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A message from the St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish, Oran Park….

This weekend at our parish Masses, Fr David Catterall (parish priest at St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish, Oran Park) shared an update on his latest health challenges.

As many of you may well remember, in the year 2000 – just prior to his priestly ordination – Fr David was diagnosed with male breast cancer. A further health scare followed in 2005, when it was thought the cancer had spread to Fr David’s ribs. Thank God that tumour was benign. In 2014 Fr David was diagnosed with a tumour identified as non-Hodgkin lymphoma and fortunately, after six months chemotherapy, he was able to resume his duties as pastor. He then was diagnosed with early prostate cancer in 2017 where he undertook surgery, and in 2019 he underwent a course of salvage radiotherapy.

Following recent PSA blood tests, a PSMA-PET scan, and a lung biopsy (undertaken during an overnight stay in Hospital) Fr David has now been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer with pulmonary metastases, that is prostate cancer in his lungs; and will see him undergo a course of chemotherapy over 4-5 months. This treatment will begin tomorrow (Monday 11th September)

While Fr David will remain in his ministry as Parish Priest of Oran Park, to ensure the continued smooth running of the parish during Fr David’s treatment, the priests from the parish of Eagle Vale and the Carmelite Friars (at Varroville) will assist with ‘day to day’ pastoral ministry, along with Masses at both Mass Centres (Leppington and Oran Park).

Fr David has asked us to pray for him and his family through the intercession of our patron St Mary MacKillop, to whom he attribute the positive and welcome outcomes of previous treatments, along with the Servant of God (please God, soon to be saint) Eileen O’Connor who is buried in her Congregation’s chapel in Coogee.

A special novena prayer leaflet to St Mary MacKillop and Eileen O’Connor can be downloaded below. This novena of 9 days, begins this Monday 11 September 2023) – the day of Fr David’s first chemo. Or can prayed over any consecutive 9 days.

St Mary MacKillop and Servant of God Eileen O’Connor, pray for us.