NEWS
EXPLANATION OF THE MURALS ON THE
WESTERN SIDE OF THE CHURCH – By Fr
Gregory Bourke
There are ten panels painted by Jenya
Onofrechook.
They tell a story of the Gospel that incorporates St Peter
the Apostle, the patron of our parish. Recently it was the feast of St Peter
and
Beginning from the two right hand panels
The rising sun denotes the new day that the cross/resurrection of Christ
ushers in. It is known as the “Kairos” or the
Time/Day of the Lord. This is the “day” in which we as the church live. It is,
of course, more than a single day, it is the time or the era of the Church as
we wait for the end of all time or the experience of eternity in it’s fullness.
The rooster announces this new day and at the same time it’s crow is the sign for Peter of his denial and shame. It
is the paradox of the Christian life. We are called to be awake to greatness
yet we are flawed. We are the earthen ware vessels that contain this great
treasure.
Although Peter clasps the keys given to him
because he recognised Jesus as The Christ, he did not understand what it meant
for him or Jesus. Peter, like us, has a lot of growing to do. He looks
downcast, as he walks downhill, along the path of discipleship towards the
cross.
The vine signals to us that all is not lost, even in Peter’s denial,
but the true vine, the vine of Christ and his Church is alive, green and ready
to grow into the future.
The fire is the fire in the courtyard of the High Priest. It is the
fire that Peter warmed himself by just prior to the three questions, “Are you
that man’s disciple? In the original Greek text, the Greek word used is not
actually fire but the word for ‘a glowing light’. And so, in the darkness of
trial and denial, the Light of Christ still glows.
Whilst
clutching the key, Peter paradoxically walks in denial of Christ on a downward
slope. On Peter's right, beside the path wheat and darnel grow. In the
parable Jesus tells, he considers whether it is better to remove the darnel
before the harvest or not. In the parable it is decided to leave things the way
they are until the harvest, or the end of time or in other words the Last
Judgement. There is darnel in Peter's life, as in our lives, but the patience
of the Lord is evident. Peter will eventually overcome his 'darnel' and give
his life to the Lord. Will this be our future also?
The next pair of murals show the
cross as red surrounded by water. When Christ died on the cross the soldiers
pierced his side with a lance. The lance pierced the protective membrane of his
human heart and as a result blood and water flowed out from his side. The blood
and water is the sign of the sacrament; we are saved by the blood of the lamb
and washed clean in the waters of Baptism. The Red Cross floats in a
In the
waters of Baptism, fish already appear as the early Church reflects on the
meaning of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ. The Greek letters Alpha and
Omega, meaning the beginning and the end, appear as they do on the Paschal
Candle reminding us of the prayer when the candle is blest at the Easter Fire
as the five wounds are placed in the Paschal Candle… “All time belongs to Him”.
The mural depicting the boat on the
water.
The cloud is an often used symbol in Scripture. At the
beginning of the Gospel when Jesus was baptised a cloud covered the scene as
the Lord emerged from the waters of the
The boat is the 'Bark of Peter' that is not far from the
shore after 'putting into the deep' and throwing the nets out, even though
Peter protested to the Lord that 'we have fished all night and caught nothing'.
In the end Peter, as we all must, listens to the Lord. The mast of the boat
forms a cross. The abundance of fish in the net reminds us that we are 'fishers
of men' (people) and so, we the Church, are called and commissioned by Christ
to evangelise and to bring people to the waters of Baptism.
THE 40 DAYS FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN (22-SEPT-31-OCT) NEEDS YOU TO GET
INVOLVED!
How can you be meaningfully involved in saving
pre-term babies, their mothers and fathers from the trauma of abortion at the
same time as praying for pro-choice politicians and abortionists to change
‘their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh’? 40 Days for Life is your opportunity to help change the culture of
death to a culture of life. Visit www.40daysforlife.com/melbourne or call
Fons on (03) 5194 2340; fonsforlife@skymesh.com.au or Trudy, tarashi@bigpond.com.au.
MARCH FOR
THE BABIES, SATURDAY, 9TH OCTOBER
Held
each year to commemorate the removal of all legal protection for children
before birth by the Parliament of Victoria in this State in 2008.
The day has been declared "Pink & Blue Ribbon Day". Assembly is
in the
ADULTS WISHING TO
BECOME CATHOLIC
For adults wishing to
become Catholic at
ALL LECTORS AND MINISTERS OF
COMMUNION
Just a
reminder, that it is important that you sign next to your name on the sign-in
sheet situated on the top of the cupboard near the first door into the church.
This is to help Father and the sacristans know that all rostered ministers are
present and they will not have to ask for a volunteer at the last minute who will not be prepared.
It is also important that all Ministers of the Eucharist process in with
Father and while waiting for mass to start, welcome in the hall, people coming
to gather for the celebration of the mass. Thank you for your cooperation in
this matter.
The Liturgy Team
MINISTERS
OF COMMUNION
To avoid congestion please step up onto the sanctuary
straight after the main celebrant has
consumed the consecrated Host. Presently, ministers stand by the side
of the lectern. Please move a few steps
forward so the first minister is in line with the vase of flowers on the altar
and the last minister has his/her back to the lectern. When distributing
Communion to the congregation from the side pews, please stand on the angled
section of the sanctuary to avoid further congestion and confusion. Thank you
for your cooperation in helping us to create a smooth flowing and spiritual
Liturgy.
PARISH
NOTICEBOARDS
All flyers, posters and information
to be displayed on the parish noticeboards are to be brought to the parish
office. The information will be displayed on the noticeboards space and
relevance permitting. We thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER CAMP 2010.
After a successful camp last year
filled with laughter, fun and relaxation, the Don Bosco
Mother and Daughter Camp is on again from Sat
18th-Mon 20th September 2010 . The camp is open to all daughters aged 10-16 and all
mothers/grandmothers/step mums/aunties etc (of any age!). For more information
or to download a form please go to www.donboscocamp.org
or contact Emily on 5987-2692.
THE 40 DAYS FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN (22 SEPT-31 OCT) NEEDS YOU TO GET
INVOLVED!
How can you be meaningfully involved in saving
pre-term babies, their mothers and fathers from the trauma of abortion at the
same time as praying for pro-choice politicians and abortionists to change
‘their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh’? 40 Days for Life is your opportunity to help change the culture of
death to a culture of life. Visit www.40daysforlife.com/melbourne or call
Fons on (03) 5194 2340; fonsforlife@skymesh.com.au or Trudy, tarashi@bigpond.com.au.
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND
When
was the last time you had a great weekend just for the two of you? Forget life’s
tensions and interruptions and rekindle the closeness, intimacy, love and
romance that brought you together in the first place. It is based around
Catholic values, but you don’t need to be Catholic to attend. The next weekend
will be held on 15-17 October. Further information and bookings from
Peter & Erika Smith (03) 9899 0824, email vicbookings@wwme.org.au,
website www.wwme.org.au.
THE DOMINICAN SISTERS OF SAINT
CECILIA VISIT
The Dominican Sisters will lead Youth Holy Hour at the Cathedral
on Thursday 23rd September and will hold a vocational discernment evening at St
Dominic's,
MARCH FOR
THE BABIES
Saturday 9th
October 2010 starting at 2:00pm at
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CATHOLIC?
Growing in Faith
LOGOS/BIBLE –
Winter Break.
All
bulletin entries are to be in by 12:00pm on Thursday, or they will be put in
the following week.
'WITNESS'
(YOUNG ADULTS GROUP)
COMMUNITY CENTRE
Quite often on a Friday and Monday
morning the parish office is informed that the Community Centre is left in a
mess. Some of the issues are that bins
are not being emptied and the floor is left rather dirty. Parish Groups using the Community Centre are
requested to make sure that the centre is to be left clean and tidy after
use. Please see that any spills on the
floor are mopped and all the dust bins are cleared of rubbish before you
leave. Thank you.
CAN YOU HELP? More people are needed to take Holy Communion
to the Sick or Elderly. You would be rostered approximately once a month. For
more information ring Bev on 9749 2388.
CHURCH CLEANING
If you
have 1½ to 2 hours free approx. once a month on a Saturday morning, we are
looking for volunteers to go on our church cleaning roster. If you can help, please contact the parish
office on 9749 4300.
Marie Harris from the Shared Table
Project thanks all parishioners for their financial assistance to this worthy
cause. If possible, cheques are preferred as the project is billed for credit
cards. Cheques are to be made out to the
‘Shared Table Project’.
THOMAS
CARR COLLEGE TOURS will be
conducted on the last Wednesday of each month commencing at 2:30pm. Tours are
by appointment only. For bookings call the Registrar on 8734 2409 or 8734 2444.
ARE YOU READY
TO LIVE A LIFE LESS ORDINARY?
Becoming a De La Salle
Brother opens up a life of incredible adventure, exciting challenges and
purpose. Maybe
it's right for you. To find out more, visit www.delasallebrothers.com.
EXPERIENCE
THE EXTRAORDINARY AND MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE
Ready to put your faith into action? Young men (20–35 years) are invited to volunteer with the De La Salle
Brothers to assist them in their work with the poor and marginalised
in
BUYING OR SELLING PROPERTY
Penelope Henain of Stockdale & Leggo has advised by
letter that if any of our parishioners buy or sell property through Stockdale
& Leggo within