The Three Challenges The Church is now facing challenges on three fronts. The secrecy of the confessional, the meaning of marriage, and the threat to life from euthanasia. To learn more about these issues, read our page on The Three Challenges. “We the people of St Gertrude’s Parish are a Catholic Community in South West Sydney, mindful of our history, with a concern for ecumenical issues. We are called to; Nurture faith development in the whole life of all our community, Celebrate God’s love for us in the person of Jesus in both Word and Sacrament and Evangelise by proclaiming the joy of salvation to the wider community.” Mass Times St Benedict’s Church Corner Justin and Neville Street, Smithfield, New South Wales Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9.15am Wednesday: 6pm Saturday Vigil: 6pm Sunday: 8am (Italian); 10.30am and 6pm Weekday Public Holidays: 10.30am 1st Friday: 7pm Children Mass: 4th Sunday 10.30am Children Liturgy: Sundays 10.30am; St Therese’s Church Corner of The Boulevarde and Stella Street, Fairfield West, New South Wales. Weekdays: 7am Saturday: 8am Saturday Vigil: 5pm (Vietnamese) Sunday: 7.30am; 9am; 11am (Spanish); 5pm (Arabic) Weekday Public Holidays: 8am Mass Times Welcome to the Parish of St Gertrud’s and the Diocesan Shrine Church of St Benedict Our Parish strives to be a welcoming community that lives the Good News of the Gospel in its actions and programs. We look forward to serving you and nourishing your spiritual and personal development. The patroness of our parish is St Gertrude (1256-1301) who through her lifestyle embodies the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, pursuing a vocation as a Benedictine nun and the great mystic. Pope Benedict XIV gave her the title, “the Great,” making her the only woman saint to be called, “the Great.” Her feast day is celebrated on November 16. Whether you are looking for a new parish home, just visiting us for a short time, returning to the practice of your Catholic faith or are just wanting to find out more about the Catholic Church, our parish community are most happy to have you with us. Our Parish Centre is located in Justin Street, Smithfield. At this location we have our main Church, the Shrine Church of St Benedict, presbytery, meeting rooms, offices and our Parish primary school. Our Parish also has the Church of St Therese at Fairfield West. The Mass times, location and other information about our Parish Churches are available on our web site. Our churches are places where we can worship our God and participate in the gifts of his sacraments. Through our parish we also have the opportunity to grow spiritually and put our faith into action through giving some of our gifts of time and talents. We hope you will share your time and talents with us, your Parish family, friends and community, by participating in our various ministries, social services, activities and spiritual experiences. There is a wide range of activities described on the parish website, through which you may be able to do this. The amount of time and effort needed varies and there is something to suit many different life situations. There may be something that interests you. The opportunity is there for you to enrich your spiritual life in a practical way and to also increase your sense of belonging to our community. Please do not hesitate to contact the Parish Office if you need more information. Regardless, we provide opportunities for all members of our parish family to get together socially each fourth Sunday of the month at a cuppa after the 10.30am Mass at St Benedict’s, Smithfield and BBQ night after 6pm Mass on the second Saturday of the month and at many other celebrations during the Year. You are most welcome to join us. I pray that you will find your experience with us in both spiritually and life rewarding. May God Bless you and your Family Fr Jarek Zan, Parish Priest