(Added 14/8/2023)
JOIN THE 9 WEEK NOVENA TOWARDS THE DIOCESAN SYNOD
Click on this link to access available Novena resources
(Added 3/6/2023)
We will have a parish consultation on Sunday, 18th June in the Parish Hall, 11:30am–12:30pm. (Our Primary School teachers held their consultation on Tuesday, 30th May).
Anyone is invited to make an individual submission by following the links on the Synod website.
You can organise a group of people (family, friends etc.) to come together for a consultation; again, guidelines for this are on the Synod website:
~ Fr. Peter Blayney
(Added 20/5/2023)
A Synod is both an event and a process where clergy, consecrated, and the laity gather to discuss important matters relating to the life and mission of the Church. Synods are transformative events that lead to renewal in the Church’s life. Our Diocesan Synod will be held from 12-15 October 2023. Our Synod will gather clergy, religious, and the laity across our Diocese to listen, discern, and respond to the Holy Spirit through voices of the People
of God in Western Sydney and The Blue Mountains. From May to July 2023, in the lead up to the Synod, all are invited to participate in deanery and parish listening consultations, organising time to discuss with family and friends, and engaging in opportunities to dialogue. Submissions from these consultations and conversations will be collected and
can be provided online, in person, or via mail. The submissions will be reviewed and synthesised by a Synod working group and will inform the development of agenda for the Synod. All of us parishioners can participate at various levels.
Firstly, it would be very helpful to the Bishop and the success of the Synod if you can attend the Bishop’s Consultation for the Eastern Deanery on Saturday, 3rd June at 6:30pm, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Hall, Marist Place, Parramatta. You can register your attendance on the Synod website or inform myself, Fr. Treesen or Sr. Helen if you wish to attend.
Secondly, we will have a parish consultation on Sunday, 18th June in the Parish Hall, 11:30am–12:30pm. (Our Primary School teachers are holding their consultation on Tuesday, 30th May).
Thirdly, anyone is invited to make an individual submission by following the links on the Synod website.
Finally, you can organise a group of people (family, friends etc.) to come together for a consultation; again, guidelines for this are on the Synod website: https://parracatholic.org/synod2023/
~ Fr. Peter Blayney
(Added 14th May, 2023)
DIOCESAN SYNOD 2023 – THE TIME IS NOW!
Over the next six weeks, Bishop Vincent is travelling throughout the Diocese and listening directly to people’s stories and suggestions about our Church.
Join him at one of four locations to have your say.
Events start at 6:30pm with light refreshments:
• Saturday, 20 May at St. Columba’s Catholic
College, Springwood.
• Saturday, 3 June at St. Patrick’s Cathedral,
Parramatta.
• Saturday, 17 June at St. Andrew the Apostle
Primary School, Marayong.
• Saturday, 24 June at Holy Spirit Primary School,
St. Clair.
There will also be a youth-focused consultation on Thursday, 18 May from 7:00pm at West HQ, Rooty Hill.
To register for your local consultation and to
learn more about the Diocesan synod, visit: parracatholic.org/synod2023
(Added 7th May, 2023)
DIOCESAN SYNOD: The Preparation Committee for the Synod is providing several information nights on the Synod. Participating in one of these information nights is a great opportunity to learn more and ask any questions you may have. The information sessions will be held on:
• Monday, 8 May from 6:30pm to 7:30pm; or
• Thursday, 11 May from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
If you are interested in attending one of the
above, please register here:
https://parracatholic.org/synod2023_registration_informationsession/
and feel free to forward this message on to any of your work colleagues, friends and family who may also be interested.
In his recent letter of 5th March 2023 to all the faithful of the Diocese, Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM
Conv, announced that he decided to hold a Diocesan Synod.
He wrote, “This will be the first Synod in the
history of our young Diocese. Like the national and universal synods, ours will be held in two phases. The first assembly will be held from Thursday, 12 to Sunday, 15 October 2023 and the final assembly will be held near the middle of next year 2024 […] In preparation towards the Synod, I encourage you to participate in prayer, listening, discernment and local action, guided by the Holy Spirit, as we seek to witness to the Gospel and foster a more welcoming, compassionate, and humble Church. The Diocesan Synod will have a significant impact on the way in which we live out community and mission”.
At the church entrance, you will have already noticed the large banner advertising the Synod. There are prayer cards available for you to take and pray daily for the success of the Synod. At the end of the Prayer of the Faithful, from now on we will be praying for the Diocesan Synod, not the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023. This weekend, I shall preach at all Masses explaining the Synod in more detail and how we can participate.
The Eastern Deanery Pastoral Council along with as many parishioners from the Deanery as wish to attend,
will meet Bishop Vincent at a Consultation on Saturday, 3rd June 2023, at the Cathedral Hall. This event
begins at 6:30pm with a light supper. I encourage parishioners to attend this Consultation with Bishop
Vincent. If you wish to attend, let myself, Sr. Helen, or Fr. Treesen know or call the Parish Office to register
your interest.
Meanwhile, the members of the Eastern Deanery Pastoral Council will be working with our seven parishes to
organise the event and encourage attendance. The seven parishes in the Eastern Deanery are: Harris Park,
Parramatta, North Parramatta, Rydalmere, Dundas Valley, Westmead and Guildford.
As a parish, we will hold our own Parish Listening Session sometime in June or July. This does not have to
be done before the Consultation with the Bishop on 3rd June.
There are now available many resources on the Diocesan Synod website for your viewing, study and consultation. See www.parracatholic.org/synod2023.
Watch this space!
~ Fr. Peter Blayney