Groups

The Care and Outreach team aims to extend a friendly hand to our parishioners when, and if, needed.  Care and Outreach team members:

• welcome people who are new to our parish community;
• answer questions and are a smiling face at the entry of the church before weekend Masses;
• on special occasions, offer light refreshments to parishioners after Masses and at important events;
• build community wherever and whenever they can, by offering support in times of need.

For further information relating to Care and Outreach, please contact the Parish office.

The St. Vincent de Paul Conference is a lay Catholic Organisation that aspires to live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.

There are two sections within the conference here in Aspley.

Welfare members:

• work in teams of two, giving assistance with food, furniture, clothes and sometimes rent or bill assistance.  The aim is 'give a hand up, not a hand out;'
• meet on the first and third Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the parish JPII room.

Social Visit Members

• work in teams of two and usually visit people every fortnight;
• visit lonely people in homes and aged residential facilities, particularly those people who do not have relatives;

For further information relating to St. Vincent de Paul Conference, please contact the Parish office and you will be referred to a Conference representative.

Families that gather together stay together.

Family Groups create an extended family atmosphere within the community and are open to everyone. Their motto is 'A Family for All'. Their focus is on people caring for, loving and accepting each other.

• The parish family groups have an overall coordinator.
• Each group has its own leader/coordinator.
• There are no joining or membership fees.
• Members decide their own program for the year with members taking on the running of their own functions.
• Groups meet around once per month and are often self-catered, home or park-based.
• Each year the overall coordinator endeavours to have a combined planned activity for all the groups.

For further information about Family Groups, please contact the Parish office.

Aspley Parish has joined six other parishes on Brisbane's Northside to offer Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for seven days a week, 24 hours a day, enabling people on the northside to participate in this spiritual practice. Each parish takes responsibility for one day, and the Parish of Our Lady and St. Dympna offers Adoration following the Friday 6:30 a.m. Mass and Benediction, through until the start of the Saturday 8 a.m. Mass. Adoration is in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

Adoration is one way we can be part of a larger prayer community in society. We can show our adoration to God in many ways, but in Eucharistic Adoration, we spend time adoring the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Three people are rostered for each hour, including during the night. The minimum number is three people per hour. In addition to these rostered volunteers, anyone is welcome to come at any time during the 24 hours to spend time in prayer before Our Lord.

If you would like to register as a volunteer for the roster or to find out more, please contact the Parish office. Our office will connect you with our Church Roster Coordinator for Adoration.

A Youth Group is a vibrant and active youth community where young parishioners (15 - young adults) can come together in friendship and fun, getting to know one another and engaging with our faith. The Youth Leaders build a sense of community within the youth of the parish which provides an opportunity for both spiritual and social development.

Youth Leaders:

• actively lead the youth program and provide guidance and teaching for members, by creating a welcoming, fun and enthusiastic environment for youth to connect with one another and to grow in their faith;
• work with the youth, their parents and volunteers to develop and publish a yearly plan with regular social, educational, spiritual and mission-oriented events meant to develop and maintain a vibrant program;
• attend staff meetings as directed by the Parish Priest to communicate and connect youth activities to the broader themes of the church.

For further information relating to Youth Group, please contact the Parish office.

The Light of Jesus Family also known as THE FEAST was founded by an international Catholic lay evangelist Bro. Bo (Eugenio, Jr.) Sanchez in Manila, Philippines on 9 September 1980.  From thirty regular attendee in the family garage, it grew bigger and prayer groups are now present in key areas in Asia, The Middle East, The United States of America, United Kingdom, Oceania, and Canada.

Here in Brisbane particularly here on the North side of Brisbane, The Light of Jesus Family Qld Prayer Group began holding their prayer meeting at the John O’ Callaghan Parish Hall of Our Lady and St Dympna since August 2011.  It is being led by Brother Emerson Domingo, nurse by profession and dedicated Catholic Lay Preacher.

The meeting is called “THE FEAST”.  Why “The Feast”? Feast is a celebration.  Every Feast meeting is a celebration of God’s love for us.  It also helps us enrich our lives to grow in loving God and becoming better people of God. This prayer meeting welcomes everyone with open arms, especially those who feel far from God. It begins with worship, then study of the WORD and ends with fellowship and sharing.

Two more locations for the Feast gathering are in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Sunnybank and Mary Immaculate Parish at Ashmore, Gold Coast. 

From September 2011, the group has been a volunteer Parish choir at the 6:00 p.m. Mass on the 3^rd Sunday of the month.

Feast Meeting time is the 2^nd Saturday of the month 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the John O’Callaghan Parish Hall of Our Lady and St. Dympna.

If you are interested in joining, “The Feast”, please contact Ms. Elvira Arpon at [email protected]  or  Mobile Number: 0432 307 992.

The Holy Spirit Prayer Group conducts daily online sessions, with a special prayer meeting held every Friday.

Our membership spans across various countries, including the US, Canada, UK, India, Africa, and Australia. The majority of our prayer session attendees come from overseas.

We are an online presence, and if you are interested in joining us, you can contact us on 0411 340 086.

Aspley Classes for Seniors (ACFS) is a joint ecumenical and community initiative of the Uniting, Catholic and Anglican Parishes of Aspley. The purpose of the ACFS is 'to provide opportunities for leaning in a wide range of subjects for citizens aged 50 years and above'. Classes can be in the form of formal learning, common interest groups and exercise. Social Interaction is an important feature of all activities.

For further information relating to Aspley Classes for Seniors, please contact the Parish office.

Aspleycare is an emergency relief provider based at 479 Robinson Road West, Aspley. Emergency relief provided can include food hampers, fuel vouchers, utility contribution, rent contribution and up to 3 x PBS scripts. 

Each day of the week (Monday to Friday), Aspleycare needs a shift of people to operate its office from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Training is provided for all roles. A Blue Card is required for the induction process. A daily shift includes a Team Leader (who has experience in emergency relief), a receptionist and interviewers. There are other regular jobs completed by volunteers each day including cleaning, repacking and sorting. 

Website: www.aspleycare.org.au

Email: [email protected]

The World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical Christian laywomen's initiative, run under the motto "Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action." This worldwide movement unites Christians from various traditions who come together annually to observe a common day of prayer on the first Friday of March. Women from more than 170 countries and regions are actively involved in this initiative, symbolized by the annual day of celebration. Our Lady and St. Dympna, Aspley, along with other local churches such as the Anglican Church (Aspley-Albany Creek), Catholic Church (Aspley), and Uniting Church (Albany Creek and Aspley), have been participating in the Day since 2014. Each of these churches takes turns hosting the Day every five years. The movement's overarching goal is to foster unity among women from diverse backgrounds and traditions through prayer, fellowship, understanding, and collaborative action.

For further information go to: 

www.worlddayofprayeraustralia.org

On most Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, there is a prayer group, that follows the tradition of praying to Jesus through Saint Mary, called the 'Cenacle of the Marian Movement of Priests'. The Rosary is said and a message, given interiorly to Fr. Stefano Gobbi by Our Lady starting back in 1972, is read. Other prayers are recited and the Devine Mercy Chaplet. This takes a little over an hour.

If you wish to join this group, please contact;

Louise Dutton on 0407 023 603.