Catholic Identity
PRAYER
Why is Advent Important to Catholics?
In an age when we are inundated with sounds, words, music and can be online 24/7, it can be difficult to hear God’s words. Advent provides us with an opportunity to be quiet and listen to God. In last Sunday’s Gospel we heard about John the Baptist, who spent time in the desert preparing for his mission to tell the world about Jesus.
What is an Advent Wreath
The Advent wreath serves as a spiritual compass on our journey in preparation for the nativity of our Lord. It symbolizes hope, peace, joy and love through its four candles, each representing a week leading up to the birth of Christ. The diagram below explains the various elements of an Advent Wreath from the colours of candles that should be used to its origins.
Here is a simple prayer your family may like to pray as you light your Advent Candles:
All powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good
That Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming
And call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven,
Where he lives and reigns with you
And the Holy Spirit one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
PARISH NEWS
Advent Group
Everyone is invited to a weekly Advent Reflection for three weeks every Wednesday night around 7:00pm at Penola Hub. These sessions will be held on the 4th Dec, 11th Dec and 18th Dec. If you are interested, please list your name on the clipboard which is located near the altar in the St Andrew’s Church.
New Auxiliary Bishops for Melbourne
The Archdiocese of Melbourne has 5 Bishops, Archbishop Peter Comensoli and four Auxiliary Bishops. This is because the Archdiocese of Melbourne is the largest diocese in Australia. Pope Francis recently appointed two new Auxiliary Bishops for Melbourne; Reverend Father Thinh Nguyen and Reverend Father Rene Ramirez RCJ. Both Bishops-elect will join Bishop Martin Ashe and Bishop Tony Ireland in bringing together the leadership of the four regions of the Archdiocese. The Episcopal Ordination for the Bishops-elect is to take place in the morning of 1 February 2025 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne. Below is a profile of each:
Fr Thinh Xuan Nguyen
Born in 1973 in Saigon, Vietnam, is the 3rd youngest of nine brothers and four sisters. Fr Thinh arrived in Australia at 13 years of age, and took up secondary studies at Redden Catholic College in Preston Victoria. He later obtained a Bachelor of Building Engineering and a Diploma in Lighting Design whilst working with an engineering firm. In 1999, he entered Corpus Christi College Regional Seminary Carlton and was ordained on 16 September 2006.
Fr Thinh has served in the Melbourne Archdiocesan parishes of Deer Park; Fitzroy and Bennettswood, and has also served as Chaplain to Archdiocesan Office of Youth, Chaplain to the University of Melbourne, Formator at Corpus Christi College (Regional Seminary), and Assistant Vocations Director for the Archdiocese. In 2022, Fr Thinh was appointed Co-ordinator of Clergy, Life and Ministry, the Archdiocesan Office that undertakes ongoing formation of Clergy in the human, intellectual, pastoral and spiritual areas of their lives.
Fr Rene Ramirez RCJ
Fr Rene Ramirez, born on 28 March, 1969, and hails from Gapan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, a city located 90 km north of Manila. He has been a priest since June 1998 having joined the Congregation of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus in May 1985. After having worked in the Philippines for many years, upon arrival in Australia, Fr Rene became the pastor of Holy Family Parish in October 2015, overseeing the Catholic communities of West Footscray, Maidstone, and Braybrook within the Archdiocese of Melbourne.