French's Forest Catholic Parish eNEWS

My Dear Parishioners, This Sunday, 3rd December marks the start of Advent. It is the beginning of the Church’s liturgical year and encompasses the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. It is a time of reflection, anticipation and preparation when we can direct our minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time, and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. During Advent there are four candles, one each week, followed by the white candle at Christmas. The first one, violet or light purple, represents God’s People. It is the candle of Hope. The second, also violet, represents the Old Testament Prophets, and is the Candle of Faith. The third represents John the Baptist, and is the Candle of Joy. This is rose-coloured. The fourth, again violet, represents Mary the Mother of Jesus, and is the Candle of Peace. Let us prepare well to welcome our Saviour in our hearts. As we come to the end of our liturgical year, I express my gratitude to all t

Our Lord portrays himself as the Master who goes away on a journey. It is certain that he will return, even if no-one in his household knows exactly when. That is our situation. What do we do in anticipation? Our Lord, the Master, indicates we have a choice. We can close our eyes and enter into the world of dreams where we create our own fantasy futures, or we can stay awake and alert to do what Our Lord wants us to do: ‘He left his servants in charge, giving to each his work.’ You and me – his servants – have a particular role or work in and for this phase of human history. A deep down intuition, prompted by the Holy Spirit, indicates what this is. We must be true to this assignment. We could take a moment to pray that, when the Lord returns, we may hear: ‘Come, good and faithful servant, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.’

We pray that the violence between Israel and Palestine will give way to sincere dialogue, leading to peaceful and enduring solutions. Amen

Food for Thought: Communal Reconciliation: The second form of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a communal liturgical celebration from beginning to end. It begins with the community listening to the Word of God. The homily focuses on our need for repentance and the infinite mercy of God. During the examination of conscience, the assembly reflects together on where and how they have fallen short of their baptismal commitment to follow Christ. This is followed by a brief personal confession. The ceremony concludes with a proclamation of praise, a prayer of thanksgiving and a blessing. The personal confession and absolution is communal too when the penitents approach the priests in full view of all present. The priests sit at appropriate points around the worship space in such a way that penitents can be seen but not heard by others. Those who wish to confess go to the priest of their choice. As the essence of this form of Reconciliation is communal, one needs to be mindful of how long

Thank you to all the Parishioners who prepared the Crib, Advent Wreath and light arrangements in our Churches. Dave & Liz Ryan, Frank & Sheila Fitzpatrick at St Anthony's. Anne Williams, Maree Shannon and Barry & Helen Sheehy at OLGC. Anne & John Ellis, Tony & Carmel Smith at St. Martin's. We appreciate all your hard work to get the Churches ready for Advent and Christmas.  They look beautiful!

The annual St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal will be held on Sat 9th and Sun 10th December. More details on how to donate and contribute will be available next week.

The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2022 came into effect on 28th  November 2023. This means eligible people in NSW will be able to request medical assistance to end their life. Bishop Anthony Randazzo and the Diocese have produced a booklet, an Interim Pastoral Guideline on Voluntary Assisted Dying, which includes a full explanation of the Voluntary Dying Act as well as the Catholic Response. The Australian Catholics Bishop Conference has also produced a document to guide priests, chaplains and pastoral workers who are asked to provide pastoral support to Catholics who are considering euthanasia. This document is titled To Witness and to Accompany with Christian Hope. Both booklets are available on the Diocese website as a flipbook and can also be downloaded at this link https://www.bbcatholic.org.au/news/latest-news/euthanasia-now-legal-in-nsw

Please join us for our last REST reflection morning of 2023. Would you like to find some time to stop or slow down and rest with God?  On 5th Dec you are warmly welcome to simply come and rest with God for a little while. The setting is restful... contemplative music, reflections and meditations to appreciate the gift of the presence of God in your life and how you may wish to draw nearer to him. Look forward to seeing you, anytime between 10am-12pm, at St Martin’s Church. REST will resume for 2024 on Tuesday 6th February.

The final meeting for the year will be a celebration of our work this year and will be held at the home of Annette Murphy-Haste in Davidson. All Welcome but please RSVP for catering purposes. COP28: Due to ill health, Pope Francis has had to cancel his visit to Dubai to address this crucial conference. He is one global leader who really has the care of the whole planet at heart. Thank you to those who joined in the Community of Prayer gathering at St Anthonys last Sunday. Laudato Deum: As the COP 28 begins this week let us reflect on Ch 6: Spiritual motivations – where Pope Francis calls on all Catholics and people of all faith to recognise that human life “is incomprehensible and unsustainable without other creatures” and that “as part of the universe… all of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect”. He laments the loss of biodiversity. He points out that collectively

There will be no Baptism preparation in January. If you are planning to have a child baptised during January or early February you will need to attend the December preparation on 9th Dec. Please contact the office if you have any questions.

 We had a wanderful Christmas Celebration on the 29th November, thank you all.

On Saturday 16th of December beginning at 6:45pm at OLGC, there will be the annual Advent Carols Service.  The Parish and Youth Choirs will be performing some of the most beloved Carols with solo performances as well.  Everyone is welcome to attend!

Manly Freshwater Parish will be hosting Christmas Day Lunch for those who are spending Christmas alone.  You are welcome at St Mary’s Catholic Church Manly on Monday 25th Dec at 11am-1pm where a Christmas lunch picnic and gift will be provided.  Contact Manly Freshwater Parish on 9977 5822 

The Broken Bay Vocations Team is seeking your help to nurture a culture of vocations in our local Church. As a Parish Vocations Volunteer, you could play a vital role in promoting vocations awareness, encouraging prayer, and supporting local events in your parish. If you feel called to this rewarding service, your involvement would be greatly valued. To express your interest, simply scan the QR code provided and follow the prompts. In Christ, Fr Sam French

We are seeking someone to support a long time Parishioner in coming to Mass on Sundays at 10am at OLGC.  He lives in the Cromer area and would still love to attend Mass but is no longer able to drive himself to Forestville.  If you could help to transport him to and from Mass please contact the Parish Office for more details 9451 5097.

As we look forward to Christmas we are filled with hope and excitement. We would like to invite families to join us for Christmas Vigil Mass. It is traditionally a family mass where children are invited to be part of the special celebrations. At this Family Mass the children present a Nativity play as part of the Vigil celebration. There are roles for readers, angels, shepherds, stable animals and presenters of the Nativity crib scene and Gospel. We also need readers for Prayers of the Faithful. All ages are most welcome If your family is thinking of joining us for mass on Christmas eve and would like to be part of the Nativity, please contact one of our coordinators below. ST ANTHONY’S CHURCH When: Sunday 24th December 6PM  Rehearsal and role allocation: Sunday, 5th Dec after the 9am Mass Contact: Jo Reid 0411 460 777 or joreid@westpac.com.au OLGC CHURCH When: Sunday 24 December at 5.30pm Rehearsal and role allocation: Sunday, 17th Dec after the 10am Mass Contact: the parish office -

As the Season of Advent draws near you are warmly welcome to share reflections and prayers in anticipation for the coming of Emmanuel, the gift of the Son of God. Our Advent gatherings will be on Tuesday mornings, November 28, December 5 & 12, at St Martins Church, 10am -12pm. Note: ‘The Sign’ a pocket-sized booklet including daily reflections from the beginning of Advent to the Baptism of the Lord and artwork reflections on some beautiful paintings from the Masters will be available in the church foyers on First Sunday of Advent – Dec 3. ($5 each)

St Anthony in the fields Christmas hamper appeal begins this weekend.  Names can be be taken from the walls of St Anthony’s church or on the web at www.netsavvy.com.au/hampers

Beginning October 2023, the Parish Office will no longer be open on Mondays.   The Office will be open Tuesday - Friday 8:30am- 2:30pm .  For any urgent matters when the office is closed please call the office number 9451 5097 and press 1 for the Priest on call.

For those who are unable to join us for our regular masses due to health conditions or other reasons we want you to know that you are not alone. Our priests and dedicated Communion ministers are available to visit your home, providing an opportunity for prayers, Holy Communion and conversation. The priests are also available for the Sacrament of Confession or Holy Anointing. If you would like to arrange a visit for you or someone you know, please contact the Parish Office on 9451 5097 or parishoffice@ffcp.org.au . Please provide us with your name, contact information and any specific needs or preferences you have. Once we receive the information we will be in touch to organise a suitable date and time for the visit.

Yes we still need help, if you or someone you know would like to find out more about how to volunteer for this Ministry please contact the Parish Office or email Fran on pastoral@ffcp.org.au .  Our Parish children in State Schools really need you. Please consider joining us.