The Catholic Parish of Epping

and Carlingford

The Diocese of Broken Bay

Our Lady Help of Christians’ Church 33 Oxford St, Epping and Primary School Epping 8 Cambridge St, Epping

St Gerard Majella’s Church and Primary School, Carlingford 543 North Rocks Rd, Carlingford

YEAR A FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 16-07-17

Isaiah 55:10-11 Romans 8:18-23 Mathew 13:1-23

Weekend Mass Times

Epping: 5:00 pm Vigil, 8:30am, 10:15am, 6:00pm Carlingford: 6:00pm Vigil, 7:45am, 9:30am

Weekday Mass Times

Carlingford Epping

Monday 9:30am No Liturgy

Tuesday No Liturgy 12:15pm

Wednesday 9:30am 10:00am

Thursday 9:30am 12:15pm

Friday 9:30am 12:15pm

Saturday No Liturgy 9:15am

Healing Mass Carlingford Epping 1st Thursday 10:00am 3rd Wednesday 10:00am

Exposition of the Eucharist Carlingford Epping

4th Thursday Saturday

9:55-10:25am 9:45-10:15am

Sacrament of Reconciliation Carlingford Epping Saturday 5:00- 5:30pm 9:45-10:15am

Parish Office for Epping and Carlingford

29 Oxford Street, Epping NSW 2121 Ph.: 9876 2853 Fax: 9868 5413 Email: parish@eppcarl.org.au

Parish Priest: Fr Peter Dowd Ph.: 9876 2853 Email: peter@eppcarl.org.au Assistant Priest: Fr Anselam Lakra Ph.: 9872 3400 Email: anselam@eppcarl.org.au

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Responsorial Psalm Response

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia! The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever. Alleluia!

Lord, in Jesus your Son, you restored to us the gift of Everlasting life. Grant that life to:

Recently deceased: Joan Shepherd, Rev Ken Shilito, Gwendolyn (Gwen) Amerasinghe, Emma Gavin (Grand-daughter Margaret Coonan), Joyce Hayne, Terry Burrows, Marie Dunn, Stephen Wighton.

Anniversaries: Mark Hil l ier, Richard Barry, Christine Hyde.

Also for: John & Elizabeth McEnearney, Jack & Noon Barry

PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK: Sean Huhse, Ted Sawyer, Joel Steinberg, Patricia Rumble, Dean Pan, Stuart Craig, John Davies, Nicole Greenfield, Michael Furlong, Hubert Fonseca, Saulius Dovydas Balsya, Ilija Vukovic, Residents of Wesley Rayward Nursing Home, Rose Prior, Mark Di Palma, C Wright, Helen Evans, Daniel Camilleri, Anthony Conlon, Amy, Gabriel Miles, Andrew Hannam, The Craig Family, Fr Mick Court, Margaret Maher, Fred Camilleri, Anne-Maree Bailey, Cooper Rundell, Stephen Roberts, Moya Kedy, Anna & Leo Bruzze, Ger-hard Stieger, Fred Saad, Judy Wright, Cedric Fernandes, Greg Walsh, Marion Barton, John Gilberti, Stella Nathan, Catherine Walsh, Brendan Stone, Ray Book, Melanie Loudoun, Emilie Kwan, Jocelyn Hatton, Pauline Hensley, Mary Wijewardana, Pam Taig, Elaine Hunt, Arnold Day, Rebecca Molloy, Marcie Power, Maureen Carlon, Fr Adrian Borst, Sandra Molloy, Augustine Hong, Rebecca Lawler, Luba Charlton, Fr Peter McGrath, Tony ?, George Khouri, Martin Sill, Antony Hogan, Maria Celdran Pilapil, Ingrid Connor, Steve Toth, Rob Neil, Yohan Yim.

Due to privacy laws, names of the sick & deceased can only be put in the bulletin with the permission of the immediate family.

Date Mass Epping Mass Carlingford

22/07/17 5:00pm Fr Peter Dowd 6:00pm Fr Anselam Lakra

23/07/17 8:30am Fr Peter Dowd 7:45am Fr Anselam Lakra

23/07/17 10:15am Fr Peter Dowd 9:30am Fr Anselam Lakra

23/07/17 6:00pm Fr Peter Dowd

St Gerard Majella Primary School Principal: Ann Milling Ph: 9871 1633 Email: sgc@dbb.catholic.edu.au Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School Principal: Dominique O’Sullivan Ph: 9868 3322 Email: olhc@dbb.catholic.edu.au

To our parish of Epping and Carlingford made up of our two worshipping com-munities of St Gerard Majella’s at Car-lingford and Our Lady Help of Chris-tians at Epping.

If you are visiting today we are glad that you are with us, and we hope that our celebrations of the Eucharist togeth-er will provide both nourishment and challenge on your Christian journey.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about our communities at Epping or Carlingford please visit our parish office at Epping, or call (02) 9876 2853..

We hope you enjoy your time here at Epping or Carlingford. Please visit us again soon.

WELCOME TO ALPHA!

What is Alpha?

Alpha is a modern approach to Christianity. It’s not only for involved Catholics but for everyone. Each week, Alpha showcases extremely high-quality videos, which explore the many layers of Christianity. The hospitable approach to Alpha events not only in-cludes providing food for all involved, but allows for people from all walks of life to openly talk, question and discuss concepts featured throughout the night without fear of judgement. It’s through an open minded approach that Alpha finds success in introducing Jesus to those who attend the events over a number of weeks, allowing them to develop their own understanding and relationship with the Christian faith. Alpha begins at Epping and Carlingford in late August. Our Parish is offering Alpha to help you grow in your faith. Every parishioner should strongly consider at-tending a daytime or evening session. And think also about who you might bring along! If you would like to join our parish Alpha team, as an organiser, catering, helper, admin assistant, marketer or anything in between, please call Dennis or Maree at the parish office on 9876 2853 or email dennis@eppcarl.org.au or maree@eppcarl.org.au A meeting will also be held this coming Tuesday, 7:30pm in the meeting room at St Gerard’s Fr Peter

To our parish of Epping and Car-lingford made up of our two wor-shipping communities of St Gerard Majella’s at Carlingford and Our Lady Help of Christians at Epping.

If you are visiting today we are glad that you are with us, and we hope that our celebrations of the Eucharist together will provide both nourishment and challenge on your Christian journey.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about our com-munities at Epping or Carlingford please visit our parish office at Ep-ping, or call (02) 9876 2853..

We hope you enjoy your time here at Epping or Carlingford. Please visit us again soon.

Celebrations this Week 15th Week in Ordinary Time

Saturday: Feast, St Mary Magdalene

GERRY’S PLAYGROUP

St Gerard’s hosts a “Playgroup” for families in our community. It is an informal session where parents, grandparents, carers, babies and children aged 0 to school age come together in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Playgroup gives children an opportunity to have fun, make new friends and develop new skills through informal play

Playgroup provides parents and carers with an opportunity to meet other parents and carers, make friends and share ideas and experiences

St Gerard’s playgroup is a great way to get to know other families in our school community. The Playgroup meets every Monday morn-ing during the school term in the parish hall. Parking is available via Roselea Way in the car park behind the school. Access to the parish hall is via the gate at the back of

the school. Playgroup Coordinator

Tracey - GerryPlaygroup-

group@gmail.com

LITTLE ENGINES PLAYGROUP

The Little Engines Playgroup meets every Monday during school term. Our playgroup is a very informal morning session designed for all children from 0-5 years. Mums, dads and grandparents and friends are welcome to come and join us in the parish hall in Our Lady Help of Christians,

Epping from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Cost is $2 per family. For more information contact the parish office on 9876 2853.

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Parish Mission Statement

We are a diverse Catholic community centred in the Eucharist. We gather for worship; to serve and reach out to others as we grow in relationship with God and each other.

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THE NICENE CREED

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, At the words that follow, up to and including ‘and became man’, all bow. and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

GLORIA Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world,

receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

PARISH STAFF

Parish Secretary: Dennis Porteous Ph.: 9876 2853 Email: dennis@eppcarl.org.au Asst. Parish Secretary (Vol) Maree Balzulat Ph.: 9876 2853 Email: maree@eppcarl.org.au Pastoral Care Assistant Maree Balzulat Ph.: 9876 2853 Email: maree@eppcarl.org.au Children’s Sacramental Coordinator: Lynn Siau Ph.: 0407 255 593 Email: kids.sacrament@eppcarl.org.au Cana Youth Group Ashleigh Belic Ph.: 0430 120 015

The Truth Justice and Healing Council

www.thecouncil.org.au or phone 6234 0900

AFTER HOURS SICK CALLS Outside office hours both office phones divert to Fr Peter or Fr Anselam at home. In the event that they are unavailable, their answering machines will record your message. However, please re-strict office and routine enquiries to office hours.

THE PARISH WEBSITE www.eppcarl.org.au contains a complete directory of parish life and downloads of important documents. Alternatively Parish information Booklets are available at the back of both of our Churches.

ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS Our parish is strongly committed to ecumenism and a formal Covenant has been signed with the Anglican Parish of Epping, Epping Uniting Church, West Ep-ping Uniting Church and Epping, Baptist Church.

PLANNED GIVING

Just a reminder that your new Planned Giving Envelopes for 2017/2018 will be available for collection from the back of the Churches next weekend 24/25th June 2017. Please note that there are new envelope num-

bers

Old Epping numbers 151 –200 Old Carlingford numbers 1176-1200

have been reallocated new envelope numbers.

RECEIPTS WILL BE AVAILABLE TOWARDS THE END OF JULY

Broken Bay Bible Conference 2017 The Gospel of Matthew: Journey into Discipleship Registrations are now open for the 2017 Bible Conference. As we ex-plore the Jewish-Christian tapestry of Matthews Gospel, we discover

again for ourselves who we are really called to be. Why are we called? To whom are we sent? Mat-thew will be the guide on our journey into disciple-ship.

Presented by: Rev Dr Chris Monaghan CP (Lecturer in Bible studies and president Yarra The-ological Union) and Dr Debra Snoddy (Lecturer in Biblical Studies Catholic Institute of Sydney), with participation by Bishop David Walker and Bishop P Comensoli.

Date: Friday/ Saturday 6 -7 October 2017

Venue: Caroline Chisholm Centre, Building 2, 423 Pennant Hills Road, Pennant Hills.

Cost: $66 for 2 -day Conference, or $33 per day.

RSVP: www .trybooking.com/ QDGZ by 3rd October, Enquiries faith.formation@dbb.org.au or call 9847 0474

Serra Vocations Mass and Dinner Meeting Fr Vincent Nguyen, Assistant Priest of the Cathedral Parish, w ill be celebrating Mass for Serra at Sacred Heart Church, 2 Richard Porter Way Pymble on Thursday 27th July 2017. After dinner Father Vincent will be joining us for the viewing of a YouTube video of a talk given by Father Richard Leonard sj with the title "9 Steps to Making Better Choices for My Life". Following the video Father Vincent will join with Serrans and guests to discuss the main points of learning from the talk. The evening will commence with Mass at 6.30PM followed by a light meal and a short meeting. Everyone is welcome. Please remember to pray every day for vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and the consecrated life, for the perse-verance of existing vocations and for all seminarians and novices. Please telephone: Terry Scanlan on 0438 887 295 or email terry_scanlan@bigpond.com if you would like to attend.

The Parish – An Initiating Community

Just how well do we as a parish receive those who want to know more about Christianity and our Catholic faith? RCIA is the process that guides enquirers along a journey of self discovery and conversion, by inviting them to partici-pate in the life of the parish – and the

parish sharing its own life with the enquirers. What better way to check us out! Our meetings are held in homes. There is prayer and a short presentation covering our be-liefs, values, traditions. Then discussion and questions over a “cuppa.” The experience of being involved in this process of prepa-ration and formation as we journey towards the celebra-tion of Easter and initiation is extremely rewarding, not only for the enquirers (as they have the opportunity to meet members of the parish community), but also for us as parishioners. Often it seems more rewarding for we “initiated Catholics” sharing faith, experience, hospitality and friendship with each other. Dates for Enquiry Meetings: Epping— Parish Meeting Room Saturday 22 July at 6:15pm (after Vigil Mass) Sunday 23 July at 11:30am (after 10:15am Mass) Carlingford—Parish Meeting Room Saturday 29 July at 7:15pm (after Vigil Mass) Sunday 30 July at 10:45am (after 9:30am Mass) There is growth and fulfilment for all who are involved. To better implement RCIA in Epping and Carlingford we want to expand our core team to better address the needs of enquirers. As well, there is the extended parish support required for the process. Everyone has a gift or talent to offer. The more people that are actively involved ensure a dynamic experience of parish for all. If you would like to become involved in any of the follow-ing ways, please complete the details on the tear-off slip below and return to either Parish Office at Epping or drop in the post box located in the door of the parish meeting room at Carlingford. —————–————-—————-——————————

RCIA Expression of Interest Name…………………………………………………………………………. Ph/Mobile.…………………………………………..……………….. Email address:………………………………………………………. Team Member/Support

Hospitality/Welcoming

Possible Presenter/Facilitator

Host. Enquiry Home Meeting/s

Possible Sponsor/Companion

Host, Neighbourhood Home

Liturgical Support Gathering

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PARISH DIARY FOR THIS WEEK

Day Date Time Type of Activity

Sun. 16/07/17 9:30am No Kidz Word at Carlingford—School holidays

10:15am No Kidz Word at Epping—School holidays

11:15am PMR Carlingford Baptism Preparation Meeting

6:30pm PMR Carlingford Antioch Meeting

Mon. 17/07/17 9:00am No Little Engines Playgroup—School holidays

9:30am Gerry’s Playgroup at Carlingford—School holidays

9:30am Mass at St Gerard ‘s

7:30pm CH Carlingford Rosary Group

8:00pm PMR Carlingford SVdP Meeting

Tues. 18/07/17 12:15pm Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians

7:00pm CH Carlingford Adult Choir Practice

7:30pm PMR Carlingford ALPHA meeting

Wed. 19/07/17 9:30am Mass at St Gerard’s

10:00am Healing Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians

4:30pm PMR Carlingford Level 3 Catechist Course

Thur. 20/07/17 9:30am Mass at St Gerard’s

10:15am OLHC Class Mass Yr. 4

12:15pm Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians

Fri. 21/07/17 9:30am Mass at St Gerard’s

10:00am PMR Carlingford—Scripture Reflection

12:15pm Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians

7:00pm No CANA Group meeting

Sat. 22/07/17 9:15am Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians

9:45am Exposition and Reconciliation

10:20am Benediction

5:00pm Reconciliation at St Gerard’s

5:00pm Vigil Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians

6:00pm Vigil Mass at St Gerard’s

PH-Parish Hall, CH-Church, PMR–Parish Meeting Room,

Reflection this Sunday’s Gospel Reading—To Whom Can We Go? “To whom else shall we go? You have the message of eternal life.” Peter says these words to Jesus. But they are spoken in a very conflicted context: Jesus had just said something that upset and offended his audience and the gospels tell us that everyone walked away grumbling that what Jesus was teaching was “intolerable.” Jesus then turns to his apostles and asks them: “Do you want to walk away too?” Peter answers: “To whom else can we go?” But that’s more a statement of stoic resignation than an actual question. His words function at two levels. On the surface, they express an unwanted humility and helplessness that sometimes beset us all: “I have no alternative! I’m so invested in this relationship that now I have no other options. I’m stuck with this!” That’s a humble place to stand and anyone who has ever given himself or herself over in an authentic commitment will eventually stand on that place, knowing that he or she no longer has an-other practical choice. But those words also express a much deeper quandary, namely, where can I find meaning if I cannot find it in faith in God? All of us have at some point asked ourselves that question. If I didn’t believe in God and had no faith or religion, what would give meaning to my life? Where can we go if we no longer have an explicit faith in God? A lot of places, it seems. I think immediately of so many attractive stoics who have wrestled with this question and found solace in various forms of what Al-bert Camus would call “metaphysical rebellion” or in the kind of Epicureanism that Nikos Kazantzakis advocates in Zorba, the Greek. There’s a stoicism which offers its own kind of salvation by drawing life and meaning simp-ly from fighting chaos and disease for no other reason than that that these cause suffering and are an affront to life, just as there is an Epicureanism that meaningfully grounds life in elemental pleasure. There are, it would seem, different kinds of saints. There are also different kinds of immortality. For some, meaning outside of an explicit faith, is found in leaving a lasting legacy on this earth, having children, achieving something monumental, or becoming a household name. We’re all familiar with the axiom: Plant a tree; write a book; have a child!

Poets, writers, artists, and artisans often have their own place to find meaning outside of ex-plicit faith. For them, creativity and beauty can be ends in themselves. Art for art’s sake. Cre-ativity itself can seem enough. And there are still others for whom deep meaning is found simply in being good for its own sake and in being honest for its own sake. There’s also virtue for virtue’s sake and virtue is indeed its own reward. Simply living an honest and generous life can provide sufficient mean-ing with which to walk through life.

So, it appears that there are places to go outside of explicit faith where one can find deep meaning. But is this really so? Don’t we believe that true meaning can only be found in God? What about St. Augustine’s classic line? You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until the rest in you. Can anything other than faith and God really quiet the restless fires within us? Yes, there are things that can do that, but all of them—fighting chaos, curing diseases, having children, living for others, building things, inventing things, achieving goals, or simply living honest and generous lives—leave us, in an inchoate way, radiating the transcendental properties of God and working alongside God to bring life and order to the world. How so? Christian theology tells us that God is One, True, Good, and Beautiful. And so, when an artist gives herself over to creating beauty, when a couple has a child, when scientists work to find cures for various diseases, when artisans make an artifact, when builders build, when teachers teach, when parents parent, when athletes play a game, when manual laborers labor, when administrators administrate, when people just for the sake integrity itself live in honesty and generosity, and, yes, even when hedonists drink deeply of earthily pleasure, they are, all of them, whether they have explicit faith or not, acting in some faith because they are putting their trust in either the Oneness, Truth, Goodness, or Beauty of God. Lord, to whom else can we go? You have the message of eternal life. Well, it seems that there are places to go and many go there. But these aren’t necessarily, as is sometimes suggested by misguided spiritual literature, empty places that are wrong and self-destructive. There are, of course, such places, spiritual dead-ends; but, more generally, as we can see simply by looking at the amount of positive energy, love, creativity, generosity, and honesty that still fill our world, those places where people are seeking God outside of explicit faith still has them meeting God.

Ron Rolheiser

Used with permission of the author, Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser. Currently, Father Rolheiser is serving as President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio Texas. He can be contacted through his web site, www.ronrolheiser.com.

SUPPORTING THE PARISH FINANCIALLY We thank all those who currently contrib-ute to the support of our parish financial-ly. However, if you don’t currently have Weekly Envelopes or arrangements for periodical contribution could we invite you to consider one of the following methods of contributing. The Parish Giving Programme consists of

Weekly Envelopes

Periodically (a reminder letter will be sent to you) either quarterly, half-yearly or yearly;

Monthly via Credit Card;

Monthly via your Bank Account (we will provide you with a form to sign to au-thorise a Direct Debit contribution.

Please visit the Parish Office of ring on (02) 9876 2853 or email par-ish@eppcarl.org.au .

CATECHISTS & HELPERS URGENTLY REQUIRED Catechists and helpers are urgently re-quired for classes at Epping and Carling-ford. The Catechist Ministry is one which reaches out to the children who attend State Schools; the catechist shares his/her faith with the children. Become a cate-chist to-day; enjoy belonging to this spe-cial ministry – training and all teaching resources provided. If you can assist please contact Ana Da Costa on 9876 6876.

Lord, to whom else can we go? You have the message of eternal life.

To the People of the Diocese of Broken Bay

Tuesday, 4th July 2017

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It is with great joy that, upon careful discernment and inquiry, I announce to you the Ordination of Mr Adrian Gomez to the Order of Deacons, as a Permanent Deacon in the Diocese of Broken Bay.

I am confident that Adrian comes to this moment well formed, and prepared for the Diaconal ministry. He is a long-time active parishioner of the Catholic Parish of Ku-ring-gai Chase as well as Youth Ministry Coordinator and Assistant Reli-gious Coordinator (Liturgy) at St Leo’s Catholic College. Adrian’s responses to the call to serve the Lord and his people as a Deacon is truly a gift to our Diocese.

Adrian’s Ordination will take place on Friday 11 August 2017 at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral commencing at 7pm. I take this opportunity to invite you to be present with Adrian, and his wife Cristina and their family, on this most joyous occasion.

L know that you will join me in keeping Adrian in your prayers during this time, along with his family.

With every grace and blessing in the Lord. Yours sincerely in Christ Jesus, Most Rev Peter A Comensoli Bishop of Broken Bay

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CANA: OUR yrs. 7-9 YOUTH GROUP

CANA is in a recess period until the beginning of Term 4

Our Parish Antioch Community Yr. 10—22yrs

MEETING THIS SUNDAY

Come along to the Antioch meeting to hear a great talk, join in discussion time, get

into some awesome music, take time out for prayer and meet heaps of

great young people from our parish!

The meeting starts at 6:30pm in the parish meeting room @ Carlingford, so head on down and bring a friend.

ALL Yr. 10—22year olds are

VERY WELCOME!

It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians” ~ Acts 11:26

CHILDREN’S SACRAMENTAL CONFIRMATION 2017

Enrolments for Confirmation are now open and will close on Sunday 23rd July. Forms are available at the back of both churches and on the parish website www.eppcarl.org.au

To access the form from the website, please look under Sacraments. Click Sacramental Information then scroll down to the heading First Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Communion. You will find the pdf files you require. Or look under Downloads and scroll down to the form and brochures. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us and we will forward you a copy of the form. In our Diocese of Broken Bay, children who have been baptised and are in Year 2 or above are eligible to celebrate this Sacrament. To enrol your child, please complete the Enrolment form and forward to the parish office by Sunday 23rd July or place it in the parish mailbox at either of our Churches. The parish mailbox at both our Churches are located at: St. Gerard Majella's, Carlingford - on the door of the parish meeting room (near the parish toilets); Our Lady Help of Christians, Epping - on the green door which is the main entrance to the old school building (across the Vinnies clothing bins). Children enrolled in this Sacrament’s preparation are required to attend a session once a week with their parent over 4 weeks. Upon completion, these chil-dren (also known as Candidates) will go on to cele-brate Confirmation in our parish on Sunday, 10th September. Please contact Lynn if you have any queries or would like more information regarding your child’s sacra-mental journey within our parish. Lynn Siau Children’s Sacramental Coordinator 0407 255 593 kids.sacrament@eppcarl.org.au

From 25th-27th August, Margaret (Meg) James (flautist for the Carlingford 7:45am Mass) will be participating in the Oxfam Trailwalker. This is a 100km bushwalk that needs to be completed in 48 hours, so sleep is not likely! The trail is tough, covering the Great North Walk from Brooklyn to Balgowlah Heights.

The event raises money for Oxfam, helping to combat poverty all over the world, including those starving in Africa and those displaced through war. Oxfam Australia has reached over 2.5million people through long term development work and disaster relief.

Last year, only about 50% of entrants finished the 100km. Despite this, Margaret is keen to give it her best. If you can, please consider sponsoring her team at http://oxf.tw/28820 . And a few prayers to keep the snakes away and spirits up won’t go astray either!

EPPING HEALING MASS Our Healing and Anoint-ing Mass will take place on Wednesday, 19th July at 10:00am in the Church. Morning tea w ill be served at the conclusion of Mass in the meeting room. Catering: Carmel Avis & Marie Herd.

CATECHISTS & HELPERS URGENTLY REQUIRED Primary school Catechists and helpers are urgently required for classes at Epping and Carlingford. The Catechist Ministry is one which reaches out to the children who attend State Schools; the catechist shares his/her faith with the children. Become a catechist to-day; enjoy belonging to this special ministry – training and all teaching resources provid-ed. If you can assist please contact Ana Da Costa on 9876 6876.

CLASS MASS Yr. 4 Class Mass at Our Lady Help of Chris-tians’ School, Epping this Thursday 20th July at 10:15am. All class families are welcome!

Every Story has a Family: Telling the Chris-tian Storey of Family Life What story does the Christian family have to tell amidst the challenges and opportunities of today’s living? Our Christian belief tells us we are not alone and these stories reflect the nature of being alive as human beings as Pope Francis’ encycli-cal on the family, Amoris Laetitia, tells us: “The Bible is full of families, births, love stories and family crises. This is true from its very first page…”Come and reflect with Bishop Peter on the Christian story of family life. Presenter: Most Rev Dr Peter Comensoli Date: Tuesday 8th August 2017 Time: 7:30pm—9:00pm Venue: The Light of Christ Centre, end of Yardly Ave, Waitara RSVP: By Friday 4 August 2017 to registrations@dbb.org.au or 9847 0448

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is a Marriage Enrichment experience for married couples – set in peaceful, picturesque surroundings, away from the dis-tractions of everyday life. During the weekend, couples have a unique opportunity to reconnect, rekindle and refresh their relationship. Take time out of your busy schedule, to invest in your most precious asset . . . your Marriage! Weekend date: 18th to 20th August at Mt Carmel Re-treat Centre, Varroville, NSW Bookings online at www.wwme.org.au or Adrian and Janet Sullivan: on 0490 774 419 or adrian.janet1@bigpond.com

What are the Collections used for at Mass?

There are generally two collections taken up at Mass.

The first collection is for the support of clergy in the parish and beyond.

The second collection is for the maintenance and growth of our parish’s mission. For example:

Liturgical needs.

Salaries

Utilities

Resources

Maintenance of the churches

Parish sacramental formation and pastoral pro-grams.

Your donations are ideally offered through the parish Planned Giving Program, and can be donated electron-ically (the ideal way) or via cash or an envelope sys-tem. To find our more please contact the parish office.

Special Collections—sometimes a special collection for a local or international Catholic charity will be an-nounced within the Mass. These special collections might allow the Church and its agencies to offer assis-tance to the needy in the parish, provide resources to humanitarian missions internationally, or ensure re-tired members of our clergy and religious orders are cared for during their old age.

Bequests, Wills and Special Donations—The Church also gratefully accepts bequests, inclusion in wills and donations of securities or property. Further infor-mation regarding these donations is available from the parish office.

Thank you for supporting our Parish.

I believe in One Lord Jesus Christ

“Jesus is Lord” (Rom 10:10) was proclaimed by the early Church as its most concise creedal statement. Rather than some pious cliché, this was, for the early Chris-tians,a radical political and subversive statement. To say ‘Jesus is Lord’ was testing and provoking the Roman pledge of allegiance that every Roman citizen had to shout when they raised their hand to the Roman insignia: ‘Caesar is Lord.’ Early Christians were quite aware that their ‘citizenship’ was in a new universal kingdom, announced by Jesus (Phil 3:20), and that the kingdoms of this world were not their primary loyalty systems. Our Lord—Jesus—showed no undue loyalty either to his Jewish religion or to his Roman occupied Jewish country. Instead, he radically critiqued them both, and in that he revealed and warned against the idolatrous relation-ships that many people have with today’s idols, like exces-sive nationalism or obsessive devotion to money. Furthermore, the words we pledge each Sunday are not just some otherworldly ‘churchy’ language. We should never forget when we solemnly recite the Creed—’I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ—that Jesus was a layman! He was not a priest or scribe, or in any way an es-tablished person. He is called a priest in the New Testament on theological grounds, but, socially, he was not part of the religious establishment. Sometimes, we tend to think he was, and so miss the scandalous edge to his behaviour. In other words, the founder of our religion, and the source of our holiness, is inextricably connected to the real world and lives of lay people. Of course, Jesus of Nazareth is not just some figure from history. In some mysterious way, beyond our understanding but not beyond our belief, he is still with us. Jesus promised to be so until the end of time. He keeps his promise. Not a mere memory or influence, not merely living on through his followers in the movements he founded (as Marx or Moham-med does), not a vague spiritual presence, but corporeally with us; the whole Risen Christ with us, invisible, but really present/ This is the Christian belief. It is an enormous claim. Nevertheless, with a leap of faith, we make the claim as we pray the Credo. For we are baptised into an ongoing and intense union with Christ. It is that permanent union with Jesus which achieves our required surrender of faith. We do it ‘in Christ.’ The bus driver going about his work, the nurse caring for the patients in hospital, because they are baptised Christians, do all they do in Jesus Christ and for God the Father. They are bathed in the presence and energy of God. Perhaps only poetry helps us, as disciples, to express this sublime truth: I say more: the just man justices; Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces; Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is— Christ—for Christ plays in ten thousand places, Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his to the Father through the features of men’s faces. Gerard Manly Hopkins Our personal relationship to this living Christ, Jesus—Our Lord—is our most precious treasure of faith. ’Jesus is Lord’ (Rom 10:10) and faith in him is our only way forward, in season and out. Written by Br Mark O’Connor FMS