Bridgeside Bulletin

The weekly Bulletin 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 communities of Forster, Tuncurry and the surrounding districts

Sunday 11th January, 2015

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Parish
Fr Andrew Doohan (Parish Priest)
Mr Greg Byrne (Pastoral Associate)
Mrs Sharon Fowle (Administration Associate/Bulletin)
Sr Kathryn McCabe (Aboriginal Catholic Ministry)

The Parish Office is at the rear of the Parish Hall and is

normally staffed on Monday, Thursday and Friday
from 10am to 4pm.
Items for inclusion in Bridgeside Bulletin should be
received by midday on Thursday.
33 Lake Street, Forster NSW 2428
PO Box 67, Forster NSW 2428
P:
F:
E:
W:

(02) 6554 6304

(02) 6554 6425
forstertuncurryparish@gmail.com
www.forstertuncurrycatholic.org.au

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

Search for us on Facebook as Catholic Parish of
Forster Tuncurry

Follow us on Twitter: @ftcatholic

Celebrating the Sacraments

Reconciliation is available on Saturday mornings at
Tuncurry from 8:30am until the beginning of the 9am
Mass, on Saturday afternoons at Forster from 4:45pm
until 5:15pm.
Baptisms are celebrated on Sundays, either during any
of our Sunday Masses or after the 9am Mass. The next
Baptismal Preparation meeting will take place in the
Parish Halls meeting rooms on Monday 9th February
2015 commencing at 7pm. Please contact the Parish
Office for more details, or visit the Parish website.
Weddings are celebrated by arrangement and with at
least three (and preferably more) months notice.
Please contact Fr Andrew for more details, or visit the
Parish website.
A Sacramental Preparation process runs each year in
the Parish for children wishing to complete the
celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation as part of
the Parish community. Please contact the Parish Office
for more details, or visit the Parish website.
The Parish hosts the Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults process for those adults wishing to be baptised
or be received into the communion of the Catholic
Church. Please contact the Parish Office for more
details, or visit the Parish website.

Holy Name Parish School (K-6)

St Clares High School, Taree (7-12)

Ms Brooke Schumann (Acting Principal)

Mr Peter Nicholls (Principal)

41 Lake Street, Forster NSW 2428

PO Box 243, Forster NSW 2428

Davis Street, Taree NSW 2430

P:
F:
E:
W:

P: (02) 6552 3300

F: (02) 6552 3656
E: admin@tareesc.catholic.edu.au
W: www.tareesc.catholic.edu.au

(02) 6554 6504

(02) 6554 8895
admin@forster.catholic.edu.au
www.forster.catholic.edu.au

The Parish Diary(for the week ahead)

Regular Activities in the Parish

First Week of Ordinary Time

Secular Franciscan Fraternity

The Secular Franciscans Fraternity will next meet on
Wednesday 4th February 2015, coming together for
Mass at 9am, followed by a cuppa at 9:30am and then
the meeting 10am to 12pm.

Monday 12th January

Tuesday 13th January
9am
Christian Meditation (Bob 6555 5914)
11am
Funeral Liturgy for John Rodey @ Forster
3:30pm Holy Hour @ Tuncurry
4:30pm Mass @ Tuncurry
5:30pm Christian Meditation (Bob 6555 5914)

The menALIVE Group

Our Parish currently hosts a menALIVE group. They
will next meet on Wednesday 14th January after the
9am Mass.

Wednesday 14th January

9am
Mass @ Forster
9:30am menALIVE group @ Forster
11:15am Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help @
Forster

Womens Bible Study Group

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

Friday 16th January

9:30am Mass @ Forster

Christian Meditation
Our Parish hosts opportunities for the practice of
Christian meditation on Tuesdays at two distinct
times, 9am and 5:30pm. Phone Bob on 6555 5914 for
further information.

Saturday 17th January

Memorial of St Anthony
8:30am Reconciliation @ Tuncurry
9am
Mass @ Tuncurry
4:45pm Reconciliation @ Forster (until 5:15pm)
6pm
Mass @ Tuncurry

Maintenance & Gardening Group

The Parish is served by a very dedicated band of
volunteers who tend to the upkeep of the grounds
and gardens of our two sites. Their next reunion will
be on Thursday 22nd January. Contact Howard 6557
6826 for more information.

Sunday 18th January

7am
Mass @ Tuncurry
9am
Mass @ Forster
5pm
Mass @ Forster

Singing Practice
There will be no Singing Group get together until the
New Year. Details to be confirmed.

Thursday 15th January

9am
Mass @ Forster

Collection of Foodstuffs for Homebase

The next collection of foodstuffs in support of
Homebase will be on Sunday 1st February 2015.

Baptised with Water and the Spirit

This weekend we witness the baptism of

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

Oscar Atkinson, son of Leigh and Kylie,

Edward Watts, son of John and Khung-Iam, and
Alice Watts, daughter of John and Khung-Iam.

May the gift of baptism they receive strengthen them

for the journey of life and faith they will share with us.
Please remember these children and their families in
your prayers.

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 information contact
Shioney on 6554 9468.

Weekend Masses in January

Evening Prayer & Benediction

The Parish community celebrates on the first Sunday
of each month at 5:30pm in the Tuncurry church. It
will celebrated on Sunday 1st February 2015. All
welcome.

Saturdays

6pm

St Mary, Star of the Sea

Church, Tuncurry

Sundays

7am

St Mary, Star of the Sea

Church, Tuncurry
Holy Name of Jesus
Church, Forster
Holy Name of Jesus
Church, Forster

9am
5pm

Childrens Liturgy of the Word

The next Children's Liturgy of the Word for children
aged 4-12 will be on the 1st February 2015 at the 9am
Mass.
2

From the Pastors Desk

Office Closure Times

The gift of baptismand it is a gift, a gift from God

lies at the very heart of who we are as Catholic
Christians.

The Parish Office will be closed from Friday 2nd

January to Monday 19th January while Greg and
Sharon take some Leave.

In our own Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, this

centrality of baptism is given liturgical expression in
the diocesan custom of incorporating the Rite of
Blessing and Sprinkling of Holy Water into the annual
Chrism Mass and, perhaps a little more significantly,
any and all ordinations that take place in and for our
particular Church.

For urgent enquiries during this time, please make

contact with Fr Andrew.

Parking in Forster
As I mentioned at Mass last weekend, please take care
when parking near and around the Forster Church,
and particularly in the lane (Wallis Lane) that runs
behind the church building.

Whether the Church is ordaining a new bishop (as we

did for Bishop Bill) or a priest (as we did recently for Fr
Peter Street) or a deacon (as we did earlier last year
for Peter Street), the Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling of
Holy Water is one of the very first liturgical actions
that takes place during those celebrations.

I realise that parking close to the Forster Church is at a

premium. This does not mean, however, that parking
contrary to posted signs is permissible. In fact, parking
contrary to the posted signs is never permissible
under any circumstances.

And this is because everything that we do as

Christians, lay, religious or clergy, flows from the gift
of baptism that we all receive. It is the beginning of
our life as disciples of Christ; it incorporates us into
the Body of Christ, the Church; and it provides us with
the call to go out and teach all nations (see Matt 28:19
-20).

In particular, parking in Wallis Lane makes it extremely

difficult for our neighbours to come and go from their
homesnot the kind of message a Christian
community should be giving.
Your cooperation with the limitations of our parking
situation is appreciated.

This also means that the gift of baptism that we have

received from God is not meant to be kept to
ourselves or for ourselves. The true value and
meaning of this gift can only ever be discovered when
it shared, proclaimed and given away.

Fr Andrew

Mass at GLAICA House

The Mass at GLAICA House that would have been
celebrated this Tuesday (13th January) has had to be
moved back a week because of the funeral for Neil
Cooper.

The gift of baptism has consequences for those who

have received it: we have been claimed by God
through Christ, and we are called to live our lives fully
aware of our redemption through the Life, Death and
Resurrection of Christ.

It will now be celebrated at 11am on Tuesday 20th

January. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Fr Andrew

Each of us will live out our baptismal gift in a truly

unique way, depending completely on where and how
God calls us to. Nothing is more certain than that. Our
task, then, is to listen for that call that God will give
us, to embrace it (even if it takes us where we would
rather not go), and then seek to live the call to the
very best of our ability, day by day, month by month,
year by year.

If our Church is not marked by caring for

the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, we
are guilty of heresy.
St Ignatius of Loyola
All too often there are those within the Church who
denounce other people within the Church as heretics
on the basis of professed beliefs (or lack thereof in
some cases), as if doctrinal purity is the only real
measure of the true Christian.

There will always be challenges to doing so. That, too,

is part of the Christian life Im afraid. The good news,
however, is that we dont have to walk the journey
alone: having gifted us with baptism, God in Jesus
Christ will always walk with us, even unto the end of
the ages (Matt 28:20).

We need to remember, I think, that Jesus called us not

only to belief and faith, but also to action, and one
without the other is just as badif not worsethan
lacking either.
Fr Andrew

Until next week

Fr Andrew
3

Meditation in the Christian Life

meditation is simplicity. Stay with the same

word during the whole meditation and from day
to day. Don't visualise but listen to the word as
you say it. Let go of all thoughts (even good
thoughts), images and other words. Dont fight
your distractions but let them go by saying your
word faithfully, gently and attentively and
returning to it immediately that you realise you
have stopped saying or it or when your attention
is wandering.

In my homily last weekend, Ive been told that I may

have given the impression that I was criticising
meditation in all its forms. Such an interpretation of
what I said is plainly wrong: I would hardly criticise
something that I myself practice on a daily basis, and
which I would strongly recommend to anyone seeking
to deepen their spiritual life.
To be clear: when I was speaking about meditation in
my homily last weekend I was referring to the more
esoteric forms of non-Christian and new age
meditation that attract peoples attention as they
search for that which is transcendent.

Silence means letting go of thoughts. Stillness means

letting go of desire. Simplicity means letting go of selfanalysis.
What makes meditation Christian? Firstly the faith
with which you meditate some sense of personal
connection with Jesus. Then the historical scriptural
and theological tradition in which we meditate.

The World Community for Christian Meditation has

this to say About Meditation:
Meditation is a universal spiritual wisdom and a
practice that we find at the core of all the great
religious traditions, leading from the mind to the
heart. It is a way of simplicity, silence and stillness. It
can be practised by anyone from wherever you are on
your lifes journey. It is only necessary to be clear
about the practice and then to begin and keep on
beginning.

Also, the sense of community it leads to: when two or

three pray together in my name, I am there among
them. And the other means by which our spiritual life
is nourished the other forms of prayer like scripture,
sacraments and worship. Meditation does not replace
other forms of prayer. Quite the reverse it revives
their meaning.

In Christianity this tradition became marginalised and

even forgotten or suspect. But in recent times a great
recovery of the contemplative dimension of Christian
faith has been happening. Central to this now is the
rediscovery of a practice of meditation in the Christian
tradition that comes to us from the early Christian
monks, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and allows us
to put into practice the teaching of Jesus on prayer in
a radical and simple way.

Finally - but also primarily - we meditate to take the

attention off ourselves. In the Christian tradition it is
seen as a work of love. Not surprising then if we find
we become more loving people as a result of
meditating and this will express itself in all our
relationships, our work and our sense of service
especially to those in any kind of need.
Meditation is both solitary and communal. You can
connect with others who meditate and find your
journey deepened and strengthened. There is a lot to
learn about this way through our School, readings
and dialogue. But the bottom line is always your
personal practice. As John Cassian said in the 4th
century: experience is the teacher.

John Main, a Benedictine monk of Ealing Abbey,

played a major role in this contemporary renewal of
the contemplative tradition. His teaching of this
ancient tradition of prayer is rooted in the Gospels
and the early Christian monastic tradition of the
Desert.

Meditation helps people of all ages and cultures to

find a simple and practical way to awaken and deepen
their spiritual life. Children can and like to meditate
and their example shows us all how simple and natural
it is.

Open to all ways of wisdom but drawing directly from

the early Christian teaching John Main summarised
the practice in this simple way:
Sit down. Sit still with your back straight. Close
your eyes lightly. Then interiorly, silently begin
to recite a single word a prayer word or
mantra. We recommend the ancient Christian
prayer-word "Maranatha" (an Aramaic word;
see 1 Cor 16:22). Say it as four equal syllables.
Breathe normally and give your full attention to
the word as you say it, silently, gently, faithfully
and above all - simply. The essence of

For more information on the practice of Christian

Meditation, please visit the website of the World
Community for Christian Meditation (www.wccm.org)
or that of the Australian Christian Meditation
Community (www.christianmeditationaustralia.org) or
speak directly to me.
Fr Andrew
4

A Whisper Echoing Heaven

heaven.

For the early church this gospel incident provided

something of a puzzle. Why would Jesus, the sinless
One, submit to baptism by John? Why be immersed in
the waters of the River Jordan as though he were a
repentant sinner?

All these sensations had a great impact on Jesus,

leaving him with a deep sense of intimacy with his
heavenly Father which enabled him, humanly
speaking, to persevere throughout his ministry.
This Gospel has the same meaning and effect for us.

The answer gives us great hope.

Each of us has shared in the baptism of Our Lord. Each

of us has been incorporated into His baptism.

Right from the start of his public ministry, Jesus

wanted to be identified with the great mass of
humanity, who are off course in their pilgrimage
through life and who have, at times, chosen to fall
short of what it is to be fully human according to the
divine plan, i.e. who are sinful.

At whatever age we received baptism,

the heavens were opened: divine love and power
streamed from heaven to earth;
the Holy Spirit, Divine lover of humanity, hovered
gently;
and deep down, at the intimate wellspring of life, the
Divine voice was heard:
You are my beloved daughter or You are my beloved
son, my favour rests on you.

In other words, this being plunged into the waters of

the Jordan was for Jesus a great act of solidarity with
you and with me. Our Lord wanted to identify with
those of us who have become conscious of the
fracturing of our relationship with God, and have
sensed the need to turn our lives in a better direction.

That is our true, and truly personal, identity as

adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

But was this no more than street theatre? No, this

great act of solidarity by Jesus is affirmed in wondrous
terms. Jesus clearly had a mystical experience
precisely as he emerged from his identification with us
in the waters of the River Jordan.

Of course our Heavenly Father in his boundless

compassion finds other ways to communicate divine
life to billions who never get the opportunity to be
baptised, or even to hear the gospel.
But, oh what a special privilege! What a great gift to
have been incorporated into the baptism of Jesus
Christ.

Suddenly the heavens opened. Heaven and earth are

communicating again! If heaven appeared closed to
humankind it is now open again in this great act of
solidarity by our saviour.

We should wake up each morning with the Divine

voice ringing in our ears. What a difference it would
make if we re-called each morning the heavenly
whisper at our baptism and then re-echoed it
in our lives.
Fr Michael Tate

And he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove

and coming down on him. Please get rid of the idea
that there was actually a fluttering bird. As Sister
Perpetua Agatha Scholastica would have taught you in
primary school, like a dove is an adverbial phrase.
Jesus was a Jew. He would have been steeped in the
first lines of the Jewish scriptures which portray the
Spirit of God hovering over the waters of chaos. He
would have also been aware of the great story of
Noah. When the dove fluttered over his ark he knew
that the earth was safe for humanity again.

Prayer For Peace

Almighty God and Creator, You are the Father of all
people on the earth. I beseech You to guide all the
nations and their leaders in the ways of justice and
peace. Protect us from the evils of injustice, prejudice,
exploitation, conflict and war. Help us to put away
mistrust, bitterness and hatred. Teach us to cease the
storing and using of implements of war. Lead us to
find peace, respect and freedom. Unite us in the
making and sharing of tools of peace against
ignorance, poverty, disease and oppression. Grant
that we may grow in harmony and friendship as
brothers and sisters created in Your image, to Your
honour and praise. Amen.

So, when Jesus perceived the Divine lover of humanity

affirming him in his public ministry, then he
experienced this divine Spirit of God as doing so in
dove-like fashion, like a dove does a sense of being
hovered over by this Divine presence.
And all this is a prelude to a heavenly intuition: and a
voice spoke from Heaven: This is my Son, the
beloved, my favour rests on him.
In the Jewish tradition this sort of sensation is called
the bat qol, the daughter of a voice, a whisper echoing

St Ephraim the Syrian

5

You are my own dear Son

Kids Corner

P G N Z WM S C Q U WC Q D M
D B L L A D Q T S O I Z P U F
S K Y R C C Q P M S X R WM P
T O I G Q O G Y O I F I R E O
E I J L I R B J E R C F H S W
X J S Q B I N A F T E R WE E
C K A E M E S S I A H S WO R
I H J O H N B Z Y O Z A A R F
T V H B Y L C U J Q N N T J U
E A F E J F R A M I X D E C L
D P R A Y E D V G P I A R D P
O H R Z P R E G J S U L R E X
S E F D F E Z N L X I S M U C
N Z Q T N H M V M D O V E WA
WH E A V E N E F V Z E A G M

Try to find these words:

after
excited
heaven
Messiah
prayed
sky

dove
fire
John
powerful
sandals
water

Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

Opportunities Outside The Parish

We are the Church

Since Vatican II we have been proudly professing that
WE ARE THE CHURCH. If we truly believe this then
we must ask ourselves, how am I contributing to the
life of the Church and is there more I could be doing?

The Christian Formation Course

Unit 1.3 of this course will commence on Thursday
29th January at the St Laurence Centre,
Broadmeadow. For more information contact the
Tenison Woods Education Centre on P 4930 9601 E
twec@ssjl.org.au.

There are many opportunities for service in our

Church community. In particular we are at present in
need of Sacristans to set up for our weekend Masses
and also for Funerals during the week.

Before We Say I Do
Weekend marriage education course will be held on
Saturday 31st January, commencing at 9.30am in the
Toohey Room, Diocesan Office, 841 Hunter Street,
Newcastle West. Two Saturdays (also 7th February)
from 9.30am 4.30pm. For more information P 4979
1370 E marriageeducation@catholiccare.org.au W
www.catholiccare.org.au.

Interested people will receive the proper formation,

training and support. Please rush to the Parish Office
to display your willingness to be involved.

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.

A Journey in the Heart

Pilgrimage to India and Sri Lanka will begin on
Monday 2nd February, led by Fr Michael Whelan SM
(Aquinas Academy, Sydney). Itinerary includes
Mumbai, Coorg, Bangalore, Shantivanam (Fr Bede
Griffiths Ashram), Colombo, Kandalama, Kandy,
Colombo. For further details, please contact Marie
Fonseca on 0418 265 117 or Andre Rasquinha on 0403
569 079. Website: www.spiceodyssey.net.au.

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.

WantedVolunteer Workers

There are no meetings and no cost whatsoever and

each member may remain anonymous if desired.

The Diocese of Broome, WA, requires volunteers to

assist with the work of the local Church on Aboriginal
Missions. There are various important voluntary tasks:
administration, building maintenance, gardening,
shop staffing, cooking, cleaning, etc. Placements are
preferred for a period of 6 months plus.

Because there are no meetings this group is very

suitable for all parishioners, especially some of our
housebound or incapacitated folk enabling them to
play an important and active role within the life of the
parish community.

For further details and an application form please

contact: Volunteer Coordinator, Anneliese Rohr on 08
9192 1060, E volunteers@broomdiocese.org, W
www.bromediocese.org, M PO Box 76, Broome, WA
6725.

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 Office. To request prayers for
someone in need of prayer please contact Bob on
6555 5914 leaving your name and contact details.

Text: Excerpts from the English Translation of the Roman Missal 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL); Music: From the Mass of
St Francis 2010, Paul Taylor. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Australian AgentLicenSing Online Lic No. 624844.

Ministers this Weekend...

...of the Word

...of Communion

6pm Tuncurry

A: Bob Cashman
B: Colleen Cashman

Margaret Smith, Maureen Stevens, Neil Pye, Owen

Carroll, Pat Hooker.

7am Tuncurry

A: Lorraine Clark
B: Cecile Malone

Cecile Malone, Cushla Drake, Graham Griffiths, Kay

Griffiths, Mark Mowbray.

9am Forster

A: Kris Koch
B: Barbara Kermode

Alan McCarthy, Anne Hartman, Coral McCarthy, Greg

Byrne, Josi Beech.

5pm Forster

A: Monica Hunt
B: Chris Matuszny

Alex Matuszny, Lou Hope, Valarie Ross, additional

assistance required.

Ministers next Weekend...

...of the Word

...of Communion

6pm Tuncurry

A: Michael Siddle
B: Lou Hope

Kathryn McCabe, Lou Hope, Michael Siddle, Ruth

Pearson, Valarie Ross.

7am Tuncurry

A: Maria Armitage
B: Marie Gapps

Cecile Malone, Edna Tucker, Genevieve Williamson, Kay

Griffiths, Norm Chapman.

9am Forster

A: Trevor Turner
B: Judith Shand

Barbara Dolahenty, Barbara Kermode, Elle CairnsCowan, Robert Moran, Sharon Fowle.

5pm Forster

A: Maureen Stevens
B: Monica Hunt

Josi Beech, Maureen Pye, Owen Carroll, additional

assistance required.

Please note: The above information reflects the rosters as originally published,
and doesnt take account of any swaps that may have been organised between individuals.
PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING IF YOU RECOGNISE A SHORTFALL

Scripture Readings This Week

Today

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Todays Liturgy of the Word

Isaiah 55:1-11
1 John 5:1-9
Mark 1:7-11
Hebrews 1:1-6
Mark 1:14-20
Hebrews 2:5-12
Mark 1:21-28
Hebrews 2:14-18
Mark 1:29-39
Hebrews 3:7-14
Mark 1:40-45
Hebrews 4:1-5, 11
Mark 2:1-12
Hebrews 4:12-16
Mark 2:13-17
1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19
1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20
John 1:35-42

Responsorial Psalm
Response: You will draw water joyfully from the
springs of salvation.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
John saw Jesus approaching him, and said:
This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the
world. Alleluia!

In your charity, please pray for:

Those recently deceased.
Colin John Rodey, Neil Cooper, Patricia Butt.
Those whose anniversaries occur about now.
Ken Aurisch, Antonia Formosa, Rose Formosa, Daniel
McNeill, Barry Barnes.
All those in our community who are sick.
8