From the Parish House

Parish’s Feast of Our Lady of Pentecost

What would happen to a Church that is without the presence of the Holy Spirit?  According to Ignatius of Laodicea, a Greek Orthodox Patriarch who lived in the fifth century, it would be a church where – “God is distant, Christ is merely a historical figure, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is just an organisation, authority is domination, mission is propaganda, liturgy is only nostalgia, and the work of Christians is slave labour.”  However, he said, when a church is filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit; it would a church where “Christ is risen and present, the Gospel is a living force, the Church is a communion in the life of the Trinity, authority is a service that sets people free, mission is Pentecost, the liturgy is memory and anticipation, and the labour of Christians is divinised.”

It is an undeniable truth, then, that we cannot survive as a living Church without God’s Spirit.  The image of Christ’s breathing the Holy Spirit on the Apostles in the Upper Room reflects what is important about ourselves as individuals and as the Church.  We cannot maintain life within ourselves without the breath that we take in and out at any given moment during the course of our lives.  Likewise, the Church cannot remain a living and fruitful Church without that very breath of the Holy Spirit that the Risen Lord breathed on the Apostles and continues to breathe on us as the Church today.  It is the Spirit of God that keeps us, as individuals and as the Church, alive.  Therefore, enabling ourselves to constantly receive this gift of life is crucial.  It is indeed not only for ourselves individually but also for the Church as a whole.

In Luke’s account of Pentecost, we hear that before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed his Apostles to stay together to prepare themselves to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and they assembled in prayer with Our Lady in the Upper Room to await what Jesus had promised them.  It is indeed an invitation to us as his community of faith to do the same.  As we anticipate celebrating the Feast of Pentecost – our parish’s Feast Day this weekend – we are also invited to gather as one to celebrate this feast of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  There will be Masses across our parish as usual.  However, there will be a main Mass to celebrate as one parish community and to mark this special occasion of our Parish Feast Day at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church at 10.30 am, followed by morning tea.

Happy Feast Day to all of us – and let us pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit – Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love!

In other news From the Parish House, it is with a mixture of gratitude and sadness that I share with you that Tricia Norman has decided to resign from her role as Senior Pastoral Associate after 19½ years of dedicated service to our parish community.

Over these many years, Tricia has been a familiar and caring presence in the life of our parish.  Beginning her ministry as Sacramental Coordinator, her role gradually grew and evolved through pastoral care and parish leadership, always responding generously to the changing needs of our community.

Many of us have experienced her kindness, support, wisdom, and quiet dedication in different ways throughout the years.  Whether through the coordination of parish ministries, supporting the spiritual life of the parish, accompanying parishioners in times of joy and sorrow, helping form and guide volunteers, encouraging faith formation, or simply being present to people with compassion and understanding, Tricia has given so much of herself to this community.

She has also been deeply involved in the important journey of bringing our five communities together, helping to guide and support the process that culminated in the amalgamation of our parish in October 2024.  Her steady leadership, faith, and commitment during this time have been greatly appreciated.

As Tricia concludes this chapter of her ministry in our parish, she will undertake further study in the area of pastoral care in the second half of the year.  She is currently taking annual leave and will return on 9 June for her final weeks of ministry before officially concluding her role on 17 July. 

There will be an official Farewell Mass to give thanks for her many years of devoted service to our parish community.  Details of this celebration will be shared towards the end of June.

On behalf of our entire parish, I sincerely thank Tricia for the generosity, humility, care, and love with which she has served God and our people over nearly two decades.  We wish her a restful holiday, a joyful final time with us, and every blessing for the next chapter of her journey.

Please keep Tricia in your prayers.

By Fr Sang Ho