News from Bundaberg
Christmas isn’t Over
The Christmas season has come and gone for another year. Our parish’s liturgical celebrations were well-attended and joyful, especially the Mass with Children celebrated on Christmas Eve in Holy Rosary Church. This is a great family Mass and very popular. We recognised faces that we haven’t seen since last Christmas, come home to be with family.
Yet Christmas isn’t over.
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
Howard Thurman, African-American mystic
View from the Office
Since mid-July 2019 our office has overlooked the building progress of the new St Joseph’s School Kindy. It’s exciting times for the school who are looking forward to a full enrolment of young ones, learning and playing in and around their new building. The Kindy flows into the existing school grounds where their closest neighbours are the Prep-Year 2 students. The view from our back window has changed significantly in this time from bulldozers, carpenters, painters and landscapers to sandpits, water ponds and green grass. The antics of little ones at play makes for amusing conversations. Congratulations to the St Joseph’s School family.
Farewells and Welcomes!
As is expected at the beginning of the year people in all sorts of positions are on the move with transfers. Bundaberg’s two newest priests, Fr Jomon Poothara and Fr Ronaldo Rodriguez, were farewelled during the parish’s Australia Day celebrations, Sunday 26th January. Fr Jomon has been with us for 18 months and in that time built a close relationship with the Indian families and befriended many parishioners with his big smile and quiet nature. Fr Ronaldo did likewise with the Filipino community, and both experienced the diversity of a city parish community and team ministry.
We’re expecting big things from Fr Gasper Peruvelil as he replaces “two for one”! I’m sure the people of the parish will welcome him and help him in his new home.
During the celebrations we also farewelled Mrs Denise Tuzes from her role as Pastoral Visitation Co-ordinator. Denise has retired from her employed position after 13 years. In that time the visitation ministry has grown to over 40 volunteer ministers who visit the hospitals, aged-care facilities, sick and housebound. Denise was thanked for her commitment to and compassion for the frail and housebound. We wish her well in retirement.
With Denise’s retirement we welcomed Mrs Marcia Sharp to our Parish Team. Marcia moved to Burnett Heads from the Gold Coast with her husband, Ray, to enjoy a quiet life in retirement. The Spirit prodded her, or was that her fellow parishioner, to apply for the casual position of Pastoral Visitation Co-ordinator. She looks forward to meeting many new parishioners as well as becoming familiar with the ins-and-outs of the parish.
Our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Mrs Anne Carlsen, was also thanked for her massive effort in the last year for ensuring all in ministry in any capacity have current Blue Card requirements up-to-date. This role has now been taken over by Mrs Jan Aplin who will maintain the Safeguarding files as Anne enjoys her retirement.
Australia Day
We are a people of great resilience. Our diocese, along with much of Australia, has sweltered in the extreme heat of summer. Mateship and empathy came to the fore during the Masses on Australia Day with over $10,000 collected for the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal.
The parish celebration of all things Australian was to be held after the 9.00am Mass in Mary McKillop Hall attached to St Joseph’s School. The memo about the power being cut to the school and hall by Ergon Energy on Sunday 26th January failed to reach the principal in time. No power meant no cuppa, no microphone, no live music in a spacious environment.
Being resourceful, the celebrations were moved to the small hall behind Holy Rosary Church. In cramped and noisy conditions, with air-conditioning units that couldn’t keep up with the crowded space, the Parish Team led by Fr Peter heartily led the singing of “I Am Australian”. We said our farewells and welcomes and enjoyed each other’s company and food. Fr Ronaldo sang “Beautiful Sunday” and the priests of the parish sang the Blessing Song over all there. We do so love a good cuppa and scone in the heat!
Commissioning of Parish Stewardship Council Members
New members to the Parish Stewardship Council were commissioned for a new 2-year term during the Masses on the weekend of 8/9 February. They have accepted the responsibility of leadership in the parish and will strive to listen to and be conscious of the needs of the parishioners.
The Stewardship Council members are: Bev Walker, Trish Mears, Mick Gerrard, Colleen Oberle, Emily Obst, Jennifer Obst, Maddison Devine, Leandra Maltby, Lynelle McAtee, Vince Habermann, Preshy Varghese, Mark Cullinan, and Michael Walker.