CELEBRATING OUR FAITH 

Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion

Congratulations to the 13 students who received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on Sunday 30 August! It was a beautiful and joyful celebration, and we are so proud of these children as they took this wonderful next step in their journey of faith.

A sincere thank you to everyone who made this day so special - our dedicated teachers and catechists who prepared the children, our parish team, our Trinity Singers and Musicians and all who participated and helped out during the Mass. Thank you also to the families and friends for their support and prayers. May God continue to bless these children and their families.

Yr 8 & 9 Christian Living Days

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, our Year 8 and Year 9 students took part in their Christian Living Retreat Days, facilitated by the vibrant Lydia from the Lasallian Youth Ministry Team. Grounded in the spirit of our founder, St John Baptist de La Salle, these retreat days provided a fantastic opportunity for our young people to step back, reflect, and discover how to use their unique gifts in service of others as we continue rebuilding our school’s strong connection with the De La Salle community.

Throughout both days, the students showed up with incredible energy, openness, and enthusiasm. Whether sharing thoughtful insights in small group conversations, participating in creative activities, or engaging deeply in times of prayer and reflection, their active involvement made the experience truly meaningful.

Year 9: Gifted to Grow Exploring the theme of Faith, Service, and Community, our Year 9 students journeyed through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

• Discovering the Spirit Within Me: Unpacking Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge to reflect on their personal spiritual strengths and growth.

• Courage to Choose the Good: Exploring Counsel and Fortitude by tackling real life scenarios and drawing inspiration from De La Salle’s own perseverance through adversity.

• Called to Connection and Awe: Focusing on Piety and Fear of the Lord, encouraging students to reflect on their faith journeys with childlike wonder and reverence.

Year 8: Faith from Inside Out Our Year 8 students paused to explore three fundamental questions: Who am I? Where do I belong? What do I believe?

• Who am I? Who is my Neighbour?: Focusing on identity, empathy, and recognising the inherent, sacred dignity in themselves and others.

• Seeing. Stopping. Serving: Unpacking compassion in action and discovering practical ways to "see" others through God’s eyes and serve those in need.

• Becoming People for Others: Looking forward toward purpose and vocation, concluding with a reflective liturgy sending students out to build a more just and compassionate community.

We are immensely proud of how our Year 8 and 9 students embraced these sessions. A huge thank you to Lydia from the Lasallian Youth Ministry Team for leading such inspiring and empowering retreat days!

Welcoming the Angelus to our classrooms

As part of a unified Diocesan initiative across Armidale Catholic Schools, our school community is introducing the daily practice of the Angelus prayer into our classrooms.

What is the Angelus?

The word Angelus means 'the angel'. It is a traditional prayer based on Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1:26–38) that recounts the story of the Annunciation. It reflects on three key moments: Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, Mary’s faithful 'Yes' (Fiat), and God becoming human in Jesus (the Incarnation).

Focusing on 'The Pause'

Beyond the words, our main focus is the pause. Before praying, students are guided to stop, put down pens and enter into silence. In a fast-paced world, this brief midday quiet gives our students and staff a daily gift of peace and a chance to ground themselves in God's presence.

Our Timeline

To build this routine naturally, the Angelus is currently replacing or supporting our standard morning prayer during Pastoral Care and morning classes. This allows students to learn the meaning and practice the quiet pause before it is fully implemented school-wide next term.

We invite families to pray the Angelus together using the format below.

The Angelus Prayer

Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,

Response: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Leader: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

Response: Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Leader: And the Word was made flesh.

Response: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace...

Leader: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

Response: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Leader: Let us pray.

All: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that, as we have known the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, by the message of an Angel, so by His Passion and Cross we may be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

3M Primary Mass 

We invite families to join us for our upcoming school Mass this Friday, 11th September, 9:30am at Sacred Heart Church, led by 3M.

Sacred Heart Mass Times

6:00pm Saturday evenings

9:00am Sunday mornings

Please note the change in Saturday evening Mass times now that the days are getting longer.

For the Calendar

Term 3 2026

Friday 11 September

- 3M Primary Mass 9:30am at SHC

Friday 18 September

- No School Mass

Friday 25 September

- Staff Development Day

Kind regards,

Mary-Jane Guest

Religious Education Coordinator