MERRYLANDS DRIVING SCHOOL

LEARN TO DRIVE SAFELY WITH A SENIOR DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

WITH 27 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE SMALL LATE MODEL AUTO CAR

$50.00 PER HOUR

INSTRUCTOR: VICTOR OLENIK Phone: 9636 6357– Mob:0419 266 479

LESSONS AVAILABLE EVERY DAY Lic No: 11661106

* General Painting

* Wallpaper * All repairs: Timber, gyprock, render & tiles (prior to painting)

www.gebranpainting.com.au

0414 268 603

ST . MARGARET MARY ’S PARISH MERRYLANDS

PARISH INFORMATION

PARISH OFFICE: 1-5 Chetwynd Rd, MERRYLANDS NSW 2160 Postal Address: PO Box 757, Merrylands. Tuesday - Friday: 9am - 3.00pm

Phone: 9637 2526 9637 2014 Fax 9637 2442 Email: parish@stmm.org.au Website: stmm.org.au

PARISH GROUPS CO-ORDINATORS: Office Administrator/Secretary: Patricia Aviet

Finance Committee: Reuben Dias

Parish Council:

Chair: Fr Janusz Pawlicha, OSPPE

Secretary: Cheryl Fortini

Fundraising :

Samantha Tawil - 0424 755 311

Christyna Tawil

Catechists: Sonia Abi-Rached

Music : Kerry van der Linden

Sacraments: Christopher Barnes - 0415 663 966

Acolytes / RCIA : Peter Carroll

Readers: Gwen D’Silva

Youth groups: Teen S.W.A.T : Fr Peter James/ Rita Jacobson Pauline S.W.A.T: Fr Peter James

Legion of Mary: Merwyn D’Souza –0478 109 569

Playgroup: Maryanne – 0416 116 707

St Vincent de Paul: 1800 606 724

Bus to Berrima –Giovanna– ph 9682 1008

Our Parish is under the Pastoral Care of the Order of St Paul the First Hermit (known as the Pauline Fathers) who for more than 630 years are renowned

Custodians of the Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Jasna Gora, Poland.

Parish Priest Fr Janusz Pawlicha

Assistant Priest

Fr Peter James Strohmayer

Prayer: Holy Father-Pope Francis’ monthly intention:

February Say “No” to Corruption That those who have material, political or spiritual power may resist any lure of cor-ruption.

First Friday:

11am: Maltese Mass 7.00pm: Holy Mass, Stations of the Cross followed by Exposition

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament: Thursdays-Eucharistic Adoration: 9.30 am-2.30pm 4th Sunday of the month: 1.00pm - 1.30pm– Divine Mercy Devotions 1st Friday of the month: approx. 8.30pm– midnight

Vespers– Sunday Evenings 5.15 pm - 5.45pm

RCIA sessions– Sunday mornings 9am Mass followed by Session 10 am –11am

Devotions:

Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Tuesday: after morning Mass Wednesday: 6.30pm

Veneration of the Holy Face of Jesus:

Tuesday: 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Divine Mercy Devotions 4th Sunday of the month: 1.00pm - 3.00pm, 3.00pm - Holy Mass

Baptisms: 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month

Reconciliation: Tues - Fri 8.30 - 8.55am Sat - 9am - 9.30am and 4.30pm-5.30pm (or by appointment)

Marriages: By appointment only (6 months required)

Sick Calls: 9637 2526– option 3 or 0412 625 187 - any time

THIS WEEK: 4 Mar 2018 - 10 Mar 2018 Counting: Group B Church Cleaning: B Altar & general cleaning– Nada & Volunteers

NEXT WEEK: 11 Mar 2018 - 17 Mar 2018 Counting: Group C Church Cleaning: A Altar & general cleaning– Nada & volunteers

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

4 th MARCH 2018

WEEKEND MASSES: WEEKDAY MASSES:

Saturday: 6:00pm Vigil Monday: 9:15am

Sunday: 7:30am Tuesday: 9:00am & 7:00pm

9:00am Wednesday: 9:00am & 7:00pm

10:30am Thursday: 9:00am

6:00pm Friday: 9:00am & 7:00pm

Saturday: 8:30am

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues my feet from the snare. Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor.

FIRST READING Ex 20: 1-17

A reading from the book of Exodus God spoke all these words. He said, ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ‘You shall have no gods except me. ‘You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth be-neath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God and I punish the father’s fault in the sons, the grandsons, and the great-grandsons of those who hate me; but I show kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. ‘You shall not utter the name of the Lord your God to misuse it, for the Lord will not leave unpunished the man who utters his name to misuse it. Remem-ber the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath for the Lord your God. You shall do no work on that day, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, not your ani-mals nor the stranger who lives with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that these hold, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why the Lord has blessed the sabbath day and made it sacred. ‘Honour your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God has given to you. ‘You shall not kill. ‘You shall not commit adul-tery. ‘You shall not steal. ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. ‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his.’

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

(R.) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

1. The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple. (R.)

2. The precepts of the Lord are right, they gladden the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, it gives light to the eyes. (R.)

3. The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just. (R.)

4. They are more to be desired than gold, than the purest of gold and sweeter are they than honey, than honey from the comb. (R.)

SECOND READING 1 Cor 1:22-25

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians

While the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans, madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory! God loved the world so much, he gave us his only Son, that all who believe in him might have eternal life. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory!

GOSPEL Jn 2:13-25

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said. During his stay in Jerusalem for the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he gave, but Jesus knew them all and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about any man; he could tell what a man had in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for her young: by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, for ever singing your praise.

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, the Alleluia and Gospel Verses, and the Lenten Gospel Acclamations, and the Titles, Summar-ies, and Conclusion of the Readings, from the Lectionary for Mass © 1997, 1981, 1968, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS

11th March 2018 Fourth Sunday of Lent

2 Chr 36:14-17,19-23; Eph 2:4-10; Jn 3:14-21

Please remember to switch off your mobile phone

PROJECT COMPASSION 2018

Please take home a Project Compassion box and/or a set of donation envelopes and support Caritas Australia this Lenten season themed “A Just Future”. You will be empowering young people to build a just future for themselves, their fami-lies and their communities. A Just Future starts with your support! You can donate through Parish boxes and envelopes, or by phoning 1800 024 413 or visiting www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

4TH MARCH 2018

Bayan is a 12 year old Syrian girl, living with her family in Jordan. An ambitious student, Bayan has her sights set on a career as an ophthalmologist. As a quiet, young refugee she struggled to over-come the trauma of growing up in a conflict zone and faced the prospect of missing out on school-ing. With Caritas Australia’s support, Bayan is an academ-ic high-achiever who is flourishing in a stable school envi-

ronment .

PRAYER REQUESTS

Sam, Charly & Samira Hasham

Cecil Rebeiro

Reshna Jordan

Tony Ralph

Joshua Dehan

Kartia Grace Russell

Michael Falzon

Peter Newman

Katrina Smith

Tony Ostojic

Lucita De Los Reyes

Hanna & Adam Kmita

Frank Grapa

Marie Smith

Mary Casey

Ludivina Green

John & Victoria Pjetraj

Mario & Christian Pjetraj

Alice Said

Willie & Tereza Cutajar

Gabrielle Wehbe

Diamond Pacheco

Katarina Lana

Stan Schwebel

Ann Stephenson

Carmella Bonello

Shelly Barnes

Shirley Forno

Elsie Patricia Turnbull

Fiona Khoury

Annie Ingram

Teresa Saad

June Lewis

Anthony Hanna

George & Mary Spiteri

Christopher Oldham

Jack Pickering

Jocelyn Santos

Therese Taouil

Nour & baby Tannous

Hervé Nicolas

Therese Strohmayer

Therese Nicolas

Phillip Axiak

Luca Jerkovic

Stefania Zielinska

Anna Batur

Fr Gabriel Taylor

Giovanna Prestipino

Andrew Tawil

PARISH MORNING TEA

This Sunday 4 March 2018 After 10.30 Mass

Where: Pastoral Centre Hosted by: 1st Friday dev/Alliance of 2 hearts Next week: Readers and Commentators

ALL WELCOME

LENTEN PROGRAM– 2018 “Surrender Lenten Program–

Wollongong Diocese”

Thursday Evenings – 7.00pm Pastoral Centre

next Session– Thursday 8th March

All are welcome for an evening of guided prayer and meditation during Lent. Each week we will meditate and discuss the com-ing Sunday’s Gospel and readings.

LENT 2018 STATIONS OF THE CROSS

WEDNESDAYS - FOLLOWING 9am Morning MASS

FRIDAYS - FOLLOWING 7pm Evening Mass

FRIDAYS IN LENT

Rosary –6.30pm

Holy Mass-7pm

Stations of the Cross 7.30pm following 7pm Mass

LENTEN MORNING DEVOTIONS FOLLOWING ALL MORNING MASSES

During the period of Lent , we are all invited join in our special Lenten morning devotions following the morning Masses. We will be reciting the chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

ALL WELCOME

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM 2018

INFORMATION EVENING

Monday 5 MARCH 2018 – 7pm PARISH HALL

Enrolment Masses for Reconciliation and Holy Communion

11th & 18th March at 10.30am Mass

RECONCILIATION PROGRAM:

All preparation sessions held on SUNDAYS after 10.30am Mass

Session 1: 6 May 2018 Session 2: 20 May 2018 Session 3: 27 May 2018 Session 4: 3 June 2018

RECONCILIATION LITURGY– WEDNESDAY 6 June 2018– 7.30pm

Any queries, please contact Chris on Mondays 2-4pm at the Parish office–ph 96372526.

FUNDRAISING 2018

We are seeking help from all Parishioners and their families to meet our ever increasing bills and maintenance repairs, to the Church and its surrounding buildings. For example, we have just had to pay an insurance bill of $24,000.00 to insure the Church and its surrounding buildings !!!

Here are some ways that you may be able to help us:

Donations: If you have some surplus income (specially business owners), we urge you to consider making a donation towards our ever increasing costs, please see Fathers Janusz and Peter James after Masses this weekend.

Commemorative Plaques & Benefactors Board plaques :

A reminder to all our Parishioners that we are still offering op-portunities to purchase our Commemorative “wall” plaques lo-cated on the walkway from the carpark to the Church. The wall plaques are valued at $1000.00 each. We are also offering plaques in the Parish office on our Bene-factors board for $250.00 each.

Order forms are available at the Parish office or see our Priests after the weekend Masses.

Thank you for your ongoing support and generosity

2ND RITE OF RECONCILIATION Tuesday 20 March 2018

7.30pm following 7pm MASS

The 2nd rite of Reconciliation will be available on the 20th

March following the 7pm Mass in preparation for Easter. We will commence with community Prayers to prepare for rec-onciliation, followed by the opportunity for individual confes-sions.

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY 6 MARCH 2018- 7.30pm

All Parish council members are invited to attend the next parish council meeting to be held on Tuesday 6th March at 7.30pm in the meeting/boardroom of the Parish office building.

ALTAR SERVERS MEETING & TRAINING SATURDAY 10 MARCH –10am

Our Parish is calling for dedicated young men who wish to serve at the Altar during Mass. A training program will begin on Saturday 10 March in SMM Church and continue every 2nd Saturday of each month during school term. To qualify you must have already received your first Holy Com-munion. One (1) parent/guardian is required to attend also.

For more information please contact Christopher Barnes on 0415663966 or email stmm.sacraments@outlook.com

D.A.D.S GROUP Devoted And Dedicated Superheroes

NEXT MEETING 6 MARCH 2018- 7pm St Margaret Mary’s Pastoral Centre

D.A.D.S is a group aiming to connect Fathers /other male carers of children with a disability, development delays, ASD or chronic illness to a support network for them and the whole family. For details please contact 0414 798 966.