DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR FEBRUARY
PRAYER TO END THE PANDEMIC
written by Pope Francis
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the foot of the cross, were united with Jesus’ suffering, and persevered in your faith. “Protectress of all people”, you know our needs, and we know that you will provide, so that, as at Cana in Galilee, joy and celebration may return after this time of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the will of the Father and to do what Jesus tells us. For he took upon himself our suffering, and burdened himself with our sorrows to bring us, through the cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen.
We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God; Do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from every danger, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.
Entrance Antiphon
O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us, for he is the Lord our God.
1st Reading (Is 6:1-8)
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings. And they cried out to one another in this way, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. His glory fills the whole earth.’ The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said: ‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said: ‘See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity is purged.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’ I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
2nd Reading (1 Cor 15:1-11)
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything. Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the
same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it. I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God’s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Come follow me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of my people. Alleluia.
Gospel (Lk 5:1-11)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Communion Antiphon
Let them thank the Lord for his mercy, his wonders for the children of men, for he satisfies the thirsty soul, and the hungry he fills with good things.
Next Week’s Readings
Jer 17:5-8; 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20; Lk 6:17, 20-26
Feasts of the Week
Thu, 10 Feb - St. Scholastica
PARISH NEWS
UPDATED PARISH GUIDELINES
Following Government announcements, Weekend and Weekday Masses as below:
Weekdays
Monday to Friday 8:30am
Wednesday 7:00pm followed by Mother of Perpetual Succour Novena
Saturday 9:00am
Weekend
Saturday 6:00pm, Sunday 8:30am, 10:30am & 5:00pm
Kindly note the following:
- No bookings required for any Masses.
- No vaccination requirements or density limits.
- Registration via QR Code mandatory. Kindly show proof of registration to volunteers if requested. If you do not have a smart phone, Volunteers will assist.
- Face masks are mandatory for all over the age of 8 years.
- Please sanitise prior to entering church.
- Kindly maintain social distancing before and after church services.
WELCOME TO OUR NEWLY BAPTISED
We welcome into our Church community Noah Camilleri who is to be baptised this Sunday. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the love of Parents, Godparents, family and friends, we pray that Noah will lead a life full of happiness, faith and love.
BAPTISM FORMATION MEETING
The next Baptism Formation Meeting will be held on Monday, 7th February at 7:00pm in church. No bookings required. Meetings are only held once a month on the first Monday of each month. Attendance at the meeting prior to your child’s baptism is essential. Either one or both parents are required to attend the meeting.
ENROLMENTS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL SACRAMENTAL & RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMME (for Children attending non-Catholic schools) to be done as soon as possible on a Sunday from 9:15am to 11:00am at the Community Centre. Baptism Certificates need to be sighted. Even if children attended last year, you still need to re-enrol. For more information, please ring Bernice on 9749 2812.
PARISH ZOOM ONLINE (8 week) ALPHA PROGRAM REGISTRATIONS OPEN
After the successful completion of our first Online Alpha Program in 2021, joint parishes of St. James and St. Peters are excited to announce the next ONLINE Alpha Program commencing Monday 7th February 2022 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. Alpha is a great program with a series of interactive weekly (Monday) sessions that create a safe and honest space where people can explore life, faith and meaning. There are limited places available so please register early. For enquiries please call Anita on 0411772320. To register please fill in the form at https://bit.ly/3mvElli
BIBLE STUDY, MONDAY 7TH FEB, 7:00PM – 8:30PM
Focus on Book of Acts – Chapter 24
https://zoom.us/j/93720468105?pwd=bU1USFVjUW1XdDJKUjQ4d3RXMzBidz09
Meeting 93720468105 Password: BibleStudy
Contact Clive Gonsalves 0490814452 or Francis Thomas 0401787372
ONLINE ROSARY ON ZOOM EVERY TUESDAY AT 7:00PM
Our online rosary led by parishioners is held every Tuesday at 7:00pm. We pray for various intentions including the COVID situation, for our families, our parish community, the sick and dying, for our state and country. Join in and invite your family and friends as we pray for our Lord’s blessings. Zoom details are
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89320421399?pwd=SUZUdU5sNkp2enI5S3Q2TDhUY1B0Zz09
Meeting ID: 893 2042 1399 Passcode: rosary
READERS AND EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS
As the next Roster from March to May 2022 will include the Easter Ceremonies, please complete the Availability Forms which have been emailed (copies are also available in the Hall) and return them to the Parish Office NO LATER THAN THURSDAY 10TH FEBRUARY 2022. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL MELBOURNE – CCR RENEWAL DAY, SATURDAY 19TH FEBRUARY
1:00pm to 4:30pm. A time of Praise & Worship, Talk, Testimony, Healing Mass, Pray Over and Fellowship. St. Peter’s Young Adults will lead the Praise & Worship. All are invited to attend.
ST PHILOMENA’S CHOIR is looking for people to join the choir as singers, lead singers, musicians and help with the computer. If you are able to help, Jenny would be very happy to hear from you as she is currently doing all this on her own. Please contact Jenny Winkler on 0438 592 785. Thank you.
HOLY COMMUNION TO THE HOUSEBOUND
If any of our elderly or sick parishioners who are housebound and unable to attend Mass would like to receive Holy Communion, please contact the parish office on (03) 9749 4300.
CHAPLAINCY APPEAL 2022
Next weekend is the Chaplaincy Appeal in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Each year a special collection is conducted in all parishes to support the vital work of our Catholic Chaplains who support thousands of Victorians every year in hospitals, prisons and youth justice centres, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Your gift can help people find comfort and hope as they go through some of their darkest hours and times of need. You can donate using the envelopes or online at www.catholiccarevic.org.au or call 03-9287 5513. We thank you for your support.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY ASSISTING REFUGEE STUDENTS
Mercy Connect Melbourne – Mercy Works Ltd. is currently recruiting volunteers to support Refugee Students and Asylum Seekers in Primary and Secondary schools across the Melbourne Archdiocese. Commitment is approx. half a day per week for four school terms. Experience working in an educational setting is preferred but not limited to. Please contact Sr. Mary Lewis RSM for an application form and further information. A Training Day for new volunteers with emphasis on Child Safeguarding will take place prior to commencement. Email: somml@bigpond.com (preferred for contact). Website: www.mercyworks.org.au. Mercy Connect Melbourne Tel: 9326 1895.
RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Dcn. Charles English, Gerardo Monsalve, Nelzon Gonsales, Ganesh & Ramesh Bandhari, Phylis Mills, Antonio Romero, Maria Cribe, Eileen Dillon, Sr Cynthia Fernandes, Demitria Ionnidis, Aaron D’Souza, Reno Mallia, Aleyamma Mathew, Fr. Noel Mackay PE, Xavier Carrick, Fr. Manoj Manuel, Pat Borcich, Albert Wankhar, Jean Norman, Varghese Matapallil, Thelma Shaw, Elvira De Torres, Trish Musarra, Eduardo Cabacungan, all who have died due to COVID-19 and all who have passed away.
DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Augustino & Josephine Cutajar, Carmela, Lelli & Nicole Zahra, Ferlazzo family, Neneng Austria, Solange & Cyril David, Reynaldo Natividad, Devadass & Janaki Ellinavaalu, Odelona Vargas and all whose anniversaries occur at this time.
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray for Gary Spotswood, Sean Donaldson, Kath Meddings, Wilfredo Villareal, Brian & Helen Kelly, Gordon Newman, Steven & Helen Smith, Ann Gee Lee, Valerie Coates, Sylvia Aldersea, Thais Long, Vincent Margaret, Dale D’Souza, Franklin Quintanilla, Adrian McGill, Kevin Hynes, Jeffrey Dalton, Jean Cameron, Katherine Yin Ming Lee, Enid Gibb, Baby Sora, Arturo Bacani, Vivienne Gantar, Magda Symons, Leticia Rodriguez, Bill Thomas, Pedro Lopez, Robert Martinez, Trevor D’Souza, Mavis D’Cruz and all who are ill in our Parish.
ROSTERS
Counters – 13 Feb 22
| Pravin Albuquerque / Clarence D’Souza / Grace Sharman |
Readers – 12/13 Feb 22
| 6:00pm | Davy Fernandez |
| 8:30am | Joan Ocampo |
| 10:30am | Lionel D’Cruz |
| 5:00pm | Catherine Graham |
Extraordinary Ministers of Communion – 12/13 Feb 22
| 6:00pm | J. Poppen / S. Albuquerque / H. Durski |
| 8:30am | N&N Gooneratne / S. Joseph |
| 10:30am | F. Caruana / S. Colla / J. Quinless |
| 5:00pm | E. Angeles / 2 X Volunteer |
Music Ministry – 12/13 Feb 22
| 6:00pm | Footsteps |
| 8:30am | St. Philomena’s Choir |
| 10:30am | Youth Band |
| 5:00pm | Shepherds of Christ |