Our Lady of the Mission

Next Sunday is the 26th July: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Greetings and peace be with you.

Fr Cornelius and I warmly welcome you here at Our Lady of the Mission, Whitford Parish, parishioners and visitors alike. We pray and hope that you feel truly safe and at home in this our place of prayer, worship and personal encounter with our risen Lord. May the Holy Spirit ever pray in us more than we can ever imagine and bind us together in the love of our Heavenly Father. Over fifty years, Whitford Catholic Parish remains home to dozens of nationalities represented by our parishioners and frequent visitors. We take pride in our young people; those in our parish primary and secondary schools, those enrolled in our Parish Religious Education Program (PREP) and our parish youth group. They are not just our future Church but a vital part of our Church today and now. We value these our young people and endeavour to have their voices heard at every level of our administrative and pastoral engagements. We are ever grateful to the many individuals and groups that volunteer in various ministries of our parish life. To one and all, know that you are valued and appreciated in your own right. We cannot be what we are without you. Together, we continue to seek ways in which we can generously respond to that universal call to holiness of life in our families, parish community and in the society at large. I invite you and all your loved ones to be purposeful in this resolve. We must leave no one behind, those within and those on the peripheries. As always, Fr. Cornelius and I thank one and all of you for your ongoing prayers, concern, encouragement and support. Rest assured of our daily thoughts and prayers. We entrust you and yours, into the powerful intercessions of our Blessed Virgin Mother of Good counsel, and into those of St Joseph, patron of the universal Church.

Fr Cyprian M Shikokoti

Parish Priest.

Monday 20th July

NO MASS

Feast Day:

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Tuesday 21st July

Church 7am & 9am

Feast Day:

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Wednesday 22nd July

Church 7am & 9am

Feast Day: Saint Mary Magdalene

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Thursday 23rd July

Church 7am & 9am

Feast Day:

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Friday 24th July

Church 7am & 9am

Feast Day:

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Saturday 25th July

Church 8am & 6.30pm

Feast Day: Saint James

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Sunday 26th July

Church 8am, 10am & 5.45pm

Feast Day:

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Kiswahili Mass: 2.30pm,

First Sunday of every month

Introduction

The Holy Spirit is always at work in the depths of our hearts, inviting us to love God and our neighbour. The parables of the kingdom of God invite us to enter their mystery, see and thank God for his presence among us.

First Reading: Wisdom 12:13. 16-19

God’s care is for all and seeks to draw each person more closely into the Holy Trinity who is the God of love.

Second Reading: Romans 8:26-27

The Spirit helps us in our weakness to pray and shows us the next step on our journey to receive and respond to God’s love.

Gospel Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus uses many images to describe the mystery of the kingdom of God which is present in our midst through actions of love, mercy, justice and building peace.

Antiphon to the Psalm:

Lord, you are good and forgiving.

What is Adsumus asking of me, as wheat in the world?

Today, Adsumus reminds us that even when we are impatient or confrontational, God responds with patience rather than punishment. We are asked to do likewise.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that the reapers in this parable were not very good at judging wheat from weeds.

The servants, eager to finish their work, wanted to pull up the weeds right away, but the landowner knew he had to wait until the seed heads were fully ripe. Likewise, when we let God do the judging, we also let God do the glorifying. ‘Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.’ (Matt 14:43) If we chase glory from others, we may get it—but we gain nothing from God.

If we know anything for certain about God, it is that God’s timing is perfect—never too early and never too late—even when it does not feel that way. Though we may find it hard to trust divine timing, we can be assured that God will carry us forward.

In our community, new and fresh ways of doing things will almost always bring uncertainty, much like a wheat crop. A farmer may be confident they have sown wheat and tend it with care, yet they still do not know the true yield until harvest. In the same way, we cannot expect innovation without some unease. Commitment and convenience are not synonyms. To truly ‘belong’ to something, we must do what the group has pledged to do, whether or not we feel like it at the time.

To get the wheat of life we need to work at planting as well as reaping, at reaping as well as planting. And everyone in the community is expected to do both. The confusion and panic we feel when things are not going as we anticipated aren’t necessarily signs of failure; more often, they show that the process is simply not yet complete.

Let Adsumus remind us that our trust in the Holy Spirit shapes us as a Church and as a community of grace. In this way, we may ‘shine like the sun’ in charity, patience, and confidence in God’s timing, so that even our weeds may become the very challenges which will help us grow.

Please offer your prayers this week for Nadino Sorbello, Mary & Jack Rowley, Edwina, D’Souza, Roma Rakich, Luke Tran, Michael Hanavan, Celine Pereira, Justin Maniam, all souls in purgatory, those doctors, nurses and carers who have died while helping victims of accidents, disease and warfare, our recently departed loved ones and those whose anniversaries occur around this time.

“Those who are just must be kind,” says today’s first reading. If our words and deeds are kind and selfless, we will be like the good seed in the Gospel parable and gathered as wheat in the Lord’s harvest.

We would love to meet you. Please introduce yourself to our priests Fr. Cyp and Fr. Cornelius.

Our Lady of the Mission parishioners are the heart of our Catholic community; here in Craigie and it surrounding suburbs. Our members gather in faith to worship, receive the sacraments; and grow as followers of Jesus Christ. From many cultural backgrounds, ages and all walks of life, we remain united in a shared desire to live out the Gospel, support one another, and serve in our local community and beyond.

As members of Our Lady of the Mission, our parishioners participate in Mass, contribute their time and talents, support our ministries, and strive to bring Christs love into their homes, workplaces and our community. Whether lifelong parishioners, new or returning, or those still exploring the faith – each parishioner plays a vital role in building up our vibrant, welcoming, and Spirit-filled community.

If you are not on our parish records, please consider filling up one of our census cards at the information desk and deposit it any of the collection boxes or hand it to any of our priests at Mass. Let us all be part of Our Lady of the Mission ongoing story. God bless!

1. Parish Adsumus Project, Hospitality Weekend: On the weekend of 25th & 26th July, we will put our hospitality in practice. Please try not to be in a rush after Mass on this weekend; strike a chat with one another and ask how they’re doing. After the 10.00am Mass on Sunday 26th July, we invite to stay back for a cuppa, sausage sizzle and a chat with one another on the church grounds – simply, don’ t be in a rush!

2. Launch of MissionCare: After careful consideration and consultation, we are pleased to relaunch our Parish’s outreach ministry we are calling “MissionCare” Ministry. With four coordinators, we endeavour to be a listening ear, support with transport to and from Mass for our senior parishioners who otherwise can’t get to Mass as they can’t drive, help new members and their families trying to settle in the parish/country, assist with navigating grief and loss in our families, connect individuals and families to vital professional services as needed among other services. Launch will take place on the weekend of 25 & 26 July. We kindly request the following of you:

a. Pray for the success of this new ministry and its coordinators.

b. Consider being a volunteer in this ministry – please contact Parish Office for details.

c. If you know someone or family that may benefit from this ministry, please let them know and connect them to us – brochures and request forms coming out soon.

3. First Holy Communion Commitment Weekend: We invite and encourage all our young people and their families celebrating FHC this year to please join us for commitment Mass on the weekend of 25/26 July. Sunday 10.00am Mass is most preferred; being PCPS Family Mass. Kindly bring your completed commitment and prayer cards to Mass with you.

4. Prayers for World Peace: Saturday 25th July at 10am, please join us as The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem of WA host a service “Prayers for World Peace” lead by Fr Errol Lobo. This Mass will include: the Rosary and Benediction. Please join us for morning tea in the Parish Centre afterwards. All welcome to attend.

5. Parish Monthly Healing Mass: Our next Healing Mass will be on Saturday 25th July 2026 at 8.00am. Please plan to join us for prayer and anointing of the sick; and remember to invite your family and friends to come along.

6. RCIA 2026/27 Program: Are you a non-Catholic or a Catholic yet to complete your Sacraments of Christian Initiation; Eucharist and Confirmation? Would you like to know the process of becoming a full member of God’s family in the Catholic Church? If your answer is yes, please join us for RCIA at 7.30pm, Thursdays during school term in the parish centre. Contact our parish RCIA Coordinator Tom on 0417 997 254 / tomloreck@gmail.com or directly contact Fr. Cyp. We look forward to journeying with you to Easter 2027 and beyond.

7. Glory Be Café: Please join us for morning tea every Sunday morning after the 8am Mass. All welcome.

8. Line Dancing at OLM: Please join us for some fun on Tuesdays and Fridays @ 10.30am

in the Parish Hall. No experience required. All welcome.

9. OLM Quiz Night: Join us for an evening of fun, friendship, and friendly competition at our OLM Quiz Night on Friday, 14th August. The event will raise funds to support Fr Cyprian's School in Kenya. Doors open: 6:00 pm. Quiz starts: 6:30 pm. Cost: $10 per person. Tickets on sale after all Masses. Bring your own drinks and nibbles. Tea and coffee will be provided. Any queries contact Alma, 0414 061 237. Everyone is welcome—we'd love to see you there!

10. Legion of Mary and Auxiliaries: A Legion of Mary Mass will take place every second Saturday at the 8am Mass. Please join us, all are welcome to attend.

11. The Word Among Us: JULY-AUGUST 2026, SOLD OUT

12. Pastoral visits: Weekly pastoral visits conducted by Fr Cyprian and Fr Cornelius can be made by invitation to our sick and home-bound parishioners. On their visits, they bring prayer, sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the sick, Holy Communion; and certainly, a listening ear. Please call one of our priests should you benefit or know somebody who would benefit from such a visit. Contact numbers on front of newsletter.

13. Rosary for World Peace: Tuesday evenings at 5pm. The Pope has asked all Catholics to pray this very powerful prayer for peace in our troubled world.

14. The Divine Mercy Ministry: The members of this Ministry pray for the sick and the dying. Please send names of family and friends, if you want them to be lifted up in prayer, via text or message to 0410 289 725.

15. The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Prayers: Are recited each Saturday in our Church at the 8.00am Mass after benediction. All welcome!

16. The First-Class Relic of St Mariae Goretti: Parishioners may take the Reliquary to their homes. Please call the office 9307 2776 to make enquiries and book.

17. Your Offering: Please remember to deposit your offerings in the boxes provided in the foyer area or use electronic donation points. Thank you.

18. Your Collections: Thank you very much for your continued contribution and support to the Parish and Priests. Presbytery A/C (1st Collection) Supports our Priests, A/C#14027 5567, BSB# 086 006. Church A/C (2ndCollection) Supports our Church, A/C# 66579 4722, BSB# 086 006. Planned giving contributions can also be made through envelopes or direct debit, please contact the Parish office: whitford@perthcatholic.org. au. Thank you.

19. Padbury Catholic Primary School: APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN. Please contact the school on 08 9404 4000 or visit our website for further information.

120. Whitford Catholic Primary School: Kindy 2028 Enrolments NOW OPEN! Accepting expressions of Interest. Visit our website for more information.

1. 24/7 Whitford youth group: Gathering every 1st, 3rd and 5th Friday of the month from 7pm to 9pm for students in years 6-12. Our next youth group will be held on 31st July. Youth group includes fun games, a short faith-based talk, fellowship, free food, and a wonderful opportunity for young people to build like-minded, faith-filled friendships. More information please contact Dino (0478 084 725) or Jasmine (0439 976 164).

2. Road to Emmaus Youth Group: Join us as we meet every Thursday 7.30-9.00pm in the Parish Centre. For ages 16-22. Contact Eliza for details: 0402 642 887.

RELIGIOUS GOODS STALL: Linda, Gloria, Angela, Joanita

PROCLAIMERS OF THE WORD: Kerry Roberts, Margaret Shilton/ Megan Woodall, Celine Chaperon/ Emma Janeczko, Marian McGrath/ Matthew Jardim, Alicia Ryan

COUNTERS: Sunday 2nd August: Colin O’Neill, Caroline Mikeska, Mary McGrath-Yek, Suyaine Tohovitis, Ebony Lepoutre

CLEANERS: Saturday 25th July: Ian Fernandez, Maria Bennett, Carol Janeczko, Evelyn D’Souza

GLORY BE CAFÉ: Sunday 26th July: Mary Morrissey, Clare Domanski, Jo Emery

SPECIAL MINISTERS: L Sweeney, Jenna d’Oliveira/ Chris Knox, B Harrington/ Corina Gill, S Williamson, S Puvimanasinghe/ Sarah Boylen, Eliza Boylen

STATUE OF FATIMA: The Statue will be with the Nerva family in Padbury from 25th July to 1st August. Those wishing to join them to say the Rosary, can call 0432 022 550 to arrange. From 1st to 8th August 2026 the Statue will be with the Alexander family in Hillarys.

DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS: Is held on the first Friday of every month during 9.00 am Mass. The next Devotion will be on Friday 7th August 2026.

EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT: Every Wednesday & Friday from 9.30am–7 pm.

PRAY FOR THE SICK: We pray for all those in our Parish’s Book of the Sick. You are most welcome to add names to this book in the foyer of the Church. Please cross out when our prayers are no longer needed.

BAPTISMS: We welcome Hunter Markey and Harlow Markey into God’s family this weekend.

1.Reconciliation Times at Surrounding Parishes:

St Simon Peter, Ocean Reef: Tuesday & Friday: 6.30 pm/ Saturday: After 8.30 am Mass & 5 pm – 5.45 pm

St Anthony, Wanneroo: Saturday, 4.30 pm – 5 pm

St Luke, Woodvale: Saturday, 5 pm – 5.50 pm

All Saints, Greenwood: Saturday: 9.30 am – 10 am & 5.30 pm – 5.45 pm

Our Lady of Grace, North Beach: Saturday, 5 pm – 5.45 pm

2. Special invitation: We warmly invite all parishioners and friends to attend two special events in our diocese featuring Bishop Giovanni D'Ercole, Bishop Emeritus. Bishop D'Ercole served for 26 years in the Vatican Secretariat under St. John Paul II and for a further five years under Pope Benedict XVI. Renowned for his deep spirituality and devotion to Medjugorje, we are truly blessed to welcome him to Perth during his brief visit. 1.) St. Monica's Tears Prayer Group: Thursday, 23 July – 10.00 am. Join us in praying for our lapsed children, grandchildren and loved ones to return to the Sacraments. The morning includes prayers and Holy Mass. 2.) Medjugorje Evening of Prayer: Friday, 24 July – 7.00 pm. The evening will include the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, Benediction, Holy Mass, and will conclude with light refreshments in the church hall. Venue for both events: St. Bernadette's Church, Jugan Street, Glendalough. As Bishop D'Ercole will be in Perth for only a short time, we encourage everyone to take this special opportunity to join us for these grace-filled events.

3. St Andrew’s Parish, Clarkson: invite you to their Spring Dinner Dance on 12th September, 7pm to 11pm, $50pp (raising funds for fencing project). Ticket includes Dinner, Dessert, tea/coffee & entertainment and go on sale from 1st August 2026! More information please contact clarkson@perthcatholic.org.au. All welcome.

4. Miracle Prayers Healing Service: Wednesday, 22nd July at 7.30pm here at St Anthony's Parish, 15 Dundebar Rd, Wanneroo. Jude Dueman will be speaking about "Mental Health in the Christian Life." Come and receive prayer for healing and other intentions. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will also be available. Enquiries, please visit youtube.com/@miracleprayersperth or ph. 0404 028 298.

5. Catholic Mission- Kirup Camino: Registrations now open. Held on the 1st of October each year to launch World Mission Month, the Kirup Camino also celebrates the feast day of St Therese of the Child Jesus, patron saint of the missions. The 16km pilgrimage: Church of St Therese, Balingup to the Holy Family Church in Kirup with a pilgrims’ mass presided by the Most Reverend George Kolodziej SDS, Bishop of Bunbury. For more information, contact 0423 219 665. To register, go to: https://www.trybooking.com/DNKPE

6. Catholic Homes: Catholic Homes is offering free, no-obligation support at home consultations to help older Australians and their families better understand home care and aged care services. To book, contact Catholic Homes on 1300 244 111 or visit www.catholichomes.com.

7. Evangelisation Australia – FIAT: Marian Conference, 1st–3rd October at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Scarborough. Featuring Tim Staples, with clergy of the Archdiocese of Perth. Thursday & Friday evenings free (RSVP required); Saturday full day $80 early bird until 1 September ($120 thereafter). Clergy, religious and seminarians free; children 12 and under free. Register: www.evangelisationaustralia.com

First reading: Wisdom 12:13,16-19

You will grant repentance after sin

There is no god, other than you, who cares for everything, to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly. Your justice has its source in strength, your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all. You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned and you expose the insolence of those who know it; but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement, you govern us with great lenience, for you have only to will, and your power is there. By acting thus, you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men, and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will grant repentance.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 85(86):5-6,9-10,15-16

Response: Lord, you are good and forgiving.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of love to all who call. Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my voice. R.

All the nations shall come to adore you and glorify your name, O Lord: for you are great and do marvellous deeds, you who alone are God. R.

But you, God of mercy and compassion, slow to anger, O Lord, abounding in love and truth, turn and take pity on me. R.

Second reading: Romans 8:26-27

The Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words

The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom. Alleluia!

Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:24-30

Let them both grow till the harvest

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name. With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it. We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right. All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever, Amen.

Greetings, my brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today’s Gospel reading offers three parables through which Jesus speaks to the crowds about the Kingdom of God. I will focus on the first: that of the good wheat and the weeds, which illustrates the problem of evil in the world and highlights God’s patience (cf. Mt 13:24-30, 36-43). How much patience God has! Each one of us too can say this: “How much patience God has!”. The narrative takes place in a field with two antagonists. On one side is the master of the field, who represents God and who sows good seed; on the other is the enemy, who represents Satan and scatters weeds.

As time passes, the weeds grow among the wheat, and the master and his servants express different opinions regarding this fact. The servants would like to intervene and uproot the weeds; but the master, who is concerned above all with saving the wheat, is against this, saying: “No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them” (v. 29). With this image, Jesus tells us that in this world good and evil are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate them and eradicate all evil. God alone can do this, and he will do so at the Last Judgment. With its ambiguities and its composite character, the present situation is the field of freedom, the field of Christian freedom, in which the difficult exercise of discernment is made between good and evil.

This field then, involves reconciling, with great trust in God and in his providence, two seemingly contradictory approaches: decision and patience. Decision is that of wanting to be good wheat — we all want this — with all our might, and thus keeping away from the evil one and his seduction. Patience means preferring a Church that acts as leaven in the dough, that is unafraid to sully her hands washing her children’s clothes, rather than a Church of “purists” who presume to judge ahead of time who will be in the Kingdom of God and who will not.

Today the Lord, who is Wisdom incarnate, helps us to understand that good and evil cannot be identified with neatly defined areas or specific human groups: “These are the good, those are the bad”. He tells us that the boundary line between good and evil passes through the heart of each person; it passes through the heart of each of us, that is: We are all sinners. I would like to ask you: “Whoever is not a sinner raise your hand”. No one! Because we are all sinners, all of us are. Jesus Christ, with his death on the Cross and his Resurrection, has freed us from the slavery of sin and given us the grace to journey in a new life; but along with Baptism he also gave us Confession, because we all need to be forgiven for our sins. Looking always and only at the evil that is outside of us means not wanting to recognize the sin that is also inside us.

Then Jesus teaches us a different way of looking at the field of the world, of observing reality. We are called to learn God’s time — which is not our time — and also God’s “gaze”: thanks to the beneficial influence of uneasy anticipation, what were weeds or seemed to be weeds can become a good product. It is the reality of conversion. It is the prospect of hope!

May the Virgin Mary help us to accept, in the reality that surrounds us, not only filth and evil, but also good and beauty; to unmask the work of Satan, but above all to trust in the action of God who fertilizes history.

Our Lady of the Mission Whitford Parish acknowledges that safeguarding is a shared responsibility prioritising the care, protection and best interests of children and adults at risk. Our Parish is committed to implementing the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards (NCSS). You can find out more about the safeguarding program, guidelines, find helpful resources, reporting abuse and protective behaviours resources and story books here: https://safeguarding.perthcatholic.org.au/ or call the Safeguarding Office on 08 9221 7762.

Our Safeguarding Officers

Safeguarding officers assist to create a safe environment for all. They are the first point of contact for any safeguarding concerns and support the implementation of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards.

Safeguarding Officers: Andrea Clemente: 0405 116 810, Renee Itzstein: 0413 225 560, Sirlene Fernandes 0432 634 371 or email sgo.whitford@perthcatholic.org.au

Safeguarding Induction for all Church Workers

ALL church workers (volunteers or paid) are to complete a Safeguarding Level 1 Induction which is now a Self-Paced Online Learning Module that can be completed at any time, once every 3 years. Please visit: Safeguarding Training and Registration – Safeguarding Office (perthcatholic.org.au)

Safeguarding Forms and Policy:

Forms, Safeguarding policy and code of conduct can be found on the Safeguarding website, at the Parish Office or in one of the Safeguarding folders in the Church – Sacristy, Robing room or information desk.

Parish Priest:

Fr Cyprian M. Shikokoti Ph: 0450 464 678

Assistant Priest:

Fr Cornelius Ekwebelem Ph:0484 925 257

Parish Office

Mary McGrath-Yek & Ebony Lepoutre

Office Hours: Tues – Fri 9am –4pm (Monday Closed)

Ph: 08 9307 2776

Mobile: 0434 434 783 (Text only)

Email: whitford@perthcatholic.org.au

Columbarium: Closed Monday

Sacramental Coordinator: Mrs Ronellie R. Lenon

Ph: 08 9307 2776

Email: sacramental.whitford@perthcatholic.org.au

Youth and Young Adult Contact Details

Youth Choir: Terry Boylen - 0402 642 887

Youth & Family Choir: Fran Christie Zscherpel - 0433 852 967

24:7 Whitford Youth Group: youthministry247@outlook.com.au

Safeguarding Officers:

Renee Itzstein 0413 225 560

Andrea Clemente 0405 116 810

Sirlene Fernandes 0432 634 371

Email: whitford@perthcatholic.org.au