Welcome to our first newsletter of 2023.  Thank you for your ongoing support of our newsletter.  As a parish I hope that we can continue to bring you reflections, homilies and commentaries on Scripture and Church life for another year.

Once again we will have regular contributions in our newsletter from theologian and educator, Cathy Jenkins and from teacher, religious education and writer Ann Rennie.  Cathy and Ann’s pieces are always encouraging as they invite us to reflect on our faith and our worlds.  Father Frank O’Loughlin will continue to reflect and write about both liturgy and the life of the Church in the world today.  Frank is promising another book by the end of 2023.  This time he is writing about the future of the Church.  We are keen to see what he will come up with!  And of course Father Hoang and I will continue to publish a weekly homily for your reflection.

In addition to these regular columns we will have a new contributor this year in Father Peter Malone.  Father Peter will give us a monthly update on the cinema!  Father Peter is a teacher, theologian, writer and film critic.  We are very much looking forward to his recommendations and insights into the world of film over the coming year.

A big welcome back to our school staff, students, parents and guardians.  A regular focus in our newsletter is School Voices.  We look forward to the unfolding of the school year.  It is also important that we give a voice to the young people of our parish.  Their perspectives and insights keep us alert, active and alive.  We will bring you regular news from each of our three schools: Our Holy Redeemer, Surrey Hills, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Deepdene and Our Lady’s, Wattle Park.

On a practical level we will continue to bring you upcoming events both across our parishes and further afield.  We hope that you will pick up on the opportunities that are provided to learn more, participate in our liturgical life or join one of the outreach activities that so regularly occur across our parish and archdiocese.

We will formally open the parish year with a combined parishes Mass at Our Holy Redeemer on Saturday, 18 February at 6.00 pm.  Mass will be followed by a BBQ dinner for all.  You are most welcome to join us.  Each year this event is growing in significance so please come along and be part of the commissioning of our three parish communities for 2023.

If you think this is the year that you would like to be further involved or come back to the parish or to the Church please come along.  You can also contact us at the Parish Office and we will make sure to connect you with our community again.  We are always in need of people to assist with home visits through St Vincent de Paul or with food and personal items that need to be delivered to the Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project (BASP).  We are in great need of further assistance in taking communion to the sick and elderly in our parishes who are home bound or in aged care.  This is a very rewarding ministry.  We would welcome new Choir members and cantors to our extensive Music Ministry and we would particular welcome new readers and special ministers across all of our Churches.

The readings for this coming Sunday relate Jesus’ words to his disciples in Matthew’s Gospel, “You are the light of the world”.  Jesus implores his disciples to let their light shine.  My hope for our parishes this year is that we may find many places where each one of us can let our light shine for others.

Welcome back to parish life and I hope you enjoy our first newsletter

By Fr Brendan