St Mary`s On Swanson

St Mary’s
On Swanson
(Our Lady of Perpetual Succour)
An inner-city Catholic community
Welcoming all to celebrate with us
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land, the
Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
Parish House
21 Swanson Street, Erskineville, 2043
Phone: 9516-3542 Fax: 9516-3536
Email: stmaryserko@bigpond.com
Web Site: www.misacor.org.au/mscparishes
Office Hours: Wed & Thurs 9:00am-2:00pm
First Sunday of Lent
Year B
22 February, 2015
REPENT, AND BELIEVE IN THE GOOD NEWS
We have begun a new journey towards Easter. To reach a
distant goal, we know from experience, we need more than
superficial enthusiasm or a vague desire to get there. We need
to make careful preparations and commit seriously to the
journey. Personal renewal is not something that can be
undertaken lightly – it is the fruit of sacrifices, constancy and
patience.
Jesus, in today’s gospel, was led by the Spirit into the desert
where he was tempted by Satan; he was with the wild beasts
and the angels looked after him. This brief picture that Mark
paints for us presents the great drama of salvation. Jesus’
mission led him to a confrontation with Satan, a struggle that
will continue through all the gospel. The Strong One (Satan)
will be bound and vanquished by the Stronger One (Christ).
Jesus’ presence pushes back the kingdom of evil and he
himself becomes a clear sign of the kingdom of God in our
midst.
With the arrival of Jesus, God enters into his creation to direct
it towards its radical renewal. The picture of Jesus with the
wild beasts tells us that the new creation is at hand, when all
creation – humans included – will be in perfect harmony.
Jesus is the new Adam, and with him human history opens
towards a new future. To enter this new creation we need to
hear Jesus: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has
come near; repent, and believe in the good news’.
MASS TIMES
Saturday: 6:00pm Sunday: 9:00am & 6:00pm
1st Tuesday: 10:30am Healing Mass (includes Sacrament of the Sick) 3rd Tuesday: 10:30am Healing Mass
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: 9:15am
Individual Reconciliation Sat 5:15pm—5:45pm Sun 8:15am—8:45am & 5:15pm—5:45pm
Baptisms & Weddings By Appointment
Lent
Gospel
1st Reading
2nd Reading
Kid’s Church
2nd Sunday (1/3/15)
Mark 9:2-10
Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18
Romans 8:31-34
22/02/15 help required
3rd Sunday (8/3/14)
John 2:13-25
Exodus 20:1-17
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
01/03/15 Family Mass
Parish Diary 2015
25 Feb
Finance Committee Meeting
6:30pm
3 Mar
Healing Mass
RCIA
10:30am
7pm
10 Mar
RCIA
11 Mar
Liturgy Committee Meeting
15 Mar
ACM Mass
17 Mar
Healing Mass
RCIA
30 Mar
Community Reconciliation
31 Mar
Working with Children
Deadline
7pm
5:30pm
11am
10:30am
7pm
7pm
Suggested penances
(taken from the Archdiocesan bulletin concerning penance)
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days when Catholics from
eighteen to fifty-nine years of age abstain from meat and fast
(limit food and drink).
Lent is a special time for penance, as are all other Fridays during
the year.
Any one of the following is considered a penance according to
the common practice of the Church:
- prayer, e.g. Mass attendance; family prayer; a visit to a
church or chapel; reading the Bible; making the Stations of
the Cross; praying the rosary.
- self-denial, e.g. not eating meat; not eating sweets or
dessert;
- giving up entertainment to spend time with the family;
limiting food and drink so as to give to the poor.
- helping others, e.g. special attention to someone who is
poor, sick, elderly, lonely or overburdened.
Rich in Mercy
Reflections for Lent Books
On Sale
$7 each
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HELP! WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS
COLLECTION TEAM DRIVER REQUIRED — Help
us to pick up bread from local bakeries Monday
evenings between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm and bring it
back to St Mary's — (Duration 45 minutes).
SUPPORT TEAM MEMBER REQUIRED — Help us to set up
equipment in St Mary's Church foyer, pack bread, then clean up
on Monday evenings between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm (Duration 60
minutes).
DELIVERY TEAM DRIVER REQUIRED — Help us to deliver
bread on Monday evenings, typically 3 or 4 local deliveries after
7:00 pm — (Duration 45 minutes).
You don't need any special skills or talents, as long as you are
enthusiastic, reliable and can work as part of a team.
Contact: Marcel De Maria 0448 812 211 www.giftofbread.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4th Sunday (15/3/15)
John 3:14-21
2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
Ephesians 2:4-10
08/03/15 Marianna Keogh
First Sunday
of
Lent
This week we meet Eric and Ma who are
thriving in their homeland of Fiji, thanks to a
training course that changed the direction of
their lives.
Twenty-five years ago, married couple Eric
and Ma worked hard, but their farm was
unprofitable. They had a very limited income and diet,
until they took a training course at the Tutu Rural
Training Centre (supported by Caritas Australia). Using
the skills they learnt there, the couple have built a
successful family life, and a thriving farm that provides
them with a healthy diet and sustainable source of
income.
Please donate to Project Compassion today and
help people in isolated areas of Fiji gain the skills
they need to grow food for life.
You can donate through Parish boxes and envelopes, by
visiting www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or phoning
1800 024 413.
School Open Days
OLSH College Kensington
36 Addison Street, Kensington
PARENT INFORMATION EVENING
9 March 7pm
OPEN DAY
10 March 10:30am-2:30pm
St Mary’s Cathedral College, Sydney
St Mary’s Road, Sydney
13 March
Yr 7 9:30am-12:30pm
Yr 3 Choir & Music Scholars 1:30pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don’t want any slaves working for me.
Sarah Puls SGS,
The Good Oil, February 17, 2015
I have the power to show, through the
choices I make, that everybody matters
– that I don’t want any slaves working
for me, says Good Samaritan Sister
Sarah Puls.
One of the most courageous people I’ve ever had
the pleasure to know is a woman named Mary (not her real
name), who was a victim of human trafficking. Mary and I
meet up regularly so that we can, together, negotiate the
challenges of her day-to-day life which she lives with
courage and determination, but also with depression and
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One day Mary
would like to tell her own story; I could never do it justice
anyway. But I’d like to tell you how Mary has become a
part of my story.
When Mary was brought to Australia she was held
captive, deprived of food and subjected to physical and
sexual violence by multiple men every day for almost two
years. Before I met Mary and heard something of her
experience, I could never have imagined that a human
being could subject another human being to such
inhumane, violent, horrific treatment. I certainly could never
have imagined how a person who’d been a victim of such
treatment could not be fundamentally broken.
And yet, what I see in Mary is a woman who is
fundamentally changed, but definitely not broken. I, too, am
fundamentally changed through knowing Mary’s story and
walking beside her in her pain. As I listened to her story I
had so many unanswerable questions: How could those
men do that to her? How is it possible for one human being
to use another person like they are a ‘thing’ to be abused
and discarded? What does it mean to live in a community
where there are people who can treat other people in this
way? And if this darkness exists in my community, what is
my responsibility for that?
Over the past year there has been growing
awareness in the community about human trafficking and
modern slavery. With the encouragement of Pope Francis
and our bishops, many people have been praying for the
safety and recovery of victims and for a change of heart for
the traffickers. Praying and working for change is terribly
important, but I wonder if there is another aspect to the
issue which I could be considering.
I can think of people like Mary’s abusers and
imagine the ‘bad guys’ are very different from me. I may
think of cocoa farms in Western Africa, cotton farms in
Uzbekistan or sweatshops in Bangladesh and think that the
problem of modern slavery is far away, beyond the reach
of my influence. But the disturbing reality is quite the
opposite. Regularly in my day-to-day life I bump up
against the edges of the world of trafficked people,
because here in Australia, we all do. The distressing truth
is that it is easy for me – and for all of us – to be complicit
in systems and processes which allow human trafficking to
be a growing problem in our world. Though not abusing
people directly, our choices every day connect us with the
systems and supply chains in which people are used as
objects, in which the life of a human person is worth very
little indeed.
Everyday purchases like clothing, food and
technology connect us with supply chains in which slavery
and labour exploitation are endemic. The choices I make
reflect my values, my commitment to human rights and my
ability to recognise every person as having equal dignity
and value. When confronted with issues as disturbing and
challenging to my understanding of humanity as human
trafficking, it can be very tempting to say with the Pharisee:
“God, I thank you that I am not like other people” (Luke
9:11). But the reality is that my indifference to the suffering
of others – my ‘sinfulness’ – is held at a distance, allowing
me to feel I am not responsible. It is so much easier to look
away and try not to think too much about the $3 t-shirt and
how it is possible for a product to be produced so cheaply.
I don’t want to think about the hands that held that t-shirt
before me, and the kind of life that worker had.
But that worker and I do have a connection. And in
the relationship between us I am not able to wash my
hands entirely of the way he/she is treated. I may not have
the power to change that person’s life, but I do have the
power to show, through the choices I make, that everybody
matters – that I don’t want any slaves working for me. If I
really believe that every person matters, then maybe this
Lent is a good time to make sure that my actions match
that truth.
The season of Lent calls me, and each one of us, to
turn away from the darkness in the world and in ourselves,
and recommit ourselves to be people of the light. For me,
an essential part of that is to be willing to look truthfully at
my own life and the times I show indifference to the
suffering of others, including those who I am connected to
through the supply chain of goods I buy and use.
These issues are complex, and finding reliable
information is not always easy. Our efforts to be aware and
to make a difference can feel small in comparison to the
magnitude of the problem. But we can’t be indifferent to the
humanity and dignity of people who suffer.
As a community and as individuals who have so
often been unaware, or chosen to ignore and avoid our
own connection to slavery, this Lent could be the
opportunity to be informed so that we can, in a very real
way, “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”.
Mary escaped from her slavery, but her suffering continues
every day. Her suffering is not just the physical and
psychological effects of being abused; it is also the deep
woundedness of someone who has been treated as though
their life was worth nothing at all.
As an ally on the painful road Mary is travelling, I find
myself often having to explain to her that I think differently – that I
think her life is important and that she matters. Through my words
and my actions I say to her that, unlike her abusers, I think she is
a person of value and dignity. I believe that about every life and
every person, but I know I could do more to ensure that is true,
not just in how I treat Mary or the person in front of me, but for all
people.
* Good Samaritan Sister Sarah Puls is the Coordinator of Good Samaritan Social Response – Refugees,
Asylum Seekers and Human Trafficking.
If you would like to find out more, or take action, you could:
learn about slavery in the supply chain of goods coming into
Australia;
sign the declaration with the Global Freedom Network: United
to end slavery;
learn about slavery-free Easter eggs.
Some other helpful resources:
Inform yourself about, and support, the work of Australian
Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH)
who work to ensure victims in Australia are supported and
also advocate on issues such as slavery-free supply chains;
An interactive guide to learn more about your slavery footprint;
Pope Francis’ Message for World Day of Peace,
2015;
Joint statement from the Australian Catholic Bishops
Conference and Australian Catholic Religious Against
Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH).
Fr. Barry Brundell msc................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Parish Priest
Debra Whaley (stmaryserko@bigpond.com)........................................................................................................................................................................................Parish Secretary
Jim O’Donnell (jim@od.net.au)..............................................................................................................................................................................Parish Pastoral Council Chairperson
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................Parish Finance & Maintenance Committee
Lorraine O’Donnell (Lorraine@od.net.au)...................................................................................................................St Vincent de Paul Society (Erskineville Conference) President
Marian Watson (maranto@optusnet.com.au)................................................................................................................................................................Liturgy Committee Chairperson
Pauline Nowlan (pauline_nowlan@yahoo.com.au)......................................................................................................................................................................Liturgies Co-Ordinator
Mary Pollinger (marypoll@optusnet.com.au)................................................................................................................................................................Children’s Liturgy Co-Ordinator
Marianna Keogh (stmaryserko@bigpond.com)...........................................................................................................................................................Sacramental Committee Contact
Marita McInerney (maritaclare@unwired.com.au).............................................................................................................................................Social Justice Committee Chairperson
Frank Wassef (info@stmerskineville.catholic.edu.au)..........................................................................................................................................................St Mary’s School Principal
KOSMAC House (smoosh2@aapt.net.au)......................................................................................................................................................St Mary’s After School & Vacation Care
Fr. Claude Mostowik msc (mscjust@smartchat.net.au)........................................................................................................................................................MSC Social Justice Office
Marika Gubacsi (marita.gubacsi@bigpond.com)...........................................................................................................................................Yarra Bay Eucharistic Prayer Community
LITURGY OF THE WORD
1st Reading:
Genesis 9:8-15
I will recall the covenant between myself and you ...
the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Responsorial Psalm:
2nd Reading:
Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth,
to those who keep your covenant.
1 Peter 3:18-22
The water of the flood is a type of baptism which saves you now.
Gospel Acclamation:
Gospel:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory!
No one live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory!
Mark 1:12-15
He was tempted by Satan, and the angels looked after him.
Prayers of the Faithful: Lord Hear our prayer.
©2003 Liturgy Training Publication, art by Julie Lonneman
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel:
“The reign of God is at hand!”
Mark 1:14-15
We ask your prayers for
Wendy Bridges, Keryn Wallace, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, Joan McCormick, George Edwards, John Leahy, Val Hartas,
Lee Tillam, Michael Dillon, Bonnie Hayes, Malcolm Skerritt, Margaret & Colin Farrugea, Dianne Spearritt, Ernie Anderson,
Victoria Kable, Olive Lang, Kath Jones, Michael Hurst, John Ryan, Peter Tanner, Finlay Jean Dibley, Kusha Dwyer,
Willis Eloise & Kerry Scheikowski, Margaret Morgan, Graham Sims.
Anniversaries of our deceased loved ones
James Francis (Jack) McKeogh, Eleanor Smith, Fiona Anne Carson, Barbara Valerie Garvin, Kenneth Charles Bamber
Recently Deceased
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