Lenten opportunities 

Our Parish Mini Mission starts this Monday and continues Tuesday and Wednesday at Stella Maris. There will be Mass at 4:30pm followed by the mini mission from 5.00 to 6.00pm. We welcome Bishop Tim Norton svd who became the new Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane last year and will lead us over these three days. Why not make this opportunity part of your Lenten journey this year? Everyone is invited – why not invite a friend to join you?

There are many other Lenten opportunities in our parish this year. Perhaps contemplating Jesus’ final journey through the Stations of the Cross might be part of your journey in 2023?

Each Friday during Lent, following the 9.00am Stella Maris Mass, you are invited to walk the stations with Deacon Isaac.

There will also be Stations of the Cross during Lent at St Catherine’s on Fridays at 6.00pm – all welcome.

We now three parish groups gathering to reflect on the Archdiocese’s Lenten Program, from Ashes to Hope.  How about joining one of them?

St Catherine of Siena Church, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, during Lent.
Contact Helen 0403 617 512.

St Peter’s Church, 9.30am to 10.30am, weekly during Lent.
Contact Eric 0403 849 499.

El Shaddai group – St Catherine of Siena Church, 2.00pm to 3.00pm, weekly during Lent (except Saturday 4 March).
Contact Ellie 0415 552 289.

Practical Almsgiving

A very practical way of showing your solidarity with your fellow believers who live in countries around the world where life is cheap and a daily struggle is through this year’s Project Compassion appeal. Through your financial sacrifice you stand with and support those on the fringe of life and your commitment does make a difference. There are Project Compassion envelopes at the entrance to all our churches.

New parishioners welcome!

Our Parish welcoming committee are in the final stages of organising a “Welcome Cocktail Party” for all our new parishioners. If you are new to the parish or if you are reconnecting with the Church, we would love to welcome you more formally to our Parish Family. You will find “welcome packs” at the entrance to the church, or feel free to complete the I’m New form online. If you complete the details we will send you an invitation. Once again, welcome.

Visit by new Apostolic Nuncio to Australia, Archbishop Charles Balvo.

Our Sunshine Coast deanery welcomed Archbishop Mark Coleridge and the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Charles Balvo.  It was an opportunity for the Archbishops to see first hand the tremendous growth already happening in our region, and how looking into the future we are now preparing the foundation to respond to some of those challenges and pastoral opportunities.

Anointing & Healing Mass

Every First Friday there is an Anointing & Healing Mass at Stella Maris followed by morning tea in the function room. The next Anointing Mass will be this coming Friday at 9.00am.

Baptismal preparation

The next baptismal preparation session will be held on this Thursday evening at 6.00pm. At this short meeting the symbols of baptism will be explained, questions answered and baptismal dates finalised. To book in and receive the paperwork before the meeting please email the Parish office. The baptismal preparation sessions are held on the first Thursday of every month.

Hospitality

Next Weekend is first weekend of the month, which has been designated as our hospitality weekend across our Parish Family. To be a welcoming and friendly parish we need to be a hospitable parish! Everyone is invited to stay after Mass next weekend and meet fellow parishioners and visitors – why not give us a hand by bringing along a plate?

Technology for the Third Age

Technology is changing so quickly and the pace of change can overwhelm us. Upgrades happen without our knowledge and suddenly things on our smartphone or tablets have changed or moved. When change happens simple tasks become difficult and frustrating. It is okay for teenagers who have grown up with computers and whose lives are fully consumed by them – but what about the rest of us? How do you find an app, operate the calendar, organise photos, access podcasts? On the second Friday of the month, following the 9.00am Mass at Stella Maris Church, we are organising a self-help Technology for the Third Age gathering where we will explore and find solutions to some of the technology challenges that frustrate us. Our first gathering will be on Friday, 10 March. All welcome.

Green for St Patrick’s Day

March is just around the corner and that means it’s St Patrick’s Day.  Let’s face it, there is a little bit of Irish in all of us!!!   Parishioners and friends from all corners of our Parish and beyond are invited to St Peter’s Church at Coolum on the 17 March. BYO Lunch to share and Singalong, 11.30am for 12noon start. To be sure, all are welcome!!!

World Day of Prayer

Churches around the world throw open their doors each year and welcome fellow believers into their sacred space for the ecumenical World Day of Prayer. Each year a different country organises the order of service and this year the people of Taiwan have prepared the service. The theme is God’s promise, in the letter to the Ephesians, which is an invitation to active listening which is the foundation of our prayers. Following the example of the letter (Ephesians 1:15-19), where the author praises the church for their faith in Jesus and love toward all the saints, the worship service contextualises the witness of the saints with the stories from Taiwan. On this Friday, 3 March, you are invited to join your fellow Christians for World Day of Prayer and this year the host churches are:

Buderim: 10.00am, St Mary’s Catholic Church

Maroochydore: 10.00am, St Peter’s Anglican Church (cnr Church Street and Beach Road)

Coolum Beach: 9.30am, Holy Spirit Anglican Church (25 Beach Road)

The Catholic Leader

Catch up on all the latest Church news each week for free. The Catholic leader has gone digital and is now online! 

Celebrating and Remembering

We welcome into God’s Family, the Church, Maison Becker, Mia Becker and Momoka Becker who were baptised last weekend, and Clara Cameron who will be baptised this weekend in our Parish.

We pray for all those who have died, especially Connie Graham whose funeral was celebrated this Saturday.

May their souls and the souls of all our departed priests, religious, parishioners and family members, through the rich mercy of God, rest in peace.

Safeguarding in our parish

The Safeguarding Commitment for the Archdiocese of Brisbane and Stella Maris Catholic Parish is: Zero tolerance for all forms of abuse and is committed to safeguarding everyone involved in its activities, ministries and services. The safety and wellbeing of children and adults-at-risk is paramount.

In an emergency, please call 000 or information can be provided to STOPline anonymously. Phone: 1300 304 550 or Email STOPline