From Fr Greg's Desk: Sunday 30th June, 2024

Hi everyone!

Month of Retreat – Fr. Greg, Fr. Steve and Br. Antonio.
Throughout the month of July, some of your priests will be on a month long retreat at our Verbum Dei Retreat Centre in Tagaytay, (Philippines). Fr. Dan and Fr. Daniele had theirs recently, so like the fraternal ‘tag-team’ that we are, we also take it in turns to be absent on retreat.

Our ‘month of retreat’ is something mandated to each of us Verbum Dei Missionaries, as our way of spiritual renewal in order to spiritually renew others. It is vitally important for all of us to maintain the flame of Jesus’ love ‘alive and kicking’ within us, but especially so for those who have been charged with looking after your spiritual welfare at RGCP.

As Jesus tells us in Matt 5, 15: “If the salt loses its flavour, how can it become salty again?” We know that can happen in spiritual exercises like these...

So please pray for Br. Antonio, Fr. Steve and myself – along with our young and intrepid, John McCaffrey, who is already over in the Philippines and will be making this retreat alongside us – as we give the Lord the space and the time to ‘reconquer’ our hearts, minds and souls.

Fr. Dan and Fr. Daniele will be ‘holding the fort’ in our absence, so please direct all your enquiries as usual to the Parish Office or see one of our priests after the Masses with any needs you might have.

In the meantime, I will be suspending the usual weekly ‘From Fr. Greg’s desk", informing you of what’s happening at the Parish. However, there will still be ample space in the bulletin devoted to the activities and ministries being carried on throughout the month of July.

If you would like to receive the Parish bulletin via email (which includes the weekend readings at our Masses) and be informed in 'real-time' of things that might happen unexpectedly, please visit our website at www.rgcp.org.au and register for our 'blogs', or contact the Office and have them register for you. We currently send the bulletin out to more than 600 households every week.

Parish Renewal Conference Sydney 2024 - Saturday 3rd Aug
I would particularly like to draw your attention to the following. The day I return (3rd August) is the Archdiocesan ‘Parish Renewal Conference’ at the Liverpool Catholic Club (9 am – 5 pm). I would like to invite as many of you along to this event as possible (details of which are on page 3 of this bulletin) because I am sure it will be helpful and inspiring to all who either already work or wish to work in ministries and so forth in the Parish. To help get you along, for all those who need it, the Parish will gladly ‘part sponsor’ you for the event (full price $90 [including lunch]). We might even get a mini bus going to save on your travel costs to Liverpool.

So, now is the time to book yourself a place at this conference, at which Archbishop Anthony will also be speaking [details are on page 3]. Please make sure you identify yourselves on the booking as members of the Ryde Gladesville Catholic Parish when you book your place at this event. Then contact the Parish Office and send us your receipts from the booking, and we will happily refund you half the ticket price ($45).

See you there, fresh off the plane, on Sat 3rd Aug!

Happy School Winter Holidays
Next Friday 5th July is the end of Term 2 of school. I wish those of you who will be travelling to holiday destinations a safe and fantastic trip away, and look forward to seeing you in week 2 of Term 3 once again.

And that’s about it for this month. God bless, and take good care of yourselves over the next few weeks.

Fr. Greg