French's Forest Catholic Parish eNEWS

Dear Parishioners, The rich young man wanted to be assured of salvation too. He was a good man; an observant Jew and someone Jesus looked on with love. But he was hoping the law would save him. He wanted to be sure of gaining heaven by jumping through the right hoops, at the right time, for the right reasons. Jesus doesn’t reject the importance of faithful and good living, but he offers the young man a relationship that would make sense of the choices involved in following him. Without a loving relationship with God, who calls us to live the best life we can, the fulfilment of any law, civil or moral. We do not believe in a tyrannical God. We do believe, however, in a God who makes demands of us, who often challenges us in the places where we are most vulnerable. For the young man, his money was an obstacle. He could not embrace a relationship with Jesus because this would have placed in peril his wealth and the comfort that his many possessions afforded him. This week I would like to

This Sunday's readings confront us with the need to make choices in life, choices for God. They also remind us that no significant choice is without its price. However, if we make the right choice, we are assured that we will be richly rewarded. We all want to be happy in life. We just don't always know which doors to open, and how far to enter them. We need wisdom for that. The more options that are open to us, the more difficult it is to choose, but choose we must. To choose one option is to relinquish the others. The young man in the gospel wanted eternal life. Surely there is nothing more worthy than that. However, the price he was asked to pay was more than he had expected, and he went away saddened. To choose is to face the consequences of the word of God, and sometimes this is as sharp as a two-edged sword. One of the mysteries of faith is the incomprehensible generosity of God. We choose wisdom instead of all of the good things of the world, and we receive these good th

This weekend we will have the Catholic Mission Appeal. In this appeal, we are invited to support the Church in Mongolia on their journey to provide more support for vulnerable people in need. Your kindness will ensure that more of our brothers and sisters can receive the assistance they need to get back on their feet. In Mongolia, vulnerable people requiring social services often face stigma for using them. Those in need are often impacted by domestic violence or homelessness. Unfortunately, support services are limited in number and the demand for them is growing. This means some of our brothers and sisters in Mongolia are going without the help they need.

Everyone is invited to come and enjoy the celebrations of St Martin’s feast day with Mass and BBQ  Where: at St Martin’s Church and Playground - When: 5:00 pm Saturday 2nd November 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.

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you who generously contributed to the Oblates of the Sacred Heart (OSH) appeal. We raised $8030 till today. Your support is a powerful testament to the compassion and commitment of this community. Through your kindness, we are able to continue the important work of the Oblates, serving those in need and spreading the love of Christ. May God bless you abundantly for your generosity, and may the fruits of your support continue to grow in the lives of those touched by the mission of the Oblates. Thank you, and may God’s peace be with you. Fr. Satheesh OSH & Fr. Joseph OSH

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

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

Novena: In the leadup to our celebration on the vigil of Blessed Carlo Acutis’ Feast Day, we warmly invite you to join us in an online Novena, reflecting on, and giving thanks for, the life of Carlo. The novena will be from October 3 – 10, with the final day of the Novena being prayed in person at the vigil celebration on October 11. Can’t make it every day? That’s okay, please do join us when you are available: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84776329194 Meeting ID: 847 7632 9194 No Password. Feast Day Vigil Mass , Veneration of Relic, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – 7pm Friday 11 October All are warmly welcomed to join our Feast Day celebration of Carlo’s life by joining the Vigil Mass at 7pm. After Mass everyone will have an opportunity to venerate the relic of Blessed Carlo. Once Adoration has finished, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will occur all night, finishing at 9am on Saturday 12 October.

Our Three Parish Communities together with every Catholic Parish & Institution Worldwide, are called by Pope Francis to ‘Hear the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor’ by Implementing A LAUDATO SI ACTION PLAN Please come to a Meeting at St Anthony's, 46 Myoora Road On: Sunday 20 October at: 10.15am after Mass Click Here to read full Laudato Si text.

This is a special Mass for those that have been affected by Pregnancy and Infant Loss. When : Tuesday 15th Oct 6:30pm. Where: Our Lady of Dolours Church | Chatswood Parish

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. 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, at 11 am, with registration starting at 10:30 am. All are welcome to join these celebrations and pray for our departed loved ones. We would also like to include in the Parish Remembrance Mass the names of parishioners or their relatives who have passed away since last October and whose funerals were held outside the parish. I f you would like to have their names included, please contact the parish office at parishoffice@ffcp.org.au or call 9451 5097 by Monday, 28th October. Please note: all names from previous years ar

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 donations and for which there are now many different ways of making a donation using modern technology. In recent times we have introduced Tap’n’go machines in our churches and we have now added a new, easy, and secure way to make a donation 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 donation 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 donation page. It’s fast, easy, and helps the parish to continue the great work we’re doing together. Of course, like Tap’n’go, donations by QR code are a once only donation. If you would like your donation to be regular and auto

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.  

Thursday 8 August : Feast of St. Mary of the Cross Mackillop August 10 /11 Catholic Care Homelessness Appeal. Thursday 15 August : The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption is a holy day of obligation) Saturday 17 August: The Parish’s Indian Curry Night 6:30pm, at OLGC Thursday 22 August: Readers Formation Gathering 7:30-8:30pm at OLGC. Sunday 1 September: Father’s Day Saturday 7 September : An evening of Timeless Sacred Music 6.45 pm at OLGC Sunday 8 September: Prayer for married couples Tuesday 10 & 17 September: “God is with us: Prayer in daily life” 7.30-8.30 pm at OLGC Saturday 14 September: Sacrament of Confirmation at OLGC, 9:45am & 11:45am Saturday 21 September: A Mini-Retreat 11 am -1.30 pm at OLGC Every first Tuesday August to November : REST at. St Martin’s Davidson, 10 am—12 midday Every 2nd,3rd &4th Tuesday in August & September: Pause and Reflection at St Martins Davidson, 10am-12 midday See webpage for all parish diary dates. https://www