Parish Committees

Description: The Parish Pastoral Council comes together with the Parish Priest to share responsibility for the development of our parish community of faith and respond to the pastoral needs of all the people of the parish family. Councilors meet monthly to reflect upon the life of the parish, seeks opportunity for parishioners to grow in holiness and fulfil personal and communal call to mission. Parish Pastoral Council is NOT a management or administrative body. The management and administration of the parish are the responsibility of the Parish Priest of the parish with the assistance of parish staff. Parish Pastoral Council is playing a vital role in the Parish Life.

Parish Pastoral Council members:
Elliott Bowen (Chairperson)
Russell Rodrigo (Deputy Chairperson, Acolytes & EMHC)
Annette Fernandes (Secretary)
Fr Dariusz Basiaga SDS (PP)
Justin Coupland (St Luke’s School Principal)
Petra Nakhoul (St Luke’s School Family Educator & Altar Servers)
Sandy Elazzi (St Charbel’s & Social & Fundraising Committees)
Patrick Tadros (Marketing & Communications)
James Nasr
Ansir Aquinas (Faith Formation)
Pauline Sahyoun (St Luke’s Committee, Children’s Liturgy, Sacramental Program)
Jess Hlara (Sto Nino’s Committee)

Contact: Elliott Bowen

Description: The Finance Council helps the Parish Priest in the administration of the parish finances. The members of Finance Council meet together according to need to discuss the finances of the parish and to recommend strategic planning. They are the parishioners who have professional credentials in areas such as finance, business, education, law, and accounting. Finance Council is NOT a management or administrative body. The management and administration of the parish are the responsibility of the Parish Priest of the parish with the assistance of parish staff. Finance Council is playing a vital role in the Parish Life.

Finance Council members:
George Mansour (Chairperson)
Fr Dariusz Basiaga SDS (PP)
Felicity Chang (Secretary)
Salome D’Costa
Sam Khoury
Max Andreaus
Jerome Beeson

Contact: George Mansour

Description: The Liturgy Committee comprises parishioners who meet at regular intervals to evaluate and plan the celebration of the Eucharist for the Liturgical Seasons and other key note celebrations such as the Parish Feast Day. The Liturgical Seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter are of major importance in the life of the parish. Other devotions for instance: St Charbel and St Luke Feast day, the Stations of the Cross and Parish Reconciliation Services or celebrations that occur on a Sunday.

Contact:

Description: The Social/Fundraising Committee comprises of a parishioners of our parish who meet with the Parish Priest on a regular basis to plan and execute various Social events throughout the year. The aim of the St. Luke’s Social/Fundraising Committee is to work, as a Sub-Committee of the Parish Pastoral Council, with the various groups in the Parish to provide a range of opportunities for members of the Parish Community to gather socially in order to build on and enrich their experience of belonging to a supportive and vibrant faith community. Our focus is on planning a variety of social or fundraising activities that have appeal for as broad a cross section of the Parish community as possible. We endeavour to place these on the Calendar at appropriate times of the year to give a reasonably even spread of activities for the various demographic groups within the Parish. We enthusiastically welcome anyone who would like to join the Social/Fundraising Committee, contribute ideas and/or help with events.

Contact: Sandy Elazzi

Description: St Luke’s Parish has a number of buildings that needs to be maintained. This is the chance for parishioners to use their skills and talents to maintain parish buildings. Well maintained facilities create the atmosphere for people to meet and worship Jesus Christ. The parish is always in need of:

1. General handymen
2. Electricians
3. Plumbers

Working bees to tidy the Church ground are usually held before Christmas and before Easter. We enthusiastically welcome anyone who would like to join the Maintenance Committee, contribute ideas and/or help with maintenance.

Contact: Jerome Beeson

Description: The Marketing & Communications Team is responsible for developing all internal and external marketing communication infrastructure and messages. This includes but is not limited to the organizations web-site, social media presence, digital and print advertising, direct e-mail and database communications. This team develops the marketing, digital and advertising strategy for our parish and other products and services of the parish. This team collaborates and communicate with internal and external groups and organizations.

Contact: Patrick Tadros

The Baptism Preparation Team at St. Luke’s Parish is a group of parishioners who feel blessed to be able to assist parents in the initiation of their child into the Catholic Faith. We meet on the Second Saturday of the month at 10 am in the Parish Centre together with the parents and children. The team works closely together to ensure the process runs seamlessly for both the families and Father.

There are a number of different roles undertaken by team members in conjunction with the Parish Office. The main administrative role involves the running of the Baptism Preparation Class. On this Saturday morning, the information from the forms is checked with the families to ensure that the Baptism Certificate given to the families is correct. The checked spreadsheet is then forwarded to the Parish Office so they are aware of the upcoming Baptisms.

Parents and godparents are invited to attend a Preparation Classes which aims at deepening their appreciation and understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism. A team member prepares Baptism Information Packs which are given to the families on this Saturday.

Team members are also present at the Presentation Mass (usually every Sunday at 9am) where the families presents the child to the parish and they are welcome by the parish community. On the day of the Baptism, if family required, a member of the team will be present in order to guide the families through the ceremony.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, please contact us via the Parish Office or call (02) 9773 9065.

The Faith Formation Team provides opportunities, through Faith Formation Courses, for parishioners, parents or guardians of our children, young adults and teenagers.

The aim of these courses is to engage at an adult level of faith formation, to develop an understanding of God present in our ordinary lives; in the objects and relationships that are most important to us, helps us to understand the depth of meaning in our Church life, faith and sacraments. The team sets the dates for the Faith Formation Courses and also lead that courses.

The specific responsibilities of the Faith Formation Team are:

• To work with other individuals and groups within the parish to create a climate conducive to adult faith formation. This task is to sustain and deepen the faith community of the parish that motivates adults to grow in an understanding of their faith. It also involves the attempt to establish a climate for growth that puts people at ease and invites them to share with others from their experience.
• To motivate adults to want to continue their growth in faith.
• To design varied catechetical opportunities that correspond in content and process both to the needs, interests and concerns that exist in the community and to the mission of the parish and of the Church.
• To select appropriate live, printed and audio-visual resources.
• To schedule programs realistically and locate them in the most comfortable facilities available.
• To market and publicize the various opportunities and resources that the team makes available.
• To call forth the gifts and talents of individual parishioners and to help these persons to better utilize these gifts in service to the parish.
• To evaluate programs in order to continually meet the needs of the parish community

If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, please contact: Ansir Aquinas

Description: As a Sto Nino committee we are speaking in terms of the highest important goal to evangelise, as Ps. 115.1 say: “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.”

We know as Jesus’s disciples and St Luke the Evangelist Parish that everything we do, even the most routine things are to be done to the glory of God (“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10.31).

Our Committee is consciously guided by this principle as we organise, celebrate and proclaim Sto Nino (Jesus Christ) and His message of salvation. This is the very heartbeat of our mission as the evangelists and Sto Nino Committee members. So as Christ representative we long for the glory of God to be magnified in the hearts and lives of all people. “Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth” (Ps. 57.5).

Therefore, we are strengthened by our faithfulness to God, which is rooted in both our action and the message we proclaim. So we speak Christ, boldly, compassionately, prayerfully, truthfully, consistently and urgently in the sight of God.

As a committee we are focusing on:

1. Spiritual and Personal Formation by preparing and implementing spiritual formation and by organising liturgical celebrations to honour Senior Sto Nino.
2. Liturgical Performing Arts by helping artists use their voices, bodies or inanimate objects to convey artistic expressions such as dancing, acting and singing to honour Senior Sto Nino.
3. Production and Journalism as we main the content of the website, instagram, TipTop and facebook page of our ministry.
4. Ways and Means as we review and make recommendations for liturgical celebrations of the Senior Sto Nino 9-days novena and Feast Day.
5. Social Action as we concern with the ways our ministry may engagement the community, increase their faith and development more ways of evangelisation.
6. And all the more.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, please contact: Jessica or Vida

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Mt 28:19-20

Description: We as St Charbel’s Committee are learning from St Charbel that our mission is to bring people close to the living Jesus and to have the personal an encounter with Him. St pope Benedict the XVI stated: “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” (Deus Caritas Est, n.1, Benedict XVI)

St Charbel showed us that Jesus always invites us into relationship with him, to participate in his Church and to carry his love into the world. Our relationship with Jesus is sustained by the Holy Spirit through the intimacy of Eucharist, sacraments, scripture, prayer and mercy.

We as St Charbel’s Committee are called to listen with openness and generosity to God’s Word, responding to the deeply personal invitation to follow after Jesus as friend and shepherd, so as to live out his commandment of love in a community committed to service and witness.

As a committee we are focusing on:

1. Spiritual and Personal Formation by preparing and implementing spiritual formation and by organising liturgical celebrations to honour St Charbel.
2. Liturgical Performing Arts by helping artists use their voices, bodies or inanimate objects to convey artistic expressions such as dancing, acting and singing to honour St Charbel.
3. Production and Journalism as we main the content of the website, instagram, TipTop and facebook page of our ministry.
4. Ways and Means as we review and make recommendations for liturgical celebrations of St Charbel’s monthly celebrations, 9-days novena and Feast Day.
5. Social Action as we concern with the ways our ministry may engagement the community, increase their faith and development more ways of evangelisation.
6. And all the more.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, please contact: Sandy Elazzi

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Mt 28:19-20

Description: We as St Luke’s Committee are learning from our patron saint that our mission is to bring each other close to the risen Jesus and to have the personal an encounter with Him.

St Luke revealed to us that Jesus always invites us into relationship with him, to participate in his Church and to carry his love into the world. Our relationship with Jesus is sustained by the Holy Spirit through the intimacy of Eucharist, sacraments, scripture, prayer and mercy.

As a committee we are focusing on:

1. Spiritual and Personal Formation by preparing and implementing spiritual formation and by organising liturgical celebrations to honour St Luke.
2. Liturgical Performing Arts by helping artists use their voices, bodies or inanimate objects to convey artistic expressions such as dancing, acting and singing to honour St Luke.
3. Production and Journalism as we main the content of the website, instagram, TipTop and facebook page of our ministry.
4. Organise and lead 9-days novena and to orgasnise, participate and support the yearly celebrations to honour St Luke.
5. Social Action as we concern with the ways our ministry may engagement the community, increase their faith and development more ways of evangelisation.
6. And all the more.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, please contact: Pauline Sahyoun

Description: The primary responsibility of Praise & Worship team is to plan and lead each of Praise and Worship services. This may include (but not limited to) prayers, words of encouragements, praise and exhortations during worship.

Ministry Description

1. Provide leadership, vision and passion for worship services.
2. Develop praise and worship services.
3. Lead monthly services.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, please contact: Rachelle Tahan