During this time of upheaval, it’s amazing what one can do when faced with difficult situations! To enable us all to still be connected as a community here at St Mary’s we – 

• made extra effort in finding people’s email addresses in order to send out our bulletin
• place extra copies of the bulletin on the front door of the Church    

           

• keep the parish informed via our facebook page which Mrs Hannah Charles updates
• email the bulletin and prayer to the residents of our aged care home, Mont Cler     

        

• personally distribute the bulletin and prayer to those who haven’t internet, thus enabling face to face contact – be it at arm’s length, talking through the screen door, over the fence or while watering the garden!
• placed, over the weeks, Bishop Michael’s messages on the front door of the Church thus enabling those who pass by to view them

The Church was set up for each of the special days during the Easter Triduum, even though the parishioners couldn’t attend. The cross that is usually carried through the streets during our Ecumenical Good Friday service was placed out in front of the Church.

 As St Mary’s is a caring community, people have been keeping in contact with each other checking out how they have been travelling during this time of isolation.

 History of the Clermont “Old Rugged Cross”

(“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross..” lyrics Alan Jackson)

In 2000, with the arrival of Fr Bruce Little, the Good Friday liturgy at St Mary’s Clermont took on an extra perspective.

A life size cross was fashioned from a young Ironbark tree. To the eerie overwhelming sounds of a solitary drum beating a death march, the rattle of a dragging chain and a cracking whip plunging the congregation into spellbound silence, the Cross was carried into the church. A crown of thorns fashioned from mesquite and a sign bearing the letters “ÏNRI” were placed on the Cross which was then hoisted up and secured to its stand with three pegs driven into place.

During the reading of the Passion at the words “and bowing his head he gave up the spirit” a red cloth was draped over the Cross indicating the shedding of the blood of Jesus.

On Easter Sunday morning, the red cloth was replaced with a white cloth heralding the Risen Christ. The cross then remained in the church until Pentecost Sunday

IN 2003, an Ecumenical movement was commenced in Clermont with all the mainstream Christian Churches meeting in combined worship on the fifth Sunday of the month. This Ecumenical solidarity remains strong to today.

The following year, and as the Eucharist is not celebrated on Good Friday, an Ecumenical Good Friday commemoration was instigated. The heavy Cross was carried by two men in procession from the Anglican Church to the Uniting Church before coming to rest at the Catholic Church. At each church, part of the Passion was read with story unfolding as the journey of the Cross was completed.

The service concluded with the following words: "Today, Good Friday, we have come together and have walked with Jesus on his road to Calvary. Today, we have done this as the wider body of Christ in the Clermont Community, acknowledging the source and the summit of our Christian faith, Jesus Christ.

Today as we see Jesus physically broken on the Cross, we also understand that, though sometimes we may be broken as a community of believers, we are still drawn together by the spirit of Jesus, and through him to the love of God. We are many parts, but we are one body.

Our Good Friday commemoration has concluded but there remains the invitation to stay awhile and make our private peace with Jesus. We may do so according to the practices of our own faith traditions or whatever we feel appropriate for the occasion".

In later years, due to the size of the Cross and the completion of the new St Mary’s church building, the Cross was placed outside the front of the church following Good Friday where it stands for the people of Clermont to see until Pentecost Sunday.

This year, due to COVID 19 restrictions, the Ecumenical Commemoration of Good Friday was , for the first time, not able to held but the Old Rugged Cross, now very much part of the Ecumenical community in Clermont, was placed in public view on Good Friday with the red cloth which was changed to white on Easter Sunday proclaiming “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again”.

Footnote: Ironbark is very susceptible to termite damage. The Cross has been stored in areas exposed to termites, yet no damage has ever been caused to the Cross in twenty years.

Alan Guilfoyle

Emerald Goes On-Line

Lighting Up The Dawn

Like many parishes, St Patrick’s has jumped on the live-streaming / Zoom bandwagon as we continue to find ways to remain engaged with each other and with our community. Our first live-streaming attempt was held on ANZAC Day and involved the Parish Team - Fr Truc and Fr Yon, Parish Secretaries Francie Hartley and Cathy Chapman. Beautiful music was presented by Rebekah Burns, coordinator of our Music Ministry. In unity with Australia, the service begun outside, in our driveway (social distancing observed) at 6am. This was Fr Yon’s first and Fr Truc’s second Eucharist Celebration with Emerald. The service is on St Patrick’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StPatsChurchEmerald. We continue with live-streaming Masses, every Sunday at 8am. Fathers Truc and Yon are hopeful of extending this service to other areas in our region.

Fr Yon’s First Mass in Emerald                         I Am … You Are … We Are Australians

Our wonderful North Rockhampton Community of St Mary’s, Our Lady Help of Christians and Holy Family are STAYING CONNECTED

During Holy Week Parishioners were invited to join Fr Marcel on-line to celebrate all the Holy Week Ceremonies. 

On Good Friday, the parish joined Father to walk through the Stations of the Cross, also live on-line.   Pictures of each station were shared with the parishioners as we moved through the Stations.

Fr Marcel has been celebrating Sunday Mass on-line, and will be sharing Rosary and Adoration on-line during this month of May.  Fr Bill Senn has been joining Fr Marcel in these celebrations.

We continue to share our Parish Bulletin, Sr Kym’s “Take 2 with Jesus” and any other correspondence we receive from the Bishop’s Office, Diocesan Office etc. in our ‘Staying Connected’ email mail out.

Parishioners have been keeping in touch by phoning and checking in on each other.  It is so important to stay connected.

We are powering ahead here in Bundaberg in the midst of a changing world. Toilet paper, hand sanitiser, Glen 20, rice and pasta are still an endangered species, but the good news is that petrol prices have dropped to 80c / litre! How good is that?

In the parish we have embraced technology and are doing as much as we can to keep our Facebook, website and Youtube pages active, as these are now our main forms of communication. The parish bulletin is still being printed and made available for collection at churches for those who want a copy.

Easter in Bundaberg

Everyone would agree that this Easter just wasn’t the same for any us. The communal action of gathering to celebrate the mystery of our faith was denied us. The candidates for initiation were so close to experiencing the fullness of the Church’s welcome. They were remembered, however, in our prayers during the Triduum liturgies.

All priests came together for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday and we were able to watch them on Youtube or livestreamed. We’ve heard many comments of gratitude about this ability to be with the priests from afar.

Masses

Fr Peter has arranged for weekday Mass to be livestreamed from the office chapel on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10am with the hope of it becoming daily livestreaming.

As from the 26^th April, Mass will be livestreamed from Shalom College chapel at 10.00am. We are extremely grateful to the technical staff at Shalom College for making the facilities available.

The Youth Centre

During this unexpected break from traditional Youth Ministry I have been using the time I would usually use to prepare each of the 4 Youth Groups that Maddie and I run each week to upgrade the Youth Centre.  The old carpet of the Youth Centre has been replaced with vinyl which has lightened and opened the space. There has also been an extension put in on the rail surrounding the stairwell.

Now that these renovations have been completed. The most colourful part of the renovation has begun. Painting!! We have been painting the bookshelves in colourful paints and the extensions on the stairwell with the logos for three of our Youth Groups. Our very appropriately named Primary School Youth Group, CHAOS, our High School Youth Group, Blaze, and our Young Adults Group, Salt. Whilst the project is in progress it has been a great time to reflect and hope for what the future has in store for Youth Ministry in the Catholic Parish of Bundaberg and in this Youth Centre. I hope for a place young people can come and feel supported and free from any harm, a place filled with fun, laughter and, most importantly, faith.

Elizabeth Kelly (Youth Coordinator)

Parish and School Team Meeting

Each term the principals, APREs, and Parish Team meet to keep communication channels open between parish and schools. Last Thursday we met via Zoom. The schools are embracing the new way of teaching and learning, with a few technical difficulties in the first few days, and feedback from parents so far indicate a willingness to support their children at this time.

Our priests have offered to go to each of the schools to be with the children for a time of prayer or just to have a chat, via video platform. Schools are still making prayer a part of their week and, in some schools, daily.

Church Chat

Fr Peter and Jeffrey “Spielberg” continue to produce a weekly online video segment called “Church Chat”. Members of the parish are being interviewed to tell their story and introduce themselves to the wider parish as a way of getting to know each other. So far, we’ve interviewed six people, all different, from different ministries, who share a love of their faith. These can be watched on our Facebook or website pages.

Anne Sheehan

Coping with Covid-19 through the Holy Rosary

The pandemic has brought us into uncertain times. Physical distancing, whilst it has proven to be an important factor in the positive outcome for Australia, especially in Queensland, it is also making it more challenging when, at most, we need the nearness of comfort and assurance from our families and friends.

With this in mind, the Filipino Community has organized a nightly  Holy Rosary Hour, from 8.00 p.m. where we draw inspiration to nurture our faith and offer prayers and intercession to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, for strength for us and all the front liners; for those who are working to find an effective vaccine against the corona virus; for those who have lost their source of livelihood; for those who have been stricken by COVID19; for those who have died; and for our families and friends, especially the children.

The community prayer is done through Facebook Messenger Face Time, where participants take turns to recite a decade of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. 

Our physical distance has not deterred us from enjoying each other’s company. It has enhanced our faith and strengthened our friendship through prayers.

It was in 2001 that the aerial ministry to the most western parts of the Diocese became the Western Pastoral Ministry. For five years, Sr. Mary Kiely drove around the territory formerly covered by Sr. Anne Maree Jensen, “the Flying Nun”. Anne Maree herself was the successor of several of the Diocesan pilot priests, including Fr. Terry Loth. As the present Western Pastoral Minister I am part of the team for the Central Western Region (priests, Fr. Raj and Fr. Shaiju, Lay Pastoral Co-ordinator, Loretta McKeering and the Regional Pastoral Council). A special focus of this ministry – following on from the aerial ministry, is the support and pastoral care for people living in remote areas of the Diocese.

Our bishops, our pastoral leaders for many decades have recognised the special needs of those who live remotely in isolated areas. These people only occasionally or rarely if ever have access to the live celebration of the Eucharist (one good thing Covid 19 has done is to heighten our awareness of the possibilities offered by the internet) nor do they have access to the support that a parish community can offer. Their children learn by distance education, unable to attend a local school whether Catholic or State. For the most part preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation is via the telephone although in some cases it is possible to arrange face-to-face meetings or visits to the properties.

So how is Covid 19 with the consequent restrictions we are experiencing affecting the people embraced by the Western Pastoral Ministry? For those who are living in or relatively close to a rural town in the central west (there are 14 towns between Emerald and the border with the Northern Territory) it is similar while not identical to the challenges which those of you who live nearer to the coast have: social distancing, changed work situations, limited availability of food and other provisions, closure of hotels and some businesses, access to services etc. Flights have been reduced from 7 to 3 per week into Longreach and those into Barcaldine and Blackall have been cancelled. While inconvenient the wisdom of these conditions is generally recognised.

By comparison, for those who live remotely, Covid 19 has not greatly impinged on their lives. I have been assured of this in many recent conversations.  Isolation is a part of life. Buying in bulk is normal. Work on the property and learning in the schoolroom continue as normal. While some secondary students usually away in boarding schools are now at home, having grown up with distance education they quickly adapt/revert to such a way of studying. Just as those living in the east of the Diocese have shown concern for people here enduring drought, now the country people are thinking with concern of you at this time.

In the first few weeks of the year before travel restrictions and social distancing, I had travelled some 4,000 km, more than usual, to towns and properties. As chance would have it (maybe it was God!) I had made an early start to Confirmation preparation (a mix of phone and face-to-face lessons) and so with the support of their parents, four country boys are now ready for this Sacrament.

Although I am not able to travel for the present, the communication component of the ministry has increased. Thank goodness for the phone! Phone, email and texting allow me to be in contact with many, more than at normal times when I would be sitting alone in the driver’s seat of the Prado for hours between conversations. Although Australia Post (with all due respect) seems to be slow, I am still able to contact the people not on email through a regular newsletter.

Conditions are not ideal. There are times when we need to be physically present to each other especially in times of grief. Perhaps because of the isolation involved in living remotely, people travel long distances and come in great numbers to funerals. This has not been possible. Because of living remotely and from my experience more often than not being subject to drought and all the hardship this involves, community events such as the annual country shows, gymkhanas, craft workshops etc. are so important for social wellbeing and mental health, bringing people together for a while to forget the challenges back on the property. Unfortunately, these events have had to be cancelled. As indeed have Anzac Day remembrance services. Not only in remote rural areas but especially in our country towns which so depend on the tourist dollar to survive lean months, the need to close down tourist attractions and to ask tourists to stay away, is having serious economic consequences.

In his letter of March 20^th, Bishop Michael encouraged us to pray for each other, to “look out for each other”, to connect with others. May our loving God bless us all, enable us to be patient and to discover the potential gift of these unfamiliar times.

Sr. Mary Farrelly (Western Pastoral Ministry)

Central Queenslanders can rest a little easier knowing they are in good hands as CentacareCQ continues to provide essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All services, including aged care and disability services, family support, counselling and transport services, home and yard maintenance and the Family Relationship Centre, are still in operation; the only exception being Social Groups, which had been cancelled in early March due to restrictions put in place by the Department of Health.

As an essential service provider CentacareCQ can assist current clients of the organisation as well as having the capacity to take on new clients during this time. Following advice from the Department of Health and the Australian Government, CentacareCQ has implemented measures to ensure the safety of our staff and clients during this time.

Aged Care and Disability Services Aged care and disability services (including individual support services, and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) related services) are still being conducted with the following measurements in place:

     • 1.5 metres distance must be maintained between people during service.

     • Appropriate protective equipment will be used during service (this may include gloves, disposable gown, eye protection & surgical mask).

Clients are still able to receive the following Out of Home Services including:

     • Shopping for food or other supplies (no window shopping)

     • Attending appointments including medical appointments

     • Attending another household - in line with social distancing

     • Dropping the client off at an alternative location

     • Other essential trips (please confirm at the time of booking).

Transport Services CentacareCQ’s transport services continue during the COVID-19 pandemic with a number of safety measures in place to help reduce the risk of infection.

     • 1x client per vehicle (1x carer is also permitted).

     • Group bookings no longer available, with the exception of Renal Services.

     • Clients & carers are not permitted to sit in the front seat.

     • Vehicles will be disinfected between each trip.

     • Services available from 6am to 1pm (Monday - Friday).

     • CentacareCQ to arrange taxi services outside of these hours.

The following services are being offered via phone and web chat:

     • Family Relationship Centre – phone 1300 783 544

     • Family Support (including Hand in Hand Pre-Marriage Relationship Education and Domestic & Family Violence Support) – phone 1300 523 985

     • Counselling and Psychology – phone 1300 523 985 or visit centacarecq.com/counsellor-booking

CentacareCQ’s Yard Maintenance services continue; observing social distancing and PPE usage advice by the Department of Health.

For a full list of CentacareCQ’s services and the and the safety measures in place, visit centacarecq.com/status.

The Rockhampton diocese has partnered with the University of Dayton to offer Virtual Courses.  Cycle 5 (May 24 - June 27, 2020) of the online courses are now open for registrations. Check out https://vlcff.udayton.edu/calendar/#cycle_4_2020_English for topics that are on offer.

We would particularly recommend the current free e-seminar (3 weeks) 'Hope in Times of Crisis' or their regular course 'On the Call to Holiness (Gaudete Et Exsultate)' but there are many others from which to choose.

Members of the diocese who have completed these courses have found them enriching.  One student spoke of insightful it was to share the 'Hope in a Times of Crisis' course with students from other parts of the world. 

Registrations are open until May 20 so now is the time to jump in and take the opportunity to learn a little more about your faith with an online community.

The Diocese will refund our diocesan students course fees on successful completion of the course - terms and conditions apply. Please see the following web page for further information - http://rok.catholic.net.au/adult-education-opportunities/

Please email vlcff@rok.catholic.net.au if you have questions or check out the website https://vlcff.udayton.edu/