St Mary Of the Assumption Parish

06/10/2024

Unexpected but wonderful news that Bishop Mykola Bychok, CSsR, Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne, has been named a Cardinal. Our youngest bishop in Australia, by far. And a blessing for Ukraine. Our fervent prayers!

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas 🎄

17/12/2023

Fr Marcus has been appointed Parish Priest/Administrator in Corio/Lara. We wish him the very best as he starts in the new year.

16/12/2023

Mass times for Christmas 2023.

05/09/2021

A special message from Archbishop Peter Comensoli on Fathers Day.

25/11/2020

PARISH UPDATE:

You can now book for mass at st Mary MacKillop and St. Paul's via link on our website. Masses will start this weekend on Saturday and Sunday as per usual times.

Please contact the Parish Office if you have any questions.

18/10/2020

On the weekend we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the canonisation of St. Mary MacKillop.

Friends, today we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the canonisation of St Mary MacKillop – Australia’s first saint. She’s a home grown example of someone who made mercy her calling card, proclaiming through her life and works the tender love of Jesus Christ.

Many of you may be familiar with the statue of St Mary on Brunswick Street in the ACU quadrangle. It’s a statue of a young Mary on the threshold of her missionary journey. She's sitting on a bench looking out – poised for her future; about to get on the move. Just as Mary sits eager and expectant to what lies before her, so too are we being invited to join her on this threshold and do what we can in Jesus Christ. It’s our time now to 'see the gospel need and to do something about it' – responding creatively and joyfully as we plant seeds of hope and grace in our own neighbourhoods and families.

And just like St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, may we too make mercy our calling card.

🙏

06/10/2020

Dear friends,

The last months have been difficult for all of us, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who have fallen ill and for those who sadly have passed away. We also pray for all those who care for the sick and elderly whether in hospitals or other places.

We have now received permission, with very strict conditions, to allow people to attend some form of religious service. I am very much aware that you have been deprived of the Holy Eucharist for nearly seven months. Many people have told me of their distress this has caused. Therefore, I propose the following:

1. Father Tran and I will be present at St Mary MacKillop Church each Sunday beginning this Sunday, October 11 from 9.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. in order to give Holy Communion to groups of FIVE people at a time. This is the maximum number of people who can gather with a faith leader. These meetings cannot take place in churches which must remain closed.

2. We will be at the main Church Doors and at the Office entrance so that we can accomodate as many people as the regulations provide.

3. There will be someone to take down your name and phone number as required by government regulations.

4. You will be required to wear a mask and to sanitize your hands at the sanitizer dispensers.

5. The priests will lead a very brief Communion Service. This will comprise of the Lord’s Prayer, the invitation to Holy Communion, and the final blessing. You are asked to receive Communion on the hand. The whole event will take less than five minutes. You should make your thanksgiving after you leave the property.

6. You are asked to then make your way to your car so that the next group can come.

7. Please be considerate of maintaining social distancing requirements. We also ask you to be a little patient. It would be a good idea to perhaps consider coming a little in the morning so as to avoid large numbers of people being on the property at the same time. It would be a good idea to wait in or near your cars until you are called.

I sincerely hope that this proposal will help all of to remain united with the Lord and with each other.

Yours in the Lord,

Monsignor Charles Portelli

21/08/2020

19/08/2020

Dear Parishoners,

One mass is filmed each week and can be found on our website on the home page. Please visit http://www.stmaryoftheassumption.org.au for more information or to watch weekly mass at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish.

04/07/2020

LIVE WEEKEND MASS

Dear Parishoners,

Here is a link to this weekend's mass celebrated by Monsignor Portelli. The mass begins today at 5:30pm live.

Rev. Mgr. Charles Portelli celebrates THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, Year A.

02/06/2020

LETTER FROM MONSIGNOR PORTELLI TO PARISHONERS:

Dear friends,

With great anticipation and excitement, we are writing to let you know that finally we are able to celebrate public Masses for a maximum of 20 people. As a result, we have been determining what seems to be the safest and the most equitable way to make our public Masses available to our parishioners. We hope that you will find this letter helpful as we work our way back into our churches.

We look forward to re-opening the parish, but because there is no vaccine for COVID-19 at this time and because we are still experiencing community transmission in our state we will be opening with a more limited Mass schedule than we are accustomed to. Given there are still risks for many in our parish, we have tried to develop a plan that will keep you and our staff safe. Please remember that the Archbishop has continued to extend the disposition of our Sunday obligation to attend Mass. This decision was made for those of you who are vulnerable, have health conditions, and are concerned about the transmission of the virus as well. We will also continue to live stream our Sunday Mass via the parish website and YouTube. We realize that the inability to receive Eucharist has been a hardship for the faithful during this time. However, we need to remember that the reason for our suspending Masses was to do what our Lord asks of us, to protect the vulnerable. Though we were not united at the Lord’s table, our sacrifices in this time have been united for the benefit of our brothers and sisters.

As we prepare for the June opening, we wanted to provide you with some important information. First of all, the health and safety of our parishioners is our greatest concern. We need to consider many of these issues as we begin to reopen. We are also obliged by law to observe the conditions imposed on gatherings of people by both the State and Federal Governments.

General Protocols and Processes
Starting this week, parishioners will be able to use TRY BOOKING to reserve Mass seating. There will be a link to this on the Parish website: stmaryoftheassumption.org.au. We will be scheduling for two-week periods at a time, the first two weeks will be June 9-June 23, and so forth. To be equitable and to allow all parishioners a chance to sit at the table of God, we are only allowing you to sign up for one Mass at this time. It will not be possible to book via email or phone calls. If you do not have access to the internet, you probably have a younger member of your family who will be able to access the internet for you. When you sign up to attend you will need to leave your name and contact phone number. You do not need to print a ticket because your details will already be recorded. Please book only one ticket per booking per person. The following weeks mass will be available for booking on the Sunday of each week.
Due to the current pandemic, we will be allowed to use only one door as an entrance and exit.
The door to the church will open fifteen minutes before the Mass is to begin. The doors will be closed and locked once the last person has been checked in at the checkpoint. Please remember to be early for Mass to help streamline this process.
When people arrive at the church, they need to be sure to check-in. We need to keep our lists for 6 months in the event there is community transmission at one of our Masses. With that being said, when you sign up for Mass, you are authorizing the Parish to furnish your information to government authorities should the need arise. You will also need to sanitize your hands. Appropriate sanitizer stations will be available.
There will be NO CONFESSIONS before any Masses. You can schedule an appointment with a priest at a different time if you need to receive the sacrament.
Parishioners will be ushered to their seats so that individuals or families are socially distanced from others.
Lines coming into the church, going to communion, and exiting church must all include social distancing. There will be markers, and ushers and staff will assist with this process.
We will discourage parishioners from singing.
Holy Eucharist will be received only in the hand. Parishioners will receive and return to their seats.
At the end of Mass you will be asked to wipe down the place where you sat. Instructions will be given at the appropriate time.
There can be no passing of the collection plates, so a collection box will be at the entrance to the church. Please use it!
Parishioners are asked to refrain from gathering with others in the parking lot upon arrival or after Mass.
If you have any questions or require any additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

May God be with us and bless us in this challenging time.


Monsignor Charles Portelli
Parish Priest