HORNSBY CATHEDRAL PARISH DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY On the land of the Guringai people

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1 HORNSBY CATHEDRAL PARISH DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY On the land of the Guringai people Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, 23 Yardley Avenue, Waitara 2077 Queen of Peace Church, 18 Stuart Avenue, Normanhurst st August st Sunday in Ordinary Time (YEAR C) Go out to all the world; and tell the Good News Monday 22 August The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Tuesday 23 August Weekday, Ordinary Time 21 2 Thess 1:1 5,11-12; Mt 23: Thess 2:1-3,14-17; Mt 23:23-26 Wednesday 24 August St Bartholomew, apostle Thursday 25 August Weekday, Ordinary Time 21 Apoc 21:9-14; Jn 1: Cor 1:1-9; Mt 24:42-51 Friday 26 August Weekday, Ordinary Time 21 Saturday 27 August St Monica 1 Cor 1:17-25; Mt 25: Cor 1:26-31; Mt 25:14-30 Readings Next Weekend 27/28 August Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29; Heb 12:18-19,22-24; Lk 14:1, 7-14 YEARS LITURGY TIMETABLE Mass Times Next Weekend 27/28 August Vigil 5pm Cathedral Fr Peter Vigil 5.30pm Queen of Peace Fr Vincent Vigil 7.30pm Queen of Peace-Korean Fr Thomas 7am Queen of Peace NO MASS 8am Cathedral NO MASS 9.00am Queen of Peace NO MASS 9.30am Cathedral NO MASS 11am The Light of Christ Centre Bishop Peter 11am Queen of Peace-Korean NO MASS 3.30pm Cathedral-Filipino Mass 11 Sept 5pm Queen of Peace-Korean NO MASS 6pm Cathedral NO MASS EXPOSITION OF BLESSED SACRAMENT Cathedral, following 9.30am Mass Saturday. Cathedral, First Friday, 2nd September, 24-hour Adoration after 9.30am Mass. Queen of Peace, First Friday, 2nd September, after 8.45am Mass. SACRAMENT OF PENANCE - FIRST RITE Cathedral Saturday 10am-10.30am Queen of Peace Saturday 4.45pm-5.15pm BAPTISM and WEDDINGS Contact Cathedral Parish Office on CHILDREN S LITURGY OF THE WORD Weekly during school term 9.30am Sunday Mass. NEW PARISHIONERS Welcome! Please take a Welcome Pack from the back of the Churches. WEEKDAY MASSES Cathedral English Mon-Sat 9.30am (Rosary daily after 9.30am Mass) Queen of Peace English Tue, Thu, Fri Wed (Rosary Wed Mass Sat Queen of Peace Korean Tue, Thu, Fri Wed 8.45am 7.15pm) 7.30pm 7.30am 7.30pm 9.30am CHANGES TO MASSES 27/28 AUGUST : Vigil Masses as normal 28 August 11am Mass only At The Light of Christ Centre, (End of Yardley Ave, Waitara) NO OTHER MASSES ON THIS DAY MEMENTO BOOK 100 YEARS OF FAITH The 100 Years of Faith Memento book will be for sale this weekend after all Masses at the Cathedral or for Queen of Peace Church place your name on the order list in QOP foyer. Books can be collected from the Parish Office during the week or on 28 th August at The Light of Christ Centre. Please bring correct money of $10 for payment. We welcome newly baptised: E Keating-Jones, S Lacey, N Lui, I Lui, H Reardon, E Stevens. We pray for those who have died in the hope of the Resurrection. RECENTLY DECEASED: L Vano, M Abaiz, M Fields, M Bourke, J Harris, G Macatangay, J Merlin, A Gatmaitan, P Carmen Pace, A Petraglia, G Weeks, M Koncewicz, J Stewart. ANNIVERSARIES/OTHER: Bruton & Anderson families, R Cruz. PRAYERS FOR THE SICK: M Kaur, G Small, Sr J Goodwin, A Kilby, A Petitfils, R Ronquillo, M Blanco, E White, Baby M Kent, A Lourdanathan, M Bolster, S Proctor, J Post, M Sherley, R & G Henderson, P Mayr, C Metcher, T Devlin, J O Brien, A Ford, A Mauricio Ventura, S Afasio, B Kirby, M Harrison, M Carroll, T Antony, A Chu, S Martha, S Folkard, E Balino, S Stewart, E Manlangit, B Evio, M Clements, L Sharada, M Fleming, L Smith, R Brosnan, A Selwyn, R Butterell, S Fernandes. Due to privacy laws, names of the sick & deceased can only be put in the bulletin with the permission of the immediate family.

2 ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY seeking new members, please attend our next meeting. All Welcome. Queen of Peace Conference meets every Wednesday at 8pm in the Church meeting room. Cathedral Conference meets every Monday at 6.30pm in the Fr Baulman Room, Waitara. Cathedral Conference Red Poor Box Appeal takes place 1st weekend of each month. 25TH ANNIVERSARY DEDICATION OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CATHEDRAL on Thursday 25th August Bishop Peter A Comensoli will be celebrating Mass for this occasion at 7.30pm. Followed by supper in the Nulty room. ALL WELCOME For catering purposes please let the parish office know if you are attending by Monday 22nd August. CHARITABLE WORKS FUND APPEAL Our first CWF Appeal for this financial year took place last WEEKEND. The quota for this appeal is $22,916. Any shortfall will need to be paid out of our Church Account. If you missed out and would still like to make a contributions please put your envelopes on the collection plate or return to the parish office asap. Donations to CWF are 100% Tax Deductible. CWF Envelopes are available from the pews. CHOIR GAMES Children (Yr 2 to Yr 12) are invited 2016 Choir Games in September! This is a Diocesan event, hosted by Hornsby Cathedral Parish to celebrate the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. There will be choir workshops, choir games, prizes and a lot of fun! Please come and join. This will be a wonderful afternoon for all! When: Sunday 18th September, pm to 4:30pm (Registration from 12:30pm, Afternoon tea at 4:30pm) Where: OLOR Cathedral Registration fee: $5.00 pp (pay on the day) RSVP: Clarissa (csb2882@hotmail.com) by Fri 11 Sept. Raffle in aid of the African Orphan Appeal Thanks to all who supported the Couples for Christ raffle We raised the handsome sum of $ for the African Orphan Appeal.Thanks also to the Couples for Christ for supporting the orphans. The winning tickets are listed below. Ticket number Prize 1 st Prize $3000 Travel voucher 2 nd Prize $2000 JB HiFi Gift Cert 3 rd Prize $687 Ipad Air 2 Wifi 64GB Consolation prizes: Panasonic SCMP500 Micro HiFi system Apple Ipod Touch16 ) GB (blue) Tom Tom GO510 5 portable navigator MP Canon Powershot Ultra Camera $100 Gift certificate $100 Gift certificate $100 Gift certificate $100 Gift certificate $100 Gift certificate $100 Gift certificate CONGRATULATIONS TO FR ROBERT BORG who is celebrating his 33rd Ordination Anniversary this Saturday 20th August. Prayers and good wishes and thank you for your Ministry. AFRICAN ORPHAN FATHER S DAY STALL Sunday 28th August after 11am Mass at The Light of Christ Centre. Selling homemade jams, pickles, chutney, cakes etc. All proceed go to African Orphans in Dundee South Africa. OVER 50 S GROUP next outing will be on Wednesday 7th September to Kirribilli RSL for lunch. We will meet on WAITARA PLATFORM at 9.40am to catch the next train to Milson s Point and walk to RSL. CHILDREN S LITURGY takes place 9.30am each Sunday (school term only) in CatholicCare playgroup building (located behind Cathedral House). SACRAMENT OF EUCHARIST 2016 Enrolment forms now available from back of Church. Enrolments close Sunday 4th September after 9.30am Mass. GLADYS COLLINGRIDGE MEMORIAL MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP ANNUAL CONCERT This year s concert will be held on SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER commencing at 7pm at The Light of Christ Centre, Yardley Avenue, Waitara. A special concert featuring professional guest artists, scholarship winners and other parish musicians. A varied programme featuring singers, instrumentalists and more! Tickets : ADULT: $20 CONCESSION $10 CHILD: $5 FAMILY - $35 (Senior/Full-time student) (12 years and under) (2 adults & 2 children) Please give this well-loved annual concert your generous support. Hear Opera House standard performers at a reasonable price! All enquiries & tickets please contact Winsome or Edith wmcollingridge@bigpond.com (Purchase of tickets to be by cash or cheque) Tickets will be on sale at all Masses on the weekend of 13th/14th August and 3rd/4th September. TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR ON THE NIGHT Thank you for your financial contribution to the support of our Parish Community and its priests - it is very much appreciated. The 1st Collection taken up at Mass goes to the Clergy Remuneration and Retirement Fund for the financial support of the priests. The 2nd Collection taken up at Mass is for the upkeep of the Parish. You are invited to help our Parish by committing to a Planned Giving Program. Please contact the Cathedral Parish Office for the way you can participate in this.

3 Mass for Workers and Volunteers of Mercy & Celebration of the Canonisation of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta All are warmly invited to participate in a Mass of Thanksgiving presided by Bishop Peter A Comensoli to recognise and affirm the workers of mercy in our Diocese in this Extraordinary Jubilee Year. This Mass will coincide with the Canonisation of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, herself a tireless worker of mercy. After Mass, all are invited to an Aussie BBQ with the opportunity to watch part of the Canonisation on a large screen. A special invitation is extended to all who are part of a parish care group; an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist to the sick or homebound; a volunteer or worker with CatholicCare; a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society; or involved in the many other works and organisations of love and mercy in our Diocese. This Mass encourages and supports your efforts, with Bishop Peter offering a special blessing. Please share the attached invitation throughout your parish. Date: Sunday 4 September 2016 Time: 6:00pm Mass & 7:00PM BBQ Venue: Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara RSVP: To Colleen on / or registrations@dbb.org.au by Friday 2 September NEW MORNING TEA ROSTER have been sent out via . For those who do not have , please collect a copy of the new roster from the Cathedral Sacristy asap and cross of your name off the VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY NEEDED: Sunday Morning Tea roster You will only be rostered on once every three months to serve coffee/tea after 8am or 9.30am Sunday Mass. All supplies provided by parish. Please call the Cathedral Parish Office if you like to help and at which Mass. Extra-ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to visit the Sick and elderly one Sunday a month at Belvedere Nursing Home or private homes. Bus drivers needed for our Sunday morning 9.30am Mass bus service. You will need a LR (light rigid) drivers licence and you would be rostered on about once every 4-5 weeks. If you can help please contact Michael at the office on YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS MONTHLY FUNDRAISER BBQ AT THE CATHEDRAL Next BBQ on Sunday 18th September, after 6pm Mass. Gold coin donation for Youth Ministry. BOUNDLESS (Young Adults Group 18+) Join us on Sunday 14th August after 6pm Mass at the Cathedral for a young adult gathering! Meet new people, catch-up with friends and join us as we build our Young Adult community here at the parish! SEEKER GROUP (Parish Under 18s) Youth Group for Year 7-12 students Fridays 7pm pm (School Term Only) $5 pizza option, The Light Of Christ Centre Join us for some fun, food and freedom! Please contact PJ Almendras (Youth Minister) at pj.almendras@dbb.org.au or WE ARE NOW ON FACEBOOK Please LIKE our Facebook Page to get updates: PRAYER / BIBLE STUDY GROUPS STUDY SACRED SCRIPTURE This meeting is held in QOP Hall on Thursday at 7pm. 25 August - Discovering the Mass in the Bible The Last Supper & the Cross Dr. Brant Pitre Hope you can come. Very topical. CENACLES OF PRAYER all welcome. QUEEN OF PEACE, Thursdays after 8.45am Mass. Our Lady invites us all to pray the Cenacle (upper room) with Her as she did in the First Cenacle with the Apostles in Jerusalem. OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY, Wednesdays & Fridays after 9.30am Mass. Includes Rosary (which we pray daily), a reading of a message from Fr Gobbi s book To the priests, Our Lady s Beloved Sons, and an act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. MARANATHA PRAYER GROUP meet every Thursday night 8pm-9.30pm in the Fr Nulty Room, Waitara. All welcome. CHRISTIAN MEDITATION Every Sunday from 4.45pm to 5.45pm in the Fr Baulman Room, Waitara. The first Sunday of the month is an Information Session. All welcome. PARISH ACTIVITIES / SERVICES PLAYGROUP meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month. Next meeting Tuesday 23rd Aug, 10am am QOP Hall. 0-5 year olds and their parent. PARISH LIBRARY The Library is open on the first weekend of the month after each Mass, in the Fr Nulty Room, Waitara. Please return library books on the last Sunday of the month (unless you want to renew the loan) so books will be available for borrowing the following week. CATHEDRAL PIETY STALL Do you have a favourite saint? We have silver oxide medals priced from $1. Novenas, booklet and children's books about saints are also available. Stall is open every second weekend of the month. On weekdays, please contact the Cathedral parish office for assistance. PARISH CRAFT & FRIENDSHIP GROUP ALL WELCOME. Should you be interested in joining us or just seeing what we are about, come along one Thursday morning to the Queen of Peace Hall (under the Church) between 10am & 2pm. There is no cost or obligation. If you wish to do craft, learn new skills or just enjoy a cuppa, you are most welcome. COMMUNITY DINNER! Dinners every Wednesday from 6pm in the Fr Nulty Room, Waitara. To volunteer or for more information, contact the Cathedral Parish Office. All welcome.

4 BISHOP S CALENDAR Saturday 20 August 10am, Celebrates Sacrament of Confirmation, St Agatha s Church, Pennant Hills 12pm, Celebrates Sacrament of Confirmation, St Agatha s Church, Pennant Hills Sunday 21 August Tuesday 23 August - Attends Conference, Exclusion and Embrace: Disability Justice and Spirituality, Melbourne Thursday 25 August 7.30pm 25th Anniversary of the Dedication of OLOR Cathedral Mass, Waitara Sunday 28 August 11am 100th Anniversary of Faith Community Waitara Mass, The Light of Christ Centre Waitara CONTRIBUTION / PAYMENT METHOD Payments or contributions to the parish by Visa or MasterCard can be made through the parish web site: Select Our Parish > BPoint payments, and then click on the logo to complete the details. This secure system is provided by CBA. Please select the correct biller-code from the drop box, eg, Charitable Works Fund (CWF) donations, use Biller code CWF. Thank you for your contributions PRIEST ( ) is answered 24 hours, seven days a week. This service is not replacing the parish number or parish emergency phone. BEYOND OUR PARISH FATHER DAVID STRONG SJ SPEAKS ABOUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA AT THE SERRA VOCATIONS MASS AND DINNER MEETING Father David Strong SJ, former Chaplain of St Ignatius College Riverview and author of The Australian Dictionary of Jesuit Biography will be celebrating Mass for Serra at Sacred Heart Church, 2 Richard Porter Way Pymble on Thursday 25 th August The evening will commence with Mass at 6.30PM followed by a light meal and a short meeting. After dinner Father David will be speaking to us about the Catholic Church in China. He will background pre-1950 relations between the Communist Government and the Catholic Church, with particular reference to the Jesuit Missions. He will also speak about the present day, especially relating to discussions currently taking place between the Chinese Government and the Vatican. This is an evening which should not be missed. Everyone is welcome so please join us for what will be a very interesting evening. Please telephone: Terry Scanlan on or terry_scanlan@bigpond.com if you would like to attend. MOUNT ST BENEDICT CENTRE YOUR JOURNEY, YOUR SONG Music gives wings to the mind, a soul to the universe, flight to the imagination, charm to sadness, life to everything. Plato An invitation to explore & celebrate the power of music & song in engaging us with our God, this day looks at how we can use music as a means of prayer & reflection on our spiritual journey. WHEN: Saturday 27 August, am 3.30pm; BYO lunch; COST: $25.00 FACILITATORS: Beth Riolo & Marianne Patton, experienced in the areas of Religious Education, parish music & teaching music & drama in the Wollongong diocese. BOOKINGS BY: Friday 12 August PH: mtstbenedict@bigpond.com PARISH CALENDAR SUNDAYS Meditation, 4.45pm-5.45pm, Farrell Room. 11 Sept, Filipino Mass, 3.30pm, Cathedral. 25th August, 7.30pm Mass for 25th Anniversary Dedication of OLOR Cathedral 28 August, 100 Years Faith Community 11am Mass & family picnic. MONDAYS Waitara SVDP meeting, 6.30pm Baulman Rm TUESDAYS 6 Sept, Seniors & Anointing Mass, 8.45am, QOP followed by morning tea. (First Tuesday of the month, except January). 13 Sept, Social Justice meeting, 7.30pm, Hawe Room, Waitara. (No meeting in January). Young Adults meeting pm Nulty Room WEDNESDAYS Rosary & Cenacles of Prayer, 10am, Cathedral (after 9.30am Mass). Community dinner, 6pm, Nulty Room, Rosary at QOP, 7.15pm(before 7.30pm Mass). St Vincent de Paul meeting, 8pm, QOP Hall. THURSDAYS Cenacles of Prayer group, 9.15am, QOP. 15 Sept Anointing Mass, 9.30am, Cathedral followed by morning tea in Nulty Room. Craft Friendship group,10am-2pm, QOP Hall. Drop-in-café, 10-11am, Nulty Rm (school term only). Sacred Scripture, 7pm, QOP Hall. Maranatha Prayer Group pm, Nulty Rm. FRIDAYS First Friday 24-hour Adoration, Cathedral. Cenacles of Prayer, 10am, Cathedral. Youth groups (school term only). 2nd Friday of each month, The Glimpse meets from 1.30pm, McQuoin Park retirement village. Youth Group 7pm-9.30, The Light of Christ Centre. SATURDAYS Morning Prayer, 9.15am, Cathedral, Adoration following 9.30am Mass, Benediction 10.30am. Reconciliation, 10am-10.30am, Cathedral. Reconciliation, 4.45pm-5.15pm, QOP. HORNSBY CATHEDRAL PARISH Private Bag 3000, Hornsby 1630 Cathedral Parish Office, 27 Yardley Ave Waitara, Phone (02) Fax (02) After Hours Emergency Number: Cathedral, 23 Yardley Ave, Waitara Queen of Peace Church, 18 Stuart Ave, Normanhurst hornsbyparish@dbb.org.au Homepage: Facebook: Clergy: (Most Rev) Bishop Peter A Comensoli, Parish Priest (Very Rev) Robert Borg, Dean & Administrator (Rev) Peter De Souza, Assistant Priest (Rev) Vincent Trung Nguyen, Assistant Priest (Rev) Thomas Kyung Il Lee, Assistant Priest, with responsibility for Korean Community (Deacon) Roberto Corpuz

5 CLARKE ROAD PACIFIC HWY SUNDAY 28th AUGUST 100 YEARS OF FAITH and MIGRANT & REFUGEE SUNDAY CELEBRATION PROGRAM 11am Mass celebrating by Bishop Peter A Comensoli, The Light of Christ Centre (end of Yardley Ave, Waitara) Complimentary luncheon after Mass served on oval. Please bring picnic blankets or fold-up chairs (some tables and chairs available in small hall for seniors/less able) Historic Photo display set up in small hall Jumping castle on oval (for children under 12) Memento book $10 and souvenier badges $2 stall under veranda Father s Day stall on oval selling jams, cakes etc. 1pm-1.30pm OLOR Students Performances in large hall 1.30pm-3pm Yesteryear games on oval ( sack race and egg & spoon race, ribbons for 1st-3rd place) 3pm finish and clean up PLEASE COME AND JOIN US FOR THIS ONE IN A LIFE TIME CELEBRATION AND DRESS IN YOUR NATIONAL COSTUME!! For Parking see map below and follow parking marshal s instructions and park in designated areas only SYDNEY CATHEDRAL OLOR PRIMARY SCHOOL ST LEO S COLLEGE parish parking Parish parking Basket ball courts Parish Office Light of Christ Centre YARDLEY AVE YARDLEY AVE oval UNWIN ROAD UNWIN ROAD Barker College THE LIGHT OF CHRIST CENTRE PARKING (parking on oval restricted and weather permitting) HORNSBY carpark Under tennis courts ONE WAY TRAFFIC

6 Hornsby Cathedral Parish The Memento Book Celebrating 100 Years of Faith in The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy is now complete and will be available for purchase from the parish office* at a cost of $10.00 per copy from 18 August, We thank those who sent in stories sincerely for the contribution you made to this publication and your generosity in sharing your story, your photos and most importantly, your memories. It has been no easy task to edit this 72 page book and keep it truthful, informative, readable and enjoyable. Several submissions covered the same ground as others, these were edited and some stories were shortened due to space available. This is inevitable when preparing any publication and we trust that the result is fair and has remained true to the author s intent. So that the book could be of high print quality, yet still reasonably priced for all, we have limited the book s length and the initial print run to 600 copies. The book will be sold after Masses on the weekend of 20/21 August and on the day of the Centenary Celebration 28 August. Orders for the book will be taken by the Cathedral parish office on but *NOTE copies must be picked up no postage is available. - The Editorial Committee

7 23 & 24 July Weekend course: God's presence - our present Participant's experience From: Roman Date: Wed 27 July 2016 To: Lucy; Betty, Sandra Subject: Reflection on weekend God s Greatest Gift It was with a feeling of expectancy that I arrived at the Catholic School of Evangelisation weekend event last weekend. The theme for the event was God s presence our present. There were around 60 of us present, and those of us who were expecting a weekend of listening to theological talks were in for a shock. There were some talks by the presenters who travelled from Melbourne and these focussed on 4 themes: 1. The greatest gift we can receive (God s love and salvation) 2. A great gift we can give (share God s love with others) 3. An even greater gift we can receive (the Holy Spirit) 4. The greatest gift we can give (teach others how to spread God s Joy and Love) The presentations were professional and engaging using multimedia, personal testimony and references to the Pope Francis s book The Joy of the Gospel. On Saturday afternoon we were informed that we would be taking an active part in Sundays Mass. We had to prepare a still life in front of the church before Mass, a mime appropriate to the Gospel reading. Children s Liturgy, and clowning around after Mass to engage and entertain the parishioners. These activities were exciting and scary at the same time, but by the end of Mass, we discovered that we had really enjoyed it all and it had made the Mass so much more relevant and meaningful and FUN for us. The adults as well as the children loved the clowns and the simple handouts we distributed, especially the balloons, and the tiny scrolls with God s promise written on them. On Sunday afternoon we were told that we would be sent out into the streets of Waitara and the nursing homes in the area to spread a bit of JOY to the local residents. We were sent out in twos, just as Jesus had sent out the 72 before him. This part of the activities was for me quite, challenging, scary and also exciting. My partner, Stan and I went to visit the men at Belvedere Nursing home on the Pacific Highway, Waitara. I got dressed as a clown, to break the ice, and we found that it was really easy to chat with the men we met. Some of them asked us to pray with them, others were happy just to chat, but all of them received us warmly, and asked us if we would return. One of the other groups entertained residents with singing, which brought much joy to them. We returned to leaders as excited as those original disciples returning to Jesus, full of stories of the people we had encountered. One of the groups had met 2 Jehovah s Witnesses on the road, and offered to share God s love with them, an offer which was politely rejected. The JW s comment was that if the Catholics were doing door knocking, it was time for the JS s to leave. In summary, I thought this course was one of the most exciting and challenging weekend events I had been to, and it left me feeling so excited at what the possibilities were if only I responded to God s call to share His Joy and Love. Thank you Father Robert and Betty for hosting this event. Roman Roman has been a parishioner for over 20 years and has been involved in many of the ministries in the parish including RCIA, Reader, menalive and support for the Youth Group.

8 From:Anita To: Lucy Sent: Tuesday, July 26, :51 AM Subject: Re: Write-up on Joy of the Gospel Course at Waitara Gods Presence - The Present - The Joy of the Gospel Course So.. I became a Catholic, was baptised at the Easter Vigil this year, My daughter and I went through the process together. It was quite a defining moment for me as it meant that now not only did I have a Faith to fulfil me, but also a Faith to Proclaim for. There s nothing more exhilarating than knowing that there is a higher power and it s not me. But what about.. the others.. do they know that? I heard about this course at Mass. Father Borg was dutiful and faithful in his promotion of it, and I thought that if I didn t apply soon, I wouldn t get a seat. Being a new Catholic means that I am new in everything, in participation, in fellowship, in community and in spreading the News. So I was afraid the registrations would have reached the limit. Thank the Good Lord, I got a seat! As the days of the Course approached I was very excited about what I was going to learn. Being a Catholic, I now wanted to learn more about my new Faith and also how I would answer the sceptics, which a few of my friends are. Perhaps I wanted to know more about why I decided to become part of this very traditional, dogmatic, defined in their purpose, Religion and how I could project this new life of mine in purposeful ways. Basically I wanted to go to a course where I could learn the answers to the questions my friends and all other people would be asking me. The Course was presented over a two-day weekend by the most engaging, dynamic and spirit-filled people - Sandra and Emilia, from the Catholic School of Evangelism. The first day was filled with spiritual information, bringing us closer to God, our connection with him and ourselves as Christians. There was beautiful music, book references for future recall, meditation moments and prayer. In fact I spent $60 using my phone to shazam the gorgeous music and books. I purchased them all there and then on itunes, so that I could listen to them while at home and remember the weekend. I was quite shy the first day and just relaxed and took it all in. The last thing I wanted to do was participate, particularly when I was there to hear the answers - not thinking for a moment that the Holy Spirit might fill me with them when needed There were about 60 attendees and the sense of Community was overwhelming. The buzz coming from the lunch room, was, as another attendee, Roman said - the magic of the weekend. Just to have so many of our Parishioners, (our Community) together in one place enjoying themselves while spending time with God..Who would have thought. The next day, after spending probably 20 minutes the afternoon before, of being put into groups and devising ways of Evangelising to the Community of the Church, we displayed all different ways of spreading the Good News. There were Posters, Still Life characters, a Pantomime on the Altar, Clowns etc.. it was fabulous. Not only did the kids have fun and will probably come back next Sunday wanting more, but also the Adults were having fun and getting involved. After all this fun and frivolity, we went back to our workshop only to find that we were to go Evangelising. Holy Moly, not only were we going to learn about it, talk about it, but we actually had to do it!!!!! I thought we only talked about that stuff? Wasn't it the Happy Clappy Chappies that did all that? I was part of the Catholic faith, I thought this was my little gold gem, and not to be shared. Sandra was at least kind enough to ask if it was to be door knocking or Retirement Village (of which we had 3 to choose from). Well I chose what I thought was the safest option and went to the Retirement Village. Seriously I am new at this, don t I need more time to get into it? Equipped with our newsletters and Broken Bay Diocese magazines and scripture cards.we were told that the residents probably couldn t read any of it. I said - why? - can t they read? The Leaders of our group let us know that the residents probably can t because they have ailments such as dementia. I was immediately silenced and wasn t sure if I in fact had chosen the safest option. Having said that, I found my visit to the Retirement Village a little overwhelming, to say the least. When we got back to the classroom, we all heard about the various interactions by our new Evangelisers and the many prayers that were held with the door knockers and the people they had met as well as the other attendees that had visited the retirement villages Everyone had stories and beautiful ones, of how they had talked, prayed and even danced with them. My experience along with my partner was one of listening - in each situation. We hadn t prayed with them at all, just listened and asked them to take a scripture card. At the end of the final day of the workshop, Sandra asked us all to write on a card what we wanted to give as a gift to someone by the following week. Interestingly mine was to give myself the gift of Prayer. I had realised after all this that I didn t really know how to do that, nor had I done it or thought of doing it with anyone that i had come in contact with, even in the Retirement Village. Well, it turns out I didn t need a week, that is just how things work when you Let Go and Let God.. things just work out, right? At the end of the workshop, Sandra told us all that she was going to send a newsletter out to us all once a month, if we were ok with that, and it will be filled with Prayers of Thanks. O. M G I was so blessed. The weekend for me personally, was a roller coaster of emotions and one that I will never forget. I have made lovely new friends, believe in what I believe in and know that whatever happens all I have to do is. Ask and It will be given, Seek and I will find, Knock and the door will open. Amen! Anita 23 & 24 July Weekend course: God's presence - our present Participant's experience