ST CHRISTOPHER’S PARISH Airport West, Keilor, Keilor Park, Tullamarine

Parish Office: 34 Roberts Road Airport West Phone: 9338 3793 Email: stchristophersapw@bigpond.com

Office Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm

Parish Priest: Fr Joseph Olickal Residence: 8529 3999

Email: joseph.olickal@cam.org.au

Pastoral Associate: Catherine Young

Finance Manager: Anna Carmody

Parish Secretary: Emilia Balkan

Thanksgiving Coordinator: Christiana Thomas

Pray for the Sick: Audrey Valladares, Tony Cini, Samuel Cogliandro, Rosa Maria Santos, Gary Southan, Cynthia Punchiheloa, Joseph Merolda, Christina Zucchi, K & P Chip

Anniversaries: Antonio Cristino, Andrea (Andrew) De Vellis, Wes Clarke, Lian Wong, Vera Agnes Bird, Tommasino Quattrucci, Giovanni Vacirca, Cathy Perre

Recent Deaths: Russel Bernard Gloria D’Souza

Readings for this week: Prov 8:22-31; Rom 5:1-5;

Jn 16:12-15

Responsorial Psalm Response: O Lord our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Prayers of the Faithful Response: Holy Trinity, hear our prayer!

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 21 / 22 May 2016

Weekday Masses: Monday 10.00am Tuesday - Saturday 9.15am

Weekend Masses: St Christopher’s Church Saturday 6.00pm Sunday 8.00am (Italian)

11.00am (English)

St Augustine’s Church Sunday 9.30am (English)

Reconciliation: Saturday morning after Mass or by appointment.

Other Devotions Monday Mornings 10am: Italian Charismatic Prayer Group at St Christopher’s Church

Tuesday Mornings after Mass: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Tuesday Mornings 10.00am: Italian Rosary at St Christopher’s Church

Wednesday Evenings: 7.30pm: Charismatic Prayer Group at St Christopher’s Church

Thursday Mornings after Mass: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction

Maltese Reconciliation at St Christopher’s Church has been cancelled for May / June / July whilst Fr Edwin is away. It will return in August.

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY Now that Pentecost Sunday has brought the Easter festival to a close, we resume our journey through Ordinary Time. The first part of the Ordinary Time, which is always quite short, ended on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday/Lent. This second and much longer part lasts roughly about six months, spanning between the seasons of Easter and Advent. However, not every Sunday during this stage is observed as Ordinary Time. To start with, the first two Sundays after Pentecost are always celebrated as the feasts of the Holy Trinity and of the Body and Blood of the Lord (Corpus Christi). Every year the readings for these two festivals replace those for the Sundays in Ordinary Time. The Mystery of the Trinity can be approached as a theological conundrum or as an adventure in faith. The Word of God invites us to take the latter route. The readings for the day help us retrace some of the steps taken by our forebears in faith as they were led to discover Father, Son and Spirit communing in the one Godhead and enfolding the whole of creation in their love.

HEARTLY WELCOME This Sunday we welcome Catherine Steere, the newly appointed Principal of St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School, to our Parish family. Cathy will be present at the 9.30am Mass at St Augustine’s Church to say ‘hello’ to our Parishioners. While welcoming her, we also wish her all the best as she takes up this important role.

NEXT WEEK – THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

Readings: Gen 14:18-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Lk 9:11-17 Liturgy Team: 1 (Brian Langley) 1 (Frank Bartucca) Counting Team: 6 (Desmond D’Souza) Church Cleaning St Christopher’s: 4 (Rita Favrin, Karen Giglio, Grace Falleti, Andrea Muscat, Diana Maddox, Tina D’Addario) St Augustine’s: R & B Braszell

!!! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED !!! Volunteers are needed to join the BAPTISM PREPARATION TEAMS who would be able to help out with the preparation of Families wishing to Baptise their child. Your help would be required once every three months. If you are able to volunteer please contact Catherine Young between Monday to Wednesday from 9.00am - 4.00pm on 9338 3793. You will be trained and then placed in a team with an experienced member.

Last weekend, we had Chaplaincy Sunday in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. There was a special collection in all parishes for the purpose of supporting the vital work of our Catholic Chaplains. If you have not returned your envelope and donation you can return to the parish in the coming weeks or send it directly to the Development Office of the Archdiocese, or donate by phone on 9926 5731. The presence of Catholic Chaplains provides hope. Try to imagine if you or someone very close to you was seriously ill in hospital or alone and frightened in their first week of a very long sentence in prison, or just a kid in a Youth Correctional Facility. Consider those who are silently grappling with the prejudices and judgements that come with living with HIV/AIDS. Don’t forget our brothers and sisters who are away for long bouts of time at sea, away from church support, family and friends. The presence of Catholic Chaplains is a crucial witness to our faith, a crucial dimension of our service of love, and a vital testimony to the value of life in all its stages. If you would like further information please contact the Development Office: 9926 5731 Donations will go towards supporting Chaplains who work with:

Patients and their families in public hospitals

People living with HIV/AIDS

Young people in youth justice facilities

Seafarers

BIGGEST MORNING TEA RAISE MONEY FOR THE CANCER COUNCIL

Come have a cuppa and cake to raise money for the Cancer Council.

St Christopher’s Hall Tuesday, 24th May, from 9am – 11am

For further information contact Sav on 0413 131 842.

At St Joseph’s Home the refurbishment programme to provide better accommodation for the elderly Residents has been going well. In the past 18 months the kitchen, dining rooms and the Hostel bedrooms have been completely refurbished with more spacious accommodation. The present phase involves upgrading the Nursing Wing to the same standard as the Hostel. For more information please have a look at their website: www.littlesistersofthepoor.org.au This weekend our Parish will be visited by two Little Sisters to explain their work, answer any questions and to meet our parishioners.

PARISH DATES

Saturday 21st May / – St Christopher’s & Ripples Sunday 22nd May Confirmation Certificate Mass – Visit from Little Sisters of the Poor

Monday 23rd May – St Vincent de Paul Meeting 7.30pm (Parish House)

Wednesday 25th May – Baptism Preparation Meeting 7.30pm (Parish House)

Saturday 28th May / – Baptism Welcomes & Sunday 29th May St Augustine’s Confirmation Certificate Mass

Tuesday 31st May – Italian Federation Meeting 7.30pm (Parish House)

THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY TO ST ELIZABETH

The Maltese Gharb Club of Melbourne invites you and your family to celebrate The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St Elizabeth. Sunday 5th June 2016 St Bernadette’s Catholic Community Centre Cooke Avenue, North Sunshine Mass at 2.30pm celebrated by Rev Fr Dominic DeGiorgio Followed by a social function in the foyer.

TUESDAY EVENING HEALING MASS Every Tuesday evening, 7.30pm Servite Priory Chapel, 32 Park Drive, Parkville A healing Mass is celebrated every Tuesday evening by the Servite friars, including a special blessing after Mass with a relic of St Peregrine, patron of cancer sufferers. All welcome. Details: 9347 8191 ST CHRISTOPHER’S CHURCH

WORKING BEE We will be holding a working bee at St Christopher’s

Church on Saturday 11th June starting at 10am. The main purpose is to remove the Ivy plants in front of the church

and to plant new flower plants. If you are able to assist on the day could you please

contact the Parish Office on 9338 3793 Monday to Friday between 9am-4pm.

Your time and help is greatly appreciated.

This winter thousands of people will turn to the St Vincent De Paul Society for help. They may be homeless, suffering chronic poverty, abuse or long term unemployment. The St Vincent de Paul Society is calling for help from parishioners who are able to donate financially or through material goods. Members of this parish community are invited to take part by bringing good quality clothing, blankets, doonas and non-perishable items of food to Mass on the weekend of 4/5 June. There will also be a cash collection and envelopes will be available at all Masses. Please do not donate food where the date has expired. Your local St Vinnies representative will then collect these donated items and have them distributed to people in need in the local area.

Quest’inverno migliaia di persone chiederanno la Società St Vincent de Paul per assistenza. Saranno senza casa, soffrono di povertà cronica, abuso o da lungo tempo disoccupati. Sostenendo la Messa dei Poveri potreste fare una differenza a delle persone che vivono in condizioni disperate. La fine settimana, 4/5 Giugno, vi invitiamo di partecipare nella iniziativa del St Vincent de Paul per assistere i bisognosi mettendo nelle ceste o le scatoli abiti di buona qualità, coperte, doonas, cibo non deperibile, e che non sia scaduta la data di uso. Il rappresentante del St Vincent raccoglierà questi oggetti e verranno distribuiti secondo le necessità locali. Potete anche assistere partecipando alla raccolta speciale che si farà durante tutte le messe della parrocchia.

Winter Appeal