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6th 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
Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard; proclaim to the ends of the earth. The Lord has freed his people, alleluia.

1st Reading (Acts 8:5-8, 14-17)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

2nd Reading (1 Pet 3:15-18)
A reading from the first letter of St. Peter
Reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may be proved wrong in the accusations that they bring. And if it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong. Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life.
The Word of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! All who love me will keep my words, and my Father will love them and we will come to them. Alleluia!

Gospel (Jn 14:15-21)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever, that Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you. In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will understand that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.’
The Gospel of the Lord.

 

PARISH NEWS

‘SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR A – 2020
(Reflection by Fr. Vincent John CMI)

There is a story about a man who saw an angel walking down the street. The angel was carrying a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. “What are you going to do with that torch and that water” the man asked. The angel looked at him and said, “with this torch, I am going to burn down the mansions of heaven; and with the bucket of water, I am going to put out the fires of hell. Then we are going to see who really loves God.” The angel’s point was that many people obey God’s commandments out of fear of punishment in hell or hope of reward in heaven. They don’t obey God for the reason Jesus gives in today’s Gospel. Jesus said, “if you love me you will obey my commandments.”

Again, we can also look at His commandments as an invitation to love. This is what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel when he says, “if you love me, you will obey my commandments”. Here, obeying the commandments becomes an opportunity to express our love for Jesus. We may not always understand the reason to forgive others and love our enemies, but we do it because Jesus wants us to do it, and showed it with His own example. Here, we are not loving our enemies or forgiving others just to get to heaven, but we follow Jesus’ words and examples because He is the God who created and redeemed us through His suffering, death and resurrection. Here, our joy and eternal life are an outcome and not a motive. Jesus’ love is our motive.

Jesus says, if we love Him, we will obey Him. He considers obedience as a real way of loving. His instructions are clear and uniquely simple. Love has to go beyond just feelings. It is to do something. The test of true love for Jesus, is to do His will, just as He has always done the will of the Father. His commandments are of loving others as He loves, of forgiving others, and of having compassion. He gives us a simple and clear plan for living. All we have to do is to trust him, and to obey him. As His last will, he left the Apostles His Word and His peace. He promised the Holy Spirit to strengthen them. He calls it the Spirit of Truth. He knew that they needed His continuous help to be His Apostles.

We do experience the work of the Holy Spirit in our personal and family life when we pray, attend church and obey His commandments as an expression of our love, not out of fear of punishment or expecting favours. We will be blessed as an outcome of our sincere love of God and obeying His commandments of love. Let us pray to God, to enable us to obey His commandments out of love, and to experience and establish peace and harmony in our personal, family and community life.
May God Bless you all.

!! PRAISE THE LORD !!
RESTRICTED OPENING OF CHURCH
MASS COMMENCING MONDAY, 18TH MAY 2020

Following new Guidelines approved by the Archdiocese, our Parish will operate as follows:

Church will be open as per details below with a LIMIT OF 10 PEOPLE permitted to attend each service. 

Weekday Masses
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri  8:30am
Wed  8:30am & 7:00pm      Sat  9:00am

Weekend Masses
Sat  6:00pm
Sun  8:30am, 10:30am, 5:00pm

As there is a limit of 10 people, we ask for your cooperation and support to ensure that these new guidelines are observed.  Please email or phone the parish office to register your intent to attend, giving your name, contact phone, date and time of preference.

  • If you are unwell on your allocated day, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS.
  • Maximum of 2 people per family.
  • No children under 5 years old.
  • 1.5m distance from other people must be observed at all times.
  • We request everyone to remain in their allocated seats during the duration of their stay, i.e. no walking around the church, lighting candles, etc. to avoid germ transmission.
  • Church will be opened 15 minutes prior to start of Mass.
  • Doors will be shut 5 minutes prior to start of Mass.
  • Parishioners must leave church immediately after Mass.
  • No collections will be taken, however baskets will be provided at the entrance for anyone wishing to place their donations/thanksgiving envelope/prayer requests.
  • Communion will only be under the one species, and in the hand only.
  • Bulletins will be available but must be taken home, not left in church.
  • Hand sanitiser will be provided at the entry doors. All necessary cleaning precautions will be undertaken.

THANKSGIVING 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
  • 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.

ZOOM INVITATION TO PARISHIONERS FROM ST PETER'S CHARISMATIC PRAYER COMMUNITY - KNK
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

ZOOM INVITATION TO COMBINED ST. PETERS & ST. JAMES BIBLE STUDY MINISTRY
Every week on a Monday from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.
On Monday 18th May we focus on Gospel of John, Ch. 3, Verses  16 - 36. For more information contact Clive Gonsalves at gonsalvesclive@hotmail.com or Francis Thomas at francispthomas@hotmail.com.
To join Meeting use below link & Meeting ID
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/9689427525?pwd=akpXUHFPQTJRazRxZVZaOVVhZlM4QT09
Meeting ID: 9689427525       Password: 2Vp4ef

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/2021-prep-enrolment/

POPE FRANCIS PRAYER INTENTION FOR PERMANENT DEACONS
In his prayer intention for the month of May 2020, Pope Francis asks everyone to pray for permanent deacons, who live their vocation in and with their family. The full text of his intention is as follows; Deacons are not second-level priests. They are part of the clergy and live their vocation in and with their family. They are dedicated to the service of the poor, who carry within them the face of the suffering Christ. They are the guardians of service in the Church. Let us pray that deacons, faithful in their service to the Word and the poor, may be an invigorating symbol for the entire Church. Amen

RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Carmel Trento, Pasquale Costanzo, Nicolai Dichecko, Elvis Moreira, Hilary Palman and all who have passed away recently.

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Vita Giovanna Sarpi, Nicola Lettieri, Robert Cannard, Elizabeth Clark, Bryan Dalton, Pat Borcich 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, Carmelina Costanzo, Baby Amelia Lay, Amelia Victoria and all who are ill in our Parish.