Sunday, 7 April 2024
2nd Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” After saying this he breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Gospel of John 20: 21-22
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass ©2001, 1998, 1970 CCD.
To all those who worked tirelessly to ensure that our liturgies for the Triduum and Easter were marked by a noble simplicity.
In particular, I would like to thank:
our musicians Kaylene Carson, Ann-Maree Fernandes and Fiona Mannington
Renie Arcega and the St Patrick’s Choir
Rachel Carson and Isabella McGeough
Joyce Ranger and her team of florists
the many parishioners who volunteered to minister (servers, presenters, projectionists, readers, ministers of the eucharist, home bakers) at the Triduum and Easter services
our sacristans
Frances Larwood and her team of cleaners
Ann-Maree Fernandes and her team for the incredible interactive ‘Stations’
Deacon Glenn Clunie for his thought-provoking homilies
and others too many to name
God bless you all.
LIVE THE LITURGY
Inspiration of the Week
We find unfathomable mercy and everlasting love in the wounds of Christ - even when we are skeptical, even when we carry doubt. God meets us there in the confusion. He reaches for our hand and places them at his side. We just have to call his name.
Anniversaries of those who died in April
Gospel Meditation
Encouraging Deeper Understanding of Scripture
A protestant pastor friend of mine was invited to meet Pope Francis with a group of other pastors. He noticed the Pope's chair was especially ornate and set at the head of the group. He somewhat playfully said, "Holy Father, why do you get that special chair?" The group chuckled nervously at my friend's audacious chide.
The following year, the group was invited to return. They entered the room to find only simple chairs placed in a circle Pope Francis entered, sat down in one of the humble chairs and, looking directly at my friend, with a twinkle in his eye, asked, "What do you think of my chair now?" My friend was stunned that the Pope remembered his concerns - and took the time to answer them.
Thomas the apostle was certainly stunned by the Risen Jesus displaying his wounds in person. But he also must have been equally shocked that Jesus knew and answered his particular questions, worries, and even demands related to his faith. How humbled - and perhaps a bit terrified - he must have been to realize God remembers his concerns and cares enough to answer them.
What questions or demands about Jesus do you find in your heart? Like Thomas, will you be bold enough to voice them this week? How wonderful to know that if we do so, God will remember and respond even to our most audacious desires.
- Father John Muir
© LP1 2024
Questions of the Week
Invite Parishioners to Reflect and Respond to Scripture
First Reading
We hear how the early Christians lived in unity and holiness, bearing witness to Jesus, and living in community as friends.
Which of these traits do you see at work in your faith community?
Second Reading
John teaches his community that our faith in Jesus helps us "conquer the world."
What struggles are you facing that you need to confront and defeat?
Gospel Reading
The risen Jesus meets Thomas in the midst of his doubt and encourages him to believe.
Who could you encourage this week to have faith ion the resurrection of Jesus?
Question
Where did the feast of Divine Mercy come from?
Answer
If you were born well before the year 2000, you know the feast of Divine Mercy has not always been celebrated in the Church. In the early 1900s, a young Polish nun began receiving private revelations. Jesus appeared to her during her times of prayer, speaking a message of mercy and love for the world. She received a set of prayers — the Divine Mercy Chaplet — and the request to have a feast day established to remind the Church of the mercy of God. St. Faustina died in 1938, on the cusp of war and in the midst of one of the most violent centuries in the history of the world.
Her story and her diaries began circulating in Poland and beyond. It quickly became apparent that this was a holy young women, and the cause for her canonization opened. In the year 2000, she was canonized by the first-ever Polish pope, St. John Paul II. On her canonisation day, he established the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday, “a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind with experience in the years to come.”
©LPi
Kid’s Corner
Prayer
God, help me to be patient with my doubting friends. Show them that Jesus is their saviour, too.
Mission for the Week
Talk to God about a friend who does not believe in Jesus. Ask God to give you the right words to say about Jesus. Then ask God to help you be patient.
Sharing the Gospel
In today's Gospel, Thomas had a hard time believing his friends. Jesus was alive! They saw Jesus! Well, Thomas could not believe it. He needed proof. Thomas wanted to see Jesus for himself. Thomas wanted to touch Jesus' scars on his hands and his side. Once Thomas did that, then he would believe. You may have doubting friends like Thomas. Be patient with them. Do not get angry with them. Love them instead, and gently tell the truth about Jesus. Ask Jesus to open their hearts, so they can believe in him, too.
Ministers for Sunday, 24 March
Taupō & Tūrangi
Here’s what's happening in April
TAX RECEIPTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF NEXT WEEK.
Monday, 1 April: Public Holiday
9am Mass
Tuesday, 2 April: NO Tuesday Community Lunch
Tuesday, 2 April: NO Youth Groups
Wednesday, 3 April: Depth Charge Connect
10am | Dennis and Catherine Hancock’s place (weekly during school term)
Thursday, 4 April: Endurance Connect | Men’s Group
7pm | Cafe (then weekly during school term)
Friday, 5 April: Movie Night | Taupō
6.30pm | Taupō
Sunday, 7 April: 2nd Sunday of Easter | Divine Mercy Sunday
5pm Saturday Vigil Mass, Tūrangi | 9am Mass, Taupō
Sunday, 7 April: Prayer for Life
After 9am Mass
Sunday, 7 April: Sacramental Preparation Introduction
After 9am Mass | Youth Den
Tuesday, 9 April: Healers’ Connect
9.30 am | Taupō
Tuesday, 9 April: Tuesday Community Lunch
1pm | Taupō (then weekly during school term)
Tuesday, 9 April: Youth Groups
6pm – 7pm (Years 7 & 8) | 7 pm – 7.30pm (dinner) | 7.30 pm – 8.45pm (Years 9 & 13) | Taupō (weekly during school term)
Tuesday, 9 April: Parish Leadership Team (PLT)
6.30pm | Faith Development Centre
Wednesday, 10 April: Depth Charge Connect
10am | Dennis and Catherine Hancock’s place (weekly during school term)
Wednesday, 10 April: Anointing Mass
12noon | Tūrangi
Thursday, 11 April: Endurance Connect | Men’s Group
7pm | Cafe (then weekly during school term)
Thursday, 11 April: SVDP
5.30 pm | Cafe
Thursday, 11 April: Safeguarding Workshop
7pm | Faith Development Centre
Friday, 12 April: Anointing Mass
12noon | Taupō
Friday, 12 April: SVDP lunch
After Mass | Taupō
Sunday, 14 April: 3rd Sunday of Easter
5pm Saturday Vigil Mass, Tūrangi | 9am Mass, Taupō
Monday, 15 April: Tim Tam Connect | Book Club
10.00 am | Cafe (then 2nd/3rd Monday of the month during school term)
Tuesday, 16 April: NO Tuesday Community Lunch
School Holidays
Tuesday, 16 April: NO Youth Groups
School holidays
Wednesday, 17 April: NO Depth Charge Connect
School holidays
Thursday, 18 April: NO Endurance Connect | Men’s Group
School holidays
Friday, 19 April: Praise & Worship
6pm: Taupō
Sunday, 21 April: 4th Sunday of Easter
5pm Saturday Vigil Mass, Tūrangi | 9am Mass, Taupō
Tuesday, 23 April: NO Tuesday Community Lunch
School holidays
Tuesday, 23 April: No Youth Groups
School holidays
Wednesday, 24 April: No Depth Charge Connect
School holidays
Thursday, 25 April: NO Endurance Connect | Men’s Group
School holidays
Thursday, 25 April: PFC
7pm
Sunday, 28 April: 4th Sunday of Easter
5pm Saturday Vigil Mass, Tūrangi | 9am Mass, Taupō
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
For the last twelve months four people in the parish have been learning about the Church and what it means to be Catholic.
AT THE EASTER VIGIL their waiting was over. Luke Holder & Cameron Bramall were baptised and clothed with the white garment; Suzy Aislabie and Seonah Choi were received into full communion with the Catholic Church. All four celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation then were entrusted to keep the Light of Christ burning brightly in their lives. Later in the Mass Luke, Cameron, Seonah and Suzy were nourished from the Table of Plenty when they received for the first time the Body and Blood of Christ.
XXX
Movie Nights 2024
1st Friday of the month | 6.30pm
Congratulations
”New Life in Christ”
Eva & Ruby Holder, the daughters of Sarah and Luke Holder, were baptised on Saturday, 30 March 2024 in St Patrick’s Church, Taupō
May the Light of Christ shine in your lives.
Aurora Olsen, the daughter of Patrick Olsen & Natalie Cross, was baptised on Saturday, 30 March 2024 in St Patrick’s Church, Taupō
Through the Waters of Baptism you have become a daughter of God.
Diocesan Family Weekend
Family weekend will be held 19 - 21 April 2023, central to Hamilton.
Accommodation is at Narrows Camp.
The theme for this year is based around the domestic church - what can we be doing in our homes.
Our guest speakers are Carrie and Luke McCormack, who have a passion for the domestic Church. They are members of the Emmanuel Community, Brisbane. Luke and Carrie are graduates from Encounter School of Ministry and are teachers at the Encounter School of Ministry Brisbane Campus.
Come & See
SAVE THE DATES! - Online booking will be available soon
All being held in the Hamilton area
Set Free April 22 - 24
Heaven Come 25 - 27
Year of Prayer 2024
Ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, Pope Francis has inaugurated a Year of Prayer.
He is calling on the faithful:
“to intensify prayer to prepare us to live well this event of grace and to experience the power of God’s hope.”
The Holy Father explains that the Year of Prayer is dedicated:
“to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the Church, prayer in the world.”
To mark the Year of Prayer, the Dicastery for Evangelization has prepared a series of useful materials and aids which can be used by Christian communities and individuals in their preparations for the 2025 Jubilee.
The booklet, inspired by the teachings of Pope Francis, is written as an invitation to intensify prayer, understood as a personal dialogue with God, and to lead readers to reflect on their faith, and their
commitment in today's world, in the various contexts in which they are called to live.
The aim is to offer reflections, ideas, and advice to help people to live their dialogue with the Lord more fully in their relationships with others. The guide is made up of sections dedicated to prayer in the parish community, and in the family, with other sections dedicated to young people, cloistered communities, catechesis, and spiritual retreats.
Retreats
Tyburn Monastery, Ngakuru &
Cluny Retreat Centre, Tauranga
Sunday Mass Schedule
Vigil Mass: Saturdays, 5pm | Tūrangi
Sunday Mass: Sunday, 9am | Taupō
Weekday Mass Schedule
Monday: 7pm | Taupō
Tuesday: 9am | Taupō
Wednesday: 12noon | Tūrangi
Thursday: 9am | Taupō
Friday: 12noon | Taupō
Saturday: 9am | Taupō
Public Holidays: 9am | Taupō
Confessions | Reconciliation | Penance
Wednesday: After Mass | Tūrangi
Saturday: 9.30am | Taupō
Adoration
Monday – Saturday: 30 minutes before Mass | Taupō
Regular Events
Prayer for Life
1st Sunday of the month | after Mass | Cafe
Tim Tam Connect | Book Club
2nd Monday of the month | 10am | Cafe
Youth Groups
6.00 pm – 7.00pm (Years 7 & 8) | 7.00 pm – 7.30pm (dinner) | 7.30 pm – 8.45pm (Years 9 & 13) | Taupō
(weekly during school term)
Healers’ Connect | Care for the Sick & Housebound
2nd Tuesday of the month | after 9am Mass | Cafe
Community Lunch
Tuesdays during the school term | 1pm | Cafe
Depth Charge Connect
Wednesdays during the school term | 10am | Dennis & Catherine Hancock’s place
Rosary
Wednesdays 11.30am, Tūrangi | 7pm, Taupō
Purl Connect
Thursdays | 1.00 pm | Lesley Mac’s place
SVDP
2nd Thursday of the month | 5.30pm | Cafe
Endurance Connect
Thursdays during the school term | 7pm | Cafe
Anointing of the Sick Mass
2nd Friday of the month | 12noon | Taupō
SVDP Lunch
2nd Friday of the month | after Mass | Cafe
Divine Mercy
Fridays & Sundays | 3pm | Taupō
Praise & Worship
3rd Friday of the month (except during Lent) | 6pm | Taupō
Film Evening
1st Friday of the month (except during Lent) | 6pm | Taupō