From Fr Greg's Desk: Sunday 5th December

Hi everybody!

 
I am back to the Parish and getting back into the swing of things! My break was 'short and sweet', but Christmas is almost upon us so there is really no time to waste!

Congratulations to all our First Holy Communion Recipients!
Huge 'Congrats' to everyone who made it through our First Holy Communion Sacramental program and received Holy Communion for the first time over the last month or so. A big 'thank you' goes to Dominic Altakchy for all his hard work and dedication to the cause. Just a little note though as well, that registrations for the 2022 Sacramental Program will open on our Parish website in early February. More about that early next year once we are 'back to school'.

Youth Bake Sale at SCB Masses this week.
Our Youth leaders were very disappointed to learn that the Electoral Commission has denied them permission to have a ‘sausage sizzle’ outside the gates of the polling booths at SCB Primary School this year. As a result, our youth will set up a bake sale outside SCB Church at all the Sunday Masses this weekend as a means of raising money for their annual Youth camp at St. Benedict's Retreat Centre at Gross Vale in January 2022. Please help them out by grabbing some pre-Christmas cakes! Next Sunday 12th December they will also be having a Car Wash and Sausage Sizzle while you wait for your car to be enthusiastically cleaned by our younger parishioners. Your cars will be guaranteed to be almost as clean as when they started!! (Fr Greg's own sporty 'Becky’ will also be getting a wash via their youthful hands).

Christmas Volunteers Meeting Wed 15th December at SCB Hall
With Christmas just three weeks away, we are busy placing volunteers in positions for each of the Masses set down for the Christmas weekend, including the Sunday Masses on 'Boxing day' this year. We still need a lot of people and the 'Positions Vacant' list has been provided by Hannah on page 4 of this bulletin. Could you please consider going to one Mass for your own spiritual benefit and to another as a "Christmas present" to Jesus and to your parish? For more info contact the parish Office on 9807 2966 or office@rgcp.org.au.

Urgent Appeal for Basic Foodstuffs and Toiletries for Our Lady's Kitchen
Our Lady's Kitchen is going strong, and we are currently delivering freshly cooked meals to 40 people in the Gladesville area. We are doing this in conjunction with three other Charities: the St. Merkorious Charity, who provide the cooking expertise and the meals, the Gift of Bread Foundation, providing the bread and bakery products, St. Vinnies at Gladesville providing the logistics, and our own RGCP providing the facilities and volunteers to make this work.

The experiences of our volunteers have been very good, and we are glad that as a Parish community we can be instrumental in providing this very needed service.

We are constantly in need of donated basic foodstuffs and toiletries, or the kinds of things that could help fill some hampers for the needy we are collectively delivering to. These include:

Packaged Foods: Noodles, tuna, chicken, spam, beans, lentils, soups, canned fruit, sweet and savoury biscuits, honey, jam, sugar, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, pasta, rice, long life milk, corn flakes and cereals.

Hygiene Products: Body wash, shaving cream, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, tissues, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, hand wash, sanitizers and wipes.

Miscellaneous Products: Can openers, first aid items such as band aids, brand new underwear, bandages and torches.

If you have other items that are not in this list please first get in contact with me at pp@rgcp.org.au and we will let you know if they can be of use to us.

IF YOU (OR THE COMPANY YOU WORK FOR) CAN HELP US WITH FOOD AND OTHER ITEMS NEARING THEIR USE BY DATE, OR END-OF-LINE PRODUCTS I would be very very grateful!! We will get in contact with you to arrange the pick up or delivery. Please email me directly at pp@rgcp.org.au and I will gladly arrange for it to be picked up.

Christmas Parish Office Closure from COB Friday 24th December to 9 am Tuesday 4th January
Please take note that our Parish Office at RGCP will be closed from Christmas day until the morning of the 4th January so that our staff may also take advantage of the Christmas cheer and holidays. If you have anything pending make sure you get in contact with them well beforehand, as they won't be available during that time. Most of our priests will be taking time off in January as well, in 'staggered' times (and I don't mean as a result of the Christmas cheer!).

And that's about it for now.

Your brother in Christ's service,

Fr. Greg