Phone: 02 6674 1284

Fax: 02 6674 4309

Office Hours: Monday —Thursday 9am-3pm

Office email: parkings@bigpond.com

www.stanthonysparishkingscliff.org

Facebook: St Anthony’s Catholic Parish Kingscliff

CHURCHES

St. Anthony’s Kingscliff

16 Pearl St, Kingscliff

Sts. Mary and Ambrose

1 Charles St, Pottsville

PARISH PRIEST

Fr. Paul McDonald

PASTORAL ASSISTANT

Catherine Holliday

pa@stanthonysparishkingscliff.org

PARISH BUSINESS

MANAGER

Paul Crouch

PARISH SECRETARY

Noni Lubans

parkings@bigpond.com

SCHOOLS

St. Anthony’s Kingscliff

ph: 02 6674 1368

PRINCIPAL: Lynne Pull

St. Ambrose Pottsville

ph: 02 6676 0099

PRINCIPAL: Brian Laybutt

RETIRED IN THE PARISH

Fr. John Darbyshire

5th April, 2020

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord,

Year A

LITURGICAL CALENDAR

Thursday 9th – Thursday of the Lord’s Supper

Friday 10th – Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Saturday 11th – Holy Saturday

EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD, YEAR A, 2020

ACTS 10:34, 37-43; COLOSSIANS 3:1-4; JOHN 20:1-9

gospel, although the gospel writers pay little attention to the details of the suffering

and death of Jesus: they are more interested in the meaning of these events. The

Romans execute Jesus outside Jerusalem when the city is filled with Jewish pilgrims,

there for the Passover festival. For Jesus’ friends and followers, every subsequent

Passover is celebrated in the light of his death by crucifixion. They share their

memories and reflect on the meaning of his death in the light of their sacred traditions.

Every element of the Passover story, the ancient story of God’s deliverance of their

ancestors, resonates with echoes of the experience of Jesus who is now present to

them in a new way. Little wonder, then, that the final events of Jesus’ life were

probably the first part of his story to be committed to writing. Though Matthew draws

much of his material from Mark, he fashions the tradition into a new narrative and

adds several distinctive features. “To fulfil all righteousness” is Jesus’ stated mission

(3:15). He has declared “blessed” those who suffer for the sake of righteousness

(justice or right relationship)” (5:10). He now embodies his own teaching as the just or

righteous one, the one in right relationship with God. The prayer on his lips as he faces

death (Psalm 22) is that of the suffering just Israelite who is utterly faithful to his

mission and whose trust in God never fails. There are hints that Jesus’ death is not the

end, but is rather the inauguration of the new age of God’s empire, a compassionate

alternative to the brutality of Rome. In response to the high priest Caiaphas, Jesus

points beyond death to his resurrected life “at the right hand of power….”

Extraordinary signs follow his death: the tearing of the temple curtain; the trembling of

the earth; the recognition by the Roman centurion and his companions that this man is

of God; and finally, the opening of the graves and appearance of the dead in

anticipation of the final resurrection. These signs offer the hope of reversal to all who

have witnessed the events surrounding Jesus’ death. They offer hope to the women

who have followed him all the way from Galilee and “ministered to him”. They offer

hope to the male disciples who have deserted or denied him, to faithful disciples like

Joseph of Arimathea, and even to his Roman executioners. They have the potential to

bring hope to us all at this time, especially to those who are putting their lives on the

line for others. Veronica Lawson, RSM

.

NO MASSES UNTIL

FURTHER NOTICE

PLEASE KEEP UP TO DATE

WITH PARISH OFFICE HOURS

AS THIS MAY CHANGE

WEEKLY:

Current office hours:

Monday —Thursday 9am-3pm

This year, we are invited to hear

Matthew’s passion narrative through

the lens of a global community

threatened by a virus. The prospect of

untimely death for many is an ever

present reality. Even more abhorrent

to most of us is the ongoing practice

of capital punishment, particularly

when a just person is put to death for

specious reasons or to political ends.

That’s what confronts us in today’s

gospel, although the gospel writers

pay little attention to the details of

the suffering and death of Jesus: they

are more interested in the meaning of

these events. The Romans execute

Jesus outside Jerusalem when the city

is filled with Jewish pilgrims, there for

the Passover festival. For Jesus’

friends and followers, every

subsequent Passover is celebrated in

the light of his death by crucifixion.

They share their memories and

reflect on the meaning of his death in

the light of their sacred traditions.

Every element of the Passover story,

the ancient story of God’s deliverance

of their ancestors, resonates with

echoes of the experience of Jesus

who is now present to them in a new

way. Little wonder, then, that the

final events of Jesus’ life were

probably the first part of his story to

be committed to writing. Though

Matthew draws much of his material

from Mark, he fashions the tradition

into a new narrative and adds several

distinctive features. “To fulfil all

righteousness” is Jesus’ stated

mission (3:15). He has declared

“blessed” those who suffer for the

sake of righteousness (justice or right

relationship)” (5:10). He now

embodies his own teaching as the just

or righteous one, the one in right

relationship with God. The prayer on

his lips as he faces death (Psalm 22) is

that of the suffering just Israelite who

is utterly faithful to his mission and

whose trust in God never fails. There

are hints that Jesus’ death is not the

end, but is rather the inauguration of

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS

THOSE WHO HAVE DIED, ESPECIALLY THE RECENTLY DECEASED

Brian Weatherall, Tony McLeod, Sr. Cecily Casey, Wilma Selvakumaraswamy (Sonia Mathew’s mother), Elizabeth Dundon, Stefan Bele,

Margaret Talbot

THOSE WHOSE ANNIVERSARIES ARE AT THIS TIME Ray O’Keeffe, Michael Kelly, John Perkins, Bill McNamee, Ted and Ilma Wirth, Ann Stagg, Frank Bermingham, Mary and John Potts

ALSO

Jim Kelly, Jim Hession, Maree Everingham, Mary Kelly, Margaret Kelly, Bernard Clarke, Les and Maria Andrews, Jack Byrne, Eugene, Simon and family, Fr. Tom McEvoy, Noreen Conlon, Marlene Condon, Alex Ross, Caroline Cranwell, John Perkins, Cosimo Care, Andres Plaza, Apolinar & Quintela Plaza, Jun Rasdas, Gilberto Gonzales

THOSE WHO ARE SICK

Maureen O’Brien, Zita Platt, Archer Bermingham, Michael Murphy, Sister Lecia Coombe RSM, George Prichard, May Kremmer, Jacquie Lawford, Paul O’Doherty, Breeda Flannery, Sonia Mathews, Christopher Martin, Gerard Paulson, Sean Hunt, Ann Browne

Sick List names removed after a considerable time. Please assist the parish office by advising if you wish names to remain.

FORMED - Catholic Content Online & On Demand Formed has put together a ‘Faith at Home’ section with content specifically for this current situation. If you haven’t already registered, follow below instructions. Registering for FORMED is easier than ever: Go to https://formed.org/ Select your parish Register with your name and email address Check the email account for a link to begin using FORMED They have created a series of videos to guide parishioners through logging in, signing up, and using the platform. Watch them here. Or type in this link: https://watch.formed.org/formed-help-1/season:1

CHALLENGING TIMES All Australians are experiencing hardship at this time as we seek to limit the spread of the Coronavirus. Many people are being asked to make great sacrifices: our health professionals working long hours and risking their own health; those who have lost their jobs; businesses that have had to close; parents struggling to care for their children while ‘working from home’; and so on. As Catholics, our greatest sacrifice is being unable to gather to celebrate the sacraments or even to spend time praying in a church. This is the fifth time in Australian history that the public celebration of Mass has been forbidden, the last being during the time of the Spanish flu in 1919. We make this sacrifice in solidarity with all our fellow citizens.

KEEPING CONNECTED THROUGH THE CRISIS We want to stay connected as a parish community and look out for one another. How does this happen in the environment we find ourselves in?

We encourage you to look out for one another. Can you contact some of the parishioners that you would regularly see at Mass to see how they are via phone, text or email? Are there any parishioners, particularly the elderly that may need practical help i.e. help with grocery shopping or the like? If so, please let us know.

Are you able to help in any capacity, i.e. shopping for someone, calling to check in on someone? We would to like hear from you if you can.

SUPPORTING YOUR SPIRITUAL AND PRAYER LIVES DURING COVID-19

View Mass at Home There are several options to tune into Mass at home, here are a few: SUNDAY MASS WITH BISHOP GREG HOMEMING ON YOUTUBE LIVE: From 8:00am live and on demand from your devices at any time afterwards. You can access the livestream by following the link from lismorediocese.org or using this direct link:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxOjNyku4JCI08vfeTq-fQ

Join the 1500 people who have viewed Mass this week on line from around the world and tell your friends and family wherever they may be.

ONLINE WEEKDAY MASSES: St. Francis Xavier, Lavender Bay (Our Lady of the Way) Mass on Demand comes to you every day from the Jesuit church of St Francis Xavier via the CathNews YouTube channel, view via this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYRq7AjVimr-hcHFJD_HVaQ

FREEVIEW TV: Tune in to channel 10 on Sunday mornings at 6:00am for ‘Mass for You at Home’.

Read the Mass Readings as a Family

If you don’t have access to a missal you can find the readings online here: https://www.dow.org.au/media-resources/daily-mass-readings/

PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL COMMUNION My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

PRAY FROM HOME A resource produced by the Australian Catholic Bishop’s Conference to invite Christ into your homes and to facilitate pray during this time: https://bit.ly/ACBC_PrayAtHome

PARISH NEWSLETTER BY EMAIL We encourage all parishioners to register to receive the weekly parish newsletter by email so

that, in the absence of Sunday Masses, everyone may remain connected and receive up to date information on what is happening in the parish. If you know of any parishioners who are not receiving emails from us, could you please advise us, or get them to advise us of their email address so that they can be added to our contact list. You can contact the parish office at parkings@bigpond.com or call 02 6674 1284.

PLANNED GIVING Several people have asked about how they can continue to contribute using their weekly envelopes. These may be handed in at the parish office. Maybe you could drop them in each month or so as we don’t expect parishioners to do this on a regular basis at a time when unnecessary interactions in the community are discouraged. For parishioners who have direct debit in place, arrangements will continue as usual. If you would like to arrange direct debit, please contact Paul Crouch at the parish office. If you opt for a direct debit arrangement, your contribution will go entirely to the support of the parish unless you specify that you would like a split arrangement between the two collections. The time ahead will be financially difficulty for many people and organisations in the community, including the parish.

CATHOLIC WEEKLY AND CATHOLIC LEADER

Digital editions are now free while churches are closed. Catholic Weekly link: https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/catholic-weekly-newspaper-online/ Catholic Leader link: https://catholicleader.com.au/digital-newspaper-covid19

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL NOTICE The President of St. Anthony's Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society advises that the Conference will now conduct all assistance interviews via telephone since face-to-face interviews are not allowed. To that end, persons seeking aid should still call the office number at Cabarita - 02 6676 3652 at the usual times, i.e. 9:00am—10:00am on Monday and 12:30-1:30pm on Wednesday and Friday. Our volunteers will be happy to provide all possible assistance. Anyone wishing to donate to the Vinnies' Poor Box will find it until further notice in the parish office.

PLENARY COUNCIL 2020 DELEGATES

Recently, after a process of discernment, two candidates were selected from the names

submitted by our Diocese, Dr Deirdre Little, parishioner of St. Mary’s Parish Bellingen and Miss Ellen Hales of St. Francis Xavier Parish Ballina. Please keep our Lismore delegates and all those who are working toward the Plenary Council 2020 in your prayers.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER 2020 Information on live-streaming Holy Week and Easter liturgies: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, will be made available next week. These will be live-streamed from St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore.

Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday, is the most sacred time of the year, when we will commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth. These are the days leading up to the great Easter Feast. The Lenten season of sacrifice and self-denial is about to come to an end. The greatest focus of the week is the Passion (suffering) and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the events that led up to it.

Especially important for Catholics is the Easter Triduum. Sundown on Holy Thursday to sundown on Easter Sunday is considered the most solemn part of the liturgical year and reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil. This three-day period is referred to as the Easter Triduum, also known as the Sacred Triduum, or Paschal Triduum.

Basically, the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday) is one great festival recounting the last three days of Jesus' life on earth, the events of his Passion and Resurrection, when the Lamb of God laid down his life in atonement for our sins.

HOLY WEEK AT HOME A resource is available to parishioners, containing adaptations of the Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday rituals for family and household prayer. It has been included in the email to all parishioners, and is also available on the parish website: http://stanthonysparishkingscliff.org/news-events/

GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION FOR HOLY PLACES Pope Francis has agreed that this annual collection, for the support of the Holy Places and Christian Communities in the Holy Land, should be postponed to 13th September 2020.

GROUPS WITHIN THE PARISH Meetings of parish groups have been discontinued until further notice.

PROJECT COMPASSION: ‘Go Further Together’ Dominic, 47, is a father of six from Papua New Guinea. In 2016, he became involved with Caritas Australia’s partner, Centre of Hope, which runs a safe house and family anonymous programs and turns difficult lives and an unhappy relationships around. Please donate to Project Compassion 2020 to help support the Safe House project and help bring greater harmony to families in Papua New Guinea. Let’s Go Further, Together. You can donate through Parish boxes and envelopes, by visiting: www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or phoning 1800 024 413. Please bring in your Project Compassion envelopes to the parish office at the end of Lent.

FIRST READING— Isaiah 50:4-7 RESPONSORIAL PSALM

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

RESPONSORIAL PSALM RESPONSE: 1. All who see me deride me.

They curl their lips, they toss their heads. ‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him: let him release him if this is his friend.’ R

2. Many dogs have surrounded me, a band of the wicked beset me. They tear holes in my hands and my feet, I can count every one of my bones. R

3. They divide my clothing among them. They cast lots for my robe. O Lord, do not leave me alone, my strength, make haste to help me! R

4. I will tell of your name to my brethren and praise you where they are assembled. ‘You who fear the Lord give him praise; all sons of Jacob, give him glory. Revere him, Israel’s sons.’ R

SECOND READING — Philippians 2:6-11

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory! Christ became obedient for us even to death, dying on the cross. Therefore God raised him on high and gave him a name above all other names. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory!

GOSPEL — Matthew 26:14-27:66 A PRAYER DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Lord Jesus, you are one like us in all things but sin. Lord Jesus, when so many brought to you those who were sick, you healed them. Be with our medical and nursing staff, give them grace and strength for their work of healing. Lord Jesus, you came to the house of Simon Peter, to care for his mother-in-law. Be with those in residential aged care and those isolated at home, let them know your presence. Lord Jesus, you calmed the raging seas. Be with those who feel anxiety now and give them peace and tranquillity. Lord Jesus, you were moved with compassion when you saw the crowds lost and helpless. Be with us and deepen our sense of compassion for our neighbours. Lord Jesus, you were deeply moved when you saw those who mourned for your friend Lazarus. Be with all who mourn the loss of loved ones, comfort them in their sorrow. Lord Jesus, you stayed with your companions on the road to Emmaus and explained the mystery of your dying and rising. Be with us as our companion on the journey through this time of crisis. You are our hope and salvation. Lord Jesus, we leave all to you, in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Our Lady Help of Christians, Patron of Australia. Pray for us. Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Pray for us.

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL (You may wish to pray these at home) Introductory Prayer: In new and unexpected ways, our Lenten journey has become an arduous way of the cross. In company with Jesus, let us pray for the whole human family at this time of global crisis.

For Christian communities around the world. May their loving care for all in need be a powerful sign of the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For front-line health workers and all essential services personnel. May their dedication inspire us to new levels of generous service and neighbourly care.

For scientists advising governments and researchers seeking a vaccine. May their expertise encourage us to remain confident and calm.

For those most vulnerable to the social, economic and medical effects of COVID-19: the frail aged, the chronically ill, the poor, the homeless and all refugees. May they be fully valued throughout the crisis.

For all whose mental health is jeopardised by isolation and confinement. May the support of family and friends help them cope with this challenge.

For the staff and volunteers of all welfare agencies. May they care for one another as they respond to more and more calls for help.

For one another. May we find new ways to pray, be connected in faith and celebrate the paschal mystery in this Holy Week like no other.

For the recently deceased, especially those who have died from the coronavirus, and for those whose anniversary of death occurs around this time. May they be raised to glory in Christ the Lord.

Concluding Prayer: Living and life-giving God, your Son emptied himself to become one of us, even unto death. Deliver us from the fear of death and help us live in the freedom of faith. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.