st simon the apostle, ROWVILLE

Weekday Mass are available livestream.
Pre-recorded Sunday Mass will be available online from 4pm on the Saturday.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Video 

Fr. Kevin Dillon - 26 September 2021 (B)

"Previous Mass Videos" can be accessed - here

and "YouTube Channel Link" - here

Children's Liturgy - here

Thanks to all those who have responded generously already - we have raised what is likely to be enough for the livestreaming equipment, but would still welcome more donations towards our Parish. Just contact our Business Manager, Peter Evans at: peter@stsimonsparish.com.au for further details on how to contribute.
Any help is much appreciated.

Who am I to Judge? | Ron Rolheiser

"We judge ourselves. God judges no one. God doesn't need to."

Please click on any of the above
for Faith Developement Prayer Group events for more details. 

There are so many questions rolling around our minds as we struggle through the multiple issues initiated through the world-wide challenge of the pandemic.

Is vaccination to be a matter of personal choice? If so, should medical people (or anyone else, for that matter) be obligated to put their own health and that of their family at risk when called upon to treat non-vaccinated people who have contracted a disease which might have been avoided?

These are just two of a seemingly unlimited number of questions now confronting the global community. And these include the matter of church attendance, whether for Mass, Baptisms, Funerals or any reason, for people who refuse vaccination, for any number of reasons. And how are such unprecedented prohibitions to be policed? By the Government, by church leaders, by individual parishioners???

Over the 18-month journey of COVID across the world, the impact of what was first seen as a health threat alone has spread into just about every aspect of living, very much including our spiritual and faith-centred lives.

To date, there does not appear to have been, on any “official” church level, any serious
or meaningful attempt to address the numerous “issues” we never, in our wildest dreams, believed could impact on our religious faith practice.

Churches are locked. Mass attendance is either zero, highly-limited or spasmodic. The availability of spiritual “basics”, such as sacramental Confession or Anointing, even Baptism, is either highly-compromised or even prohibited. The absence of these is causing enormous distress to countless people, with no real prospect of imminent change, vaccine or no vaccine.

Eighteen months on, church leaders must address this neglect - and quickly. We have been told for years that “the church changes only slowly”. Well, that’s not good enough now. Availability of the Eucharist, of sacramental forgiveness, of the healing grace
of Anointing etc. are the right of people who seek them. But so far the official answer has been simply to lock the doors and pull down the shutters. There is little or no evidence
of any genuine attempt by Church leaders to find additional or alternative means by which, in these “unprecedented times”, such fundamental spiritual gifts and duties of the Church are still to be available for those who seek them.

That negative, head-in-sand response has not been good enough, by any standard. COVID and its many major personal, spiritual implications are not going away, and it’s time for Church leaders, from the Pope onwards, to produce real leadership and provide the people who are “the Church” with the spiritual nourishment they seek, need and deserve.
If church rules and customs need to changed or adjusted to achieve this, then just do it.

And when do we need that leadership? As a matter of fact, we need it NOW!

Fr. Kevin Dillon

Livestream:

Fr. Pat Moroney - Friday 24 September 2021

Mondays & Public Holidays at 10.00 am 
replay available via  YouTube or Parish website from 11am

Tue - Fri at 9:15 am
replay available via YouTube or Parish website from 10am

MY JESUS,
I believe that You are present in this Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Even when I cannot receive You sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You
are already there, and I unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.            Amen.

All Church Mass Services have been CANCELLED
until further notice.

I Am the Bread of Life

by John Michael Talbot

Who You Say I Am

by Hillsong Lyrics

Can be accessed - here

Previous Bulletins -  here

Sunday Homily

Can be accessed - here

Click on image 

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