Here are the announcements for the 5th Sunday of Easter, the 5th of May:
CONGRATULATIONS
On Friday 3rd May, Fr Peter Strohmayer, Parish Priest of Smithfield celebrated his 10th Anniversary of Ordination along with Fr Jeremy Santoso, assistant Priest at Merrylands and Fr Zachary Lewis, Subprior of Marian Valley who celebrated their 5th anniversary of Ordination.
PASCHAL PRECEPT
A reminder that all Catholics are obliged to go to Confession and Communion at least once a year between Ash Wednesday and Trinity Sunday (26th May 2024).
WORKING BEE
Due to the 40th Anniversary of the Shrine, the May working bee will be cancelled. The next working bee will be on Saturday 15th June.
ANNUAL LEAVE
From Tuesday 23rd April, Fr Joseph Maria will be on annual leave. We wish him a very happy, restful and safe holiday.
VIGIL FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST
On Saturday 18th May at 6pm, the Solemn Vigil for the Solemnity of Pentecost will be celebrated in the Shrine Church. This is a beautiful tradition of the Church, also known as the mini Easter Vigil with a selection of readings and the Rite of Baptism, thus bringing to a solemn conclusion the season of Easter. All are invited to come along and participate.
SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI)
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi will be celebrated on Sunday 2nd June. Following the 8am and 9:30am Masses there will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and silent Adoration. After the 11am Mass there will be a Eucharistic procession concluding with Solemn Benediction at eh outdoor Altar of the Shrine Church. All are invited to come along and participate.
40th Anniversary of the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy
Next Fatima Day, 13th May, is the celebration (actual date) commemorating the official blessing and opening of the Shrine. The usual Fatima Day schedule will be followed with a lunch time (1pm – 1:30pm) organ recital by Mr Michael Taylor. The Main Celebrant for the day will be the Most Reverend Brian Mascord, Bishop of the Diocese of Wollongong. As the 13th May, falls on a Monday, we still expect a large crowd, a few thousand, so please bring your own chairs as the Mass will be celebrated outside (weather permitting). Food will also be available for purchase on the day.
Vigil & Funeral Details for Bishop Peter Ingham
The vigil and funeral details for Bishop Peter Ingham have been announced by Bishop Brian Mascord as follows (please note the important information below in relation to limited seating capacity, overflow seating, parking, and livestreaming):
SOLEMN RECEPTION of the body of Bishop Peter will take place at 6:30pm followed by Evening Prayer.
SOLEMN VIGIL LITURGY will follow at 7:30pm.
Summarised details are below:
Thursday, May 9, 2024
6:30 PM: Reception of the body of Bishop Peter
7:30 PM: Vigil Liturgy
St Francis Xavier Cathedral, 36 Harbour Street, Wollongong
SOLEMN PONTIFICAL MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL for Bishop Peter will be offered on Friday 10 May 2024, commencing at 10:30am. Interment will take place in the cathedral grounds at the conclusion of Mass.
Summarised details are below:
Friday, May 10, 2024
10:30 AM
St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong
Relatives, friends, and the people of God are invited to attend the vigil and funeral. Due to the large number of invited bishops, clergy, relatives, dignitaries and close friends attending the funeral, there will be very limited seating inside the cathedral.
Therefore, a large marquee containing overflow seating with television screens will be erected in the carpark adjacent to the cathedral. Bishop Peter’s casket will process past the marquee at the conclusion of the funeral Mass.
Please note, there will be street parking only.
The funeral will also be livestreamed at https://dow.sh/livestream.