DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR FEBRUARY
PRAYER FOR PEACE
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury … pardon
Where there is doubt … faith
Where there is despair … hope
Where there is darkness …light
Where there is sadness … joy
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than be comforted
To understand rather than to be understood
To love than to be loved
For it is by giving that one receives
By forgiving that one is forgiven
And by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen
Entrance Antiphon
O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us, for he is the Lord our God.
1st Reading (Job 7:1-4, 6-7)
A reading from the prophet Job.
Job began to speak: Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service, his time no better than hired drudgery? Like the slave, sighing for the shade, or the workman with no thought but his wages, months of delusion I have assigned to me, nothing for my own but nights of grief. Lying in bed I wonder, ‘When will it be day?’ Risen I think, ‘How slowly evening comes!’ Restlessly I fret till twilight falls. Swifter than a weaver’s shuttle my days have passed, and vanished, leaving no hope behind. Remember that my life is but a breath, and that my eyes will never again see joy.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.
2nd Reading (1 Cor 9 :16-19, 22-23)
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.
I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which has been put into my hands. Do you know what my reward is? It is this: in my preaching, to be able to offer the Good News free, and not insist on the rights which the gospel gives me. So though I am not a slave of any man I have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. For the weak I made myself weak. I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessing.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia. He bore our sickness, and endured our suffering. Alleluia!
Gospel (Mk 1:29-39)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Mark.
On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was. In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Communion Antiphon
Let them thank the Lord for his mercy, his wonders for the children of men, for he satisfies the thirsty soul, and the hungry he fills with good things.
Next Week’s Readings
Lev 13:1-2,44-46; 1 Cor 10:31-11:1; Mk 1:40-45
Feasts of the Week
Mon, 5 Feb -St. Agatha
Tue, 6 Feb - St. Paul Miki & companions
Sat, 10 Feb - St. Scholastica
PARISH NEWS
WEEKLY PARISH DATES
| SUNDAY 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. 6:00pm in Theatrette – Young Adults (SPYA) meet 1st and 3rd Sundays. |
| 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. 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. |
WELCOME TO OUR NEWLY BAPTISED
We welcome into our Church community Dawson Linning, Ariana Cardillo & Evie Cardillo who are to be baptised this Sunday. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the love of Parents, Godparents, family and friends, we pray that these children will lead lives full of happiness, faith and love.
The next BAPTISM PREPARATION Meeting will be held on Monday, 5th February at 7:00pm in Church.
SENIORS SHARED LUNCH – WEDNESDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2024
We welcome seniors over 65 to a monthly shared lunch, cuppa and chat on the first Wednesday of each month. Our next shared lunch will be on Wednesday 7th February, from 11:30am to 1:30pm in the Community Centre. Please bring a plate of food to share. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate provided. Contact Margaret Craigie on 0456 914 652 for further details.
PARKING DURING SCHOOL HOURS
Dear Parishioners, when you come to church, please do not park in the drop off and pick up lanes during school hours. Thank you.
ASH WEDNESDAY – 14TH FEBRUARY 2024
Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, which is a penitential season of prayer, self-denial and helping others. It is also an obligatory day of fast and abstinence. Masses, including the distribution of Ashes, will be as follows: 7:00am, 8:30am, 10:00am (School Mass) and 7:00pm.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS DURING LENT
Stations of the Cross will be held every Friday at 7:00pm followed by Mass. This will commence Friday 16th February.
SUNDAY SCHOOL SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN ATTENDING NON-CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Dear Parents, please note the enrolment procedure for the Sunday school Sacramental Program has changed.
There will be an Enrolment / Information session on Thursday 22nd February at 7:30pm in Church.
Attendance is mandatory if you want to register your child for the Sacramental program.
Please bring your child’s Baptism Certificate with you.
Payment to be made on the day. Fees are mentioned below.
Sunday School – $50 per family
Sacramental fee – $50 per child.
Reconciliation – No Fee.
Enquiries, please email Sharon: snaps0910@gmail.com
READERS AND EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS - AVAILABILITY FORMS
As the next Roster from March to May 2024 will include the Easter Ceremonies, please complete the Availability Forms which have been emailed (copies are also available in the Hall) and return them to the Parish Office NO LATER THAN SUNDAY 11TH FEBRUARY 2024. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
ARCHBISHOP COMENSOLI ON HOW TO ENTER INTO THE YEAR OF PRAYERTo prepare for the 2025 Jubilee Year, Pope Francis has called for a Year of Prayer, a time of ‘rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, prayer in the world’. The jubilee year begins on 24 December 2024 and extends until 6 January 2026. Archbishop Comensoli, who was recently in Rome, has recorded a special message for the local church of Melbourne in which he suggests three simple prayers to help us enter into this time of preparation, which can be found at https://melbournecatholic.org/news/three-ways-to-enter-into-the-year-of-prayer-archbishop-comensoli
THREE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE THE WORD OF GOD ANEW IN 2024
Every celebration of Word of God Sunday (observed in Australia on the first Sunday of February) is an opportunity to reflect on what room we make in our lives for the Bible. To take a look at three ways to enrich our experience of the Word of God in 2024 click on the link below.
https://melbournecatholic.org/news/three-ways-to-experience-the-word-of-god-anew-in-2024
'ASHES TO EASTER’: LENTEN CONCERT-REFLECTION with Peter Kearney. Wednesday 28th February, 7:30pm. At St. James the Apostle Church, 336 Derrimut Road, Hoppers Crossing North. Free admission. A beautiful Lenten reflection … prayerful and spiritual ... a worthwhile part of our Lenten journey.
Our fourth grader celebrated his birthday on crutches, so he couldn’t carry the cupcakes into school without help. I asked our sixth-grader, Noah, to help his brother carry them in. “I could,” he said, “but I’d prefer not to.” Spotting a teaching moment, my husband asked Noah, “What would Jesus do?” Noah answered, “Jesus would heal him so he could carry his own cupcakes.”
RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Phyllis Quinless, Claude Lopez, Amparo Battad, Cecilia Lim, Tony Kozhaya, Yvonne Dragwidge, Aileen Andrade, Archelle Attard, Paul Rakavalis, Guido Benevento, Enid Gibb, Unti Capistrano, Norma Hales, Lindsay Coates, Stefano Merli, Nohad Hindy, Arnel Cura, Ramon Dayao, Angelo Rodricks and all who have died in disasters all over the world.
DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Trevor D’Souza, Brian Smith, Neneng Austria, Murial Rodrigo, Veera Bayer, Baby Emma Winkler, Guillermo Mozo, Gloria & Felix Cardente, Gieno Perone, Purificacion Umali, Reynaldo Natividad, Celine Baby 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, Atima Chakraborty, Adrian McGill, Michael Mariadas, Edna Sanchez, Elizabeth de Guzman, Elinor Hillock, Kimberly Baraza, Noemi Monge, Carmen Chiparra, Carmen De Cruz, Monica Jawn Lu, Teresita Grisancich, Alberta Parrocho, Michelle Clayburn, Cara, Richi Cadampog, Lolita Delos Santos, Meanne Leonardo & Kelvin Mateo, Anthony Desilva, Rolando Baldelomar, Mark Duggan and all who are ill in our Parish.
ROSTERS
Money Counters – 11 Feb 24
| John Allen / Jules & Neeta Pereira |
Roster for Readers – 10/11 Feb 24
| 6:00pm | Davy Fernandes |
| 8:30am | Catherine Graham |
| 10:30am | Savita D’Souza |
| 5:00pm | Jerilee Cardoz |
Roster for Extraordinary Ministers of Communion - 10/11 Feb 24
| 6:00pm | M. Maple / S. Martis / H. Durski / J. Tramontana |
| 8:30am | M. Nelthropp / S. Vaz / S. Joseph / P. Simonides |
| 10:30am | F. Caruana / S. Colla / M&C Peters |
| 5:00pm | C. Skinner / E. Angeles / A. Koek / Volunteer |
Music Ministry – 10/11 Feb 24
| 6:00pm | Footsteps |
| 8:30am | St. Philomena |
| 10:30am | Youth Band |
| 5:00pm | Shepherds of Christ |