We welcome into God’s Family, the Church, Huxley Bell, Jack Griffith, Vander Griffith, Bambi-Lou Griffiths, Aurora Hohn, Frederick Marker, Mila Marker and Freddie Muller who will be baptised this weekend in our parish.

We pray for all those who have died, especially George Verlaque whose funeral rites will be celebrated on 9 April and Aida Hulsewhose funeral rites will be celebrated on 16 April.  May George and Aida’s souls and the souls of all our departed Priests, Religious, family members and parishioners through the rich mercy of God, Rest in Peace.

Divine Mercy

Perhaps You?

As a Parish Family, we are blessed with many dedicated parishioners who minister to those who cannot join us for Mass. Each week, quietly and behind the scenes, they visit fellow Catholics in their homes or aged care facilities bringing Holy Communion and spending some quality time with them. We are in need of some volunteers to take Holy Communion to some Catholic residents at Regis Sippy Downs – if you think you can help or would like to find out more about this ministry, please contact Judy at the Parish Office.

Introducing Fr Joe O’Keefe SJ

We welcome to our Sunshine Coast Catholic family, Fr Joseph O’Keefe SJ. Fr. Joe is a Jesuit priest who is completing what is known as T ertianship – a time of both renewal and preparation for final vows with his religious order. As part of that programme, he will be here with us until mid-May, providing sacramental and pastoral support in our parish and schools.

Fr. Joe was born and raised in a large Irish Catholic family in Boston on the east coast of the US, where he attended local Catholic schools and later earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at colleges there. After some years working in government and politics, he decided to enter the Jesuits. He has spent most of his Jesuit life on the west coast of the US, primarily in California, earning additional graduate degrees as a part of his early formation. Ordained a priest in 2013, he has since then worked in several Jesuit schools, parishes and other Jesuit apostolates.

When Fr Joe finishes his time with us here in Australia, he will move to a new assignment at the Jesuit parish of St. Francis Xavier in Phoenix, Arizona.

Until then, Fr Joe is eager to be part of our faith community and try to understand what is so fantastic about the Broncos!

THE INVITATION:

In response to the challenge to provide better adult formation and to provide ongoing formation to those considering ministry roles, the Archdiocesan Centre for Catholic Formation has launched a series of innovative and accessible modules. Each module includes 10 sessions supported with individual reflection that is designed to engage both the head and the heart, so participants grow in knowledge and the lived experience of Catholic faith. The next module starts on Monday, 15 April 2024 and is titled Being Sacramental.

BEING SACRAMENTAL:

Module 3 will engage participants in the concepts of sacramentality, the sacraments and their context in liturgy in the Catholic tradition. The module will explore the nature of God’s presence in the sacraments, the nature of grace, how grace is received and experienced in and beyond the sacraments of the Church. The sessions will cover topics including what is sacramentality, signs and symbols and will also explore all seven sacraments. Each module of our Catholic Foundations course is open to all, and you do not need to have completed previous modules in order to register for Module Three.

HOW IT WORKS:

The Stella Maris Catholic Parish is teaming up with Evangelisation Brisbane to subsidise the cost of this course for any parishioner who wants to reach out and understand what they have truly been graced with. On the 10 Monday night evenings (15 April, 22 April, 29 April, 13 May, 20 May, 27 May, 3 June, 17 June, 24 June) from 7:00pm – 9:00pm we will create a hub at Stella Maris and will participate in the live stream coming from Holy Spirit Seminary.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NEXT:

To find out more about Being Sacramental downloading a copy of the Module 3 prospectus, or to learn more, please visit the Archdiocesan Centre for Catholic Formation. If you would like to find out more you can also talk to either one of the priests or Carrolyn Watt at the office. If you would like to be part of the Parish Hub that participates on the 10 Monday evenings, please register your interest by calling the Parish Office (07) 5443 3488.

Last week’s Holy Week ceremonies across our Parish Family were the culmination of a journey that started way back on Ash Wednesday. Throughout Lent and Holy Week so many nameless fellow parishioners were involved in making our liturgies moments of grace and hope. From cleaners to musicians, sacristans to liturgical art, readers to office staff and helpers, so many people were involved – and each person a valuable and indispensable part of our faith community. A grateful parish says thank you. As a way of acknowledging everyone who played a role in ensuring all our Holy Week ceremonies went so smoothly I would like to invite all those involved to a small thank you party on Monday evening, 22 April at 6.00pm. If you played any part – don’t be shy! If you can bring a plate that would be great.

It would be appreciated, to help with catering, please RSVP the Parish Office 07 5443 3488.

Bon Appetit

Each year, Archbishop Coleridge hosts a dinner at Wynberg, his official residence in Brisbane for all young men and women who are discerning a vocation to priesthood or religious life. It is a chance for the Archbishop to meet and share some of his story and talk about some of the current exciting challenges and his vision for our local church. If you would like more information or would like to receive an invitation to the dinner, contact Fr Isaac, Fr Peter or Fr Joe.

One on Five of us will experience symptoms of mental illness in any given year. In Australia that’s around 5 million people. And roughly 60% of these people won’t seek help. More alarmingly, 9 people in Australia die by suicide every day. Over 75% of mental health problems occur before the age of 25. Suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 15-44 in Australia.

All primary school aged children are invited to participate in new parish school holiday activities called “Fun Days with God”. These days occur once each school holidays. Our first day for 2024, “Easter Capers” will be held on Monday 8 April from 9.00am-3.00pm at the Stella Maris Church.

It will be an exciting day of fun activities- craft, bible stories, songs, prayer, drama, play and games all based on some of the stories from the Easter Season.

Children need to bring their own morning tea, lunch and hat. The cost of the day is $10.00 per child with a maximum of $20.00 per family.

We have limited spaces so you will need to contact the parish office to register before Tuesday 2 April.

High school students are also welcome to come and assist on the day.

For more information or to register please email Bernie Baillie at [email protected] or phone the Parish Office 07 5443 3488.

Our parish is built on solid foundations and that is obvious by the witness and ministry of the Knights. Although the Knights of the Southern Cross Queensland celebrated 100 years of Fraternal service in 2021, our Maroochydore branch wasn’t established until April 1979. We currently have 19 members and meet once a month to review and discuss what’s happening in our Parish and the Worldwide Church, as well as learn more about our Catholic faith through our Formation Program.

As a group, we are always on the lookout for ways to assist our Priests and the Parish. In recent times we have donated the food, drinks and manpower for the parish volunteers BBQ, the “Men Alive” dinner, the Women’s retreat lunch and Fr William’s farewell sausage sizzle. Our income comes from our Bunnings BBQ’s, which enables us to donate financially to Vinnies, Veterans Care, Rosies, our Parish Youth, and our newly ordained priests.

Socially, we like to share a beer and fellowship after our meetings and we have a couple of lunches during the year, so that we can thank our wives and partners for their support. Apart from enjoying the friendship and support of your fellow members, “being a Knight gives you an opportunity to contribute to rebuilding the Church” (Pope Francis). A warm invitation to any men who would like to discover more of our mission and ministry or to join us – simply call John Legg for more information on 0434 587 491.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee meets this Tuesday evening at 6.00pm. The task of the Committee is to advise and ensure that we are good stewards of the resources of the Parish. Those resources are a result of your generosity and it is only through your support that we can pay down our Parish debt of $1,540,115 maintain our churches and continue to fund the outreach and ministry of your Catholic Parish – NET, the Sacramental Programme, Adult Education and all forms of evangelisation and ministry, which are possible because of your generosity, real sacrifices and continued trust – thank you.

Archdiocese of Brisbane Synod24

This year, the Archdiocese will celebrate SYNOD24 to mark the Implementation Phase of the Plenary Council. Together we’ll discern the practical and Spirit-led actions that we, as the Archdiocese of Brisbane, need to undertake to be a more co-responsible church on mission. These actions will take into consideration what is already happening across the Archdiocese that should be affirmed, what learnings can be harnessed and shared, and where the gaps and needs are. SYNOD24 will take place over two sessions, 6 and 7 September and and 11 and 12 October, with the Opening and Closing Masses open to the public. More information on the SYNOD24 journey will be released regularly, so head to www.aobsynod2024.com to refresh yourself on the Plenary Journey so far and to learn more about SYNOD24.

Today, Sunday 7 April, we will have another “Fun and Formation” session for all Junior Ministers within our parish, or those interested in becoming Junior Ministers.

Junior Ministers are young people who would like to be involved in ministry within our parish, either as an altar server, musician, computer operator, or on our welcome committee. They are usually young people who have made their First Holy Communion, or for those who will be preparing for the sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist this year and would like to serve in our parish in the future.

Training for all the Junior Ministers (new and experienced) will begin in the Stella Maris Church at 2:30pm , followed by our fun, social get-together playing games in the Stella Maris Church function room (the room next to the church kitchen) to get to know each other. The day will finish at 4:30pm, that way you can join us for Sunday night Mass at 5:00pm. Your parents can either pick you up at 4:30pm and join us for Mass or pick you up after Mass at 6:00pm.