Catholic Identity

Parish Sacramental Program - Confirmation and Eucharist

We pray for our students participating in the Parish Sacramental Program to prepare to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion. 

Lara, Frederick, Miles, Ned, Parker, Will, Scarlett, Vada, Eve, Alan, Sebastian, Beau, Teddy, Theodore, Abigail, Huw, Hugo, James, Miach, Kiara, Henric, Owen, Addilyn, Thomas, Emilia, Elizabeth, Edward, Parker, Lotti, Penny, Milania, Lenny, Bradley, Elise, Izayiah, Nethuka, Ignacia, Brody, Tadhg, Skyller, Adrian, Olivia, and Porsche.

We pray that this journey is one filled with faith and growth.

Feast of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop

Thursday the 8th of August is the feast day celebrating Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop is Australia's first and only saint. She spent much of her life working in communities predominantly in South Australia establishing schools and providing education to poor rural families. St. Mary MacKillop established the order of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, who continue the work of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop today.

Let's pray with St. Mary MacKillop this feast day:

God of compassion,  God of all people, we praise you for your servant, Mary MacKillop, who gave her life to serve you in the poor and oppressed. As she is honoured in our world, may we continue to learn to share her vision. Help us to recognise, as she did, that the poor of our time will hear the gospel in the way we serve them. Be with us as we strive to follow her and carry out our mission of service and care.

 Amen

Term Three School and Unit Masses

You are all invited to celebrate with our students and school community at the various unit masses throughout the term. Please see the dates below:

Weekly Gospel - John 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, 

"Rabbi, when did you get here?"

Jesus answered them and said, 

"Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."

So they said to him, 

"What can we do to accomplish the works of God? "

Jesus answered and said to them, 

"This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

So they said to him, 

"What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat."

So Jesus said to them, 

"Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

So they said to him, "

Sir, give us this bread always. "

Jesus said to them, 

"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

Reflection

Hunger is a part of the human condition, it is something that we experience regularly, in many ways. Of course, like the people in this Gospel, we hunger for food, but as Jesus suggests we each have a deeper hunger. The hunger for meaning, love, and a sense of belonging. A hunger for knowledge, wisdom, and freedom. All of these are aspects of spiritual hunger. Jesus teaches us in this Gospel that the way to satisfy the deep spiritual hunger we have, is through Jesus. Jesus fills our needs for love and meaning, Jesus welcomes us into his family, Jesus teaches us with wisdom and knowledge and ultimately frees us. 

In the Catholic Tradition, we believe Jesus is truly present in our lives in a number of ways, and that he is especially present in the Eucharist. As our Sacramental Candidates prepare to receive the Eucharist for the first time, we pray that their hunger finds their satiety in Jesus.