St. Simon the Apostle Parish 2 Taylors Lane, Rowville 3178

Office Hours: Tuesday to Friday 9.00-4.00pm (03) 9764 4058

office@stsimonsparish.com.au www.stsimonsparish.com.au

April 26, 2020 - 3rd Sunday of Easter

Parish Personnel PARISH PRIEST: Fr Kevin Dillon

Mobile: 0421 777 360

Email: frkd@stsimonsparish.com.au

PASTORAL ASSOCIATES: Mrs Loretta Hughes (Tue, Thu)

Mrs Abbie Ferdinands (Mon, Wed, Fri)

SACRAMENTAL CO-ORDINATOR: Mrs Marialisa Mandarino (Wed)

BUSINESS & OFFICE MANAGER: Mr Peter Evans (Mon - Thu)

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: Ms Delisa Gonsalves (Mon)

SECRETARIES: Mrs Felicia Ahumada (Mon - Wed)

Mrs Christina Liew (Thu, Fri)

ST. SIMON’S SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: Mr. Tom Wursthorn: 9755 4222

NAZARETH COLLEGE PRINCIPAL: Mr Sam Cosentino: 9795 8100

WEEKEND MASS TIMES: Saturday Vigil: 6.00pm

Sundays: 8.00am, 9.30am, 11.00am

OTHER MASS TIMES: Mondays to Saturdays: 9.15am

Tuesdays: 7.00pm

RECONCILIATION: Saturdays: 9.45am

BAPTISMS: First Sat 11.30am, Third Sun 12.30pm (Please check website for available dates)

AFTER SCHOOL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Tues (school term): 4:15pm - 5:15pm

WEDDINGS & MARRIAGE PREP: Contact Parish Office.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK: When required or at 9.15am Mass

on the First Friday of the Month

PARISH COUNCIL: parishcouncil@stsimonsparish.com.au

MASS ON RADIO: Mass from St. Simon’s is broadcast

on 89.9 FM The Light - at 7am Sundays

PARISH HALL HIRE:

St. Simon’s Parish Hall is available for

hire After School Hours and Weekends.

For enquiries, contact the Parish Office

during Office Hours. Phone: 9764 4058.

PARISH CENTRE FACILITIES HIRE:

Contact the Parish Office.

ST VINCENT DE PAUL HELPLINE:

1800 305 330

His short hair gave him away. Having just returned from a 12-month “tour of duty” in Vietnam as a National Service conscript in the Australian Army, he had resumed his studies at the RMIT in Swanston St, Melbourne.

He was aware that life would be different for him following his traumatic war experiences in Vietnam, but nothing had prepared him for the personal abuse hurled at him as he worked his way through crowds of war protesters towards his place of study.

Veterans of previous wars in which Australians had been engaged had never experienced abuse and vilification from their fellow Australians. He had been serving his country in war - indeed as a conscript - at the direction of the duly-elected Federal Government. While there was increasing controversy and opposition to Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, the personalisation of abuse of returning veterans illustrated a marked shift in the way some Australians expressed their sentiments towards those who carried the responsibility of “keeping Australia safe”.

From the early seventies until the late eighties, as a result of opposition to Australia’s involvement in Vietnam, Anzac Day and its recognition of those who have served in our name had a much lower profile than had been the case previously. Then around 1987/88, respect and gratitude once again began to recognise the sacrifice and courage which Anzac Day had always sought to honour.

Yet while we have resurrected Anzac Day over the past three decades, disrespect for those who serve us and keep us safe has grown markedly among our community of the public. Just one example is the death of a respected surgeon, killed four years ago after a one-punch “king hit” from a 24 year-old man (now in prison for ten years) whom he had asked not to smoke in a non-smoking area at Box Hill Hospital.

For some years we have been reading reports about paramedics being assaulted by the very people they have been summoned to assist, of police cars being rammed by lawless thugs, of fire officers being thwarted or abused for their efforts to save lives and property.

And this week, the horrific loss of four police officers in an “incident” where a major component of the tragedy appears to be a total lack of respect for them, for public safety, for human decency.

As we pray in gratitude this weekend for those who have served and saved us in war, perhaps we can expand those thanks for all who risk their own lives and safety for the rest of us - sometimes under the threat of military hostility, sometimes under the threat of their personal well-being as emergency workers and, as we have become all-too-aware recently, as “front line” health workers.

May God bless them all. Lest we forget.

PARISH NOTICES

ALL SCHEDULED MASSES AT ST SIMON THE APOSTLE CHURCH ARE SUSPENDED

Church is now closed until further notice. Masses can be viewed online www.stsimonsparish.com.au

SOUP & SOUL >>> ZOOM & SOUL

THURSDAY, MAY 7th, AT 7.30PM

We have zoomed back into the picture despite the shutdown. It would be good to gather together virtually to share our experiences of how COVID 19 has affected our daily living, our spiritual journey and reflect on where we see God in this

new normality. To join us, please email Loretta (Pastoral Associate) and we will forward you the details.

loretta@stsimonsparish.com.au or call the Parish Office.

COMBINED CATHOLIC PARISHES RAFFLE – New Dates Due to the current restrictions imposed by the Victorian Government, we have applied and received approval for

an extension/postponement of our 2020 Combined Catholic Parishes Raffle to the following dates: Draw Date: 26 September 2020 at 7.15 pm

Draw Venue: 2 Taylors Lane, Rowville (St Simon's Church) Publication of Winners Date: 30 September 2020

Parishioners & school families of St Simon’s are requested to return their Raffle Tickets latest by Friday, 7 August 2020. Thank you all for your support and co-operation.

CINEMA OR MOVIE CLUBS

Any parishioner who would like to be involved with a Movie or Cinema Club (this is possible, even within our “Lockdown” situation) is invited to contact Fr. Kevin (0421 777 360 or frkd@stsimonsparish.com.au). We will need six or more people to form a “club” where a book can be read or a movie viewed, with “members” coming together online for a discussion

and social catch-up.

PARISH OFFICE In these challenging times, we ask for your help so we can reduce the risk to you, our vulnerable parishioners, our staff

and volunteers. If you have any of the symptoms, which may indicate you have coronavirus (COVID-19), then please do not come in to the Parish Office as you risk transmitting it to others, especially the vulnerable. The Office will be attended Mon-Fri. between 10.00am–3.00pm for those who wish to call or drop in the Office. Please ring the doorbell and someone will let you in,

one at a time. God Bless, keep safe.

VOLUNTEER NEEDED As you may have seen, the Parish is providing pre-recorded services online through our YouTube channel. This is proving an important way for parishioners to experience a form of Mass. Now that we have finished the Easter services, we will be trying to do this for weekday services from Monday to Friday and for the Sunday services. We are seeking volunteers who can help with the video editing of the pre-recordings for the weekday Masses to help our Business Manager, Peter

Evans, who has been doing all the editing. (Peter will continue to do the Sunday Masses as this also has to be prepared for rebroadcast on The Light FM radio station.) As Peter is using a Mac running FinalCut Pro, his preference is for some-one who has this platform at home and has skills with it. If you think you can help, please contact Peter on 9764 4058 or

peter@stsimonsparish.com.au Thanks!

Next Week’s Readings: 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14,36-41; 1 Peter 2:20-25; John 10:1-10

SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR:

Recent Deaths: Hans Spies, Rosa Bouchereau, Noel Gleeson Anniversary of Death: Stenio Ross

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April 26, 2020 - 3rd Sunday of Easter

First reading Acts 2:14,22-33

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David says of him:

I saw the Lord before me always, for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me. So my heart was glad and my tongue cried out with joy; my body, too, will rest in the hope that you will not abandon my soul to Hades nor allow your holy one to experience corruption. You have made known the way of life to me, you will fill me with gladness through your presence.

‘Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried: his tomb is still with us. But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, what he foresaw and spoke about was the resurrection of the Christ: he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption. God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.’ Responsorial Psalm: 15(16):1-2,5,7-11 Second reading 1 Peter 1:17-21

If you are acknowledging as your Father one who has no favourites and judges everyone according to what he has done, you must be scrupulously careful as long as you are living away from your home. Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life your ancestors handed down was not paid in anything corruptible, neither in silver nor gold, but in the precious blood of a lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ; who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake.

Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God. Gospel Luke 24:13-35

Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.

Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’

Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.

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