Please keep Thursday nights free in Lent for our next series of talks (“Lenten Lectures”), which will break open the incredible thought and insights of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. These “Ratzinger Reflections” will be held every Thursday during Lent commencing on the third Thursday in Lent.
Welcome to St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church, Gymea
St. Catherine’s Catholic Parish is a welcoming, supportive, and faith-filled community of believers inspired by the life of Jesus Christ and emboldened by the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Catholic faith. We are called to make Christ present in our parish, in our local community, and in our world. We respect and uphold the dignity of all human life and strive to remain faithful to the intellectual richness of the teachings of Christ and His Catholic Church “in and out of season”.
Our Mission is to seek holiness in everything we do — to love, to know, and to give praise to God the Eternal Trinity. We desire to experience Christ’s mercy and to make this mercy known to others; to be a community committed to recognising Christ present in each person through our service to the wider community and in the joyful and reverent celebration of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist — the “source and summit” of the Catholic faith.
Our Vision
A series of excerpts from Fr Greg’s Vote of Thanks at the Inaugural Parish Dinner, 2022. (Mr & Mrs Abdallah were the guests of honour).
Tonight, is all about the future — our future. I was appointed the fifth Parish Priest of St Catherine Labouré, Gymea, in August of last year; arriving to find a closed Church in the midst of a Covid “lockdown”. Now, some fifteen months hence, what a true (grace-filled) joy it is, to stand before you, four hundred of my beloved parishioners — to celebrate our inaugural Parish Dinner together.
Tonight is all about moving forward. Our mission to evangelise and re-evangelise Gymea anew is only just getting started.
But Mr and Mrs Abdallah, it is the prophetic words of your son, Anthony, that give us the insight and the wisdom to turn that mission into a reality. When Our Lord asked Anthony, then only nine years old, in a dream “What do you want to become?”, Anthony replied: “I want to be a saint.” My fervent prayer tonight is that Anthony’s words will become the words of every person here tonight — whether we be young or old; priest or layman; lost or lonely; committed or curious. Catholicism is for all precisely because we are all called to be saints.
Saints are born from Truth and Mercy. And as I have said several times now, my vision for our parish in Gymea is where “mercy and truth meet together” and are never pulled apart. St Catherine’s must be a place where no matter who you are, no matter what you may have done, no matter how far you may have fallen away — Christ and His Church will always embrace you. The Sacrament of confession will always be available every day. For I know how lost I would be in life without Christ’s embrace in absolution.
However, there is no genuine experience of mercy and forgiveness unless it is founded upon the truth of who we are and the truth of who we are destined to become.
For too long, the truth of our faith – its intelligence, its beauty, and its genius — has been watered down. We have seen the disastrous catechetical effects of trying to separate the heart from the head; the pastoral from the intellectual; the ministry from the tradition.
For without a love for the truth, the heart will always be crippled by self-doubt. Without a love for truth, our pastoral activities will always be overwrought by insecurity. Without a love for the truth, our ministry will always be spiritually fleeting. And, so gradually, mercy itself become obsolete and our Church becomes doomed to cultural obsolescence.
However, in you, Danny and Leila, “mercy and truth [have met] together”. You have come to our parish community tonight as walking signs of the cross (walking crucifixes). In you, Danny and Leila, the power of the Catholic faith – its universality, its intelligence, and its timeless relevance — shines through in a way that no soul – no matter how hardened or bitter – has the power to resist. From the bottom of my heart and in union with the hearts of every person here tonight, I say thank you to God and thank you to you. You have brought the mission and the vision of this parish to life; illuminating for us “that in Christ crucified you can do everything”; and that, truly, we cannot live our lives apart from the Mass.
I love the Catholic Church more than anything in the world — it is the source of all my joy. I love the Catholic Church because I love God and (no matter what), Christ said this is His Church and it will always resurrect. I want to take this inaugural opportunity to thank God again for calling me to be a priest. I love being a priest — although, like any vocation, it is never easy – it is the greatest privilege to hold Christ in your hands, to be the minister of His mercy, in service of His people. But I would say the last year, as your Parish Priest (and as a philosophy lecturer), has been one of the happiest years of my life. So, to you the people of God of Gymea, thank you for having me; know I love you so much; and look forward to building up God’s kingdom with you in Gymea.
For further information please contact admin@stcaths.org.au
Carmelite Retreat Program
For a list of all the 2023 Carmelite Retreats, click here. Alternatively, you can click here to go straight to the registration page for all retreats.
NEXT “LECTURE” SERIES & GROUPS
NEW PARISH “APOLOGETICS” GROUP: What is “apologetics?” Etymologically, the word means to “speak in defence” — in this case of the Catholic faith. Perhaps more than ever, knowing how to defend your faith in public and appreciating the intelligence of the Church’s teachings is a grave imperative. The evening begins with a 30-40 minute presentation on a topic and then 20 minutes of questions/discussion. It is possible a specific book will be chosen for everyone to follow. Although details are being finalised, at this stage, I intend to host this event on Wednesday evenings, which began Wednesday, 1 June.
Please refer to the latest Bulletin for full particulars and dates.
Archbishop’s Flood Appeal
Dear Father/Parish Secretaries,
Following discussions with brother bishops across regional NSW, Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has announced that Christmas at the Cathedral, which gets underway on Thursday 8 December, will be raising funds this year to provide much needed relief and recovery for the victims of the NSW floods.
Large parts of regional NSW have been hit by severe flooding since September, with thousands of people left homeless and many businesses forced to close.
Online donations are welcome for the Archbishop’s Flood Appeal via the Our Faith, Our Works website here: https://www.ourfaithourworks.org/flood-appeal/
Parishes are also encouraged to share this social tile on your social media platforms please to help spread the word about this important appeal.
As Archbishop Fisher has emphasised “Christmas is very much a time when we open our hearts to those in need, inspired by the unfailing love Christ shows for each of us”.
May this appeal offer comfort and hope to flood-affected communities as they start to rebuild their lives.
Kind regards,
Michael Kenny
Manager, Communications and News Media
Archdiocese of Sydney
What’s Going On in Our Parish in 2023?
Further details will be provided here shortly about the following new initiatives that will begin in our parish over the coming weeks. If you are at all interested in getting involved in any of the following, please get in touch!
A new mother’s prayer group; philosophy and theology classes; a monthly guest speaker; a new youth group that meets on Sunday evenings; the recommencement of Children’s Liturgy;
the Annual “Labouré Lecture” and Parish Dinner.
MASS TIMES
Saturday Vigil: 5 pm
Sundays: 7:30 am, 9:30 am, and 5 pm
Mondays: 9:15 am Mass only
Tuesdays: 8:30 am-9:10 am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed by the 9:15 am Mass
Wednesdays: 8:30 am-9:10 am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed by the 9:15 am Mass
Thursdays: 8:30 am-9:10 am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed by the 9:15 am Mass
Fridays: 8:30 am-9:10 am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Benediction followed by the 9:15 am Mass
Saturdays: 8:30 am-9:10 am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Benediction followed by the 9:15 am Mass
Please Visit our Youtube Page and Facebook Page for further information.
GO TO YOUTUBE and type in St Catherine Labouré Gymea Mass or use the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=st+catherine+laboure+gymea+mass+
For Facebook – use the following link
https://m.facebook.com/St-Catherine-Labour%C3%A9-Parish-Gymea-108678858244000/
then like the page, for immediate communications.
Confession will be available before and after every Weekday Mass (including Saturdays).
Please approach me if you wish to receive the Sacrament.
During the morning Adoration, I will be sitting at the front of the Church near the confessional.
On Saturdays, I will be in the confessional immediately following the morning 9:15 am Mass for as long as necessary and from 4:30 – 4:55 pm.
Parish Rosary Via Zoom: every Saturday Morning at 10 am
All are welcome to pray the Holy Rosary together each Saturday morning at 10 am.
This was started during the lockdown but a number of people have asked for this to continue.
Each rosary will be offered for various intentions. Please find the Zoom link/Phone number below.
Please contact the parish if you have any questions. Feel free to invite your friends and family to join us.
To join our parish rosary, either;
(1) call the phone number below and enter the meeting code; or
(2) copy and paste the following link below into your address bar above.
Note, you will need to have downloaded Zoom onto your computer for this link to work. (https://zoom.us/signup)
Topic: Parish Rosary: St Catherine’s Gymea
Time: Every Saturday at 10am: Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:
https://sydneycatholic.zoom.us/j/69475789620?pwd=ZGhtUjJPd0lyOGR1Vnc1dTJLUVdmZz09
Password: 1234
Join from telephone (meeting ID: 694 7578 9620): (02) 8015 2088 (Sydney)
International numbers available: https://sydneycatholic.zoom.us/u/ecwj88Pys1
Join from Skype for Business (Lync):
https://sydneycatholic.zoom.us/skype/69475789620
Important Notice Regarding Containers for Fiji
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY ITEMS FOR FIJI
AT THIS TIME
Remember to Support our Local Village Shops
Fruiticious with Wally & Wadih – two Maronite Catholics
Taste Buds, with Bebe and her young family – the youngest is in Year 5 at St Cath’s
The Gymea Lily (Home & Kitchenware) now owned by parishioner, Peter McGrath
LEGION OF MARY
The Gymea Legion of Mary involves members from Oyster Bay and Miranda parishes who have since joined the Gymea Praesidium.
The Legion meets in the Conference Room from 9:45 am (after the 9:15 am morning Mass) on Thursdays.
Enquiries can be made via the President, Mike Links:
THE MEDJUGORE PRAYER GROUP
Meets every Thursday evening at 6 pm inside the Church (Choir area) and the contact is Barry via email at:
CATECHISTS
Among the many things impacted by COVID 19 is our Catechist ministry. Many of our volunteers have been forced to discontinue serving as Catechist teachers, out of health concerns for themselves or their family members.
As a result, there are a number of Scripture Classes which do not have a Catechist teacher at present.
If you are in a position, health-wise, to volunteer to teach at the local schools, then please urgently contact the Coordinator, Karen at: catechists@stcaths.org.au
St Catherine’s Primary School Link
https://www.sclgymea.catholic.edu.au
COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENT:
COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN UPDATE – SERVICE NSW REQUIREMENTS
¨ All congregants it is only preferred that you wear a MASK whilst inside the Church
¨ There must be “NO” entry to site if unwell
¨ All congregants are reminded that they should leave the Church after the service and not mingle
¨ All congregants are reminded of the requirement for physical social-distancing“
¨ All congregants are asked to take their bulletin with them after Mass and NOT return them to the area where they are stored or leave them on seats
Parish Credit Card Forms for Planned Giving (download, fill in, scan and email back or post) & New Envelope Contributors……
A message from the Archdiocese of Sydney
The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney upholds the dignity and rights of all children and is committed to ensuring their safety.
We recognise each child as a gift from God, and we value and encourage the participation of children
in all activities that enhance their spiritual, physical, emotional,
intellectual and social development.
Child sexual abuse is a crime.
The appropriate people to deal with crimes are the police.
If you, or anyone you know, have been abused,
please contact the police.
Alternatively, you can contact the
Safeguarding and Ministerial Integrity Office on (02) 9390 5810
or email at: safeguardingenquiries@sydneycatholic.org.
You may also want to speak to your Parish Priest,
Father Dr. Greg Morgan (02 9525.1138) (office@stcaths.org.au)
who will be able to provide support and guidance.
The Archdiocese has a legal obligation to report crimes to the police.
