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5th Sunday of Easter 2020

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR MAY

CORONAVIRUS PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, you travelled through towns and villages curing every disease and illness. At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care. Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbours from helping one another. Heal us from our pride, which made us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders.

Lord Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace. Be with doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace. Be with leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Lord Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace. Lord Jesus Christ, heal us.

Entrance Antiphon
O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders; in the sight of the nations he has shown his deliverance, alleluia.

1st Reading (Acts 6:1-7)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.
The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

2nd Reading (1 Pet 2:4-9)
A reading from the first letter of St. Peter.
The Lord is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house. As scripture says: See how I lay in Zion a precious cornerstone that I have chosen and the man who rests his trust on it will not be disappointed. That means that for you who are believers, it is precious; but for unbelievers, the stone rejected by the builders has proved to be the keystone, a stone to stumble over, a rock to bring men down. They stumble over it because they do not believe in the word; it was the fate in store for them. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
The Word of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, except through me. Alleluia!

Gospel (Jn 14:1-12)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.’ Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me? ‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father, so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason. I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.’
The Gospel of the Lord.

Communion Antiphon
I am the true vine and you are the branches, says the Lord. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, bears fruit in plenty, alleluia.

Next Week's Readings
Acts 8:5-8, 14-17;   1 Pet 3:15-18;   Jn 14:15-21

A mother is she who can take the place of all others,
but whose place no one else can take.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!
From all at St. Peter's Parish Office

MOTHER’S DAY PRAYER

In the name of Jesus Christ, we lift up all Mothers today.
For the mothers you have given us, whose love is so precious that it can never be measured,
We thank you.
For mothers who have gone before us. For their love, sacrifice, struggle and joy,
We thank you.
For women who struggle with fertility.
For women who have lost children.
For their tears, their strength, wisdom and their lives,
We thank you.
May we see your loving and guiding hand behind all Mothers.
We ask you to bless them with your own special love.
Amen.

PARISH NEWS

PARISH GUIDELINES

  • To receive current information, you can update us with your email address by emailing the parish office at hopperscrossing@cam.org.au.
  • Thanksgiving Contributions
    As there are no regular masses being held, we have been approached by some parishioners regarding their weekly contributions. If you would like to continue your contributions to support the parish, the following options are available:

    • Drop off your Thanksgiving envelope and Project Compassion Boxes at the Parish office during office hours Monday to Friday 9:00am to 3:30pm.
    • Thanksgiving donations can be made directly to our Church Bank Account. Details as follows:
      Account Name: St Peter Apostle Parish Church Account
      BSB: 083-347 Account No: 637286747
      Please use your Thanksging Envelope Number and your name for reference purposes (eg.TG123 - Tom Smith)
    • To change your Thanksgiving from Envelopes to Credit Card/Debit Card, please call or email the parish office and we will send you a form to make this change.
    • Parishioners also can now make payments online if you wish to do so, either by
      • going to the link Online Thanksgiving Payments CDF Pay  OR
      • by going to the link on our website (under the Support your Parish tab).
      • You can make quick and easy recurring thanksgiving payments or can choose a one-time offering from the comfort of your own home. Please add in your Thanksgiving Envelope number if you have one. When making an offering online, you have the option to choose which collection you would like the offering to go to, just as you would do during Sunday Mass – first collection (Parish) or the second collection (Presbytery).

Thank you to all our parishioners who have responded and dropped off your envelopes and Project Compassion Boxes to the parish office and also for your online contributions. Fr.Vincent and Dcn. Charles thank you for your continued generous support to the parish.

‘I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE’
(Reflection by Dcn. Charles English)

Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. There are many rooms in my Father’s House. If there were not I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return and take you with me, so that where I am you may be too’.

Thomas, one of the disciples, said that they do not know the way. Jesus says to him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father, except through Me’.

All this takes place at the Last Supper. Jesus knows that the very next day, He will be crucified and die on the Cross on Calvary. Jesus will rise from the dead, three days later on Easter Sunday. Jesus knows this because His Father told Him, and Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the most Holy Trinity.

Jesus at the Last Supper was preparing His disciples for His departure. It was at the Last Supper that Our Lord, Jesus, instituted the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. Holy Communion is a most precious gift from God. When Jesus gives Himself to you, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, He lives in you. He lives in you like never before, in a new way. Jesus feeds you, strengthens you, gives you His peace and gives you courage for the hard things that you might experience in life. It was also at the Last Supper, that Jesus instituted another Sacrament, Holy Orders, that is the Priesthood, when Jesus told His disciples to ‘do this in Remembrance of Me’.

So we can see that Our Lord is preparing and ordaining His apostles to the priesthood so that they can go out and celebrate the Mass of the Last Supper. So even today, over 2,000 years later, we are so privileged to have our Catholic priests, who continue this unbroken line from Christ, to celebrate the Mass and also to forgive sins, which is the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is telling his Apostles and us too, for we are Jesus’s disciples, that Our Lord has prepared a place for us in His Father’s House, ‘so that where I am you may be too’. Aren’t these the most wonderful, comforting words of Our Blessed Lord? Jesus wants us all to go to Heaven to be with Him. He is waiting for us with outstretched arms.

Heavenly Father, help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, because where He is we wish to be.

ZOOM INVITATION TO PARISHIONERS FROM ST PETER'S CHARISMATIC PRAYER COMMUNITY - KNK
We invite you to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, and express our joy and gratitude from the comfort of our own homes. The power of God’s word touches those who are hurting and awakens hope for the hopeless. Please join us on Zoom to praise God and pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary with the intention that the current pandemic may be eradicated and for the Lord’s mercy and protection. Please click on the link below. Download if you do not have the app.
Saturdays at 3:00pm – Divine Mercy & Praise & Worship
Sundays at 7:00pm – Rosary & Praise & Worship
To join Meeting use below link & password for both days:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7414862105?pwd=NlVwaXUyS3hVSlFzZ0pNOG1MT29Ldz09
Meeting ID: 741 486 2105          Password: 023368

MESSAGE FROM POPE FRANCIS
Pope Francis is encouraging Catholics to pray the rosary throughout May. He also shared two new prayers to implore the help of the Virgin Mary during the coronavirus pandemic. Here is the link for the prayers
https://ucatholic.com/news/pope-francis-tells-catholics-to-pray-the-rosary-in-may-to-end-coronavirus/

2021 PREP ENROLMENT
Due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 2021 Prep enrolments are all online. To submit a request for an enrolment form, please visit the school website at:
http://www.stpeterahc.catholic.edu.au/enrolment-information/enrolling-for-prep-2021/

CATHOLIC CARE – EMERGENCY RELIEF
Emergency relief can be accessed by anyone experiencing a financial crisis which has left them unable to pay for necessities such as food. This support can also be provided to people who are at imminent risk of not being able to pay bills or purchase other necessities. To access this FREE Emergency Relief, please call Catholic Care Footscray office on 0436127882 to make an appointment. Take along some form of identification. Open Wed to Fri 10:00am to 4:00pm, at 3 Wingfield Street, Footscray 3011. More information at
https://www.ccam.org.au/page/110/emergency-relief.

RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Bill Hayes, Sr Angelica Del Pilar, Diane Marie Vitale, Sheree Gard, Peter Wheelahan and all who have passed away recently.

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Rosaria Scrofani, Orazio Baffi, Aileen Moreira, Alyekutty Joseph, Kuriakkose Palatty and all whose anniversaries occur at this time.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray for Elaine Dalton, Gary Spotswood, Sean Donaldson, Kath Meddings, Lucy Ballan, Irene Jones, Thais Long, Jean Cameron, Gordon Newman, Sam Caruana, Therese Mary, Zandi Falzon, Denis Webber, Lourdes Sequeira, Mary D'cruz, Monique Hoaster, Alphonsus De Roza, Aiden Leonard, Elvira de Torres, Wilfredo Villareal, Julia Rego, Keely Welsford, Rolando Navarro, Avis Fernandes, Francis Goonting, Fr Jolly Alavelil CMI, Anne Deluca, Andie Osmond, Hellen Bonnici, Filippo Sciglitano, Helen Hanford, Anthony Hanford, James Barwick, Gerry Akein, Helga Jacob, Vince Jones and all who are ill in our Parish.