3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C)

The Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si (‘Praise be to you’) – On the Care for Our Common Home – asks each of us, amongst other things, to consider our impact on this God given world and to take steps to care for our Earth. Turning thought into action is often the difference in making a change and what better time than during Lent. Here in Kenmore – Moggill Parish we have such an opportunity through the container deposit scheme now operating in Queensland. At the last Parish Finance Council meeting it was agreed that we would partner with Kenmore Rotary Club to provide container collection points at Our Lady of the Rosary Church and St Catherine’s Mass Centre so our Church community can easily and simply donate their eligible containers.

Through this partnership, Kenmore Rotary Club will be responsible for maintenance of the collection bin site on Church grounds, removal of container collections, including transport to the container refund point and remittance of funds back to the Parish. The income split with Kenmore Rotary and the Parish will be 50/50. Kenmore Rotary will use their share for the local community through their usual works whilst the Parish will direct the funds received to specific charitable works.

This is a wonderful opportunity to actively participate in ‘caring for our common home’ by recycling our waste containers whilst directing the income received to worthwhile causes, without asking anything more of this community than to leave their eligible containers in the bins provided at each church.

This weekend, purple 240 litre wheelie bins will be located alongside our other wheelie bins at each church, into which we ask you to place your eligible containers. At Kenmore the bin location is alongside the rainwater tank outside the downstairs meeting room, whilst at Moggill the bin location is outside the external door to the kitchen. The locations are purposefully out of sight to the wider community as this facility is not a public collection point and we wish to avoid the possibility of dumping, which will be monitored.

Containers, which are eligible for refund, include most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard beverage containers between 150ml and three litres, which display a refund mark. Excluded containers are those which have contained cordials and plain milk, all plain milk bottles and glass wine bottles. Many of these can still be recycled through your existing kerbside collection but are not eligible for refunds so please do not leave them in the purple collection bins. If you need clarification, please contact the Parish office on 3878 6655 or email kenmore@bne.catholic.net.au

The initial project to be supported comes from an approach by parishioners last year to assist an overseas priest in his ministry in a remote area of Papua New Guinea. Fr Sam Phasz ministers in the Province of Milne Bay PNG in the Diocese of Alotau-Sideia, where he travels to various outlying islands to carry out his pastoral & sacramental work.

Fr Sam is in need of a new dingy and outboard to get around his vast parish more effectively. Some of the funds required have been raised privately and the parish will be supplementing this with monies received through the container deposit scheme.

We thank you for your support of this new initiative.