Pentecost Sunday

On Sunday 28 May, our parish will be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost - the end of the Easter season and the birthday of the Church.  Pentecost Sunday is celebrated 50 days after the resurrection and marks the end of the Easter Season.
At Pentecost, we recall the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem:  a critical event that marked the beginning of the Church, as it was the moment when the disciples gained clarity of purpose and felt empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit to continue the mission Jesus had left them when he ascended to heaven: to be his witnesses throughout the world.
The same Holy Spirit that transformed the apostles is still with us today. Just as Jesus instructed his disciples to go out and make his love known throughout the world, so too are we sent out with the same mission. Through Baptism, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us with the task of being disciples of Jesus. The challenge after Baptism is for us to continue to nurture our faith and attune our hearts to how the Holy Spirit is calling us to live in relationship with others.

As we prepare to celebrate the birthday of the Church, let us pray that we may all be open to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit and reflect on how we are being called to help bring the love and peace of Jesus to our homes, our school, our community and our world.
As with all parish Masses, you are warmly invited to join us.  After Mass, the celebrations will continue with a multicultural meal and opportunities to win prizes.  If you intend to stay for lunch, please bring along a plate of food to share.  If you have traditional costumes, please feel most welcome to wear these as well.

The Feast of the Visitation
Our Church celebrates the feast of the Visitation each year on the 31 May.  As our Sisters are Daughters of Our Lady of the Visitation, this is their feast day, too.  This year’s feast day will also coincide with the opening of a Holy Year to mark the Centenary of their Congregation in Vietnam. 

In honour of such an anniversary, on Wednesday, 31 May,  Bishop Brian Mascord will celebrate Mass at St Francis of Assisi church, along with Fr Damien and other priests, at 6 pm.  All are warmly invited to attend this Mass to help our Sisters celebrate this special occasion.