Dear parishioners of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish West Belconnen,

I write to you with gratitude for your participation in the recent consultation regarding our weekend Mass times.

After accounting the responses we received last weekend, the majority of parishioners have indicated their preference for 

Option B. Accordingly, the revised Sunday Mass schedule will be as follows:

Saturday Vigil – St John the Apostle, Kippax: 5:00 pm

Sunday – St Thomas Aquinas, Charnwood:    8:30 am

Sunday – St John the Apostle, Kippax:         10:00 am

Sunday – St John the Apostle, Kippax:           6:00 pm

This new schedule will take effect from the weekend of 3–4 July 2026.

I am conscious that this change will affect many parishioners in different ways. I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or difficulty it may cause. Please know that this decision has been made with the pastoral and liturgical consideration of the parish and in response to the realities we face as a community. I continue to seek your prayers during this transition and at the same time encourage you to remain united in love and faith of Jesus.

I also invite you to save the date for our Parish Assembly on Saturday,

25 July 2026. This will be an important opportunity for us to come together, reflect, and continue discerning the future of our parish.

Thank you once again for your understanding, support, and commitment to our parish life.

With prayer and gratitude,

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - 7 June 2026

Gospel Reflection

The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, celebrates and commemorates the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Although the liturgy on Holy Thursday remembers the celebration of the Last Supper, its focus tends to be more aligned with the events of the Passion rather than on the institution of the Eucharist. In the 13th Century, Pope Urban IV established the feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ) and it was St Thomas Aquinas who composed the official prayers of the Church for the feast day. In 1970 the feast was changed to the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. In some countries it is celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday and in others on the following Sunday.

The gospel passage comes from the 6th chapter of the gospel of John in which the gospel writer has Jesus deliver an extended discourse on the image of himself as the Bread of Life. This passage comes from the end of that discourse and, in this relatively short passage, Jesus repeatedly demands that his followers must eat his flesh and drink his blood. It is through these actions that his followers will share in eternal life. Jesus says that whoever does this will live in him and he will live in them. That is one of the fundamental beliefs about the Eucharist. When we receive the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist we become what we receive – we become Christ’s body in the world. When Jesus called his disciples, he called them to be like himself. He reissues that call to be like him every time we receive his body and blood in Eucharist.

Gospel Reflection by Greg Sunter

St John the Apostle Parish, Kippax

Mission Office Appeal, June 6/7 2026

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

This Feast holds many meanings for us.

The whole mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and Word of God

The Body and Blood reveal his complete humanity

The Sacrament of Communion is a sign and symbol, and external revelation of the Church, Mystery of Communion.

We as Church are called to live in communion with God, with each other and with the whole of creation.

In the Mission Office we express this unity through our Projects which are a practical way to show love and concern for others. In this way we give people a “hand up” in life, a better way of life. Every Project spreads the Good News of Jesus and the life he offers. It is practical, down-to-earth and very much of this physical world.

Every one of you is part of what we do through your generous and ongoing donations. We cannot continue the work without your support. Together in this work we show our unity, our communion with the mission God gives us, with each other and with all the recipients of the funding we are able to give.

We thank you for your generosity and support and, with you, continue to reach out to those who need our assistance.

Notice: Mission Office Appeal 
St Thomas Aquinas Church, Charnwood June 27/28, 2026

Roger Purcell msc

Director

PARISH OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We welcome

Fr. Roger Purchell msc from the MSC Mission Office to our parish this weekend.

MSC MISSIONS

Fr. Roger Purcell msc from MSC Mission office will be in our parish on the weekends of 6/7 June and 27/28 June.

PUBLIC HOLIDAY NOTICE

Sharon will be on leave from Monday 8 June and returning to work on Wednesday 15 July. During this period, Br Daniel will be periodically monitoring the parish emails. If you have any urgent matters during this time, please call the parish office on 6254 3236.

SAVE THE DATE

Parish Assembly 

Saturday, 25 July 2026

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PREPARATION

This weekend, several of our parish children are having their First Holy Communion.

Over the last four weeks, their catechists and families have journeyed with them to prepare for this special moment, and receive the Body of Christ. They learned that Mass is a time when we gather together as God’s people, listen to God’s word, give thanks for God’s love and blessing, and are sent forth to be the heart of God to others.

Thank you to the parish community for your prayers of encouragement and support.

FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Friday 12 June

9:30am Mass

St John the Apostle Catholic Church

There will be a Morning tea held in the foyer

Address of Pope Leo XIV regarding the presentation and promulgation of the Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas and the Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence can be found at 

https://olsh.org.au/wider-church-news/ 

MOVIE NIGHT

7:00pm –26 June

St John the Apostle Catholic Church

Parish Library

We are watching

“Marnie”

BOOKCLUB New Members Welcome

Sunday 28 June 2026 – 3:00pm

St John the Apostle Catholic Church

Parish Library

We are reading:

“Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s invisible life”

by Anna Funder

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Connecting with people living alone

Coffee Group –9 June

2:00pm - Ichi Café

Kippax Shopping Centre

Monthly Gathering

21 June 2026

3:30pm - 5:00pm

St John the Apostle Catholic Church Parish Library

Men’s Group

6:00pm Friday 19 June

Parish Centre Kippax

beer, wine, soft drink , snack food and pizza

Pins & Needles

7:15pm – Monday 15 June

St John the Apostle Catholic Church

Parish Library

Women’s Breakfast

Tuesday 26 May  – 7:30am

Bean Origin Café

Nettlefold Street Belconnen

YCS BELCONNEN - 
After Sunday Mass [fourth Sunday of the month]

28 June 2026
From 7:00pm – 9:00pm 
St John the Apostle Parish Centre 
Year groups 7 – 12 are welcome 
Join us for games, praise, prayer, food and social justice

Friendship Group Morning Tea

next meeting on Wednesday 24 June 10:15am – SJA parish centre

Please come and join us, you are all most welcome. Please bring a plate to share.

17 – 19 July | INSTAGRACE |

INSTAGRACE is a three-day Catholic residential program organised by Jesus Youth Canberra for teenagers aged 13 to 17. Running successfully for nearly a decade, it helps young people grow in self-understanding and develop a personal relationship with Jesus through talks, music, and life testimonies.

Venue: Outward Bound Australia, Naas Road, Tharwa, ACT

Date & Time: Friday, 17 July 2026 (9:00 am) to Sunday, 19 July 2026 (4:00 pm)

Registration Fee: $290

Registration Closes: 12 July 2026

For any further enquiries, please contact Jerin Niju on 0469 738 253.

Recently Deceased: :

Anniversary: 

Mary Stinton, Stefanie Seaton, Thomas Guy, Margaret Keogh, Stephen Carew, Jack Draper, Elizabeth Strike, Mary Vague, Marie Johnson, Evelyn Weinman, Ian Cupitt, Geoffrey Steward, Denise Doyle, Marcia Jasper, John Bray, William Briggs, Dorothea Guilfoyle, Florence Kennedy, Terrence Jones, Genevieve Fitzpaatrick, Ilona Ham, Anette Connellan, Elsie Dickason, Robert Scarr, Wendy Hawes, James Webb, Ingrid Soria, Marie Tyack, Mavis Southwick, Sheila Phillips, William Egan, Josef Zabsar, Sr. Margery Daly, George Carney, Ann Joyce, Kerry Montgomery, Maureen Ashley, Helen Heindl, Patricia Hillis, Ronald Davis, Francis Quinn, John McAppian, Christopher Robinson, Vivienne Thompson, Eileen Gehrig, Agneza Allars

ROSTERS

14 June                       Acolyte Roster

14 June                       Lector Roster

14 June                       Ministers of Communion

14 June                       Hospitality Roster

Weekly Rosters

ROSTERS

14 June                       Acolyte Roster

14 June                       Lector Roster

14 June                       Ministers of Communion

14 June                       Music Ministry / Slides