Catholic Outlook Magazine Autumn 2021

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Acknowledgement of Country In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands in which our Diocese sits, the land of the Darug and Gundungurra people. We would like to pay our respects to the Aboriginal Elders past, present and future for they hold the traditions, memories of Mother Earth on which we place our feet upon today. Cross by Vicky Clarke at the 2020 Diaconate Formation Weekend. Image: Diocese of Parramatta. 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. 44,750 copies are printed and distributed to 47 parishes and more than 80 schools, after school care centres and early learning centres in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Catholic Outlook is a member of the Australasian Catholic Press Association. © Diocese of Parramatta 2021 Cover Image: The Aguiliera family - Kirrily (left) and Oscar (right) with their children Ben (top left), Tom (top right), Zach (bottom left) and Zoe (bottom right). Image: Mary Brazell/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, As Catholics, we confess our sinfulness and frailty, at every Eucharist. Each of us, indeed, needs to turn to the Lord and beg him to mercifully heal us. We all need to honestly name our own personal and community faults and wounds as we journey to the God of life, love and wholeness. But the Good News is that God gives us the grace to transform our lives and our world. Disruption can be a catalyst for positive change and brokenness can be a venue of new possibility. In this perspective, the pandemic that has caused much uncertainty, pain and suffering can be an opportunity for profound transformation. We are challenged to reshape our lives, communities and world in such a way that brings greater justice, harmony and sustainability to all. It is not only possible; it is the most exciting challenge of our times. Lent 2021 is a good time to reflect on this challenge. I know only too well how I, like so many of us, can find it difficult to really stop, be ‘still’ and enter into this inner journey of conversion of heart. Strangely, something in each of us persists in the continual search for a ‘perfect’ friend, partner, church, priest, parish or family or maybe even bishop! It is so very hard to accept God’s love deep down. For the disease of ‘perfectionism’ eats away at us all in our excessively individualistic and competitive society. vulnerability. It has revealed the fallacy of individualism as the organising principle of our Western society. It has given the lie to a “myth of self-sufficiency” that sanctions rampant inequalities and frays the ties that bind societies together. The virus has instead demonstrated our mutual dependency, interconnectedness as well as common vulnerability. Christian discipleship demands that we acknowledge our woundedness and the need to unlearn many of our habitual tendencies. It is a paradoxical call, at once very simple, yet very demanding. Its territory is tolerating messiness and imperfection. For it involves having learnt the ‘hard’ truth of what my fellow Franciscan Richard Rohr OFM often points out about the spiritual journey: “You can’t come to God by doing it right – you come to God by doing it wrong, otherwise, you don’t fall in love with God, you fall in love with yourself.” Sooner or later - we must all come to the realisation that only God can save us from our sins, our fears and our addictions. Many of us need to ‘hit a wall’ in order to have a chance of ‘waking up’ to the reality that we are living insane lives as long as we believe that we can ‘control’ things on our own. When we ‘wake up’ to the real world, we find God patiently waiting for us, ready to help, ready to save us and make us whole. That is the change of heart Jesus calls us to each Lenten season in our lives – too often ‘frozen’ or ‘dead’ to selfhatred and sin. May this Lent 2021 challenge me and all of us, to ‘fall in love’ with our God who loves us just as we are. Our culture too often tragically celebrates ‘success’ as if it is the ultimate goal of life. Pope Francis has offered his critique of our culture in his new book Let Us Dream: the Path to a Better Future. The COVID crisis, he contends, has exposed our Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv Bishop of Parramatta 3
Page 1: M A G A Z I N E Creating a calm & c
Page 5 and 6: Inside Diocesan & Parish Life 3 Fro
Page 7 and 8: Looks Family Easter game Easter cam
Page 9 and 10: Looks What’s on in the Diocese 7
Page 11 and 12: Not all of us can do great things,
Page 13 and 14: Praying as a family As we discuss t
Page 15 and 16: Kirrily and Oscar’s tips for crea
Page 17 and 18: Seminarian Specialty Marie’s roas
Page 19 and 20: Your parish is doing amazing things
Page 21 and 22: Good Friday - 2 April 2021 On the m
Page 23 and 24: “This completes us,” Principal
Page 25 and 26: The Catholic ‘village’ for scho
Page 27 and 28: Easter Holiday Vacation Care Bookin
Page 29 and 30: Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention Fe
Page 31 and 32: The following articles encourage de
Page 33 and 34: When Jesus revealed the innermost d
Page 35 and 36: Fr Oliver continues to connect thro
Page 37 and 38: Members of the Mary Immaculate Pari
Page 39 and 40: healing for victims of clergy abuse
Page 41 and 42: Image: Diocese of Parramatta. Looki
Page 43 and 44: Grace is the presence of God in our
Page 45 and 46: In response to the alienating effec
Page 47 and 48: significant moment to rediscover th
Page 49 and 50: path to helping themselves,” says
Page 51 and 52: For I was sick, and you took care o
Page 53 and 54:
Faith for children in public school
Page 55 and 56:
READ IT “Read something worthwhi
Page 57 and 58:
Kids' Corner This year is the Year
Page 59 and 60:
Latest Appointments in the Diocese
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Catholic Outlook Magazine Autumn 2021

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