‘Console my people, console them’ says your God. ‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her that her time of service is ended, that her sin is atoned for, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double punishment for all her crimes.’ A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley; then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’ Go up on a high mountain, joyful messenger to Zion. Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem. Shout without fear, say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God.’ Here is the Lord coming with power, his arm subduing all things to him. The prize of his victory is with him, his trophies all go before him. He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.
Psalm 84:9-14.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land. (R.)
Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven. (R.)
The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps. (R.)
2 Peter 3:8-14
There is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, ‘a day’ can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up.
Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: all people shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia!
Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:
Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way. A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight,
and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. In the course of his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’
The scriptural quotations are taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Co Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. The English translation of the Psalm Responses, Alleluia
“Because of his boundless love, Jesus became what we are that he might make us to be what he is.”
—Irenaeus, third-century Christian apologist
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT B—DECEMBER 10 2017
Ingham
Sat 6.00pm Sun 8.30am Sun 7.00pm
Halifax Sun 7.00am
Canossa Sun 10.00am
Abergowrie Sun 10.00am
Sunday Masses 16/17 December
Mon
9.30am Blue Haven 5.30pm St Patrick ’s
Tues 5.30pm St Patrick ’s
Wed 10.30am Palms 5.30pm St Patrick ’s St Lucy
Thur 5.30pm St Patrick ’s St John of the Cross
Fri 7.00am St Patrick ’s
Sat 8.00am St Patrick ’s
Weekdays 11-16 December
A new edition of the popular Frankly magazine is now available. We have made copies available in each church.
A reminder that there are prayer cards for the Advent Season and for the Come Holy Spirit prayer available in each church. The latter is our prayer for this coming year, a year dedicated in Australia to Youth, with its own special prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Sr Thao has written a little bit on the Year of Youth, which you will find at the top of page three.
Christmas Day, this year, falls on Monday. This means that Christmas Eve is on Sunday night. We will make a couple of changes to our Mass schedule for that weekend. Please note them in your diary, if they affect you. There will be no Sunday morning Mass at Abergowrie. There will also be no Sunday morning Mass at Halifax but we will celebrate a Vigil Mass on Saturday Evening at 6.00pm.
Just for your information, I have volunteered to go to Palm Island to celebrate Christmas Masses. My offer was contingent on Fr Orm Rush making a return to the Hinchinbrook district. He will celebrate some of our Sunday Masses and then celebrate the Ingham Christmas Masses.
This does mean that I need to get everything set up in the Menegon Centre well ahead of schedule. It also means that I have to pray very, very hard that we do not have the computer problems that we had last year.
Santina Cross, Manager at Everglow (formerly
Ethnic Community Care) is reveling in more than a few months of long-service leave. During this time, Santina is offering her services, and considerable experience, in establishing a comprehensive ministry for seniors. There are a number of initiatives on the table: from coordinating transport to Mass, to organizing a visitation program for lonely seniors, to overseeing a new grief support program. There will be many opportunities to volunteer your time and energies for the good of our whole community. If Santina calls, just say Yes.
Congratulations to our hearty Adult Supporters of the Missionaries of the Poor. The Gold Day that they held last Sunday raised $12,000. That is another extraordinary effort. This money, together with $8,000 remaining in our Philippines Mission account will very soon be remitted to the Missionaries of the Poor in Manila. This money will be used for the third floor of their Apostolate, which is destined to house 30 or so homeless women. As you may remember, we have paid for the walls to be constructed and another benefactor has paid for the roof. Now, they need to
complete the job, with ceilings, partitions, bathrooms, tiling, painting, etc. The total cost of the project is $80,000 of which we
now contribute one quarter.
The Church: a hospital for sinners, a training school for saints.
Rosary
In recess until February 2018
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Tuesday 9am to 1.00pm St Paul’s Chapel - Benediction 5.15pm in St Paul’s Final for the year. Resumes February 2018
Parish Secretary: Pauline Pennisi Assistant and RE Co-ordinator: Marcella Cantatore Bookkeeper/Compliance Officer: Beth Ingegneri Pastoral Care: Sr Nina Barra
Office Hours: 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday, 1pm to 3pm Monday to Thursday
The Pastor’s Pen!
Please keep in your prayers: Andrew Barra, Terry Fenoglio,
Bernie Viklund, Paul Rush, John Simmonds, Sam Di Bella
May the Lord’s healing hand rest upon them
Parish Notices and Events Wanted for our Christmas Masses in Ingham
We will be needing Readers, Special Ministers, Altar Servers, Power Point operators for our 6.00pm and 8.30pm Christmas Vigil Masses and our 8.30am Mass on Christmas Day. If you can assist at any of these Masses please phone the Parish office on 4776 2600.
We also need readers and special ministers for the 6.00pm and 8.30am Masses of 4th Sunday of Advent (24 December). Please let us know as soon as possible if you can help.
Columban Calendars, Religious Christmas Gifts & Cards
The Paper Shop on Cartwright Street now has in stock the 2018 Columban Calendars, Nativity Sets, English & Italian Religious Christmas Cards and a variety of religious gift ideas. Call in and see the staff who will be very happy to assist you.
Office hours over the Christmas period
The Parish Office will be closing on Friday 22 December at 12 noon and will re-open on Tuesday 2nd January at 9.00am. For the period Tuesday 2 January to Friday 12 January the office will only be open between the hours of 9.00am to 12 noon.
As we will be publishing the last three newsletters for this year on Thursday 21 December, it is advisable to have all notices and names of deceased into the office by Wednesday 20 December at 12 noon. Any received after that time will be too late.
Knights of the Southern Cross
Brothers are reminded that Thursday 14th December will be the break-up meeting for the year.
The evening will commence with Mass 7.30 pm at St Patrick’s followed by the meeting and then a light supper behind Mercy Hall. Please ring or email Johnny 0407 635 175 to book your plate.
2018 Calendars: For Sale
The Knights of the Southern Cross will be selling 2018 Calendars with beautiful photos of well known churches of the Diocese of Townsville. Our St. Patrick’s church is pictured on the month of February. Each calendar sells for $10.00 each and is displayed on the notice board at the back of the church. To order or purchase a calendar please contact one of the Brothers or phone Johnny on 0407 635 175.
Diocesan News & Events Christmas Carols at Sacred Heart Cathedral
7.00pm on Wednesday, 13th December 2017. Supper will follow the Carols. This night is not to be missed. You are warmly invited to join the Bishop, and the Diocesan Choir in reflecting on this joyful season.
Towards a Pastoral Plan — Spiritual Growth Please ponder these points (does it sound like us?):
Some ways to encourage spiritual growth are:
retreat/renewal programs that foster personal spiritual formation (parish missions, Cursillo, Light of the World, Christ Renews His Parish, Marriage Encounter, Life in the Spirit Seminars, etc.) are made available and encouraged prayer groups and small faith-sharing groups are explained and encouraged programs offered through the Diocese for spiritual enrichment (e.g. Catholics Come Home, family retreats, etc.) are utilized
Does this sound like our parish community? What are the gaps? What are the opportunities?
Our Giving Tree Ingham Catholic Parishes together with Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre are collecting items for the HCSC Back to School Program. This program helps local families in need at the start of the school year through the provision of essential school supplies. Boxes are placed under the trees in each of our churches.
30/31 December: Lunchbox, water bottles, ice bricks
6/7 January: Ream/s of photocopy paper, box tissues
Welcome to a new child of God: Jhett Charlie Mayor
baptised this Sunday at St Patrick’s
Reconciliation Times for Christmas
St Peter’s, Halifax Sunday 17 December 8.00am
St Teresa’s, Abergowrie
Sunday 17 December 11.00am
St Patrick’s, Ingham Tuesday 19 December – 12.30pm & 7.00pm
Wednesday 20 December – 12.30pm & 7.00pm Saturday 23 December – 11.00am & 5.00pm
Requiescant in pace Please Pray For: Alfia Silvini, Mario Bortolanza, Julia Buffa (died this week), Therese Brake (Brisbane) (died recently), Martin Reuben Denman, Lucia Cantatore, Giovanni Volpi, Kathy Cervellin, Ellen Gardner, Edward Kopeshke, Holly Roberts. Elaine Tranter (annivs at this time), Carmel Stephensen, Vilma Tomba, Walter Scerri, Janice Day, Deceased members Sartoresi & Vella families, John Biasi, Alfio, Maria, Sarina & Rudi Fichera, Vittorio & Maria Cantoni, Baldo Fanti, Rupert, Nellie, Isabel & Nicholas Lee, Gloria Motti, Nella Benedetto, Pia Fanti, Antonio Gasagrande, Carlo & Maria Magoni, Elliott Francis Mathiesen
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
On 3rd December 2017, joining the universal Church, the Church in Australia began the Year of Youth. Pope Francis has dedicated the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to focus on youth with the theme "Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment." Last week, in Sydney, 18,000 young people came together at the Australian Catholic Youth Festival to learn and deepen their relationship with Jesus, their faith, Church teaching and reflect on their vocation and mission. The theme of
the festival, “Open new horizons for spreading joy” encourages the young people to open themselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and be ready to take a risk as disciple of Jesus in their journey. In this way, they obtain joy.
More than ever before, young people today are going through an era of rapid changes in the world. These changes offer them a variety of choices and yet fill them with uncertainty about their future. Choices and uncertainties lead them to face challenges of the process of discernment in their journey to maturity. The process of their discernment often needs accompaniment to help them to discover the plan for their life and realize it with joy, so that they are ready to open themselves to encounters with God and with
others, and actively participate in and bring new life to the Church and society.
As much as young people need help to journey to their maturity into adulthood, adults also in turn need help from the young people to keep the Church alive. Their talents, enthusiasm, energy and creativity play an important role in the church in creating newness, enlivening and igniting the life of the Church. Young people today need us to assure them of their important role in the Church. They are not the future of the Church, They are the Church themselves right at this present time.
Together with the Church, let’s pray for the young people in our Church, that the Year of Youth will be an opportunity for them to grow more to the fullness of Christian life.
Rosters Counters This Week:
M Duffy J Busuttin A Duffy D Benedetto T Pallanza
Counters Next Week:
J Devietti L Sullivan J Devietti
Children’s Liturgy: In recess until 27 January 2018
Altar Servers 16/17 December : Sat 6.00pm: Hayden Di Bella & Gemma Di Bella Sun 8.30am: Jacob & Georgia Minato Sun 7.00pm: Trista Kopeshke & Abby Melvin-Naughton
Organists 16/17 December:
Sat 6.00pm: Pam Harris/Paul Cavallaro/Video Sun 8.30am: Monica Vitale/video Sun 7.00pm: Lynette Di Bella/ video Commentators 16/17 December:
Sat 6.00pm: David Duffy Sun 8.30am: Lidia Marbelli Sun 7.00pm: Emma Panzanbock
Readers 16/17 December:
Halifax: Frances Venturato
Canossa: C/1 Isabella Melara 2/3 Rita Melara
Sat 6.00pm: 1 Karen Devietti 2 Josephine Di Bartolo 3 David Duffy
Sun 8.30am: 1 Marlies Maussen 2 June Leonardi 3 Lidia Marbelli Sun 7.00pm: 1 Paula Martin 2 Flavia Menegon 3 Emma Panzenbock
Abergowrie: John Barra & Tom Duffy
Special Ministers 16/17 December:
Halifax: Allain Cugola & Elizabeth Castorina
Canossa: Peter & Sylvia Poggio
Sat 6.00pm: Anna & Russell Andrews Carmel Sorbello Sun 8.30am: Madeliene D’ Urso Carmel Fazio Jean Staples
Sun 7.00pm: Rob Corboy Christine Timms Janine Van Blerk
Abergowrie: John Barra
A Baptism of Forgiveness
The understanding that we generally have of baptism today has not always been the case. At the time of John and Jesus, the Jewish tradition used baptism as a ritual
bath to cleanse a person who had become ritually unclean and make them able to participate in religious rituals.
What John was preaching was a baptism for the forgiveness of sins – a new interpretation at the time. He
emphasised that repentance was essential for forgiveness and that there needed to be a conscious returning to God.
John’s baptism was a symbolic act to signify the willingness of the person to renounce their sins and make
