When our late Bishop Bill convoked the Maitland Newcastle Diocesan Synod in 2019, the turbulent nature of the following two years could not have been predicted. While Session One could take place face-to-face, Session Two needed to be modified due to the pandemic, and Session Three has been postponed.
It was Christmas 2021 that everyone was looking forward to. COVID had started to slow, holidays had been booked, but out of now where, Newcastle ended up in the thick of an outbreak.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Sister Margaret O’Sullivan approached me one Sunday morning at Mass and asked about the initiative of Share our Story, which is often featured in Faith Matters.
I have fond memories of growing up and attending St Brigid’s Primary School at Raymond Terrace. At the end of every school year, we would attend swimming lessons. I remember the songs we sang on the bus as we pulled up at the purple-coated roadway of Jacaranda Avenue at the local pool. It was this time of the year we had all been waiting for.
Having recently visited the DoMN library to assist Mandy Greaves the Diocesan Librarian sort through the thousands of donated books, I came across several books on Advent.
The Christian Formation Course (CFC) has run in different locations and in different formats across the Diocese since 1996, and has been responsible for the ongoing faith formation of some two hundred people.