From Fr Greg's Desk: 6th December

Hi everyone!

Further lifting of COVID 19 Restrictions means Almost Everyone can participate at a weekend Mass!!

The further lifting of some more COVID 19 restrictions means that we are now able to say to everyone: "Come back to Mass! You need your local Church community and your local Church community needs you!"

We now have the possibility of having up to 200 people inside SCB Church (and perhaps another 300 people duly spaced and seated outside!!), and 160 at OLQP Church (with room for possibly another 200 outside, as space is more limited there), unless we use the grounds of our primary schools when available. 

Naturally, we have to comply with all current COVID 19 rules. We ask that you heed and welcome the directions given by our COVID Wardens, who are simply trying to keep us all safe and compliant, and not be complacent with the COVID Safe Rules. We still warmly encourage the use of face masks (well, it is summer, isn't it?? 😊 ), especially the more vulnerable members of our Parish.



Christmas Mass Meeting with Ministry Volunteers

Last Wednesday, a meeting was held to which we invited as many of our parish volunteers and ministry leaders as possible, to discuss our Christmas Mass program and make plans. The meeting was attended by more than 25 people, and some very helpful suggestions were made which have been incorporated into our revised Christmas Mass Plan.



RGCP Christmas Volunteers Drive

We need all of you to help out at Christmas, as many visitors will be coming to our Masses and the Parish needs "all hands on deck!" Firstly, everyone is a welcomer at Mass. If you see someone you don't know, say hello to them and make them welcome. Secondly, we need lots of volunteers to assist us in various roles across our 10 Christmas Masses!

We need volunteers to help as parking wardens, COVID marshals, ushers and wardens, set-up and pack-up volunteers at our Outdoor Masses, letterbox drop volunteers as well as readers, communion ministers and altar servers. If you are able to assist in any of these roles, please visit the ‘Volunteer’ page on our Parish website, or complete the form in the Bulletin and contact the Parish Office with any queries. A Christmas Ministry roster sign up will also be provided shortly, so keep checking our Rosters website.

I encourage you to plan to be at a Mass with your family, bringing them all along, and then to generously offer your time to serve at another Mass for the sake of ensuring the Christmas Masses be an uplifting and enjoyable experience for all. If you could help us with cleaning the pews after Mass, that would also be greatly appreciated.

Consider this your own "Birthday Present" for the Christ Child this Christmas!!



Christmas Mass Times and Venues

Please note the times and venues for our Christmas Masses (weekend Masses will continue as per usual throughout the Summer period) . Please note well that there are four significant changes this year to our usual Mass times and Venues. These are as follows:


New Christmas Mass Time Slots : 1) we've created a new time slot of 4:30 pm for our Kid's Mass, under the large yellow awning of St. Charles Borromeo Primary School. That way our kids can get to bed nice and early to let 'Santa' pass by unseen... 2) We have also created a 7 pm Mass time slot inside SCB Church (with overflow outside) especially for people who have to work all day on Christmas Eve and find 9 pm a little late.


New Venues for Regular Christmas Masses:

3) 6 PM Outdoor Mass at Holy Cross Ryde will be held on the middle oval behind the College (instead of on the front lawn of the College). Access is through gates near the Patrician Brothers Monastery. Parking is on the upper oval as well as the car park and in front of the College.



4) 9PM Vigil Mass, 8 AM and 10 AM at SCB will be celebrated in the SCB Primary School grounds. Parking will be available in the both car parks, in the small quadrangle of SCB school, with overflow parking at Holy Cross Ryde. If you could consider parking over at Holy Cross Ryde and walking across, leaving parking for others, that would be another kind way of welcoming Jesus' birth in you this Christmas!


Christmas Reconciliation Services in the Area:

Please note the regional schedule of pre-Christmas Reconciliation services (confessions) on Page 3 of this bulletin. We have made an attempt this year to offer Christmas reconciliation times on a more 'regional basis' for three reasons: 1) all the neighbouring Parishes tend to 'borrow' local priests for their reconciliation services; 2) many people prefer to confess to a priest from outside the Parish, and we respect that, and; 3) not everyone can make the same night. Please note, from next week onwards, the regular 30 minutes of Reconciliation/Spiritual Guidance before each Mass at our Parish will be resumed.


And that's all for now! Hopefully the restrictions will not change from now until Christmas. It would be very good that you register for our Parish ENews to receive timely updates on all our services, as the restrictions could change without prior warning.



Your brother in Christ's service,
Fr. Greg