3rd Sunday of Advent C - Catholic Diocese of Ballarat

Dimboola – Horsham – Murtoa – Natimuk - RupanyupPARISH CONTACTSParish TeamFr. Peter HudsonParish SecretaryMrs. Anita Masiero10 Roberts Avenue, Horsham 3400PO Box 212, Horsham Vic 3402Phone:5382 1155.Fax: 5382 3016Email:horsham@ballarat.catholic.org.auDiocesan Website:www.ballarat.catholic.org.auSCHOOLSSs Michael & John PrimaryPrincipal: Ms Andrea CoxPhone: 5382 3000St Brigid’s CollegePrincipal: Mr. Peter GutteridgePhone: 5382 3545Our Lady Help of ChristiansPrincipal: Mrs. Veronica SlatteryPhone: 5385 2526Question of the WeekIs there an awareness growing inme as the coming of Christ drawscloser?3rd Sunday of Advent - 16th December 2012The Parish Timetable for Adventand our Mass Times for Christmas,are on the Noticeboard in the Foyer.Advent Reconciliation Servicethis Tuesday Dec 18th at 7pmin SMJ Church.Prayers, Examination of Conscience,Scripture. Fr Peter and Fr Neville willgive Individual Absolution at theend.Individual Confession Times: thisweek after 10.30 Mass Wednesday,Thursday, Friday and Saturday.We welcome Fr John McKinnon andthank John for helping with ourMasses this weekend.==================================CHRISTMAS DUES ENVELOPESare in the Foyers today, as well asin PGP sets. The Dues support ourretired and sick priests and helpParishes who are unable to meettheir commitments. Your generosityto this appealed is welcomed andappreciated. Please return yourenvelope to any Mass. Thank you.==================================TREE OF REMEMBRANCE or JesseTree on the Sanctuary. To the treeyou are invited to place a card withthe name or names of loved oneswho have died or whom you wish toremember. These red cards with a tieare in the Foyer, and biros also.At each Masswe will pray the Year of Grace Prayerafter the Prayers of Intercession:“ Gracious God,You have blessed this ancient landwith many gifts, especially its people.We thank you for the Year of Grace, atime to start afresh from Christ.You invite us to contemplate the faceof Jesus your Son, that we mayexperience a new wave of grace, andthat the light of Christ may burn morebrightly in our lives.Attune our hearts and minds to thepresence of your Holy Spirit, that ourChurch may be transformed, ourrelationships healed, and our nationgrow in compassion and justice.With the intercession of St MaryMacKillop, who showed us new waysof living the Gospel, we make ourprayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.”The Year of Grace is not anotherProgram, nor another task to do,nor something to achieve, it is aninvitation to ‘start afresh from Christ’each day.Year of Grace Website :-www.yearofgrace.catholic.org.auCHRISTMAS MASS TIMESHorsham: Monday December 24th:Horsham: Christmas Day Mass 9.00am7pm Family Mass with Children’s Play.10pm Carols with the Choir Dimboola: Monday December 24th Mass 7.00pm10.30pm Mass with the Choir. Murtoa: Monday December 24th Mass 9.00pmWEEK-DAY MASSESA Funeral Mass will replace the scheduled weekday MassTuesday 18th 5.30pm Agnes Hudson anniv.Wednesday 19th 9.30amThursday 20th 9.30pm Olga Rossi & Milena Zorzetti anniv.Friday 21st 9.30pmSaturday 22nd 10.00amPRAYER AFTER COMMUNIONGod my creator breathe on me again,renew me, refresh me, extend myabilities, comfort me in adjusting tochanges in health, mobility and activity.Body and Blood of Jesus Christ flow through everyfibre of my being. Keep me well, and hope filled,always. Holy Spirit use me in mysituation, for the good of others. Amen

Please Remember in Your PrayersRECENT DEATHS: Pauline Hamilton (Aunt of LouiseChesterfield). Mary Conheady (sister of Frs McKenzie dec)ANNIVERSARIES: Olga Rossi, Milena Zorzetti, WillaimSchaefer, Ronald Leslie Edgar, Ronald Mark Edgar,Preston Hynam, Pam Muszkieta, Perc Coutts,Agnes Hudson, Margaret Hoffmann, Celina EllisSICK: Ruby Spasic, Kobe Davidson, Bill Kennedy, BrianMcPhee, David Schenkel, Renae Kerr, Betty Campesato,Peter Laskey, Graham McKay, Peg Feery, Ann Campbell,Jack Paic, John Coleman, Mark Primmer, David McCluskey,Madeleine Cameron, Simone O’Brien, Pat James, CarolineClaridge (Watt), Terry Nunan.Emergency Care: Contact CoordinatorsTess: 5381 1785 or Claire: 5382 2782Reconciliation - Saturday after 10am MassSaturday Morning Prayer:9.00 to 10 am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament9.20am9.40am10.00amHorsham:Dimboola:Murtoa:Rupanyup:Natimuk:RosaryPrayer of the ChurchEucharist3rd Sunday of the Month4th Sunday of Advent 23rd DecemberSaturday - Vigil 6.30pmSunday - 10.30amSaturday Mass 6.30pm.Sunday Mass 10.30amNo MassMASS NEXT SUNDAY at 9.00amRosary & Divine Mercy ChapletIncluding the Litany of the Blessed Virgin MaryHORSHAMWednesday 4.30pmDIMBOOLAWednesday 10.00amRegular Activities in the ParishMother’s Prayer GroupFortnightly Every Wednesday 1.30pmChurch Meeting Room Contact Marina 5382 1047Ss Michael & John’s PlaygroupTuesday’s in school terms10am to 12 noon - Parish HallCraft Group Every Monday - Parish Meeting RoomMornings-9.30am to 11.30am. BYO Craft - Gold CoinPrayer and ReflectionPrayerful reflection & discussion of Sunday readings.Thursdays 10am-11.30am Church Meeting Room. AllwelcomeIn the Piety Stall we have on sale: Kairos $2 (fortnightly)Gifts for Children’s Baptisms, the Sacraments, other occasions areon sale.COLUMBANS CALENDARS FOR 2013 are on sale at $9 each.Weekday Mass Booklets (no Readings): $15.Daily Diaries with daily Mass Readings and diary space: $2016th December Vigil 6.30pmEucharisticMinistersROSTERSJohn ParkerMargaret RyanAnne NewtonMarie KnightAnthony AmorJoan ParkerVolunteer23rd December Vigil 6.30pmSunday 10.30amLesley LannenBob PritchettBrian O’LoughlinMary DalgleishFaye WillsNoreen O’ConnorZita CannaneSunday 10.30amReaders Anita Masiero Mary MarshallCommentator Gary Heinrich Anna RobertsonEucharisticMinistersProjectorOperatorWelcomersbefore MassPrayers of theFaithfulSimon LynchRosie TaylorMaree PlazzerChris VelthuisAnn HermansBrendan RyanCath TaylorPeter GutteridgeGary CouttsPat WilliamsMarj WhiteheadCathy BamfordMaureen McInerneyAnna RobertsonConnie NeriSharon AndersonRussell ReidGabby MillsMarina ManserraSharon CreaseyJohn & Joan ParkerMusic Chris Robarts ChoirChurchCleaning &FlowerArrangingFinance:23rd DecemberZita CannaneMary LawsonMargaret ListonLorraine Clancy1st Collection (Presbytery Account):30th DecemberPat OÇonnorWin StephensBarbara GlouryKath AtkinsNatimuk $ Murtoa $ 95.00Horsham $ 969.00 Dimboola $ 45.002nd Collection (Parish Account)Total $ 1109.00Envelopes $ 12,241.50 Loose $ 39.45Total $ 12,280.95Making Connections: Make a special effort to live ethicallyDaily Prayer: O God, the fountain of life and rejoicing,renew us in your love and baptise us with the fire of yourHoly Spirit that we may proclaim to all the good news ofyour presence in our midst. May we delight to share withthem your peace, which surpasses all understanding. 3rdSunday of Advent: Today’s Gospel provides a blueprint forgood stewardship: ‘Let the man who has two coats give tohim who has none. The man who has food should do thesame.’Vocational View: Have you ever asked: ‘What ought I do?’Simply, tell the good news to people. Nothing else matters.Marriage Tip: Reconciliation is crucial in every marriage.Make plans to receive the Sacrament of Penance beforeChristmas.‘It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward ourprogress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith

From Acorn to Oak”The history of the Brigidine Convent hasbeen beautifully recorded in a book titled“From Acorn to Oak”.The book is now available at $25.00 per copy fromParish Office or Piety StallCommemorative Laminated Certificatefor the 25th Anniversary of our Churchavailable from the Parish Office and thePiety Stall at Mass. $5.00 eachRupanyup Inter Church Council & Lions Club AnnualCommunity Carols tonight Sunday December 16th at8pm in the Rupanyup Hall. Fr Peter will give the ChristmasMessage. Lions Club cake supper, collection for theChristmas Bowl. All welcome.St Vincent de Paul Christmas AppealDonations are gratefully accepted. Envelopes at Piety Stall.Pallotti College On the 27th of January 2013 at PallottiCollege, Millgrove 3799, there will be a celebration forthe 50th Anniversary of the canonization of St.Vincent Pallotti.Since its foundation as a Retreat Centre, many individualsand diverse groups have visited and share time on themountain. An invitation is extended to those who would liketo share the day with the Pallottines. Please contact theCollege office on 5966 2585 if you can join the celebrations,relive memories and catch up with old friends.Night Craft Group will not meet over the Christmas/New Year period but will resume on February 4th at 7pm..The Church’s direction on the use of flowers in Seasons:“During Advent the floral decoration of the altar should bemarked by a moderation suited to the character of theseason, without expressing prematurely the full joy of theNativity of the Lord”. The Advent Wreath and Jesse Treeusually express this form of decoration. People have askedwhy no flowers in Advent, this is the reason.St Michael and John School have Numeracy and Literacytesting for students this Monday and Tuesday. Parents areasked to keep to their appointed time please. The Staffconclude their year on Friday.Christmas FlowersCheryl Howard will once again be doing the floral displayfor Christmas on Monday 24th December.Cheryl is looking for Natives and Red and White Flowers. Ifyou are able to help please contact Cheryl on 5382 3364Your help will be greatly appreciatedCWL Christmas Raffle WinnersWinners of the CWL Christmas Raffle are as follows:-1st Prize—Sr. Jacinta. 2nd Prize—Bill Pekin3rd Prize—Angela Murphy. 4th Prize—Mary Walsh5th Prize—Pat O‘ÇonnorWe pray for our Year 12 and VCE students as theyreceive their exam results this Monday December 17thMay God’s spirit of wisdom and peace guide them inthe choices they have from these results and blessthem in their decisions for their future careers.Advent Walk and Morning Prayer this Tuesday18th December at 7am. Meet at Bennett Roadcarpark. We will walk with Sr Jacinta and praythe Prayer of the Church. All welcome.=================================================We have 19 families who have indicated they canparticipate in the Children’s Christmas Story at our7pm Family Mass on Christmas Eve. We thank themfor this. We will practice for the Mass this WednesdayDecember 19th at 3.30pm in the Church and onFriday morning at 10am. I thank Alison McKinnon forher assistance in this.=================================================Bishop Paul Bird is continuing the Bishop’sAnnual Christmas Appeal this year. The Appealhas been conducted at Christmas Masses in theDiocese for 40 years, and your wonderful generosityhas enabled many missions to our north and in thePacific to gain valued financial support. Bishop Bird’sLetter is on the Notice Board in the Foyers. TheAppeal is taken up as a separate collection ateach Christmas mass.=================================================END OF SCHOOL YEAR: Every year! Every task!Every worthwhile undertaking!, has its challenges –2012: no different! But we take great pride in our 3Parish Schools: they continue to attract amazingenrolments. We have excellent Principals in AndreaCox, Peter Gutteridge, Veronica Slattery. Wecongratulate them on a wonderful year.Congratulations on the End of the Year andGraduation Masses, beautifully prepared andcelebrated. Our special thanks to: Teaching andAdministration Staff; our School Boards, who withParents and Friends all provide dedicated input; ourStudents who make such consistent and supportiveefforts worthwhile!So to all “a deep breath! Happy Christmas! Safe andenjoyable Holidays. Amen!!”(‘Alleluia!!’)=================================================Anita is finalizing rosters this week for ourSMJ Christmas Masses. If you are home forone of these Masses and can assist with aMinistry, please phone Anita at the ParishOffice this week. 53821155.=================================================THE STRUGGLE: THINK OF THE AREA IN YOUR LIFE WHEREYOU MOST STRUGGLE TO LIVE AS YOU BELIEVE GOD ISCALLING YOU TO LIVE. QUIETLY OFFER IT TO GOD ANDPLACE YOUR HOPE IN HIS GRACE AND MERCY.=================================================OUR CHRISTMAS EDITION OF“THE FISHERMAN” will be in the Foyersnext weekend.=================================================Fr john Pothiyittel will be here for Mass next Sundaymorning and a 5pm Indian Mass. Next week I willannounce Mass times for January as the availabilityof Priests is limited. Mass for Natimuk will be nextSunday morning December 23rd at 9am. Therewill be no Mass in January in Natimuk. NatimukCarols next Friday 7.30pm at Nursing Home. BYO chair

1st Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-18Shout 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 yourmidst; you have no more evil to fear.When that day comes, word will cometo 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 withjoy over you, he will renew you by hislove; he will dance with shouts of joyfor you as on a day of festival.2nd Reading: Philippians 4:4-7I want you to be happy, always happyin the Lord; I repeat, what I want isyour happiness. Let your tolerance beevident to everyone: the Lord is verynear. There is no need to worry; but ifthere is anything you need, pray for it,asking God for it with prayer andthanksgiving, and that peace of God,which is so much greater than we canunderstand, will guard your hearts andyour thoughts, in Christ Jesus.Gospel: Luke 3:10-18When all the people asked John. ‘Whatmust we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyonehas two tunics he must share with theman who has none, and the one withsomething to eat must do the same.’There were tax collectors too who camefor baptism, and these said to him,‘Master, what must we do?’ He said tothem, ‘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! Noextortion! Be content with your pay!’A feeling of expectancy had grownamong the people, who were beginningto think that John might be the Christ,so John declared before them all, ‘Ibaptise you with water, but someone iscoming, someone who is more powerfulthan I am, and I am not fit to undo thestrap of his sandals; he will baptise youwith the Holy Spirit and fire. Hiswinnowing-fan is in his hand to clear histhreshing-floor and to gather the wheatinto his barn; but the chaff he will burnin a fire that will never go out.’ As wellas this, there were many other thingshe said to exhort the people and toannounce the Good News to them.Gospel Reflection – Sr Veronica Lawson RSMThe third Sunday of Advent used to be called Gaudete (be joyful) Sunday. It provided a mid-term break within a period ofausterity or penance in preparation for Christmas. Advent is no longer celebrated as a penitential period, but rather as areflective time of expectation and hope. The invitation to rejoice nonetheless remains part of the Advent liturgy.It is certainly present in the first two readings: God is in our midst, renewing us in love (Zephaniah) and there is no need forworry (Philippians). It is also implicit in the gospel reading from Luke with its sense of expectancy and John the Baptist’sannouncement of the ‘Good News’ of the one who is to come.There are ethical demands in the time of waiting. Three times John is asked, ‘What must we do?’ In line with Luke’s emphasison the universality of God’s saving power, the responses are directed to ‘all the people’. Those with even minimalfood (something to eat) and clothing (two tunics) are told to share. Tax agents, caught up in a system notoriously open toabuse, are to be honest. Soldiers are given three directives that provide some insight into the way the military was perceived:no extortion, no blackmail, and no complaints about wages. The third directive probably derives from the fact thatsoldiers were better off financially than most others. It is in no sense a prohibition on demands for just wages.John situates himself in relation to Jesus, the anointed agent of God’s liberation. John’s portrait presents someone morefiery than the Lukan Jesus turns out to be. It is more like a self-portrait, especially in light of the context which has John addressingthe crowds that flock to him as a ‘brood of vipers’, literally ‘children of snakes’ (Luke 3:7). In contrast with John’swater-baptism ‘for the forgiveness of sins’, Jesus will ‘baptise’ with the Holy Spirit and fire. Fire, as we well know in this dryland of ours, is a challenging symbol, both friend and foe. In the first-century Manual of Discipline from the Qumran communityby the Dead Sea, water, refining by fire, and ‘a holy Spirit’ are listed together as the instruments of God’s saving andpurifying action. John, who may have been a member of the Qumran community, presents his own role as preparatory tothat of Jesus, the Spirit-filled, powerful and enduring agent of God’s refining and purifying work in the world. We know ourown ongoing need for a ‘baptism’ with the Holy Spirit and fire. We prepare the way by doing what we must: sharing ourgoods and treating others with dignity and justice.Next Week’s Gospel: .Luke 1:39-44Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she couldto a town in the hill country of Judah. She went intoZechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon asElizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womband Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave aloud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed,and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I behonoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For themoment your greeting reached my ears, the child in mywomb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed thatthe promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’The Advent wreathOn the Third Sunday of Advent threecandles are lit – the two purple candles andthe rose or white candle – and the followingprayer may be said: ‘As we draw near toyou, Lord God, keep us aware of your presencein all we do. Come with power toenlighten us by your grace that we may live in praiseand peace all our days. We ask this through Christ our LordEnglish Archbishop Paul Gallagher has been appointed toCanberra from Guatemala by Pope Benedict as ApostolicDelegate and the Pope’s Representative in Australia.=================================================="We live in a society in which it seems that every space,every moment must be 'filled' with initiatives, activity, sound;often there is not even time to listen and dialogue... Let usnot be afraid to be silent outside and inside ourselves, sothat we are able not only to perceive God's voice, but alsothe voice of the person next to us, the voices of others."Pope Benedict XVI==================================================Caritas Appeal for the Typhoon Victims in the Philippines.If you wish to contribute place gift in an envelope marked‘Typhoon’. Please indicate if you would like a receipt.==================================================A Parish Vision “Bringing People together in an atmospherethat is welcoming, nurturing and challenges all to share in theMystery of God’s Love.”We welcome to the Family of God in Baptismtoday Stella Sostheim daughter of Kate andAndrew