Catholic Identity
PRAYER
Why do Catholics pray for the dead in November?
The month of November is traditionally a time in which the Catholic community remembers those who have died. It is related to the fact that we begin November by celebrating the Feast Days of All Saints and All Souls and that the end of November is the conclusion of the Liturgical Year. The New Church Year starts the First Sunday of Advent, which is the four week period of preparation before Christmas.
Here is a simple prayer your family may like to pray for the souls of any loved ones who have passed away:
All powerful God , whose mercy is never withheld
Look kindly on all who have departed this life
And number them among your saints for evermore
It is our certain faith that your Son, who died on the cross
Was raised from the dead, the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep.
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.
TERM 4 MASSES
Tomorrow we celebrate our final whole school Mass for the year @ 9:30 in the School Hall. Parents are welcome to join us for this Eucharistic Celebration.
COMMUNITY MASS
Last weekend we celebrated our final Community Mass for the year. A big thanks to the Year 1 students and their families who attended the Mass, participated as our Readers and led us in the final hymn. Scroll through the images below to see the Year 1 students and also to see some other past and present students. The musicians who led us on Saturday were wonderful! Thank you also to our Liturgy Planning team who have met regularly throughout the year to help us plan and prepare these Community Masses.
PARISH TAKE HOME SHEET