Parish News
Planned Giving
New sets of 2026/27 Planned Giving Envelopes are now available for collection in the Church Foyer. We encourage all Parishioners to join the giving system by either Weekly Envelope or Monthly Credit Card as this is the main income of the parish, by means of which we run everyday expenses, funds projects and plan for the future.
Tax deductibility is 30%. If you would like to join, please complete a form in the Church Foyer which can be returned via any collection plate or directly to the parish office.
Upcoming Altar Server Training Sessions
Children who have received their First Holy Communion (approximately 8 year olds and over) are eligible to train for altar serving at St Martha’s. The next round of training will be on 2 consecutive Thursdays 23rd July and 30th July at 3.30pm in the Church. The sign-up sheets are located in the church foyer. Parental consent and support is required so please take home and complete the consent form. Once trained, the children will be included on the weekend Mass roster so please nominate your preferred Mass time.
Working with Children Week
Working with Children Week 22–28 June 2026, is a great opportunity to reflect on how the decisions we make every day help keep children safe. This year’s theme Start safe: smarter recruitment for child safety, is less about compliance and more about judgement. It’s a reminder that child safety is built through people, culture and systems, often long before a child ever walks through the door. The questions we ask and the expectations that we set send clear signals about what matters in our parish community. When those signals are consistent and thoughtful, they help create a mindset where child safety is understood, prioritised and sustained. We celebrate Working with Children Week in recognition of over 1.9 million people who contribute to the lives of the state’s children. The Safeguarding Office would like to thank everyone for all that they do every day to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children within the Archdiocese of Sydney. Working with Children Week is a chance to celebrate those all those who put children first. The Safeguarding Office is committed to providing safe environments for our children by maintaining an open and inclusive culture.
We take this opportunity to especially thank our Parish Safeguarding Support Officer Dianne Dawson who dedicates a tremendous amount of time to assist our parish community with training and compliance. 2026 Colouring Pages are available at the side entrance.
Holy Father's Appeal
The next parish appeal will be the annual Holy Father’s Appeal held across the weekend 4th & 5th July. This appeal, also known as Peter’s Pence, is a gesture of solidarity with the universal Church to support the works of the Holy Father Pope Leo. Scan the QR or donate online https://www.ourfaithourworks.org/give-to-holy-fathers-appeal/
John Joseph Therry - Irish Landlord
New Biography challenges century-long clerical interpretations of Irish Australian pioneer
By Damian John Gleeson, PhD.
John Joseph Therry: Irish landlord, merchant and priest in the Australian colonies offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of Fr Therry’s religious, commercial, and personal affairs. New research drawing on thousands of previously unpublished Irish and Australian manuscripts reveals that Fr John Joseph Therry — long celebrated as the saintly founder of Australian Catholicism — accumulated a vast property portfolio and regularly engaged in unethical commercial dealings in the penal colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land. Written by award winning historian Dr Damian John Gleeson, this first lay‑authored biography of Therry overturns more than a century of traditional inaccurate hero-style narratives.
Orders: colonialpressorders@gmail.com
