St Patrick’s Church

St. Patrick’s Parish, Church Hill “A spiritual oasis in the midst of the city”

Under the Pastoral Care of the Marist Fathers since 1868

“To think as Mary, judge as Mary, feel and act as Mary in all things” (Marist Fathers’ Constitutions)

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The parish of St Patrick’s acknowledges the Cadigal people of the Eora nation as the traditional custodians of this place we now call Sydney.

St Brigid’s Church

5th November, 2017 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Remember your dignity

Albert Camus (1913-1960) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. In 1942 – when he was working with the

French Resistance – he published his novel, L’Etranger (The Stranger). In an interview in November 15, 1945, he

said of that novel: “(My purpose was) to describe a man with no apparent awareness of his existence. By

generalizing this particular technique, we would end up with a universe of automatons and instincts”. (Albert

Camus, Lyrical and Critical Essays, edited Philip Thody, translated Ellen Conroy Kennedy, A Vintage Book, 1968,

348.) Camus’ “stranger” reminds us of T S Eliot’s “hollow men” of The Wasteland, published twenty years earlier.

Jesus’ description of the Pharisees in today’s Gospel puts me in mind of Camus’ “stranger” and Eliot’s “hollow

men”: “They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.

They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues ….” Earlier in Matthew’s

Gospel we hear Jesus say: “For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will

they give in return for their life?” (16:26).

I am worth more – infinitely more – than the opinions and approval of others might tell me. It is the difference

between seeming and being. Success in life cannot be measured by possessions or accolades or status or

influence. Success in life is becoming who and what I am – this particular expression of God’s infinite love, to be

God’s word become flesh here and now in this situation.

In the Liturgy of the Hours (Prayer of the Church), the Office of Readings for Christmas Day has a sermon from

Pope St Leo the Great (400-461). In that sermon, Pope St Leo encourages and challenges us: “Christian,

remember your dignity!” He reminds us that “we share in God’s own nature”.

How sad it is when we feel compelled to try and be something else – especially if our efforts are successful. And if

we live with “strangers” and “hollow men” they will no doubt confirm us in our fiction. If the truth be told, most of us

reach our adult years with a fair number of forces at work within us, potentially driving us away from who and what

we are. So perhaps the primary task for us as adults is waking up! Sometimes it takes a crisis for this awakening

to occur. But that is not always so. Persistent honesty, opening oneself to the grace of the present moment,

spending regular time in prayer and listening to the Word of God, participating with the community in the

Eucharistic Liturgy, all help us to remember that we are God’s loving creation and that “we share in God’s own

nature”. Remembering our own dignity in this way will help us also remember the dignity of others.

See www.aquinas-academy.com for background material on the Gospel text.

Fr Michael Whelan, SM Parish Priest

Charitable Works Fund Appeal: This weekend is our final appeal to support the charitable works of the Archdiocese. Once again, you are invited to donate to the CWF appeal which continues to play an important role in providing social, pastoral, advocacy and training programs through its six agencies. These agencies are Chaplaincies, CatholicCare, Seminaries, Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and Ephpheta Centre for the hearing impaired. The CWF is your Catholic charity and we encourage you to give it your generous support. Through these agencies, couples, families, refugees, migrants, our future priests, Catholic public school children, the deaf and hearing impaired are just some of the people you are help-ing by supporting the CWF. There is so much which can be done with your donations, so please give generously.

Canonical Visitation: Every Parish must, according to Canon Law, have a formal visitation by the local Bishop from time to time - see Cannon 396. Bishop Terry Brady will be visiting our Parish on Sunday 12th, Friday 17th and Saturday 18th of November. He will celebrate Mass, preach, examine our records and meet as many people as he can.

Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation with children: Thank you for the feedback on the survey we did several weeks ago. The current practice will continue unless the Archdiocese instructs us otherwise: Children accompanied to St Patrick’s by a parent or guardian are

welcome to celebrate the Sacrament in the Reconciliation room.

Visiting organist: A visiting organist from the United States will be at St Patrick’s on Tuesday 7th November to give a recital at 2pm. All welcome!

A Christmas Gift Idea: Purchase The Harmonising Influence of Religion book on the historical account of St Patrick’s Church Hill, 1840 to the present for $20 at our Courtyard Coffee Shop or Book Store. Well worth the read!

Pope Francis “All of us are called to drink from the rock that is

Christ and to satisfy the thirst of the world with the

charity that flows from him. Charity is at the core of

the Church; it is the reason for her activity and the

soul of her mission. ‘Charity is at the heart of the

Church’s social doctrine. Every responsibility and

every commitment spelled out by that doctrine is

derived from charity which, according to the

teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire

Law’” (Pope Francis, Message to the Vincentian

Family on the 4th Centenary of their Charism,

1 October 2017.)

WISDOM FROM THE TRADITION

"Without awareness, we are not truly alive.” (James F. T. Bugental,

Psychotherapy Isn't What You Think, Zeig, Tucker & Co, 1999, 257.)

PARISH DIARY THIS WEEK

Mon, 6th Nov: Morning Prayer of the Church, 7.45 a.m.

Tue, 7th Nov: Morning Prayer of the Church, 7.45 a.m. Christian Meditation, Crypt 12.15 - 12.55 p.m. Evening Prayer of the Church, 5.15 p.m. Legion of Mary, Level 3, 141 Harrington Street, 6.15 p.m.

Young Adults, Crypt 6.30 p.m. - 8.00 p.m.

Wed, 8th Nov: Morning Prayer of the Church, 7.45 a.m. Novena, 12.30 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. St Pats Bible Study Discussion Group Crypt, 6.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Thurs, 9th Nov: The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Morning Prayer of the Church, 7.45 a.m.

Anointing of the Sick, 10.30 a.m. Rosary in the Crypt at 12.30 p.m. Evening Prayer of the Church, 5.15 p.m.

Fri, 10th Nov: St Leo the Great, pope, doctor Morning Prayer of the Church, 7.45 a.m.

Evening Prayer of the Church, 5.15 p.m.

Sat, 11th Nov St Martin of Tours, bishop

Sun, 12th Nov: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Recommended by the Parish Priest:

The Parish Priest recommends: TED Talk by Brene Brown: “The Power of Vulnerability”.

Google TED Talk + Brene Brown + vulnerability

Are you interested in adult educational courses?

AQUINAS ACADEMY COURSES LEVEL 5, 141 HARRINGTON ST, THE ROCKS TEL: 9247 4651

The Poetry of Grace III Rainer Maria Rilke (1875—1926)

Presenter: Michael Griffith, PhD

Throughout this course of four weeks, you will explore some aspects of the life and work of Rainer Maria Rilke, widely recognized as one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets. This is a poet of and for our times in his unrelenting quest for the truth that might be revealed through the creative process. Deeply inspired by the visual arts by Russian monasticism and by the sacred inhering in the natural world, Rilke was throughout his life a seeker of the truth. The emphasis of this course will be on Rilke’s final grand works, The Duino Elegies & The sonnets of Orpheus (1912-1922) and being a native German speaker, Michael will deliver a unique course where he can provide English translations from the original German.

Where: Aquinas Academy, Level 5 141 Harrington St

When: 4 Wednesday mornings, November 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th.

Time: From 10 a.m. - 12 noon.

Cost: $144 per person, including class booklet

Aquinas Academy Policy on Payment of Fees:

Aquinas Academy is committed to making education in the faith as available as possible. No one should feel excluded for financial reasons. If you cannot afford the fees, make a donation. No questions will be asked. But please come and benefit from the course, the company and bless us with your

own gifts and presence. Michael Whelan SM, Director

Prayer for Deceased Children Gracious God, life is your gift. We call to mind those who

shared that gift but a short time – miscarriages, still births, infants, small children and aborted children. You have

welcomed them into Your Kingdom. Embrace in your love

those of us who grieve their passing.

Marriages: Refer to website:

http://www.stpatschurchhill.org

Baptism: 3rd Sunday of each

month at 1.15 p.m. Refer to website: http://www.stpatschurchhill.org

Historical Tour: Every 1st

and 3rd Monday of the month. Bookings are essential and made

via the Coffee Shop.

Sunday First Collection:

Support of the Marist Priests at St Patrick’s.

Sunday Second

Collection:

General Parish Expenses.

Regular Electronic Donations

Please consider donating to our parish

electronically on a regular basis.

There are yellow information slips at the

back of the church.

St Brigid’s Church, Millers Point

Did you know that St Brigid’s is the oldest

surviving place of Catholic worship in Australia? Join

our community in mass each Sunday at 9 a.m.

St Paul speaks of his conviction that nothing ‘can ever come between us and the love of God

made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8: 39). God loves us,

but…we have to accept the gift.

We are given a share in the divine life of endless loving. If we say ‘yes’,

it is only natural that a key skill we receive is that of loving. Charity or

love is the core of all virtues and of our shared life in God.

As with the two forces balancing each other in the universe, there are

two impulses in love- to contract and to expand. Love seeks union and

closeness but also to spread out and to share. This is true in three ways.

First, through love’s desire to get close, the three divine persons make

their dwelling place in us. Our understanding of life, our desires and affections are transformed

by the Holy Spirit. The quality that emerges from this is the gift or virtue of love or charity.

Second, love keeps our friendship with God alive. In thriving, it gradually permeates our lives.

The more loving we are, the more intense and expansive our loving becomes. In other words,

it soaks through to every level of our being so that God lives in us and we live in God. We

slowly grow in the likeness of Jesus and in his open-handed compassion.

Thirdly, a story. Some years ago, on BBC radio, William Hewitt, an English Jesuit spoke of a

ten day fast he had done. He started his talk with ‘I am thinking of fasting.’ He proceeded to

list about ten reasons for undertaking the fast: it was a new experience; it was good for his

‘soul’; to identify with the starving; to lose weight; to experience, as had many others, a

sensitizing of the spirit to God’s presence, plus half a dozen others.

Hewitt had a range of reasons for doing the fast. And it is no different for us. In our lives, we

do things often from a mixture of motives. Sometimes we are torn between them. We are

complex beings, and that can be true of what motivates us and of the way we make choices.

James Keenan SJ makes a very helpful point in this regard. Love is primarily about us and God.

It guides us about what is central in our lives. It is charity that is God’s gift by which we are

enabled to integrate our many motivations and to discern what is most important to us (See

Virtues for Ordinary Christians, 50).

St Paul speaks of three things that last: faith hope and love; ‘and the greatest of these is

love’ (1Cor. 13:13). If God is the centre of our lives, we have our magnetic north.

‘What do I love when I love my God?’ asked Augustine.

How would you respond to that question?

The church is fitted with an audio loop for the hearing impaired.

SCRIPTURE READINGS for the 31st

Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

MASS PROGRAM

SUNDAY: (Vigil, Saturday 6 pm) 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 noon (Choir), 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 pm.

St. Brigid’s, Millers Point: 9.00 am. WEEKDAYS 8 am, 10.30 am, 12.05 pm, 1.05 pm and 5.30 pm.

SATURDAY 8 am, 12 noon and 6 pm (Vigil).

RECONCILIATION PROGRAM

SUNDAY: 7.00 am - 1.00 pm; 3.00 pm - 6.30 pm; 8.00 pm - 8.30 pm.

MONDAY, TUESDAY. THURSDAY: 7.30 - 8.00 am; 10.00 am - 12 noon; 12.30 - 1.00 pm; 5.00 pm - 6.00 pm.

WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY: 7.30 - 8.00 am; 10.00 am - 2.00 pm; 4.00 pm - 6.00 pm.

SATURDAY: 7.30 - 8.00 am; 10.30 - 11.30 am; 5.00 pm - 6.00 pm.

NOVENA OF OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP Wednesday: 12.30 pm, 5.00 pm

ANOINTING OF THE SICK Every 2nd Thursday of the month, 10.30 am

SECOND RITE OF RECONCILIATION 1st Friday of the month, 9.45 am

LITURGY OF THE HOURS, Each weekday mornings at 7.45 am & the evenings on Mon, Tue, Thurs and Fri at 5.15 pm.

PUBLIC HOLIDAY PROGRAM Masses: 8.00 am, 12.00 noon, 5.30 pm

Reconciliation: 7.30 am - 8.00 am, 11.30 am - 12.00, 4.30 pm - 5.00 pm

A reading from the book of the prophet Malachi 1:14 - 2:2, 8-10 "I am a great King," says the Lord of hosts, "and my name is reverenced among the nations. And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name," says the Lord of hosts, "then I will send the curse on you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. "You have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi," says the Lord of hosts, "and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction." Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors? The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Response to the Psalm: In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 1:5-10 Though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ, we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia! Alleluia! You have one Father, your Father in heaven; you have one teacher: the Lord Jesus Christ! Alleluia!

A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 23:1-12 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' chair; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. "But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

PARISH OFFICE

Address: 141 Harrington Street, Sydney Office hours: 9.00 am. - 4.30 pm Mon., Tues., Wed, Fri. Thur. 9.30 am - 2.30 pm.

Telephone: 9254 9855 Fax: 9252 3431 Email: office@stpatschurchhill.org Website: www.stpatschurchhill.org

St Patrick’s Church: 20 Grosvenor Street Church Hill St Brigid’s Church: 14 - 16 Kent Street Millers Point

Fr. Michael Whelan, SM Parish Priest

John Attneave, Parish Business Manager

Sr Marie Biddle, RSJ, Aquinas Academy

Michael Borromeo, Coffee Shop Admin.

Andy Carter, Maintenance Manager

Rita Di Napoli, Parish Secretary

Br Terry Garrett, SM

Fr. Paul Hachey, SM Fr. Fred Kado, SM Fr. Bernard McFadyen, SM Sr. Fidelis McTeigue, SM

Helen Nejaim, Sacristan

Mona Redito, Parish Secretary

Fr Garry Reynolds, SM

Tereza Seric Parish Safeguarding Support Officer

Fr Kevin Stewart, SM

PARISH STAFF

Hymns for the 31st

Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Entrance: Hosea, 213

Acclamation: Save us, Saviour of the World, for by your Cross

and Resurrection you have set us free.

Communion: My Soul is Longing for Your Peace, 519

Thanksgiving: As a Fire is Meant for Burning, 481

Recessional: Praise with Joy, 379

(Two verses only)

Rosary Group Movie

You are invited to view the extraordinary film “Apparition Hill” that is of seven strangers

who journey to a village in Bosnia-Herzegovina to

investigate reports of miracles and supernatural phenomena. Join members of the Rosary group and others within our

St Patrick’s Crypt on Thursday 9th November at 1.30 pm.

Entry is by donation.