Welcome to Day 1 of our Novena of Prayer for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on 16 July. On each day we will be praying for different groups of people around the world who are experiencing or affected by COVID-19. Today we are praying for peace in our world, our neighbours, our families and ourselves.
You can also join us on Facebook anytime during the day. You can also download the prayer and intentions for each day.
On the 9 days before the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16 July), the Carmelites invite you to join with us in prayer. Every year we pray for the needs of our Carmelite Family in Australia and Timor-Leste. This year, in the midst of COVID-19, we are including the people of the world in our novena of prayer. Please join with us during this time between 7 July and Thursday 15 July You can also download the prayer and intentions. You can also join us on Facebook each day of the Novena or log into our Novena of Prayer page for each day's prayer intention. Watch a video of the Flos Carmeli, an ancient Carmelite hymn to Our Lady.
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the oldest continuing cultures on the planet. This year's NAIDOC theme is: Heal Country! – a call for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration, and destruction.
With so many of us in lockdown once again, the Gospel today is an apt reminder that God is found not only in readily-identifiable religious places and things, but also in ordinary and everyday people and things. The presence of God surrounds us if only we have the eyes to see it. Read more
Celebrating At Home 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time [PDF]
Celebrating At Home 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time [ePub]
Yesterday 15 of our young Carmelites in Timor received the ministries of Lector (reader) and Acolyte during Mass in our community at Hera. Lectors proclaim the Word of God in liturgical assemblies, instruct adults and children in the faith and prepare them to receive the sacraments. Acolytes assist the priest during the celebration of the Eucharist, holding the Missal, preparing the altar and the vessels and cleaning them after Communion. They may also distribute Communion if necessary. For those preparing for Priesthood in the Church, receiving these ministries is another step on their journey to Ordination. More story & photos
Faith is about entering into relationship with Jesus. It is not the work of the mind but of the heart. In this Sunday's Gospel, with an honesty born out of desperation, 2 people seek out Jesus and begin their relationship with him. Jesus responds to both, and the dialogue between them grows. Even death is not an obstacle to the kindness of God. Jesus is God’s healing for death itself (the Way to eternal life).
Celebrating At Home 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time [PDF]
Celebrating At Home 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time [ePub]
Last Wednesday, Fr Carlito, a Carmelite from Timor-Leste, went to the audience with the Holy Father and had the opportunity to meet the Pope. “When the Holy Father went by I asked him to bless and pray for me, my family and God’s people in my country. The Holy Father asked me, ‘Where are you from?’ I replied that I am from Timor Leste and the Holy Father said to me, ‘Keep your faith, you are still young, pray diligently and do the best in your study.’” Then the Holy Father put his hands on my head and blessed me,” Fr Carlito said. More photos & video
This Sunday Mark paints a scene of fear and chaos as the disciples are tossed about on the sea and in danger of sinking. This frightening situation is transformed by the calm power of Jesus. None of Mark’s stories are about some awesome display of power. Mark’s stories make it clear that Jesus is about saving human beings, healing them and calming hearts disturbed by life’s storms. In Jesus is the power of life and liberation. Read more
Celebrating At Home 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time [PDF]
Celebrating At Home 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time [ePub]
It is wonderful to see Jesus, again and again, looking at life and at what’s happening around him, for things and images that might help the people to detect and to experience the presence of the Kingdom. Parables are meant to leave the hearers wondering. They are not straight-forward answers to questions. They are food for thought. In Mark’s Gospel the Kingdom is not something yet to come, it is a present reality. It is the presence and action (reign) of God among his people. Read more
Celebrating At Home 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time [PDF]
Celebrating At Home 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time [ePub]
It seems a bit odd to be celebrating the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ at a time when so many in both Melbourne and throughout the world cannot attend Mass and receive the Eucharist. Yet I think that this time has actually been a blessing for us. The pandemic has helped us find new ways of being present to others and new ways of being the real presence of Christ. Read more
Celebrating At Home Body and Blood of Christ [PDF]
Celebrating At Home Body and Blood of Christ [ePub]
