Noel retires

After more than five years as Sexton of Maria Regina Church, Noel Hurley has retired. A farewell morning tea was held in the Church Meeting Room on the 28th of June. Fr George made the presentation of a gift on behalf of the Parish as well as a beautiful bouquet of flowers to Margaret who has ably supported Noel over the years. Bishop Bernard also thanked Noel for his assistance upon his arrival in the Parish and also since then. Here are some photos. You can hover your mouse over the photo to enlarge it and click to shrink it.

The CEO Sleepout

Can you imagine sleeping rough on one of the longest, wettest, coldest nights of the year? Thousands of homeless Australians know all about this scenario. So too now, do 220 CEO's who attended the recent sleepout at Luna Park.

Each of these executives were given a bowl of soup and a bread roll for their evening meal. The slept in sleeping bags on cold, hard paving while the brave, such as Dick Smith, chose to sleep on a mere sheet of cardboard beneath a rain-soaked tarpaulin.

Tony Chamberlain, CEO of Staging Connections, produced a video diary of the night which can be viewed on www.ceosleepout.org.au together with his Twitter diary and a gallery of participants.

The CEO's not only suffered the experience of sleeping rough but raised over $550,000 for the Society's Winter Appeal. Comments on the success of the sleepout received unexpected media attention on radio and TV. Hopefully listeners and viewers will be inspired by the thoughtfulness and short-term suffering of these business leaders.

The Winter Appeal Box

Please place envelopes containing Winter Appeal 2009 donations in the Winter Appeal Box at the back of the Sacred Heart Church, Mona Vale or hand them in at the Piety Stall. All donations, large and small, will be gratefully received. Thank you all for your continued support..

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater

View South from Barrenjoey Lighthouse

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater is part of the Diocese of Broken Bay. From October 2008, it has been under the care of the Salvatorian Order. Pittwater is a large expanse of water bordered by National Park and suburbs. A tombola separates Pittwater itself from the ocean, which boasts a number of picturesque and popular beaches.

The Parish Priest is Fr George Kolodziej

"My prayer is that this Parish of Pittwater is going to be a community of HOPE providing spiritual nourishment to ALL"

The Parish is situated at the "top" end of Sydney's famed "Northern Beaches". It extends from and includes the suburb of Warriewood in the South and Palm Beach in the North plus those in between. It includes the suburbs of Church Point, Scotland Island, Lovett's Bay, Elvina Bay, Coaster's Retreat and Mackerel Beach to the West.

The Parish has two Churches with associated Primary Schools and one Secondary School (Mater Maria College, Warriewood).

Barrenjoey Lighthouse at the Northern end of Palm Beach is the iconic symbol for the Diocese of Broken Bay of which Pittwater Parish is a part.