News and events – Catholic Parish of St. Canice

Ignatius 500 to 1! ‘What matters?’

Ignatius 500 to 1! ‘What matters?’

Ignatius’ experience lies at the heart of the Ignatian tradition that Jesuit Social Services and other Jesuit works have inherited. The reflectiveness that led him to ask “what matters?” is similarly central to our way of working seeking out the people who most need our help, helping them to find what they want most deeply in life, and ourselves reflecting constantly on our approach, so as to ensure we continue to serve others and not just ourselves.

Railaco – Continuing with Hope in 2021

Railaco – Continuing with Hope in 2021

Thankfully, the recent floods and spread of Covid in East Timor have not impacted the people of Railaco in a big way. In heavily populated areas such as the capital Dili and some other areas, Jesuit Social Services Timor-Leste has been very actively involved in distributing food, clothing and blankets to those affected. Fr Bong reports from Railaco that plans for 2021 for the Mobile Medical Clinic and Children’s Feeding Program just continue as before.

St Canice’s School 1945

St Canice’s School 1945

The girls at St Canice must have been well schooled in artistic attainments, this would probably be correct. One fragment of the school which survives is the programme for a concert given in 1945. Eurhythmics, to music of Chopin, was a feature of that; along with a Dutch dance from the juniors; a one-act play, called ‘Cock-a-doodle-do’, from the infants; and selected scenes from ‘The Merchant of Venice’ from the older girls.

St Canice’s Primary School

St Canice’s Primary School

In this post, we recount stories of Sisters of Charity teachers from their days as a young Sisters teaching at St Canice’s Primary School before it closed in 1970. A Catholic education with professed sisters and brothers teaching in the years leading up to the 70’s was very different from what it is today. The sharing helps us learn and understand the diversity and richness of life in our parish community in past years. Over time, we build a rich mosaic of ‘our people

Our close connection with Kincoppal

Our close connection with Kincoppal

The first Kincoppal School was established on the site of the Hughes family home at Elizabeth Bay in 1909. The two schools were amalgamated in 1971 to become Kincoppal-Rose Bay School of the Sacred Heart. During this time, priests from St Canice’s looked after the spiritual needs of the students.

High Tea at St Canice’s

High Tea at St Canice’s

Thank you to everyone who attended the High Tea at St Canice's last Saturday. A group of 90 people gathered in the parish hall and listened to two inspirational speakers - Jenny Stanger - Executive Manager Anti-Slavery Taskforce, Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney & Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network (ACAN) who spoke about the impact of Modern Slavery and Marg Spencer who spoke about her work in Kings Cross during the 1980's, - 90's

The challenges of Floods and Covid in East Timor

Fr E J Gerilla, Parish Priest of our sister parish at Railaco Jesuit Mission writes to bring us more up to date with the recent flooding in Timor-Leste. He believe that the words that a religious sister in Timor posted on her Facebook best sums up the situation: “An Easter that is ever so different!” I think it captures the downtrodden spirit of the country and perhaps the local church as well. The majority of the Timorese people had to deal with great difficulties brought about by the Covid pandemic and the heavy downpour on Easter Sunday (4th of April, 2021) resulting to massive flooding in capital Dili and death toll of 27, as of the last count.

Fr Phil Crotty SJ reflects on 70 years of Jesuit Mission

Fr Phil Crotty SJ reflects on 70 years of Jesuit Mission

Seventy years have passed since the Australian Jesuits set about creating a mission in the Indian region of Hazaribag, and yet Fr Phil Crotty SJ still remembers those earliest days as though they were just beginning to unfurl. At home in Sydney, where he is now retired, the memories return to him with all the clarity of reflections trapped inside a raindrop – the tribulations and sorrows, the successes and joys and lamentations, the reflections and stories generated over a lifetime spent working with some of India’s most vulnerable people. “We went to, I think it was Myer’s, on Bourke Street in Melbourne, and were given six khaki shirts and six khaki pairs of pants,” he recalls of the weeks leading up to his departure from his hometown, Melbourne.

Blessings for same sex couples

Blessings for same sex couples

In this beautiful response to the recent negative Vatican announcement on blessings for same sex couples, Jesuit priest and law professor, Fr Frank Brennan masterfully sows words of love. Thank you. His reasoned homily removes the sting from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) by embracing words of Love from the recent encyclical of Pope Francis’ ‘Fratelli tutti’.

Thanks St Canice Community

Thanks St Canice Community

We thank so many of our parishioners for choosing to support the Railaco Jesuit Mission in 2020. Despite the challenges of the year, $74,000 was raised by the St Canice's Community for our sister parish in East Timor, including $11,608 as part of the Christmas Appeal.