Passionist Family Group 1

The Higgs Family Group was formed when the Passionist Family Group was first established in the Parish of St Bernard’s in August 1992.  It was one of the eight original groups.

It is still an active group today although some of the faces have changed.  We have ten family units representing fifteen adults of which 10 are female.

We are a social group that meets on the fourth weekend of the month.  Invitations are sent out the two weeks prior.

We meet in a variety of places and share the organizing so that it doesn’t fall to one family.  In January, an annual calendar is prepared indicating the planned monthly dates and the family unit responsible for organising the event.

It is not about going places but more about catching up for a chat.  Most events are held in the afternoon due to people feeling more comfortable going out during daylight hours.  We have cuppas at various coffee shops around Geelong, afternoon tea in the Botanic Gardens, occasional walks for the more mobile, attendance at exhibitions in Geelong, meals at restaurants and at the homes of family group members and supporting parish functions including the St Bernard’s Day lunch and the school fete.

When we have a function not everyone can always attend.  We found that on average more than half the members come to an event, but not always the same ones.

We have one family who are the group’s contact point and who maintain the records, another member who makes reminder calls each month to those responsible for that month’s activity, other members provide transportation or support as needed or just drop in to say hello. 

The Family Groups’ aim to foster a community of Spirit in the Parish is in line with St Bernard’s being a welcoming Parish.

If you are interested in the possibility of a new group or joining an existing Passionist Family group please contact the Parish Office:  52432739 or belmont@cam.org.au

Passionist Family Group 2

‘The Ryan Family Group' started a very long time ago. Karen and Ray Zanardo took over as leaders in about 2017. Beforehand, Kathy and Peter Ryan were leaders of the group. Back when the group started the majority of the families had very young or primary aged children. We had many wonderful gatherings. The children are all grown up now. The majority of the children are adults. Out of our own 4 children, our oldest child is now 28 and youngest 20. As our group consists of older families now, our children no longer come along to our functions as they have grown up and moved on with their lives.

We now only have 4 gatherings a year – one in each school term. We have two families who organise the function each school term.  We usually now go out for a meal together.  We have 8 couples (one lady who still wants updates of what is happening but hasn't attended in a very long time) and usually about five couples attend each function.

Karen & Ray help coordinate the roster for the group to take turns to organise a get together and send out reminders to families if needed. It has been fun watching the children grow from a very young age and now starting to have families of their own.

If the Parish is thinking of relaunching the Passionist Family Groups, we would recommend starting groups with quite a few families with younger children or similarly aged children as this is what our family group enjoyed - growing up together.  Of course, the groups could also include anyone who may be single or not have any children that would like to be part of an extended family - i.e. Passionist Family groups.

New members are welcome but if they have children they may find it a bit boring as we are all couples whose kids have grown up.

If you are interested in the possibility of a new group or joining an existing Passionist Family group please contact the Parish Office:  52432739 or belmont@cam.org.au