Saturday 6pm Vigil at SJP
Sunday 7.30am and 9.30am at SJP and
6.30pm at Santa Maria College Chapel

Tuesday 8am at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 8am at Santa Maria
Saturday 9am at SJP

The Sunday evening Mass at Santa Maria is a parish Mass - parking is available in the Junior-Middle School car park off Moreing Road.
The Friday morning Mass is open to parishioners and visitors - motorists should use the Stoneham Rd entrance. After this Mass we go out for a coffee. All welcome.

To view the parish bulletin just click here.

Saturday 6pm Vigil at SJP
Sunday 7.30am and 9.30am at SJP and
6.30pm at Santa Maria College Chapel

Tuesday 9am at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 9am at SJP
Saturday 9am at SJP (with anointing of the sick)

The Sunday evening Mass at Santa Maria is a parish Mass - parking is available in the Junior-Middle School car park off Moreing Road.

To view the parish bulletin just click here.

Please pray for a much-loved parishioner, Ron Forlin, who died on 15 July and was buried on 21 July. May he rest in the peace of the Lord whom he loved.

I came across a thought-provoking article on the NCR web site. It discusses comments made by a pro-life politician, Rocco Buttiglione: ‘God entrusts a child to its mother in such a special way, that to defend the child against the mother is just, but impossible.’ Sig. Buttiglione went on to say, ‘We have to support the mother, making her more free. The more free she is, the more difficult it will be for her to renounce the child.’ With the latter I agree; I am not sure if legislation does not have a part to play, but at least Sig. Buttiglione offers a way forward beyond acrimonious name-calling. And by-the-bye here is another interesting article from the NCR.

I caught the last of the BBC’s 2009 Reith Lectures on Sunday evening. Michael Sandel was very impressive and thought-provoking. The BBC blurb summarises the lecture thus: ‘Sandel makes the case for a moral and civic renewal in democratic politics. Recorded at George Washington University in Washington DC, he calls for a new politics of the common good and says that we need to think of ourselves as citizens, not just consumers.’ It is definitely worth a listen. Click me.

The murder of yet another human rights activist, Natalya Estemirova, in Chechnya reminds us that Russia is in the hands of murderous thugs. Vladimir Putin and his client-ruler in Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, should be condemned by every civilised government including our own. One can only admire those brave men and women who continue to document and publicise atrocities in the face of threat and violence.

Tags: justice

Saturday 6pm Vigil at SJP
Sunday 7.30am and 9.30am at SJP

Tuesday 10am funeral Mass at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 8am at Santa Maria
Saturday 9am at SJP

The Friday morning Mass is open to parishioners and visitors - motorists should use the Stoneham Rd entrance. After this Mass parishioners are welcome to join some of the teachers and parents for coffee.

To view the parish bulletin just click here.

The government is committed to mandatory sentencing for those who assault police officers. I do not think that many would argue with the proposition that our police need to be supported, I am not sure if mandatory sentencing is needed. Should not the judiciary be given the discretion to treat each case according to the particularities of its circumstances? And how is mandatory sentencing consonant with a commitment to reduce rates of aboriginal imprisonment and deaths in custody?

Tags: justice, custody

Saturday 6pm Vigil at SJP
Sunday 7.30am and 9.30am at SJP

Tuesday 9am at SJP
Wednesday 9am at SJP
Thursday 9am at SJP
Friday 9am at SJP
Saturday 9am at SJP

To view the parish bulletin just click here.