Vicar's newsletter A letter of thanks ... and condolence ...

[Hugh Kempster]

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St Peter’s,

I hope that you and yours are coping with the stress and anxiety of the present time; you are very much in my prayers.

A huge thank you, both as your Vicar and as a Trustee, to everyone who has given so incredibly generously to this year’s Foundation Annual Appeal. See below the letter from our Foundation Chair, Krystyna Campbell-Pretty, who writes on behalf of all the Trustees. My thanks too for the incredible energy and diligence that Krystyna brings to her leadership of the Foundation.

On a very sad note, Fr Don Edgar died yesterday after a battle with cancer. Fr Don was a much-loved non-stipendiary priest at St Peter’s for more than 20 years. As a young man, prior to ordination, he visited one of the worker-priest communities in France, an experience that profoundly shaped his long priesthood back here in Australia. In all the parishes and agencies he has served over the years, Fr Don’s care for the marginalised and disadvantaged has always shone through. The Monday morning 7.15am Mass congregation (picture attached of one of our after-Mass breakfast gatherings) and the St Peter’s Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham, will particularly miss Fr Don's deep devotion and gentle spirit, that he shared with us so faithfully week after week. Our love and deepest condolences go out to Judie and to the family. May he rest In peace …

Do keep in touch during these challenging times, both with the parish, and with one another, our friends and loved ones. The latest pew sheet, liturgy sheet and parish Mass can always be found on the home page of our website (https://www.stpeters.org.au <https://www.stpeters.org.au/>) as well as the parish news and views on FaceBook (https://www.facebook.com/stpeterseasternhill <https://www.facebook.com/stpeterseasternhill>) and you may enjoy looking through the variety of parish videos on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCivSIL2aOQC9elzNK6zX0Tw <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCivSIL2aOQC9elzNK6zX0Tw>).
As we journey through the current lock-down, apart but together in prayer, online and by telephone, may we find new depths of faith, hope and love in Christ.

Warmest regards on this cold winter’s afternoon,
Fr Hugh
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A LETTER FROM THE CHAIR OF THE ST PETER'S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

Dear all, I am pleased to report that, thanks to the deep generosity of our parishioners and supporters, this year’s Annual Appeal has raised a total of $73,565; an amount similar to last year. Given the very difficult prevailing economic circumstances, this is an outstanding result. Our sincere thanks to everyone who gave so generously. Particular mention must be made of a very generous gift of $10,000 received from the Estate of Father Colin Holden. This was an amazing act of kindness by the executors of the Estate and is deeply appreciated. All donations are important and each and every one matters. The Annual Appeal funds will be put to good use by the Foundation in both continuing our work with the homeless through the Lazarus Centre, as well as supporting the increasingly important work of our social enterprise, Heaven at The Hill. Our pandemic-relief work, distributing pre-packaged meals to the growing numbers of those in great need, continues and is gathering momentum. Under the leadership of social enterprise Board member and volunteer Operations Manager, Dr Ree Boddé, our team of twenty-four Heaven at The Hill student volunteers, have distributed more than 33,000 meals since the program began at the end of March. We are working together, alongside Anglicare Victoria, the Parliament of Victoria and our other project partners, to assist those who are struggling in these incredibly challenging times. Thank you to all our donors for enabling us to continue this work. 
Krystyna Campbell-Pretty 
Chair, St Peter’s Eastern Hill Melbourne Charitable Foundation 
https://spehcf.com.au <https://spehcf.com.au/>
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