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Bridgeside Bulletin
The weekly Bulletin of the Catholic Parish of Forster Tuncurry
Proclaiming Christ to the communities of Forster, Tuncurry and the surrounding districts
14 Baptismal Preparation
Forster 7pm
15 NO Singing Practise
This week
16 Pastoral Council
Forster 4:30pm
22 Singing Practise
Forster 5:30pm
24/25 Christmas
See Mass times P2
Mass at Beaumont
Terrace
Tuncurry 11am
Mass at Kularoo
Gardens
Forster 11am
11 Baptismal Preparation
Forster 7pm
I was listening to the radio this week talk back; you know radio is boring when all
you can get is talk back! Any way the chatter was around Donald Trump and his
candidacy for the White House. May God save us should he be elected as Barack
Obamas replacement and become the President of the United States. The main
point currently surrounds comments he made with regard banning Muslims from
entering America. I know that some of that will play on the minds of security
conscious and nervous Americans particularly in light of recent shootings. And it
may play on our minds too. Fear is an amazing emotion that can cause us to react
irrationally and without much thought and can cause neighbour to turn on
neighbour. It gives us wings for payback and can absolve us both individually and
collectively of any ownership of a decline in Human Rights and the freedoms we
enjoy. Weve witnessed it in so many parts of the world already, remember Rwanda
and the genocide that occurred there. Good Christian, Catholic people fell foul of
their fears and prejudices and people they had lived with, worked with, loved, died.
There is a risk to Christian living that we can sometimes overlook or at the very least
play down. The risk of Christianity lies in the passages of scripture which talk about
giving ones life for a friend. Jesus reminds us that we are his friends when we do
what he commands. He lay his life down on the cross so that we would know
freedom, we would know hope, we would know salvation. He did that for all sinners
and for all of us regardless of our denomination, creed, ethnic background,
orientations. We are called to do the same, as hard sometimes as that is, to
overcome our natural fears and need to protect our loved ones.
I often wonder if the heart of what we do is found in the challenge of living out our
Gospel values to their fullest and by not taking our way of life and our religious
freedoms for granted.
Sometimes we dont know what weve got till its gone (they paved paradise and put
up a parking lot to coin a phrase and one of my favourite singers!!!) and I do mean
till its gone. In respecting another we also have to make some call for the
conversations to be two way. There is room for each of us to celebrate and worship
in the way that we feel we are called. Should we petition Councils to put up
Christmas decorations? Absolutely! Should we call on Shopping Centres to allow
Nativity scenes in Shop windows? Absolutely! We should politely and politically
demand it. And to allow other faiths to celebrate respectively their high times and
feast days!
However, in asking others to do our work we should be prepared to do the same.
What are the signs in our lives of our Christian faith? What do we do to reflect our
home as a Christian home and particularly a Christian home at Christmas time? So
lets deck our Halls with Bells of Holy, tinsel, lights, Christmas trees, angels and a crib
our homes all the way to Christmas!
Keeping Christ in Christmas
Greg
Page 2
Opening the Year of Mercy Pope Francis and Bishop Bill invite
you to the Opening of the Year of Mercy and the launch of 150 year
celebrations of the diocese today, Sunday 13th December. Liturgy at
4pm, beginning at Victor Peters Suite (near cathedral), food and
entertainment, and the sacrament of penance will be available
'al fresco'.
.
Christmas Eve
(24 Dec)
Christmas Day
(25th Dec)
7am
9am
Tuncurry
Forster
Sunday Masses
Vigil 6pm
(27 Dec to 24 Jan) 7am
9am
11am
Tuncurry
Tuncurry
Forster
Forster
Combined Churches
Advent Prayer and Worship Evenings
Recently Deceased
Norma Young
Anniversaries
Emily Wroblewicz.
Peter Gapps
Bradley Metcalfe
Sr Kathryn
Page 3
6pm
Tuncurry
7am
Tuncurry
9am
A: Bronwyn Morse
B: Edna Tucker
A: Peter Nicholls
Forster
B: Kyla Loring
6pm
Tuncurry
7am
Tuncurry
9am
A: Genevieve Williamson
B: Maria Armitage
A: Marion ONeill
Forster
B: Elizabeth Sciacca
Next Week
Gospel Acclamation
First Reading
Alleluia, alleluia!
Zephaniah 3:14-18
Micah 5:1-4
With gladness the Lord will rejoice over you. The Spirit of the Lord is upon
Second Reading
me; he sent me to bring Good
Hebrews 10:5-10
News to the poor.
Responsorial Psalm Response:
Gospel Reading
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy and gladness: for
Luke 1:39-44
among you is the great and Holy One
of Israel.
CHURCH ROSTERS & HOLIDAY SEASON
Gospel
9am mass: Truly, God is my salvation,
During the holiday season each year in our
Lk 3:10-18
I trust, I shall not fear.
Church we struggle with the welcome influx of
What, then,
visitors and the shortage of Ministers (Readers/
must we do?
Second Reading
First Reading
Phillippians 4:4-7
The Lord is near.
Advent Chant
(after the lighting of the Advent Candle each week )
Wait in joyful hope, a Saviour will come, Jesus Christ the Light of the World;
Wait in joyful hope, a Saviour will come, Welcome to the Word of God!
Page 4
Loretta Heffernan
SRE Co-Ordinator
loretta.heffernan@mn.catholic.org.au
Office Hours
Tues, Wed, Thurs
9:30am to 1pm
Fri
10am to 4pm
Baptismal Preparation
on 2nd Monday of each
month @ 7pm in Forster
Church Hall. Parish Office
6554 6304.
Marriage
Celebrated by arrangement
and with at least three months
notice. Fr Greg 6554 6304
forster-tuncurry.parish@mn.catholic.org.au
Sr Kathryn McCabe
Aboriginal Catholic Ministry
Baptisms
Celebrated most Sundays.
PARISH CONTACTS
Sacramental Preparation
Greg Byrne 6554 6304
Pastoral Team
First Wed, 4:30pm at Forster.
Greg Byrne 6554 6304
Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults
(RCIA) Parish Office 6554 6304
Finance Council
Second Wed, 5pm at Forster.
Greg Byrne 6554 6304
PARISH PASTORAL
GROUPS AND CONTACTS
Pastoral Council
Third Wed, 5:30pm at Forster.
Greg Byrne 6554 6304
Christian Meditation
Every Tues, 9am and 5:30pm.
Bob 6555 5914.
Holy Hour
Every Tues, 3:30pm at Tuncurry
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Parish Office
Located at the rear of
the Parish Hall Forster:
33 Lake Street, Forster
NSW 2428
PO Box 67
P: (02) 6554 6304
F: (02) 6554 6425
menALIVE Groups
Day group meet second and
fourth Wed after 9am Mass at
Forster. Evening group meets last Thurs of
the month at 7:30pm at Forster. Michael
Amato 6554 5284
CHURCH
LOCATIONS
Mary Star of the Sea
15 Peel Street, Tuncurry
Holy Name of Jesus
33 Lake Street, Forster
Singing Practice
Every Tues, 5:30pm.
Ken Heffernan 6557 6569.
Social Justice
Last Wed, 5:30pm at Forster.
Tim Prescott 6555 8517.
Mary Star of the Sea, Tuncurry Mary Star of the Sea, Tuncurry
Sat 6pm, Sun 7am
Tues 4:30pm, Sat 9am
Holy Name of Jesus, Forster
Sun 9am
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
RECONCILIATION
Saturday 8:30am
Saturday 4:45pm