DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR APRIL
Divine Mercy Prayer
You expired, O Jesus,
But the source of life gushed forth for souls
And the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world
O Fount of Life,
Unfathomable Divine Mercy,
Envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus
As a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.
Amen.
Entrance Antiphon
Like newborn infants, you must long for the pure, spiritual milk, that in him you may grow to salvation, alleluia!
1st Reading (Acts 4:32-35)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common. The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all given great respect. None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
2nd Reading (1 Jn 5:1-6 )
A reading from the first letter of St. John.
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God; and whoever loves the Father that begot him loves the child whom he begets. We can be sure that we love God’s children if we love God himself and do what he has commanded us; this is what loving God is – keeping his commandments; and his commandments are not difficult, because anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world; this is the victory over the world – our faith. Who can overcome the world? Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God: Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood; with the Spirit as another witness – since the Spirit is the truth.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me; happy those who have not seen me, but still believe. Alleluia!
Gospel (Jn 20:19-31)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John.
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. ‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’ After saying this he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.’ Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him: ‘You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’ There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Communion Antiphon
Bring your hand and feel the place of the nails, and do not be unbelieving, but believing, alleluia.
Next Week’s Readings
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; 1 Jn 2:1-5; Lk 24:35-48
Feasts of the Week
Mon, Apr 8 - The Annunciation of the Lord
Thu, Apr 11 - St. Stanislaus
PARISH NEWS
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ends this Sunday, 7th April. Please remember to turn your clocks BACK 1 hour the night before.
WEEKLY PARISH DATES
| SUNDAY 10:30am Mass – Children’s Liturgy held 1st and 3rd Sundays - Resumes February 2024. After 5:00pm Mass in Hall – Youth Group for youth 12 to 17 years on 2nd and 4th Sundays. Resumes 11th February 2024. 6:00pm in Theatrette – Young Adults (SPYA) meeting. |
| MONDAY NO Bible Study Monday, 11th March. |
| TUESDAY 7:00pm - Online Zoom Rosary - Meeting ID: 893 5477 8556. Passcode: rosary7:00pm. 7:00pm - RCIA Meeting in Theatrette/zoom. Contact Francis Thomas 0401787372 or Dario Carreno 0438525148. |
| WEDNESDAY 7:00pm - Mass followed by Mother of Perpetual Succour Novena. |
| 1ST FRIDAY 7:00pm to 8:15pm Mass & Adoration |
| SATURDAY 2:30pm to 4:00pm - St. Peter’s Charismatic Prayer Community Praise & Worship in Church - Resumes February 2024. 1.30pm to 4:00pm - Healing Mass on 1st Saturday of the month. Next Healing Mass on Saturday 6th April 2024. |
| BAPTISM 12 noon – Baptisms held 1st & 3rd Sundays. Baptism Preparation Meeting held on 1st Monday of the month at 7:00pm. Next Baptism Preparation Meeting Mon 8th April 2024 at 7:00pm in Church. |
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY – 7TH APRIL, COMMENCING AT 2:00PM
To celebrate this beautiful Feast, there will be Exposition, Adoration and Confession and reciting the Chaplet commencing at 2:00pm followed by Mass at 3:00pm. We welcome and thank Fr. Cameron Forbes, Rector of Corpus Christi College who will be the Principal Celebrant, Fr. William Goldin, of Orange Diocese in California and Fr. Frank Buhagiar who will all concelebrate Mass along with Fr. Vincent and Fr. Simeon. Please note that the 5:00pm Sunday Mass will be celebrated as usual.
DIVINE MERCY INDULGENCE
Divine Mercy Sunday is an opportunity to receive plenary indulgence. The requirements are as follows:
Make the Sacrament of Confession, receive Holy Communion and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father Pope Francis.
FR. SIMEON ON ANNUAL LEAVE
Please note that Fr. Simeon will be away on annual leave from 9th to 15th April. We wish Fr. Simeon a well-deserved, safe and enjoyable holiday.
| DIVINE MERCY NOVENA |
| Saturday 6 April – 9:30am |
| DIVINE MERCY FEAST, SUNDAY 7 APRIL |
|
8:30am, 10:30am, 5:00pm – Normal Sunday
Masses 2:00pm – Exposition, Adoration, Confession/Chaplet 3:00pm – Mass, Celebrant: Fr Cameron Forbes, Rector Corpus Christi College |
THANK YOU
Fr. Vincent, Fr. Simeon and the Parish Pastoral Council would like to take this opportunity to thank the Liturgy Committee, Sacristans, Altar Servers, Choirs, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion, Ladies Auxiliary, Office Staff, Cleaners, Ushers and everyone who worked tirelessly at all the Holy Week services to ensure that everything went smoothly. May God bless you all.
WELCOME MINISTRY – CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God (Romans 15:7). As part of Taking the Way of the Gospel Mission work, we are looking at formalising a Welcome Ministry in our parish. Volunteers are needed at weekend masses to support with welcoming the community – parishioners and new visitors, seating arrangements, handing out weekly bulletins and most importantly greeting our parishioners with a smile! An information session will be held in May. We request all interested volunteers to please submit your name and contact details to the parish office by Sunday 28th April. For more details, please contact Sharon DSilva on 0430099654 or the parish office.
ANNUAL PARISH DINNER, FRIDAY 26TH JULY – SAVE THE DATE!
We are excited to let you know that our Annual Parish Dinner will be held on Friday, 26th July, 2024. This will be a ticketed event. More details to follow over the coming weeks!
SHALOM KIDS HOLY HOUR – FRIDAY 12 APRIL Family adoration led by young children every second Friday of the month from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm. “Come let us adore our Lord.” All are welcome.
BLESSING OF ALL PREGNANT MOTHERS AND THEIR UNBORN BABIES - WEEKEND OF 6/7 APRIL
To mark the Feast of the Annunciation, this year celebrated on Monday the 8th April due to Holy Week, there will be a special blessing for pregnant mothers and their unborn babies at all the Masses this weekend.
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER WEEKEND
Every relationship is a journey and the grind of everyday life can easily cause you to lose touch with your spouse. This weekend gives married couples time to nurture your relationship and some tools to keep passion alive in a gentle, supportive environment, away from pressures and distractions of daily living. The weekend is based around Catholic values and couples of all faiths are welcome. Date: April 12-14th, 2024 at St Paul's Retreat Centre in Wantirna. Leo & Helen will give a short presentation at the 6pm mass this weekend on how a Marriage Encounter weekend has enhanced their marriage. Information/Bookings email vicbookings@wwme.org.auWebsite: wwme.org.au or Phone Mercy & James 0409183676
SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Lorena Ford, our Safeguarding Officer will be conducting Safeguarding Training on Saturday, 20th April at 10:00am in the Community Centre. All Volunteers need to renew this requirement every 3 years. If you are unable to do the training online and would like to attend this one, please contact the parish office on 9749 4300.
THANK YOU to all Parishioners and visitors to our Parish for your generous donations over the Easter period.
ALPHA FOR YOUNG ADULTS AGED 18 TO 35!
Join us for our Alpha program starting Sunday 14th April 2024 at 6:00pm in the Community Centre. All young adults are welcome! Register at https://forms.gle/FqmMbUMJ2kGPLUgS6 or via QR code. Come and meet us after weekend masses on 6/7 April and join us for a Sausage Sizzle.
SCHOOL OF DISCIPLESHIP – 2024
The 2024 session of the Joint Parishes of St Peter’s & St James initiative - School of Discipleship will commence from Sunday 21 April at 6:15 pm at St Peter’s church hall, Hoppers Crossing. This is a faith outreach program aimed to teach members more about our Catholic faith with three purposes – to learn it, live it and share it. The school has been successfully running for the last 7 years in Hoppers Crossing and members have testified to growing both spiritually and personally. All are welcome to join. Enquiries to Anita D’Souza on 0411772320 or Bismi Palatty on 0401360144. Please register at https://bit.ly/3EFg96N.
RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Annamma Andrews, Alberta Parrocho, Cynthia Rozario, Spira Buhagiar, Eduardo Lalas, George Chempakamangalam, Ana Van, Emy Pereira, Cesar Alinea, Editha Cristobal, Ann Bui Chan, Antonia Evangelista Rullan, Eugenia Hari, Tom Vulic, Camilles Pathinather, Lauraine Roze, Denis Dupont, Sr Maryann McDonald, Crispina Malveda, Ramon Murillo, Lewis Pointu, Debbie Wilks, Roldan Asis, and all who have died in disasters all over the world.
DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Lorna Anderson, Edgar Bersabe, Elena dela Cruz, Antonio Grisancich, Sebastian & Judith D’Cruz, Isidonio & Afra Fernandes, Alex De Borja, Pedro Lopez, Diego Lopez, Angelo Piscopo, Lourdes Sequeira, Erlinda Capinig, Fred Dearing, Emmanuel (Leli) Dalli, Lolita Fernando, Malcolm Fernandez and all whose anniversaries occur at this time.
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray for Violet Lawrence, Jeffrey Dalton, Sean Donaldson, Dale D’Souza, Stephen Beaton, John O’Regan, Mavis D’Cruz, Edna Sanchez, Elizabeth de Guzman, Ernesto Sigismondi, Segundo Becerra, Sasha Noronha, Michelle Clayburn, Errol Davis, Lillian Pinnela, Corazon Madrazo, Yvonne Francis, Lucia Drijarraw, Thais Long, Tony Dass, Teresita Grisancich, Ferdinand Enrique, Rolando Baldelomar and all who are ill in our Parish.
ROSTERS
Money Counters – 14 Apr 24
| John Allen / Jules & Neeta Pereira |
Roster for Readers – 13/14 Apr 24
| 6:00pm | Sharon D’Silva |
| 8:30am | Sandra Graham |
| 10:30am | Lionel D’Cruz |
| 5:00pm | Romayne Albuquerque |
Extraordinary Ministers of Communion – 13/14 Apr 24
| 6:00pm | S. Joseph / Praful A. / G. Surrao / G. Linning |
| 8:30am | P. Fitzgerald / P. Simonides / C. D’Souza / VOL |
| 10:30am | S. Colla / F. Caruana / M&C Peters |
| 5:00pm | E. Angeles / C. Skinner / A. Koek / VOL |
Music Ministry – 13/14 Apr 24
| 6:00pm | Footsteps |
| 8:30am | St. Philomena |
| 10:30am | Youth Band |
| 5:00pm | KNK |