Parish Announcements

Message of Appreciation

On behalf of St. Mary’s Parish I would like to thank my friend John Wheeler for paying for the cost of landscaping the site of our new administration building. John is a parishioner from Surfers Paradise Parish but he has been very generous to our parish. We are grateful for his extreme generosity. May God continue to bless him and his family.

Message of Appreciation

A big thank you to Jules Byrnes who has once again made another generous donation to the parish. Jules donated $8,500 for the installation of air conditioning in the Worship Centre. We pray that the good Lord will continue to bless Jules with life, health of mind and body.

Piety Stall

We have some beautiful Nativity Scenes, Nativity ornaments, Christmas candles and cards for sale. A perfect gift! God’s Word 2019 is now available for sale. This beautiful illustration would make a wonderful Christmas gift for friends & family. Price: $17 Columban Calendars 2019 are still available. Price: $10 Beautiful hand made gifts are available for sale & would make a great Christmas gift. Nothing over $10. Come take a look!

Parish Financial Reports

(Last weekend’s collections) 1st Collection: $971.62   2nd Collection: $1,736.23

Parish Debt: $501,000.00

Financial Report : New Administration Building

Funds Required: $200,000.00 (Base Building)

Fixtures & Fittings: $20,000.00

Total: $220,000.00

Current Sum: Buy a Brick Campaign: $46,490.00

 

Raffle tickets for our Christmas Raffle are available for sale in the foyer of the Worship Centre. There are lots of fantastic prizes to be won (see posters for more details).

Tickets: $2 each or 3 for $5  Ticket: 1 = $2 or 3 = $5

Special thanks to the Parishioners of St. Mary’s, our local Coles, Woolworths and Kmart stores for their support and generosity.

New or Returning Readers & Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion

The current Reader & Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion Roster finishes at the end of December. We will continue with the current roster as is until the end of June 2019. However, should you wish to take your name off the roster, or if you would like to be included as a Reader or Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, please call the parish office and advise us of your availability. The last day for inclusions or changes is 17th December 2018 to enable the roster to be put together and printed for collection before the end of December. There will be forms at the back of the church for any changes to the current roster. Thank you.

 

 

 

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Weekly Readings

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From Father John
Dear parishioners, visitors & friends,
 
In 1996, at the funeral of seven Trappist Monks who were brutally murdered in Algeria by some Islamic fanatics, the local Bishop Pierre Claverie of Oran, who was also murdered by the same people a few months later, said in his homily amongst other things, ‘if Christianity distances itself from the cross of Jesus Christ, its content and strength are lost to a certain extent. The vitality of the Church, her fruitfulness and hope, have their matrix and their roots in the cross of Christ. Nowhere else. All the rest is secondary, leads to illusions and pulls the wool over the eyes. The Church cheats herself and others if she acts like a worldly power, like a humanitarian organisation among other humanitarian organisations or like an enterprise of evangelisation with spectacular effects.’ The harsh reality of the crucifixion can often appear to impede on the deep mystery of the cross and even make the cross almost irreconcilable with everything Christianity stands for. But the truth of the matter is that Christianity rises or falls depending on how Christianity makes sense of the mystery of the cross. ‘If Christ, (who died on the cross), had not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and our faith is in vain,’ (1 Corinthians 15:14). The cross is not an emergency measure adopted by God when everything else had failed. The cross was part of God’s eternal plan for the salvation of sinful humanity. Jesus Christ embraced His death on the cross freely and with a generous spirit. “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, Christ says” (John 15:13). What was obvious as Jesus Christ took Peter, James and John with him to the Mount of Transfiguration, was that Jesus wanted to seek the approval of God before taking the decisive step to die on cross of Calvary. In the Nicene Creed we profess that Jesus is truly divine, begotten of the Father, consubstantial with the Father, “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” “The Father and I are one, Jesus says” (John 10:30). They might be one but Christ never did anything without the approval of the God, Christ called ‘Abba, Father. “Obedience is an act of faith; disobedience is the result of unbelief,” Edwin Louis Cole once said. In the first reading, we heard of Abram. He was 72 years when God asked him to leave his present place and settle in a new country. Abram obeyed God, and God credited it to him as righteousness, (Genesis 15:6). Today, there are Catholics who are involved in anti-Catholic teachings. They want to be part of the Church but they hate the moral principles of the Church. Christ showed an utter obedience to God. The presence of Elijah and Moses clarified things for Christ. Moses received the Law from God on Mount Sinai and Elijah could be regarded as the greatest of the prophets. They were on the Mountain to give Christ the Ok. As Christians, an authentic and genuine life of freedom and liberation requires of us a profound transformation, and total metanoia. Christ constantly sought the face of God in prayer. Christ was in prayer, in union with the Father, and as He prayed, ‘the aspect of His face was changed and His clothing became brilliant as lightning.’ It is good that we have started the season of Lent. But we need to ensure that this year’s season of lent is special to us individually and communally. We need to be deliberate and intentional in our Lenten observances. Our prayers, fasting and alms-giving need to draw us into the mystery of our being, and into the depth of where we are physically and spiritually united with our God. Just as Peter, James and John descended from the mountain to resume normal living, I hope and pray that our Lenten journey may not leave us isolated but enable us to engage and make a difference in the life of people we meet beyond the walls of our Parish Chapel or the Worship Centre.
 
God bless you all.
Fr. John Ikechukwu Echewodo
Parish Priest
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Christmas 2016

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CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS 2016

All  events and holy mass  will be held at the St. Mary’s Worship Center, Upper Coomera

Saturday, 24th December (CHRISTMAS EVE)

4.30pm –  Carol Singing   | 5:00  – Holy Mass 

9.30pm –  Carol Singing  | 10:00 pm –  Holy Mass 

Sunday 25th December 2016 (CHRISTMAS DAY)

7.30am Holy Mass

9.30am Holy Mass

Saturday, 31st December (NEW YEAR’S EVE)

6pm – Holy Mass 

Sunday 1st January 2017 (NEW YEAR’S DAY)

7.30am Mass  |  9am Mass | 5pm Mass 

 

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Lenten Progam

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HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE 

SAINT MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH

COOMERA

Ash Wednesday – Mass at 7pm

Stations of the Cross – Every Friday at 7pm

Mass Times :

                (NO 5 PM EVENING MASS ON EASTER SUDAY)

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Christmas Message from Archbishop Mark Coleridge

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