Parish Priest Rev Fr Eduardo de Pedro Orilla priest@stjoachimsparish.org

Assistant Priest (p/t): Rev Fr Emmanuel Lubega

Parish Secretary : Catherine Chia

office@stjoachimsparish.org

Bookkeeper / Accounts : Esther Esber

eesber@tpg.com.au

Youth Co-ordinator: Teresa Winata

youth@stjoachimsparish.org

Liturgy Co-ordinator: John Fenech Sacramental Co-ordinator: Sr Nory Ordiz, CM

RCIA Co-ordinator: Anne Hay

Children’s Liturgy : Patricia Balatbat

School Principal: Mrs Carolyn Parsell Phone: 9646 1310 Fax: 9646 2139

Family Educator: Dominique Sherley

RE Co-ordinator: Jeanelle Richards

Parish Pastoral Council : Geoff Barrett

Finance Committee : Vladimir Lesic

Parish Building Comm: Joseph Nguyen

Safeguarding Support: Eve Marquez

Plenary Council

Ambassadors: Rhonda &Tony Tanti

CCD Co-ordinators:

Lidcombe - Teresa Azzi

Newington - Eileen Gallagher

WE COME TOGETHER TO ENCOUNTER GOD, WELCOMING ONE ANOTHER JOYFULLY IN ACTIVE SERVICE

3rd Sunday of Advent (C) THEME: Who is leading you to Christmas? 16th December 2018

Rosters 15 Dec 2018 22 Dec 2018

Altar Society Lourdes Wang Mabel & Friends

Church Cleaner ARC ARC

This Week : 15/16 Dec 2018 Week 3

Ministry Sat 5pm Sun 10am Sun 5 pm Sun 8am

Music Groups CFC Youth for

Christ David & Co

Men’s Shed

Choir Congregation

Readers St Joachim

Youth Nancy K / Lina

Nerissa /

Christine Fred / Enriquetta

Ministers of Holy

Communion

Jolanta /

Petronella Matt / Janey

Teresa A /

Winkie Muli / Poli

Acolytes - Yuve / Victor Mick M Peter

Altar Servers Alison / Eaven Ariel/Sophie/

Alex/ Patrick

Caitlin/Belgie/

Nicholas S Gabriel

Next Week: 22/23 Dec 2018 Week 4

Ministry Sat 5pm Sun 10am Sun 5pm Sun 8am

Music Groups SFC Singles for

Christ SJ Multicultural David & Co Sacred Heart

Readers SFC member Anne / Andrew Diane / Mabel Rhonda / Denise

Ministers of Holy

Communion Mick G Yuve / Thea / Christine

Anne H /

Katerina

Acolytes Nilo Vincent Mick M Peter / Victor

Altar Servers Jessica / Eaven Naomie/Philip /

Nicholas S Monica

Gabriel

OFFICE HOURS: TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, & THURSDAY only 09:30am to 03:30pm PLEASE RING or EMAIL the Parish Office for anything … Mass Intentions—drop in the mailbox or collection baskets. Weddings: minimum 6 months notice.

Baptisms: held only on 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month. Berala on the Park 3rd Friday @11am / Canberra Nursing Home - 4th Friday @ 11am If anyone needs Holy Communion /Home Visits please contact the office to make arrangements.

Mass Schedule at St Joachim

Children’s Liturgy 2018 Possums Koalas Kangas

NO CHILDREN’S LITURGY TILL NEW SCHOOL TERM BEGINS IN 2019 The Children’s Liturgy Team wish you all a Holy Christmas & a Blessed New Year

LET US PRAY FOR:

Recently Returned to the Father : Alex Balatbat, Peter Walters, Shirley Pendergast, Kenneth E Leonardo, Patricia Rozario, Lilia de Jesus, Corazon R Estrella,

Death Anniversary: Arthur Barrett, Jesus Ronan, Gabriel Sukkar, Joseph O’Halloran, Lucy Lancuba, Mgr John Meaney, Philippe & Lily Khalifeh, Eliza Baluyot

In Loving Memory of: deceased members of the Keating family, Mary Willis, Dominic Wang, Maria Huang, Jimmy & Winnie Acton, Dawn M Roll, Rocco & Antonio Maiolo, Eric McGuire, Clemente Nilo Sr & Lourdes Nilo, Mary-Anne, Anthony & Hugh Mulligan, relatives & friends of Roll family, Antonia, Jose, Imelda, Teofila & Catalina Ronan, Grace Dettera

NB: Please let the Parish Office know when circumstances change

Sick & Infirmed: Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, Fr Graham Kings, Shirley O’Brien, Madeline Mitchell, Leila Mitchell, Val Jenkins, Sr Joan Harrison rsj, Eileen Kenny, Zahra Bourke, Gwen Ross, Frances Reid, Fiona Sutherland, Bernadette Driessen, Leo Driessen, Zachary Marsh, Michael Tucker, Antonio Bartolotta, Ruth Mary Daly, Ivanka Cesjar, Norman Gomes, Bernadette Gregory, Rustica La Rosa, Tony Fernandez, Blazenka, Eva Abarientos, Julia Obias, Cristina Olvina Thanksgiving: Nelson Lay & Ria Cortes

Holy Rosary: Next Rosary gather-ing will be on Tuesday 18th Dec. (the last for 2018) hosted by Kathy Irga in 28 Matthew Rd. Lidcombe. Please call Daisy on 0433 544 431 if

you would like to host the next Rosary. Alterna-tively you can write your details on the sheet placed before our Lady’s altar.

St Joachim’s Catholic Parish

Phone: 9649 7030 2 Mills Street, Lidcombe 2141 NSW, Australia Fax: 9646 1125

Parish website: www.stjoachimsparish.org

Heartbeats from your priest Fr Eduardo Reminiscence: This Sunday - the 16th of December, is the start of 9-Days Dawn Masses (until the 24th). This celebration of our Dawn Masses is our unique way to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Saviour. Just as we know that there are many ways to go up the top of the mountain, so there is our special and unique way to prepare for the Lord’s coming in Christmas. In this 9-days novena we pray for our particular (and personal) intention (s), believing that Mary our Blessed Mother and the Infant Jesus are so keen to put us under their loving care and hear our prayers.

The WORD of GOD in a NUTSHELL: This week, ‘Gaudete Sunday’, we are called to rejoice, for the coming of the Lord is near. At the same time, we are invited to live out our prepara-tion in the details of our daily lives. The 1st reading from Zeph-aniah is a joyful exultation, because the Lord is bringing back Zion, his people. God is in our midst and he dances for joy in

his love for us. The Responsorial Psalm does not come from the Psalter, but is a Song of Joy from the Book of Isaiah. It is a joyful canticle of trust in the Lord and of thanksgiving for all that he has done for us. St Paul, in the 2nd reading, speaks of his desire of happiness for the Phi-lippians. The Lord ‘is very near’, so we need not worry – but trust in God who will grant us the peace of his Son. In the Gospel this Sunday we meet John the Baptist again. But this time we hear his direct teaching and advice to the different groups among his followers. He also tells them of the One who is to come, who will baptise us with the Holy Spirit and fire. This week, may we remind ourselves that the Lord is very near, in our midst, and that this is our joy.

Let us then prepare well for the coming of the Lord in His Incarnation. Come! Join us in the celebration of the 9-Days Dawn Masses here at St Joachim’s.

Sun 16/12

5:15am Dawn Mass #1 8:00am Mass 10:00am Mass 5:00pm Mass

Mon 17/12 5:15am Dawn Mass #2 9:00am Mass / Rosary

Tues 18/12 5:15am Dawn Mass #3 9:00am Mass / Rosary 7:00pm Reconciliation- 2nd Rite

Wed 19/12

5:15am Dawn Mass #4 10:30am Funeral (Alex Balatbat) 6:00pm Transfer of Bl Sac / Rosary 6:30pm Novena 7:00pm Mass 7:30pm Legion of Mary

Thurs 20/12 5:15am Dawn Mass #5 9:00am Mass

Fri 21/12 5:15am Dawn Mass #6 9:00am Mass

Sat 22/12 5:15am Dawn Mass #7 4:00pm Confession 5:00pm Vigil Mass

Visiting Rome? Stay at Domus Australia. Domus Australia is a 32-room Boutique Pilgrim Guesthouse established by the Australian Catholic Church, welcoming travellers to Rome seeking comfortable accommodation and an ideal base from which to explore historical and cultural sites of the Eternal City. Centrally located with a magnifi-cently restored Chapel featuring daily Mass in Eng-lish, Domus Australia is the perfect oasis in the heart of Rome for Aussie pilgrims. Enquiries: reservations@domusaustralia.org www.domusaustralia.org

133 Years of Pastoral Care

1885 – 2018

Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria warmly invites you and your family to join them at their annual Christmas Remembrance Service 2018, presided by Bishop Terence Brady. Where: St Mary’s Cathedral, College St Sydney When: Sunday 16th December 2018 at 7:30pm

The Campion College Summer Program gives students (age 16 - 25) the oppor-tunity to live college life at Campion for a few days and nights before making any long term tertiary decisions. Participants sample Campion’s four core subjects – Literature, History, Philosophy and Theology – while enjoying the summer sun and various activ-ities including sport, trips to the beach and visits to the mountains

Kimberley Catholic Volunteer Service The Diocese of Broome, WA, requires volunteers to assist with the work of the local Church in the Kimberley. There are various important voluntary tasks: administration, building maintenance, gar-dening, shop staffing, cooking, cleaning etc. Placements are preferred for a period of 6 months. We are currently seeking volunteers for several parishes including Balgo, and La Grange/Bidyadanga and Warmun. For further details on how to be a part of this unique experience, and an application form, please contact: Volunteer Coord: Anneliese Rohr 08 9192 1060 Email: volunteers@broomediocese.org Web: www.broomediocese.org Mail: PO Box 76, BROOME WA 6725

Drawing and Giving Life – NSW Pastoral Minis-try Conference 2019 How do we renew our pastoral structures to draw and give life in the post Royal Commission Church? In what ways are we called to move for-ward and strengthen our ministries to serve the mission of Jesus Christ?

The day includes networking with ministry leaders around NSW and two opportunities to engage with a variety of workshops with on the ground practi-tioners who offer strategies for renewing and strengthening our pastoral mission.

Conference Rates: Early Bird $65 (booking made prior to 17 December 2018). Normal rate $75 (bookings after 17 December 2018). Dooleys Catholic Club Lidcombe. Tuesday 26th February 2019 / 9.30am To 4.30pm

St Elizabeth Convent in Minsk, Belarus Sr Maria from this convent, a Christian commu-nity that supports a large psychiatric hospital; takes care of an orphanage for children with mental and physical disabilities and runs a reha-bilitation center and a shelter for the homeless; will be visiting us on Wednesday 19th Dec (after Dawn Mass & 7pm Mass) to sell reli-gious articles and souvenirs some of which were made by these vulnerable people. Pro-ceeds will be used to support the people who are in their care. Please support them in their endeavours. Thank you.

St Joachim’s Christmas Mass Schedule

Mon 24 Dec Dawn Mass @5.15am + normal 9am Mass Christmas Vigil Mass @7pm Christmas Carols @11.30pm Solemn Midnight Mass @12:00am Tues 25 Dec Christmas Day Masses – 8am, 10am & 5pm

Aquinas Academy—February 2019 Courses

READING GRACIOUSLY: Mercy and the Heart in St Paul and Pope Francis

Presenter: Robert Tilley, PhD 3 Wednesday mornings, 10am – 12noon, Febru-ary 6, 13, 20. Level 5, 141 Harrington Street, Sydney Cost: $120/person (Including class notes)

DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL JUSTICE and GLOBALISATION: An Experiential and Reflec-tive Approach

Presenter: Joffre Balce, MSc Industrial Economics

4 Friday evenings, 6pm – 8pm, Feb 8, 15, 22, Mar

1@Level 5, 141 Harrington Street, Sydney

Cost: $150/person (including class notes)

DEALING with ADDICTIONS: Introduction to

the Twelve Steps Programme

Presenter: James and John

3 Friday mornings, 10am – 12noon, Feb 8, 15, 22

Level 5, 141 Harrington Street, Sydney

Cost: $120/person (including class notes)

Safeguarding Office - Archdiocese of Sydney If you or a person close to you has been abused by someone working or ministering within the Archdio-cese of Sydney we invite you to contact us. We will listen to you respectfully, offer support and dis-

cuss the options you have available to you. Please contact the Safeguarding and Ministerial Integrity Office on phone 02 9390 5812.