Marriage Sunday February 13^th and 14^th 2010

We will celebrate Marriage Sunday on February 14th, a day that coincides with the Feast of St Valentine, a feast that rejoices in romantic love and lifelong marriage. We especially celebrate married life in all its ups and downs, joys and sorrows, romance and pain. During Mass we will offer a blessing for all married couples. Let us go beyond the popular emphasis on flowers and chocolates for a day, to focus on the life- long commitment of those who are married.

St Valentine was a priest in Rome at the time of Emperor Claudius II. The story goes that Claudius, urgent to recruit soldiers for his armies, decreed that all weddings be suspended so as to encourage more single, unfamilied men to serve in combat. Seeing the anguish of the young couples forbidden to marry, St Valentine allegedly performed secret weddings in defiance of the Emperor.

He was beheaded on February 14, 269 AD and buried on the Flaminian Way where archaeologists have unearthed a catacomb and an ancient church dedicated in his name. He is the Patron Saint of engaged couples, happy marriages, love and lovers.

We celebrate today not only the love shared by those couples among us, but also the love of the Great Lover, Jesus. Christ, our bridegroom, invites us to join him in an everlasting covenant; an eternal love union that is reflected in the love of each and every dedicated married couple.

A Prayer For Married Couples

Father of life and love,you created us in your image - woman and man. We rejoice and thank you for the gift of each other.

Sustain us in our love and lead us to a deeper understanding of your love.

Jesus, we come before you, seeking your guidance and direction in our relationship.

In marriage you call and challenge us to a permanent, exclusive and sacred friendship.

Be our strength and support, therefore, as we continue this journey together.

Holy Spirit, help us to strive towards a lasting, honest commitment united in love.

Give us your strength to carry each other in times of darkness, your joy in times of happiness, and your gift of awe in the uniqueness and sacredness of each other.

May our love be a reflection and a sign of your love in the world.

Amen.

Ministry of Hospitality –Position: Parish Secretary

Pittwater Catholic Parish has a vacancy for a Parish Secretary. The position of Parish Secretary is part of Ministry of Hospitality, and will include a variety of typical secretarial responsibilities.

In addition, the secretary has the responsibility of being the “face & voice” of the parish. Persons coming into contact with the office do so under a wide variety of situations: people who are in need, grieving, celebrating, simply seeking information.

It is important that all are made welcome here and the Parish Secretary is often the point of contact to convey that welcome.

This is a full-time position, commencing March 2010.

The ideal applicant will have

• Strong commitment to the Catholic faith

• Previous experience of working in a secretarial role.

• Demonstrated capacity to work well in a team.

• Competence with computers and intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft Office and or Mac, and other required computer applications for a busy office is necessary.

• Have experience in MYOB or similar accounting program.

Applicants should address the Selection Criteria above.

Further information is available in the attachment- click below.

Interested applicants are invited to e-mail a letter of interest and CV to:

Parish Priest

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater

1 Keenan St

Mona Vale NSW 2103

Or email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Applications close 3pm Wednesday 17^th February 2010.

Attachments:

File	Description	File size	Last Modified
Parish Secretary	Parish Secretary Job Description PDF file	94 Kb	27/01/10 15:41

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 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 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 Laity plays a major part in Pittwater Parish. Here is a video celebrating the role of the laity. It will give you an idea of what happens in the Parish.

The music is provided by our very own Soul Band and the third section was composed, sung and self-accompanied by Lauren from our Parish.

Click the player to start or pause. There is a full screen icon on the bottom towards the right. You will need a recent version of Adobe's Flash Player and you might be asked to download it. You will need a Broadband connection to view the video. However, most people have this.

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

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.