Message From The Parish Priest
30th/31st August 2025 ~ 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
The Parents of our new fully-initiated Children
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Over the past weeks we have been celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation (Confirmation and First Eucharist) with 47 young people from our parish. In last weekend’s Grapevine, Petranel reflected on this moment for our parish. I would like to continue that reflection. Petranel, Angela and me conducted a series of workshops on each of the Sacraments that led up to their celebration. Angela and Petranel focused on the young people; I explored with the parents the theology of each of the Sacraments and their implications for us now, as Adult Catholics.
For many of the parents this would have been the first time since they left school that they would have been invited to reflect freshly on the meaning of the Sacraments. I found my engagement with them quite powerful. The parents were attentive, involved with the information and open to consider their own faith response to this new understanding from contemporary Catholic theology about Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Eucharist. I mostly talked about God, and God’s overwhelming welcome and love of them.
I was struck by the pace of life for these young parents, yet their own desire to deepen their spiritual journey and support their child in the ways of Catholic Faith in the best way possible. They would have heard the support and welcome that we offered as a parish community, especially at our Sunday Eucharist. I am sure that not a few would welcome the desire to regular worship and to find ways to deepen the faith practice of their children.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we regulars and “oldies” in the church need to find ways to support these families and young parents as best we can, while also aware of the pressures that most of them have to deal with. Certainly through the Parish Pastoral Council and in our relationship with St Francis school we continue to put into practice our parish vision that advocates a missionary outreach and spirit of hospitality to these young parents. This is the spirit of Jesus.
Your brother,
Michael