Catholic Outlook September 2015

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NEWS FROM THE CCD Celebrating the service of Special Religious Educators Bishop Kevin with recipients of the Papal Award for 20 years of SRE service. Representatives of Catholic schools whose students support parishes in providing SRE in state primary schools. Photos: Alfred Boudib. Last month’s annual Mass for the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) and presentation of service awards was a wonderful celebration and acknowledgement of the dedicated ministry of SRE personnel across the Diocese. The Diocesan Administrator, Very Rev Peter Williams, was the principal celebrant for the Mass on 21 August at St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills. Awards were presented to 58 SRE personnel whose length of service ranged from 15 to 40 years. More than 500 people attended the Mass, which was concelebrated by Bishop Emeritus Kevin Manning and 13 priests assisted by two deacons, two seminarians, an acolyte and altar servers. Fr Peter spoke of the important evangelising role that SREs undertake on behalf of each parish. The Diocesan CCD Director, Paul Worthington, spoke on behalf of the retired SRE Parish Coordinators and commended their service to their parishes, their SRE teams and their support for their parish priests. Bishop Kevin presented the years of service and Papal Awards for the 20-year Bishop Kevin presents Lesley Bosci with her 35 years of service award. Norma Carlon receives her award from Fr Peter Williams for teaching the whole school in the Megalong Valley for the past 25 years. recipients. The Chair of the CCD Advisory Board, Fr Ian McGinnity, presented Graduate Certificates to Level 3 personnel. This year, parishes have also been supported by students from 18 Catholic secondary schools. More than 500 students are involved in teaching and supporting SRE parish teams. These young people are a wonderful resource for the parishes and a great help to experienced SREs and certainly the students in state primary schools. Paul Worthington will retire as CCD Director on 18 December. He was lavish in his praise for members of the diocesan Fr Ian McGinnity with Level 3 award recipients. CCD Team for their wonderful work as a servant ministry to the parishes. It was excellent to see four CCD Regional Coordinators receive service awards for their commitment to their own parishes. Celebrating the Journey Diocesan Development Fund Catholic Diocese of Parramatta Supporting the growing needs of the institutions and agencies within the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta www.parra.catholic.org.au/ddf St Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday 20 September at 11am Open to all married couples and their families but with special acknowledgement to those couples who have significant wedding anniversaries of 25 years and over. The Diocesan Administrator, Very Rev Peter Williams, will be the Principal Celebrant for the Mass and will host lunch afterwards. Disclosure Statement The Diocesan Development Fund Catholic Diocese of Parramatta (DDF) is not subject to the provisions of the Corporation Act 2001 nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Deposits with the DDF are guaranteed by CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for this purpose. We welcome your investment with the DDF rather than with a profit oriented commercial organisation as a conscious commitment by you to support the Charitable, Religious and Educational works of the Catholic Church. Neither the DDF nor the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Parramatta are prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority; contributions to the DDF do not obtain the benefit of the depositor protection provisions of the Banking Act 1959; the DDF is designed for investors who wish to promote the charitable purposes of the DDF. Couples celebrating anniversaries of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 years and over will receive a certificate of blessing. Please register by 12 September through your Parish Secretary or contact CatholicCare Social Services tel (02) 9933 0222 or email marriage@ccss.org.au 8 CatholicOutlook | SEPTEMBER 2015 www.parra.catholic.org.au @parracatholic facebook.com/parracatholic
Great resources for parishes and groups to advance God’s mission! By Fr Paul Roberts – Institute for Mission, Blacktown Pastoral Plan goals DIOCESAN PASTORAL PLAN Many will be familiar with Faith in Our Future, the Diocese of Parramatta’s Pastoral Plan. It was the result of extensive consultation led by Fr Paul Marshall and Daniel Ang. Daniel then contributed so richly for us as Director of Pastoral Planning until his recent move to assist our neighbouring Diocese of Broken Bay. We look forward to the arrival of Richard McMahon on 28 September. Richard will work with us in the key role of Director of Pastoral Planning and Implementation. In the meantime, the Pastoral Plan continues where it belongs, in the hands and hearts of those in grassroots ministry in our communities in the Diocese. Its five key broad goals or pastoral priorities, in summary, are: Goal 1 – Supporting family life Goal 2 – Connecting better with the young Goal 3 – Building upon our ethnic diversity Goal 4 – Growing and supporting laity and clergy Goal 5 – New Evangelisation FORMING THEYoung & Church Adult A PARISH RESOURCE IN SUPPORT OF GOALS 2 AND 4 OF ‘Faith in Our Future 2014-2018’ GOAL 2 – CONNECTING BETTER WITH THE YOUNG GOAL 4 – GROWING AND SUPPORTING LAITY AND CLERGY Connecting Better with the Young Invite and support youth and young adults to grow in holiness and to become leading participants in the renewal of society and the Church by living their faith with commitment and enthusiasm. A superb resource collection to help us is here! Earlier in the year, helped by his parttime staff of Margaret and Lindsay, Daniel prepared a major collection of resource links and suggestions to support Goals 2 and 4 of the Pastoral Plan. He drafted this into a resource book entitled Forming the Young and Adult Church. A number of the diocesan agencies, especially Catholic Youth Parramatta and the Office for Worship, were hugely helpful in contributing ideas to the resource book. As well, many clergy and ministry leaders contributed recommendations from their pastoral experience. We recently took it on at the Diocese’s Institute for Mission at Blacktown to do the finishing touches to the resource book and arrange for its publishing. If you scan through the pages of the resource book, you’ll see plenty of evidence of the ministry, energy and best practice that is being exercised through the Church’s networks to connect people and faith. It contains a wide spectrum of offerings from youth ministry and leadership formation to prayer and liturgy support to ideas for faith formation, RCIA, seniors’ ministry, pastoral councils and bereavement care. Fostering a sense of belonging Youth groups present an opportunity to develop fellowship among our Catholic youth and foster within them a sense of belonging to parish community. The first one related to Goals 1 and 5 and was entitled Welcome and Evangelise. For parishes or groups who would also like more of that first resource book, contact us at the Institute for Mission on (02) 9831 4911. Getting the new resource book to parishes and groups This month, our small team from the Institute for Mission is visiting every parish in the Diocese. We’ll hand deliver a bundle of the new resource books, Forming the Young and Adult Church, for use by parish teams and ministry group leaders. During these visits we also look forward to sharing outlines of the current and upcoming initiatives of the Institute for Mission to support the work and goals of parishes. Other groups keen to receive the new resource book are welcome to contact us on (02) 9831 4911. Growing and Supporting Laity and Clergy Provide lifelong support for laity in their vocations, and grow and support our priestly vocations as well, provide opportunities for faith formation, and encourage the development of pastoral leadership in service to our common mission as the People of God. The biggest problem for parishes and groups will be how to limit the number of resources and new ideas they access and use, as the opportunities suggested are many indeed. This new resource book is the second one available to support the Pastoral Plan. Contact us at the IFM Fr Paul Roberts and the team at the Institute for Mission can be contacted on (02) 9831 4911. Called to live the mission of the Church ‘Parish Pastoral Councils are councils of the whole church, where priests, religious, church workers and laity all come together and give leadership to the parish as it discerns its call to live the mission of the Church in these times in this community.’ www.parra.catholic.org.au @parracatholic facebook.com/parracatholic CatholicOutlook | SEPTEMBER 2015 9
Page 1 and 2: CatholicOutlook The official public
Page 3 and 4: Warm welcome for Archbishop Miller
Page 5 and 6: YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE Religious
Page 7: Fatherhood: A journey that changes
Page 11 and 12: CARING FOR THOSE WHO CARED THE FATH
Page 13 and 14: www.parra.catholic.edu.au @Catholic
Page 15 and 16: CATHOLICCARE SOCIAL SERVICES DIOCES
Page 17 and 18: Citation of Merit for Youth: from l
Page 19 and 20: DIOCESAN HONOURS The inaugural Dioc
Page 21 and 22: Conference to focus on domestic vio
Page 23 and 24: SOCIAL JUSTICE MYC has created soci

Catholic Outlook September 2015

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