Whitsunday Catholic Parish

04/09/2026

We are delighted to announce that our new Parish Priest has arrived and is now with us in the Whitsunday Parish!

This weekend will be a very special occasion as he celebrates his very first Mass with our parish community. We warmly invite all parishioners to come along, introduce yourselves and give him a heartfelt Whitsunday Parish welcome.

Let us gather as one parish family to welcome him, pray with him and begin this new chapter together. We look forward to getting to know him and supporting him in his ministry among us.

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/os-data-2/tsvcathorgau/bundle9/newsletter_06_sep-2026.pdf

31/08/2026

Today is Social Justice Sunday. The Australian Catholic Bishops’ new statement, Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division, calls us to meet division, fear, and hostility with the mercy of Christ.

It invites us to listen before reacting, reject hatred, build bridges, and stand beside those who are vulnerable.

📖 Read the full statement: tsvcath.au/sjsaug26

29/08/2026

August 30, 2026: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 20:7-9
Rom 12:1-2
Mt 16:21-27

GROW AS A DISCIPLE | PRAY, STUDY, ENGAGE, SERVE
Peter, understandably, responded to Christ’s foreshadowing of his death with shock and horror – insisting that Jesus would not suffer and die. But Christ’s words to his disciples taught them all to respond with humble obedience, trusting in the mission of God without fully understanding it. And Jeremiah in the first reading felt that God had “duped” him. Perhaps the message here is to expect the unexpected when taking on a life of holiness. In my own vocations of marriage, motherhood, and teaching, I regularly encounter challenges and surprises. As disciples, when we discern the will of God in our lives and choose to live according to his will, we do so not because we know all that it will entail, but because we know and trust the One who calls us. We are not promised an easy life, but we are promised abundant life. God calls us to a life of holiness because he knows that is what will bring us fulfillment and peace.

GO EVANGELIZE | PRAYER, INVITATION, WITNESS, ACCOMPANIMENT
In the process of discernment, we consider our gifts and talents, humbly reflect upon what is needed to build the kingdom of God, and listen carefully in prayer to the voice of God. We have the immense gifts of Sacred Tradition and Scripture to facilitate the “renewal of [the] mind” (Rom 12:2) as we allow our minds and hearts to be transformed by God’s will. And in humble obedience, we must be honest with ourselves about whether we are fully open to God’s call, even when it is contrary to our plans. When we believe with our entire being that we are living according to God’s will, we will not be able to remain quiet or live in a mediocre way. Just as Jeremiah was unable to keep himself from speaking on the Lord’s behalf, the Good News of Christ will come pouring forth from our being in everything that we do. And in this outpouring of God’s love, we will give others the opportunity to encounter Christ through us.

REFLECT
Spend some time this week considering the vocation to which you are being called. Reflect upon how you can grow in trust of God to depend upon his care and guidance as you serve according to his will. Although our specific call may be challenging and may seem overwhelming, we can trust in the promise that following God’s will leads to a life of joy and peace.

©faithcatholic

29/08/2026

Check out our newsletter for this weekend here:
https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/os-data-2/tsvcathorgau/bundle9/newsletter_30.08.2026.pdf

27/08/2026

24/08/2026

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/os-data-2/tsvcathorgau/bundle9/newsletter_23.08.2026.pdf

22/08/2026

August 23, 2026: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 22:19-23
Rom 11:33-36
Mt 16:13-20

GROW AS A DISCIPLE | PRAY, STUDY, ENGAGE, SERVE
In today’s second reading, St. Paul reflects in awe over the “depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.” God’s judgments are inscrutable, his ways unsearchable, he goes on to say. While on our own, we cannot know the depth of who God is and the beauty of his plan for us, we have been given access to this knowledge by the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel, Peter is able to grasp that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” not by “flesh and blood,” but by a revelation from our heavenly Father. The Church that is still led by Peter’s successor continues to be guided by the Spirit into the fullness of truth. (Jn 16:13) As individual believers, we, too, have received the Spirit in our hearts. By living in communion with our Holy Father and by seeking to listen to the Spirit who also speaks into the depths of our hearts, we can rest assured that we are in a “sure spot” where we can receive all that the Lord wishes to reveal to us about what it means to live in him.

GO EVANGELIZE | PRAYER, INVITATION, WITNESS, ACCOMPANIMENT
Today’s Gospel demonstrates that Christ desired to place Peter – and his successors – as the visible head of his Church. Yes, God willed from the beginning to leave his Church with a leader who could safeguard the quintessential confession of Christ as the “Son of the living God,” but there’s more to it than this. Peter is given keys to the kingdom of heaven. And what are keys for if not to open doors? In a very real way, the mission of our Holy Father is to open up access to God’s kingdom, and there are many examples of this. On World Mission Sunday in 2011, Pope Benedict said, “The proclamation of the Gospel is intended for all peoples.” And Pope Francis, speaking at World Youth Day in 2023, emphasized that the Gospel is for todos, todos, todos – everyone, everyone, everyone, without exception. As we pray for our Holy Father and the immense task with which he has been entrusted, let us work in our own way to ensure that the doors of our churches, the way to the kingdom of heaven, remain open for all.

PRAY
As we reflect on the gift that Jesus left us by making Peter and his successors the visible head of his Church on earth, take some time to pray for our Holy Father and his intentions. You can pray along with the Pope at the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (a site which contains a short video of the Pope’s monthly prayer intention and other prayer resources) at www.popesprayer.va.

©faithcatholic

22/08/2026

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/os-data-2/tsvcathorgau/bundle9/newsletter_23.08.2026.pdf

21/08/2026