Religious Education News 

This Term we turn our focus towards Confirmation.

Archbishop Comensoli discusses the Fruits and Gifts of the Holy Spirit to all the World Youth Day Pilgrims:

Archbishop Comensoli has done an amazing job at recruiting nearly 600 young people to travel from Melbourne to Lisbon, Portugal this World Youth Day. At the special commissioning Mass the Archbishop talked about the Sacrament of Confirmation and how the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit (which we receive at this Sacrament) keep working within us as we grow and mature and spread our faith. He reminds us to find those gifts and fruits in ourselves and in each other as we walk on our pilgrim journey - whether we are the 600 young people travelling abroad or making the journey at home here in Melbourne.

Read his Homily Here

Our Parish Priest Fr Jerome and our Faith and Performing Arts teacher Ms Earle are both travelling to World Youth Day and will pray especially for our Confirmation candidates at this time.

Thank you for our Grandparents and Special Friends Mass

Thank you so much to Fr Jerome, the parish, the staff, students, families and all from our community for a holy and special Grandparents and Special Friends Mass on Friday. We look forward to fundraising for the St Vincent De Paul this upcoming Friday 28th July for those elderly who are less fortunate or who are missing their loved ones. You can read more about the winter appeal here: https://donate.vinnies.org.au/winter-warmth

Here is what Pope Francis had to say on the weekend about Grandparents and Elderly:

8,000 Attend Pope Francis’ Mass for Grandparents and the Elderly | EWTN News Nightly

The special day comes very close to the feasts of Sts Joachim and Anne who were the grandparents of Jesus, and parents of our patron, St Mary. I encourage our grade 6 students especially to explore the lives of the saints as they are to soon make a decision about which saint to adopt as their personal patron for their Sacrament of Confirmation.

Photo Source: Wikipedia - Lorenzo Lotto

You can learn more about Sts Joachim and Anne as well as more about the Eucharist (which was our focus for year 4’s last term) here:

Who are the grandparents of Jesus?

Liturgical Dates Term 3

At St Mary’s we have some important liturgical dates coming up - please note these down for your calendar in Term 3:

Tuesday 15th August - Feast of the Assumption Whole School Mass 9.15am

Thursday 24th August  - Confirmation Family Faith Night (Year 6) 6pm

Sunday 27th August - Confirmation Preparation & Senior School Mass 5:30pm

Friday 1st September - Father’s and Special Friends Mass 9.15am

Friday 8th September - Confirmation Retreat Day

Friday 8th September  - Visit by Bishop Tony 11:30am

Thursday 14th September - Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 6) 7pm

As the primary sharers of faith in your family we strongly encourage you to come along and support the students and community in prayer at these services.

Prayer for Grandparents and Elderly

Virgin Mary,

Mother of faith and hope,

an example for this humanity bent by indifference,

make me as willing as You

to accept the will of God,

to magnify and praise His Mercy.

Mary, Mother of fortitude,

you who knows my heart,

do not allow me to become discouraged.

I confidently surrender my life into your hands.

Heal my wounds.

May your tenderness accompany me on the way.

Your presence, Mother of love,

brings us to experience the joy

of seeing our families united.

Help me to transmit the tenderness and Love of God

to the grandchildren and youth

so that, in addition to praying for them,

we can pray with them.

Mary, may the gift of the Holy Spirit intercede for me:

sustain my weakness;

breathe into my heart the consolation

that I may leave traces of faith among the young,

bearing witness to the beauty of life,

knowing that life has a limit

and that beyond it lies before us our Father's embrace.

Amen.