Catholic Identity

PRAYER

The season of Easter is the most important time in the Catholic year but often people can find it difficult to understand why it is so important.  Put simply, the Resurrection of Christ is the greatest of all miracles and proves that Jesus IS God. For us as Christians, Easter is the guarantee of our own resurrection.  We know this from the words Jesus said to Martha at the tomb of Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will live even though he dies” (Jn 11:25-26).)

Next Sunday we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Easter which is sometimes called Good Shepherd Sunday.  In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus talks about what it means to be the shepherd of a flock of sheep. He also compares himself to the gate that sheep go through to get into the sheepfold, the yard where they stay at night for safety.  This Sunday is a good opportunity to talk with Jesus the Good Shepherd in prayer:

Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

Let us pray for those who are walking 

in a dark valley at this time, 

especially for the sick, the elderly 

and the bereaved

We ask that the Good Shepherd 

may give them courage 

and lead them beside restful waters 

of healing and peace.

Lord hear us

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION 

Congratulations to the students pictured below who celebrated their First Reconciliation on the 21st March. Thank you to Karen Milkovic and the Year 3 Teachers who prepared the students to receive this Sacrament. Thank you also to our parish priests Fr Albert, Fr Anton and Fr Huy who celebrated the Liturgy with us. 

HOLY WEEK REMEMBERED

YEAR 1'S PRESENT PALM SUNDAY

The Year 1s are to be congratulated on their wonderful presentation of the Palm Sunday story. They recalled Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where people called out Hosanna and placed Palm branches and their cloaks on the road. Below are some photos from the day and a link to a video of the presentation. 

YEAR 4'S PRESENT HOLY THURSDAY

Congratulations to our Year 4s, who made a terrific video retelling the story of the Last Supper.  Many of the students in Year 4 are preparing to celebrate their First Holy Communion later in the year, and their work retelling the events we recall each Sunday at Mass is a great way to prepare to receive the Sacrament for the first time.

YEAR 6'S LEAD STATIONS OF THE CROSS

The Year 6 students (supported by some Year 5s) led the school through the 14 Stations of the Cross on Tuesday 26th March as part of our Holy Week celebrations. This was a very prayerful and reverent way to recall the Passion and Death of Jesus.  Scroll through the images below to view a snapshot of each Station. 

TERM 2 MASSES

Over Term 2 we have several School and Community Masses scheduled for St John’s.  Parents are warmly invited to join us for these celebrations. All dates are listed in the dates sections of this newsletter, but I would like to draw your attention to special dates.

Year 2s Invited to Saturday 27th April Community Mass 

On Saturday 27th April we will be holding our first Community Mass for Term 2.  Any Year 2 students who attend this Mass will receive a special Saints Holy Card.

Jayden Nedeski Memorial Mass

We will be remembering Jayden at our  School Mass on Wednesday 22nd May.  Parents are most welcome to join us at this Mass.

Please click on the link below for the dates of all Community Masses this year:

Community Mass Poster

St Andrew's Parish Take Home Sheet