Catholic Outlook Magazine Ordinary Time Winter Edition 2022

The altar of St Aidan’s Church, Rooty Hill.
Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
Parish Profile – St Aidan’s Parish,
Rooty Hill: Small Parish, Big People
STORY MARY BRAZELL
Growing up as a child in Samoa, Emma Iliae
would go with her mother and other women
of her village to help clean and decorate their
local church.
Now, as an adult, she does the same thing for St
Aidan’s Parish, Rooty Hill, her parish since 2014.
“In my heart, I knew I wanted to do what they do,”
she told me. “And now, I work here, I do this and I
love to come here, and when I work, I am with God
and Jesus is looking down on us.”
Rosemarie Estigoy, the parish’s Special Religious
Education coordinator and a member of the Legion
of Mary group, explains that by volunteering for
the parish, she is able to share her faith and the
blessings the Lord has given her with others.
“I cannot just have my faith on my own, I have to
share it, and others have to know the love of God –
why just keep it to yourself?” she asks.
“If you are feeling blessed, you have to share it.”
Sacristan and Chief Acolyte Stan Pakulski adds,
“God has done so much for me throughout my whole
life, this is my way of giving back, albeit in a small
way, for everything He has done.”
Meeting with the parishioners, they describe the
parish as being welcoming, vibrant and caring.
“We have so many different nationalities here –
everyone gets along so very well,” Stan said.
Assistant Priest Fr Galbert Albino, who has been at
the parish for four years, describes his joy at seeing
parishioners from all nationalities working together
on projects for the church. “People are very keen
to help,” he said. In particular, he describes how
parishioners will go and collect older parishioners
to bring them to Mass. “It’s a way we can directly
express our love for God,” he says. “They [the
parishioners] own that.”
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