May 31, 2020 – Pentecost Sunday

The announcement this week by the Victorian State Government that churches are now permitted to admit twenty people to religious services might be seen as “one small step”, as far as St. Simon’s Parish is concerned. But in its own way, it is a “giant leap” in the direction which will hopefully and eventually give all who wish to attend Mass the opportunity to do so.

The change from ten to twenty attendees will be accompanied by some minor but important alterations to the schedule for Masses here. These will - again gradually - lead us further along the path of the provision of Mass as we would wish to be available always. Should the number of permitted attendees be altered by Government regulations, appropriate adjustments will be made accordingly.

However, for the next three weeks (until Friday June 19) daily Mass will be celebrated Monday to Saturday at 10.15am.

The Sunday liturgy Masses will be the Saturday Vigil Mass (June 6 and 13) at 5.00pm (not 6.00pm) and on Sunday (June 7 and 14) at 10.15am.

As you would be aware, the daily Masses on our website (watched by many people from both within and outside our parish) are pre-recorded, and the pre-recorded Sunday Masses over the next fortnight will be celebrated on Thursday June 4 and on Wednesday June 10, both at 12 noon.

Registration procedure (email: massrequest@stsimonsparish.com.au) will continue and will remain essential if the gradual return to the “open church” to which we were accustomed is to be achieved.

As we know, “We’re all in this together”. As Victorians and as a parish we’ve made some significant ground in the past few weeks by doing our utmost to abide by the restrictions, even those which may sometimes seem inconsistent and even unfair. But we have achieved much through our respect for the total community of which we are each a part. Please God, we’ll continue to do so.

Also, congratulations to Bishop Mr Edwards O.M.I. who has this week been appointed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Wagga Wagga. Bishop Mark is the son of parishioners Graham and Tineke Edwards. A former student of Mazenod College, he was ordained a bishop in 2014 and has since served as an Auxiliary Bishop in the eastern region and currently the western region of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

He has been publicly and rightly recognised as being “pastoral and inclusive”. St. Simon’s Parish congratulates Bishop Mark, Tineke and Graham, and all the Edwards family on this important appointment by Pope Francis.

The Wagga Diocese has been vacant for three years, and the appointment is being warmly welcomed by the people of this large New South Wales diocese.

Fr. Kevin Dillon

Parish Notices

NEW RULES for Mass Attendance

From Monday, 1 June 2020 we are allowed by the Victorian Government to have 20 people attend Mass in our Church, up from the 10 people currently allowed. We will also be adding a Saturday 5.00pm Mass to the schedule. So from Monday June 1, Mass will be celebrated on: Monday to Sunday at 10:15 am (with the Monday to Thursday Masses being filmed).

Mass will also be celebrated on Thurs. June 4, Wed. June 10 and Thurs. June 18 at noon, (for filming of the Sunday Mass for the following weekend), AND ALSO on Saturdays at 5.00pm.

Please register (1) the full names of all intended attendees, (2) your telephone number, (3) your email address and (4) your preferred Mass day(s), by emailing to: massrequest@stsimonsparish.com.au. If you don’t have access to email, you can phone 0491 176 149 - but email is preferred if possible. You will receive a confirmation number within a day and should only attend if you have received this confirmation. Please do NOT contact the Parish Office phone or email for Mass attendance registrations.

Note: These new rules apply from Monday, June 1, 2020 until Friday, June 19, 2020 inclusive. From Saturday, June 20, we are planning to add two more weekend Masses, with details of this to be announced on June 11.

Next ZOOM & Soul Thursday, June 4 at 7.30pm

To join us, please email Loretta (Pastoral Associate) Loretta@stsimonsparish.com.au or call the Parish Office and we will forward you the login details.

BIBLE STUDY via ZOOM on MATTHEW’S GOSEPL

This program will run fortnightly over 6 sessions from 7.30pm to 8.30pm starting June 16. SESSION DATES: June 2, 16, 30, July 14, 28, August 11 & 25

To Register or Express interest for MORNING sessions, please email Loretta at loretta@stsimonsparish.com.au or call the Parish Office on 9764 4058.

Cinema or Movie Clubs

Any parishioner who would like to be involved with a Movie or Cinema Club (this is possible, even within our “Lockdown” situation) is invited to contact Fr. Kevin (0421 777 360 or frkd@stsimonsparish.com.au). We will need six or more peopleto form a “club” where a book can be read or a movie viewed, with “members” coming together online for a discussion and social catch-up.

Volunteer NEEDED

As you may have seen, the Parish is providing pre-recorded services online through our YouTube channel. This is proving an important way for parishioners to experience a form of Mass. Now that we have finished the Easter services, we will be trying to do this for weekday services from Monday to Friday and for the Sunday services. We are seeking volunteers who can help with the video editing of the pre-recordings for the weekday Masses to help our Business Manager, Peter Evans, who has been doing all the editing. (Peter will continue to do the Sunday Masses, as this also has to be prepared for rebroadcast on The Light FM radio station.) As Peter is using a Mac running FinalCut Pro, his preference is for someone who has this platform at home and has skills with it. If you think you can help, please contact Peter on 9764 4058 or peter@stsimonsparish.com.au

Thanks!

Combined Catholic Parishes Raffle - New Dates

Parishioners & school families of St Simon’s; are requested to return their Raffle Tickets (sold or unsold) to the Parish Office between the hours of 10.00am and 3.00pm, Mon-Fri, latest by Friday, 7 August 2020.

Tickets will be drawn on 26 September 2020. Thank you all for your support and co-operation.

The Winter Edition of The SWAG Magazine

(Quarterly Magazine of the National Council of Priests of Australia) can be viewed for

free online on http://www.theswag.org.au/

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