WE PRAY FOR The elderly and the sick Marius Fernando; Dantina Frederico; Barbara Burby; Stella Mammone; Gino Salvo; Rosa Di Pietro; Lucia Bordin; Ursula McWhinney; Justin Diviny; Stephanie Jouhari; Anna & Garry Henneken; Nicholas Gillman; Jillian Eolzella ANNIVERSARIES In Faith, Hope and Love, let us pray for repose of the souls of Anna Ng; Tom Fewster; Sylvia Taylor RECENTLY DECEASED We remember in prayer, Antonia Fabiani May she rest in peace. * SUNDAY ONLINE MASS * will be available via our Parish Webpage www.stmonicasparish.com.au Every Sunday by 10.30am for parishioners to participate in their homes. SUNDAY LITURGY @ Home; Please click on each link below to find guided reflection for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time For Adults: For Families with Young Children: We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, as the traditional caretakers of the land which is the St. Monica’s Catholic Parish. We acknowledge the Elders, past & present. May we, too, be good stewards of this land. ST. MONICA’S CATHOLIC CHURCH Moonee Ponds Presbytery: 22 Robinson St., Moonee Ponds 3039 | Telephone: (03) 9370 5035 Email: mooneeponds@cam.org.au | Website: www.stmonicasparish.com.au Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Tony Feeney Assistant Priest: Rev. Fr. Andrew Choi Parish Office: Sonya Bading (closed until COVID-19 Restrictions lift) Pastoral Assistant: Abygaile Cukavac School Principal: Mr. Peter Moore — School Phone No: (03) 9375 1132 Green 22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 30th August 2020 Message from the Archbishop of Melbourne to the Parish of Moonee Ponds On the Feast of St Monica There would be very few suburban parishes in Australia whose name would be as well-known as Moonee Ponds. Thanks to the attention given to you by one of our great comedians, Moonee Ponds is a place of character (and caricature!) in the Australian psyche. In the midst of this notoriety has lived the real lives of individuals and families, in businesses and workplaces, among facilities and organisations, over the many generations. And at the heart of this lived reality has been the Catholic Church and Parish of St. Monica’s, truly a ‘mother’ parish in our local Church of Melbourne. You have a long and honourable history to celebrate at St Monica’s, and this is certainly a time for remembering the highs and lows, the joy and griefs, that mark the life of any family. But your family history– the story of Christian faith and life in and around Moonee Ponds– is also a part of the great history of salvation into which you have flowed and made your contribution. St. Monica, the mother of St Augustine, has been, I am sure, a constant source of witness to your faith family life, and a true intercessor to God for you, her daughter, as she was for her son. Faithfulness built on love; hope flowing from perseverance; tears that planted seeds of fruitfulness– these were the characteristics of your saintly namesake. They are characteristics well worth cultivating today, especially in this period of COVID ‘exile’ that has come to all of us in our local neighbourhoods of grace. While I can not be with you in person in this year’s feast day of St. Monica, your heavenly patron, may I offer my own simple prayer of gratitude to God and of blessings to you! Most Rev Peter A Comensoli Archbishop of Melbourne 27 August
Transcript
WE PRAY FOR
The elderly and the sick Marius Fernando; Dantina Frederico; Barbara Burby; Stella Mammone; Gino Salvo; Rosa Di Pietro; Lucia Bordin; Ursula McWhinney; Justin Diviny; Stephanie Jouhari;
Anna & Garry Henneken; Nicholas Gillman; Jillian Eolzella
ANNIVERSARIES In Faith, Hope and Love,
let us pray for repose of the souls of Anna Ng; Tom Fewster; Sylvia Taylor
RECENTLY DECEASED
We remember in prayer, Antonia Fabiani
May she rest in peace.
* SUNDAY ONLINE MASS * will be available via our Parish Webpage
www.stmonicasparish.com.au Every Sunday by 10.30am for parishioners to participate
in their homes.
SUNDAY LITURGY @ Home; Please click on each link below to find
guided reflection for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time For Adults: For Families with Young Children:
We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, as the traditional caretakers of the land which is the St. Monica’s Catholic Parish. We acknowledge the Elders, past & present. May we, too, be good stewards of this land.
Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Tony Feeney Assistant Priest: Rev. Fr. Andrew Choi Parish Office: Sonya Bading (closed until COVID-19 Restrictions lift) Pastoral Assistant: Abygaile Cukavac School Principal: Mr. Peter Moore — School Phone No: (03) 9375 1132
Green 22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 30th August 2020
Message from the Archbishop of Melbourne to the Parish of Moonee Ponds On the Feast of St Monica There would be very few suburban parishes in Australia whose name would be as well-known as Moonee Ponds. Thanks to the attention given to you by one of our great comedians, Moonee Ponds is a place of character (and caricature!) in the Australian psyche. In the midst of this notoriety has lived the real lives of individuals and families, in businesses and workplaces, among facilities and organisations, over the many generations. And at the heart of this lived reality has been the Catholic Church and Parish of St. Monica’s, truly a ‘mother’ parish in our local Church of Melbourne. You have a long and honourable history to celebrate at St Monica’s, and this is certainly a time for remembering the highs and lows, the joy and griefs, that mark the life of any family. But your family history– the story of Christian faith and life in and around Moonee Ponds– is also a part of the great history of salvation into which you have flowed and made your contribution. St. Monica, the mother of St Augustine, has been, I am sure, a constant source of witness to your faith family life, and a true intercessor to God for you, her daughter, as she was for her son. Faithfulness built on love; hope flowing from perseverance; tears that planted seeds of fruitfulness– these were the characteristics of your saintly namesake. They are characteristics well worth cultivating today, especially in this period of COVID ‘exile’ that has come to all of us in our local neighbourhoods of grace. While I can not be with you in person in this year’s feast day of St. Monica, your heavenly patron, may I offer my own simple prayer of gratitude to God and of blessings to you!
Most Rev Peter A Comensoli Archbishop of Melbourne
Scripture Reflection and Discussion – with Fr. Tony 28 August (Friday) at 7pm – every Friday at 7pm This session will reflect on the following Sunday’s Gospel with a discussion of the Gospel of Matthew. https://zoom.us/j/5115717088?pwd=ekpBRVArdjBodml0MTV5bWZqVEJvdz09 (Meeting ID: 511 571 7088 Passcode: smp827)
Pray the Rosary Together – with Fr. Andrew 29 August (Saturday) at 7pm – every Saturday at 7pm Let us give 30 minutes to God with the Rosary. Please join us with your children and/or grandchildren to this blessed time. https://zoom.us/j/5115717088?pwd=ekpBRVArdjBodml0MTV5bWZqVEJvdz09 (Meeting ID: 511 571 7088 Passcode: smp827)
Virtual Cuppa – hosted by Abygaile 11 September (Friday) at 5pm – monthly event Come and say hi and let’s keep each other company. https://zoom.us/j/5115717088?pwd=ekpBRVArdjBodml0MTV5bWZqVEJvdz09 (Meeting ID: 511 571 7088 Passcode: smp827)
Each Zoom meeting room will open 10 minutes before it commences. If you have any enquiries or problems
accessing Zoom, please email us: [email protected] We are looking forward to seeing you. Parish Pastoral Team
During this time, when visits to our Church are suspended, we are striving to
ensure that our parishioners remain connected through new and creative pastoral programs. While we continue to help
those in our community, the Parish continues to incur ongoing overhead costs and we need your help.
The good news is that Catholic Development Fund (CDF) and the Archdiocese of Melbourne have partnered to build an
online parish payment portal, CDFpay for Parishes .
This site enables you to make quick and easy online thanksgiving payments – you can set-up a recurring payment, if
you haven’t done so already, or you can choose a one-off offering.
The Moonee Ponds site is live and can be found via this link https://www.catholicdevelopmentfund.org.au/CDFpay
(Click on Find my Parish down the bottom and enter Moonee Ponds in search box)
We thank you in advance for supporting our parish community.
Accommodation Required
Retired male Parishioner is seeking a rental unit/flat in this area. References available. Contact: 0438 753 894
PARISH OFFICE : due to coronavirus, and for the health and well-being of our Parish Staff (not including the priests), the Office is now officially closed. Sonya will continue to work remotely and will respond to emails.
On the eve of Spring, an invitation from the churches of Victoria to be a light in the darkness.
Light in the Darkness Time out for a Suffering World As the last light of the last day of winter fades, stand in your front garden and spend some time in silence, perhaps light a candle, to remember all those who have lost their lives to the Coronavirus or to violence. Then, as the first night of spring begins, look to the future with prayer and hope. Let us move from the cold and the dark into warmth and light together. read more
Thank you one and all 2020 Winter Appeal The 2020 Winter COVID-19 Appeal has brought our supporters together like never before, having raised approx. 1.5 million and counting. Funds form this year’s Winter Appeal mean that we can continue to be there for people when they need us most and we can't thank you enough for your support . Read more
St Monica’s Safeguarding Committee News The Parish Safeguarding Committee met via ZOOM on Monday 17 August 2020, where a number of key issues were discussed as they relate to the compliance obligations that all Parishes are now required to adhere to in accord with the obligations. The Committee continues to review all policies, procedures and practices that influence the life of the Parish using the Self-Assessment Tool, which contained 10 National Standards that all Parishes are required to work towards which is required to be forwarded to the Professional Standards Unit, within the Archdiocese of Melbourne by 30 November 2020. Any parishioner interested in learning more about the work of the Parish Safeguarding Committee is invited to contact either the Chair of the Committee Joe Cerritelli, or Minute Secretary Jacinta Beckley. Please email the Parish office [email protected] for further details.
Dates to Remember : August
30th Social Justice Sunday September
6th Father’s Day 6-12st Child Protection Week 13th Child Protection Sunday 21st Fr. Tony’s Birthday 27th Feast of St. Vincent de Paul
Bishops release 2020-21 social justice statement ‘Our society tends to push away or draw away from
those who confront us with our frailties and limitations.
This is not the way of Jesus,’ writes Bishop Terry Brady,
the Bishop Delegate for Social Justice on the release of
the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice
Statement for 2020-21, To Live Life to the Full: Mental
health in Australia. It was released ahead of Social
Justice Sunday, celebrated on 30 August. Given the
challenges our country and world are facing due to
COVID-19, the issue of mental health is very much front
and centre for many people. ‘The COVID-19 pandemic
is affecting many members of our parishes, schools and
communities,’ Bishop Brady says. ‘Understanding
mental health will help us to be aware of those who
most need our support.’ Continue Reading
St. Monica’s is a Child Safe Parish. We hold the care, safety and well-being of children, young people and vulnerable adults as a central and fundamental responsibility of our community.
Partners in Prayer for Parishes. During the week Fr. Subin, Parish Priest of St. Patrick’s, Beenleigh, QLD, rang to tell St. Monica’s Parish that, during this time of Covid19 lockdown, his Parish Pastoral Council had made the decision to pray for the needs and special intentions of the priests and parishion-ers of St. Monica’s Parish, Moonee Ponds. Humbled by the phone call and generous offer, I thanked Fr. Subin and his PPC whilst at the same time, asking could not we, the people of St. Monica’s Parish, do the same thing and prayerful adopt and support another Parish to Partner in Prayer, remembering that here are no state or international boundaries to the effectiveness of prayer.
St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Remember, you are what you are in the eyes of God, and nothing else.” We often forget this stewardship wisdom when we spend all of our time, talent, and treasure to gain more of the world’s riches. We need to set our priorities based on God’s values and not the values of the material world.
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON You are just, O Lord, and your judgement is right; treat your servant in accord with your merciful love. FIRST READING (Ez 33:7-9) A reading from the prophet Ezekiel The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, I have appointed you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them in my name. If I say to a wicked man: Wicked wretch, you are to die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked man to renounce his ways, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death. If, however, you do warn a wicked man to renounce his ways and repent, and he does not repent, then he shall die for his sin, but you yourself will have saved your life.’
‘The word of the Lord. — Thanks be to God. RESPONSORIAL PSALM
(R.) O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts. Come, ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us. Let us come before him, giving thanks, with songs let us hail the Lord. (R.)
Come in; let us bow and bend low; let us kneel before the God who made us for he is our God and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand. (R.)
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, though they saw my work.’ (R.)
SECOND READING ( Rom 13:8-10) A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans Avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. If you love your fellow men you have carried out your obligations. All the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and so on, are summed up in this single command: You must love your neighbour as yourself. Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments. The word of the Lord. — Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! God was in Christ, to reconcile the world to himself; and the Good News of reconciliation he has entrusted to us. Alleluia! GOSPEL ( Mt 18:15-20) A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector. ‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven. ‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’ The Gospel of the Lord. — Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. COMMUNION ANTIPHON Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God; my soul is thirsting for God, the living God.
Next week’s readings 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 6TH SEPTEMBER
This week we have the readings for next Sunday the 6th September for our Parishioners to make some time during the week to read and reflect on.
Did you know ? Points of interest and Catholic lore
In the ancient world, the testimony of two witnesses was needed for any charge to be upheld in a civil or religious court. We see many examples of this practice in the gospels—for example, John 9:18.
The Formal exclusion from the Church is called excommunication. Today it is rarely used, but through history, many people, even saints, have been excommunicated. Galileo was excommunicated during the Renaissance for his views on science—later proved to be correct. This excommunication was rescinded only in recent years. Even Australia’s own St Mary MacKillop was once excommunicated!
