From Fr Greg's Desk: Sunday 9th November, 2025
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'November Masses' and 'Memorial Masses'
November is here with us and so are our 'Memorial Masses'. Due to the fact that we begin November with the Feasts of both All Saints and All Souls, we specially dedicate this month to praying for deceased relatives and friends.
That is the principal reason for our "Remembrance Book" displayed near the altar of both of our Parish Churches, and which we are updating weekly with the names of the deceased. We started with those who were remembered last week at our All Souls Day Memorial Mass at OLQP Church, and have added all those persons remembered via the November Mass envelopes (by the way, there are still plenty more of these available at the entrances to our Churches).
Some exceptions will be made to remember specific names of persons who died very recently, or for whom we are celebrating the 'month's mind' or first anniversary of their passing. These will still be mentioned whenever possible at our Masses, as we recognise that this is part of the grieving process and we need to respect that. I ask, however, that for those deceased persons falling outside of these or similar special intentions, that we simply remember them in our Remembrance Book during the month of November. Perhaps instead you could offer a Mass for these others at another time?
The logistics of a large Parish such as ours are sometimes a bit complicated, and it is somewhat difficult to knit together all the 'voices' of such a diverse throng of parishioners into the 'one happy harmony'! I thank you in advance for your understanding.
Mass of Remembrance SCB Tues 11 Nov 2025 7.30 pm for the Recently Deceased
Just a final reminder that we have our annual 'Mass of Remembrance' for recently deceased loved ones next Tues 11th Nov 2025 at 7.30 pm. We will need to limit the persons for whom this Mass is offered to only those recently deceased since the Memorial Mass of Nov 2023. So far more than 50 families of recently deceased parishioners have confirmed their presence there on the night. Special 'Remembrance Candles' are being provided for each recently deceased loved one registered with us, and a single "Offertory" will be taken up during the Mass for these loved ones on the night.
This has always been a very special and moving event, and we hope it will serve to help ease the sense of loss of someone close to you who has recently passed away into the Lord's hands. If you haven't been contacted, or you have a recently deceased close relative buried elsewhere and would like for them to be remembered as well on the night, you may still contact the Office on Monday and Tuesday morning, and we will try to accommodate them as well. There might also be some extra candles available on the night, but again, we cannot guarantee a place at the altar for them. Please do not bring along your own candles, as we need to ensure that 'W H & S' safety precautions (and aesthetics) are observed, and these candles are self-contained and taken home afterwards by the families concerned.
Welcome Sr. Josephine Marie to our RGCP family!!
Sr. Josephine Marie of the Sisters of the Morning Star is with us this weekend, at the 5 pm OLQP and 8 & 10 am Masses, to give a brief explanation of her work in creating the five Marian windows we will be installing at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church (just above the large glass internal walls separating the back entrance from the body of the Church).
The ever-intrepid Sr Josephine Marie is currently on a 'home visit' from England, where she is presently based and has kindly offered to give up some of her precious 'home visit' time to visit our own Parish and speak to us about how this project came about, and what the images in the windows represent. They are basically five windows into some of the mysteries surrounding our Lady's life, even perhaps a Marian 'Timeline to Eternity'. Please give her a warm, wonderful welcome, and make her feel as much 'at home' among us as she would be among her own family and friends.
Sister will be speaking for a few minutes after communion at the 5 pm Sat night Vigil Mass at OLQP, and will then present a powerpoint of the latest and definitive version of the windows immediately afterwards in the Church (although quite similar to the initial 'mock-up' version displayed on those windows at present). On Sunday she will briefly speak at the 8 am and 10 am Masses at SCB, and will also be presenting a short talk on "Christian Art and Iconography" downstairs in the MacKillop Room at SCB after the 10 am Family Mass. So you can grab a cup of coffee or tea and bikkies after the Mass and head downstairs for a wonderful formation in an area in which she is a veritable expert. God bless you, Sister, for agreeing to create these magnificent windows both for us and for posterior generations who will worship at OLQP Gladesville.
By the way, you can also catch a glimpse of some of her recent stunning artwork in the skylight displayed at the Campion College Library, along with a 'blurb' about the Good Sister and her work here, at the following website: https://www.campion.edu.au/campion-reveals-stunning-stained-glass-artwork-for-new-academic-wing/. I think you will all agree that this is one very talented and artistic Nun!!
First Holy Communions this Weekend and the Next
We will be holding First Holy Communion Masses over the next two weekends for some 136 of our Year 3 students at both SCB and OLQP Churches, so expect an influx of a lot of people in the afternoons here on those days. It will get a bit tricky with the parking at the 10 am Masses at SCB particularly, so we have requested a few volunteer 'traffic wardens' to help out on both days. Please help us by making sure you park in such a way as to not block any other parking spots, and please exercise patience in any case.
Final Call for Toiletries for the Annual 'Street Fest' for the CBD Homeless.
Thank you once again to all those who have already responded so generously to our appeal for toiletry items for the annual "Street Fest" hosted by the Archdiocese outside St. Mary's Cathedral on Friday 14th Nov, to serve a meal to the homeless of the Inner City. We could still do with more 'toiletry gifts' for the homeless, so please, keep them coming. Please leave them in the baskets provided at the doors of our Churches over the next week or so and outside the Parish Office in the corridor there.
And that's about it for now.
God bless!!
Fr. Greg
Sr. Josephine Marie of the Sisters of the Morning Star is with us this weekend, at the 5 pm OLQP and 8 & 10 am Masses, to give a brief explanation of her work in creating the five Marian windows we will be installing at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church (just above the large glass internal walls separating the back entrance from the body of the Church).
The ever-intrepid Sr Josephine Marie is currently on a 'home visit' from England, where she is presently based and has kindly offered to give up some of her precious 'home visit' time to visit our own Parish and speak to us about how this project came about, and what the images in the windows represent. They are basically five windows into some of the mysteries surrounding our Lady's life, even perhaps a Marian 'Timeline to Eternity'. Please give her a warm, wonderful welcome, and make her feel as much 'at home' among us as she would be among her own family and friends.
Sister will be speaking for a few minutes after communion at the 5 pm Sat night Vigil Mass at OLQP, and will then present a powerpoint of the latest and definitive version of the windows immediately afterwards in the Church (although quite similar to the initial 'mock-up' version displayed on those windows at present). On Sunday she will briefly speak at the 8 am and 10 am Masses at SCB, and will also be presenting a short talk on "Christian Art and Iconography" downstairs in the MacKillop Room at SCB after the 10 am Family Mass. So you can grab a cup of coffee or tea and bikkies after the Mass and head downstairs for a wonderful formation in an area in which she is a veritable expert. God bless you, Sister, for agreeing to create these magnificent windows both for us and for posterior generations who will worship at OLQP Gladesville.
By the way, you can also catch a glimpse of some of her recent stunning artwork in the skylight displayed at the Campion College Library, along with a 'blurb' about the Good Sister and her work here, at the following website: https://www.campion.edu.au/campion-reveals-stunning-stained-glass-artwork-for-new-academic-wing/. I think you will all agree that this is one very talented and artistic Nun!!
First Holy Communions this Weekend and the Next
We will be holding First Holy Communion Masses over the next two weekends for some 136 of our Year 3 students at both SCB and OLQP Churches, so expect an influx of a lot of people in the afternoons here on those days. It will get a bit tricky with the parking at the 10 am Masses at SCB particularly, so we have requested a few volunteer 'traffic wardens' to help out on both days. Please help us by making sure you park in such a way as to not block any other parking spots, and please exercise patience in any case.
Final Call for Toiletries for the Annual 'Street Fest' for the CBD Homeless.
Thank you once again to all those who have already responded so generously to our appeal for toiletry items for the annual "Street Fest" hosted by the Archdiocese outside St. Mary's Cathedral on Friday 14th Nov, to serve a meal to the homeless of the Inner City. We could still do with more 'toiletry gifts' for the homeless, so please, keep them coming. Please leave them in the baskets provided at the doors of our Churches over the next week or so and outside the Parish Office in the corridor there.
And that's about it for now.
God bless!!
Fr. Greg
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