Category: Announcements

The December Working Bee will be on Saturday 16th December and will conclude at about 1 pm. After this, we invite all volunteers and their families of the Shrine to come along for a Christmas BBQ at the Monastery. This is a chance to get together before the busy time of Christmas and for the Pauline Community to THANK YOU for all your wonderful service throughout the year. Please RSVP to Fr Richard asap.

During our monthly working bee on the 16th of December, we are going to continue the work begun last month cleaning up the dead wood around the chapels at the back of the property. The goal of doing so will be:

• We want our Shrine to look as beautiful as possible to be spiritually uplifting to the pilgrims that come.
• It is said to be a high-risk fire season coming, so we want to be as prepared as possible.
• The general safety of those who walk around the Shrine property.

The program for the day would be:

• Mass at around 8:15 am in the Shrine Church
• Begin work at 9 am at the back of the property
• BBQ lunch around 1 pm

The work will be everything from collecting small branches to large logs, loading them in a trailer and putting them in an open field where they can be burnt next winter.

Solid shoes and gloves would be a must. Anyone who can bring a chainsaw to help cut up logs or a trailer to help move them is encouraged to bring them.

The proposed sand quarry, which is to be located behind the grotto and will affect five properties along Hanging Rock Road and many others between Penrose Park and Sally’s Corner, is submitting for approval a revised development application. This quarry is for 30 years and will be in operation 24/7. This is something we oppose along with many of the local residents for several important reasons, such as pollution of the water table, silica dust, noise, increased traffic, devastation to the local flora and fauna, especially wildlife and, of course, the ruination of this beautiful part of the state. We ask you to please help us oppose this quarry as we only have until 04/12/23 to submit concerns/objections. Individual and collective submissions can be made on the Department of Planning and Environmental portal at:
www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/sutton-forest-sand-quarry
More information can be found on the side table in the Church, as well as the brief from the “Save our Sands” local action group.

More information on saveoursandsalliance.com.

Also, we have a ready formatted submission that can be used. See the following file.

During our monthly working bee on the 3rd Saturday of the month (21st of October) we are looking to begin cleaning up the dead wood around the chapels at the back of the property. See attached photos to get an idea of what we are going to do. The goal of doing so will be:

• We want our Shrine to look as beautiful as possible to be spiritually uplifting to the pilgrims that come.
• It is said to be a high-risk fire season coming, so we want to be as prepared as possible.
• The general safety of those that walk around the Shrine property.

The program for the day would be:

• Mass at around 8:15am in the Shrine Church
• Begin work at 9am at the back of the property
• BBQ lunch around 1:30pm
• Finish around 5:30pm (for those that can stay the whole day).

The work will be everything from collecting small branches to large logs, loading them in a trailer and putting them in an open field where they can be burnt next winter.

Solid shoes and gloves would be a must. Anyone who can bring a chainsaw to help cut up logs or a tailer to help move them is encouraged to bring them.

We would like to congratulate Br Augustine Apolloni, who renewed his religious vows for another year last Sunday, the 6th of August. This is a very important moment for him during his formation and discernment of his vocation with the Order of St Paul the First Hermit. We ask you to continue to keep him in your prayers.

We would like to greatly thank the 15 generous volunteers that came to our working bee on the 15th of July. We were able to begin the process of cleaning up around the Annunciation Scene at the entrance of the property (you can now see our Lady and the Angel). A huge amount of work was done removing the overgrowth. We will soon be able to replant it so it really looks beautiful. The photos don’t do it justice, but as your drive in now, the difference is very noticeable.

The next working bee will be Saturday, 19th of August, and we will continue the cleanup around the entrance of the property.

Fr Richard has purchased two golf buggies for the benefit of pilgrims coming to the Shrine, especially for Fatima Day or any major solemnity. He is looking for people interested in driving them. For anyone interested, please speak to Fr Richard or one of the community.

Recording of the June 20th Funeral Mass for Fr Gabriel Taylor.

The Church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy is now ready for the arrival of Fr Gabriel Taylor for his funeral tomorrow.

We would like to advise that there will be no live streaming of the funeral because of technical difficulties due to the remoteness of the Shrine and the lack of a reliable internet connection.

However, the funeral will be recorded, and the video uploaded to our website after.

Fr Gabriel passed away peacefully on Thursday 8th June at about 3:30pm at Holy Family Services nursing home in Marayong. Fr Gabriel recently celebrated his 32nd anniversary of Priestly Ordination. He is known for his gentle and approachable nature, a man both of God and of the people. He was always one for a smile and a laugh. Fr Gabriel was a very well renowned confessor with many pilgrims coming especially on Fatima Day (13th of each month) just so as they can go to him to confession. Fr Gabriel has been in Penrose Park for the past 12 years filling various offices and roles within the monastic community. Due to his declining health in 2016, he resigned as Prior of the Monastery and Rector of the Shrine. Over the past year he has battled with a cancer on his head which had gone through to the bone and exposing the brain thus making it untreatable. In November 2022, Fr Gabriel was given 2-5 years depending on the spread of the cancer and in December 2022, he was admitted into Holy Family Services, Marayong to receive the full care that he deserved. Unfortunately over the past 4 months the cancer spread rapidly and was found to be untreatable and affected him physically, causing paralysis and slowly shutting his body down. Fr Gabriel will be truly missed both as a member of the Shrine community and the Pauline Province of Australia. May he Rest in Peace!

VIGIL & VIEWING OF FR GABRIEL
The Solemn Reception of the Body of Fr Gabriel and Vigil Liturgy will be on Monday 19th June at the Old Monastery commencing at 3pm and concluding around 7pm.
The Order of Service will be the following:
3pm: Reception of the Body, procession into the Old Monastery Chapel and opening of the coffin along with the Funeral Vigil Liturgy.
4pm: Rosary (Joyful Mysteries)
5pm: Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries)
6pm: Solemn Vespers and closing of the coffin.

Refreshments will be available in the conference room in the Old Monastery.

SOLEMN REQUIEM FOR FR GABRIEL
The Solemn Pontifical Funeral Mass for Fr Gabriel will be in the Shrine Church on Tuesday 20th June commencing at 11am.
The Order of the day is as follows:
8am: Reception of the Body and procession into the Shrine Church
8:30am: Solemn Morning Prayer of the Church
9am: Viewing in the Shrine Church
9:30am: Rosary (Luminous Mysteries)
10:15am: Closing of the coffin and Rosary (Glorious Mysteries)
10:40am: Singing of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
11am: Solemn Pontifical Requiem Mass

Burial will follow the Mass and will take place at St Patrick’s cemetery, Sutton Forest.

Wake and Refreshments to follow at St Paul’s Parish Hall (24 Garrett Street, Moss Vale).