Two important notices this week!

Dreaming Videos

Last weekend, we kicked off the first of seven videos covering different ministry areas in our Dreaming Series leading up to the Parish Summit on 5 November. Our Children and Families ministry video received 30 responses from different people around the parish; people who included regular parishioners, baptism and confirmation families, wedding couples, Aura families, and our Kingdom Youth parents. I want to make it clear that this is extremely good news! It is good news because we have parishioners from different areas in the parish – some of them who may not yet feel like they’re part of the parish – who are interacting and sharing their hopes and dreams about for the future of a Children and Families ministry.

It’s refreshing to read the different hopes and dreams that people have for the future of Children and Family in our parish. Some of these include: that children have regular opportunities participate in ministries at a Sunday Masses aimed at their age; that we might have play areas in our churches for younger children with pens/playdough and a gentle carer who supervises them; that we might support parents raising children in the faith.

While the videos are being screened after the homily in our Masses, we’ll also email the weekly video and link to the form on a Monday night. This may particularly helpful for those parishioners who may struggle scanning QR codes. As well as this, we intend to do two paper surveys over the seven week period, eliciting your dreams about ministry areas in our parish. The paper survey is intended for those who may not be tech-savvy or do not have email addresses.

This week’s dreaming video is by Shane Dwyer, Associate Director of Adult Faith Formation at Evangelisation Brisbane. If you have a dream for us growing in our faith, please complete this Faith & Formation survey and share your vision for the future of this vitally important ministry area in our parish community.

If you are not already receiving the weekly email, please consider receiving the newsletter by adding your name and email address on our website or even letting us know your name and email address by phone – 5430 9390. Your voice in this planning and dreaming process for the future of our parish in incredibly important and I want to make sure that everyone, no matter how old or young, has the opportunity to have their say.

Golden Jubilee Mass

Sunday October 2nd is fast approaching and there are many moving parts, as well as people across the entire parish who are involved in organising and facilitating our 9.30am Golden Jubilee Mass with Archbishop Mark Coleridge. Thank you to those community members who have offered themselves in ministry for the day.

On the day, you are invited to make a decision about whether you join the blessing of the renovated Parish Centre and Rosary Procession from OLR church, down the back street, and across the grass to the covered area at 28 Alfred St for Mass. We hope to have bagpipes starting outside OLR church at 8.15am with the blessing by the Archbishop commencing at 8.30am followed immediately by the Rosary Procession. If your mobility presents a challenge, you are encouraged to park near the covered area on Alfred St and gather at 9.15am. The Rosary Procession intends to complete the final decade of the Rosary when everyone is seated prior to Mass starting at 9.30am – this is so everyone can at least be present together for one decade of the Rosary.

Following Mass, we will have a parish picnic on the grass where there will be two coffee vans – with instant coffee and tea available – our slushy machine, a fairy floss and popcorn machine, a sausage sizzle, and, at the time of writing this, I’m even hoping to book a pizza van – ALL FREE!!

This will be a wonderful event as the entire parish comes together to celebrate.

Wishing you every blessing,

Fr Josh Whitehead