Our Faith - Religion - Prayer 

St Patrick's Church Walcha 

For Baptism or Marriage enquiries phone Monsignor Ted Wilkes 67784070.

Monsignor Ted Wilkes would like to invite parishioners to Sunday Mass 10am.

Term 1 Mass Dates

Tuesday 17th March: Mass (Feast of St Patrick) at 11.30am

Friday 27th March: Mass and First Reconciliation after at 11.30am

Reflection

This upcoming Saturday, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, two remarkable women from the early days of Christianity.

Living in Carthage, North Africa, around the year 203 AD, they came from completely different worlds. Perpetua was a wealthy, educated young noblewoman, while Felicity was a young enslaved woman. Despite the strict social divides of the Roman empire, they were united by a deep and unwavering Christian faith.

When the Roman Emperor made it illegal to become a Christian, both women bravely refused to deny God and were arrested. Imprisoned together, the social barriers between the noblewoman and the enslaved woman completely vanished. They prayed together, supported one another, and cared for each other like sisters right up until they faced their martyrdom in the arena.

As we remember Perpetua and Felicity this Saturday, we honour their extraordinary friendship, their profound courage, and their inspiring dedication to their faith.

Prayer

Loving God, 

We thank you for the inspiring friendship of 

Saints Perpetua and Felicity. 

Even though they came from different worlds, 

they loved each other like sisters 

and stayed true to their faith in You. 

Give us the courage to

 always do what is right, 

and the kindness to treat everyone 

as a true friend. 

Saints Perpetua and Felicity, pray for us. Amen.

First Reconciliation- Friday 27th March 

Families of all eligible candidates for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation have now received information regarding the preparation program. Please note that due to Mr. Hyatt being away earlier this week for a family emergency, the program will now be starting next week instead of this week. All relevant details are outlined in the document provided. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Hyatt.

Project Compassion

As Lent begins, we also launch the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Contributions to this appeal allow Caritas—the Catholic agency for international aid—to partner with vulnerable communities globally to fight poverty, hunger, and injustice.

In the spirit of Lent, we are invited to show compassion through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. To support this, every student received a Project Compassion donation box earlier in the week. We encourage everyone to contribute what they can to help create a better future for generations to come.

Manaini's story, Fiji (Project Compassion)

During this period of Lent, let us reflect upon the ways in which we can guarantee our efforts are directed towards benefiting the well-being of all future generations across the globe.

Together, we can make a difference now, and For All Future Generations.

We continue our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by learning about Manani who lives in Fiji.

Life was hard for Manaini and her children living in rural Fiji. With the support from Caritas Australia’s partner, FRIEND, she learnt food processing and gardening skills, improving nutrition and creating new income opportunities to support her children’s education. 

The family lived from what they grew, but meals were plain and often lacked nutrition. Store food was too expensive. At night, the village was in darkness, leaving children and the elderly unsafe.

Many families like Manaini's have to resort to buying high calorie food for survival, at the cost of their long-term health. This shift away from traditional diets, once rich in fresh fish, root vegetables, and fruit, has contributed to a drastic rise in preventable health issues, particularly among low-income communities.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease are now common. Four out of five deaths in Fiji are caused by these life-threatening diseases. Every eight hours, three people lose a limb to diabetes.

Thanks to your support, everything began to change for Manaini and her family. With the help of local partner, FRIEND (Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development), Manaini joined training in food processing. She learnt how to use leftovers from crops like cassava, taro and breadfruit to make flour. She now makes roti and pancakes at home instead of buying expensive flour from the supermarket. This means healthier meals and big savings. 

Manaini received seeds from the project, enabling her to grow a greater variety of food in her garden. She also learnt to make organic fertiliser and pesticides from plants. With the women’s group she bakes cakes and pies from root crop flour to sell at a roadside stall.

The project also brought solar lights to the village. Before, nights were dark and unsafe. Families used kerosene lamps if they could afford the fuel. Now, Manaini’s children can play safely, and elderly people can walk safely at night.

“The project as a whole has a lot of value in my life as it totally changed the life of my family and even the community," Manaini said.

Manani’s story reminds us that when we work together, we can make a profound difference in the lives of others. The money we collect in our Project Compassion boxes during Lent goes directly to helping families like Manani’s build better, more secure futures for their children.

Please encourage your children to continue bringing in their spare change for their classroom Project Compassion boxes. Every small sacrifice during Lent adds up to create lasting change for our global neighbours

Watch her story and see how his life has changed, thanks to people like you.

Sacrament Dates for 2026

2026 First Reconciliation: Date has been set for our Catholic students in Years 2, 3 and Year 4 for Friday 27th March 2026.

2026 First Eucharist: Date has been set for our Catholic students in Year 3 and 4 for Sunday 7th June 2026. 

Catherine McAuley

Catherine’s spirituality was centred on the mercy of God…prayer in action…action in prayer.