Granville Catholic Church Record

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1 Granville Catholic Church Record Vol. 3. No. 50 December 16, rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday The Official Bulletin of Holy Trinity Parish at Granville and Holy Family Parish at East Granville GAUDETE SUNDAY 3 rd SUNDAY of ADVENT Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. Today, the third Sunday of Advent, the Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday. The dour violet of Advent gives way to the brighter colour of rose as she looks forward in joy to the birth of our Lord. The word gaudete comes from the Latin word gaudere meaning to rejoice because the Mass today opens with the words Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. The season of Advent originated as a fast of forty days in preparation for Christmas, commencing on the day after the feast of St. Martin (11 November), when it was often called St. Martin's Lent a name by which it was known as early as the fifth century. In the ninth century, the duration of Advent was reduced to four weeks, and Advent preserved most of the characteristics of a penitential season which made it a kind of counterpart to Lent. Gaudete Sunday is a counterpart to Laetare Sunday, and provides a similar break about midway through a season which is otherwise of a penitential character, and signifies the nearness of the Lord s coming. The spirit of the Mass all through Advent is one of expectation and preparation for the feast of Christmas as well as for the second coming of Christ, and the penitential exercises suitable to that spirit are suspended on Gaudete Sunday to symbolise that joy and gladness in the promised Redemption. While the theme of Advent is a focus on the coming of Jesus in three ways: His first, His present and His final Advent, the readings for Gaudete Sunday deal with rejoicing in the Lord Christian joy as well as the mission of St. John the Baptist and his connection with Advent. There is a difference between happiness and joy. While happiness is dependent on external conditions, joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing can take that love away. Thus joy can be present even in the midst of sadness. In his 2014 Gaudete Sunday homily, Pope Francis said that Gaudete Sunday is known as the Sunday of joy, and that instead of fretting about all they still haven t" done to prepare for Christmas, people should think of all the good things life has given you.

2 THE PARISH OFFICE HOLY FAMILY CHURCH HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Address 200 The Trongate, South Granville, N.S.W T E granville@parracatholic.org Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Andrew Bass PP Business and Projects Manager Mr. John Portelli Director of Music Mr. John Portelli Acolytes Co-ordinator Mr. Jim Newell Catechist Co-ordinators Mr. Joe Elias Mrs. Lana Leatherby Sacraments and T.Y.M. Co-ordinator Miss Rosette Chidiac Webpage Co-ordinator Mr. Frank Bugeja Piety Shop Mrs. Mary Bazelmans Mrs. Elsie Bugeja Mrs. Christine Tembo Miss Thorie Tembo Mrs. Annette Wirz Missionary Sisters of Mary, Queen of the World Australia Sr. Justina Pham T (02) Principal of Holy Family School Mrs. Yvette Baird Principal of Holy Trinity School Mrs. Helen Boyer Principal of Delany College Mr. Rob Muscat Holy Mass Tuesday, 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, 9:15 a.m. Thursday, 9:15 a.m. Friday, 9:15 a.m. Saturday, 9:15 a.m. Sunday, 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. Holy Rosary Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Children s Liturgy Third Sunday of the Month, 8:30 a.m. Rosters Altar Society Group 5: J. Whitney, E. Burden, A. James Readers 8:30 a.m. Janet Stephens 5:00 p.m. Cecilia Nguyen Counters J. Kerin and G. Kerin Bus Driver John McIntyre CONFESSIONS Holy Trinity Church Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Holy Family Church Sunday, 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Holy Mass Monday, 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, 8:15 a.m. Thursday, 8:15 a.m. Friday, 8:15 a.m. Saturday, 8:15 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Holy Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. First Friday of the month, 7:00 p.m. Traditional Latin Mass First Thursday of the month, 7:00 p.m. Ghanaian Chaplaincy Mass Second and last Sunday of the month, 11:30 a.m. Vietnamese Chaplaincy Mass Sunday, 5:00 p.m. Children s Liturgy No children s liturgy during school holidays Rosters Church Cleaning Group 4: A. Quinlan, G. Pinto, M. Asiedu, M. Moses, G. Dankwah, S. Martin, M. Magpayo, C. Elgado, J. Puni, J. Osei-Yamoah, A. Osei-Yamoah, L. Tordilla, J. Fili, J. John, A. Abosh, O. Ifeanyi Readers Vigil Katherine Jenner, Rebecca Hanson, Claudia Tiller 10:00 a.m. Tanya Martin, Sisters, Joseph Ojiba PRAYERS FOR THE SICK IN MEMORIAM Janelle Allan, Marlene Ashton, John Augustus, Ann Blesson, Antonia Bonaci, Vincenzo Colosimo, Leslie Cotter, Eileen Dean, Carmel Galea, Samir Gibrine, Evangeline Grabato, John Graham, Thomas Hayek, Elizabeth Hicks, Ruth La Rosa, Jacob Lee, Ester Matos, Scott Moulton, Tony Moussa, Ben Nursoo, John Pickering, Flory Pinto, Don Provest, Peter Rahme, Anna Saunig, Therese Smeal, Phil Thompson, Ricardo Tognini, Miriam Welangoda and those who care for them. Saint Raphael, who are called the Remedy of God and the Angel of Health, pray for them. Amen. Miklina Azzopardi, Elena Bassano, Kathleen Bradbery, Paul Bradbery, Diego Canovo, Dib Family, Diane Dib, George Dib, Ellen Gobbi, Joe Grech, Sam Grech, Jack Hage, Joseph Hage, Marie Ladkani, Valeriano La Rosa, Anthony Magro, Fronzeene Malkoun, Mona Malkoun, Domingo Marbella, Maryse Mariasson, Jack McIntyre, Charles Micallef, Sam Moussa, Samantha Moussa, Joseph Nammour, Maree Nammour Tabet. Ray Watts, Jill Elizabeth Williams, Dib Zaiter, Maroun Aboud Zeid. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

3 HOLY FAMILY CHURCH EAST GRANVILLE eastgranvilleparish.org.au Holy Family East Granville Holy Family Parish App Children s Nativity Play The children s nativity play will be performed prior to the vigil Mass at 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. If yo u r ch i l d i s i n t e r e s t e d i n participating in the play please leave your name and your contact details on the form by the doors of the church. You and your child should arrive at the church on Christmas Eve by 5:00 p.m. so that preparations can be made for the play. Holy Family Piety Shop Make sure to have a look at the Holy Family Piety Shop before or after Mass to see the new range of m e r c h a n d i s e a n d t h e n e w Christmas items. Have a look to see if there is anything you would like to give as a gift for someone or maybe you would like to have as decoration for your home this Christmas season. Sales from the piety shop support the parish. And the 2019 Columban Art Calendar is available for sale for $10, the proceeds of which supports the Columban Mission Society. Thank you to the parishioners of Holy Family and the students of our school who performed in our annual Holy Family Parish Carols last Thursday evening. In particular thank you to Yvette Baird and the teachers of Holy Family Primary School for their hard work in preparing the concert and to Maryanne Takchi for their beautiful performances. And thank you to all those parishioners who supported the parish by attending and being a part of our carols. It was a wonderful way to continue our Advent devotions as we prepare for the solemnity of Christmas Columban Art Calendars for Sale Th e C o l u m b a n A r t Calendars are on sale for $10 from the piety shop. The Columban Art Calendar is an iconic Catholic Calendar, well-known for its traditional religious paintings and liturgical information and is a major f u n d r a i s e r f o r C o l u m b a n Missionaries. Have a look at these beautiful calendars now available for sale in the piety shop.

4 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Granville granvilleparish.org.au Holy Trinity Holy Trinity Parish App Children s Nativity Play If you are interested in having your child perform in a nativity play before the vigil Mass at 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve please contact the parish office this week or leave a message on our Facebook page. For those interested you will be contacted with details regarding a rehearsal time. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Holy Mass This Tuesday, 18 December, Holy Family Primary School will be celebrating their farewell to Year 6 with at 6:00 p.m. with Holy Mass at Holy Family Church. Because of this Mass there will not be the usual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 6:30 p.m. or Holy Mass at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church. Monday Morning Mass This Monday, 17 December, there will not be the usual Mass at 9:15 a.m. at Holy Trinity Church. The Monday morning Mass will resume the following week on 24 December with the Mass of the fourth Monday of Advent. This Friday Evening We will be holding our annual solemn Carols by Candlelights service at Holy Trinity Church this Friday evening at 8:00. The service is one of stunning traditional and contemporary carols with readings telling the history of our salvation and the coming of the Messiah with images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus projected in the church. Those who have attended in previous years have said it was one of the most beautiful carols services they have seen and so make sure that you come along that evening as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Our Lord at Christmas. To see videos of last year s carols check out our Facebook page under the videos tab. And our nativity scene, which itself as a become a well known attraction across the diocese and even in Sydney, will be blessed. Thank You to Red London Bus Thank you to Red London Bus ( for their assistance with providing a hire bus for last Friday s parish trip to see the Lights of Christmas at St. Mary s Cathedral. It was a fun way to travel to the cathedral which added greatly to the festivities of the evening. It was a great evening out with around 60 parishioners from Holy Trinity and Holy Family joining in another great parish event!

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6 Saints & STUFF The Archangel Gabriel St. Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger for God. He is one of the three archangels. St. Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments. In the Old Testament he appears to Daniel, and in the New Testament to Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, and then to the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Gabriel s attributes are the Archangel; he is clothed in blue or white; and is seen carrying a lily, a trumpet, a shining lantern, a branch from Paradise, a scroll or a sceptre. In art, St. Gabriel is most commonly represented in the scene of the Annunciation. St. Gabriel is recognised as the patron saint of messengers, telecommunication workers, and postal workers. His feast day is celebrated on September 29, along with St. Michael and St. Raphael. CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH The Immaculate Conception 490 To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role. The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as full of grace. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God s grace. 491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, full of grace through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That i s w h a t t h e d o g m a o f t h e Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception preserved immune from all stain of original sin. CATHOLIC Trivia The Christmas Tree Legend is that the first Christmas tree came from St. Boniface, 1,300 years ago, in 8th century Germany. The tree itself is a reminder of the tree in the Garden of Eden and the forbidden fruit that caused the downfall of mankind. It is a reminder of the irony of our faith. That the tree that caused our damnation became the tree on which hung our salvation. The Christmas tree, traditionally an evergreen tree, symbolises eternal life, the immortality of the soul. The tree, reaching upwards to the sky, points to heaven, from where our salvation comes. The lights that decorate the tree are a sign of the light that came into the world, to break through the darkness of sin and to illuminate the world with the light of truth.

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8 3rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday The Readings First Reading The Prophet Zephaniah (3:14-18) Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has repealed your sentence; he has driven your enemies away. The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear. When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult with joy over you, he will renew you by his love; he will dance with shouts of joy for you as on a day of festival. Responsorial Psalm (Ps 12:2-6.. v. 6). Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. Truly, God is my salvation, I trust, I shall not fear. For the Lord is my strength, my song, he became my saviour. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.. Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name! Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples! Declare the greatness of his name.. Sing a psalm to the Lord for he has done glorious deeds, make them known to all the earth! People of Zion, sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.. Second Reading The Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (4:4-7) I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone: the Lord is very near. There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia! The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he sent me to bring Good News to the poor. Alleluia! Gospel The Gospel of Luke (3:1-6) When all the people asked John, What must we do? he answered, If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same. There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, Master, what must we do? He said to them, Exact no more than your rate. Some soldiers asked him in their turn, What about us? What must we do? He said to them, No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay! A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out. As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them.