JUBILEE YEAR of ST FRANCIS PRAYER

Saint Francis, our brother, you who eight hundred years ago went to meet Sister Death as a man at peace, intercede for us before the Lord.

You recognized true peace in the Crucifix of San Damiano, teach us to seek in Him the source of all reconciliation that breaks down every wall.

You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war and misunderstanding, give us the courage to build bridges where the world raises up boundaries.

In this time afflicted by conflict and division, intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers: unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ. Amen

ALL SAINTS & ALL SOULS DAYS

All Saints Day on November 1 is marked as a day to remind the Christian faithful that they are in communion with all who have gone before them. We especially remember all saints and martyrs during Christian history.

All Souls Day celebrated on November 2 has become a day more focused on all the dead. It emphasizes "the Christian belief in bodily resurrection and eternal life".

Mass will be at 9.30am and 7.00pm. Blessing of the Graves at Berwick and Harkaway Cemetery will be after 9.30am Mass. Legion of Mary will lead a Walking Rosary through Berwick Cemetery.

THE L.A.M.P YOUTH EVENT

At St Michael’s School Stadium, Saturday, November 21, 11.00am-4.00pm, followed by Mass, celebrated by Bishop Greg and concelebrated by Fr Confidence. For sign up scan QR code. See Poster in the Foyer.

All volunteers will be contacted shortly with assigned jobs. Thank you. Archangel Youth are looking forward to a great day!!!

PARISH SUPPORT CENTRE

Will be closed on Monday November 2 and Tuesday November 3.

MILITARY ORDINARIATE COLLECTION

Will be taken up next weekend.

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION SESSIONS

Due to the busyness of the coming season meetings will resume in February 2027. It is beneficial to continue the practice of meditating daily to enjoy the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5: 22-23).

GOOD NEWS

Notices required by 10.00am, Thursday. Thank you.

PIETY

God’s Word $25.00, Columban Calendar $10.00, ‘The Light’ Advent Daily Reflection $5.00. All are available at the Piety or Parish Support Centre.

ADVENT

Precedes Christmas and is a time of hopeful anticipation and joyful preparation for the celebration of Christmas. It offers us an opportunity to prayerfully commemorate the birth of Jesus, to become more aware of God’s presence in our everyday lives.

Advent Groups will begin the week of Monday November 23. If you would like to join or feel able to lead a group, please contact the Parish Support Centre. We will advertise groups dates and times once we have leaders.

AUSTRALIAN CATHOLICS

Is available for collection in the foyer.

JUNIOR YOUTH

Our first meeting was a great success and the next meeting will be on November 6 at 6.30pm in the Parish Support Centre.

MONTHLY PRAYER MINISTRY

This Sunday from 10.00am until 10.30am Mass in the adoration area. Prayer is gentle, private and confidential. Just come, no booking needed, we would love to pray for you.

WORLD YOUTH DAY 2027

"Take Courage! I have overcome the world" Jn 16:33 It is time to take courage and join Bishop Greg and the young people of the Diocese of Sale as we embark on our journey to Seoul for World Youth Day 2027! Diocese of Sale is inviting young people aged 16 years to 35 years to be a part of this pilgrimage. If you wish to attend as either a pilgrim or a small group leader, Expressions of Interest are now OPEN and will close on Friday December 4. Register at cdsale.org.au/world-youth-day-seoul

PARISH SOCIAL GROUP

Thank you to everyone who attended and enjoyed our recent get-together. Meetings will now be held on the first Monday of each month. Next meeting November 2, 12.00pm-2.00pm. Newcomers welcome.

FOUND

Two silver chains, if they are yours contact Parish Support Centre.

VOICES IN CELEBRATION

Concert will be held November 29 from 2.00pm to 5.00pm in the church. This concert will raise much-needed funds for our new sound system, so put it in your diary today. Tickets will go on sale next week!

RAFFLE

Please contact the Parish Support Centre if you can help us out with donations for a raffle to support our sound system.

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS ROSTER

The roster will be prepared shortly for December. As several long-term ministers are stepping down, new volunteers are greatly needed. Training will be provided. To serve in this ministry or update your availability, please contact Geraldine at the Parish Support Centre. Thank you.

VACUUMING ROSTER

Will be prepared shortly to begin in December. If you would like to join this ministry or your availability has changed, please let Geraldine know at the Parish Support Centre. Thank you.

POPE'S PRAYER INTENTION FOR NOVEMBER

Let us pray for the proper use of wealth, that not succumbing to the temptation of selfishness, it may always be put at the service of the common good and solidarity of those who have less.

RISEN LORD COMMUNITY RETREATS

‘Breakthrough” November 18 – 21 see flyer in foyer. All are welcome.

REFLECTION: Greg Sunter

Saints are sometimes regarded as ‘Catholic superheroes’. Stories of miraculous and remarkable deeds abound, though more in the vein of conversions and cures than speeding bullets and tall buildings. But to get caught up on the Saints of the stained-glass windows is to overlook the vast majority of saints. You see, a saint is anybody whose soul is in heaven. The Church celebrates a certain number of Saints whose lives provide a glimpse of God for the rest of the Church. But there are many, many more saints whose glimpse of God was only ever experienced by their family, friends and those with whom they worked. The feast of ALL Saints is an opportunity to remember and reflect on the lives of those saints who’ve been known and loved by just a few and whose sphere of influence was such that they will never be recognised as Saints by the universal Church.

Today’s gospel, the Beatitudes, from the Sermon on the Mount describes perfectly those ‘lower case s’ saints we celebrate on this feast day. The Beatitudes are sometimes referred to in parallel with the Ten Commandments. However, the Beatitudes are not ‘rules’ or ‘instructions’ for life as the Commandments are. They are more in line with a strategy that today we would call ‘positive reinforcement’. They celebrate those who respond to God’s call through particular attitudes towards life and towards others. Jesus presents them to the disciples and the crowd as images to inspire imitation. They’re not hard and fast rules for life, but attitudes for life; the Be-Attitudes, so to speak. Those who live with these attitudes in this life are to be celebrated – ‘Happy are you’ – for they will be saints. They will be welcomed into communion with God in heaven.

Scriptural context – Kingdom Attitudes
Unlike the Ten Commandments, which describe the rules for life on earth for the ancient Jews, the Beatitudes describe the character or attitudes of people of the Kingdom of God. Like the many Kingdom parables that appear later in this gospel (esp. chapter 13), the Beatitudes present an image of what the Kingdom is like without an explicit explanation of the Kingdom. By praising and honouring the attitudes of the Kingdom, Jesus paints a picture of what life could be and should be like if we choose to live in the Kingdom of God.

Living the gospel – Calling on the Saints
Saints play an important role in the devotional life of many Catholic people, but it is a role that causes some confusion for other traditions. Whilst all prayer is directed to God, sometimes that prayer may be directed through one of the Saints or a Saint is called upon to pray on behalf of the petitioner. Images of people kneeling before statues of Saints has led to a misconception that Catholics pray to Saints, rather than to God through the Saint. The Litany of the Saints, with its ‘Pray for us’ response, calls on the Saints to intercede for us.

Have you thought? – Making Saints
Despite media reports that the Church, or the Pope, has ‘made’ a person a Saint, the Church is quite clear that what it does is recognise a person as a Saint, not make them a Saint. This is what happens through the process of canonisation; a person is ‘formally recognised’ as a Saint by the Church. We might say that it is God who makes Saints, not the Church. The Church formally recognises the saintliness of particular people partly to provide inspiration and example to others. The Church tells the stories of its Saints to keep alive their inspiration.