THE JOYFUL COMMISSION
November 2020
In this edition A Word from the Pastor - St Mary’s, November, Advent, and Religious Art Alpha Update Springtime Alpha in full swing A Patron for Millenials - And why you should care Ministries Update Ministries and St Mary’s St Mary’s Reopening - Frequently Asked Questions St Mary’s Renewal Project - Final progress report
OUR VISION: SURRENDER DISCIPLESHIP MISSION The Parish of St Mary and St Joseph is a healthy, growing Catholic community that worships God, welcomes the searcher, and invites people to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Members of our community surrender their life to Jesus through an experience of the Holy Spirit, commit to life-long discipleship, and joyfully accept the mission to go out and make disciples.
FR GREG BELLAMY, PARISH PRIEST
A WORD FROM THE PASTOR St Mary’s, November, Advent, and Religious Art The Blessing and Reopening of St Mary’s
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just recently completed my last site inspection of St Mary’s Church before it is handed over to the parish. It’s getting very exciting. One of the last tasks to be completed is the external landscaping. After years of drought we have been blessed by substantial rain this year. One consequence of that has been 90 wet days in which external works at St Mary’s had to be postponed, thus delaying the project. An upside, however, is that the turf and bushes that will be planted should take off and make the site very green indeed. The blessing and opening of St Mary’s will take place on Friday 27th November at 5.45pm. We decided to choose a weekday Mass instead of a weekend Mass because of the limited attendance possible. Following the four-square meter rule, up to a maximum of 300 for a place of worship, St Mary’s will be able to hold 200 worshippers at a time. This added capacity for Masses in Orange will be welcome. It also means more people can attend the blessing and opening. The opening Mass will include music but, following government COVID-19 regulations, there will not be congregational singing. The blessing of the ‘alterations and additions’ will focus on the blessing of the new baptistry area. This is because the life of the Church flows from the waters of baptism. All present
will also renew their baptism vows during the liturgy, recalling the day of their own baptism. Likewise, we will sprinkle holy water not only on the new parts of the building, but also on the gathered people. After all, a building is ‘a church’ because it is the place where ‘the Church’ gathers. Very shortly, tickets for the opening Mass will be made available online. If you have trouble booking a ticket on the internet you might ask a relative to make the booking for you or, if you are really stuck, you can ring the parish office and we will make the booking online for you. It will be strictly the first 200 people who can attend. Clergy, musicians and others essential to the liturgy are not counted in the 200-person limit. The Month of November November is the month in which Catholics specially pray for the faithful departed. The month begins with the celebration of All Saints. This is a feast day dedicated to all the members of the Church who are now in paradise with Christ. We know the canonised saints and blesseds, such as Bl. Carlo Acutis, but there are countless others who have entered the Kingdom. This feast is a reminder that we are all called to holiness. Cooperating with the work of grace in our lives and so becoming saints is the most important task that we are given by God. In the end, the only real lasting failure in life is the failure to become a saint.
The day after All Saints is the commemoration of all the faithful departed, otherwise known as All Souls. This is the day on which we celebrate Mass at the Orange Cemetery. It was a beautiful sunny day this year (in contrast to the violent storm that rolled in last year). It was wonderful to see almost 100 people attend this Mass. We are now celebrating the other cemetery Masses throughout our rural centres. Usually in Orange, we conclude November with our annual Memorial Mass. This Mass is specially for people who have passed away in the past 12 months, including those whose funerals have been celebrated in our parish. A highlight of this Mass is the opportunity to come forward and light a candle while praying for your loved one. This is usually a very popular Mass. Given the restrictions on numbers at places of worship, we have decided to postpone our memorial Mass until such time that more people are able to attend. We don’t want a situation where a bereaved family comes to remember and pray for their loved one and can’t get into the church. We will let you know when it becomes possible to celebrate this beautiful liturgy, which is very important in the life of the parish. The entire month of November is a time to offer up prayers for our deceased loved ones. In the cross-aisle of St Joseph’s our memorial book can be found. In this book you can write down the names of your deceased loved ones and we will pray for them during our November Masses. I would also encourage you to visit the resting place of your loved ones during November and to pray for them and all the faithful departed. Offering up prayers for
the dead who are being purified and are on the way to heaven is a spiritual act of mercy. One day you and I may be the grateful recipients of such prayers. Advent December is almost upon us. That means it is Advent. I sometimes think Advent is the most overlooked of seasons because people generally celebrate Christmas throughout December and, ironically, abandon Christmas celebrations when we actually get to the season of Christmas. Partially this is because of the structure of work and school calendars: everything is being wound up and then we go on holidays. I want to encourage you to really try to mark Advent this year in your family home. A really good way is to use an Advent wreath. The Advent wreath is an old German tradition. Made from a circle of evergreens, the wreath is hung from the ceiling or placed on a table. It is generally incorporated into the family meal during Advent. The circular shape of the wreath reminds us of eternity. It reminds us that God has no beginning or end. He brings new life to creation but is unchangeable in himself. The four candles, three purple and one rose, represent the four weeks of Advent. The purple reminds us of the penitential nature of the season, while the rose candle is for the third Sunday of Advent known as Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday. The entrance antiphon at Mass on the third Sunday reminds us of the joy to come with the arrival of the Messiah: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” The coming of the Messiah is indeed a reason to rejoice.
We are doing our best to plan our Christmas Mass schedule. It’s not easy. With an upper limit of 300 per Mass and a restriction on congregational singing, there are some challenges for us to meet. As soon as possible, we will let you know the plan for how we will celebrate Christmas during this most memorable of years. The Religious Artworks of Adrian Immens To conclude, I would like to draw your attention to the availability of a book on the religious artwork of Adrian Immens. Adrian was a former parishioner of St Joseph’s who designed and constructed a set of 26 stained glass windows for the old Orange Base Hospital Chapel and composed a meditation to accompany each window. If you walk through the ground floor of the new hospital you will see them hanging on the courtyard windows. A booklet has now been produced as a tribute to Adrian’s work with full colour images of each window. The proceeds from the sale of the booklet will be used to improve palliative care services here in Orange. The booklet is available from Orange Clothing Company, 4 McNamara Street for a cost of $15.00.
Parish Opera+ons First Quarter 2020/2021 The Parish of the Sacred Heart and St Lawrence O’Toole, Molong Income
Planned Giving Income $6,375 Investment Income $1,121 Total Income $7,496 Expenses Repairs and Maintenance $800 Utilities $2,715 Diocesan Levy $1,376 Total Expense $4,891 Operating Surplus/(Deficit) $2,605
The Parish of St Mary and St Joseph, Orange Income Planned Giving Income $67,425 Investment Income $30,565 Jobkeeper Subsidy $69,000 Other Income $4,818 Total Income $171,808
Expenditure Administrative Expenses $7,458 Pastoral Costs $1,626 Repairs and Maintenance $39,065 Insurance and Utilities $26,564 Employment Costs $97,220 Diocesan Levies $13,309 Other Expenses $923 Total Expenditure $186,165
Operating Surplus/(Deficit) ($14,357)
JOSH DUNN, FAMILY EDUCATOR
ALPHA UPDATE Springtime Alpha in Full Swing Our current season of ‘Spring2me Alpha’ is in full swing now, with 30 guests enjoying each week of Alpha filled with homecooked meals, an Alpha episode on various topics, and a chance to discuss and mingle with each other. Our wonderful guests range from people new to Orange and even new to Australia, parents and teachers from our local primary schools, our valuable parishioners, and senior students and Youth Minister from James Sheahan. This great dynamic within our group has resulted in lovely conversa2on and sharing of stories over dinner and a relaxed feel in discussion groups in which guests offer thoughJul insights.
David Maher, Melanie Moon, Charlie Jefferis, Becky Jefferis, Kerry Maher and Rachel Cranney
If you enjoy yummy food, insighJul TV, and chaMng among others, Alpha could be for you! If you are at all interested in Alpha and what it might be all about, register any interest at alphaorange.org.au to enable me to get in touch with you. Or, if you know someone who is currently doing Alpha, ask them about it – they’d love to share! Our new season of Alpha will be launched early in 2021.
FR GREG BELLAMY, PARISH PRIEST
A PATRON FOR MILLENIALS (And why you should care)
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aturday October 10th, 2020 was a significant day, though perhaps not many Catholics in Australia realised it. In Assisi an Italian teenager named Carlo Acutis joined a pretty exclusive group: Catholic teenagers throughout the ages who have been beatified or canonised. On that Saturday, in the midst of a pandemic, Blessed Carlo took his place alongside other saintly teenagers such as Agnes, Philomena, Dymphna, Jose Sanchez del Rio, Dominic Savio, Rose of Viterbo, and Stanislaus Kostka.
Carlo’s Life Carlo died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. He had been born in London but grew up in Italy, an only child and ordinary in so many ways. He loved action films, soccer, computer games, Pokémon, and had two cats, four dogs, and a whole school of goldfish. Carlo’s family was Catholic but not religious. They didn’t go to Mass regularly. Yet, from an
early age, Carlo developed a deep desire to enter every church he passed to “say hello to Jesus”. At his own insistence, he received his First Holy Communion earlier than most children. After his Confirmation he became a catechist so he could tell other young people about Jesus. Carlo’s parents were puzzled by the mysterious origins of his faith and the questions he asked. These questions forced them to buy catechisms so they could answer his questions. Carlo’s spontaneous love of Jesus effected something of a reversal to how faith is usually transmitted in the family home. Usually, parents share their faith with their children. In this instance, the child shared his faith with his parents and brought them to active discipleship. Carlo’s faith was centred on a deep love of the Eucharist. He never missed daily Mass and regularly prayed before Jesus in the tabernacle. He prayed the rosary and went to Confession often. From the age of 11, Carlo started documenting Eucharistic miracle sites all over the world and began the task for which he is most famous: cataloguing and promoting these Eucharistic miracles on a website that he developed. He used one of his great skills and passions; computer programming, to bring people all around the world to a deeper Eucharistic faith. Of the Eucharist, Carlo would often say: “the Eucharist is my highway to heaven” and “if we get in front of the sun, we get sun tans, but when we get in front of Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints.”
According to his mother, “Carlo always had a sense that he couldn’t waste time.” He worked hard to develop the virtue of temperance so that he enjoyed everything in moderation. While he loved computer games, he strictly allowed himself to play them for only one hour per week so he could use the rest of his time helping other children, the elderly, and the poor. At his funeral, a number of the town’s destitute participated to the surprise of other mourners. Unbeknownst to most people, he had been privately visiting the homeless on a regular basis and had brought them food and sleeping bags.
not please God.” Before his death, Carlo promised his mother a sign that he was with God. Carlo’s mother believes that she has received that sign: Carlo died October 12 2006 and his mother gave birth to his twin brother and sister exactly four years later on his anniversary.
Another Beatification
Carlo was popular at school and was known for deliberately befriending children who were unhappy in their home situations. He treated girls with an ‘old fashioned purity’ that challenged the other boys to be respectful towards girls and to guard their chastity when using the internet. He defended his Catholic faith when it was attacked in class, including spirited defence of the Church’s pro-life teachings. In October 2006 Carlo became ill with ‘the flu’, but it was quickly discovered that he had a devastating form of leukemia. He only lived days after his diagnosis. Carlo received this news calmly and told his family “I am happy to die, because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things which do
The Church beatifies and canonises a lot of saints. Pope Saint John Paul II was famous for the sheer number of blesseds and saints he proclaimed. They are all important. But I want to suggest Carlo’s beatification has a particular significance that we would do well to reflect upon. I find it significant that Bl. Carlo’s tomb is located in the ‘Sanctuary of the Spoliation’. This is the place where, centuries before Carlo’s time, a young St Francis famously divested himself of everything that belonged to his father and walked away, literally naked, into the street. Carlo was a devotee of Francis, and so this is an appropriate resting place for this saintly young man who, centuries later, argued with his parents when they wanted to buy him a second pair of shoes. A young man chose sanctity in the 13th century and 800 years later another young man made the same choice in the 21st
century, though the circumstances of their lives were radically different. Carlo’s mother said that God had chosen him for a particular reason: to be “an example for the young people of this period in history”. If he is canonised in the next few years, Blessed Carlo will be the first millennial saint. Rather than vestments, a habit, or medieval garments, Carlo can be seen in his tomb in Assisi dressed in a sports top, jeans, and Nike sneakers. He was an heroic teenage saint of contemporary culture and the internet age. In a particular way we should care about Carlo’s beatification because he is a contemporary witness to sanctity. His parents, family, and friends are all still alive and can share their personal memories of him. The argument that sanctity is impossible in our world and is only for olden times or for people who are enclosed in cloisters finds a powerful rebuke in Bl. Carlo.
He bears witness: sanctity is for teenagers, computer programmers, people who spend time on the internet and are really into Pokémon, soccer fans, young people who come from unchurched families, and, yes, for you and me. Bl. Carlo Acutis is a good example and intercessor for our young people who face many obstacles to growth in sanctity. He is an inspiration to the millennials, a generation that is often the recipient of a great deal of criticism. Greatness is a vocation for all the baptised, not just the few. One day he may be officially declared patron of the internet or perhaps even of millennials. But right now, he is nonetheless a real heavenly patron for our young people. He is proof that God calls millennial saints and it is indeed, with God’s help, possible to respond to that call. Being a beatified or canonised teenager may mean belonging to an exclusive group, but being a saint is for everyone.
AMY SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR OF MINISTRIES
MINISTRIES UPDATE Ministries and St Mary’s
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t is full steam ahead as we prepare for the reopening of St Mary’s!
Having Mass in one church (plus Kenna Hall) has meant that the priests have been able to be responsible for jobs that would normally be done by parishioners, in particular, setting up for and packing up after Mass (sacristan) and counting people into the church. However, now that we’re moving back to two churches, the priests will not be able to do these roles and also prepare themselves to celebrate Mass. And so, this is a great opportunity to introduce a formal welcoming ministry in our parish. Are you friendly, able to guide others in how to sign in (including using QR codes) and happy to arrive early for Mass once a month? I would love for you to consider joining this ministry. As part of a brand new ministry, you’ll also have the opportunity to shape the welcoming and invitational culture of our parish. Further information is available on the role description cards in the cross aisle at St Joseph’s. A training session for welcomers will be held at St Mary’s Church (gathering space), Sunday 22 November, 11:30am-1:00pm. If you have any questions about this ministry, or to RSVP for the training session (for catering and Covid-19 requirements), please email ministries.orange@cdob.org.au or call me at the parish office on 6362 2378. We are also in need of sacristans. If you are highly organised, happy to work quietly behind the scenes and willing to commit to a
roster, I would love for you to consider joining this ministry. I am particularly looking for sacristans for weekdays (especially Wednesday evening), and all weekend Masses. Individual training is provided. The new Mass schedule means there are also spaces available on the roster for readers. If you would like to be trained as a sacristan or reader, please contact me at ministries.orange@cdob.org.au or call me at the parish office on 6362 2378. We are continually assessing the impact of Government restrictions on places of worship. At this stage, the ministries we can run in a Covid-Safe way are sacristan, reader and welcomer. Other ministries have different trigger points for being able to reopen (e.g. relaxing of the 1.5m and 4 square metre rules). Any changes will be communicated through The Joyful Commission, The Parish Overview and our Facebook page. As an aside, I was very privileged to be in Rome, just over 10 years ago for the canonisation of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. As I reflected on the anniversary of her canonisation, one of her quotes came to mind. “Never see a need without doing something about it.” Is God calling you to be involved in ministry?
AMY SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR OF MINISTRIES
ST MARY’S REOPENING Frequently Asked Questions
When is St Mary’s reopening? The opening Mass is on Friday 27 November, 5:45pm. How do I book my ticket to the opening Mass? Our preferred way to book is for you to visit www.trybooking.com/BLPZO. If you don’t have an internet connection or email address, ask a friend or family member to book on your behalf. If this isn’t possible, as a last resort, phone the parish office on 6362 2378, and we’ll book a place for you. There may be high call volumes to the parish office, so booking online directly is your best chance of securing your ticket. When can I book my ticket to the opening Mass? Bookings open Monday 16 November 12:00pm and close Friday 27 November 12:00pm, unless booked out sooner. Do I need to book tickets for my children? Yes. All attendees, including children, must have tickets in order to attend. I’m super keen to get my ticket. Can I call the parish office before 12:00pm 16 November and be put on the ticket list? No. The reopening of St Mary’s is expected to be very popular. To be fair to all who want to attend, we can’t take names for tickets before 12:00pm 16 November. I’m trying to phone the parish office and I can’t get through. What can I do? Keep trying. If we have high call volumes, we may not be able to answer every call that
comes through. Try not to leave a message, as the messages will be checked when call volumes are low, and we don’t want you to miss out. All the tickets are booked out. Is there a waiting list? Yes. If you are booking yourself online, you can add yourself to the waiting list. If tickets become available, we will let you know. If you are booking via the parish office, we’ll add you to the waiting list and will let you know if tickets become available. Depending on how many people end up on the waiting list, we may not be able to contact everyone to let them know if they have not secured a spot. Please assume that if you have not heard from us, you do not have a ticket. I booked tickets but some or all of us are no longer able to attend. What do I do? If you booked online, click on the link in the email you received. You are able to “return” any tickets you no longer need. Alternatively, you can call the parish office on 6362 2378, and we’ll cancel the tickets for you. It is really important to cancel any tickets that are not going to be used. Cancelling your ticket will allow someone else to attend the opening Mass instead. I booked a ticket for someone, but they can’t attend. Can I ask someone else? For contact tracing requirements, we need to know the names and contact details of each person attending. If someone can’t come, and you have someone you can pass the ticket onto, visit the trybooking website to change the
attendee name, or contact the parish office and we will change the attendee name for you.
the covered walkway. Your driver then exits via the south driveway and finds a park.
Do I need to bring a copy of the ticket to the Mass? No. We will print a list from the booking system and mark your name off when you arrive.
Parking is available on the school grounds, on Park St and surrounding streets. Access the school parking by driving up the north driveway (school side). Parking is no longer available on the grass area in front of the church.
I didn’t get a ticket. Can I come to the Mass on the day and see if there are spare seats available? No. If we have a number of families that want to try their luck on the day, we may end up with crowds outside the church, which we can’t have due to Covid-19 restrictions. While not enjoyable for everyone involved, if your name is not on the attendance list, you will be asked to leave. I don’t have a ticket but I just want to quickly check out the renovations. Can I pop in before the opening Mass? No. On Friday 27 November, only those on the Mass attendance list will be able to enter St Mary’s. If you would like to have a look at the renovations, we encourage you to come early to one of the weekend or weekday Masses from Saturday 28 November. What time should I arrive for the opening Mass? The doors will open at 5:00pm. We would like everyone to be seated by 5:40pm. Where should I park? How do I get into the church? If you have a disability parking permit, drive up the south driveway (Croagh Patrick side). There are disabled parking spaces on the right. Walk under the covered walkway to the entrance to the church. If you are being dropped off, have your driver drive up the south driveway (Croagh Patrick side), do a 3-point turn, then exit your car near
Which door do I come in? There are two doors at either side of the gathering space. Enter through one of these doors, then through the main door to the body of the church. The two side doors on the main body of the church will be used as emergency exits only. How will I know which pew to sit in? At the end of every second pew, there will be a sign indicating that the pew is not to be used. What about the two different spaces? St Mary’s will have two spaces - the main body of the church and the gathering space. First in best dressed - the first 170 people to arrive will be able to sit in the main body of the church, and the next 30 will sit in the gathering space. What Covid-19 precautions are in place for St Mary’s? Our Covid-Safe plan for St Mary’s is similar to St Joseph’s. Key aspects are: Capacity limit of 200 people Sign in for Mass using manual registers or QR code Every second pew is unable to be used. Hand sanitiser and disinfectant wipes available Communion is distributed on the hand by the priest only Only attend Mass if you are well
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FR GREG BELLAMY, PARISH PRIEST
ST MARY’S RENEWAL PROJECT Final Progress Report
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am pleased to say this is the last progress report I will have to make on the St Mary’s Renewal Project. By the time you receive this magazine, the precinct should have been handed over to the parish for a twoweek period of moving back into the building before the blessing and reopening on Friday 27th November. I would like to take the time, after more than a year, to revisit the purpose, history, and context of this significant project.
wall on Hill St and the removal of the stained-glass windows at St Joseph’s as both these items were considered urgent for safety and conservation reasons. The work of our St Joseph’s Restoration Committee was therefore delayed till after the St Mary’s project was completed. It will recommence in 2021.
Looking Back Back in 2018 we discovered that there were some significant challenges related to the long-term condition of our two churches in Orange. Some of the challenges at St Joseph’s were fairly obvious. Some of the challenges at St Mary’s were less obvious from a casual visual inspection but were nonetheless significant. After some discussion, the parish decided to address the challenges at St Mary’s first and to postpone work on St Joseph’s until St Mary’s was renewed. The exceptions to this were the replacement of the heritage retaining
Our St Mary’s Renewal Project came after a period of receiving suggestions from parishioners which were discussed by the Renewal Committee and the Parish Finance Council. After formulating some plans, we had another period of consultation and feedback. The decision to invest in this building and precinct, not simply in terms of repairs and maintenance but also in terms of alterations and additions, was made as an important part of our strategy to set the parish up for mission and to realise our parish vision.
This postponement was not simply so the parish could concentrate on one project at a time. It was also because the work at St Joseph’s may prove to be extensive and experience shows that heritage restoration projects can run into hurdles and often take a lot longer than originally expected. Certainly, it will be a multi-year effort that will, for some periods of time, necessitate the closure of St Joseph’s to the public. After reflection, we thought it better to have St Mary’s all done and ready to meet the parish’s needs into the future before embarking on the St Joseph’s Restoration Project.
Moving from Maintenance to Mission In 2018 we spent some time as a parish discussing the book Divine Renovation. The main challenge of this book is to move our parish beyond maintenance to mission. That means redirecting the lion’s share of our time and resources from simply ‘keeping things going’ to ‘making new disciples’. From this process of reflection, we invested in some new staff and launched Alpha and Symbolon in the parish, both of which have started strongly despite the pandemic. Our capital works program is designed to support a multi-year process of reorienting the parish from maintenance to mission. Thus, the St Mary’s precinct will visually and structurally reflect this reorientation.
We print our parish vision on the front of each edition of The Joyful Commission, but as we reflect on the importance of the St Mary’s Renewal Project it is worth reading it again closely and carefully: The Parish of St Mary and St Joseph is a healthy, growing Catholic community that worships God, welcomes the searcher, and invites people to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Members of our community surrender their life to Jesus through an experience of the Holy Spirit, commit to lifelong discipleship, and joyfully accept the mission to go out and make disciples.
Does this describe our community here and now? No! Of course not! It is a vision, which means it’s aspirational. It describes where we want to be. If we don’t know where we are going, how do we know if we are moving in the right direction? According to an old nautical saying: we may not reach the stars, but we need them to chart our course. St Mary’s Church should structurally and visually embody our vision. It should be a space that encourages us to be a healthy growing Catholic community. That means, it should give us a space to worship God and a space to welcome and support the searcher. It is very deliberate that the building has a space for prayer and liturgy and a space for gathering and talking. If we are to be a healthy growing Catholic community, we must prioritise prayer AND socialising; silence and reverence AND conversation and laughter. The structure of the new building should give us a place dedicated to communion with God and a place dedicated to communion with each other. We have a place for silence and a place for noise; a place to catch-up with God and a place to catch-up with friends. Our dedicated gathering space corresponds to the atrium in ancient Christian churches. Atria were open air courtyards, usually surrounded by covered aisles, at the entrance of churches. You had to pass through the atrium to enter the nave or main body of the church. This was a place where the catechumens would gather for instruction before they were baptised. It was the place of formation as well as socialising. It was a place of welcome, fellowship, and evangelisation. Like an ancient atrium, the St Mary’s gathering space gives us a clear outward focus: the building is structurally oriented to
welcome and evangelisation. It allows us to have fellowship without compromising the space that people need for silent prayer. It gives us a space for Alpha (making disciples) and the instruction of catechumens and candidates for full communion through Symbolon (forming disciples). It allows baptism preparation to be located right next the place where baptism actually takes place. It allows us to be more welcoming at funerals, weddings, and other occasions when visitors may find themselves in a Catholic church for the first time in their lives. It is a space designed to help members of our community surrender their life to Jesus through an experience of the Holy Spirit, commit to life-long discipleship, and joyfully accept the mission to go out and make disciples. Project Progress All projects have challenges and setbacks. This one is no different. Over the past twelve months we have faced some unexpected challenges. The problems with leakage in the windows above the sanctuary were significantly greater than first thought and the subsequent damage being done to the ceiling was also worse than expected. It was discovered that the concrete slab in the old drop-off area (the new gathering space) was not up to standard and needed to be replaced. We also discovered some ‘creative plumbing’ that needed to be rectified. The extensive outside work was likewise delayed by the good news that the drought was finally breaking. This year we lost about 90 days of construction time because of rain. The 90 days doesn’t just include the wet days, but also the days needed for the ground to dry out. In the last days before the reopening, the landscaping will be completed and the process of moving back into the building
will begin. Over the next two weeks the sacristans and welcomers will be oriented in the building. We will also give an orientation tour to the funeral directors.
As we return to regular Masses at St Mary’s, there are a few things of which you should be aware. Firstly, we will once again have weekend parking in St Mary’s school but the central lawn area in front of the Church will no longer be available for parking. Secondly, the elderly and disabled drop-off zone is accessed via the Croagh Patrick side. So, if you are dropping someone off for Mass, you need to enter via the south driveway. There is plenty of room for you to circle round and line your car up under the covered-in area next to the Church to drop off your passenger. Please note, the drop-off zone cannot be accessed via the north driveway (school side). Thirdly, for the foreseeable future, entrance to Mass will only be through the main entrance (through the gathering space). At least while COVID-19 restrictions are in place, all parishioners attending Mass need to enter and exit through the main entrance. The side entrances will only be available as emergency exits.
Changes to Mass Schedule due to the Reopening of St Mary’s The area of St Mary’s Church is significantly larger than that of St Joseph’s. Following the four square metre rule, the nave together with the new gathering space allows us to accommodate 200 parishioners per Mass. At present, we are getting ever closer to 200 at each weekend Mass in Orange (Mass in St Joseph’s plus the spill-over Mass in Kenna Hall). We expect some people will return to regular Mass attendance once St Mary’s opens. Also, we are uncertain when there may be a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions in NSW. This makes planning a new Mass schedule with any certainty quite difficult.
Because we can’t predict the number of people coming back to Mass, the parish will continue to offer two simultaneous Masses at each weekend Mass time in Orange for the foreseeable future. These two simultaneous Masses will be at St Mary’s and St Joseph’s, and the spill-over Mass in Kenna Hall will cease. While the four-square meter rule continues, we cannot change the country Mass schedule. Hopefully, sometime next year, we will be able to return Molong, Manildra, Cargo, Cudal, and Mullion Creek back to the weekend. For the time being, the rural centres schedule will continue unchanged.
Orange Mass Schedule (Effec+ve from the Weekend of 28/29 November)
Monday 5.00pm Eucharis2c Exposi2on at St Mary’s 5.45pm Mass at St Mary’s Tuesday 9.30am Mass at St Mary’s
Wednesday 5.00pm Eucharis2c Exposi2on at St Joseph’s 5.45pm Mass at St Joseph’s Thursday 9.30am Mass at St Joseph’s Friday 5.00pm Eucharis2c Exposi2on and Confessions at St Joseph’s 5.45pm Mass at St Joseph’s Saturday 5.15pm Confessions at St Mary’s 6.00pm Mass at both St Joseph’s & St Mary’s Sunday 8.30am Mass at both St Joseph’s & St Mary’s 10.00am Mass at both St Joseph’s & St Mary’s
OUR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY The Parish of St Mary & St Joseph, Orange The Parish of the Sacred Heart & St Lawrence O’Toole, Molong Mass Centres: St Mary’s (Orange) St Joseph’s (Orange) Sacred Heart & St Lawrence O’Toole (Molong) St Michael's (Manildra) St Brendan’s (Mullion Creek) St Patrick’s (Cargo) St Columbanus’ (Cudal)
Orange City Weekend Masses (from 28 November) Saturday 6.00pm St Joseph’s (120 max) 6.00pm St Mary’s (200 max)
Orange City Confessions Friday 5.10-5.40pm St Joseph’s Saturday 4.15-4.45pm St Mary’s
Sunday 8.30am St Joseph’s (120 max) 8.30am St Mary’s (200 max) 10.00am St Joseph’s (120 max) 10.00am St Mary’s (200 max)
Orange District Masses Tuesday: 6.00pm Cargo (20 max) Wednesday: 6.00pm Mullion Creek (10 max) Thursday: 6.00pm Cudal (20 max) Saturday: 8.30am Manildra (40 max) 10.00am Molong (40 max)
Orange City Weekday Masses Monday: 5.45pm St Mary’s (200 max) Tuesday: 9.30am St Mary’s (200 max) Wednesday: 5.45pm St Joseph’s (120 max) Thursday: 9.30am St Joseph’s (120 max) Friday: 5.45pm St Joseph’s (120 max) Orange City Eucharistic Adoration Monday: 5.00-5.40pm St Mary’s Wednesday: 5.00-5.40pm St Joseph’s Friday: 5.00-5.40pm St Joseph’s
Nursing Home Masses Suspended until further notice Public Holidays: Mass 9.30am at whichever Orange Church usually has Mass that day. ANZAC day Mass is always 8.30am at St Joseph’s. For information about weddings, baptisms, funerals, and visits to the sick, please contact the Parish Office.
Contact Our Parish Team PARISH CLERGY TEAM Fr Greg Bellamy Fr Mathew Humtsoe Fr Karl Sinclair
Parish Priest Assistant Priest Assistant Priest
PARISH MISSION TEAM Ms Amy Sullivan Ms Melissa Ryan Mr Josh Dunn Sr Frances McAleer rsj Mr Matthew Brown
Director of Ministries Sacramental Coordinator Family Educator Resident in Molong Youth Minister
PARISH MISSION SUPPORT TEAM Mr David Cuming Mr Michael O’Mara Ms Anne Wykamp
Administration Manager Project Manager Parish Receptionist PARISH OFFICE
Phone Email Address Facebook
6362 2378 office.orange@cdob.org.au 84 Hill Street (P.O. Box 44) Orange 2800 www.facebook.com/CatholicOrangeNSW
Office Hours
Monday 11.30am - 4.30pm Tuesday - Friday 8.45am - 4.30pm