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Immaculate Conception Church, Unanderra was opened in 1954, solemnly dedicated in 1992, and became the diocesan shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1993.
Fr. Mark O’Keefe has been the parish priest since June 1997.
Prayer of the Parish of Unanderra
 In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, with the heavenly protection of Mary, conceived without sin, may my life this day be guided away from all that would harm me, may the community of faith that I belong to continue to grow, may we all, young and old, remain close to the Saviour every day.
I offer myself, all my actions, words and hopes, to the glory of God, and to the service of others.
May I hear the word of the Lord with joy and may I be generous in responding to the will of God. |
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Welcome, and welcome again, to the 97 visitors to the parish from the Diocese of Osnabruck, Germany
 We hope that your short stay with us in Immaculate Conception Parish, Unanderra will be a pleasant and memorable experience. We have been preparing for your visit and looking forward to receiving you into our homes, our parish and our country.
May your visit to Australia remind us all of our most important duty to love and serve God with our whole life, and then to serve others out of love of God.
In the simple sharing of our homes, the exploration of our land and in the making of friends, our faith will be enhanced, because our link with one another finds its basis in Jesus Christ our Lord.
May everyone greatly enjoy WYD08. |
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Morning |
7am
9am
10.45 (Polish) |
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Evening |
5pm |
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| Weekday Masses |
| Monday |
5.30pm |
| Tuesday |
7am |
| Wednesday |
7am |
| Thursday |
5.30pm |
| Friday |
7.30pm |
| Saturday |
7.30am |
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| Villa Maria Mass Times
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3rd Tuesday of the month, 9.30am
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| Wollongong (Figtree) Nursing Home Mass Times
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2nd Tuesday of the month, 10.45am
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| Reconciliation: |
Friday 8pm - 8.30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 10am |
| Baptisms: |
2nd & 3rd Sunday of each month 12 noon |
| Devotions to Our Lady: |
Monday 5pm |
| Adoration of the Holy Eucharist: |
Fridays 8pm – 8.30pm
First Friday: same as the above, with the addition of Benediction at 8.30pm
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| Marriages: |
By appointment. |
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| View from the Presbytery
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The most significant event to occur in the Catholic Church in Australia in 2008 is WYD08. Many comparisons have been made with the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, but the comparisons are of limited value, because there are just as many differences. As I have previously observed, the two earlier occasions that saw Australia hosting many Catholic visitors from overseas were the International Eucharistic Congresses in Sydney in 1928 and in Melbourne in 1973, but WYD08 will be much bigger than those events as well. So we simply must conclude that WYD08 will be an event that will be like no other for the Church in Australia.
In the preparations for WYD08, the universal, that is, the catholic nature of the church has been shown again and again. The visit to our parish of the WYD Cross and Icon on 2nd April also showed the universality of the church. Besides our own parishioners, there were also representatives of the Croatian, Slovene and Polish communities. There are many nationalities represented at the ordinary level of parish events and yet we all belong to one church as we all belong to the one Christ. The visit of the Cross and Icon was a memorable one for everyone who was here on the day.
One other aspect concerning WYD08 that I would note is that the church seems to be in the daily news every day of every week this year. Some of it is expressed in a somewhat negative manner, about cost and inconvenience, but in the living of our faith, we can easily see through these negative aspects, to the real sense of the good that comes from a well-lived, faith-filled life. If we are in the news every day, then it is good to be noticed. We just need to be sure that the people can see that we are positive about our life because we belong to the Church, because we belong to Christ.
Fr Mark O’Keefe PP
5 July 2008
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Page Last Modified, 05-07-08
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