French's Forest Catholic Parish eNEWS

My Dear Parishioners, On the Fifth Sunday of Easter, we are too familiar with the gospel reading. Christ is the vine and we are the branches, sometimes in need of a good pruning. But God’s purpose is not to produce a perfect vineyard. It is to produce a full-bodied wine at the end of history. There is a foretaste of this at every Mass. The wine we offer – ‘fruit of the earth and work of human hands’ – becomes the spiritual drink which best serves the purpose of our Heavenly Father. We could take a moment to pray that we respond to the pruning and the tending and the pressing by our Heavenly Father so as to contribute our distinctive character to the vintage at the end of history, the spiritual drink of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are celebrating the feast day of Our Lady of Good Counsel on this Sunday 28 April at 10am Mass at OLGC. It is a special day for all of us whenever we celebrate one of our churches feast day. Our Lady of Good Counsel is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a

Prayer to Our Lady Of Good Counsel Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel: filled with the Holy Spirit, you were a faithful disciple of Jesus, your Son. Intercede with your Son for us that we may be faithful to our baptism, fervent in prayer, and generous in the service we give to our sisters and brothers. May the spirit of the living God, who graced you with the gift of counsel, lead us in the way of truth and love. With the help of your prayers, may we come to rejoice forever with you and the great company of saints in the kingdom of heaven.

I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Margaret Wood to the position of Parish Administrative Assistant ( PAA ) and she will commence her position on 1 May 2024. She will provide administration support to the Parish. With this appointment we will resume opening our parish office Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm starting from Monday 6 May. Margaret is a member of our parish and she was voluntarily supporting in many ways in the parish office for the past several months. I congratulate Margaret for accepting this position. Please join me in welcoming Margaret and wishing her all the best. Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH

Deposit and forms must be returned by Monday 5th May. If you have not as yet register for the India Tour 2024, there are a few spots still available. see details below. Fr. Joseph & Fr. Shiju and team will lead a 14 days Tour to India in November 2024, visiting Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Kerala. Dates: Departing  4th November 2024 (14 days/13 nights)   Package inclusions: Domestic Airline tickets (Jaipur – Cochin) with 15 + 7 kg baggage. Accommodation in 4 and 5 star category Hotels / Resorts. All Meals. All transfers and sightseeing using air-conditioned Luxury Coach (Volvo) English speaking accompanying guide as per the itinerary. Elephant Safari at Thekkady Ayurveda Massage at Thekkady Spice Plantation Tour at Thekkady Service of Intersight Tour Manager Visit OSH Monastry, Kerala Boating on Kerala's famous labyrinthine backwaters.    All taxes. Costs: Tour Package $2900pp Twin Share.             Per person  $3900 single room     (Visa, Air ticket and Travel Insurance not incl

You are warmly welcome to R.e.s.t. 1st Tuesday of each month. Anytime between 10am-12pm  at St Martin’s Church. May 7th, June 4th, July 2nd, Aug 6th, Sept 3rd, Oct 1st, Nov 5th Contemplative music, Reflections and Meditations

Pause & Reflect gatherings resume in the parish in May. They offer you a little downtime to gently deepen your spirituality in a comfortable and confidential setting where listening, open sharing and quiet reflection can take place. All are warmly invited to attend. Please note following dates and themes we will be reflecting upon...... Journeying with Christ St Martin’s - Tuesday mornings May 14, 21 & 28 …..10am – 12pm. Year of Prayer St Martin’s - Tuesday mornings June 11,18 & 25 …..10am – 12pm.

As we begin the new weekend Mass Schedules at FFCP from 1 June 2024, I request all our present Readers and Acolytes and if anyone is happy and willing to serve at Masses as Acolytes or like to do the Readings in any of the Masses please kindly contact to the Parish Office on parishoffice@ffcp.org.au to prepare the new Roster.  Training will be given to the new people.  We need you and you are the Parish. Fr. Satheesh.

Our Lady of Good Counsel feast day will be celebrated  on Sunday 28 April at 10am Mass at OLGC.

Dear Parishioners, As you are aware we have been waiting on to get the approval of the Bishop about the changes to our Parish weekend Masses. This is to let you know that I have received the approval of the following changes: · The cancellation of the 6.00pm Sunday Mass at St Martin de Porres. · The cancellation of the 5.30pm Vigil Mass at St Anthony in the Fields. · The establishment of a 5.00pm Vigil Mass at St Martin de Porres. · The establishment of a 6.00pm Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Good Council. Hence, the change of weekend Masses will begin from the weekend of 1st & 2nd of June, 2024. Please note, From the weekend of 1st /2nd June the new official Parish Mass Weekend Times will be St Anthony in the Field · 9:00am Sunday Mass St Martin de Porres Davidson · 5:00pm Saturday Vigil Mass 8:30am Sunday Mass OLGC Forestville 5:30pm Saturday Vigil Mass 10am Sunday Mass 6pm Sunday Mass I thank everyone for their support of this process. I acknowledge that the change will be difficult

Giving is an expression of our thankfulness and praise to God. It comes from a heart of worship that recognises everything we have and give already belongs to the Lord. Our ability to earn money is a gift from God. Returning a percentage of our treasure back to God is one way that we live our faith. Just like our family households, our parish community needs financial resources in order to operate, serve, and minister. God provides for these needs through you - you ARE the parish. We have installed two Tap N Go machines in each of our church community. Each one is labelled to let you know the purpose of the collection. The First collection is to support the priests and bishops of our Diocese. And the second collection goes towards the needs of the parish. Theses funds support our parish ministries, meet the administration costs including electricity, insurance, maintenance and development of the Parish buildings. Each machine has allocated to donate $10, $ 15 and $ 20. If anyone wishes

Are you ready to be the guiding light in our parish community? We're on the lookout for passionate individuals like you to step up and join our volunteer force! Our parish ministries are the heart and soul of our community, but we need more hands to make a bigger impact. Whether you're a seasoned volunteer or just starting out, there's a place for you here. From helping with Sunday celebrations, there are countless ways you can get involved and make a difference. No special skills required – just a willingness to lend a helping hand and a heart full of love. By volunteering with us, you'll not only be serving your community but also growing spiritually and forming meaningful connections with your fellow parishioners. Together, we can strengthen our bond as a community and spread the love of God far and wide. No matter your age or background, there's a place for you in our parish ministries. Together, let's make a positive impact and continue to spread God's

All are invited as we launch into the Community Engagement phase of the Project When:   4 May 2024 11am – 12pm Where: OLGC Catholic Primary School hall, 11 Currie Rd, Forestville NSW 2087 What:    An in-person gathering for all in the community to hear what the data is saying, learn of the guiding themes and questions for consultation, and hear of the methodology that will be used to guide community listening and dialogue conversations. You can access event flyer here . Please register your attendance here: https://forms.office.com/r/W28mjLvNKq

The Parish is in need of more Catechists to work in schools. All training and support provided. Please contact Caroline Fisher on 9451 5097 or catechists@ffcp.org .

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, In February 2023 I committed the Diocese to an innovative annual Diocesan Safeguarding Awareness Framework. This framework seeks to increase awareness of our own personal and collective ongoing responsibility as a Church community to be vigilant in safeguarding. This is a commitment marked by consistency and constancy. After consultation and discernment, I have decided that the theme for Safeguarding Awareness for 2024 is The Voice of the Vulnerable with a particular focus on Domestic Family Violence. Our approach to this theme is one of advocacy. Domestic Family Violence (DFV) often occurs behind the closed doors of the family home, a place which should be reflective of communion in God’s self-sacrificing love. Recent statistics show that 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 8 men, have experienced some form of violence since the age of 15. (see video on link below) The outcome is that relationships become disfigured to the detriment of the entir

Our yearly planner has been published on the website and printed for you take a copy.  Please note the dates in your diaries however please note that some changes may occur through the year.

We pray that the violence between Israel and Palestine will give way to sincere dialogue, leading to peaceful and enduring solutions. Amen Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi 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. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.