Sunday 17th August, 2014

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Bridgeside Bulletin
The weekly bulletn of the
Catholic Parish of Forster Tuncurry
Holy Name of Jesus Parish Church
33 Lake Street, Forster
St Mary, Star of the Sea Church
Cnr Kent & Peel Streets, Tuncurry
Proclaiming Christ to the communites of Forster, Tuncurry and the surrounding districts

Parish
Fr Andrew Doohan (Parish Priest)
Mr Greg Byrne (Pastoral Associate)
Mrs Sharon Fowle (Administraton Associate)
Sr Kathryn McCabe (Aboriginal Catholic Ministry)

The Parish Ofce is at the rear of the Parish Hall and is
normally stafed on Wednesday and Friday from 10am
to 4pm.

Items for inclusion in Bridgeside Bulletn should be
received by midday on Thursday.

33 Lake Street, Forster NSW 2428
PO Box 67, Forster NSW 2428

P: (02) 6554 6304
F: (02) 6554 6425
E: forstertuncurryparish@gmail.com
W: www.forstertuncurrycatholic.org.au

Fr Andrews email: fr.andrew.doohan@gmail.com.

Holy Name Parish School (K-6)
Ms Brooke Schumann (Actng Principal)

41 Lake Street, Forster NSW 2428
PO Box 243, Forster NSW 2428

P: (02) 6554 6504
F: (02) 6554 8895
E: admin@forster.catholic.edu.au
W: www.forster.catholic.edu.au

The Parish is also served by
St Clares High School, Taree (7-12)
Mr Peter Nicholls (Principal)

Davis Street, Taree NSW 2430

P: (02) 6552 3300
F: (02) 6552 3656
E: admin@tareesc.catholic.edu.au
W: www.tareesc.catholic.edu.au
Celebratng the Sacraments
Reconciliaton is available on Saturday mornings at
Tuncurry from 8:30am untl the beginning of the 9am
Mass, on Saturday afernoons at Forster from 4:45pm
untl 5:15pm, or other tmes by contactng Fr Andrew.

Baptsms are celebrated on Sundays, either during any
of our Sunday Masses or afer the 9am Mass. The next
Baptsmal Preparaton meetng will take place in the
Parish Halls meetng rooms on Monday 8th
September commencing at 7pm. Please contact the
Parish Ofce for more details, or visit the Parish
website.

Weddings are celebrated by arrangement and with at
least three (and preferably more) months notce.
Please contact Fr Andrew for more details, or visit the
Parish website.

A Sacramental Preparaton process runs each year in
the Parish for children wishing to complete the
celebraton of the Sacraments of Initaton as part of
the Parish community. Please contact the Parish Ofce
for more details, or visit the Parish website.

The Parish hosts the Rite of Christan Initaton of
Adults process for those adults wishing to be baptsed
or be received into the communion of the Catholic
Church. Please contact the Parish Ofce for more
details, or visit the Parish website.
The Parish can also be found online:

Search for us on Facebook as
Catholic Parish of Forster Tuncurry



Follow us on Twiter: @fcatholic
2

The Parish Diary(for the week ahead)
Twenteth Week in Ordinary Time

Monday18th August

Tuesday19th August
9am Christan Meditaton (Bob 6555 5914)
3:30pm Holy Hour @ Tuncurry
4:30pm Mass @ Tuncurry
5:30pm Christan Meditaton (Bob 6555 5914)
5:30pm Singing Practce @ Tuncurry

Wednesday20th August
Memorial of St Bernard
9am Mass @ Forster
11:15am Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help @
Forster
5:30pm Parish Pastoral Council meetng @
Forster
7pm RCIA Enquiry Night @ Parish Meetng
Room

Thursday21st August
Memorial of St Pius X
9am Mass @ Forster
7pm Womens Bible Study

Friday22nd August
Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
9:30am Mass @ Forster

Saturday23rd August
8:30am Reconciliaton @ Tuncurry
9am Mass @ Tuncurry
4:45pm Reconciliaton @ Forster (untl 5:15pm)
6pm Mass @ Tuncurry

Sunday24th August
7am Mass @ Tuncurry
9am Mass @ Forster
Regular Activities in the Parish
Secular Franciscan Fraternity
The Secular Franciscans Fraternity will next meet on
Wednesday 3rd September, coming together for
Mass at 9am, followed by a cuppa at 9:30am and then
the meetng 10am to 12pm.

The menALIVE Groups
Our Parish currently hosts two menALIVE groups. The
morning group will next meet on Wednesday 27th
August afer the 9am Mass, while the evening group
will next meet on Thursday 4th September at 7:30pm.

Womens Bible Study Group
Our Parish hosts a Womens Bible Study Group that
meets every Thursday evening from 7pm to 8pm. For
more informaton contact Natasha on 0407 589 935.

Christan Meditaton
Our Parish hosts a number of opportunites for the
practce of Christan meditaton. These opportunites
takes place on Tuesdays at two distnct tmes, 9am
and 5:30pm. For more informaton contact Bob on
6555 5914.

Maintenance & Gardening Group
The Parish is lucky to be served by a very dedicated
band of volunteers who tend to the upkeep of the
grounds and gardens of our two church sites. They do
a fabulous job, and are always ready to welcome new
members to the group. Our next reunion will be on
Thursday 21st August. Contact Howard 6557 6826 for
more informaton.

Singing Practce
The Singing Group will be meetng again on Tuesday
19th August at 5:30pm at Tuncurry. All welcome.

Collecton of Foodstufs for Homebase
The next collecton of foodstufs in support of
Homebase will next take place on Sunday 7th
September.

Holy Hour
The Parish community observes a Holy Hour each
Tuesday afernoon in the Tuncurry Church from
3:30pm untl the beginning of Mass at 4:30pm.

Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The Novena is prayed every Wednesday in the Forster
church commencing at 11:15am and is followed by a
cuppa in the Parish Hall. For more informaton contact
Shioney on 6554 9468.

Evening Prayer & Benedicton
The Parish community celebrates on the frst Sunday
of each month at 5:30pm in the Tuncurry church. It
will next be celebrated on Sunday 7th September. All
welcome.
Parish Social Functions for 2014
The date for the remaining Parish Social Functons for
2014 are:-

BLESSING OF THE FLEET/PARISH BBQ will be held
this year on Sunday 5th October.

Please claim this date in your diary now and watch for
further details as they are released closer to each
event.
With the Lord there is
mercy; in him is
plentiful redemption.
3

Exploring Becoming a Catholic
Maybe you have friends or family who:

have wondered about becoming a Catholic;
are engaged or married to a Catholic and have
Catholic children;
are searching for answers to the big questons
about life and death;
are looking for a Christan community to which
they feel they could really belong;
are maybe just interested.

The fnal Enquiry night for anyone wishing to learn
more about the Catholic Faith through the Rite of
Christan Initaton of Adults process will be held on
Wednesday 20th August in the Parish Meetng Room
(located at the rear of the Parish Hall in Forster) at
7pm.

Please extend an invitaton (and give a brochure) to a
friend or family member who may be interested.
Brochures explaining the Rite of Christan Initaton of
Adults are on the table at the back of the churches.
For more informaton contact Anne Moloney
Catholic Newspapers Available
Both The Catholic Leader (Brisbane) and The Catholic
Weekly (Sydney) newspapers are available at a cost of
$2 each from our churches.
From the Pastors Desk
Towards the end of the musical Wicked (the prequel
to The Wizard of Oz) the two main characters, Glinda
and Elphaba, sing a wonderful duet enttled, simply,
For Good.

The ttle comes from the end of the last line of the
chorus, Because Ive known you, I have been
changed for good.

The lyric is deliberately ambiguous, and the context of
the song in the musical itself only entrenches the
ambiguity. Does for good mean permanently? Or
does it mean away from bad? The lyrics in context
could mean both, probably do, but were never quite
sure.

The one thing that is not ambiguous is that the
change, whatever it is, has come about because of the
relatonship between Glinda and Elphaba, a
relatonship that started badly and had its ups and
downs across the years.

At the very heart of the lyrics of the song is the
realisaton that we are infuenced, changed if you will,
by the people who come into our lives. Our
relatonships may not completely defne who we are
but neither can we claim that we are completely
untouched by our relatonships with people in our
lives.

For the Christan this realisaton of the impact of
relatonship on our identty includes, perhaps most
especially, our relatonship with God made manifest in
Jesus Christ. Because God is part of our lives we have
been changed for good.

But we have to ask ourselvesfrequentlyare we
aware that we have been changed? Are we aware of
how we have been changed because of Gods
relatonship with us? Do we even care?

I encourage you over the coming week, or weeks, to
give some tme to the impact of the relatonship
between God and ourselves, and what changes that
may be evident for good because of that.

Untl next week
Fr Andrew
Why We Do What We Do No. 2
During Benedicton, why does the priest don a cloak
then use it to hold the monstrance for the actual
Benedicton blessing, but at all other tmes he, and a
member of the laity, holds the monstrance in bare
hands?

The cloak that the questoner speaks of is known
formally as the humeral veil, a piece of cloth that is
worn by a priest or deacon in certain liturgical rites
associated with the Blessed Sacrament.

During Benedicton the humeral veil is worn by the
priest or deacon only during the actual blessing with
the Blessed Sacrament, and the veil is used here so
that it is very clear that the blessing comes from the
Blessed Sacrament present in the monstrance and not
from the priest or deacon.

Thats also why the veil is not worn by the minister
who exposes or reposes the Blessed Sacrament before
or afer the actual Benedicton.

If you have a queston that youve always wanted an
answer to, now is your chance to ask. Questons can
be submited for Fr Andrew either by email or by
writen note.
Parish Grief Support Group
The next meetng of the Parish Grief Support Group
will take place on Friday 22nd August at 11am in the
Parish Meetng Room. Deacon Martn Johnson will
again be present to facilitate the meetng.

An invitaton is extended to any parishioners who has
lost a spouse to come along.
4

Parish Intercessory Prayer Group
Our Parish is blessed to have an Intercessory Prayer
Apostolate. This group is comprised of a loose knit
group of parishioners who simply pray during their
normal daily prayers for people on a list updated and
distributed each month.

There are no meetngs and no cost whatsoever and
each member may remain anonymous if desired.

Because there are no meetngs this group is very
suitable for all parishioners, especially some of our
housebound or incapacitated folk to enable them to
play an important role within the parish community,
so allowing them to play an important and actve role
within the life of the parish community.

If you are interested in joining this group, just ring Bob
Cashman on 6555 5914 or leave your name and phone
number with the Parish Ofce. To request prayers for
someone in need of prayer please contact Bob on
6555 5914 leaving your name and contact details.
Communion from the Chalice when Sick
The occurrences of colds and fu are increasing
currently, a reminder to everyone to consider the
wellbeing of your fellow parishioners.

If you are not feeling well, we would respectully ask
you to please refrain from receiving Communion from
the Chalice during Mass.
Charity Movie Screening
On Monday 18th August at 7pm, Great Lakes Cinema
is holding a special fundraising event for the Destny
Rescue Organisaton: the screening of Freedom - John
Newton's Amazing Grace.

This movie is about two men separated by 100 years
who are united in their search for freedom. Watch the
movies trailer at htp://youtu.be/Upf5DGJOzdE.

Money made from tckets sold on the night will go
towards Destny Rescue and help them in their
courageous eforts to save children from child
trafcking and sexual exploitaton.

Purchase tckets at www.destnyrescue.org or phone
1300 738 761. Together we can make a
diference! Hope to have a massive crowd there!

Enquiries to Natasha Brotherton (0407 589 935) or
Helen Lyness (0403 297 400).
Receiving Communion
So that we might receive Communion in a ft and
proper way, please be aware of the following:

When we process forward to receive Communion,
we are asked to adopt a common and unifed
gesture of reverence before doing so. In Australia
that gesture is a bow of the head and shoulders
(GIRM, 160). Any other form of reverence, including
a genufecton, is no longer permited, and you are
asked to refrain from doing so.
When the minister of communion presents the
Host or Chalice to you, they say The Body of
Christ or The Blood of Christ. Please ensure that
you respond with Amen.
Communion by self-intncton (self-dipping) is
never permited, since we receive Communion and
never take Communion. Please refrain from this
inappropriate acton.
We regret that we do not have the physical
facilites to ofer communion while kneeling, and
respectully ask you to refrain from kneeling to
receive Communion while part of the procession,
since this is contrary to the nature of the
Communion procession itself. Your cooperaton in
honouring this request is very much appreciated,
and we thank you for your consideraton.
Formation for Ministry Program
A series of formaton units developed especially for
members of Parish Leadership Teams, Parish Pastoral
Councils, Parish Finance Councils and Parish Pastoral
Teamsas well as those involved in other parish
groups and ministrieswill be ofered in Krambach
beginning on Saturday 13th September.

All units completed can be credited towards a
Certfcate in Ministry. Brochures and fyers are
available at the rear of the churches. There is no cost
for partcipatng in the program.

For more informaton on the program, please email
Sharon Murphy in the Diocesan Chancery on
sharon.murphy@mn.catholic.org.au or the Tenison
Woods Educaton Centre by email twec@ssjl.org.au.
Seasons for Growth
The Seasons for Growth educatonal program uses the
seasons as a metaphor for change, loss and grief in
our lives.

The educatonal program will be ofered in the Parish
on Thursdays 28th August, 4th, 11th, and 18th
September. Each session will run from 10am to
12:30pm. The cost for CSO and Parish Partcipants is
$30 and for general partcipants $50 (concessions
available). Please RSVP by 21st August to Zoe or Jenny
by phone on 4979 1355 or by email to
seasonsforgrowth@mn.catholic.org.au.
5

On Catholic Dogs Fr Michael Tate
Some tme ago I was lecturing at the university about
the Rwandan genocide where 600,000 Tutsi were
slaughtered by the Hutus over a period of 80-90 days.
We can hardly imagine the diabolical hatred between
the ethnic groups which could lead to such a
massacre.

On a lesser scale, antagonism between ethnic or
religious groups can lead to profound chasms of
intolerance opening up between them. In Our Lords
tme, the division between Jews and Pagans was very
profound. Pagans were outside the chosen people,
the children of God, and there was a long history of
antagonism.

Add to that the belief that contact with a woman
could defle a man and you have the setng for this
remarkable gospel story.

A pagan woman approaches a Jewish man: Jesus. All
the disciples can see is a woman causing a
commoton. She is causing a commoton, but for a
good reason. She begs Jesus to heal her daughter with
whom she maternally completely identfes: Have
mercy on me. He comments: I was sent only to the
lost sheep of the House of Israel. He is confrming his
healing mission to the Jews. She and her daughter
dont qualify!

What is going on? We know that the Prophet Isaiah
was a great favourite and exemplar for Jesus. Jesus
could open a scroll and quote passages which guided
his own understanding of his mission. Jesus had
evidently taken Isaiahs picture of a transformed
Jewish people being a light to the pagan natons who
would then be atracted to worship God in the right
way. That is the sequence which Jesus embarks on.
Jesus therefore gives a very dismissive answer to the
woman: It is not fair to take the childrens bread and
throw it to the house dogs. The children are obviously
the Jewish people and so Jesus response is very
confrontng. This remarkable woman, this
remarkable pagan woman, stands her ground and
engages in a verbal joust with Jesus! She decides to
give him as good as she got! She argues: Yes, Lord,
but even the house dogs get the crumbs that fall from
their masters table. What a fantastc response! Jesus
recognises her faith and the daughter is healed. She, a
pagan woman, helped Jesus see that his liberatng
mission, his healing, saving mission, was not a careful
two-stage afair, Jews frst, pagans later. His saving
mission was for all those who had faith in him
wherever and whenever.

This story was treasured and remembered in the early
church and then put into writng in the Gospels. Why?
Report from Social Group
Present were Yvonne Garton, Judith Shand,
Bernadete Thorne, Anne Hartman and Sr Kathryn
McCabe.
We explored the reality of slavery in the modern
world. Here are some facts. In every country slavery is
illegal, but it is nevertheless, fourishing and stronger
than at any other tme in history. About 30 million
people are enslaved in an identfable way throughout
the world, but it is suspected that informally, the
number is much higher. The slave trade economy is
worth 150 billion dollars annually. Some aspects of
slavery are present in both third and frst worlds,
including our own country. Some names or
euphemisms for slavery are forced labour, people
trafcking, Bonded labour, child labour etc.
Andrew Twiggy Forrest, Australian mining magnate,
is dedicated to eradicatng slavery worldwide and has
enlisted the help of leaders of major faiths to help in
the struggle. He launched his Walk Free Foundaton
from the Vatcan earlier this year. There are other
people around the world dedicated to ending the
unjust practce of slavery. Together we can make a
diference and bring the enslaved to freedom.
What can we do to respect the human dignity of every
person, whether foreigner , stranger, or countryman?
For example, do we deliberately refrain from
purchasing clothing that is advertsed at ridiculously
low prices, because of exploitaton of the workers in
the producton line, maybe in coton picking or in
clothing factories? Are we aware that many items are
sold that are reliant somewhere in the producton line
on forced or slave labour? The products can be cofee,
some chocolates, tuna from Thailand, clothing from
Bangladesh and other places, yes, even mobiles. This
is far from an exhaustve list.
Because the biggest crisis facing the early church was
relatons between Jewish Christans and possible
pagan converts who wanted to be followers of Jesus.
This story would have been told to show how Jesus
extended his saving mission to non-Jews in Pagan
territory. That is good news for us, Gospel for us,
Gospel for billions of non-Jewish people over the
course of history since then and into the future. That
is why we are truly Catholic, which, as you know, is
the Greek for universal, world-wide. This woman is
the one whose story was treasured as opening up the
Church to being truly universal a home for all people
a place where the whole of humanity can be made
whole in every way.

That is what it means to be Catholic. Could this
Canaanite woman be celebrated as the frst Catholic?
6


Kids Corner
7

Opportunities Outside The Parish

Proclaim Conference 2014
The 2014 Proclaim Conference on the New
Evangelisaton will be held from Thursday 21st August
at The Concourse, Chatswood. The theme of the
Conference is Living the Joy of the Gospel in Parishes
drawing on Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortaton
Evangelii Gaudium. For more informaton, please visit
www.proclaimconference.com.au.

Parish RCIA Teams Retreat Day
A Retreat Day for Parish RCIA Teams will be held on
Sunday 31st August beginning at 10am at Corcoran
Centre, George St, Morpeth. The day will be facilitated
by Rev Christan Sheppard OAM, a Unitng Church
Minister, who is trained in Retreat Ministry and
presently working part-tme at Newcastle East Public
School as a Student Welfare Worker. For more
informaton contact Loreto by phone on 4933 7425 or
email on loretto.lynch@exemail.com.au.

An Evening with Dr John Irvine
An evening with Dr John Irvine will be held on Tuesday
2nd September at 6:30pm at St James Primary
School, Skellatar Stock Route, Muswellbrook. Dr John
Irvine is one of Australias most prominent child
psychologists. Come along and hear him speak about
Anxiety K12: Red fags & what parents can do to
support their children. A Taree date also available on
Wednesday 10th September. Light refreshments will
be served from 6:30pm. Entry is by gold coin donaton,
with all proceeds will beneft charity. Visit
www.mn.catholic.edu.au/drjohn to secure your seat.

Broken Bay Bible Conference 2014
The 2014 Broken Bay Bible Conference will be held on
Friday 12th September at Caroline Chisholm Centre,
423 Pennant Hills Road, Pennant Hills. Join us for a
remarkable two days of uncovering fresh insights into
Johns Gospel with prominent Australian Johannine
scholars Fr Frank Moloney sdb and Dr Mary Coloe
ibvm, with the partcipaton of Bishop David Walker.
For further enquiries, please call 9847 0448 or email
registratons@dbb.org.au.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend
Marriage Encounter Weekend is a Marriage
Enrichment experience for married couples set in
peaceful, picturesque surroundings, away from the
distractons of everyday life. During the weekend,
couples have a unique opportunity to reconnect,
rekindle and refresh their relatonship. Take tme out
of your busy schedule, to invest in your most precious
asset, your Marriage! Weekend dates: 12 14
September & 7 9 November at Mt Carmel Retreat
Centre, Varroville, NSW. Bookings can be made to
Hymn Give Thanks
Text: Henry Smith

Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Give thanks to the Holy One.
Give thanks because hes given Jesus Christ, his
Son. (x 2)

And now, let the weak say, I am strong,
let the poor say, I am rich,
because of what the Lord has done for us. (x 2)

(Last tme) Give thanks, give thanks, give
thanks.

1978 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Administered by Crossroad
Distributors Pty Ltd). All rights reserved. Used with permission.
CCLI licence no
Ardell & Bill Sharpe on 02 4283 3435 or email
wsharpe@bigpond.net.au.

Social Justce Dinner
A Social Justce Dinner, with guest Bishop Geofrey
Robinson, who will speak on Church in Crisis, will be
held on Friday 19th September at 6pm at Victor
Peters Suite, 841 Hunter St, Newcastle West. The cost
is $25 which includes a two-course dinner. Please
RSVP by 12th September by email
(events@mn.catholic.org.au)or phone (4979 1111).
Payment can be made to Catholic Diocese of Maitland
-Newcastle BSB 062-808 Account 1025 5506. Please
include reference "your name" Robinson Dinner.

2014 Natonal Pilgrimage
In the Footsteps of Saint Mary pilgrimage commences
in Melbourne on 22nd October and ends in Sydney.
The cost per person, twin share is $2,740 (ex Sydney).
Contact Therese Leydon rsj by phone to 8912 4818, or
by email to mmp.ministries@sosj.org.
Vocation View
The gifs and the call of God are irrevocable. Use the
gifs that God has given you to str into fame the gif
of faith (Romans 11:29). For more informaton
regarding Vocatons contact Fr Brian Mascord on 4979
1112 or by email to vocatons@mn.catholic.org.au.
8

Ministers this Weekend... ...of the Word ...of Communion
6pm Tuncurry A: Michael Siddle
B: Frank Hayman
Burness Goodlet, Frank Hayman, Lou Hope, Michael
Siddle, Neil Pye.
7am Tuncurry A: Mary Greig
B: Maria Armitage
Cushla Drake, Graham Grifths, Maria Armitage, Mark
Mowbray, Mary Greig.
9am Forster A: Marie Keep
B: Trevor Turner
Barbara Kermode, Coral McCarthy, Trevor Turner,
Robyn Ryan, Shioney Neal.
Ministers next Weekend... ...of the Word ...of Communion
6pm Tuncurry A: Lou Hope
B: Geraldine Mullin
Margaret Smith, Maureen Stevens, Michael Amato,
Owen Carroll, Ruth Pearson.
7am Tuncurry A: Kay Grifths
B: Edna Tucker
Cecile Malone, Cushla Drake, Edna Tucker, Kay Grifths,
Patricia Cornish.
9am Forster A: Barbara Dolahenty
B: Genevieve Williamson
Alan McCarthy, Anne Hartman, Anne Moloney, Coral
McCarthy, Elle Cairns-Cowan.
Please note: The above informaton refects the rosters as originally published,
and doesnt take account of any swaps that may have been organised between individuals.
Scripture Readings This Week

Today Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Mathew 15:21-28
Monday Ezekiel 24:15-24
Mathew 19:16-22
Tuesday Ezekiel 28:1-10
Mathew 19:23-30
Wednesday Ezekiel 34:1-11
Mathew 20:1-16
Thursday Ezekiel 36:23-28
Mathew 22:1-14
Friday Ezekiel 37:1-14
Mathew 22:34-40
Saturday Ezekiel 43:1-7
Mathew 23:1-12
Sunday Isaiah 22:19-23
Romans 11:33-36
Mathew 16:13-20
Todays Liturgy of the Word

Responsorial Psalm
Response: O God, let all the natons praise you!

Gospel Acclamaton
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus preached the Good News of the kingdom
and healed all who were sick
Alleluia!
In your charity, please pray for:
Those recently deceased.
Peter McCabe.

Those whose anniversaries occur about now.
George Bourke, John Anderson.

All those in our community who are sick.
Text: Excerpts from the English Translaton of the Roman Missal 2010, Internatonal Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL); Music:
From the Mass of St Francis 2010, Paul Taylor. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Australian AgentWord of Life Internatonal
Licence no 195E.