The Benefits and Methods of Meditation

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On this page you will find articles about current events and announcements in our parish. General information about the parish can be found under the various menus and using the links to your right.

  As we remember God’s Divine Mercy, we pray for our family members and friends who are struggling in their faith. We pray that they may encounter Jesus within their own journey and come to know the joy of being in a relationship with Him.

• What’s the difference between Mass and a liturgy?
• Why do we make the sign of the Cross?
• What religious education does my child receive?
• Have things changed since I left school?

Has your child been asking questions? Perhaps you’ve been asking questions yourself.

Conversations about Catholics consists of four informal sessions designed for you to ask any and every question you might have about Catholics and what they believe and do. The school and parish will be holding four morning tea conversation sessions on 10, 17, 24, 31 May. The sessions are open to everybody.

As the Daylight Saving period has now ended, we have changed to our winter schedule for Saturday evening Mass.  From Saturday, 9th April, evening Mass will start at 5.30pm.

In the Jewish Tradition of Passover, during the sacred meal, the youngest member of the family would ask particular questions about what was happening. In this way, the story of God’s great love for His people was handed down from generation to generation.

The celebration would begin with this young voice asking:

“Why is this night different from all other nights?”

 This Easter, as we gather together as a community to celebrate the Easter Vigil on Saturday, 26th March at 6pm, this is the question that we seek to answer. What is it about this night of nights that makes it so special? Why is this our greatest feast? What is the story that we are passing on to the next generation?

Being a part of a community is a source of joy. There is much to gain from companionship, shared experiences and a common identity, even more so when we are drawn together by something as powerful as faith and love. When we journey together as a community, a people of faith, a family, we experience the life and love of God through our communal celebrations.

This year we will have many opportunities to celebrate our sense of community and to be a part of the ongoing journey in the life of St Joseph’s.

As a Christian community, our greatest feast is the Easter Vigil (this year celebrated at 6pm on Saturday, 26th March). In our preparation for Easter, we will be sharing more about the significance of this wondrous event. For now, we are asking you to mark the date as it is hoped that for this occasion, we will gather as the whole community.

‘Living Prayer’ is not a typical parish ministry in the sense of being a team with fixed meetings or business to do. Rather, it is an attitude, an approach to community and identity that is shared by all members of the community and all ministries with the parish. It is a ‘team’ that crosses borders.

Together, we pray for each other and the things that directly touch the heart of our community. As we lift up our hopes and needs to God, we give witness to God’s action in our lives and in the life of our community.

There is much to rejoice about in our community – God’s Spirit continues to breath new life. The experience of God’s life and love within the community gives rise to hope.

May we never get tired of bringing our needs and the needs of the community before our loving God.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6

(Living Prayer cards are available on the entrance table to the church. If you would like to receive the prayer intentions by email, contact the Living Prayer team through the Parish Office)

By now, the Christmas decorations have come down and our thoughts turn to the coming year ahead. And yet, the joy of the wonder of Christmas is something that we carry with us every day of our lives. Jesus has entered into our lives and filled every experience with the life and love of God.

As a Parish, we wish to thank all those who gave of their time and talent to make our celebration of Christmas a joy-filled occasion. The coming together of musical talent, drama, service, preparing and decorating the church, helping each other and worshipping together brought out the true meaning of what it means to be a Christian community. Our small human offerings, in some mysterious way, are filled with God’s presence and become something much more.

And isn’t that the mystery of the Incarnation – God dwelling among us! The human and divine become one – in Jesus, in the Eucharist, in us!

In this way, Christmas is something we celebrate every moment of our lives, not just once a year. It is a deep mystery, and one that we will only come to understand more as we live each moment, each day of our lives. May our Christmas prayer become the prayer of that journey:

“Thank you Jesus for coming to us. I don’t really understand, but Jesus, I love you. Make a difference in my life. Help me make a difference. Jesus, fill my life with all the joy and wonder that comes through knowing you.”

Christmas changes everything.

On Sunday, 22nd November, our altar servers got together for a fun afternoon.  The activity, organised by the parish, was our way of saying thank you to these young helpers.

The day consisted of water bombs, wet sponges and whipped cream Santa Claus beards!