Parish Bulletin
PARISH NEWS
How absent-mindedly we recite this prayer that Jesus taught us: at every Mass, six times in a Rosary and other times in our daily lives!
Where does it come from? Well, from Jesus of course. But there are strong elements from Old Testament prayer and the Jewish prayer tradition with which Jesus was familiar. Our Catechism teaches that this prayer is “truly the summary of the whole gospel” yet, sadly, in our human frailty, we rarely stop to savour it as we should. This week’s gospel features the less well-known Luke version (Luke 11:1-13), essentially the same as Matthew’s but with some interesting variations.
Jesus encourages us to address the “Father” who is extolled as “holy”. No mention of “heaven” but entering into dialogue with the Creator of all, we are blessed to have a special and personal connection. The core of Jesus’ mission is to bring us the Good News of the Father’s Kingdom, which is coming in fullness but is observably already here. Luke’s prayer doesn’t mention the Father’s will (that’s a given in his kingdom) and Jesus encourages us ask for our needs for each and every day, for forgiveness of our sins and to be spared time of trial.
Rattling it off in rote form as we often do is exactly the wrong way to pray. The disciple asks for guidance (Luke 11:1) and Jesus models how to pray rather than the detail of what to pray. He might have said, “these are the main things: remember you are speaking with the Creator of all, who is your loving Father and who wants what is truly best for you and for everyone.” It is in thoughtfully articulating our issues we pray best. The Father knows it anyway but, rather than going around in circles, we might trustingly nestle to this loving Father, telling him how we adore him and what is happening in our lives at the moment.
Deacon Mark Kelly
BAPTISIM PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN
Have you ever thought about Baptism for your school aged child?
An invitation is extended to parents who desire Catholic Baptism for children of school age to attend our Older Baptism Program. The program consists of two parent/child workshops, held on Tuesday 26th August, and Tuesday 2nd September in the Marian Room in Warragul (enter car park from Bowen Street). Each session will begin with an afternoon tea at 3.45. When families have attended these two sessions, parents will need to attend a parent session to book a time for Baptism. For more information, please contact Liz on warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au or ring 5623 1642
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION KEY DATES
PARENT/CHILD WORKSHOP
Families are invited to attend this workshop.
Thursday, 31st July 7pm – 8pm
Marian Room, St. Joseph’s Church, Warragul
2ND RITE OF RECONCILIATION
Thursday, 7th August, 7:00pm St Ita’s Church Drouin
RETREAT DAY FOR CANDIDATES
AT Marish Sion College, Warragul
Friday, 8th August, 10.00 – 2.30
The candidates will participate in a rehearsal of the ceremony
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION MASS
Friday, 15th August, 7:00pm Marist-Sion College Hall.
Celebrant: Bishop Greg Bennet
If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Liz Schellekens: Warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au or St. Joseph’s Parish Office: 56231642
The Sacrament Team is looking forward to working with you and your child in this next very important step in their faith journey.
Kindest regards, Liz Schellekens
