Religious Dimension

Holy Week

This week is Holy Week, the most solemn and glorious week in our Catholic faith, the pinnacle of the liturgical year.  It's more sacred than Christmas! This is because Holy Week commemorates the final week of Jesus’ life, the very purpose for which Christmas happened. We will gather as a school on Wednesday morning at 9:00am to remember and celebrate the key events of the week. Parents are most welcome to join us.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday (when Jesus made his final entrance into Jerusalem)

 and culminates with Easter Sunday. As Holy Week progresses to its final days the solemnity heightens. Sundown on Holy Thursday to sundown on Easter Sunday is considered the most solemn part of the liturgical year.  This three-day period is referred to as the Easter Triduum, also known as the Sacred Triduum, or Paschal Triduum.

Holy Thursday The evening Mass on Holy Thursday is referred to as The Mass of the Lord's Supper.  This is where the Church relives the Eucharist at the Last Supper. this includes a washing of the feet ceremony, where the priest washes the feet of others to signify his role as servant, just as Jesus did with his disciples. During the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Mass and the twelve Apostles first received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament ("Take, eat, this is my body . . ."). Holy Thursday is a day especially given to adoration of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist a space is created for people to stay and pray with the reposed Eucharist at this altar of repose late into the night.

Good Friday Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence.  This is the day of the crucifixion, the day Jesus died.  At 11:00am there is a Stations of the Cross ceremony which commemorates 14 events during Jesus' last day. The parish altar looks very different on Good Friday, as it is plain and bare, to signify Jesus' death.  The candle by the Tabernacle is blown out, and the Tabernacle doors are left open to show that it is empty. 

 Jesus is gone.  This is quite dramatic, highlighting that Good Friday is a solemn day of prayer and mourning. The ceremony on Good Friday is not a Mass, but rather a communion service using the consecrated hosts from Holy Thursday.  It often takes place at 3pm, the hour that Jesus breathed his last on the cross. Veneration of the Cross also takes place at this service, processing to kneel before a cross and either touching it or kissing it.  

Easter Sunday at St John’s a Vigil Mass is held after nightfall on Holy Saturday, in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.  This is called the Easter Vigil, the most glorious, beautiful, and dramatic liturgy for the Church. The vigil is divided into four parts: 

1) the service of light 

2) the liturgy of the Word 

3) the liturgy of Baptism

4) the liturgy of the Eucharist

This is also the Mass where adults in RCIA are brought into full communion with the Catholic Church.

 Joy … Enter into this great Easter season with an attitude of joy. What we are celebrating is the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God’s chosen one to whom we listen and on whom we base our lives. Rejoice!

Jesus, we celebrate your new life with great joy. 

May we have your life in us that others may see your good works in all that we do. 

May alleluia be our song this Eastertide, and may we walk with you as one set apart

 for God, as one called to holiness and wholeness. 

Amen.

St John's Parish Easter Timetable 2021 

Holy Thursday  – Thurs 1   Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by quiet prayer, 7.30pm

Good Friday       – Fri      2    Stations of the Cross, 11.00am

                                                    Commemoration of the Passion, 3.00pm (in the Church) 

Holy Saturday  –  Sat      3   Easter Vigil, 7.30pm

Easter Sunday  – Sun     4   Easter Masses: 8.30am, 9.45am & 11.15am. 

 ****Please note: NO 6.00pm Mass Saturday & NO 5.00pm Mass Easter Sunday

Harmony Day

The school community had an enjoyable day celebrating the many cultures that we have here at St John's. The day started with prayer thanking God for enriching our lives with our diverse cultures and asking for support to accept differences.  Following prayer, some of our community members shared aspects of their culture with us. Thank you to Donna and Gwyn who showed us how to make pasta, Elisha who shared Aboriginal culture and her knowledge of the Kimberley region, Zarah who gave us some insight into Vanuatu and Bartek who shared his Polish culture and traditional cut out art. Our thanks also to Melissa, Jo, Julie, Anna, Michelle, Jackie and Cynthia for assisting with the lap-a-thon and for everyone's generous support of the lap-a-thon, raising in excess of $1,800.00 to date, for Caritas Australia. It's not too late to bring any lap-a-thon money to school if you haven't already done so, you have until Thursday - Thank you!

Home Masses

"As a part of preparing for our First Eucharist we get together for a special mass with Fr Dispin and the other students that we will celebrate our First Eucharist with. Fr Dispin explains the parts of the mass to us in an easy way to understand. We liked they way Fr Dispin explained the readings to us. The readings were a letter from St Paul to the Corinthians and The Last Supper. We learnt about the importance of serving others and the importance of remembering Jesus when we gather at mass and share the Eucharist. After the mass we share another meal together. We had pizza! "                       - Milla & Gabi

Important Dates to Remember:

April

 1          Thursday      Holy Thursday

 2          Friday            Good Friday

 4          Sunday          Easter Sunday

22         Thursday      Home Mass for Jarrod, Zarah, Monique and Bethany 6:30pm

24         Saturday       Gabi's First Eucharist 6:00pm

Monica O'Shannassy

moshannassy@sjmitcham.catholic.edu.au