ST MARY MACKILLOP PARISH, BIRKDALE
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Fight fear with faith.....

9/8/2020

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A business man was late for his flight. He reached the boarding gate just before it closed. Sweating and out of breath, he scanned his boarding pass at the counter and quickly made his way to the plane. Arriving at his seat, he greeted his companions including a little girl at the window side. After the flight took off, he began a conversation with the little girl. The little girl appeared to be about the same age as his daughter and was busy with her colouring book. He asked her a few of the usual questions, and he found it strange that such a young girl would be traveling alone.

About an hour into the flight, the plane suddenly began experiencing extreme turbulence. The pilot announced
that everyone should fasten their seat belts and remain calm, as they had encountered rough weather. Some
people began crying and the man was sweating and clenching his seat as tightly as he could, and exclaim Oh my
God! with each increasingly violent shake of the plane. Meanwhile, the little girl was sitting quietly beside him in
her seat. Incredibly, she didn't seem worried at all.

The pilot came on a few minutes later to apologize for the uncomfortable ride and to announce that they would be
landing soon. As the plane began its descent, the man said to the little girl, “You are just a little girl, but I have
never met a braver person in all my life! Tell me, dear, how is it that you remained so calm while all of us adults
were so afraid?” Looking him in the eye, she said, “My father is the Pilot, and he is taking me home."

Let us approach Jesus with the same strong faith in His ability and availability to calm the storms in our life. It is
the presence of Jesus which gives us peace even in the worst situations: times of sorrow, doubt, tension and
uncertainty, when we are overwhelmed with anxiety and dread, filled with anger and despair, or struggling with
temptations. Storms reveal to us our weakness, or inability to save ourselves and lead us to rely on the infinite
ability of God to rescue us. When we take notice of Jesus in our turbulent times, we find that we gain strength to
do the seemingly impossible.
​
St. Mary MacKillop whose feast is on 8th August, had this most extraordinary trust in the providence of God. The
deep relationship that St Mary of the Cross had with Jesus Christ led her to face her many situations of heartache
and disappointment with an amazing attitude of hope and perseverance. Her faith did not only encourage her to
face whatever needed to be faced but also to overcome the difficulties.

Our 25th anniversary of the parish in 2020 will be well remembered as the year when, as a result of the COVID-
19 corona virus, our churches were closed for a significant period of time and we learnt new ways to connect with
each other and to nourish and grow our faith and our relationship with our loving God. Thank you, all dear
parishioners, for your support and love towards our parish family. Happy feast day to all ......

Following on from the Newsletter note a couple of weeks ago, this week we convened the first Working Group
meeting to consider the proposal for the closer collaboration between the Birkdale and Alexandra Hills Capalaba
parishes. The meeting was an open and frank conversation with robust discussion on the topic. The outcome of
the meeting is that we need to gather more information and ensure that we are considering the best option, so
that we might deliver a considered recommendation for the right way to move forward in the region. Overall, it
was a very positive session with a lot of talking and a lot of listening.
​
The next Working Group meeting will be in three weeks’ time. Feel free to engage with our parish representatives
(Chris Mahoney and Steve Kemp) if you would like to know more.

Blessings,
Fr. Dantus Thottathil.
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St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish
​Pastor: Fr. Dantus Thottathil 
Associate Pastor: Fr. Prem Rethnamony 

12 Hardy Road, Birkdale QLD 4159
Phone: 07 3822 2139 | Fax: 07 3822 4060
Email: birkmmack@bne.catholic.net.au

Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am to 1pm​
Emergency Contact: (07) 3207 4566
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St Mary MacKillop Parish Birkdale
  • Home
  • Our Parish
    • Our Patron
    • Parish History
    • Parish Councils
    • Safeguarding
    • Columbarium
    • Our Parish School
  • Mass & Prayer Times
  • Ministries
  • Sacraments
  • Young Adults
  • NEWS
    • Newsletters
    • Our Blog
  • Contact
    • STAY CONNECTED
    • Forms & Downloads
    • Privacy Policy
    • Bequest
    • St Mary MacKillop School