ‘Hear the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor’ by implementing a LAUDATO SI ACTION PLAN, interested parishioners met at St Anthonys on 20th Oct and discussed the first stages of looking at what is already happening in all three churches and the parish generally. This was in order to assess what we can do into the future starting next year.  We will report this back to the PPC. We would like some more interested people from each of the 3 churches, especially OLGC, to join us for another such meeting to be held after 10am mass at the OLGC parish meeting room at a date tbc soon . Please rsvp if interested via Parish Office.

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.  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

Durning October we welcomed our newest members to our parish. Congratulations and welcome to, Alexander McPherson,  Geneieve Hoy,  Harry Clubbe,  Jack Caristo,  Sandon Welling Who have been Baptised at our Churches during October. May this act of faith bring you immense peace, strength, and fulfillment as you continue to walk your path.  We continue pray for them and their families.

Everyone is invited to come and enjoy the celebrations of St Martin’s feast day with Mass and BBQ at St Martin’s Church and Playground - WHEN:  Saturday 2nd November at 5:00 pm Please feel welcome to come and enjoy the celebrations. For catering purposes  please RSVP  using the QR code or write your name on the lists at the back of the churches.

This year, All Souls' Day falls on Saturday, 2nd November. To mark this occasion, we will celebrate the Parish Remembrance Mass on Friday, 1st November at 7:30 pm at OLGC, Forestville. Please bring some flowers to OLGC on Friday 1st November morning, On Saturday, 2nd November, morning Masses will be held at 9:15 am at OLGC Forestville, St Martin’s Davidson, and St Anthony’s Terrey Hills. To honor and remember our loved ones who have passed away, there will be a Blessing of the Graves at Frenchs Forest Bushland Cemetery, Davidson, 2nd November at 11 am, with registration starting at 10:30 am.  Please bring a chair to the cemetery on Saturday 2nd November, as these will not be available. All are welcome to join these celebrations and pray for our departed loved ones.

We are pleased to announce that the Parish Annual Report for the financial year 2023/2024 is now available.  Copies can be found in the church for you to take home. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the members of the Finance Committee, our Bookkeeper, and the Parish staff for their hard work and dedication in preparing this report. Your efforts ensure the ongoing stewardship of our parish resources, and we deeply appreciate your service. Thank you for your continued support of our parish community.

As the Mass for all Souls’ Day (Nov 1st)is on at OLGC at the same time as Taize prayer at St Martin’s,  we will cancel Taize for November. We look forward to seeing you on the first Friday in December (6th) for our last Taize prayer of the year. Thank you to all who support this special spiritual time every first Friday of the month.

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.

Mozart and Schumann Piano Quartets with Adele Ohki and Friends The final concert for the 2024 Wyvern Music Forestville Series will delight classical music lovers, with two favourites of the chamber music repertoire, performed by four seasoned professional Sydney musicians. Mozart's groundbreaking composition, Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, and Schumann's remarkable Piano Quartet in E-flat major elegantly contrast with Frank Bridge's romantic and spirited Phantasy for Piano Quartet. Accomplished violinist Adele Ohki collaborates with eminent musician friends: violist Jacqui Cronin, cellist Paul Stender, and pianist Bradley Gilchrist. When: Sunday 3rd November 2024 at 3:00pm Where: Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, 9 Currie Rd, Forestville  Tickets: Full:$30 Concession/Students:$20 Children under 16 Free—special $20 offer to OLGC congregation and Parishioners on presentation of this article at the concert Bookings: www.ticketebo.com.au/wyvernmusicforestville Enquir

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

I am excited to invite you to a special Altar Server Formation Session on Saturday, 9th November 2024, 10.30 am to 11.30 am at OLGC Church, Forestville. Deacon Peter McCulloch will facilitate the session. This session is open to both our senior and junior altar servers, and it will be a wonderful opportunity to deepen your understanding of your role in the liturgy and enhance your skills in serving at Mass. If anyone wishes to become an Altar Server you are welcome to attend this session. We look forward to getting new people to serve at the Altar. We kindly request that all participants confirm their attendance by Tuesday 5th November by contacting the Parish Office on parishoffice@ffcp.org.au or call on 94515097. Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH, PP

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 .

The Northern Beaches Council planning to upgrade the traffic proposed for this area at Currie Road. As you are aware many parishioners and parents find hard in getting parking spots when they attend funeral service, Church, School and Community gatherings. So please help and have your say by scanning the QR Code. or go to https://northernbeaches-transport-network.app.oneblink.io/forms/14194 Select Currie Road timed parking Thank you for your time and support.