St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Kogarah

• Archbishop Fisher welcomes largest seminary intake in eight years
• Abdallah family and i4Give reveal four steps to forgiveness

2025 Jubilee Parish Planning Workshop
Join us online for an evening workshop in which we will consider practical approaches for Jubilee renewal in our parishes.
DATE: Thursday, 20 February 2025
TIME: 7:30 - 8:45 pm
VENUE: Online
Register at www.gomakedisciples.org.au/cas-events.
Download the tile to promote in your bulletin or the flyer to promote in your parish.

In light of Archbishop Anthony’s Decree on places of pilgrimage for the Jubilee Year 2025, a number of resources have been developed by the Liturgy Office and others to assist your parishioners in engaging meaningfully in the Jubilee Year.

Those resources are attached here:

• A webpage on the Archdiocesan website has been created, which explains much about the Jubilee year, and also contains further reading and resources for those interested: https://www.sydneycatholic.org/jubilee-year-2025/
• A small, four-page flyer / booklet has been produced for you to print and distribute in your parishes as you choose.
• Some talking points on the Jubilee have been developed for your use if you are considering preaching on the Jubilee.
• Some banner-style images have been developed, which could be used for promotional purposes in your parishes as you see fit.

The Parish Renewal Team is also hosting a 2025 Jubilee Parish Planning Workshop, at which practical approaches for Jubilee renewal in parishes will be considered (flyer attached):

Date: Thursday 20 February 2025
Time: 7:30 - 8:45 pm
Venue: Online
Register at www.gomakedisciples.org.au/cas-events

If you have any further queries about the Jubilee Year and its celebration within the Archdiocese of Sydney, please contact the Liturgy Office: liturgyassistant@sydneycatholic.org / mariusz.biliniewicz@sydneycatholic.org

Called and Gifted Discernment Process: In-Person
If you're wondering how God is calling you to serve Him, the Called & Gifted Discernment Process is for you! This Process is designed to help Christians identify and nurture their spiritual gifts (charisms), both to represent Christ and to be a channel of God's goodness for others.
Commences Tuesday, 25 February. Limited places.
Register at gomakedisciples.org.au/called-gifted-discernment-process.
Download the tile to promote in your bulletin or the flyer to promote in your parish.

The Archdiocese is currently organising a special luncheon for former choir boys of St Mary’s Cathedral, scheduled to take place on Sunday, 2^nd March 2025.  This will also give ex choristers an opportunity to join a new Choristers Alumni Network and be kept abreast of exciting new developments, such as the launch of the Girls’ Choir next year.

We would appreciate parishes promoting this special event, by including the attached advert in your parish newsletters – in whatever size of format is suitable – as often as possible, in the coming months.  Obviously, with Christmas upon us, there will be limited space available, but the event will be in March next year, so there will be time even after Christmas for this event to be promoted.

Some of your parishioners may well be former Choir boys of St Mary’s Cathedral, or maybe even have friends or family members who are ex Choristers.  So, this event is highly relevant to them.

RSVP date of 21^st February

Metanoia: A change of heart

(Day Retreat) 8 Mar 2025

 Join us this Lent for a day of reflection as we explore what it means to experience a genuine change of heart. “Metanoia” invites us to more than simple repentance – it calls us to transformation, to seeing our lives and our world with new eyes.

 Retreat Cost: $50 (Limited space available)

We would like to enable as many people to attend our retreats. If you require assistance with the registration cost, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

 God bless.

 Benedictine Nuns of Jamberoo Abbey

Artes Christi - Aid to the Church in Need - Lenten Fundraising Concert

I'm writing to you from Artes Christi to ask if you would be able to advertise an upcoming Lenten concert raising money for Aid to the Church in Need (the pontifical charity) in your bulletin. In 2024 we hosted several event raising funds for Aid to the Church in Need raising just over $20,000, the hope is this year we can do more, particularly with the amount of global conflict creating further need to support suffering and persecuted Christians. 

If you would be able to let me know if this was possible that would be appreciated. Ideally, we would love to have a couple of weeks in the bulletins to maximise the chances of supporting Aid to the Church in Need. 

Artes Christi Chamber Choir Presents Sacred Music for Lent

SYDNEY, NSW (8 January 2025) - Experience the profound journey of Christ's passion through masterworks including Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Bruckner's Christus Factus Est, and Byrd's Miserere Meus. This Lenten concert invites listeners on a musical pilgrimage from darkness to light, from suffering to hope.

Join us Saturday, March 8, 2025, 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM at St Thomas of Canterbury Church, 3 Thomas Street, Lewisham.

Tickets: Adult $35 | Concession $25 | Family $75

For bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/CXXHA

Rite of Election
This year’s Rite of Election will be held at Saint Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday, 9 March, celebrated by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP.
In anticipation of this major Archdiocesan event that will be a great witness of the Body of Christ for your catechumens and candidates, please register your parish and attendants via the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/CXKEF. 
On the registration, you will be able to indicate your attendants as either: catechumens, candidates, godparents/sponsors, clergy, RCIA coordinators, RCIA team members, or guests. Registrations will allow us to organise seating arrangements to ensure efficient movement on the day during the celebration. Thank you if have already registered, and if there are any changes or additions, please either register again for only the additional attendants or contact us on the below details. Once all arrangements are confirmed, you will be sent confirmation and seating arrangements.
If you have any questions regarding the Rite of Election, please do not hesitate to contact Simon Yeak at [email protected] or on 0427 536 356.

Hospitality: A versatile Charism

(Cottage Weekend Retreat) 14 - 16 Mar 2025

There is an invitation in these uncertain times to go deeper, a call to a deeper contemplative living which is rooted in the unconditionally hospitable embrace of God. From this place we are enabled to embrace ourselves with unconditional hospitality from which a natural flow extends to the embrace of the other – as our very self.

Retreat Cost: $150 + accommodation cost.

We would like to enable as many people to attend our retreats. If you require assistance with the registration cost, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

 God bless.

 Benedictine Nuns of Jamberoo Abbey

SAVE THE DATE: The Camino of St Joseph 2025

The annual overnight pilgrimage returns for men in honour of our Spiritual Father for the Feast of St Joseph.

The Camino begins with a 8:00 p.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard Umbers on Friday, March 21st, at St Joseph's, Como, with Confession available from 7:00 p.m. The Camino will conclude with a 6:00 a.m. Mass at St Aloysius on Saturday, March 22nd, followed by a celebration in fellowship with hot breakfast and drinks.

The entire walk from start to finish will include six churches. Each stop will feature a reflection on St Joseph and a short time in Adoration for spiritual nourishment and an opportunity for a quick bathroom break.

Itinerary from start to finish:
1. St Joseph's, Como - Opening Mass
2. St Patrick's, Sutherland
3. St Catherine's, Gymea
4. Our Lady Star of the Sea, Miranda
5. Our Lady of Fatima, Caringbah
6. St Aloysius, Cronulla - closing Mass

DATE: Friday 21 March 2025 7:00 PM - Saturday 22 March 2025 8:00 AM
COST: $35 pp / Bus Ticket: $24 return 7pm sharp on 21/03 from Holy Family Menai and 7.30am on 22/03 from St Aloysius Cronulla
To register and for more information, visit https://www.trybooking.com/CXLAO
Download the tile for your bulletin or the flyer to promote in your parish.

Hello everyone, further to my email below, there has been a change in date for the Jubilee Tour 2025 (Pilgrim of Hope tour).

New dates are now:

15 May to 3 June.

Your collaboration in advertising and promoting the tour with your church and parishioners would be greatly appreciated. 

If you believe there would be an interest in this tour and would like to discuss further, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 1300 969 704 or 0414 295 367.

Dear parish

This is Laura DI LEVA again.

I’m a travel agent specialising in religious/holy sites tours to Europe. I have been a travel agent for the past 20 years conducting many tours overseas.

I’m reaching out to you in the hope of creating a mutual relationship and offering my services which may be of interest to your parishioners.

Each year, I take pilgrims on many tours, primarily to Marian sites. In May 2023, I took a devoted group of 40 parishioners to the Marian sites in Europe and Medjugorje.  Following the success of this tour, a new tour for June 2025 is planned in celebration of the Holy Jubilee. The tour takes us to Marian sites in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy. The tour will be accompanied by Fr Pasquale Pizzoferro from St John Vianney & St Thomas More, Greenacre.

Details of the tour are provided in the attached poster/flyer.

Full details of the tour are also attached.  If you require additional information or have further questions, you can contact me direct.

I believe it’s a great tour and represents good value for money given the inclusions (airfares, transport, meals, entry fees and taxes etc…).

Your collaboration in advertising and promoting the tour with your church and parishioners would be greatly appreciated. 

This tour as it takes us to amazing places where our spiritual affirmations are confirmed.

If you believe there would be an interest in this tour and would like to discuss further, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 1300 969 704 or 0414 295 367.

HOLY SPIRIT PILGRIMAGE(2025): Join Fr.Emmanuel-tv and his group of Pilgrims on a 26 Days of “SAINTS AND MARIAN PILGRIMAGE” to Portugal(Lisbon, Fatima); Spain(Coimbrea, Santiago de Compostela, Oviedo, Avila, Garabandal); France(Lourdes, Avignon, Nice, La Sallete, Ars, Nevers, Paris); and Monaco; plus(+) Medjugorje Extension from 15.09.2025-11.10.2025. Contact Us ASAP for details: Fr.Emmanuel-tv(0417999553,(08)93423079;Dax(0420643949), Didith(0473246029). Email: fremmanuel[email protected]; holyspiritp@gmail.com;

Sydney to Host the International Eucharistic Congress in 2028
At the recent 53rd International Eucharistic Congress in Quito Ecuador, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Papal Legate, announced what the Church of Sydney had been hoping for: that we will host the 54th International Eucharistic Congress in 2028, 100 years since Sydney last hosted this great event and twenty years since it hosted World Youth Day.  
To find out more about IEC 2028, visit http://iec2028.org and join our mailing list to receive future updates.