Holy Spirit Catholic Parish 93 Burdekin Ave, Amaroo ACT

Supporting and supported by Holy Spirit, Good Shepherd,

Mother Teresa Primary Schools and St John Paul II College

30-31 May 2020 Pentecost Sunday | Year A

Email: office@holyspiritgungahlin.org.au Parish website: www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au

TODAY’S READINGS

Readings: Acts 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13, John 20:19-23

Entrance Antiphon: The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world and that

which contains all things understands what is said, alleluia.

Responsorial Psalm: Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the

earth.

Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of

your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia!

Communion Antiphon: They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke of

the marvels of God, alleluia. Liturgy Help

Mass Time this weekend:

Sunday 31 May 9:30am

Please see parish app for

meeting details.

Pentecost at Holy Spirit –

COVID STYLE

Many of us “grew up” on Pentecost

Sunday. We were welcomed into the

church as adults when we confirmed

our desire to be a catholic and receive

the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This was our

Confirmation. I remember being so

proud of myself that Pentecost Sunday,

so grown up. And every day since I

have drawn strength from the gifts I

received. Wisdom, understanding,

counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety

and fear of the Lord. The night 2000

years ago when the Apostles sat

waiting, probably sharing a meal, they

sat together in community, just as we

do every Sunday. Together they

received the divine gifts of the Holy Spirit and burst into the rapture of speaking in tongues.

Pentecost provokes in me a clear picture of Holy Spirit Parish, Gungahlin. We are named for the Holy

Spirit – yes – and our colours are the red and yellow of the flame. We meet together in the Mass, we all

cherish our community and we definitely sound like we are “speaking in tongues” when we wish each

other the sign of peace during a Zoom Mass!

Today I pray that we can all draw upon the precious gifts we were given at our Confirmation to see

and act our best through these challenging times. And we can still celebrate! It’s a different sort of

party from what we are used to but I can see that since “lockdown”, this very special catholic

community has shone with love, friendship, support and determination. Happy Birthday Holy Spirit

Parish!

Alison Weeks Chair, PPC

This week some of our beautiful parishioners have shared with us what Pentecost means to

them:

To me, Pentecost is about acknowledging and celebrating with our community, the guidance

that the Holy Spirit gives to live in Jesus’ footsteps each day. Each morning I pray this prayer that Fr

Bernie (foundation Parish Priest of Holy Spirit Parish) gave us some years ago at Pentecost: Dear Je-

sus, I submit my day to you. Help me to love as you love me. Holy Spirit fill me with your own

self. Keep me open to your promptings, so that my day may give glory to the Father. Amen

Anne Smart

“The Holy Spirit that was given to us in in such a special way on that first Pentecost day, is to be

shared for the good of all. Sharing messages of wisdom, knowledge, faith, gift of healing, power to

perform miracles, prophesy, and ability to speak different kinds of languages, to bring together

one body with many parts making us whole. This describes the current Holy Spirit Family in our

church though we are many, we are one in spirit. This is the reality, the unity and our living example

as we continue to serve the Lord.” Dilu and Joachim Motha

“Pentecost is an opportunity for us to come together as extended family and give thanks for the

wonderful community and friendships that we share in our Parish on its birthday.

We have made so many new friendships with people who share the same beliefs and life stories

much like our own. People who we now lean on in times of need and to laugh with over the odd

glass of wine. But we also have come to know so many families and individuals who have come

from all corners of the globe and shared their sto-

ries with us (and wonderful foods) that open our

eyes to the world afar and how lucky we are to

live in this wonderful safe country we call home.

It means so much more this year considering our

borders are closed, and the families of our parish

members overseas are now suffering so much

from the misfortune Covid-19. We thank God

each day that we have so far escaped the

worst, and while we can’t celebrate together in

our Pentecost BBQ breaky feast and endless

cakes and sweets stalls, we know that our com-

munity awaits ready for the day we can come

together again and embrace each other in cele-

bration.

We miss our church, we miss our community, we

miss coming together every Sunday morning,

rain, hail or shine to listen to the Holy word and

renew our cup of spiritual “juice” for the week

ahead (and to find out the weekly Raiders, Brum-

bies or Cricket updates). Our parish means so

much to us and is such an important part of our

lives. Happy birthday Holy Spirit parish and com-

munity. We miss you.”

Mikita Family

Hearts on Fire

“Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit

descended upon the Disciples of Jesus. As a

member of Holy Spirit Parish, it helps me to

recognise that my belief and faith give me strength

and makes me strong to fight against all

temptations and empower me and my family

through this difficult period, along with our parish

community”. Susan Pradeep

“I love the joy and celebration that Pentecost

Sunday brings as the Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth, is

my guiding light in life. As we celebrate as a parish I

feel blest that the Spirit is shining brightly through

our Zoom celebration of Mass and in the ways

many thoughtful people are keeping us

connected to our Church Family.” - Pauline Tomlin

“Pentecost begins the Christian journey; the Holy Spirit enters us and shows the path to Christ.

Then we ourselves become empowered to find the lost. Our Church is named under the Holy Spirit

and so it is our duty and privilege to strive to be as Good Samaritans in both works and sharing

God’s love in evangelisation.” - Peter Peterson

"The very first time Wendy and I attended Mass at Holy Spirit Parish church, five years ago, we

knew that this was where we wanted to be, and to be part of. We now feel a sense of belonging

to a Catholic community and are happy that we are able to participate in a small way in its

ministry. We also feel blessed that we will be able to celebrate the parish's birthday on Pentecost

Sunday, because the Holy Spirit has guided and protected us throughout our married life, and

during our lives in our new adopted country." - Wendy and Norman Lawler

“Happy Birthday Church! Birthdays are times of celebration and Pentecost is the birthday of our

Church. It’s a time to celebrate God’s eternal love for us all and to be thankful for the strength

and wisdom God gifts us as Christians; or expressed in another way, as ‘people of and for Christ’.

Pentecost for me, is a wonderful reminder that God’s love and therefore presence, burns strongly

in us all. The flame of the Spirit is lit in all our souls at Baptism and burns eternally. Even in our

passing that flame remains eternal; just as our Lord is eternal. For me, that is a wonderfully

comforting feeling.” - Ryan Greer

" The feast of Pentecost reminds us of the multiculturalism in us as humans. It was a day the

disciples spoke in different tongues and languages which showed Christ in all of us regardless of

our tribe, colour, race and gender.

As migrants to Australia Holy spirit parish is indeed God's chosen refuge which brought us so much

joy, peace and happiness living with all the wonderful people in the community". God bless you

all.” - Nwakor Family

“I find Pentecost to be one of the more spiritually amazing events in the Church calendar.

Although it doesn’t get as much attention as Christmas or the crucifixion, the gift of the Spirit is

such an amazing light within us all. What I love about Pentecost is that Jesus said we don’t have to

earn the Holy Spirit, rather it’s a gift, and we all have this amazing gift from God that we use to

share our faith with our family, friends, at Church and in the community.” - Steve Seesink

“Pentecost - Greek in origin, “Pentekostos” means 50. Fifty days since the resurrection of Jesus

Christ. The day has great meaning for both Jewish and Christian followers. The Jewish people

celebrate Pentecost, when they commemorate the ‘Feast of Weeks’, and it also acknowledges

the day God gifted his laws to Moses at Mt Sinai. Catholics celebrate Pentecost as the day the

disciples began their ministry on Earth, and officially marks the beginning of Christianity as a

movement, and Christians as a community of believers. For it was on the Feast of Pentecost that

the disciples left their homes for the first time and started their ministry to spread the Good News.

It is ironic that Pentecost 2020 falls on the day much of the COVID 19 restrictions are starting to

draw back in NSW/ACT. Many of us have been confined in our movements for several weeks

now, and we all are looking forward to spending time with our friends and family. Some of us are

looking forward to organised sport, some to evenings out with friends, and most of us are looking

forward to resuming our weekly Church services. But when we leave our homes, how are we

going to do it? Are we going to spread happiness and joy? Or are we going to spread fear,

anger and disharmony?

The gift of Pentecost is the Holy Spirit. It is God’s gift to us. It is how we use the gift that matters. Let

us all use God’s greatest gift to help each other and to be kind. Let us use our gift to be tolerant,

to be patient and to be considerate. For it is when we model these behaviours we are spreading

God’s word. Actions speak much louder than words, and on this feast of Pentecost, let us spread

God’s word by being nice to each other and doing “small things with great love” for our

community.” Trish Templeton

Upcoming Parish Events

Confirmation Connection Zoom Event Invitation

All parents and candidates for Confirmation 2020 are invited to participate in our

Confirmation Connection event via Zoom.

When: Tuesday 2 June at 6:30pm

Where: Via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86363268286

What to bring: You may like to prepare a prayer space in your home. This can be very simple using a

small table, laying a cloth, displaying a cross, candle, bible and anything else you feel

creates a prayerful space.

In previous years we have gathered together in the Church for prayer

night in the lead up to the children receiving the Sacrament of Confirma-

tion. Even though we are currently unable to physically gather in these

large numbers, and we aren't sure when we will be able to arrange for

the candidates to receive their Sacrament, we believe it is very important

that we maintain connection in any way we can. Our Confirmation Con-

nection prayer event will be an evening where we can all join in prayerful

support of all involved in preparing the young people for this major step in

their faith lives as they prepare to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

As we all eagerly await the latest announcements from the government

that will allow us to proceed with planning our Sacrament of Confirmation

Masses, please keep the students, their families and those preparing them in your prayers.

10-day Divine Mercy Holy Hour Retreat (via Zoom)

When: Friday 5 June to Sunday 14 June 2020

Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm daily

Where: via Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83463810158 What to bring: Create a prayer space using a small table, cloth, a cross, a bible and anything else you

would like.

Each night of the retreat will feature a guest speaker from our parish community and wider:

5 June: Maria Stark

6 June: Cindy Ruiz

7 June: Peter Peterson

8 June: Julia Galiazzo

9 June: Fr Josh Scott

10 June: Jorge Perez

11 June: Tom Kaliath

12 June: Jeff Smart

13 June: Sr Kim

14 June: Daniel Baraniecki

We invite all to join in this special retreat. Those who attended

our Rosary via zoom will tell you that it will be a great

experience.

Planned Giving Campaign

Dear Parishioners

Thank you to everyone who responded so generously to our financial appeal last week.

The COVID 19 pandemic has affected everyone, including our Parish. Most of our income flows from

our Masses and our planned giving program and our finances have suffered a huge blow from the virus

and the ensuing lockdown. I am hoping that we will soon return to our normal Mass and prayer

program as well as celebrating the sacraments but it will be a long time before we recover financially.

The truth is simple, if we cannot increase our income then there will have to be cuts to many of our

services, supports and even liturgies. Fr Jiss and I will work very hard to prevent this but we need your

help by staying with the planned giving program, increasing your contribution or signing up for the first

time.

We will be conducting our usual Planned Giving presentation during Mass on 14 June but we are also

writing to you personally to ask for your help.

Please read the yearly “Flyer” which will provide you with our current financial information, and explain

how to fill out the forms to continue with the program or to become a new Planned Giver.

Please follow this link: https://www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au/donations-payments/regular-planned-

giving/ to access the required forms and we would be grateful if you would complete, sign and return

them to the parish office either by email or hardcopy by 16 June 2020.

If you wish to continue supporting the Planned Giving Program/2nd Collection via other means, then

please consider your future support via any of the methods these below:

Directly into the Parish Bank Account

BSB: 062786 A/c Number: 00010701 A/c Name: Holy Spirit Parish

Via our Website:

(a) Click https://www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au/donationspayments/secure-online-payments/

(b) Select Biller Code 1002872 – Mass Contribution

(c) Enter your payment details.

Cash may be delivered to the parish office during operational hours

Cheques may be made payable to the Holy Spirit Parish and either posted or delivered to the parish

office.

I deeply appreciate all your support – in both spirit and finance - thank you very much. May God bless

you always.

Yours in Christ

Fr Mark

2020-21 Planned Giving Campaign

WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

CONNECT WITH US

Parish Priest: Fr Mark Croker

Assistant Priest: Fr Jiss Sunny

Parish Office and Presbytery

93 Burdekin Ave, Amaroo Ph: 6242 9622

Website: www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au

Parish Assistant: Theivani Evers

E: theivani@holyspiritgungahlin.org.au

P: 0472 921 518

Parish Secretary: Magda Baraniecki

E: office@holyspiritgungahlin.org.au

Office Support: Naomi Johnson

E:officesupport@holyspiritgungahlin.org.au

Finance Officer/ Planned Giving: Tony Rose

E: gungahlin.finance@cg.org.au

Sacramental Coordinator: Louise Johnson

E: sacraments@holyspiritgungahlin.org.au

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC): Alison Weeks

E: alisonmweeks@bigpond.com

Parish App and Parish Facebook Page

For those who are sick

Armando Sanchez

Allan Dent

Baby Aarya

Roland Zocchi

Doug Honess

Jane Honess

Pete Sagrado

Steve Blake

Grace Falzon

Olivia Lyon

Mary and Luke Bogue

Trevor Honess

Phil Dodds

Mary Pin

Baby Vincent Lawler

Paloma Crowley

We keep them in our prayers...

Recently Deceased

Eileen Dean

Patrick Shanahan

Nick Hawkins

Felicity Malouf

Karen Watson

Jose Quiros

Tim Kirkby

Edith Hagan

Annette Millar

Anniversaries

Pete Villena

Mariya Francis

Winifred McGalvey

Tony van Diemen

Matthew Varghese

Mary Gallagher

Beverley Joy Jones

Online Mass Contribution (First and Second Collections combined)

We encourage you to continue to support our parish by making

contributions to our First and Second Collections online. Follow the

steps below to make a secure online donation.

1. Click on https://www.holyspiritgungahlin.org.au/donations-

payments/secure-online-payments/

2. Select Biller Code 1002872 – Mass Contribution

3. Enter your payment details.

Parish Bank Account Details

BSB: 062 786 Acc Number: 00010701 Acc Name: Holy Spirit Parish