Parish Bytes
Parish Bytes
presents interviews
with our many and varied parishioners,
making our world a better place through who they are
PARISH BYTE #1
AN INTERVIEW WITH FRANK SCULLY "To be part of the body of Christ, encouraging each other in our walk, drives my faith...no man is an island!" |
PARISH BYTE #2
AN INTERVIEW WITH KATE BUCKLAND "Faith is about community...my service gives me more joy, I think, than I give the parish!" |
PARISH BYTE #3
AN INTERVIEW WITH SR ANGELA GRANT "The Scripture Group is a real blessing in my life...in every way it's a beautiful and creative experience of faith." |
PARISH BYTE #4
AN INTERVIEW WITH BOBBY MACKUN "Being part of a vibrant youthgroup is great... having someone in your age group who understands you and can help answer your questions" |
PARISH BYTE #5
AN INTERVIEW WITH OLIVER GARDINER "Singing in the choir is my favourite thing to do. I have been singing since I started school and I just love to do it ..I love to make people smile" 
PARISH BYTE #7
AN INTERVIEW WITH GIANNA D'ANGELO "I love attending St Peter Chanel. Community is very important to us and I certainly feel that every Sunday." 
PARISH BYTE #9
AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW RANKIN " We have four children and we love how the church works in so closely with the school. Both priests visit the school very often. We enjoy going to church and particularly listening to the homilies." 
PARISH BYTE #11
AN INTERVIEW WITH SAMANTHA BARLOW " When I attend Mass I see the range of ages in the parishioners, which I love.... the younger people and the elderly look after each other. I remember Joshua looking at an elderly lady and she bought him a medal which he still has in his room." 
PARISH BYTE #13
AN INTERVIEW WITH FR RICHARD DE LILLO " I've always had this belief that you've gotta keep looking for what's next...you have to keep living until there's no life left to live.! I take homilies very seriously, God gets to talk to the people he loves and we are the bridge. Stay in touch with me through my blog" livetodaywell.org 
PARISH BYTE #15 AN INTERVIEW WITH DAN DOMINGUEZ " In a funny way, art re-kindled my faith. I realised the fabricated nature of Art and faith that seemed to be connected. FR Kev, a musician himself, beautiful man, understands the sacramental function of art. The baptismal font is a work about us, our community, not about me as the artist. 
PARISH BYTE #17
AN INTERVIEW WITH FR JOHN WORTHINGTON " I knew I wanted to be a priest from the age of six...When I prepare for my homilies I get inside the story, and walk around it, I try to share the depth of the feeling that's in it, settling on an angle or recollection that's triggered from the reading...because it's soul stuff, it feeds the soul". 
PARISH BYTE #19
AN INTERVIEW WITH Lauren Burke " I went to multiple universities, multiple degrees that I started and didn't finish and was never really happy or settled, got a job in the corporate world but wasn't happy...I feel like I went off my path and am now back on, doing what I should have done when I left school... I felt God saying 'I've got you, You've got this!' ...I'm now doing my Masters in Teaching, excited about sharing my faith with children...They open my eyes" 
PARISH BYTE #21
AN INTERVIEW WITH Chrissie Bramble "I think there's something very special about this parish community. Our little boy will hopefully go to Villa but he's not quite ready for children's liturgy yet. When we put him to bed we say our prayers, we go through our day and we say 'thankyou'. We are instilling these little routines now. 
PARISH BYTE #23
AN INTERVIEW WITH Luana Di Stefano "I run the Youth Ministry team at HNOM with Daniel Dwyer. We run two youth groups: one for years 5 and 6 (Oasis) and another for years 7, 8 and 9. We meet regularly, have discussions around a theme and how we can become involved in outreach. We always finish with dinner together. I've always had a strong faith but didn't like feeling like I was being preached to. I now take what I've learnt from going to a Catholic school and translate it into service. 
PARISH BYTE #25 AN INTERVIEW WITH Helen Farrell "I've been in the parish over 40 years...It didn't take me long to work out that I wanted to grow old with these people! I have had a role with the RCIA, since the early 90s. It has been enriching to learn about the other religions that the people who go through the program come from...They bring their strong spirituality with them. The whole group is enriched by each other's faith experiences. It's incredible moving" 
PARISH BYTE #27
AN INTERVIEW WITH Fr Bernie MacFadden "My first appointment as a priest was at St John/s Woodlawn. I've worked at Bernie for many years, Tasmania, Brisbane, Wallambi, Brisbane, Milwyn, Gladstone and most recently at St Patrick's in Sydney for the past twelve years. We call it an oasis in the city. My hope is that my health will improve considerably during my time here at Montbel and I would like very much to do some work in this parish because that kind of works gives me life. |
PARISH BYTE #6
AN INTERVIEW WITH RIK DAWSON "Many people are surprised when I tell them I still go to church... I just love it, it gives me so much clarity and inner peace." 
PARISH BYTE #8
AN INTERVIEW WITH WARWICK BENSON "I became a Catholic in 2000, after going through the RCIA program at HNOM. The Eucharist is the source of my daily thought and the way that I live my life." 
PARISH BYTE #10
AN INTERVIEW WITH KATH KEEVERS "My faith has been tested over the years, probably like many people. I came to parenthood la bit later in life and I cherish it very much. I love being part of the community, being at the school, helping all the children achieve the best they can be. " 
PARISH BYTE #12
AN INTERVIEW WITH ERN YEOW "I belong to the Broken Bay Diocese and am part of a Bible Study community in the city...We meet regularly and our aim is to inspire young people to change the world through Christ....we find our found through trusting in God." 
PARISH BYTE #14
AN INTERVIEW WITH RALPH FITZGERALD " I'm very strongly a Catholic, not just a believer. The Church shapes my faith...it shapes the way I express my faith, through the liturgies and the sacraments and the community that is the faith and is the Church. That is a beautiful thing." 
PARISH BYTE #16
AN INTERVIEW WITH FR PAUL PIERCE " I was asked to accompany a group of people to Italy a few years ago. It was amazing to not only visit another country but to see some of those things that have always been a part of the history of Christianity. I enjoy Roman history and if I get the chance I would like to go back and spend some more time in Rome. 
PARISH BYTE #18
AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD KORKOR " If I look at where I am today, the parish has been a safe place to explore my faith, who I am as a person and to become vulnerable...Through my involvement in the Good Friday Walk and in sitting around table with the other congregations I've grown in to a deeper connection with them and realise that the there is a unity amongst all of us through our baptism. It has opened up my mind to how the church can look." 
PARISH BYTE #20
AN INTERVIEW WITH Fr Kevin Bates sm " I've always had it in me, even as a little boy, I had a sense that I was meant to be a priest. In Music has always been part of my life then woven into my ministry. Music is a great way of encountering the human heart. I've been at HNOM Parish since 2008. It's the most wonderful life, the life of a priest. I feel blessed every day and privileged to be journeying with so many people on a heart level, in their joys and in their sufferings, sharing the journey together...it's just a great grace for me. 
PARISH BYTE #22
AN INTERVIEW WITH Adrian Dick " I'm one of 9 and I'm the middle one! Dad wasn't a Catholic but he became one. My faith was nurtured by my mum and dad. Growing up in the country we only had one Mass and we walked a mile and a half to Mass and we had to be there at 7 o'clock. 
"ARISH BYTE #24
AN INTERVIEW WITH Marvic Blowers "I moved away from my faith for a while but then I returned in a strong way...through this parish I am in the Marist Laity, The Ukelele Group, we have Adoration every Friday and I pray the rosary every day". We need this church to stay alive. There's something here like a magnet that that attracts you...the community is fantastic but there is more, I can't even begin to explain..." 
PARISH BYTE #26 AN INTERVIEW WITH Neville Olliffe "I had been singing at Holy Spirit for a long time and it's there that I met Madeline. She came along with her guitar and started singing with us. That was the beginning of our association back in 1985 and we married in 1987. We used to get lots of jobs singing together, including at St Vincent's Hospital at Christmas time. We come to Hunters Hill to Mass of a morning and sing at the Vigil Mass. We have the second oldest boat in Sydney, built in 1819 and it's called the Jenny Wren. We acquired it in 1993, have done quite a bit of work on it and can say it's now quite safe! |