100 Year Anniversary of First OLR Church
Last Saturday Daphne Parsons and Vince O’Sullivan unveiled our new memorial glass panel at the Ashton Avenue door of the church, commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the opening of the first OLR Church here at The Entrance.
Congratulations Catechists
Last weekend our Catechists were Commissioned to go forth into the Public Schools for 2025!
Long Line of OLR School Graduates
Parishioners were invited to a tour of the new OLR School building last week. One special guest was Diane McCudden, an original OLR student at The Entrance 70 years ago, shown here with the last of her grandchildren to go through to their final year at OLR Shelly Beach.
Farewell Mary!
Mary Curmi, organist extraordinaire, was farewelled by all on Sunday. All the best to you Mary!
Youth Group: The Light of Christ Within Us
Join us after the 5:00pm Mass on Saturday 8 March for an evening of faith, fun, and fellowship! We’ll learn about the life of Mother Teresa, her calling, and the founding of the Missionaries of Charity, while also continuing our work in shaping the identity of our parish youth group. We’ll then explore her journey of light through darkness and prepare for Lent with a meaningful commitment activity. Dinner (pizza) provided!
📅 When: Saturday 8 March after 5:00pm Mass
📍 Where: The Upper Room (upstairs in Church complex)
🧑 Who: All high school youth welcome!
Come and be inspired as we walk together in Christ’s light!
Deacon Rosan's Ordination Update
The buses are filling fast for Deacon Rosan’s Ordination at OLR Waitara Cathedral on Wednesday 19 March at 7:30pm. The bus trip is free. We will depart from the Church carpark at 5pm, returning approximately 10pm. You will need your own transport to and from our Church.
The parish celebration with invited guests and parishioners, will be Fr Rosan’s First Mass of Thanksgiving, on Thursday 20 March at 11am, followed by a light lunch in the Parish Centre. (Food brought in on this occasion must have no capsicum or paprika due to Bishop’s allergies.) Please RSVP to the
parish office on 4332 2216 if you will be attending the luncheon.
The third celebration will follow the 5pm Vigil Mass on Saturday 22 March, with supper to follow in the Parish Centre. All are welcome and are asked to bring a plate on this occasion, which may be left in the parish centre prior to Mass.
We look forward to this great event and pray for Deacon Rosan at this time.
Thank You Volunteers!
Firstly a big thank you to Michael Delandre for his years of coordinating funeral arrangements on our Bereavement Team. Michael went above and beyond to make this difficult time as pleasant as possible for those mourning a deceased relative or friend.
We would also like to thank Joy Delandre for her volunteering as a Church Cleaner for many years. Joy has been a selfless helper and we wish her well in retirement.
Our next thanks goes to Raquel Dixon, Mariza Boclinton, Mila Barnes and Suellen Meilak who have offered to do the flower arranging in the Church. We look forward to some new refreshed displays in the near future. We would also like to thank a special donor for contributing to the purchase of some new flowers.
Family Mass
We invite you to join us for our first Family Mass of 2025 on Saturday 15 February at 5pm. Following the Mass, we'll be serving pizza and light refreshments in the Parish Hall. Feel free to bring a plate to share. This will be a great opportunity for families
to have a chat and meet other families. We hope to see you there! To register your attendance for catering purposes, please contact the parish office or register online using the QR code or link
https://forms.office.com/r/MZkmp2RKUP
First Friday Cuppa is Back!
On Friday 7 March our monthly Cuppa is on. We warmly invite everyone to come along after the Anointing Mass for a lovely cuppa and a chat. Bring a plate to share, which can be dropped off before Mass. We hope to see you all there!
Farewell Fr Joshi!
A lovely farewell was held for Fr Joshi with a morning tea. A great crowd showed their appreciation of his ministry here.
CatholicCare Home Care
CatholicCare is proud to announce our new accreditation for Home Care packages. Our social care agency in the Diocese of Broken Bay has been supporting the Northern Sydney, Northern Beaches and Central Coast communities for 35 years.
We understand many seniors prefer to stay at home as they age. The Government’s funding for Home Care Packages can help you live independently at home for longer. We want to know if our Home Care Packages are of interest to you, or a loved one and want to prioritise the needs of our parishioners before we promote to the general public. As a Catholic organisation we want the seniors we support to know they are truly cherished and valued and we’re confident our services will be very well received. There’s no obligation to partner with us.
We may contact you to discuss your needs, but you’re welcome to opt-out at anytime.
Memorial Garden Statues
Our new statues of St Patrick and St Mary of the Cross MacKillop are now in residence in the Memorial Garden. This completes the garden and we now have a patron for each of the walls. Thank you to those who contributed so generously to the purchase of these statues.
Two New Junior Altar Servers
On Saturday, 30 November, at the 5pm Vigil Mass, Deacon Rosan officially welcomed and blessed our two newest Junior Altar Servers, Jaggar and Pearl White. It is encouraging to witness the participation of our younger children in this important role, contributing to the service at our Parish Masses.
Congratulations Rory!
Last Sunday at the 8am Mass Rory Stacey was received into full communion with the Catholic Church. Pictured (left to right) are Deacon Paul, Rory, Fr Joshi, Peter Brunker (Rory’s sponsor) and Fr Brian. A very big welcome to you, Rory!
Catechist Awards
Service Awards were presented to our Catechists by the Vicar General, Fr David Ranson, in recognition of their years of teaching Special Religious Education to Catholic children in our public schools. Mary Evans was honoured with a 25-year award, while Johanna Hall and Deacon Rosan both received 15-year awards. Also acknowledged was Desmond Ho, presented with two CCD Diplomas in Special Religious Education for completing CCD Level 1 and Level 3 Ministry courses. We would like to extend our gratitude to all of them for their outstanding contributions to this ministry.
Central Coast Atrium
The newly opened Central Coast Atrium is running Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for 3-6-year-olds. The aim is to help the child nurture their own personal relationship with God. Sessions run Saturdays 9-10:30am, in the new Atrium (behind the CCD Office). For information or to join our waitlist contact centralcoastatrium@gmail.com or call Ashleigh on 0466 255 033.
Family Groups Morning Tea
One of our Family Groups hosts the Morning Tea each month, on the second Sunday after 9:30am Mass. The Morning Tea is for all parishioners and friends and is held in the Parish Centre. It is a lovely time to catch up with or meet new parishioners. Group members are asked to bring a plate and leave it in the centre prior to Mass.
Men's Social Group
The Men’s Social Group has expanded to include wives and friends. They have a lovely lunch and a chat at one of the local venues like this one at Shelly Beach Golf Club. Everyone is welcome to come along on the third Wednesdays of the month at 12 noon. (Watch this space for venue details.) Just turn up or for more information call Lui 4388 9510.