St Mary of the Immaculate Conception,Williamstown

11.00 am Wednesday, 13 October 2021

A Celebration of the Life of

Fr Noel Anthony Christopher Oliver PE

20 October 1937 to 5 October 2021

Reverend Noel Anthony Christopher Oliver, PE

20 October 1937 to 5 October 2021

ORDAINED:

25 July 1964 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne Vic

APPOINTMENTS:

Retired in 2010 appointed Pastor Emeritus

A period of care followed at:

Little Sisters of the Poor, NorthcoteSt Bernadette’s, Sunshine

Mercy Place, East Melbourne

Passed away at Mercy Place, Tuesday 5 October 2021, aged 83 years

Excerpts from the English translation of the Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of the Order of Christian Funerals © 1989, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). All rights reserved. The Scripture Readings are taken from the Jerusalem Bible © 1966, 1967, 1968, 1985, Darton, Longman & Todd, Publishers and Doubleday and Co. Inc. .Used by permission of the publishers. English translation of the Psalm Responses are taken from the Lectionary for Mass © 1981, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). All rights reserved. Psalm verses are taken from The Psalms: A New Translation ©1963, The Grail (England), published by Collins.

ChelseaBox HillMoorabbinDandenongFerntree GullyMt EvelynGisborneWilliamstown

(1964)(1969)(1971)(1974)(1978)(1981)(1992)(2000)

AssistantAssistantAssistantAssistantAdministratorParish PriestParish PriestParish Priest

Solemn Pontifical Requiem Mass Wednesday, 13 October 2021

Principal Celebrant Most Reverend Martin Ashe

(Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese Melbourne)

Concelebrants Rev Fr Greg Trythall,

Parish Priest, Williamstown

Very Rev Peter A Bickley, Dean St Mary's Cathedral

Diocese of Sale, Vic

Visiting Priests Archdiocese of Melbourne

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY WELCOME Rev Greg Trythall (Parish Priest, St Mary's, Williamstown) ENTRANCE HYMN Immaculate Mary Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing. You reign now in Heaven with Jesus our King. Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! In Heaven the blessed your glory proclaim; On earth we your children invoke your sweet name. Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! We pray for our Mother, the Church upon earth, And bless, Holy Mary, the land of our birth. Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! THE GREETING AND INTRODUCTORY RITE Bishop Martin: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit. All: Amen. Bishop Martin: Peace by with you. All: And with your spirit.

PLACING OF CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS Lighting of the Pascal Candle John O’Keefe Bishop Martin: In Baptism, Noel Oliver received the light of Christ.

He walked as a child of the light and kept the flame of faith alive in his heart.

All: May Christ, the eternal and unfading light, now

welcome Noel into the kingdom of light and peace. Sprinkling of Holy Water Bishop Martin: When Noel was baptised he was baptised into the

life and death of Jesus. Now that his journey of faith is complete, we sprinkle his coffin with Holy Water as a reminder of Christ’s promise of everlasting life.

All: As Noel was given a new birth by water and the

Holy Spirit may he be welcomed fully into his holy people, sharing everlasting life.

Placing the Baptismal Pall Bishop Martin: At Noel’s Baptism he became a new creation and was

clothed in Christ. All: May Christ enfold Noel in his love and bring him

into eternal life.

Placing of the Book of the Gospels Fr Bill Gill Bishop Martin: Look upon your servant with mercy, Lord. When he

gathered your people together to receive your word and your sacraments, he wore the priestly stole. May he stand in your presence today, freed from sin and clothed in the festal garment of your friends.

All: May he now enjoy the heavenly feast of all the

saints. OPENING PRAYER Bishop Martin: Let us pray: Hear with favour our prayers, which we

humbly offer, O Lord, for the salvation of the soul of Fr Noel, your servant and Priest, that he, who devoted a faithful ministry, may rejoice in the perpetual company of your saints through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.

All: Amen. LITURGY OF THE WORD (Please be seated) FIRST READING Richard Van Der Merwe A reading from the prophet Isaiah (25: 6-9) On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food. On this mountain he will remove the morning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations; he will destroy Death for ever.

The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his peoples shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so. That day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped. We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us. The Word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God. RESPONSORIAL PSALM Response: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures, where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. /R He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff, with these you give me comfort. /R You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. /R Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. /R

SECOND READING Evol Farrelly A reading from the letter of St Paul to Timothy (4: 6-8) As for me, the time is here to leave this life. I have done my best in the race. I have run the full distance and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the prize of victory awarded for a righteous life, the prize which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on that day – and not only me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear. And the Lord will rescue me from all evil and take me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. All: Amen. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Please stand) Alleluia, Alleluia! ‘My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord; I know them and they are mine.’ Alleluia! GOSPEL Fr Peter: The Lord be with you. All: And with your Spirit Fr Peter: A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (17: 24-26). All: Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: ‘Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see the glory you have given me before the foundation of the world. Father, Righteous One, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them’ The Gospel of the Lord. All: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. (Please be seated) HOMILY Fr Peter Bickley PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL (Please stand) Bishop Martin: Heavenly Father, Fr Noel’s family and friends seek

comfort and consolation for their loss. In your name let us now offer you the prayers of their hearts:

We give thanks for all the life of Noel, a life which positively touched many people in the Parishes of Chelsea, Box Hill, Moorabbin, Dandenong, Ferntree Gully, Mt Evelyn, Gisborne and Williamstown. We ask you to receive him into eternal life with you and all the saints. We pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer. Lorraine Buntz: Lord, for the carers at Little Sisters of the Poor, St

Bernadette's and Mercy Place, East Melbourne, we thank them for their kind and sensitive care of Fr Noel in his time of need. We pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer.

Therese Rush: We pray for the Ministry to Priests and the Clergy Care Team in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. May the Lord bless their work. We pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer.

We pray for all mourners assembled and with us through livestream, especially the Old Boys Association of St Augustine’s, Geelong. We pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer.

We give thanks for all the loving qualities that made Fr Noel such a wonderful gift to all who knew and loved him. May he feel God’s loving embrace for all eternity. We pray to the Lord.

All: Lord hear our prayer Bishop Martin: Eternal God, as we pray for Noel we also pray for

ourselves; hear the petitions that we have made and answer them. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. OFFERTORY (Please be seated) OFFERTORY HYMN The Trinity Song Father, in my life I see You are God who walks with me You hold my life in Your hands Close beside You I will stand I give all my life to You Help me, Father, to be true.

Jesus, in my life I see You are God who walks with me You hold my life in Your hands Close beside You I will stand I give all my life to You Help me, Jesus, to be true. Spirit, in my life I see You are God who walks with me You hold my life in Your hands Close beside You I will stand I give all my life to You Help me, Spirit, to be true. PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Bishop Martin: Let us pray. We ask your mercy, Lord, that this

sacrifice of our service, offered for the soul of Noel, your servant and Priest, may now bring pardon to him, who devoutly offered sacrifice to you in the Church. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. Bishop Martin: The Lord be with you. All: And with your spirit. Bishop Martin: Lift up your hearts. All: We lift them up to the Lord. Bishop Martin: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All: It is right and just.

Bishop Martin: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, Holy Father, almighty and eternal God, Through Christ our Lord.

For he is the salvation of the world, the life of the

human race, the resurrection of the dead. Through him the host of Angels adores your majesty and rejoices in your presence forever.

May your voices, we pray, join with theirs in one

chorus of exultant praise, as we acclaim. All: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord… EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

COMMUNION RITE Bishop Martin: At the Saviour’s command and formed by divine

teaching we dare to say: All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Bishop Martin: Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace

in our day.

In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

All: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are

yours, now and forever. SIGN OF PEACE Bishop Martin: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave

you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever.

All: Amen. Bishop Martin: The Peace of the Lord be with you always. All: And also with you. Bishop Martin: Let us offer each other a sign of peace.

All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.

COMMUNION HYMNS I Am the Bread of Life I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger; he who believes in me shall not thirst. No one can come to me unless the Father draw him. Refrain: And I will raise him up, and I will raise him up, and I will raise him up on the last day. The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world, and he who eats of this bread, he shall live for ever, he shall live for ever. /R Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of his blood, and drink of his blood, you shall not have life within you. /R Ave Maria Ave Maria gratia plena Dominus tecum Benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis peccatoribus Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

THE PRIESTS SING Salve Regina Salve Regina mater miseri cordiae, vita, dulcedo et spes nostra salve Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae Ad te suspiramis gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia ergo advocata nostra, illos tuos miseri cordes oculos ad nos converte: et Jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Bishop Martin: Let us pray. Renewed by food from your heavenly

table, we humbly beseech you, O Lord, that by the power of this sacrifice the soul of Noel, your servant and Priest, who faithfully ministered in your Church, may exult forever in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. FINAL COMMENDATION AND FAREWELL Fr Greg Trythall: With faith in Jesus Christ, we reverently bring the

body of our brother Noel to be buried in its human imperfection. Let us pray with confidence to God, who gives life to all things that he will raise up this mortal body to the perfection and the company of the saints in the presence of the eternal king.

Before we part, let us take leave of our brother Noel. May this last farewell express the depth of our love for him, ease our sadness, and strengthen our hope. We know that one day we shall greet him with joy where the love of Christ, which overcomes all things will destroy even death itself.

SIGNS OF FAREWELL Fr Greg Trythall: When Noel was baptised, he was baptised into the

death of Christ. The Father has raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, and we too have been raised in him to live a new life for God.

Through baptism, we have shared in the death of Jesus in order that we may also share in his resurrection. In memory of our baptism, we use this holy water, and call on the Lord Jesus to welcome Noel into the glory of eternal life. As a sign of respect for our brother Noel, we let this incense rise to God, who has called him to share in his glory.

SONG OF FAREWELL Bishop Martin: Saints of God, come to his aid! Hasten to meet him,

angels of the Lord! All: Receive his soul and present him to God The Most High. Bishop Martin: May Christ, who called you, take you to himself; may

angels lead you to Abraham’s side.

All: Receive his soul and present him to God The Most High. Bishop Martin: Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let

perpetual light shine upon him. All: Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High. PRAYER OF COMMENDATION Bishop Martin: Into your hands, Father of mercies, we commend our

brother Noel in the sure and certain hope that, together with all who have died in Christ, he will rise with him on the last day.

We give you thanks for the blessings which you bestowed upon Noel in this life: they are signs to us of your goodness and of our fellowship with the saints in Christ.

Merciful Lord, turn toward us and listen to our prayers: open the gates of paradise to your servant and help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances of faith, until we all meet in Christ and are with you and with our brother Noel forever. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen. Bishop Martin: In peace let us take our brother Noel, to his place of

rest.

RECESSIONAL HYMN How Great Thou Art O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed. Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee; How great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee; How great thou art! How great thou art! When through the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; When I look down from lofty mountains grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze. /R And when I think that God his Son not sparing, Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. /R When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim My God, how great thou art! /R

Reverend Noel Anthony Christopher Oliver, PE

20 October 1937 to 5 October 2021

ORDAINED:

25 July 1964 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne Vic

APPOINTMENTS:

Retired in 2010 appointed Pastor Emeritus

A period of care followed at:

Little Sisters of the Poor, NorthcoteSt Bernadette’s, Sunshine

Mercy Place, East Melbourne

Passed away at Mercy Place, Tuesday 5 October 2021, aged 83 years

Excerpts from the English translation of the Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of the Order of Christian Funerals © 1989, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). All rights reserved. The Scripture Readings are taken from the Jerusalem Bible © 1966, 1967, 1968, 1985, Darton, Longman & Todd, Publishers and Doubleday and Co. Inc. .Used by permission of the publishers. English translation of the Psalm Responses are taken from the Lectionary for Mass © 1981, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). All rights reserved. Psalm verses are taken from The Psalms: A New Translation ©1963, The Grail (England), published by Collins.

ChelseaBox HillMoorabbinDandenongFerntree GullyMt EvelynGisborneWilliamstown

(1964)(1969)(1971)(1974)(1978)(1981)(1992)(2000)

AssistantAssistantAssistantAssistantAdministratorParish PriestParish PriestParish Priest

St Mary of the Immaculate Conception,Williamstown

11.00 am Wednesday, 13 October 2021

A Celebration of the Life of

Fr Noel Anthony Christopher Oliver PE

20 October 1937 to 5 October 2021