SUNDAY 29th
April 2018 Fifth Sunday of Easter
Office Hours Tuesday-Friday 8:30am - 3:00pm
Contact P: PO Box 408, The Gap Qld 4061 T: 3300 6099 E: [email protected] Web: www.stjohnswoodthegap.net.au FB: @StJohn’sWood/TheGapParish
Parish Team Sr. Kari Hatherell osu E: [email protected] M: 0413 302 825 Parish Pastoral Director Fr. Stanley Orji Parish Sacramental Minister Richard James E: [email protected] Parish Manager Caryn Lee E: [email protected] Parish Secretary
Parish Council Kylie Gaul E: [email protected] Chairperson
Local Safeguarding Officers
Caryn Lee & Kylie Gaul
Churches Mater Dei 16 Philomene Drive, Ashgrove St. Peter Chanel 41 Chaprowe Road, The Gap
Schools Mater Dei Primary School T: 3514 4100 St Peter Chanel Primary School T: 3300 1202
Parish of St. John’s Wood / The Gap
Vine and Branches
This week’s Gospel is so very familiar however it is a passage that invites us into deeper and deeper reflection. Just as in the land of Jesus, we live in a grape growing country. Some of you may even have had experience with growing grape vines, pruning, tending them, and enjoying the harvest. We can easily imagine the picture that Jesus is painting as he speaks to his disciples of old and to us today.
One of the early understanding of baptism is that of grafting. Those who have been baptised are grafted onto Christ. We can not live if we are separated from the rootstock, the Risen Christ. The life force that flows through Christ flows through us, he is the vine, we are the branches.
We are all too aware that this vine needs pruning. Firstly the dead wood needs to be cut away, but then the more delicate and inten-tional pruning begins. The vinedresser makes a small cut here, an-other one there, all the time tending the vine with a watchful heart. This pruning opens up the vine, it allows the vine to produce good fruit.
However the purpose of the vinedresser, God, in grafting, watering, pruning, tending is not to produce a perfect vineyard, but to produce great wine! For the Jewish people the Passover cup of wine ab-sorbs the life story of freeing the Israelites from slavery. At the Last Supper the cup offered absorbed the life story of the true liberator, Jesus, as he proclaimed, “This is my blood, poured out for you.”
When we come forward to drink from the Holy Communion cup, we drink in the very life force of Jesus. The life of the Risen Christ causes through our bodies just as the sap of the vine causes through its branches.
We are Easter People, as Pope Francis reminds us, “Christ’s resur-rection is not n event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated this world. When all seems to be dead, signs of the res-urrection suddenly spring up...in the midst of darkness something new always breaks springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit.” (The Joy of the Gospel #276)
Grafted onto Christ in baptism, God invites us again to remain with him, to make our home in him, as he has already made his home in us! And then we are sure to be disciple who will bear fruit that will last.
Easter blessings,
Reconciliation
Mater Dei Saturday 5:00pm-5:20pm
St. Peter Chanel Sunday 4:30pm-4:45pm
Sacraments Details available on our website
under Church Activities or contact the Parish Office.
Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament Mater Dei
Monday 7:00pm-8:00pm Friday 6:00pm-10:00pm
St. Peter Chanel 1st Friday of each month
2:00pm-3:00pm
Rosary Home rosary 7:30pm Monday
30th April 2018 at Angela Faria’s house, Ashgrove.
Call Val Bonney for details 0417 631 246.
If you would like to pray the Rosary in your home please contact Bruce Bonney 3300 2959.
Two Hearts Prayer Group
St. Peter Chanel Thursdays after 9:00am Mass: rosary, Stations of the Cross,
selected prayers for our parish, for priests and others.
Mother’s Prayer Group Meet 1st Monday morning
of the month. Contact Helen Knight on
3300 2271.
Bible Group 2nd & 4th Wednesday
of the month 7:30pm-9:00pm at the
Parish Office.
Meditation Group Mondays 9:30am-10:30am
at the Parish Office.
DAY MATER DEI ST PETER CHANEL FEAST DAYS/NOTES
Monday 30/04
Tuesday 01/05 9:00am Mass
Wednesday 02/05 9:00am Liturgy of the Word &
Holy Communion
Saint Athanasius
Thursday 03/05 9:00am Anointing Mass
Saints Philip and James
Friday 04/05 9:00am Anointing Mass
Adoration 2:00pm-3:00pm
Saturday 05/05 5:30pm Mass Sixth Sunday
Sunday 06/05 9:30am Mass 8:00am Mass 5:00pm Mass
of Easter
Liturgical Calendar
Rejoice and Be Glad! On 9
th April Pope Francis released another Apostolic Exhortation,
Gaudete et Exultate….Rejoice and Be Glad and the topic of this let-ter is the Call to Holiness in Today’s World. This is a very readable letter where much of the document is written in the second person so Pope Francis is speaking directly to the indi-vidual reading it. He says his ‘modest goal’ in writing ‘is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time with all its risks, challenges and opportunities.’ He begins by speaking about the saints who ‘encourage and accompany us’ but, goes on to em-phasise that "we are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer," But "that is not the case." (14) "We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bear-ing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves," (11) He writes about "the saints next door" and said he likes "to contem-plate the holiness present in the patience of God's people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile." (7)
A Word of Thanks
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support within the Parish for our Church Appeal 2108 to raise much needed funds for “The Little Kings Movement for the Handicapped”. Please thank and advise your Parishioners this year they have raised $1,345.00. Their generosity will enable us to carry on our work within our communities on their behalf. Your parish has been a great supporter of our work for many years and we look forward to your continued support.
Pot luck dinner this Sunday night Sunday 29
th April after 5pm Mass at SPC.
Please bring a meal to share. Tea, coffee and cordial provided.
A VOCATION VIEW: The new ministry of
"Deacon" is mentioned
in today's Scripture.
Perhaps the Lord is
calling you to assist with
the charitable,
educational or liturgical
needs of the Lord's
People today.
Prayers for the Sick Andrew Dudgeon
John Perks Robert Wirth
Allan Feodoroff Jane McMahon
Recently Deceased
Anniversaries Jim Manning
Please note: We cannot add a name to the sick list or recently deceased list unless requested by a family member.
Communion to the Sick Please contact the Parish Office.
Share the Dignity No woman should suffer the indignity of choosing between eating or buying sanitary items.
Throughout the month of April we are collecting sanitary items for women at risk and homeless women in Australia.
Boxes are located at the back of each church. Please contribute to this worthy cause.
Sacrament of Confirmation - Year 3 Students Enrolment forms for Confirmation are now available. If you have not re-ceived an enrolment form and would like your child to celebrate the sac-rament of Confirmation this year or for more information, please contact the parish office direct on 3300 6099 or download an enrolment form from the parish website www.stjohnswoodthegap.net.au. Forms are to be re-turned to the parish office direct by Monday 25
th June 2018.
NEEDED Mater Dei Children’s Liturgy Assistants & Leaders
Children’s Liturgy Assistants and Leaders are urgently required to join the Mater Dei roster. Training and support all provided. Please consider joining our experienced team so we can keep this ministry viable for our church. Contact Donna Lynn 0418931203, or [email protected] if you would like to find out more.
Happy Patches Quilt Raffle
A colourful Quilt featuring Flip Flops made by Happy Patches is being raffled to help Claire's Cottage fund their programs for young adults with disabilities. Tickets are 3 for $5 or 7 for $10 and are available at the Parish Office, after weekend Masses and from Happy Patches members. Drawn on Mothers Day.
2018/2019 Entertainment Books St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School is now selling 2018/2019 Enter-tainment Memberships.
It includes hundreds of valuable offers for local restaurants, attractions, shopping, travel and more. You can buy the book or opt for the digital membership, accessing all the discounts via an app on your phone.
20% of every purchase is funds raised for St Peter Chanel and at a cost of $70, use just a few offers and you’ll more than cover the cost of your membership.
To see what’s included in the membership, you can view a sample book at the Parish Office, or visit http://www.entertainmentbook.com.au.
TUESDAY MORNING PLAYGROUP
Please come and enjoy a cup of coffee and cake with other parents from The Gap Community. It's an informal gathering to chat and meet other parents while our children play and get messy with craft. When: Tuesday mornings at 9:00am (after school drop off). Where: SPC Parish Hall. What to bring: A gold coin donation (in order to keep the coffee pot full and the kids entertained). Facebook Tuesday Play group@St Johns Wood Parish Hall
Pender & Whitehouse Solicitors Since 1917
JOHN WHITEHOUSE PH (07) 3356 6589
Deceased Estates, Fixed Fee Conveyancing,
Business - Leasing and Buying & Selling
Email: [email protected]
250 Enoggera Road, Newmarket.. Qld 4051
All Hallows’ School Open Day We warmly invite the extended community to our 2018 Open Day commencing at 11:00am on Sunday 27 May. The day includes a welcome from our Principal, Mrs Catherine O’Kane at 11:30am and 12:30pm as well as the opportunity to view displays, meet our staff, enjoy performances, view academic and co-curricular displays and tour the School. The day concludes at 2:00pm. Limited car parking will be available in the School’s car park accessed from Dodge Lane, in the surrounding streets and nearby public car parks. To register your attendance and to view the program for Open Day, please visit www.ahs.qld.edu.au.
Liturgy Brisbane’s Annual Music Professional Development Day
Liturgy Brisbane’s annual one-day music professional development day will be held Saturday 2
nd June at Australian Catholic University, Banyo.
Liturgy Brisbane is once again hosting their annual musicians workshop. This year we will focus on extraordinary music for ordinary time. Presented by Sr Ursula O'Rourke, James Robinson and the music ministry team from Maroochydore Parish. It will be a day filled with laughter, insight and new music. Please let the parish office know if you wish to attend.
Volunteer with Palms Australia Get out there and be the Church,” bruised, hurting and dirty” Communities in Myanmar, PNG, Samoa, Timor Leste, Kiribati and Kenya seek volunteers to mentor locals and build capacity. Palms volunteers don’t do quick fixes, but immerse themselves in over-
seas communities for long-term skill exchange. If you have teaching, medi-cal, business, admin or trade skills, share them with our global family! Contact Christine at Palms on 02 9560 5333 or go to www.palms.org.au/
Wanted Single working male is looking for a granny flat or one bedroom unit or is willing to share with 1 or 2 people. Non-smoker. Has no pets.
References available from previous landladies.
Please call Kevin 0435 275 728