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
Men of Galilee, why gaze in wonder at the heavens? This Jesus whom you saw ascending into heaven will return as you saw him go, alleluia.
1st Reading (Acts 1:1-11)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ Now having met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.’ As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.’
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
2nd Reading (Eph 1:17-23)
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Go and teach all people my gospel. I am with you always, until the end of the world. Alleluia!
Gospel (Mt 28:16-20)
The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Communion Antiphon
Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age, alleluia.
Next Week's Readings
Acts 2: 1-11; 1Cor 12:3-7,12-13; Jn 20:19-23
Feasts of the Week
Our Lady, Help of Christians - Monday, 25 May
St. Philip Neri - Tuesday, 26 May
PARISH NEWS
The Ascension of Our Lord, Jesus
(Reflection by Dcn. Charles English)
Today, throughout the whole world, the Holy Catholic Church celebrates the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus to Heaven, which took place forty days after His Resurrection from the dead. It is with great joy that we remember the day that Christ completed His earthly mission, and returned to God the Father. There in Heaven, Jesus reigns in majesty and to be the judge of the living and the dead. So the story of Jesus did not end with the empty tomb, or with Jesus’s appearances to the Apostles over the course of forty days. Jesus is the great High Priest and He ascends to the Heavenly Jerusalem, there to be in the Holy of Holies. Jesus, our Priest-King, takes His place at the head of the people, ruling over the nations, establishing peace. Our Lord Jesus told His Apostles, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for what the Father has promised. You will be baptised with the Holy Spirit’.
The Ascension of Our Lord also directs the Church’s attention forward to Pentecost. We, the present day disciples of Jesus, are also commanded to, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations. Baptise them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always, yes even to the end of time’. These are very comforting words spoken by Jesus to the Apostles and to us too.
One of the many titles given to the Holy Spirit is ‘the Comforter’ and ‘the Consoler’. We certainly need to hear comforting words at this difficult time of anxiety and uncertainty. We are all united to Christ and we are all united to each other, in the great mystery of Salvation in Jesus Christ. We have ‘put on Christ’, by the very fact of our Baptism. So it us up to us Catholics to listen to Jesus’s command to His Apostles and to take that command to heart; to take that command for ourselves, as we try to go out and preach the Good News of Our Lord Jesus, to everyone. The best way to preach the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus, is to live it out in our daily lives. The best way to preach the Gospel is by our good example. Jesus is speaking to us too, just as he spoke to His Apostles on that mountain top, over 2,000 years ago. We are the present day disciples of Jesus.
Let us also remember those wonderful comforting words of Our Lord, from last Sunday’s Gospel, ‘I will not leave you orphans, I will come back to you…’.
Let us summon up our faith and our courage and proclaim, together with the Psalmist, ‘I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth’.
Amen.
!! PRAISE THE LORD !!
RESTRICTED OPENING OF CHURCH
Following new Guidelines approved by the Archdiocese our Parish is operating 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,
Sunday 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 the parish office at stpeters@westnet.com.au 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 in Church. This is to avoid germ transmission.
- On entry into the church, please walk down the centre aisle to allocated seating. Do not walk through pews or from the side aisles.
- 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 are provided at the entrance for anyone wishing to place their donations/thanksgiving envelope/prayer requests.
- Project Compassion boxes can also be placed on the table at the entrance, beside the holy water font .
- Holy Water Bottles can be collected, (1 per family) after Mass.
- 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 are being undertaken.
LIVE STREAMING OF MASS AT 10:30AM THIS SUNDAY, 24TH MAY
Due to the limited number of people allowed to attend Mass, thanks to a member of our Young Adults Group, the 10:30am Mass will be live streamed from our church this Sunday through our Facebook Page link
https://m.facebook.com/stpetershoppers/
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 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 donation. Please add your Thanksgiving Envelope number if you have one. You also have the option to choose which collection you would like the offering to go to, i.e. first collection (Parish) or 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
Saturdays at 3:00pm – Divine Mercy & Praise & Worship
Sundays at 7:00pm – Rosary & Praise & Worship
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.
To join Meeting use below link & Meeting ID 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 25th May we focus on Gospel of John, Ch. 4. 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/
NEW APPOINTMENT
Archbishop Peter Comensoli has appointed Mr. Jim Miles as the new Executive Director of Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) with effect from 18 May 2020. We wish Jim all God’s blessings in his new appointment.
RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Desmond Fitzgerald, Stuart Bowman, Paul Loizou, Baby Amelia Victoria Lay, Aurora Pascual, Harriet Calvert, Leopoldo Pura Jnr and all who have passed away recently.
DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Margaret Smith, Frank Catania, Edgardo Salvador, Concetta Squillace, Giovanna Simioni, Lily Pinto, Poly Pynadath, Francis Adrian 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, Bryan Dalton, Pat Borcich, Rodney Rosario, Antony and all who are ill in our Parish.