CO Magazine Summer 2020

M A G A Z I N E 

Kids’ prayers 

for difficult times 

Adults can say them too 

Fratelli tutti: 

Pope Francis’ love 

letter to the world 

The signature encyclical 

arrives when we need it most 

From Castle Hill 

to the Holy See 

Australia’s new Ambassador 

to the Vatican is a local! 

H op e 

G E N E R A T I O N 

The pandemic reveals their inner strength 

SUMMER 2020 EDITION

Latest Appointments 

in the Diocese of Parramatta 

Most Rev Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, has confirmed 

these appointments in the Diocese of Parramatta: 

Rev John McSweeney 

Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath from 

15 September 2020. 

Rev Abraham Kunnatholy Varu CMI 

Assistant Priest of Sacred Heart Parish, Blackheath from 

15 September 2020. 

Rev Pio Yong Ho Jang 

Chaplain to the Korean Catholic Community from 

1 November 2020. 

Rev Gayan Thamel 

Incardinated into the Diocese of Parramatta from 

1 November 2020 from the Diocese of Bunbury, Western 

Australia. 

Rev Joseph Lam OSA 

Parish Priest of St Finbar’s Parish, Glenbrook from 

14 November 2020 for six years. 

Rev Clifford D’souza MSFS 

Administrator of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, 

Greystanes from 15 November 2020 until 15 January 2021. 

Rev Jobi Payyappilly MS 

Assistant Priest of St Bernadette’s Parish, Castle Hill from 


Rev Shinto Francis 

Assistant Priest of St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Springwood 

and Our Lady of the Nativity Parish, Lawson from 


Rev Jessie Balorio 

Assistant Priest of St Nicholas of Myra Parish, Penrith from 


Rev Michael Gitau 

Administrator of Our Lady of the Way Parish, Emu Plains 

from 1 December 2020. 

Rev Paul Marshall 

Rector of Holy Spirit Seminary from 1 January 2022. 

Rev Paul Roberts 

Parish Priest of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, 

Greystanes from 16 January 2021 for six years. 

The offi cial publication of the Diocese of Parramatta 

Imprimatur and Publisher: 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv 

Bishop of Parramatta 

(02) 8838 3400 

PO Box 3066, 

North Parramatta, NSW, 1750 

bishop@parracatholic.org 

www.catholicoutlook.org 

Printing: 

IVE Group Australia Pty Ltd, 

Silverwater 

Editor & Vicar for 

Communications: 

Br Mark O’Connor FMS 

(02) 8838 3400 

PO Box 3066, 

North Parramatta, NSW, 1750 

comms@parracatholic.org 

Communications Manager: 

Christina Gretton 

Communications Officer: 

Mary Brazell 

Designer: 

Stephen Poleweski 

Nihil Obstat: 

Fr Wim Hoekstra 

Accounts: 

Alfi e Ramirez 

(02) 8838 3437 

alfi e.ramirez@parracatholic.org 

All material in this publication is copyright 

and may not be reproduced without 

permission of the publisher. 44,300 copies 

printed and distributed to 48 parishes and 80 

schools. Catholic Outlook is a member of the 

Australiasian Catholic Press Association. 

© Diocese of Parramatta 2020 

Cover Image: Gabriella Nimmo from 

Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta. 

Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

Inside Back Cover Image: Students 

in the Diocese of Parramatta. 


The Diocese of Parramatta reaffi rms the wise axiom attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, freedom; in all things, charity.” 

In this spirit, Catholic Outlook publishes a variety of Catholic viewpoints. They are not necessarily the offi cial views of the Diocese of Parramatta.

From Bishop Vincent 

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, 

Each Christmas season we are asked to hear liberating 

Good News. God has joined himself to us inseparably! 

When Mary gives birth to Jesus our Saviour, the 

‘overshadowing’ presence of God is now fully revealed in 

a precious child. God loves us so much that He becomes 

one of us! 

And yet we all struggle with false images and 

representations of God. Too often they prevent us from 

seeing the real God at work in our lives. 

As Les Murray, the great Australian poet once wrote in The 

Boys Who Stole the Funeral, a dead World War I digger 

cries out, “The true God gives his flesh and blood. Idols 

demand yours off you.” 

Yes, we can all actually make things difficult for ourselves 

and others, by not properly appreciating the depths of 

our own faith. Too often, we substitute the wondrous and 

life-giving mystery of God with something (an idol) that 

diminishes us. 

This Advent our vision of Christ needs to expand. Let’s 

especially remember God’s closeness to us and our 

responsibility to become peacemakers. 

In this season of peace and goodwill we see our God 

reduced to the most vulnerable of creatures; another little 

Middle Eastern boy caught up in homelessness, poverty 

and a cruel cycle of violence. 

He gave up everything in order to become one with us. 

You cannot get closer than that! He comes to us, and stays 

with us, especially in times of difficulty and loneliness. 

We might say that Christmas is the feast of ‘closeness’. It 

is the time when family and friends who are separated – by 

geography, by hurt or anger, or simply by the distances 

created by time – come together again to celebrate this 

joyous feast and to renew their bonds with one another 

and, we hope, with Christ. 

Christmas reunions can be wonderful. They can also open 

old wounds and bring back painful memories. To make 

Christmas joyful we must be able to forgive one another 

and let go of past injuries – real and imagined. 

We humans often struggle mightily our whole lives to really 

accept this Divine Love that gives itself so totally. 

But this is precisely the Good News of our Catholic faith. 

Our God becomes a tiny infant - fragile yet divine. 

May the Christ child bless you and your loved ones this 

Christmas 2020 and give you His strength and peace in the 

New Year ahead. 



3

4

Contents 

Diocesan & Parish Life 

2 Latest Appointments 

3 From Bishop Vincent 

6 167 years on, Bells Ring 

in New Hope 

10 A Christmas meditation: 

‘Falling Downwards’ 

13 East meets West in 

historic moment 

14 Aussie Christmas ‘miracle’ 

for Iraqi refugees 

17 Holiday viewing on The Well 

18 Reigniting the flame of Plenary 

20 Candles and wreaths: 

It must be Advent! 

22 Be hope in the darkness 

24 Generation Hope 

28 What’s ahead for Catholic 

Youth Parramatta? 

30 Children show us prayer 


32 Fratelli tutti: Pope Francis’ 

love letter to the world 

38 A cuppa with the priest: 

Fr Ian McGinnity 

40 Parish profile: 

Christ the King, North Rocks 

42 A second chance for a 

happy family 

45 Bishop Vincent celebrates 

young people getting a ‘kick 

start’ to success 

46 Celebrating Parish Milestones 

48 Listening with God: Spiritual 

Accompaniment 

50 From Castle Hill to the Holy See 

52 Book Review: Dear Movies 

Catholic Education 

54 Paths of hope in religious 

education 

58 Have yourself a Merry 

little Christmas! 

58 Kids get a jump start at 

Holy Family 

59 NSW Training Awards finalist 

harnesses unique ability to excel 

60 School garden gurus get 

down to business 

60 Students build mental health 

awareness in schools 

60 Hassall Grove high school 

celebrates first HSC class 

61 A free library of faith-based 

nourishment 

62 Expanding our network of 

School Age Care Services 

62 Blessing of Our Lady of the 

Nativity Service, Lawson 

63 Paralympian Inspiration 

63 Celebrating Children’s Week 

63 Superheroes for the Community 

64 Advent 2020: Hope in a year 

of waiting 

65 Kids’ Corner 

Stay Up-To-Date 

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Accessibility 

We want to make Catholic Outlook accessible to as many people as possible. We can send you a Word version of any article 

you read in Catholic Outlook to run through your preferred online language translation service, braille converter or other 

accessibility aid. 

Over coming editions we hope to explore more ways making it easier for Catholic Outlook to reach everyone in our Diocese. 

If you would like to help us with translating or reading articles aloud, or to request a Word version of any of these articles 

please contact Christina Gretton at the Diocese of Parramatta on comms@parracatholic.org. 

5

167 years on, 

Bells Ring in New Hope 

By Christina Gretton 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, and the Nguyen Phan family with the St Mary of the Cross MacKillop bell at the 

Blessing of the Bells ceremony in September this year. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

The new bells of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta captured the 

imagination of Sydney this year: a happy story of the people’s love for 

their Diocese, 167 years in the making. 

6

“I watched the steeple fall as it was burning. It was 

heartbreaking. There was a crowd of parishioners 

standing around praying. We couldn’t believe it.” 

Yvonne Malouf paints a vivid picture of the fire which 

tragically destroyed the original St Patrick’s Cathedral 

in 1996. “But” she ponders, referring to the beautiful 

rebuild, “Perhaps God knew that we needed a bigger 

cathedral for our growing Diocese?” 

Yvonne is one of several donors whose generosity 

completed the final piece of the 167-year plan for St 

Patrick’s Cathedral – the purchase and installation of a 

peal of eight church bells. 

As the story goes, there were always plans for a peal 

of bells in St Patrick’s. Over the years hopes grew, 

then faded as the fortunes of the citizens of Parramatta 

changed. The St Patrick bell arrived in 1904, surviving 

the fire of 1996, but remaining solo until this year. 

In September, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, blessed 

the bells in a colourful, musical and moving ceremony 

dating back to the 16th Century. Livestreamed to over 

1,000 people, covered by multiple media and attended 

by dignitaries and donors, it symbolised hope in an 

uncertain year. 

Bernard Kirkpatrick, Director of Music at St Patrick’s 

composed a hymn especially for the bells. Campanae, 

using the words of Henry Charles Wilder, describes 

how bells are used in celebration, commemoration and 

worship. Other music included ancient Gregorian Chants 

and a cappella polyphony. 

During the ritual, each bell was baptised with holy water 

and anointed with oils. The seminarians from Holy Spirit 

Seminary, Harris Park, played an active role, particularly 

as the cavity of each bell was filled with incense. 

At the time of writing this story, the hard work of raising 

the bells up into St Patrick’s bell tower and fitting their 

pulleys and ropes was taking place. By the time you 

read this, Parramatta will have heard the bells ringing 

joyfully together at last. 

The eight new bells are tuned to 

an octave in the key of A Major. 

7

The Gift of the Bells 

Generous donors took the opportunity to give back to the Church and share their joy and gratitude, “We were boat people 

arriving here with nothing,” says bell donor Therese Nguyen Phan. “St Vincent de Paul embraced our family. North Rocks 

parish supported us.” 

We have been given so 

much. Whatever we have 

belongs to God. When 

we looked at the donation 

of a bell, we thought it 

was calling life - a sign of 

happiness, or sadness, 

bringing people together. 

- bell donor Theresa Nguyen Phan 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv blessed the bells in a colourful, 

musical and moving ceremony dating back to the 16th Century. 


St Benedict 

A 

Ron Shepherd, a member of the Australia and New Zealand Association of Bell Ringers for 30 years was asked to name 

two bells. “St Benedict because there are connections with Australia – the first two Australian Archbishops were from the 

UK where most monasteries are Benedictine” he says. The St Benedict bell was donated by the members of the Association 

as a tribute to Ron’s 30-year dedication to bell ringing reveals President of the Association, Peter Harrison. “It’s a new 

bell – they don’t come up very often and we wanted to pay tribute to Ron with something special.” 

St Brigid of Ireland 

G# 

Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) donated a bell to mark 200 years of Catholic education in our Diocese. 

“The St Brigid of Ireland bell now joins the St Patrick of Ireland bell” explains Greg Whitby, Executive Director of CEDP. 

The bell is also inscribed with the Indigenous inscription ‘Jesu Ngananala’ meaning ‘Jesus stands among us.’ 

St Bede the Venerable 

F# 

The St Bede bell was named after another English saint. Ron Shepherd chose the name on behalf of the donors, the 

Keltek Trust in the UK, who rehome bells for the love of the tradition of ringing. 

St Anne 

E 

The family of Anne Vassallo selected the name St Anne. “Donating a bell was a special connection for my mother who 

grew up in the area and went to Mass at St Patrick’s,” says John Vassallo. 

8

Fr Peter Williams, Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, says “Our 

Cathedral is now complete and the fire of 1996 a distant 

memory. Hearing the bells of St Patrick’s will be an ongoing 

reminder of persistence, hope and regeneration.” 

The St Michael the Archangel bell is lifted 

into the St Patrick’s Cathedral bell tower. 

Image: Michelle Haywood. 

Bell Facts 

• The Australian New Zealand Association of 

Bellringers worked closely with the Diocese to 

source the bells from churches in the UK. The 

Bellringers will also fit the pulleys and ropes to 

the bells. They have gladly done this for the 

Diocese because they love ringing bells! 

• Six of the bells are over 100 years old. 

• The eight new bells are tuned to an octave in 

the key of A Major. 

• The heaviest bell is St Mary of the Cross 

MacKillop at 405kg. 

• St Benedict and St Brigid of Ireland are the 

newest bells, having been cast especially for 

St Patrick’s Cathedral in 2018. 

• You can watch the video of the Blessing 

Ceremony at bit.ly/3nsVGbK 

St Charbel 

D 

Yvonne Malouf chose the name of the bell her family donated after St Charbel Makhlouf of Lebanon. “We have always felt 

a closeness to St Charbel” she explains. “I feel he is always there for me and my family.” 

St Michael the Archangel 

C# 

Friends Justine Ju and Priscilla Newman, and their families, chose the name St Michael the Archangel “Because currently 

we are living through uncertain, challenging and troubling times. May we turn to St Michael, the Archangel for help and 

protection in our daily battle against all evil,” says Priscilla. 

St Bernadette 

B 

The donors of the St Bernadette bell saw the saint as a reminder of humility and her connection to Mary who St 

Bernadette saw in visions at Lourdes in France. St Bernadette is also the patron saint of illness. 

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop 

Tenor A 

The Nguyen Phan family selected the name of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, donating the bell in honour of both 

Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, who was imprisoned by the North Vietnamese for 13 years, and 

French nun, Mother Marie-Adele Garnier, who the family prays to. 

9

A Christmas meditation: 

‘Falling Downwards’ 

By Br Mark O’Connor FMS 

Rejoice and be glad © Jan Richardson. Image: Janrichardson.com 

Our God ‘emptied’ 

himself to become one 

of us. Each Christmas, 

we celebrate the ultimate 

Good News that the 

Word has become flesh 

and joined the human 

race as our brother and 

Saviour. 

And we his disciples must also 

‘empty’ ourselves in our daily lives. 

We draw closer to the source of divine 

love, whenever we give of ourselves 

for the love of others. 

That is why careerism and arrogance 

can have no part in being an authentic 

disciple. 

Actually, no one can ever really be 

‘promoted’ amongst the followers of 

Jesus of Nazareth... 

For only someone who is grounded 

as a person and pastorally present 

with people can be trusted with the 

mission of servant discipleship. 

I was reminded of this when someone 

recently pointed out to me the 

difference in context between the 

Sermon on the Mount in the Gospels 

of Matthew and Luke. 

In Matthew, “Jesus ‘came up’ on 

a mountainside and sat down. His 

disciples came to him and he began 

to teach them.” (Matt 5:1). 

In Luke, “Jesus ‘came down’ with 

them and stood on a level place ... 

Then, raising his eyes to his disciples, 

he said ...” (Lk 6:17). 

Jesus ‘came down’. Those simple 

words of Luke the Evangelist say so 

much to us as Catholics. 

For living the Gospel today is not 

about being promoted, taking the 

‘higher’ place and ‘succeeding’. When 

any disciple become ‘pedestalised’ 

- when others exalt or adulate them 

beyond who they really are - the Holy 

Spirit has a way of teaching us in the 

10

Church, usually through humiliation 

and pain, that we are all merely 

servants, not masters. 

Not to name names, but even the 

history of our wounded but graced 

Catholic Church, over the last 2000 

plus years, has many very salutary 

examples of this! 

Let’s never forget that real 

development and growth, the mystical 

tradition of the history tells us, comes 

from ‘falling downwards’; from failing 

and yes, from painful reversals. 

And Christian ‘perfection’ is echoed 

best in the person who can forgive 

and include imperfection, not the one 

who thinks he or she is totally above 

all the necessary messiness of being a 

‘graced sinner’. 

On his 54th birthday, the great 

pastoral priest Henri Nouwen reflected 

upon his life and the restlessness that 

beset him still. 

“Very little, if anything, has changed 

with regard to my search for inner 

unity and peace. I am still the restless, 

nervous, intense, distracted and 

impulse-driven person I was when I 

set out on this spiritual journey.” 

Nouwen’s honesty is refreshing for all 

of us on the journey inspired by Jesus 

of Nazareth. None of us is whole, 

at least not yet. We are a damaged, 

broken and wounded lot. 

And we Catholics are all very ordinary; 

most of us are not particularly 

‘successful’ nor particularly gifted. Yet 

we are indeed blessed to serve Christ 

Jesus present in his people. Our only 

‘glory’ is that the Word became one 

of us! 

all of us are fragile ‘wounded healers’ 

and are all ‘falling downwards’. 

Yet we are each very blessed because 

“The eternal God is a dwelling place, 

and underneath are the everlasting 

arms” (Deut 33:27). 

Br Mark O’Connor FMS is the Vicar 

of Communications in the Diocese of 

Parramatta. 

I am still the 

restless, nervous, 

intense, distracted 

and impulse-driven 

person I was when 

I set out on this 

spiritual journey. 

As we ponder the humility of our God 

this Christmas, we are reminded that 

A Home for God © Jan Richardson. Image: Janrichardson.com 

11

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East meets West 

in historic moment 

By Staff Writer 

History was made with the first ever visit by a Maronite bishop to the 

Chancery office of the Diocese of Parramatta in September this year. 

Bishop Antoine-Charbel thanked 

Bishop Vincent and the Diocese of 

Parramatta for a donation given by the 

Diocese, and stressed the importance 

of working together as two Dioceses. 

“We are a people of faith and hope. 

“I am touched by this meeting and the 

support being offered. I look forward 

to working together to spread the 

Word of the Gospel. 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta (left) welcomed Bishop 

Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Maronite Bishop of Australia, to the Diocese of Parramatta 

Chancery in August. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

Following the explosion that tragically 

tore through the Lebanese capital, 

Beirut, on 4 August this year, the 

Maronite Diocese of Australia and 

Maronites on Mission formed the 

Beirut Disaster Relief Appeal to assist 

those impacted by the blast. 

In September, Bishop Vincent Long 

OFM Conv welcomed Eastern 

Catholic bishop, Antoine-Charbel 

Tarabay OLM, Maronite Bishop of 

Australia, on behalf of the Diocese of 

Parramatta. 

“The Maronite Eparchy of Australia 

and the Diocese of Parramatta have 

had a long and fruitful relationship” 

Bishop Vincent said, welcoming his 

Eastern counterpart. 

“Western Sydney is where most of the 

Maronite Catholics in Australia reside. 

Many Maronite Catholics worship in 

our parishes and of course, many 

more young students attend our 

systemic Catholic schools.” 

Bishop Vincent highlighted the 

existing collaboration between the 

Diocese of Parramatta and the 

Maronite Diocese of Australia. 

“We also share social services and our 

Marriage Tribunal Office. In addition, 

some of our parishes double as Mass 

centres for our Maronite community. 

“Our sense of partnership and 

solidarity extends to the Maronite 

community and we are very much 

in solidarity with the Lebanese 

community,” Bishop Vincent said. 

“We can even see the top of Our Lady 

of Lebanon Co-Cathedral from our 

Chancery building.” 

“We need more collaboration, more 

unity to move forward and face any 

challenges together,” Bishop Antoine- 

Charbel said. 

Fr Chris de Souza, Vicar General and 

Episcopal Vicar for Education in the 

Diocese of Parramatta welcomed 

Bishop Antoine-Charbel. 

“Today is an historic day. Not only are 

we welcoming the Maronite Bishop of 

Australia, we are also joining as one 

truly Catholic and Universal Church, 

the meeting of east and west. 

“We welcome Bishop Tarabay and 

express our deep sympathy for all 

those affected by the tragic Beirut 

blast,” Fr Chris said. 

Fr Chris is also Parish Priest of St 

Oliver Plunkett’s Parish, Harris Park, 

the same suburb of Our Lady of 

Lebanon Co-Cathedral, the Seat of 

the Maronite Bishop of Australia. 

Bishop Antoine-Charbel is the fourth 

bishop of the Maronite Diocese of 

Australia. He was accompanied on the 

visit by his Vicar General, Monsignor 

Marcelino Youssef. 

13

Aussie Christmas 

‘miracle’ for Iraqi refugees 

By Staff Writer 

Yousif and his daughter Angela in Sydney. Image: Supplied. 

After fleeing war-ravaged 

Iraq, then enduring nine 

years in limbo in Jordan 

while seeking asylum, 

an Australian Christmas 

‘miracle’ awaited single 

father Yousif and his 

daughter Angelina. 

Yousif, now 35, and his 12-year-old 

daughter Angelina arrived in Australia 

on Christmas Eve in 2018 and were 

warmly welcomed into their Blue 

Mountains community, right from 

the moment they were picked up 

at Sydney Airport by Faulconbridge 

locals. 

At last they were secure. It was the 

start of their new life in their newly 

adoptive country, and they were here 

to stay. 

Since then they have been ushered 

into their new world with many helping 

hands and hearts. 

They have been helped to find their 

own home, a school, a job; they’ve 

been invited to play dates, afternoon 

teas and dinners; they’ve been ferried 

to appointments, sporting clubs and 

after-school activities, and helped 

with red tape involved in setting up life 

from scratch in a new land. 

In short they have been made to feel 

at home. 

“As a refugee (asylum seeker) in 

Jordan you cannot work and you 

cannot study,” said Yousif. 

“You do nothing. You are living for an 

unknown future, just sitting there and 

waiting for a miracle to happen.” 

He credits his strong Christian faith 

with helping him to get through his 

ordeal. 

14

“Reading the Bible gives you hope. 

You always praise God that you are 

in good health and breathing. Many 

people lose their hope but I kept 

hoping and praying and trusting in 

God. I praise God that he brought me 

to the Blue Mountains.” 

The ‘miracle’ that followed their 

acceptance as refugees by Australia 

was all part of a major initiative by 

CatholicCare Western Sydney and the 

Blue Mountains to make newcomers 

feel welcomed as members of the 

community. 

The Catholic Church’s social services 

arm reaches out to assist people 

seeking protection and refugee 

families of all backgrounds and 

faiths, and works with its own parish 

churches as well as those of other 

denominations. 

“This is all about bringing them into a 

community at a personal level; inviting 

a refugee family to be supported 

by a church community rather than 

be reliant on other organisations,” 

says Celia Vagg, coordinator of 

CatholicCare’s Springwood Drop-In 

Centre. 

CatholicCare also organises 

Community Conversations with 

Refugees as part of the Diocesan 

Refugee Journey, which shares the 

plight and experiences of people 

seeking protection. 

Typically, two refugees will speak 

about their lives and experiences 

seeking asylum. 

Experts from refugee organisations 

like the Jesuit Refugee Service, 

Sydney Alliance and House Of 

Welcome are also on hand to answer 

questions and explain issues. 

“It’s a learning opportunity, particularly 

for people who have not been 

exposed to refugees and their 

stories,” says Celia. 

“Challenging and difficult questions 

are encouraged. The bigger goal is to 

open hearts by hearing directly from 

refugees.” 

Community Conversations can be 

designed for one church or parish, 

such as the one held at St Monica’s 

Richmond which drew 80 people, 

or for all churches in an area, such 

as an ecumenical weekend held in 

Springwood which attracted 180 

people. They can also be open to a 

whole community, as was the event 

hosted by Sacred Heart Parish in 

Blackheath which drew a crowd of 

120. 

“Trying to achieve social justice 

goals can feel too big to address, but 

working together with community 

great things can happen” says Celia. 

“Seeing Yousif and Angelina and 

the community around them is just 

beautiful, and such a privilege to be 

part of.” 

CatholicCare Western Sydney is a 

service of the Diocese of Parramatta. 

It shows the compassionate face 

of Jesus to all, and offers a range 

of services to people in need. To 

find out more about Community 

Conversations contact (02) 8843 2545 

or email springwood@ccss.org.au or 

visit ccss.org.au/springwood-centre. 

This is all about 

bringing them 

into a community 

at a personal 

level; inviting a 

refugee family to 

be supported by a 

church community 

rather than be 

reliant on other 

organisations. 

15

BELONG... 

to one of 80 outstanding Catholic schools across 

Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. 

BE WELCOMED. BE VALUED. BE CONFIDENT. 

Visit www.parra.catholic.edu.au today to find your local Catholic 

school and join one of our caring, faith-filled communities. 

Growing together in faith and learning

Holiday viewing on 


Our online streaming site The Well is going from strength to strength. 

If you haven’t yet visited, here’s some recommended viewing. 

Seeking some quiet during the Christmas rush, or something to view in post-Christmas downtime? 

Each week, nearly 500 parishioners are watching The Well, our very own ‘Netflix for Catholics’ launched in September. 

As the number of shows, videos, podcasts and prayer resources increases, we expect people will come back again and 

again. There are now over 140 family friendly items to check out and the number is growing. 

If you have not visited The Well and don’t know where to start, log onto thewell.org.au on your desktop, smart TV, tablet 

or phone. There’s no need to subscribe and it is completely free to use. Check out the list of Most Recent items on the 

homepage or explore the categories listed. 

Here are some popular 

choices. Put the titles in the 

search bar to find them: 

Questions about the Mass 

This is a five-minute refresher presented by Fr Chris del Rosario, 

Assistant Priest at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta, on why we 

go to Mass. It covers the symbols of the Mass, the readings and 

offertory. Fr Chris even explains why there are candles on the altar 

and why we say Amen at Communion. 

My Journey Our Journey 

This inspiring series of four seven-minute episodes follows the 

personal stories of refugees and immigrants in our Diocese, including 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta. Watching 

this helps us all appreciate the people of our community. 

Worship Wednesday 

Each week the young musicians of our Diocese lead us in joyous 

musical worship and prayer, uplifting our connection to God 

midweek. To hear the exquisite sound of the St Patrick’s Cathedral 

Choir Young Scholars when they appeared a few weeks ago, type 

Worship Wednesday 28 in the search bar. 

Kid’s viewing 

Faith Flix takes primary-aged children through issues important to them: 

loneliness and worry, prayer and caring for creation. 

For weekly updates on what’s new on The Well, follow the 

Diocese of Parramatta or Catholic Youth Parramatta Facebook or 

Instagram pages or subscribe for free to Catholic Outlook online at 

catholicoutlook.org. 

17

Reigniting the flame of Plenary 

By Richard McMahon 

While to some, it may seem quiet in the Plenary space, a lot has been happening. 

We bring you an update and things you can do right now to be part of the process. 

The Australian Catholic Bishops’ call for the Catholic 

Church to renew through the Plenary Council should be 

exciting for all Australian Catholics but for some, we may 

feel it doesn’t relate to us or won’t make a difference. 

Right now, Plenary is helping us listen to the Spirit and 

make changes 

Plenary is about “Listening to what the Spirit is saying in 

our everyday life.” Here are some of the creative ways our 

parishes have responded in the spirit of Plenary already: 

• developing online Mass, adoration, and other prayer 

services during the pandemic; 

• coordinating food drives, particularly for refugees and 

asylum seekers; 

• parishes in the Central Deanery developed an online hub 

to share resources for their communities; 

• small intentional online prayer groups, social circles and 

faith sharing networks are flourishing; and 

• The Well now brings videos and podcasts to support the 

faith of families, youth, schools and parishes. 

Our Plenary feedback has formed proposals, being 

used to shape the Council agenda 

Unsurprisingly, it took a year to sort the 222,000 responses 

and 17,457 submissions received. 

Six theme-based writing groups have now published 

writing papers that capture the many views they wrestled 

with. They include over 150 proposals which can be found 

at plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au. 

These proposals form the basis of a working document 

(called the Instrumentum Laboris), which will be further 

refined into the Plenary Council agenda. 

Here is what else happened 

• The learnings of COVID-19 and the independent 

governance review into the Catholic Church were 

included in the proposals. 

• Council delegates were appointed. The delegates for the 

Diocese of Parramatta are meeting and listened to our 

parishioners through online sessions. 

What can I do right now? 

The Plenary is not just a council far removed from our dayto-day 

Catholic life. It’s a process that involves every Catholic 

who has the power to bring it to life whoever and wherever 

they are. 

1. Check in with what Plenary means for you 

What are your emotions around Plenary and why? If 

they are negative, be honest with yourself and talk to 

God about how you feel this could be a chance to 

renew our Church. 

2. Become a torch bearer 

Encourage others to be involved and renew their hope. 

Videos, information sheets and soon-to-be-released 

reflection guides can be shared with others. 

3. Identify your circle of influence and pass on the flame 

Plenary is about gathering and prayerfully discerning 

together. How can you encourage groups of people you 

know to listen, discern and act? 

Plenary is not simply a council sometime in the future. It 

is an everyday movement of the Holy Spirit, and we are 

called, each of us, to respond in prayer, hope and truth 

sharing, calling others into the shared space of gathering. 

Let us be the Good News of Plenary to one another, and 

to all whom Jesus Christ calls us to share the Good News 

with. 

For more information on the Plenary Council see their 

website plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au. 

Richard McMahon is the Director of Pastoral Planning 

in the Diocese of Parramatta. 

18

Plenary is not simply 

a council sometime 

in the future. It is an 

everyday movement 

of the Holy Spirit 

Only God Can Judge. Image: Unsplash. 

19

Candles and wreaths: 

It must be Advent! 

By Sharon Boyd 

Why do we have candles and wreaths for Advent? And why are pink and purple 

such special colours at this time? Some answers on the symbols of Advent. 

The liturgical year begins anew with the Season of Advent. Advent refers to the coming of the Lord; both in the sense of the 

coming of Jesus into the world through his incarnation and birth, and also of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the end 

of time. Both ‘comings’ require preparation and so in the Season of Advent we prepare with prayer and penance. As we 

make this journey of waiting and anticipating, symbols are there to help us. 

The symbols of Advent keep the themes of prayer and penance ever before us. As the liturgical year is cyclical and the 

Church is entering a fresh new year, a round wreath of greenery is placed before the assembly as a focal point. 

The Advent Wreath 

Each Sunday throughout the four weeks of Advent, a candle is lit on the wreath 

to help us anticipate the weeks until Christmas Day. Three candles are usually 

purple in colour and each Sunday a new candle is lit along with those from 

preceding Sundays, to symbolise the Light of Christ. 

The history of the Advent wreath lies in Europe where wagon wheels were 

hoisted with rope towards the ceiling of the home for winter storage and wagons 

were converted to sleighs to adapt to the snow. The suspended wagon wheels 

were decorated with greenery and candles to light the room. This symbolism is 

very powerful in the Northern Hemisphere when it is dark and cold in December; 

Christ the Light of the world is coming! 

Gaudete Sunday 

The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday because the first word of 

the Entrance Antiphon for that day is ‘Gaudete,’ Latin for ‘Rejoice’. Being past 

the halfway mark until Christmas, the Antiphon proclaims “Rejoice in the Lord 

always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5). On this 

Sunday the priest’s vestments are rose-coloured (or pink) as is the third Advent 

wreath candle. We are reminded visually to be a joyful people as we await the 

coming of the Lord. Sometimes on Christmas Day a white candle is added to 

the centre of the wreath to symbolise Christ. 

20

The Colour Purple 

The counting of time is important as these weeks help 

us prepare for Advent with prayer and penance. This 

is why the liturgical colour for Advent is purple; some 

parishes may have a different shade of purple from 

the heavy purple of Lent, to emphasise the different 

penitential tone; but many parishes use the same 

purple vestments as they do in Lent. 

Advent has a meditative and expectant sense to it 

and correspondingly our senses are to experience a 

paring back. We do not sing the Gloria in Advent, 

flowers are to be used in moderation and music 

should be simple and used more sparingly. 

Paring back in Advent allows us to pull out all 

the stops for the mighty Feast of Christmas. 

Sharon Boyd is Professional Specialist- 

Liturgy Education at the Australian 

Catholic University Centre for Liturgy. 

21

Be hope in the darkness 

By Patrice Moriarty 

With thousands of refugees and asylum seekers in our midst, there are plenty of 

simple things we can all do to give hope this Christmas. 

Amidst the trouble of this year, 

Jesus coming to be God with us – 

Emmanuel – continues to be a flame 

of hope for all. We, as Catholics, can 

share this hope. 

Refugees and asylum seekers, 

already a group with many hurdles 

to overcome, have been hit by the 

COVID-19 economic fallout, perhaps 

like no other group. Excluded 

from JobKeeper and JobSeeker 

programs, hundreds of families in our 

Western Sydney and Blue Mountains 

community have had little or no 

income for eight months. Some are 

facing destitution, homelessness and 

feeling isolated and alone. 

Many Catholics want to show they 

care. Two Catholic agencies, House 

of Welcome at Granville and Jesuit 

Refugee Service at Westmead have 

led the way. 

“Giving that hope - even just giving 

that smile or friendly face to someone 

who seems like they’re in need - 

making people feel welcome, feel 

seen and visible is so important” says 

Georgia Holloway, Case Manager at 

House of Welcome. 

“Whether that is in big ways, or 

through the advocacy space, or on 

a personal level, we’re all human. 

We’re all in this together and everyone 

deserves that hope.” 

Maeve Brown, manager of direct 

services and programs for Jesuit 

Refugee Service Australia says, “The 

people that we work with give me 

hope. I can see how much people have 

been through, over such a prolonged 

period, and somehow they’re able 

to keep going. The hope that I see 

in them is the hope for themselves 

and for their families to live, not even 

an amazing life, but a simple and a 

meaningful life in Australia. 

You can give 

hope by: 

Volunteering 

Providing 

gift cards as 

Christmas 

presents 

Linking your 

business with 

employment 

programs 

Running a 

food drive 

Advocating to 

your local MP 

Donating 

“To have a place to live, to have 

food to eat, to have educational 

opportunities for their kids, to find 

work, to give back to the community. 

These are all very universal things that 

people want for their lives. 

“I see people hold onto that hope. 

Even though they’ve been waiting 

for visa processing for seven or eight 

years and they’ve been given very 

little reason to hope, they can still see 

that there’s some light in the distance. 

“I see that in them, and so I keep 

going” she says. 

With over 2000 asylum seekers and 

refugees at risk of homelessness over 

the next year in the Cumberland Local 

Government Area alone, now is the 

time that we can make a difference 

to many families at risk. House of 

Welcome and Jesuit Refugee Service 

are helping to feed 1300 people each 

week, helping with rental payments 

and accommodation, through 

employment programs, income 

support and counselling. 

“Never underestimate the impact 

that an individual can make. 

Sometimes these issues feel huge and 

overwhelming” says Maeve. 

“But what has happened in COVID 

is that civil society groups including 

parishes and school groups have 

been completely mobilised in a way 

that wasn’t happening before. 

“People are really available to hear 

what’s happening and are feeling very 

galvanised to act. As an individual 

within this collective, we can make a 

massive change through a daily act 

of giving food security or to long-term 

strategic change through political 

engagement. There’s a place for 

everybody.” 

This Advent, your actions can make 

a meaningful difference to a refugee 

in our community. Contact House of 

Welcome on (02) 9727 9290 or Jesuit 

Refugee Service on (02) 9098 9336 to 

discuss how you can help. 

Patrice Moriarty is the Social Justice 

Coordinator in the Diocese of 

Parramatta. 

22

Maeve Brown from the Jesuit Refugee Service Australia. Image: JRS. 

The House of Welcome is operating in a 

time of great uncertainty and turbulence. 

We continue to support our vulnerable 

community members and provide wraparound 

services to people who are falling 

through the safety net. You can help by: 

• Donating money to the Welcome Start Transitional 

Housing Program. Donations will go towards 

providing safe and secure housing to around 95 

people per night. 

• Collecting staple food items for the House of 

Welcome foodbank. 

• Registering to volunteer across a number of roles. 

• Following the House of Welcome on facebook 

to hear about the work we are doing and our 

response to the current refugee and asylum policy 

framework. 

Help refugees and people 

seeking asylum in the 

COVID-19 crisis 

Since COVID-19 hit, many people seeking asylum and most 

migrants on temporary visas are in desperate situations. Even 

when losing their jobs, they are excluded from any federal 

COVID-19 support. 

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia gives critical support, 

like urgent medicine and food, to people in Sydney. The 

demand for JRS’ services has grown by 254% since COVID. 

To donate or for further information about 

volunteering please call 9727 9290 

or email: office@houseofwelcome.coma.au 

You can help with time, food and cash donations. 23 

Please visit: aus.jrs.net/en/take-action/

24 

Students from the 

Diocese of Parramatta 

are our “Generation Hope”. 

Image: Diocese of Parramatta.

Hope 

G E N E R A T I O N 

The pandemic reveals their inner strength 


“Generation Hope,” Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of 

Parramatta calls the HSC Class of 2020. Listen to them speak 

about their year, and you’ll see why this name fits so well. 

25

Gabriella Nimmo, 

Liturgy Leader of Our Lady of 

Mercy College, Parramatta. 

Max Tromp, 

Charism Leader of Patrician 

Brothers College, Blacktown. 

Ryan Santa Maria, 

Marist Solidarity Captain of 

Parramatta Marist High School. 

Lara Chamoun, 

Liturgy Prefect of Maronite College 

of the Holy Family, Parramatta. 

Despite one of the most important 

years of their lives being completely 

upended – these students, who 

completed the HSC this year, are 

grateful. 

• “No matter what life throws at us, 

we know we have the strength 

to overcome it,” says Nora-Lee 

Doueihi, College Captain from 

Cerdon College, Merrylands. 

• “We’ve learned to cherish every 

moment,” says Lara Chamoun, 

Liturgy Prefect from Maronite 

College of the Holy Family, 

Parramatta. 

• “The sense of community we 

have felt has been our rock,” 

says Max Tromp, Charism Leader 

from Patrician Brothers College, 

Blacktown. 

Instead of the whirlwind of leadership 

activities that Year 12 students usually 

engage in, for much of this year, they 

found themselves at home. 

There were no big school events, no 

excursions, no Masses, no ‘end-of’ 

ceremonies. These are usually the 

times when Year 12 students test 

their leadership skills, mentor younger 

students and get a glimpse of what 

they are capable of as young adults. 

Catholic Outlook spoke to a group 

of students who had been awarded 

the Bishop’s Award for Excellence for 

2020, just before their HSC exams 

commenced. The Bishop’s Award is 

given to a Year 12 student at each 

Catholic secondary school in the 

Diocese of Parramatta who displays 

their faith in action. 

Expectations 

Setting out on the Year 12 journey 

begins in Term Four the year prior. 

Like all other Year 12 groups before 

them, this group were excited and had 

lots to look forward to. 

“As part of the leadership team, we 

created formation sessions to teach 

themes such as respect to different year 

groups,” says Max. “I was a big driver 

of this, and it felt a big letdown when 

the sessions needed to be cancelled.” 

Gabriella Nimmo, Liturgy Leader 

at Our Lady of Mercy College, 

Parramatta was looking forward to 

playing a leadership role in the annual 

Mercy Day which had to be cancelled. 

“The students at Parramatta Marist High, 

Westmead missed out on celebrating the 

Marist Bicentenary,” says Ryan Santa 

Maria, Solidarity Captain. 

A disappointed Tram Nguyen of 

Catherine McAuley, Westmead 

explains “I was due to go to a Space 

Design Competition in America.” 

Not only did they miss out on many 

events, but the need to stay home 

and study independently presented 

enormous challenges. 

Christian Cipri, College Leader of 

St John Paul II Catholic College 

Schofields admits online learning was 

difficult. “I much preferred talking to 

my teachers,” he says. 

Gabriella juggled Zoom classes with 

caring for two younger sisters and her 

bedridden grandmother. “That was a 

challenge for me, especially having to 

explain to my teachers why I was late 

for some Zoom classes. But as time 

went on, I got better at managing this, 

by getting up earlier and following up 

with emails,” she says. 

Several students used the phrase “the 

unknowing” to describe the feelings 

they experienced. “It was that sense 

of isolation, the unknowing what was 

going to happen or when I could 

connect with people again” says Max. 

Despite the challenges, the group 

gained a new understanding of their 

teachers and how much effort they 

put into supporting their students. 

“They were always asking us how else 

they could present the materials for 

us,” says Tram. 

All students felt a huge sense of 

gratitude, and for many of them, it 

motivated them to work harder. 

“At our school each student has 

26

We’ve learned 

to cherish 

every moment 

Images: Diocese 

of Parramatta 

Christian Cipri, 

College Leader of St John Paul II 

Catholic College Schofields. 

Tram Nguyen, 

Catherine McAuley, Westmead. 

Nora-Lee Doueihi, 

College Captain of Cerdon 

College, Merrylands. 

a teacher to pray for them,” says 

Christian. “That really motivated me.” 

Ryan witnessed first-hand the effort 

made by his school’s Religious 

Education Coordinator to “pull 

everything together” he says, and 

Nora-Lee realised the important 

role that a teacher plays in a young 

person’s life. “It’s inspired me to 

become a teacher” she says. 

Appreciating ‘the little things’ 

“We all learned to appreciate the little 

things,” says Nora-Lee. “It stemmed 

from not being able to attend big 

things like our last sports carnival or 

school Mass. It made us look at and 

appreciate the smaller things. That’s 

what got us through.” 

Many of the students reported being 

surprised at how they got to know 

others in their form they would not 

have normally spoken to. 

“Suddenly friendship groups were 

merging over Zoom,” says Max. “I 

saw people’s strengths I wouldn’t 

have otherwise.” 

Drawing on their faith 

Each student realised they needed 

their faith more than ever, but often 

this meant getting creative. 

“We developed rosary groups every 

Wednesday for students to come 

together and reflect,” says Ryan. “It 

helped bring some order to the chaos 

many students were experiencing.” 

As Charism leader, and a musician, 

Max aimed to keep people together 

though music. “I performed hymns 

we had sung throughout our 

schooling which brought a sense of 

brotherhood.” Max also participated in 

Catholic Youth Parramatta’s Worship 

Wednesdays. 

Gabriella experienced gratitude and 

connection through Catholic Youth 

Parramatta. “We spoke with the 

homeless on how they were coping, 

which made me feel grateful for all the 

things I have.” 

Nora-Lee felt “Faith was everywhere. 

It didn’t matter where I was.” 

Lara couldn’t participate in live 

Masses but drew on internal strength. 

“Even though everything was 

changing, my faith was my constant,” 

said Lara. “It couldn’t be taken away 

from me.” 

Learnings for life 

When asked what they would say to 

themselves if they had the chance 

to go back before the pandemic, the 

answers revealed how quickly this 

group had learned many life lessons. 

Undoubtably, our society will look 

back on ‘the pandemic year,’ and 

theorise on the longer-term impacts 

Key Learnings 

“Cherish every moment. 

Be in the moment.” 

“Expect the unexpected” 

“Don’t focus on the negatives” 

“Take the challenges and make 

them opportunities” 

“Tell your friends and family you 

love them” 

“Don’t be too harsh on 

yourself” 

“Focus on the things you have” 

“Always know that God is with 

you” 

And 

“Do more exercise because 

you’re going to be sitting in 

your bedroom for a long time!” 

on various groups. There will be the 

‘pandemic babies’ cocooned by 

their families, the graduates looking 

for their first job in the economic 

downturn, and the older members of 

society who had no choice but to stay 

inside for an extended time. 

Looking back at the ‘pandemic Year 

12 Class of 2020,’ we may find a 

courageous cohort who continue 

to shine and test the learnings for a 

successful life – to adapt, to accept 

support, to show compassion to 

others, to face up to challenges, to be 

grateful and to rejoice in their faith. 

27

What’s ahead for 

Catholic Youth Parramatta? 

By Mary Brazell 

Catholic Youth Parramatta is youthful, dynamic and diverse. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

For youth leaders across 

Western Sydney and the 

Blue Mountains, 2020 

has been time to reset, 

with a positive outlook to 

the future. 

“Catholic Youth Parramatta can be 

seen as the face of the Diocese of 

Parramatta – it is youthful, dynamic 

and diverse,” said Bishop Vincent 

Long OFM Conv, at the October 

Catholic Youth Parramatta (CYP) 

forum of youth leaders. 

CYP plays the vital role of connecting 

the youth of our Diocese to Jesus 

through events, formation programs 

and local youth groups. With many 

gatherings cancelled due to the 

pandemic, CYP needed to find ways 

of reaching out to youth, keeping 

them connected to the Church, and 

nurturing their spirituality. 

Reflecting on his journey through 

youth ministry, Fr Chris del Rosario, 

assistant priest at St Patrick’s 

Cathedral, Parramatta, credited the 

CYP LIFTED Retreat in 2015 as what 

kept him in the seminary. 

“I was in my fourth year in the 

seminary, and I had spoken to a lot 

of priests. They all said, ‘Fourth year 

is the worst in the seminary, because 

you’ve done so much, but you’ve got 

so much left to go.’ 

“I recall that year, I had one foot out 

the door. I remember signing up for 

the LIFTED Retreat, thinking that I had 

nothing to lose. 

“But I actually found I did a lot of 

healing in that retreat, I faced a lot of 

my demons, per se. The weeks leading 

up to it provided real grace, because I 

found a renewal in the vocation, and I 

knew this was where God wants me. 

Now I’m very happy to be here and to 

be a priest of this Diocese.” 

With results like this, there is a 

determination among the youth of 

28

Parramatta to keep CYP going and 

remaining agile. 

“A huge turn has happened, and it 

will change the way we do things 

moving forward,” said James Camden 

Director, CYP at the forum. “That 

includes ensuring the voices of young 

people are heard. Work has begun on 

models of how young people can be 

successfully represented in leadership 

structures of the Diocese such as 

deaneries and pastoral councils. 

The pandemic has reduced the 

barriers of time poverty and distance. 

“Now if you know of an awesome 

guest speaker, you can just Zoom 

them into your meeting” said youth 

leader Sebastian Duhau, from St 

Andrew the Apostle Parish, Marayong. 

“The borders don’t exist. There are 

fewer barriers to communicate, 

contact and collaborate, because 

we’ve got online tools available and 

that’s where the opportunity lies,” he 

said. 

Worship Wednesdays and The Well 

are other initiatives arising from the 

pandemic with the aim of keeping 

youth connected spiritually. 

The good news, explained Br Bernard 

Mary Fonkalsrud OFM Conv from Our 

Lady of the Rosary Parish, Kellyville, 

was that young people were willing to 

cooperate with guidelines around the 

pandemic, “because they love youth 

group” he said. 

Rosie Drum has been a well-known 

face in the Diocese for the past six and 

a half years with CYP, living her vision 

of bringing thousands of young people 

closer to Jesus in our Diocese. While we 

sadly farewell her, you can still hear her 

At the Well podcast for young Catholic 

women on thewell.org.au. 

All the best resources 

the diocese has to offer 

NO SIGNUP 

NO FEES 

100% FREE 

29 

thewell.org.au

Children show us prayer 



“Is it about the journey or the 

destination?” It’s a question 

the Year Five students at 

Holy Family Primary School, 

East Granville were keen to 

explore. Along the way they 

created a wonderful prayer 

resource. 

In thinking about this ‘big’ question, the Year Five students looked at the 

Scriptures and researched different types of prayer. They considered how 

Jesus guides people on their spiritual journeys along with other religious 

figures, their families and friends. 

The result is a book of prayers children and adults alike can turn to during 

the difficult times in life such as arguments and fights; times you may be 

bullied; even times you find it difficult to pray. The students included the 

four types of prayer: petition, thanksgiving, adoration and contrition. 

Happily for us, the students generously agreed for Catholic Outlook to 

publish their prayers. Here are two of them. 

When you are having trouble praying 

Dear God, 

Elias El Kadi (left), Tiana Nakhoul (centre) and Anweshi Ghale 

(right) who wrote the prayer ‘When you have trouble praying’. 

Image: Holy Family Primary School, East Graville. 

We love you but we do not give you enough time. Help us find that small amount of time so that we may give 

all our attention to you and have complete trust in you. May Jesus your Son guide us to you with the help of 

the Holy Spirit. We do not realise how many blessings you give us, and we often take what you give us for 

granted. Please God, give us the time and the heart to pray with true intentions and reverence. Help us to not 

fall into temptation and from this prayer let us pray more to make the world a better place. 

Amen 

By Tiana, Elias and Anweshi 

30

Modestly, Jamee El Kady who wrote on behalf of the other Year 

5 students claimed, “Amazingly our prayer book turned out to be 

a great success.” Both Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop 

of Parramatta, and Greg Whitby, Executive Director of Catholic 

Education Diocese of Parramatta, wrote letters of congratulation and 

admiration. Greg says that receiving the book “made his day” and 

Bishop Vincent in addition to offering to shout each student an iceblock, 

is keen to visit the students when they are Year 6 in order to 

talk more about the power of prayer. 

The methods used to create this heartfelt example of worship 

were learned as part of a trial of the draft new Religious Education 

Curriculum for Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta schools. 

We plan to publish some of their other prayers on Catholic Outlook 

online in the coming months. Subscribe to Catholic Outlook online 

at catholicoutlook.org, to receive updates and more prayers from the 

children’s book. 

With thanks to the Year 5 students of Holy Family Primary School, 

East Granville. Holy Family Primary School, East Granville is a 

Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta school. 

Students reflect on their prayers. 

Image: Holy Family Primary School, East Granville. 

When you are feeling angry 

Dear God, 

Stephen Toutai Lemoto (far left), Annabelle Wehbe (centre left), Rushil Limbu (centre 

right) and Tyson Vu (right) who wrote the prayer ‘When you are feeling angry.’ 

Image: Holy Family Primary School, East Granville. 

Please help us confront those who trespass against us. Remind us to reflect on ourselves and our behaviour. 

We must treat others the way we want to be treated, no matter who they are. Make the people happy if they 

are sad and us to be calm not angry. Talk to us when we are angry and help us and those who want to take 

their anger out on other people. 

Amen 

By Tyson, Annabelle, Rushill and Stephen 

31

Fratelli tutti: 

Pope Francis’ love letter 

to the world 

By Fr Satish Joseph 

Fr Satish Joseph gives us a rundown of why Pope 

Francis’ new encyclical Fratelli tutti comes at a time 

when we need to focus on the good of all peoples. 

Pope Francis. 

Image: Shutterstock.com. 

32


Fratelli tutti is a signature encyclical 

- not only of Francis’ papacy, but 

for the Catholic Church. During a 

pandemic, when the world seems 

to be at a political, social, religious 

and ecological tipping point, comes 

a papal encyclical on ‘fraternity’ and 

‘social friendship.’ 

I am calling Fratelli tutti Pope Francis’ 

love letter to the world. 

This long and complex encyclical 

consists of eight chapters and 287 

paragraphs. The primary approach of 

this reflection is pastoral and is written 

for the Sunday pulpit. My focus is to 

introduce only the main teachings 

of the encyclical and draw out its 

implications. 

I want to begin my reflection with an 

observation. I realise there are areas 

in our lives where the abnormal has 

become normal, and the normal, 

abnormal. For example, in our 

grocery stores today, we can find 

almost every fruit and vegetable in 

every season. This is not normal. 

But our consumerism has made the 

abnormal normal. Ecologically, and 

for the local populations from where 

these products are sourced, the cost 

is immense. But there is no going 

back to normal because the abnormal 

has become normal. When we read 

Fratelli tutti, we might have a similar 

experience. We find ourselves so far 

away from the quintessential Catholic 

theology, a Catholic worldview and 

from a Catholic Gospel ethic, that 

Fratelli tutti may sound strange, or to 

use my description, abnormal. 

I have heard critics saying that 

Fratelli tutti edges on socialism, or 

even communism; that Fratelli tutti 

is bereft of theological insights, and 

that it lacks continuity with traditional 

Catholic teaching. Unfortunately, it has 

become so normal for many American 

Catholics to approach the Catholic 

faith from their political and ideological 

framework that normal Catholic social 

teaching sounds abnormal. I want 

to invite you to understand Fratelli 

tutti as quintessential Catholic social 

teaching. 

With this in mind, I would like to lay 

out the basic tenets of Fratelli tutti. I 

am doing so under three headings: 

the common good at the centre; the 

Gospel at the centre; and, the human 

person at the centre. 

The common good at the centre 

Pope Francis begins Fratelli tutti with 

an assessment of the world. The 

assessment is comprehensive but 

unflattering. Pope Francis uses the 

word ‘common’ frequently, as in ‘our 

common home’ in reference to care 

for creation, and ‘the common good’ 

I want to invite 

you to understand 

Fratelli tutti as 

quintessential 

Catholic social 

teaching 

33


in reference to the care of all human 

persons. The standard by which he 

evaluates the global reality is through 

the lens of ‘the common good.’ The 

Catechism of the Catholic Church 

defines “common good” as, “the 

sum total of social conditions which 

allow people, either as groups or as 

individuals, to reach their fulfilment more 

fully and more easily” (CCC 1906). 

Thus, Fratelli tutti says, “God has 

created all human being with equal 

rights, duties, and dignity, and 

has called them to live together as 

brothers and sister” (Ft 5). And again, 

“When the dignity of the human 

person is respected, and his or her 

rights recognised and guaranteed, 

creativity and interdependence thrive, 

and the creativity of the human 

personality is released through actions 

that further the common good” (Ft 22). 

This is the opposite of societies where 

often a privileged few determine what 

is best, create laws and systems that 

serve them, and create a morality that 

serves their vested interests. 

Pope Francis’ focus is on the good 

of all peoples, particularly the large 

number of the powerless, those on 

the periphery, the ignored and the 

forgotten of the world. He addresses 

the problems ranging from nationalism 

to the throwaway culture of a 

throwaway world; from populism to 

hunger and trafficking; from insufficient 

universal human rights to flawed 

globalisation; from migration to the 

inability to carefully listen to each other. 

The basic verdict in Pope Francis’ 

assessment is that the world has 

serious problems, and that these 

problems are created on two levels. 

The first level is the lack of respect 

for the human rights and dignity of all 

persons and cultures. The second is 

the intentional and selfish exploitation 

of people, cultures, laws, technology 

and systems by those who wield 

power and authority. This includes 

people with vested interests and those 

who are guided by ideologies. 

Despite these dark clouds, Pope 

Francis promises to take up and 

discuss many “new paths of hope” (Ft 

54) for our “wounded world” (Ft 67). 

Pope Francis invites us to dream. He 

says, “Let us dream, then, as a single 

34

human family, as fellow travellers 

sharing the same flesh, as children 

of the same earth which is our 

common home, each of us bringing 

the richness of his or her beliefs and 

convictions, each of us with his or her 

own voice, brothers and sisters all” 

(Ft 8). 

The Gospel at the centre 

As is typical of Pope Francis, the 

Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the centre 

of Fratelli tutti. In particular, he uses 

the Parable of the Good Samaritan to 

propose a solution for our wounded 

world. Pope Francis gives numerous 

reasons for making the Good Samaritan 

the hero of his encyclical. It would be 

impossible to include them all here. 

However, let me point out a few. 

First, Pope Francis says that this 

parable answers Genesis’ age-old 

question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 

Jesus was asked a similar question 

thousands of years later “And who is 

my neighbour?” The Parable of the 

Good Samaritan and his love-centred 

action is the Pope’s answer to these 

questions (Ft 57). Second, the most 

valuable point of the story is that ‘the 

Samaritan became a neighbour to 

the wounded Judean. To do so, the 

Samaritan had to cross all cultural 

and historical barriers’ (Ft 81). Pope 

Francis says, “Jesus trusts in the 

best of the human spirit; with the 

Parable [of the Good Samaritan], he 

encourages us to persevere in love, 

to restore the dignity of the suffering, 

and to build a society worthy of the 

name” (Ft 71). 

Finally, as Pope Francis says, 

“This encounter of mercy between 

a Samaritan and a Jew is highly 

provocative; it leaves no room 

for ideological manipulation and 

challenges us to expand our frontiers. 

It gives a universal dimension to our 

call to love, one that transcends all 

prejudices, historical and cultural 

barriers, all petty interests” (Ft 83). 

So, in the end, Pope Francis calls for 

a humanism inspired by faith as the 

foundation for a better world. Holding 

up the image of the Good Samaritan 

he invites us teach and preach about 

‘the social meaning of existence, the 

fraternal dimension of spirituality, 

our conviction about the inalienable 

dignity of each person, and our 

reasons for loving and accepting all 

our brothers and sisters’ (Ft 86). 

The human person at the centre 

I said in my previous point that 

Pope Francis proposes “Faith, and 

the humanism it inspires” as the 

foundation for future action. In a 

strict sense, humanism proposes 

human solutions to human problems 

without any reference to God or 

religious beliefs. In fact, some critics 

of Pope Francis have labelled him a 

humanist in this atheistic sense. Yet, 

Pope Francis is not afraid to use the 

word “humanism”, because unlike 

atheistic humanism, Pope Francis 

bases his humanism on the Gospel 

Image: Unsplash. 

35

and the example of Jesus Christ. 

For example, Jesus’ statement, “The 

Sabbath was made for man, not man 

for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28) puts 

the human person right at the centre 

of his ministry. The Good Samaritan 

too could be called a humanist, in that 

he disregarded all cultural, historical 

and religious boundaries and put a 

wounded and helpless person in the 

centre. It was an act of selfless and 

outgoing love. 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan 

ends with Jesus saying to the lawyer, 

“Go and do likewise.” (Ft 81). Here I 

want to quote my favourite quote from 

Fratelli tutti “All of us, as believers, 

need to recognise that love takes first 

place. Love must never be put at risk, 

and the greatest danger lies in failing 

to love” (Ft 92). Pope Francis says that 

it is love, Gospel love, “that impels us 

towards universal communion” (Ft 95). 

Reflecting on “Go and do likewise,” 

Pope Francis places a special 

responsibility on families as the “first 

place where the values of love and 

fraternity, togetherness and sharing, 

concern and care for other are lived 

out and handed on” (Ft 114). Pope 

Francis believes that such a world 

cannot happen without the dialogue, 

which is accomplished through 

consensus building, mutual respect 

and truthful discussions. Towards the 

same end, Pope Francis places great 

emphasis on “recovering kindness” 

(Ft 222-224). Kindness - as described 

by Paul in Galatians 5:22 - Pope 

Francis says, “opens new paths where 

hostility and conflict would burn all 

bridges” (Ft 224). 

There are three things that are 

essential if we want dialogue, and 

ultimately peace and reconciliation: 

truth, justice and mercy. Here again, 

Pope Francis’ humanism comes to the 

fore. Peace would require, he says, 

“to place at the centre of all political, 

social and economic activity the 

human person, who enjoys highest 

dignity, and respect for the common 

good” (Ft 232). To accomplish 

this, truth, justice and mercy are 

uncompromisable. 

In the very last chapter, Pope Francis 

assigns a special role to religion. He 

believes that all religions, “based 

on their respect for each human 

person as a creature called to be a 

child of God, contribute significantly 

to building human fraternity and 

defending justice in society” (Ft 271). 

While religion can become a tool for 

violence and terrorism in hands of 

unconscionable people, he invites 

people of all religions to return to that 

which is basic to all faith traditions 

“worship of God and love for our 

neighbour” (Ft 282). 

In these words, Pope Francis finds the 

hope and the solution to the problems 

of our wounded world. Hope lies - 

as he lays out in the beginning - in 

rebuilding a society of fraternity 

and social friendship; in humanism 

inspired by faith (Ft 86), and in love, 

truth, justice and mercy. 

In this way, in the name of God, in 

the name of innocent human life, in 

the name of the poor, destitute and 

marginalised, in the name of orphans, 

widows, and refugees, in the name of 

all victims of wars, persecutions, and 

injustice, in the name of the weak, 

those who live in fear, prisoners of 

war and those tortured in any part 

of the world, in the name of peoples 

who have lost their security, in the 

name of human fraternity, in the name 

of freedom, in the name of justice 

and mercy, in the name of persons 

of goodwill, and in the name of God, 

Pope Francis ends his masterpiece 

encyclical, Fratelli tutti. 

I would like to end with Pope Francis’ 

Ecumenical Christian Prayer that ends 

the encyclical: 

36

There are three things that 

are essential if we want 

dialogue, and ultimately 

peace and reconciliation: 

truth, justice and mercy. 

Pope Francis signs Fratelli tutti at the tomb of 

St Francis of Assisi in October. Image: Foto ©Vatican Media. 

O God, Trinity of love, 

from the profound communion of your divine life, 

pour out upon us a torrent of fraternal love. 

Grant us the love reflected in the actions of Jesus, 

in his family of Nazareth, 

and in the early Christian community. 

Grant that we Christians may live the Gospel, 

discovering Christ in each human being, 

recognising him crucified 

in the sufferings of the abandoned 

and forgotten of our world, 

and risen in each brother or sister 

who makes a new start. 

Come, Holy Spirit, show us your beauty, 

reflected in all the peoples of the earth, 

so that we may discover anew 

that all are important and all are necessary, 

different faces of the one humanity 

that God so loves. 

Amen. 


Fr Satish Joseph is the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church and St Helen’s Church in the Diocese of Dayton, 

Ohio. His homilies and reflections can be found at satishjoseph.com 

This article was first published on wherepeteris.com. 

37

A cuppa with the priest: 

Fr Ian McGinnity 


Cup of tea in hand, we sat down 

with Fr Ian McGinnity of Christ the 

King Parish, North Rocks to chat 

about his views on the Catholic 

Church today. 

There is nothing more that Fr Ian McGinnity wants than 

to see the Catholic Church grow and offer its gifts for 

generations to come. But he doesn’t underestimate the 

complexity of this task, nor the need for the Church to 

be open and listen to the issues that people want to talk 

about. 

He has been Parish Priest at Christ the King since 2013. 

Having entered the priesthood straight after high school, 

he has ministered in a number of parishes in our Diocese 

including Emerton-Mt Druitt, Baulkham Hills, Kenthurst, 

Dundas Valley and Quakers Hill-Schofields. He has chaired 

the National Council of Priests of Australia (NCPA) twice, 

from 2006 to 2011 and then 2013 to 2015. He has also 

been lucky to visit the Church in Nigeria, noting with a smile 

that the two-hour long services they hold there would be 

unlikely to catch on here in Australia. 

Over the years he has seen the wide variety of perspectives 

that Catholics around the world hold. He regularly 

contributed his own through NCPA’s magazine The Swag 

which was redeveloped during his role as NCPA Chair. 

His deep understanding of humanity comes through as 

he discusses the many different influences that impact a 

person’s approach to their beliefs. 

“It may be socioeconomic, the politics of the person’s 

country of origin, parental influences or some other 

personal experience that shape a person’s perception” he 

says. “We humans are complex!” 

With Australia, and particularly the Diocese of Parramatta, 

welcoming people from so many communities, once you 

Fr Ian McGinnity. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

add the rise of social media to the mix, it can lead to even 

more diversity says Fr Ian. Nowadays, he sees people 

joining parishes that reflect their perspectives rather than 

the geographic area they live in. 

“Our task is to unify, but sometimes this is a very difficult 

task” he acknowledges. When he looks to Jesus, he can 

relate in a way to what he was facing “Jesus had to work 

with people who were suspicious, negative, in positions 

of power they didn’t want to give up. There were also the 

non-Jews who had to find a way to fit in” he says. He 

sees Pope Francis facing criticism at times too for trying 

to walk a “precarious” line to introduce reform when many 

Catholics wish to keep the status quo. 

He is very aware there are members of his Church who 

want change but stay and accept parts of the Catholic faith 

they don’t agree with. At the same time, he also sees many 

people moving away from the Church when they feel it 

doesn’t relate to their lives. “We have to face head-on to a 

number of issues” he says. “We need to listen to voices on 

the fringe.” 

Rather than give up or be overwhelmed he looks for 

guidance through the Holy Spirit. 

“God moves through people” he reminds us. 

38

As well as heading up the Northern 

Deanery of the Diocese, Fr Ian finds 

meaningful participation in the Church 

through the International Catholic 

Reform Network (ICRN). 

“The ICRN looks at where the Church 

can best meet the contemporary 

world. We look at issues we feel the 

Church needs to seriously consider, 

such as the role of women in the 

Church and in ministry; the arena 

of sexuality; a more collaborative 

ministry and how we connect with 

people on the fringe of the Church 

or who have left the Church, and the 

reasons why. 

“I’m hoping that the Plenary Council 

will look at some of those questions we 

are dealing with on a micro level, such 

as how to build up the Body of Christ. 

“I’m really happy that our Diocese 

has the leadership of Bishop Vincent. 

I think he’s shown us a different way 

of going forward. He’s saying and, in 

a lot of ways, doing the right things 

and I hope he has the strength, 

compassion and courage to continue 

to make the right decisions.” 

While acknowledging the deeply 

caring community of North Rocks 

of mostly older parishioners, Fr Ian 

wants the Church to listen to young 

people and be ready for them when 

they need to turn to the Gospel for 

meaning. 

“Parents say how worried they are 

that their children won’t go to Church” 

he says. 

“I tell them there will come a time 

when young people begin to question 

their lives. That’s when we need to be 

ready to accompany them and show 

them a different model of what life can 

be like.” 

He finds joys in accompanying people 

on their various journeys from birth to 

death and in between. 

“It’s often in the tough periods of life 

for people where, if you are available 

to them, some will see the presence of 

God and His Love.” 

A message for Advent 

Fr Ian sees the positives in a ‘slower’, 

less rushed Advent this year due to 

the pandemic. He encourages us to 

turn to the Scriptures and focus on 

community. 

“Advent has often been the second 

cousin to Lent when it comes to 

seasonal experiences in the Church 

because there’s so much other 

commercial activity around it. 

“So, while Advent is technically about 

waiting on the Lord, of being patient, 

of anticipation of the joy of the birth of 

Christ, the rest of the community is in 

a rush. 

We look at issues 

we feel the Church 

needs to seriously 

consider, such as 

the role of women 

in the Church and 

in ministry; the 

arena of sexuality; a 

more collaborative 

ministry and how 

we connect with 

people on the fringe 

of the Church 

“We may have to look at how we can, 

in our own personal lives, joyfully 

anticipate the Lord to come into our 

world and into our hearts. 

“A bit of advice that has been given 

to me is that ministerial priesthood is 

not about the role, but about being an 

authentic human being within the role. 

“It’s an ongoing journey, it’s not an 

instantaneous journey. We learn from 

our flaws, mistakes and failings. 

We [as priests] are no different from 

anybody else in that reality,” he says 

finishing his cup of tea. 

Fr Ian McGinnity at Christ the King Parish, 

North Rocks. 


39

CHRIST THE KING 

NORTH ROCKS 

Parish profile: 

Christ the King, North Rocks 


VICTORY THROUGH FAITH 

We visited one of our 2020 ‘golden jubilee’ parishes, Christ the King Parish, North 

Rocks. We found a mix of original and newer parishioners, happy and grateful to 

be part of a parish where they feel ‘like family.’ 

One cannot talk about the history of 

Christ the King Parish, North Rocks 

without mentioning its founder Fr Eric 

Burton. 

Although Fr Eric passed away in 

September 2018, his legacy of 

dedication and passion for his 

community implanted itself into 

the very soul of the parish which 

celebrates its golden 50th anniversary 

in 2020. 

Located just five kilometres north of 

Parramatta, the story of Christ the 

King Parish began in 1967 when 

a retired couple wrote to Cardinal 

Gilroy, the then-Archbishop of 

Sydney, requesting that a parish be 

established in the developing area of 

North Rocks. 

The Parish was formally instituted 

on 3 February 1970 with the 

appointment of Fr Eric and the first 

Mass celebrated at the North Rocks 

Community Centre soon after. The 

church, with a design reminiscent of 

the tent housing the Old Testament 

tabernacle, was opened 26 years later. 

Most of the families were young and 

worked hard to establish a parish 

community. 

Today, many of those parishioners 

are still friends, and the sense of 

community is as strong as ever. 

Fr Ian McGinnity, Parish Priest, talks 

about the Parish’s strong tradition 

of volunteering to care for the sick 

and elderly. They have also been big 

contributors to the Jesuit Refugee 

Service. 

“People have a compassionate heart 

in this community, and I think that’s 

been historical, building on that 

tradition of helping the underdog, the 

migrant, the refugee” Fr Ian says. 

Parish secretary Claudine Nallétamby 

explains the impact of Fr Ian’s approach. 

“Fr Ian believes in inclusion and 

recognises people’s talents” she says. 

“He strongly encourages parishioner 

participation. This allows connection, 

pride and ownership for what takes 

place at Christ the King Parish.” 

The proof is in the dedication shown 

by parishioners, including young 

people. “There was a night last year 

when we had youth group, and the 

weather forecast was for a very large 

thunderstorm” says Youth Coordinator 

Adam Chioatto. “Despite this, the high 

winds, the downpour, thunder and 

lightning, the young people still came.” 

“Fr Ian’s willingness to help, listen, 

clarify and support has allowed me 

and the youth ministry to continue 

during these times.” 

Principal of Christ the King Primary 

School and parishioner of 14 years, Tony 

Hughes is also committed to the Parish. 

“Fr Ian and I have worked together 

Christ the King Parish North Rocks Parish 

Secretary Claudine Claudine Nallétamby 

and parishioner Graham Lum. 

Image: Mary Brazell/Diocese of Parramatta. 

40

for the duration of my principalship at 

the school, ensuring there is a strong 

link between the school and parish,” 

he said. 

Like many other parishes, the ever 

changing nature of the pandemic 

brought unique challenges to Christ 

the King in 2020. Live streamed 

Masses kept parishioners connected. 

“Parishioners could still participate in 

the Eucharist, but in a different form” 

says Claudine. 

“Hopefully we can realise that this 

pandemic has been a difficult period 

but also an opportunity to appreciate 

who and what is important in our 

Parish and our lives,” she said. 

The parishioners remain hopeful 

that their 50 years of hard work and 

dedication will be celebrated in the 

new year. 

“I am reminded of the saying ‘this 

too shall pass,’ and even in these 

uncertain times, the Parish will pull 

through and grow from here,” Adam 

explains. 

“The bonds of community have 

strengthened, and the relationships 

that have been affirmed will carry us 

through. The pandemic has also given 

us the means to reach out to returning 

members of the parish and to visitors 

and newcomers.” 

Parishioner Graham adds, “There is 

no one best thing about the Parish. I 

cannot speak for others, but I have a 

great sense of belonging and feel part 

of the parish family. 

“I continue to value my place in this 

community. I feel loved, supported 

and valued. I hope I never have to 

leave.” 

41

A second chance for a happy family 

By Parramatta Catholic Foundation Staff 

Dale, Sharen and baby they prayed for, Jackson. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

“I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if Jackson had been taken away. 

I would have gone backwards, back to the alcohol and the drugs.” - Dale 

The story of how CatholicCare Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains helped a 

family stay together and look forward to a bright future for their son. 

When Dale and Sharen met six years 

ago, they knew they had been given a 

chance to build a new life. 

Sharen had been significantly affected 

by a series of violent relationships and 

only one of her children was allowed 

to live with her. After an abusive 

childhood, Dale had turned to drugs 

and alcohol to numb the pain. 

Together, they wanted to move 

forward and grow, making sure they 

didn’t repeat the patterns of the past. 

Dale was committed to being a good 

stepfather, and Sharen wanted to have 

better relationships with her children 

and grandchildren. 

After contacting CatholicCare Western 

Sydney and the Blue Mountains, 

Dale and Sharen joined the Family 

Support Program and took part in 

several positive parenting groups 

and programs. After experiencing 

how much it improved their family 

relationships, they prayed for a baby 

of their own together. 

Their prayers were answered and 

Sharen fell pregnant. 

Determined not to be forced to give up 

their child, Dale and Sharen turned to 

CatholicCare again for help as soon as 

they found out they were having a baby. 

Thanks to the generosity of our 

parishioners and the community, 

Dale and Sharen were supported by 

Project Elizabeth, a pregnancy-related 

counselling and support service run 

by CatholicCare for women and their 

families. 

“Because of their history with 

domestic violence, Sharen and Dale 

wanted to make sure they had the 

best support and could do everything 

possible to ensure their baby was kept 

in their care,” recalls Natalie Jacobi, 

CatholicCare’s Project Elizabeth and 

Family Support Program Caseworker 

and Social Worker. 

With Natalie’s help, they prepared for 

the birth of their child through ongoing 

42

counselling, practical parenting 

groups and parenting strategies 

sessions. 

When little Jackson was born six 

weeks premature and had to spend 

several weeks in intensive care, 

CatholicCare caseworkers were there 

to support Sharen and Dale. 

They also helped connect the couple 

with hospital workers, social workers 

and community services to ensure they 

were able to take their son home and 

continue their new life as a loving family. 

“These two are amazing,” explains 

Natalie. “They’ve done phenomenal 

work with me, contacting me 

whenever there’s an issue, and I’ve 

been able to support them. 

“Just watching both Sharen and 

Dale interact with their little man is 

very heart-warming, to see that they 

both love this little boy and are very 

supportive of each other too. 

“My personal feeling is that families are 

the cornerstone of society. When I can 

help at least one person or family, the 

ripple effect is just amazing. The more 

families we can work with, the bigger 

the impact we can make” she says. 

Dale is steadfast on the future he wants 

for his son. “I’d like to give Jackson a 

better childhood than mine. All I want 

for my son is to be around good people 

and to point him in a good direction as 

he gets older” he says. 

This Christmas, it’s more important 

than ever for us to be united in 

demonstrating God’s unconditional 

love and keep families together. The 

Parramatta Catholic Foundation 

Bishop’s Christmas Appeal will help 

CatholicCare Western Sydney and 

Blue Mountains keep families like 

Sharon and Dale’s together. 

Please make your donation in 

the envelope supplied in this 

issue, call (02) 8838 3400 or visit 

yourcatholicfoundation.org.au/ 

appealccatholiccare. 

CatholicCare is a service of the 

Diocese of Parramatta. 

I’d like to give 

Jackson a better 

childhood than 

mine. All I want for 

my son is to be 

around good people 

and to point him in 

a good direction as 

he gets older. 

“My personal feeling 

is that families are 

the cornerstone 

of society. The 

more families we 

can work with, the 

bigger the impact 

we can make.” 

- Natalie Jacobi 

CatholicCare Western Sydney 

and the Blue Mountains. 

Natalie Jacobi from CatholicCare Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains Project Elizabeth and Family Support Program. 


43

44

Bishop Vincent celebrates young 

people getting a kick start to success 


Some young people need an extra hand to get their start in the workforce. 

The Kick Start program breaks down some of the barriers. Bishop Vincent 

had a chance to congratulate recent graduates. 

mentoring by a trainee coordinator. 

The barriers to employment they have 

faced are addressed and they develop 

their own personal and professional 

goals to work towards. It is backed 

by a number of partners including the 

PAYCE Foundation. 

Bishop Vincent congratulated the 

graduates who had, by the completion 

of the program, found work or who 

had clear goals on what they wanted 

to do. 

“I congratulate the five graduates 

who have completed the Certificate 

in Hospitality. You are well-placed to 

have a great future,’’ he said. 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta (centre left) with Mr James Boyd 

(far left) and Mr Dominic Sullivan (far right) both from the PAYCE Foundation, with a young 

graduate of the Kick Start program. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

“And congratulations to the PAYCE 

Foundation for supporting this 

great social enterprise that equips 

young people who might face 

additional challenges because of their 

circumstances.” 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, 

Bishop of Parramatta, was special 

guest at an inspiring graduation 

ceremony in October. The Kick Start 

program is an innovative program for 

unemployed young people who need 

to build their confidence and work 

skills in order to start or get back into 

the workforce. They are young people 

from disadvantaged backgrounds 

who needed an extra hand to get 

through their studies and training, and 

ultimately find a job. 

Its success is seen in the statistics 

– motivation, mental health and 

participation in school or employment 

all increase significantly for 

participants in the program. 

The social enterprise is hospitalitybased. 

The young people gain 

their training through mobile cafes 

around Western Sydney, at the same 

time gaining certified qualifications 

in hospitality. Throughout the sixmonth 

program they receive career 

He noted how the PAYCE Foundation 

is often in alignment with the Catholic 

Church in Western Sydney. “They 

are no stranger to the Diocese of 

Parramatta” Bishop Vincent said, 

as he outlined how last year the 

Foundation supported the Street 

Feast in Parramatta for the World 

Day of the Poor, an event which 

celebrated the “common humanity 

that binds us all together, and makes 

a compassionate, humane society.” 

45

Celebrating 

parish milestones 

2020 was an eventful year for significant parish anniversaries, although 

many celebrations were put on hold for the time being. Some lucky 

parishes managed to hold their celebrations before the pandemic hit 

and have shared their photos with us. 

We know you will join us in shouting out our ‘Congratulations!’ to all 

parishes celebrating a milestone this year. 

90YEARS 

1930 – 2020 

St Oliver Plunkett’s Parish, Harris Park 

46

50YEARS 


St Bernadette’s Parish, Castle Hill 

Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Kellyville 

St Joseph’s Parish, Kingswood 

Christ the King Parish, North Rocks 

The Good Shepherd Parish, Plumpton 

St Paul the Apostle Parish, Winston Hills 


St Michael’s, Blacktown South 

40YEARS 

47

Mother Hilda Scott OSB. 

Image: Daniel Hopper, Diocese of Wollongong. 

Listening with God: Spiritual Accompaniment 

By Mother Hilda Scott OSB 

Have you ever had 

anyone listen to you? 

I don’t just mean hear 

you, I mean listen to 

you? I did once – and I 

have never forgotten it. 

I came to someone laden with my 

very real concerns. I was young, 

at a crossroads and my journey 

could have gone any direction at all. 

I remember the priest concerned 

listened, he left spaces for silence 

which gave me room to think, he 

spoke sparingly as though he was 

treading on sacred ground, he asked 

the odd question which enabled me to 

speak further into my pain and finally 

he made a life-changing remark, “You 

don’t want to carry that for the rest of 

your life like extra baggage, do you?” 

Indeed I did not. This spiritual 

companion, in everything he was 

48

God does find other ways to accompany 

us - through the events of our life, a stray 

remark from another, a homily, whatever. 

God has a myriad of ways at His disposal 

for the seeking heart. 

before me, his gentle acceptance, told 

me that I, in my lostness, mattered to 

God; that God was close, even though 

I could not feel Him. He gave me to 

understand that there was a future 

and left me with the distinct sense of a 

compassionate God. 

I shall never forget that night so 

long ago now, or the morning that 

followed, or the days that followed 

after that. Darkness lifted. This 

spiritual companion did not map out a 

way of life for me or indicate a future; 

he did not give me a prescription to 

take to a spiritual chemist; he did not 

recommend a book to read; he did 

not tell me what to do; he did not tell 

me how to live life; he simply heard 

me and because he was a man of 

the Spirit, he could not help but work 

with the Spirit in restoring my life. He 

did God’s work and I knew that night 

that God had come and got me, that 

He had lifted me out of the mire of 

my pain and shone His light into my 

heart. My spiritual companion left 

me to claim life for myself and here I 

am telling the story almost 50 years 

later. That is the essence of spiritual 

accompaniment. 

It is a calling. It is not something one 

takes upon oneself; to do that is so 

very often to mar the work of God. 

How often I have found in my own 

ministry as a spiritual companion 

the damage done by undoubtedly 

well-meaning yet uncalled spiritual 

companions, who in their neediness 

were only able to listen to their own 

echoes not the souls. St Benedict tells 

us that the spiritual companion must 

be someone who knows how to heal 

their own wounds. 

I cannot stress too strongly the need 

for a spiritual companion to have a 

healthy, transparent, consistent prayer 

life. As St John of the Cross points 

out, the spiritual companion must be 

firmly in touch with their own spiritual 

journey and be actively pursuing 

it. This is the sure indicator that he 

or she will authentically ‘hear’ God 

speaking when another comes looking 

for Him. They will also leave the 

‘other’ free to come and go without 

personal ties. 

People ask “How does one 

accompany another?” The first 

prerequisite has been stated. Then 

God will show you. You will do 

what, and be who, my first spiritual 

companion did and was for me. You 

will pray for the person who has come 

across your path. You will listen and 

you will find the appropriate direction 

emerging within you, according to the 

uniqueness of the soul in front of you. 

As truly as God provides absolutely 

everything, perhaps we need to 

remember that while spiritual 

companioning so often does involve 

another person, ‘No man is an island 

entire of itself,’ as the poet John 

Donne said. God does find other 

ways to accompany us - through the 

events of our life, a stray remark from 

another, a homily, whatever. God has 

a myriad of ways at His disposal for 

the seeking heart. 

Thomas Merton the famous Cistercian 

monk found this so on a street corner, 

looking at a crowd of people. “There 

is no way of telling people,” he said, 

“That they are all walking around 

shining like the sun. Then it was as if 

I suddenly saw the secret beauty of 

their hearts, the depths of their hearts 

where neither sin nor desire nor selfknowledge 

can reach, the core of their 

reality, the person that each one is, in 

God’s eyes.” The same vision is there 

for the true spiritual companion. 

Mother Hilda Scott OSB is Abbess at 

Jamberoo Abbey, New South Wales. 

With thanks to the National Centre 

for Evangelisation. 

49

From Castle Hill to the Holy See 


Australia has a new Ambassador to the Holy See. As a former parishioner of St 

Bernadette’s Parish, Castle Hill, Ambassador Chiara Porro shares how her faith 

is shaping her life today. 

Pope Francis with Chiara Porro at her credentials ceremony in August this year. 

Image: Supplied. 

Chiara Porro at her First 

Communion at 

St Bernadette’s Parish, 

Castle Hill. 


Speaking with Pope Francis and 

acting on behalf of the Australian 

Government are all in a day’s work 

for the newly appointed Australian 

Ambassador to the Holy See, Chiara 

Porro. Ambassador Porro is a Catholic 

who belonged to St Bernadette’s 

Parish, Castle Hill as a child. 

These days a quick check of her 

Twitter account @AusAmbHolySee 

shows her actively promoting Catholic 

agency Caritas, the Pope’s messages 

from Fratelli tutti, his messages on 

the role of women in the Church, 

as well as his address to the United 

Nations in September this year. She 

has addressed many gatherings in 

Rome and internationally via Zoom, 

and has even had the chance to take 

a helicopter ride with Cardinal Turkson 

to the beautiful Po Delta. 

While living in an international 

cosmopolitan city like Rome (albeit 

now much quieter due to the 

pandemic), and now working on a 

global stage, Ambassador Porro 

has fond memories of making her 

sacraments at St Bernadette’s with 

a good friend - the two are still close 

today. As a young parent herself, the 

crying room at St Bernadette’s now 

stands out as particularly memorable. 

“The churches here don’t have them. 

Now I have young children I really see 

how helpful they are when the boys 

are restless,” she says. 

She had a happy childhood with 

parents who supported her education 

and interest in international affairs. 

“We moved to Indonesia when I was 

a teenager. This really sparked my 

interest in wanting to discover the 

world and travel and represent my 

country. Growing up in Australia I 

have always regarded it as my home. 

Being able to represent the Australian 

Government is a ‘grateful surprise’ for 

me,” she admits. 

50

“I think it was when my family were 

in Indonesia that my passion for 

international politics emerged. We 

were there when the Suharto regime 

fell and it sparked my fascination for 

studying international diplomacy.” 

Her Dutch-born industrial design 

engineer husband has his own business 

which he can run from any country. 

This has enabled the family to stay 

together through Ambassador Porro’s 

international postings, as her husband 

also moves wherever she is posted. 

Her own children, aged six and 

three, attend an international school 

in Rome. She is not yet sure where 

her eldest son is likely to make his 

First Communion in the next year 

or so, particularly during the COVID 

crisis. “But it will be such a unique 

experience,” she expects. 

When asked which church she 

attends most regularly for her own 

worship she momentarily takes a 

breath as she considers the array 

of options she has in Rome. “The 

churches are incredible here. Looking 

out our front door we can see five 

beautiful churches. We are currently 

going to the French church, St Louis 

of the French (Chiesa di San Luigi 

dei Francesi), as my son learned the 

language during my last posting in 

New Caledonia. So we thought we 

would keep up his French at this 

church. It also has three masterpieces 

by Caravaggio in its Contarelli 

Chapel.” 

Already her children have met Pope 

Francis. “Even my three year-old 

was in awe of him” she says. “I was 

told I should bring my boys as Pope 

Francis loves children. I think it was 

a real pleasure for him to meet them. 

The Pope has this innate ability to 

connect. He is so incredibly easy to 

speak to, and he exudes this warmth.” 

Ambassador Porro shared how her 

faith shapes how she lives her life and 

intends to perform her role. 

“Coming to Rome and meeting with 

these incredible priests, fathers and 

sisters who do really important work 

has reminded me of those values 

that are embedded down in me - 

like equality, humility and caring for 

the other. Every day in my job I am 

reminded of that because I have 

interactions with people who live their 

faith so strongly. It’s not just about 

going to Mass on Sunday, it’s about 

everyday life.” 

Ambassador Porro meets with people 

from a wide variety of backgrounds 

and experiences including those 

that have been hurt by the Catholic 

Church. She discussed how she 

has learned to listen to all view by 

observing Pope Francis. 

“It’s about humility for me. Pope 

Francis is the prime example – he 

doesn’t need expensive cars or 

palaces – he is very humble. That is 

how I hope to do my job here. It’s not 

about my title. It’s about making the 

world a better place by taking in what 

everyone has to offer.” 

Chiara Porro and her family: husband Rien 

Schuurhuis and children Tomas and George. 


51

Book Review: 

Dear Movies 

By Peter Malone MSC 

Coventry Press 

ISBN 9780648725183 

Dear Movies starts 20 years earlier than Peter Malone’s first film review, 

with his introduction to the cinema: Anna Karenina in 1948. What follows 

is not only a letter to 102 films, but the whole volume is a love-letter to the 

cinema as a window on the world. 

The letter device works well, each one approximately 1000 words. It is 

not a book recommending films that Christians should watch. There are 

some titles here that some people would baulk at: Bad Lieutenant; Salo; 

Django Unchained; Life of Brian; Godfather; and The Devils; while there 

are other films we might expect a priest reviewer to include: Jesus; The 

Nun’s Story; The Mission; Of Gods and Men; Babette’s Feast; Bruce 

Almighty; Jesus of Montreal; Priest; Calvary; and Sister Act. The rest of 

the films are as individual and idiosyncratic as any personal selection 

is going to be. The choice has been made because of what they have 

evoked in Peter, meant to him at the time, or how they charted a shift in his 

take on the world. 

The capsules are easy to read, insightful and engaging. Appropriate for the 

device, the tone is conversational. I read the work from cover to cover, but it is 

also a book one can dip into and out of, or one could refer to it time and again. 

On a deeper level, this work establishes a dialogue between faith and culture 

in an increasingly secular world. Dear Movies is a bridge between implicit and 

profound faith, and the work of visual artists over the last 72 years. 

Riffing on Jeremiah 20:7 it’s clear that the cinema has seduced Peter and he 

has let himself be seduced; for it was too strong for him, and it has prevailed; 

even, and often, finding God there. But in saying that Dear Movies is a love 

letter from Peter to the cinema, then it’s clear the affection has been reciprocal 

and so this mystical marriage has been mutually patient, generous, trusting, 

respectful and faithful. 

Rev Dr Richard Leonard SJ is the Director of the Australian Catholic Office 

for Film and Broadcasting and the author of Movies That Matter: Reading 

Film Through the Lens of Faith; and The Mystical Gaze of the Cinema: the 

Films of Peter Weir. 

This is an abridged version of his original review which appeared on 

catholic.org.au. 

Dear Movies by Peter Malone MSC. 

Image: Supplied 

Reviewed by 

Rev Dr Richard 

Leonard SJ 

Full disclosure: Peter 

Malone has been my 

friend and colleague 

since 1994 when he 

moved to the UK to 

become the President 

of SIGNIS (World 

Catholic Association for 

Communication). Upon his 

return to Australia in 2006 

he became an associate 

of the newly titled 

Australian Catholic Office 

for Film and Broadcasting. 

52

The Permanent 

Diaconate 

“ The priesthood is the love 

of the heart of Jesus” 

St John Vianney 

A God-given calling to ordained ministry, open to married and 

single men. In the service of the Liturgy, the Word and Charity. 

If you would like to find out more about the ordained ministry of 

the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Parramatta contact: 

T: (02) 8840 8521 W: parracatholic.org/permanent 

God is calling You 

to be His priest! 

Contact Fr John Paul Escarlan, Director of 

Priestly Vocations, Diocese of Parramatta 

M: 0420 310 771 or E: vocations@parracatholic.org 

This Christmas, 

let us unite in 

demonstrating 

God’s unconditional 

love and keep 

families together 

“Your compassionate gifts and prayers will 

help CatholicCare to support vulnerable 

families with the emotional and practical 

support they need to build strong relationships 

and live their lives in love and joy.” 



Please give generously to the Bishop’s Christmas Appeal 

yourcatholicfoundation.org.au/appealfamilies 

53

Paths of hope in 

religious education 

By Professor Anthony Maher 

While Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta continues to review religious 

education in our schools, Theologian Professor Anthony Maher, explains the 

Catholic theological vision behind the draft of the New Religious Education 

Curriculum which was recently released for the community to view. 

‘A New Page of History, A Page Full 

of Hope.’ 

(Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti) 

During this time of Advent our schools 

look forward with hope and joy to 

Christmas. 

Pope Francis’ latest encyclical Fratelli 

tutti provides a graced opportunity 

for teaching hope and joy through 

religious education in the Diocese of 

Parramatta. 

Reaching out to us in the midst of the 

COVID pandemic, when many families 

are doing it tough, the Pope invites all 

of God’s people to join him in writing 

“a new page of history, a page full of 

hope.” 

As we continue to develop religious 

education for our young people, we’ve 

looked at how faith in Jesus takes its 

inspiration from hope… faith depends 

upon hope for its life. 

The Draft New Religious Education 

Curriculum we released in October 

this year, begins with a Theology of 

Hope, to build a kingdom of hope “on 

earth as it is in heaven” (The Lord’s 

Prayer.) 

St Joseph’s Primary School, Schofields. Image: CEDP. 

Hope… is reaching for another person’s hand. 

54

St John Paul II Catholic College, HSC Prayer Space. Image: CEDP. 

Hope is Born and Nourished in Prayer 

(Lex Orandi). 

Central to his own pastoral ministry 

and relevant to our new curriculum, 

Pope Francis calls for “new paths 

of hope” (Ft 54). He “opens the way 

to a shared hope,” and speaks of 

education combining hope and love 

for human flourishing. Francis teaches 

us that it is “truly noble to place our 

hope in the seeds of goodness that 

we sow,” (Ft 196) whose fruits will be 

reaped by others. 

Ultimately hope propels us into love. 

Hope sustains love. Hope is also an 

attribute of faith with a mystical and 

transcendent nature. Hope brings us 

more fully into God’s plan. 

St Thomas Aquinas taught that 

hope is ultimately a gift from God. 

In daily life, hope is a conscious 

or unconscious awareness of God 

drawing nearer to us. 

Hope draws us into a conversation 

with a friend or a book. Hope gets us 

out of bed in the morning or to reach 

eagerly for our mobile phone during 

the day. Hope cooks the meal for a 

tired family at the end of each day. 

Hope is an awareness of God, 

especially in moments of crisis or 

despair. Hope is the second lingering 

glance in the hospital isolation ward, 

as we say ‘au revoir’ (see you later), 

resisting goodbye. Hope brings the 

third or fourth chance in life. 

The Jesuit theologian Joh Sobrino 

discovered, “It is not easy to know 

how to keep on hoping, and we must 

all answer this question in our own 

way. At times it seems that everything 

is against hope. But for me at least, 

where I see there has been a great 

love, I see hope being born again. 

This is not a rationale conclusion. 

Perhaps it is not even theological. It is 

simply true: love produces hope, and 

great hope produces great love.” 

In Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis reminds all 

Christians to educate our hearts so that: 

The joys and hopes, 

the grief and anguish 

of the people of our 

time, especially of 

those who are poor or 

afflicted, are the joys 

and hopes, the grief 

and anguish of the 

followers of Christ as 

well. Nothing that is 

genuinely human fails 

to find an echo in their 

hearts (Ft 56). 

55

At this Christmastime, the Pope invites everyone to renewed hope, “For hope 

speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of 

our circumstances. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a 

life of fulfilment, a desire to achieve great things, things that fill our heart and lift 

our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love… 

“Hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and 

compensations which limit our horizon, and it can open us up to grand ideals 

that make life more beautiful and worthwhile” (Ft55). 

Through the new RE Curriculum, our Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta 

(CEDP) schools are responding to Pope Francis’ invitation, to “write a new page 

of history” (Ft 31), a page of hope for 2021. 

Love produces 

hope and great 

hope produces 

great love 

- Joh Sobrino 

Below are a few examples from the pages of 

Advent Hope by the students of Sacred 

Heart Primary, Westmead. 

• “The time of Advent is a time to be hopeful knowing that one day soon 

someone special will come to enlighten us with the glory of God. We 

were put on earth with an everlasting spirit of hope and joy.” 

Suzanna 

• “Well first of all what does Advent mean? It means the arrival of a 

notable person. Jesus is that notable person. Advent is the time we 

wait… for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.” 

Azrin 

• “My family makes me smile and laugh; they give me hope and joy 

at Christmas. The ultimate thing that gives me hope and happiness 

is God and Jesus! They are everything to me and they satisfy me by 

giving me all the things that make my life, they are my HOPE.” 

Evelin 

• “I think about connection, knowing I’m getting closer to Jesus every 

single second of my life… for instance, you see Christmas would be 

a normal day if it wasn’t for Jesus. I know I’m connected with Jesus 

because He will never and I say never stop loving us all. For 2000 

years that love is still going strong, He showed TRUE love.” 

Charlie 

• “Advent is a time of prayer, a time of patience and a time of hope. 

Christmas give us joy! What do we do with that joy? Well we keep 

some to help us and the rest is to be shared with the world. When 

you believe this your faith grows, and when your faith grows then 

you flourish.” 

Azrin 

56

Today we recognise that society is unbalanced with what 

we know of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Injustice too often 

prevails in our world and we are drawn in hope, often out 

of our despair, to the movements of the Spirit animated in 

the social relationships of the current time. Such moments 

of hope we experience on the ‘street,’ where Pope Francis 

learned his theology of hope. 

In our Diocese this Christmastime, let us be the people 

who take to the street; to welcome the stranger; to feed the 

hungry and give shelter to the homeless, in the hope that 

things will get better – that people will get better and ‘move 

towards the good’ (Aquinas), ‘to flourish’ (Aristotle). 

In this renewed hope, that comes from the birth of Jesus, 

as the people of God, we live and work. 

Prof Anthony Maher is Consultant Theologian to Catholic 

Education Diocese of Parramatta. The Draft of the New 

Religious Education Curriculum for Catholic schools 

in the Diocese of Parramatta was publicly released 

in October 2020. It has been built on a number of key 

theological concepts which will be featured in future 

editions of Catholic Outlook. 

Let us continue, 

then, to advance 

along the paths 

of hope in 2021. 

At Our Lady of the Nativity Church, Lawson. Image: CEDP. 

57

News from Catholic Education 

Kids get a 

jump start at 

Holy Family 

Students at one enthusiastic 

Emerton primary school just 

love coming to school...even in 

the holidays! This is thanks to 

Jump Start, a free and super-fun 

school holiday program. 

Traditionally, students at St Agnes Catholic High School Rooty Hill mark the 

beginning of Advent with an extraordinary nativity pageant complete with real 

camels. Image: CEDP. 

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas! 

Christmas is usually such a time to 

gather together, whether at Carols by 

Candlelight or school nativity plays. 

This year, so much has changed. Yet 

for the children (and perhaps many 

of us grown-ups too), ritual, tradition 

and community are very important. 

I’m so proud of the thought and 

care that our schools have put 

into finding joyful and meaningful 

ways to celebrate our faith this 

year, especially as we approach 

Christmas. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had 

a significant impact on families 

in Western Sydney and the Blue 

Mountains. On behalf of all our staff, I 

also want to share a big thank you to 

all the families at Catholic Education 

Diocese of Parramatta schools for 

their kindness through the many 

challenges of 2020. We’re strongly 

committed to continuing to support 

families in need. 

Together with everyone in the 

Catholic Education Diocese of 

Parramatta community, we are 

hopeful that this special time will be 

filled with joy for all children and their 

families. We wish each and every one 

of you a happy, holy and very Merry 

Christmas! 

Gregory B Whitby AM KSG 

Executive Director 

Catholic Education Diocese of 

Parramatta 

P.S. I also want to congratulate the 29 

Year 12 students recognised through the 

Bishop of Parramatta Awards for Student 

Excellence in 2020: so proud of these 

outstanding young leaders! 

Holy Family Primary Emerton 

Principal John Spradbrow said 

the success of the program 

shows that students love 

learning and having fun. 

“The school holidays can be a 

long time for some students,” 

John said. “Jump Start is a fun 

way to reconnect with friends 

and learn some new things too!” 

Fun activities can include sports, 

games, computer coding, art 

and science experiments in a 

relaxed group setting. The kids 

also enjoy the yummy lunches 

and morning teas. 

A partnership with the Australian 

Catholic University which 

supports the program both 

financially and through staffing, 

keep Jump Start completely free 

of charge for Holy Family Primary 

students. 

The program began in 2017 and 

has been bouncing from strength to 

strength ever since. Image: CEDP. 

58

NSW Training Awards finalist harnesses unique ability to excel 

Delany College Granville student Arthur Sadek, who 

lives with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a physical 

disability with associated short stature, was recently 

nominated for Vocational Education and Training (VET) 

in Schools ‘Student of the Year’ at the regional 2020 

NSW Training Awards. A driven and assured young 

man, Arthur followed his passion for food technology 

and hospitality as he worked towards completing a 

Certificate II Hospitality course as part of his studies at 

Delany College Granville. “It was very exciting,” Arthur 

said. “I was thrilled to be a finalist.” 

Four other Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta 

students were also named finalists for the regional 

awards. Alongside Arthur in the Western Sydney and 

Blue Mountains region, Jessica Libreri and Chloe Pelle 

(Certificate III in Early Childhood Education) from CathWest 

Innovation College McCarthy Campus were finalists for 

the School Based Apprentice/Trainee award with Jessica 

winning and progressing to the state finals. 

Yuyin Zhang (Certificate II Business) from St Agnes Catholic 

High School Rooty Hill was named a finalists in the VET 

in Schools award while Chantelle Gordon (Certificate II 

Business) from Emmaus Catholic College Kemps Creek, 

was a finalist for the VET in Schools Student of the Year 

Award for the South West Sydney Region. 

Yuyin Zhang from St Agnes Catholic High 

School, Rooty Hill. Image: CEDP. 

Four other Catholic Education 

Diocese of Parramatta students 

were also named finalists for 

the regional awards. 

Delany College Granville student Arthur Sadek Image: CEDP. 

59

School garden gurus 

get down to business 

Plants, gardens, veggie patches, chickens 

- growing your own organic produce and 

learning to care for God’s creation have never 

been so popular! At St Monica’s Primary, 

Richmond, the school gardening group’s 

old-fashioned lemonade stall was a hit with 

students and a weekly produce stall is popular 

with the parents. 

It’s all about school chickens Chicky, Bobbie 

and Chikille O’Neal and paddock-to-plate 

dining at St Bernadette’s Primary Castle Hill. 

Students from St Bernadette’s Primary Castle Hill created their own ‘click 

and collect’ restaurants. Image: CEDP. 

Students build mental health 

awareness in schools 

Students from St Patrick’s Marist College Dundas 

joined the Zoom event. Image: CEDP. 

One hundred and thirty Year 9 students from 20 Catholic secondary 

schools across Western Sydney recently met virtually to reflect on 

mental health at a special Social Justice Day. The event was also the 

Diocese of Parramatta’s schools launch of the Australian Catholic 

Bishops’ Conference Social Justice Statement 2020-21 To Live Life 

to the Full: Mental Health in Australia. With the COVID-19 pandemic 

further impacting on the mental health of many people this year, it 

is an especially important time to plan ways to raise awareness and 

combat the stigmas, including in schools. The Social Justice Day was 

a collaboration between the Diocese of Parramatta’s Social Justice 

Office and Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta. 

Hassall Grove high school 

celebrates first HSC class 

St Clare’s Catholic High School, Hassall Grove has celebrated the 

graduation of its first HSC students. The class of 2020 includes 

several students who are the first in their families to finish Year 12 

such as Justice Sene. As the first of his five siblings to complete the 

HSC, Justice is a role model for his younger brothers and sisters. 

Formerly a Year 7 to 10 school, in 2018 it was announced that 

St Clare’s Catholic High School would welcome Year 11 and 12 

students for the first time to meet local needs. To support student 

learning, exciting new facilities have been added, include a stunning 

new building and two new sports areas. 

Nicola Prescott, Year 12 graduate, receiving her 

bible and the tau cross, a Franciscan symbol, at 

the St Clare’s Catholic High School Hassall Grove 

Graduation Ceremony. Image: CEDP. 

60

A free library of faith-based nourishment 

By Sr Grace Roclawska csfn 

‘This reading hub is fantastic - so many eBooks and articles 

- and I didn’t know it existed until now.’ 

These were the words of someone who works in the 

Diocese. They echo comments from parishioners and 

others who discover this free access to resources on 

so many topics, hosted by the Diocese’s Institute for 

Mission (IFM). The Reading Hub is an online library with 

major collections of material supported by the IFM’s 

topic recommendations – which happen through regular 

Facebook posts and friendly emails to subscribers. Once 

you start browsing any of the thousands of eBooks, 

journals and articles, you will feel that you are carrying a 

portable library of faith-based nourishment right on your 

phone, tablet or personal computer. 

The abundance of articles 

can save you money 

on magazines in the 

newsagency or other paid 

online subscriptions. 

Are you studying and have no time to go to the library? 

The Reading Hub can help you build up the bibliography 

for your essay. Are you a leader of a bible group in your 

parish and looking for some recommended readings for the 

group? The Reading Hub resources can help you shorten 

the search. 

Are you working from home or need to self-isolate in this 

challenging year of the global pandemic? 

Some inspirational stories will help you through the 

pressure of this time. Do you feel like reading something 

about your health and well-being? The abundance 

of articles can save you money on magazines in the 

newsagency or other paid online subscriptions. All you 

need to access The Reading Hub is a username and 

password which we will organise for you. Just send an 

email to the IFM team connect@ifm.org.au or call us on (02) 

9296 6369. 

Check out the IFM Reading Hub at ifm.org.au/onlinereading. 

Sr Grace Roclawska csfn is the Programs and 

Engagement Representative for the Institute for Mission 

at the Diocese of Parramatta. 

Visit ifm.org.au/onlinereading 

61

News from Early Years Education & Care 

By Anthony Goonan 

Expanding our network of School Age Care Services 

Ready for Term 1 next year, we are opening five new 

Catholic Out of School Hours Care (COSHC) services 

under the new agency Catholic Diocese of Parramatta 

Services Limited (CDPSL): 

• St Mary’s Primary, Rydalmere 

• St Michael’s Primary, Baulkham Hills 

• St Aidan’s Primary, Rooty Hill 

• St John’s Primary, Riverstone 

• Chisholm Catholic Primary, Bligh Park. 

We also have Catholic Early Learning Centres (CELC) for 

children aged 3 to 5 years: 

• Pre-schools at Emerton, Blacktown South, Greystanes 

and Stanhope Gardens 

• Extended Hours Pre-school/Long Day Care at St Luke’s 

Marsden Park. 

All services meet or exceed the National Quality Standards. 

There are now 32 COSHC services in the Diocese of 

Parramatta, up from 25 just 12 months ago - an exciting 

extension of the outreach works of the Diocese to the 

broader community 

Seventeen services will also provide vacation care in 

January 2021, almost double the number from last year. 

They will also provide care on pupil-free days when 

needed. 

Our educators complement what happens at school and 

equip the children with some of the social skills needed in 

this changing world. 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, staff and students celebrate during the opening and blessing of the Catholic 

Out of School Hours Care (COSHC) centre at Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School, Lawson. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 

Blessing of Our Lady of the Nativity Service, Lawson 

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, 

blessed the new Catholic Out of School Hours Care centre at 

Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School, Lawson in October. 

“The care of children is, of course, one of the most sacred 

duties of the Christian community and the Church,” Bishop 

Vincent said during the ceremony. 

“We want to ensure that children who come to our services 

are valued, are loved, are provided with the means to grow 

in knowledge and social skills.” 

The Lawson centre joins with services at Springwood and 

Glenbrook in serving Catholic school communities in the 

Blue Mountains. 

62

Paralympian Inspiration 

Children from the Catholic Out of School Hours Care service at 

St Francis of Assisi Primary School, Glendenning, meet virtually 

with Australian Paralympian Michael Auprince via Zoom. 

Image: CDPSL. 

Some children at the COSHC service at St Francis the 

Assisi Primary School, Glendenning face individual 

challenges. The service reached out to Michael Auprince, an 

Australian Paralympian who won gold and bronze medals 

for swimming at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London 

and played wheelchair basketball. He joined the children 

via Zoom to discuss some of the challenges he has faced 

and how he overcame these to become a successful athlete 

competing on the world stage. At the conclusion, one child 

beamed with excitement and renewed confidence that he 

too, could also achieve this goal. 

Celebrating Children’s Week 

Children’s Week is a national celebration of children’s rights, talents and citizenship. Each year Children’s Week highlights a 

right from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The 2020 Theme was Article 15 – “Children have the right to meet 

together and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights.” 

The Diocese of Parramatta’s COSHC and CELC Services held a range of activities to reinforce this theme. 

Children created their own personal workbook on what makes them feel safe. These were shared with educators and 

family members, raising their consciousness about how we all behave in the presence of children. 

In another activity, children at CELC Stanhope Gardens read the SAFE series, written by the Office of the Children’s 

Guardian. The books encourage protective behaviours and empower children to feel safe, resourceful and in control of 

their world. 

Superheroes for the Community 

Our teams of educators at our COSHC services take their 

connection with the community seriously. Our families do 

too, demonstrated by their tremendous support of recent 

activities. 

The Basics for Beirut effort generated dozens of bags of 

toiletries, baby items and food boxes to be shipped to 

Lebanon to aid families affected by the blast. 

Children from the Catholic Out of School Hours Care 

service at St Oliver’s Primary School, Harris Park dress up in 

costumes to fundraise for children’s hospice Bear Cottage. 

Image: CDPSL. 

St Oliver’s, Harris Park COSHC held a Superhero Day to 

raise funds and awareness of the children’s hospice, Bear 

Cottage. Several services supported Breast Cancer month, 

dressing in pink and donating funds for the McGrath 

Foundation. 

Anthony Goonan is the CEO, Catholic Diocese of 

Parramatta Services Ltd. 

More information about service locations and enrolments can be found at: 

parra.catholic.edu.au/Our-Schools/Catholic-Early-Learning-Centres 

parra.catholic.edu.au/Our-Schools/Catholic-Out-of-School-Hours-Care 

63

Advent 2020: 

Hope in a year of waiting 

By Cecilia Zammit 

Here in Australia all of 2020 seems to have been a time of waiting. 

In January we waited for the smoke to clear and the fires to 

be doused. Then the rain came and in some places people 

waited for the floods to ease. Of course, most tragic of all 

has been the COVID-19 virus which spread throughout the 

world and we are still waiting for this virus to be eradicated. 

Thousands of people experienced loss, suffered loneliness 

and other forms of hardship this year. COVID restrictions 

meant that some people waited months to visit friends 

and family at home, in hospitals and in aged care facilities 

too. Many men and women died without the company of a 

loved one. Jobs were lost and schools were closed. 

We waited for Masses to be reinstated and catechists 

awaited news that they could safely return to the 

classroom. 

And now we have come into the liturgical Season of Advent 

in our Church - a time to look with hope to the coming 

of Jesus into our hearts. As we continue this journey of 

waiting and anticipating, the symbols of Advent help 

restore our faith: the round wreath of greenery placed 

before the assembly is a focal point, and the four candles 

symbolise the light of Christ. 

Advent is the time for us to pause and prepare for 

Christmas 2020. 

It was into a similarly turbulent world that the Christ child 

was born. The most momentous event in world history was 

only recognised by Mary, Joseph, a few shepherds and 

the angels. The hope of the world was born while the rest 

of the world slept, waking to their problems and worries. 

Jesus is coming into the world this Christmas for us, so 

let’s pray that people will recognise Him. He is our hope 

and our joy. Jesus is waiting for us to take Him into their 

hearts, cradle Him with love and believe He will restore our 

hope and our joy. 

Public school children will hear this message from our 

800 catechists from the Diocese of Parramatta during 

Advent. I take this opportunity to recognise and thank all 

our catechists for their flexibility and dedication, and for 

bringing the gift of Christ’s word week after week to the 

15,000 public school children in our Diocese this year. 

Merry Christmas! 

Cecilia 

Cecilia Zammit is Director of Confraternity of Christian 

Doctrine at the Diocese of Parramatta. To find out more 

about becoming a catechist in 2021, contact Cecilia at 

ceciia.zammit@parracatholic.org or (02) 8838 3486. 


64

Kids' Corner 

Everything good is worth waiting for, especially Christmas. When Mary and Joseph were preparing for the 

birth of Jesus, there were a lot of things to do. They had to travel to Bethlehem to be part of a census – that 

is when a government counts the people. 

Bethlehem was a long way from their home in Nazareth and Mary needed to ride on a donkey to get there 

(remember there were no cars or buses then!) When they arrived, they could only find a stable to stay in. 

That is where Jesus was born on Christmas Day. 

Before Christmas comes, you can colour in this picture and think of Mary and Joseph getting ready for the 

new baby Jesus. 

65

Directory of Services 

Houses to Homes 

Disability NDIS 

Mamre Garden 

Services 

Blacktown Family 

Support 

Financial Counselling 

Problem Gambling 

Project Elizabeth 

Blacktown Neighbour 

Aid For Blacktown 

LGA 

Community Visitors 

Scheme 

Family & Relationship 

Services (FARS) 

Aboriginal Catholic 

Service Emerton 

Springwood 

Drop-in Centre 

Baulkham Hills Family 

Day Care Centre 

(02) 8843 2500 or visit ccss.org.au 

A service for pregnant girls or parenting 

young women, 16-25 years old, homeless 

or at risk of homelessness in the Blacktown 

LGA. Accommodation and parenting skills, 

with transition to education and long term 

housing. 

A service with people with a disability, it is 

part of the Government’s National Disability 

Insurance Scheme. Catholic Care provides 

Plan Management and Home Support. 

Offers employment for people with a 

disability by providing garden services in the 

community, to individual homes, schools, 

parishes. New gardening clients welcome. 

A free service for families with children and 

young people 0-17, who are experiencing 

stress and/or relationship difficulties. includes 

Intensive Family Preservation. 

A free service offering a range of supports to 

help clients manage finances. 

A free service offers assistance to individuals 

and families affected by problem gambling. 

Counselling for people experiencing parenting 

issues with children up to two years of 

age, also covers still births, miscarriages, 

unexpected pregnancies. 

A program of social inclusion for seniors. 

Provides accompaniment for social activities, 

shopping, transport to medical appointments. 

New volunteers welcome. 

Visit socially isolated residents in aged care 

facilities across the diocese. New volunteers 

welcome. 

Counselling for adults, couples, families, 

children.Family Law Court referrals. 

Grief and Loss. 

Drop-In centre for local community. 

CatholicCare services provided for individuals 

and groups. 

Drop-In centre for local community. 

CatholicCare services provided for individuals 

and groups. 

Accredited childcare in Hills area. 

Contractors offer care in own home. 

Chancery Office 

www.parracatholic.org 

(02) 8838 3400 

diocese@parracatholic.org 


(02) 8838 3400 

bishop@parracatholic.org 

Catholic Education 

Diocese of Parramatta 

(02) 9840 5600 

communityliaison@parra.catholic.edu.au 

Catholic Diocese of Parramatta 

Services Limited 

(02) 9407 7044 

enquiries@cdpsl.org.au 

CatholicCare Western Sydney 

and the Blue Mountains 

(02) 8843 2500 

enquiries@ccss.org.au 

Institute for Mission 

(02) 9296 6369 

connect@ifm.org.au 

Diocesan Ministries 

Catholic Youth Parramatta 

Life, Marriage & Family Office 

Office for Worship 

Pastoral Planning Office 

Social Justice Office 

(02) 8838 3400 

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine 

(02) 8838 3486 

ccd@parracatholic.org 

Tribunal Office 

(02) 8838 3480 

tribunal@parracatholic.org 

Vocations 

(02) 8838 3400 

vocations@parracatholic.org 

Parramatta Catholic Foundation 

(02) 8838 3482 

yourfoundation@parracatholic.org 

Diocesan Development Fund 

(02) 8839 4500 

enquiries@parraddf.org.au 

Holy Spirit Seminary 

(02) 9296 6300 

Office for Safeguarding 

(02) 8838 3419 

66

Merry Christmas 

Let us continue then, 

to advance along 

the paths of hope 

– Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti 55

The idea behind any investment is to put your money to work. That’s all very good, but have you ever thought 

about what it could do in its spare time? 

At the Diocesan Development Fund Parramatta (DDF), we have. When you invest with us you have a chance 

to give a little back to the pastoral work of the Church. Whilst your money is earning a financial return very 

close to the market rate, a small fraction of your return helps the Bishop to run programs in parishes and 

throughout the Diocese. 

Like any managed fund, the DDF is able to increase earnings by pooling the resources of its investors. But 

there is one important difference; the DDF directs surplus earnings to the Bishop of Parramatta to be used for 

the works of the Diocese, such as counseling programs, adult education, youth development, pastoral and 

liturgical activities. 

To find out more call our friendly staff on (02) 8839 4500 or visit our web site at www.parracatholic.org.au/ddf. 

The DDFs services are only available to catholic organisations. Individual investors wishing to support the 

works of the church can find out more at cdfcommunityfund.org.au. 

Disclosure Statement 

The Diocesan Development Fund Catholic Diocese of Parramatta (DDF) (the Fund) is required by law to make the following disclosure. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by 

the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. An investor in the Fund will not 

receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). Investments in the Fund are intended to be a means for 

investors to support the charitable, religious and educational works of the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta and for whom the consideration of profit are not of primary relevance 

in the investment decision. The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by Australian 

Securities and Investments Commission. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and any investment of the Fund are 

not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed at https://parracatholic.org or by contacting 

the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.

CO Magazine Summer 2020

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