Education in Faith News 

Feast Days - recent and upcoming

The Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop is celebrated annually on August 8. This date marks the anniversary of her death in 1909. 

Mary MacKillop’s unwavering faith, courage, and commitment to serving those on the margins continue to inspire many. Mary paved the way for education of children, particularly the poor. 

Let us be reminded through the words of Saint Mary MacKillop, that “we must teach more by example than by word, (1867). 

The Feast of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary  – 15th August 

On this feast of Mary we celebrate a special favour that God gave to Mary, our Mother. 

The Assumption means that Mary was taken up into the glory of heaven not only with her soul, but also with her body. Jesus, the Son of God was born from Mary's pure womb. So when Mary died, God the Father and Jesus, would not let the body of the Mother of God be spoiled. This was her reward for her love of God and her years of faithful prayers and suffering. 

Now Mary is in heaven. She is queen of heaven and earth. She is the Mother of Jesus' Church and queen of apostles. Every time Mary asks Jesus to give us graces, he listens to her request. As we celebrate the feast day of Mary this Saturday, we can ask our Blessed Mother Mary to guide, protect and care for us.

Sacrament of  Confirmation

A reminder of our Family Faith Formation Evening is coming up on Wednesday 19 August at 6.00 pm.

We welcome Pia Pagotto as our guest speaker for the evening. Pia is an experienced spiritual director who is passionate about supporting family life in all its stages, challenges, and celebrations. With a background in education and extensive experience working with schools in sacramental preparation, she brings a wealth of knowledge and insight. We look forward to welcoming Pia to our community and sharing this important stage of faith formation with our families.

Sacrament Dates

Confirmation  

• Family Faith Formation - Wednesday 19 August @ 6pm

• Sacrament Celebration - Friday 28 August @ 6pm held at Mary Immaculate Church Ivanhoe

Reconciliation 

• Family Faith Formation - Wednesday 9 September @ 6pm

• Sacrament - Thursday 15th October @ 6pm

A Gift for Our Families: Free Access to Australian Catholics

At St John’s, we are always looking for meaningful ways to support you in nurturing your child's spiritual and moral growth. We know that in today’s busy world, finding time to discuss faith, justice, and values as a family can be challenging. 

To help cultivate faith in the home, our school provides all families with full, complimentary access to the Australian Catholics Subscription.

What this means for you:

• Digital Archive Access: Hundreds of family-focused articles, dynamic multi-media resources, and talking points to help answer your children’s big questions.
• Expert Contributions: Regular insights from celebrated Australian writers focusing on real-world family life.
• Access to quarterly Print Magazine: These will be made available to you upon request.

How to access:

Simply login to Australian Catholics (or on the image above) and use the following username and password:

• parents@sjheidelberg.catholic.edu.au
• Password: acparents

We hope these resources provide a great spark for conversations around the dinner table.