DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR JANUARY
New Year Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Risen Christ, be with us today and always.
Be our Light, our Guide, and our Comforter.
Be our Strength, Courage, and our Sanctifier.
May this New Year be a time of deep spiritual growth for us,
A time of welcoming your graces and gifts,
A time for forgiving freely and unconditionally,
A time for growing in virtue and goodness.
Come Holy Spirit, be with us always.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Entrance Antiphon
All the earth shall bow down before you, O God, and shall sing to you, shall sing to your name, O Most High.
1st Reading (1 Sam 3:3-10, 19)
A reading from the first book of Samuel.
Samuel was lying in the sanctuary of the Lord where the ark of God was when the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’ Then he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, since you called me.’ Eli said, ‘I did not call. Go back and lie down.’ So he went and lay down. Once again the Lord called. ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, since you called me.’ He replied, ‘I did not call you, my son; go back and lie down.’ Samuel had as yet no knowledge of the Lord and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. Once again the Lord called, the third time. He got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, since you called me.’ Eli then understood that it was the Lord who was calling the boy, and he said to Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if someone calls say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord then came and stood by, calling as he had done before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Samuel answered, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’ Samuel grew up and the Lord was with him and let no word of his fall to the ground.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.
2nd Reading (1 Cor 6:13-15,17-20)
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
The body is not meant for fornication; it is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. God who raised the Lord from the dead, will by his power raise us up too. You know, surely, that your bodies are members making up the body of Christ; anyone who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Keep away from fornication. All the other sins are committed outside the body; but to fornicate is to sin against your own body. Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you since you received him from God. You are not your own property; you have been bought and paid for. That is why you should use your body for the glory of God.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia. We have found the Messiah: Jesus Christ, who brings us truth and grace. Alleluia!
Gospel (Jn 1:35-42)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John.
As John stood with two of his disciples, Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God.’ Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi’ – which means Teacher – ‘where do you live?’ ‘Come and see’ he replied; so they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It was about the tenth hour. One of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Communion Antiphon
You have prepared a table before me, and how precious is the chalice that quenches my thirst.
Next Week’s Readings
Jon 3:1-5, 10; 1 Cor 7:29-31; Mk 1:14-20
Feasts of the Week
Wed, 17 Jan - St. Anthony, Abbot
PARISH NEWS
WEEKLY PARISH DATES
| SUNDAY 9:15am to 10:25am – Sunday School for children attending non-Catholic Schools - Resumes February 2024. 10:30am Mass – Children’s Liturgy held 1st and 3rd Sundays - Resumes February 2024. After 5:00pm Mass in Theatrette – Youth Group for youth 12 to 17 years on 2nd and 4th Sundays - Resumes February 2024. 6:00pm in Theatrette – Young Adults (SPYA) meet 1st and 3rd Sundays - Resumes February 2024. |
| MONDAY 7:00pm to 8:15pm – Bible Study on Zoom. Meeting ID: 826 5359 2389 Passcode: Bible. Contact Clive 0490814452 or Francis 0401787372. Resumes 12 Feb 2024. |
| TUESDAY 7:00pm - Online Zoom Rosary - Meeting ID: 893 5477 8556. Passcode: rosary7:00pm - Resumes February 2024. 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 10th February 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 5th February 2024 at 7:00pm in Church. |
DIVINE AUSTRALIA HALF DAY RETREAT – SATURDAY 20TH JANUARY
“So then faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God” - Rom 10:17
Come and join us for a half day retreat on Saturday 20th January, 12:30pm to 4:30pm. The retreat will be led by Rev. Dr. Antony Parankimalil VC.
AUSTRALIA DAY FRIDAY 26TH JANUARY
Australia Day Service and singing of National Anthem at 8:30am Mass
FEAST OF STO NINO (INFANT JESUS)
All are invited to join in the celebration of the Feast of Sto Nino on Sunday 28th January 2024 from 11.30am at our parish. Procession starts at 11.45am to be followed by Mass at 12 noon.
FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD (also know as CANDLEMAS), FRIDAY 2nd FEBRUARY, 8:30AM & 7:00PM MASSES
A special 'Blessing of Candles' will be given at the 8:30am and 7:00pm Masses. Everyone is invited to bring their own candles and place them on the table near the Sanctuary before the start of Mass. These blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who referred to Himself as the Light of the World.
ORDER OF MALTA LOURDES DAY MASS - SATURDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2024
For some years now, the Order of Malta has organised an annual Lourdes Day Mass to provide an opportunity to pray for the sick and infirm particularly for those who would not otherwise have the possibility of visiting Lourdes. The Mass will take place again on Saturday, 10th February at 10.30am at St Patrick’s Cathedral, with Archbishop Peter A Comensoli as the principal celebrant. For further information, please contact: Sauro Antonelli AM on 0411 250 288.
POPE FRANCIS PRAYER INTENTION FOR JANUARY 2024
For the gift of diversity in the Church Let us pray that the Holy Spirit help us recognize the gift of different charisms within the Christian community, and to discover the richness of different ritual traditions in the heart of the Catholic Church.
SACRED SHRINES TO VISIT IN MELBOURNE DURING THE HOLIDAYS
The holidays are a great time to slow down and refresh ourselves. There are a number of sacred shrines around Melbourne that can help us do just this. In case you missed it, during World Youth Day 2023 the Archdiocese of Melbourne office suggested a number of local sites you might want to visit as a ‘stay-at-home’ pilgrim. If you didn’t get to them then, why not add them to your list of ‘places to visit in 2024’ (or better still, during the holidays!)?
Shrines to visit are as follows:
- Our Lady of Ta’Pinu Shrine, Bacchus Marsh
- National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Middle Park
- National Shrine of St Therese of Lisieux, Kew
- Shrine of St Anthony, Hawthorn,
- St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne 🙏
For more details refer to:
https://melbournecatholic.org/news/shrines-to-visit-in-melbourne-for-stay-at-home-pilgrims-this-wyd
WHAT HAPPENED AT MELBOURNE’S 1973 EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS?
Last year marked 50 years since Melbourne hosted one of the world’s biggest ever Catholic events, attracting global media attention and respected international figures (some of whom are now saints!).
It was the summer of 1973 when our city hosted the 40th International Eucharistic Congress. Who was there? What happened? And why was it significant? In case you missed it, here is a look at some highlights of this historic Congress.
Read the full story at:
https://melbournecatholic.org/news/what-happened-at-melbournes-eucharistic-congress
RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Norma Hales, Lindsay Coates, Stefano Merli, Nohad Hindy, Arnel Cura, Ramon Dayao, Angelo Rodricks, P Davies, Anthony Tabut, Eduarda Pagaran, P M Philipose, Manuel Becerra, Maria Callelero, Hazel D’Costa, Olga Mendis, Lina Feliciano, Benny Bautista, Msgr Gerard Diamond PE, Najla Chamie, Angel Toncic and all who have died in disasters all over the world.
DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Lena Surrao, Stan Walkden, Angela Walkden, Pedro Lopez, Robert Lopez, Cecilia Tacata, Elvira De Torres, Mark Serrao, Dolores Pineda, Jeanne Duhau, Albert De Sousa, Beatriz Salting, William D’Sa, Carmelo Ravaneschi, Diane Cameron, Joey Teuma, Sam Borg, Gavina Angeles, Pedro Angeles, Omar Sulong, John Alexander and all whose anniversaries occur at this time.
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray for Violet Lawrence, Jeffrey Dalton, Sean Donaldson, Dale D’Souza, Mavis D’Cruz, Atima Chakraborty, Adrian McGill, Michael Mariadas, Edna Sanchez, Elizabeth de Guzman, Elinor Hillock, Manish Pal, Kimberly Baraza, Noemi Monge, Carmen Chiparra, Carmen De Cruz, Monica Jawn Lu and all who are ill in our Parish.
ROSTERS
Money Counters – 21 Jan 24
| Bill Coghlan / Paul Mulquiney / George Socrates |
Roster for Readers – 20/21 Jan 24
| 6:00pm | Jeslin Shaji |
| 8:30am | Francis Thomas |
| 10:30am | Sunil Vaz |
| 5:00pm | Youth Mass |
Roster for Extraordinary Ministers of Communion - 20/21 Jan 24
| 6:00pm | S. Fernando / J. Tramontana / K. Pham / G. Linning |
| 8:30am | R. Albuquerque / R. Hibbert / M. Nelthropp / Vol |
| 10:30am | S. Delos Reyes / L. Ortega / E. Mills / Volunteer |
| 5:00pm | Youth Mass |
Music Ministry – 20/21 Jan 24
| 6:00pm | Mater Dolorosa |
| 8:30am | St. Philomena |
| 10:30am | FilOz |
| 5:00pm | Youth Mass |