Faith News
Emma Chapple
News- The Religious Dimension
Important Dates
- Year Six Graduation Mass- Tuesday, December 13th at 5 pm at St Brendan’s Church for Year Six students and their families.
- End of Year Mass- Thursday, December 15 at 11:30 am at St Brendan’s Church. This Advent Mass will be led by our students and staff leaders, representing all members of our learning and teaching community. All are welcome.
SJAT- Social Justice Action Team
Western Port Schools St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO DONATE
Thank you to the families who have been able to donate items for the hamper appeal. The SJAT have been busily working to organise the donations. Thursday, November 24th is the final collection day for donations, so please remember to contribute by then if you would like to contribute. All donations will be delivered to the distribution centre by Molly T, Amelia and I next Monday. Thank you in advance to Bron Trotter who will transport the girls to and from Hastings for the special event.
St Joseph's School Cafè Visit
Last Friday, November 28, Moly T and Paula A and I travelled with the social justice leaders from St Mary’s, Hastings to St Joseph’s School Crib Point. Here, they met with the leaders from all three parish schools and with Tom Leyden from the Westernport Parish Conference of St Vincent de Paul. Tom spoke to the students about the work of the St Vincent De Paul society and thanked the students for their work. Tom explained how our contributions as a community will support those in need this Christmas.
After the meeting, Molly, Paula, myself and the leaders from St Joseph's and St Mary’s were treated to a delicious lunch at the St Joseph's Cafè. The cafè is run by staff and students and is the basis of learning about anything from food preparation, hospitality and kitchen chemistry to social skills. We had a fabulous time and thank the staff and students from St Joseph’s for making us all feel so welcome.
Advent begins THIS sunday, November 28
The First Sunday of Advent which focuses on ‘Hope’, takes place this Sunday November 27. You may notice the colours used in liturgical settings, churches and around prayer spaces in the classrooms at St Brendan's, incorporate the colour violet to mark the Advent season.
Advent also marks the beginning of a new liturgical year as we focus on the Gospel of Matthew. As we look forward to celebrations in our everyday lives leading up to Christmas, let us also focus on the coming of our saviour, Jesus Christ, with hope and anticipation. This Advent is especially significant because, as from the 1st Sunday of Advent, 27 November 2022, the general dispensation from Sunday and Holy Day obligations for Catholics will be lifted. As always, the ordinary individual exemptions will remain in place (e.g., for reasons of ill health, family care of the vulnerable, etc.) For more information about this and to access Bishop Commensoli’s recent pastoral letter, Welcome Home, please visit the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne website here.
Caritas Australia- Global Gifts Appeal
Caritas Australia produces beautiful resources for celebrating the Catholic Christian faith during Advent, but more importantly, provides the opportunity to put faith into action, by supporting their aid programs across the world. To learn more about the work of Caritas, to donate, or to access the Caritas 2022 Advent resources, please visit https://www.caritas.org.au/.
Christmas Eve Mass and Carols- St Brendan’s Church
Any St Brendan’s students who wish to join the church choir for the Christmas Eve Mass are warmly invited to come along and sing with the parish band. Thank you to Val and Bill Baxter (grandparents of Harrison B) for their kind invitation. Students will be provided with song words on arrival and will sing traditional and well known Christmas songs before and during the Mass. Students will not be supervised by school staff so will therefore remain the full responsibility of their parents and guardians for the duration of the Mass. Families are all invited to attend and celebrate this very special Mass in our liturgical year. Students who will sing with the band are asked to please arrive at 5:40 pm to sing some songs before the Mass commences at 6pm on Saturday, December 24th.
Catholic Care
Many families continue to face challenges throughout these times. Should families wish to donate to Catholic Care or require support beyond that which can be offered within our St Brendan’s community, please visit: https://www.ccam.org.au/
Catholic Baptism
For families with children who have not received the Sacrament of Catholic Baptism and are considering this sacrament for their child/ren, please contact the Western Port Parish Centre on (03) 5979 4374. Should you make Baptism arrangements with the Parish, please inform me so that this special milestone for your child can be acknowledged within the school community. Please also forward a copy of your child’s Baptism Certificate to the school so that this can be reflected in the school records.
Christian Initiation for Adults: RCIA
Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic or continuing the Catholic sacramental journey which you commenced as a child or younger adult?
Adults who wish to begin or continue their faith journey through the reception of the Catholic sacraments are also invited to contact the Western Port Parish Centre on (03) 5979 4374.
Western Port Parish News
Please follow this link to the Western Port Parish web page, and to find out more about parish happenings.
Access to Australian Catholics Online Magazine
Families, please remember that you have FREE access to the Australian Catholics online resource. To access this fabulous resource, please click here and use the following login details to gain access:
Email: parents@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au
Password: parents1
Yours in faith & harmony.
Emma Chapple
-Religious Education Leader
-Performing Arts Classroom Specialist Teacher