Latest Parish News

First Communion – This Tuesday

This Tuesday, July 16, we begin our First Communion Sacramental Program with a short meeting with parents at 5pm at Stella Maris. All parents need to attend this meeting where we will go through the guidelines of the programme, confirm registration and answer any questions. Because of numbers and our obligation to provide adequate preparation, once the programme has started we will not be accepting any additional First Communion candidates.

Please note that First Communion candidates are not required to attend the parent session on Tuesday.

Please see our Parish website maroochydoreparish.com.au for further information and all scheduled First Communion dates. For all enquiries, Please email Carrolyn Watt, our Sacramental Coordinator, or call the Parish office on 07 5443 3488.

Grief Support Morning Tea

The Grief Support Morning tea will be held on Friday 19 July after the 9.00am Mass at Stella Maris Church. Please join us in the parish boardroom for a cuppa.

Welcome Back

Our NET team returns this week after a couple of weeks away. During that time, they participated in some inservice, were on retreat and managed to get a couple of days holiday, which allowed them to visit family and friends. They return to us eager to embrace the final 6 months of the year. That means you will be seeing their smiling faces around the Parish and the Young Adults gathering after the 5pm Sunday evening Mass recommences this weekend. Our NET team will be providing an update of their goals for the next 6 months and ministry initiatives in the next couple of weeks.

New To The Neighbourhood?

We live in an extremely mobile society, and especially here on the Sunshine Coast there are always people coming and going. If you are new to our 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 of our churches, and if you complete and return the forms we will be in contact with you.

Faith in Action

Congratulations to Michael Dunne who takes over the presidency of the Coolum St Vincent de Paul conference from Marshall Morison. The president of the Maroochydore conference is Carmel Barbagallo. We keep in our prayers our fellow parishioners who are members of the two parish St Vincent de Paul conferences at Coolum and Maroochydore. For many in our community, they are the face of the church in action and the practical support they give does make a difference.

Stella Maris Parish Facebook

Visit our Facebook page!

You will receive updates on what’s happening within the parish, religious articles and content of interest. It is also a way we contact you with urgent news. “Like” our Facebook page, and you will be kept notified of new posts and help to promote the Parish page to more viewers. Why not ‘share’ it with a Facebook friend also?

Thank you to our Baptism Support Group

Thank you to our Baptismal Support Group for coordinating last Sunday’s special 9am mass for all who have been baptised over the past 12 months and their families – it was a great occasion for all of us to renew our baptismal promises. Over the past year, we welcomed into the Church 246 infants and the challenge for us as a Parish is to support them and their families along the journey of faith. Special thanks to the members of our local Knights of the Southern Cross, who generously cooked and served the sausage sizzle and for all fellow parishioners who provided the additional food for our gathering after Mass. Our baptismal preparation takes place on the first Thursday of the month at Stella Maris at 6.00pm. Go to our Parish webpage to register, download paperwork and get further details.
See our parish website for the photo gallery.

Keeping in touch

Keeping in Touch Communication in our modern world is vital for any organisation including churches! At the entrance to our churches, you will discover new information envelopes – for new parishioners, planned giving programme and our Endowment Fund. Over the next couple of weeks, you will also notice work on our social media presence and a deliberate attempt to connect us with the wider community. Also, in the second half of this year, we will be conducting a census to help re-establish a reliable Parish data base— more information to follow. Keeping our Parish Family up to date with technology and connected is our biggest contemporary challenge.

Dementia Awareness Information session

The Dilemma of Dementia a presentation on Dementia Awareness! We have invited Leah Keating to visit the Parish to answer some questions surrounding dementia vs normal aging and modifiable risk factors for dementia. For many of us dementia impacts our lives as we care for loved ones and friends—for the rest of us, we all have questions.

Have you ever wondered what is dementia Vs normal aging?
Do you know about modifiable risk factors for dementia?
Are you a carer for someone living with dementia?
Would you like to learn more about communication strategies or how to best support your loved one as their brain is changing with the disease?

If you care for someone living with dementia or would like to learn more about how to best support your loved ones with dementia, then come along to this free presentation and morning tea on Friday, 26 July after the 9.00am Stella Maris mass.

The event is sponsored by Holy Cross funerals

Sisterhood

Our Parish Women’s Ministry

Our July gathering of Sisterhood is on Tuesday week, July 23, at Stella Maris beginning at 6pm. We are continuing on with our theme from May and June, this month we will be digging deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. For our July gathering, there will be a focus on prayer and reflection, along with some worship. As always, there will be the joy of meeting new people and sharing our faith with others. Come join us, all women in the parish are very welcome – why not invite a friend or neighbour?

Next Sunday Morning

We will be welcoming back our former Parish Priest, Fr Joe Duffy who will celebrate the 9am Stella Maris Mass next Sunday, 21 July. After the 9.00am Stella Maris Mass, Fr Joe will bless and name the two meeting rooms – The Duffy Room and The Bliss Room. It will be a great opportunity to catch up with Fr Joe and enjoy the hospitality of the Parish after the 9.00am Mass. Please let your friends know about our gathering with Fr Joe.

ARCHDIOCESE OF BRISBANE SYNOD24

“I am making all things new” Rev 21:5.

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 as well as 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.

On the journey—Where life meets Faith

We welcome into God’s Family, the Church, Nathan McCallum, Bonnie Timms, Madeleine Timms, Willow Timms and Maya Correa-Jimenz who will be baptised this weekend in our parish.

We pray for all those who have died, especially Friedhelm “Fred” Laqua, Mario Bricalli and Kazimiera Rajwer.

Fred Laqua’s Funeral Rites were celebrated on Thursday 11 July at Stella Maris Church, Mario Bricalli’s on Friday 12 July at Caloundra and Kazimiera Rajwer on Friday 12 July at Stella Maris Church.

May their souls, and the souls of all our faithfully departed priests, religious, family and parishioners, through the rich mercy of God. Rest in Peace.

Giving and Leaving a Legacy

The churches, schools, parish infrastructure of our Stella Maris Parish is a living legacy of the vision, sacrifice and determination of those who handed on the faith to us. They created the foundation for our Catholic Community through their generous sharing of their talent, time and treasure. Without their vision and determination, our parish would look completely different!

One of the challenges we face today is how we honour and build upon the sacrifices and vision of those who handed on the faith to us and gifted us the resources and ability to be who we are today as a Parish Family. If we are honest, most of us have a deep fear that if we make any substantial gift to the parish it will not be appreciated or valued and in the end be squandered! It is a legitimate fear!

In other parts of the world, especially in the United States, endowment funds have been established to precisely address this concern. An endowment fund accepts and invests any contribution and only uses the interest as income. In practical terms for a parish endowment fund, the parish uses the annual interest and income for the mission of the church, while the initial contribution remains in place. So, a person or family has the confidence that their financial contribution will still be working for the mission of the Church and Parish ten, fifty, a hundred years from now!

With the support of the Parish Finance Council, the Stella Maris Endowment Fund has been established. This fund, independently and professionally managed, will support the work and mission of the parish in perpetuity. It is a option for anyone, or any family wishing to make a contribution to the long term mission and maintenance of Stella Maris. There are information envelopes at the entrance to the church.

By inviting you to consider supporting the Stella Maris Endowment Fund by remembering the fund in your will or making a pledge today, our hope is that the fund will continue to grow. In this way, we all have the opportunity to hand on the faith and provide a lasting legacy.