Education in Faith
Our Lady of Pentecost - Holy Week and Easter Schedule
Project Compassion
Project Compassion is Caritas Australia's annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal. Millions of Australians come together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. The theme for this year’s appeal is Unite Against Poverty!
On Tuesday 4th March, our RE Student Leaders attended the Melbourne launch of Project Compassion at Emmaus College. There was a Liturgy led by Archbishop Peter Comensoli as well as a chance to dialogue with students from other Catholic Schools about ideas on how their school could support Project Compassion this Lent.
During Lent our RE Year 5/6 Student Leadership Team will be selling Zooper Dooper icy poles for 50c after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 - 3:30pm at the tuckshop window. All money raised will be donated to Project Compassion. If anybody would like to donate a pack (or more) of Zooper Doopers please bring them to the office. We can look after the freezing for you‼
Family Led Sunday Mass
During 2025 the Parish, in conjunction with the Parish Primary Schools, has planned Family led weekend Masses. These Masses will be celebrated once a term and be followed by hospitality. They will be a great opportunity for children and their families to be involved in a Mass within the parish community.
Family Masses will provide an opportunity for families to come together and to support each other in faith. They can particularly be important for families who are presenting their children for Sacraments throughout the year. There may be opportunities to reconnect with our own faith as adults. There may be opportunities to engage with parish life and learn more about the faith, for those who are not so familiar with our local worshiping community. All families are welcome at these family Masses no matter what your religious background or affiliation.
Family Masses have been scheduled for the following dates this year:
Saturday 15 March at 6.00 pm (OHR Church)
Special invitation to Year 3 & Year 5 students and families
Sunday, 18 May at 5.00 pm (OLGC Church)
Special invitation to Year 4 students and families (includes First Eucharist Commitment)
Sunday, 17 August at 5.00 pm (OLGC Church)
Special invitation to Year 6 students and families (includes Confirmation Commitment)
Saturday, 15 November at 6.00pm (OHR Church)
Prep, Year 1 & Year 2 and new families for 2026 are particularly invited to this Mass
RE Learning in 5/6KM
In Yr 5/6MM We have been discussing Lent and Easter.
Lent is the season of forty days when we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus during Holy Week and Easter.
During Lent, the Church calls us to pray more, to make sacrifices and to give to the poor.
The forty days of Lent lead us to the celebration of Holy Week and Easter.
The Church chooses forty days because Jesus went into the desert for forty days and forty nights. There he prayed and fasted. The devil came to tempt Jesus’ faithfulness to God. But Jesus resisted temptation. He went on to prepare for his great work of teaching and healing that led finally to his death and resurrection.
The word “Lent” comes from the old English word for “spring”. In Europe, Lent coincides with spring but in Australia it coincides with autumn.
As Christians we believe that what Jesus taught, we must continue to live today. Jesus taught us to pray, Jesus taught us to fast and to give to the poor.
Lent is a special time when we can make a big effort to do these things. We make them more a part of our daily life in preparation for Easter.
During this time of Lent we are called to prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
We fast - eat less food or give up other things we like for God (self-denial).
We can practice “almsgiving”. This means giving money, food, clothing etc. to the poor, or helping others.
We try to model our lives on Jesus.
We pray to God.
So when does Lent begin, what happens during Lent?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
The ashes are blessed and put on our foreheads as a sign of penance.
The ashes are made from the palm branches used for last year’s Palm Sunday celebration.
The colour used during Lent is violet or purple. Purple or violet is a symbol of our willingness to prepare, change and repent. We change our prayer table cloth.
Often you will hear Catholics talk about abstaining and fasting from foods on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and on Fridays during Lent.
ABSTINENCE: For Catholics this means that everyone over the age of 14 should not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Even though you are under the age of 14 you might like to choose to do this too. It is a great way to increase our awareness of what we believe and the special days of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
FASTING: This action is about eating less. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday those over the age of 18 should eat a smaller amount of simple food. This means we don’t have party food rather we have a small portion of a simple meal.
We are currently working on our Passion Plays. This year, these reenactments are taken from the Gospel of St Luke. Come and see all the Year 5/6s on Thursday 3rd April 8:45am.
Sunday Gospel
The liturgy of the Catholic Church provides a framework for reflection which is used by Catholics throughout the world. Each week in the Newsletter, you will find the Sunday Gospel as well as some discussion questions to have with your child/ren.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
Discussion Questions
1.What do you like to do on weekends?
2. What jobs do you have to do?
3. Sundays are God’s holy days. How do we make Sundays holy?
4. God helps us grow in love for him through holy days. How can we make every day holy?
Nick Byrne
RE Leader