From Fr Greg's Desk: Sunday 24th December, 2023

Hi everyone!
This Sunday and Christmas Day are Distinct 'Holy Days of Obligation'
As Christmas Day falls on a Monday, and Christmas Eve is Sunday afternoon, a number of people have asked if one Mass might suffice for both the Sunday obligation and Christmas Day (which is also a 'Holy Day of Obligation') The reality is that they are two very different Masses with a different set of readings, different homily ... and a different candle is lit (the final purple one on Saturday night/Sunday Morning and the white one on Christmas Eve/Day). For those of you who are in the habit of coming to Mass each week, I am sure you will enjoy having two Masses in as many days. For those with young children, there is just the one 'Kids Liturgy' this weekend at the 4.30 pm Christmas Eve Mass in the SCB school grounds (weather permitting - if it is raining we will need to do a 'last minute' change and go into SCB Church instead).
I will leave the decision up to you as to how many times you are coming to worship this weekend. All I ask is that you be generous with your Christmas 'planned giving' to the Church, for we depend on your financial help to keep going (special Christmas Gift envelopes will be in the Churches over the next few weeks). In any case, if you do think two Masses in two days is 'a bit much', spare a thought for your Priests!! We will be doubling up to help out at many of the Masses, so all four of us (Frs. Daniele, Dan and Steve) are certainly going to be busy!!

Wonderful Response to Call for Sandwich Makers!!
I am so grateful to all who have so generously offered themselves (and their family and friends) to get together and make sandwiches for the Vinnies Van service over the next month or so. Big thanks to all of you for continuing to make this new Vinnies Van service such a wonderful outreach project for our local Ryde/Gladesville/Hunters Hill communities.

New Garden Around Big Old African Olive Tree at SCB
Several people have asked me: "So why the new garden around the Old African Olive Tree?" Well, it is in order to save the tree!! Our Big Old African Olive Tree needed some 'TLC' of late, because it was looking a bit 'haggard' and the foliage had thinned out considerably. Our landscaping friends suggested we aerate the soil, put down some seasol, then both 'quick release' and 'slow release' fertiliser on top of that, and a whole lot of organic garden mix to top that off. But that would then need some sort of a 'fence' in order to stop all that being kicked out over the grass. Hence the need for a suitable enclosure, which also serves as seating. Later on, we will install seating similar to those in the gardens where the 'yellow coloured' seats used to be, but that will be a little further down the track.

Our hard work over the past three weeks has paid off with the lovely garden we now have. Let's hope we see some improvement in the foliage of the tree over the next couple of months.

Parish Office and Church Closures over the Christmas Break
Please Note: our Offices and Churches will be closed for the next two to three weeks. Our Office Staff also need to take a break, so there will be limited services available until the 8th of January. If you need anything urgently, send a text to our emergency number on 0413 226 508, and we will try to accommodate your needs as best as we can. Please also note that there will be no more 'Kids Liturgy' after the 4.30 pm Christmas Mass at either of the Churches until the end of January.

And that's about it for now. I make the most of this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas with the hope that Jesus will surprise you in unexpected ways well into the New Year.

God bless, and please keep safe during this 'Silly Season',

Fr. Greg