Our Faith - Religious Education

Term 2 Class Mass Dates in the Cathedral & Class Reconciliation

Catholic Schools Week

 A big thank you to our wonderful school captains who represented St Mary’s at the Catholic Schools Week Mass at O’Connor. 

Catholic schools was a special time to give thanks for the gift of Catholic education. It is a week of prayer, celebration, and community, where we come together to recognise the learning, faith, and service that shape our school. Here is what our students had to say about St Mary's. 

As part of our CSW celebrations, our “Draw Our School” competition was a huge success! A heartfelt thank you to all the students who entered. Your creativity and school spirit were truly inspiring. Each artwork reflected the pride, joy, and sense of belonging we all share as members of our wonderful St Mary’s community.  A special shout-out to Mr Roff and Ms Menz for generously giving their time to judge the entries in our Draw Our School competition.

With so many creative and thoughtful drawings, the decision was no easy task! We’re truly grateful for the care and fairness you brought to the process. Your support is greatly appreciated!  The winners included;

• Kindergarten – Elsa Ni
• Year 1 – Charlotte Moore (Overall Infants Winner) 
• Year 2 – Jesse Barnden
• Year 3 – Seanna Zerazion (Overall Primary Winner) 
• Year 4 – Catalina Jayashi
• Year 5 – Soren Mustonen
• Year 6 – Grace Siddell

Mini Vinnies

Each Monday, our Mini Vinnies group meets to share ideas and find ways to serve our community with compassion and care. This term, the group has been focused on the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, discussing how we can help those in need during the colder months.

After gathering ideas from each class, Mini Vinnies has decided to host a Warm Winter Woolies Day!

🗓️ Date: Friday 20th June 2025

👕 What to wear: Your warm winter woollies — think beanies, scarves, jumpers and jackets!

👟 Shoes: Students must wear closed-in shoes for safety.

💰 Donation: Please bring a gold coin to support the Winter Appeal.

This will be a plain clothes day with a purpose — helping us live out our faith through action and kindness. Thank you for supporting Mini Vinnies and helping those who need it most this winter. Keep your eye out for more information. 

Around the classroom

Year 4 learning the dance moves too "I need you now."

Holy Communion 

A big congratulations to Damien Kirk, who made his First Holy Communion earlier this week. We are so proud of Damien as he takes this important step in his faith journey, receiving Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time. May it be the beginning of a lifelong friendship with Christ. Well done, Damien!

Confirmation

We are excited to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation this Sunday at 10:00am at St Mary’s. This is a very special moment in the faith journey of our Year 6 Catholic students as they receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and are strengthened in their commitment to live as disciples of Christ.

Families and friends are warmly invited to join us for this beautiful celebration.

Students receiving Confirmation should arrive and be seated by 9:45am to allow time for preparation before the ceremony begins.

Please keep our Confirmation candidates in your prayers as they take this important step in their faith.

Confirmation Dates for 2025

For Catholic Students in Year 6 Parent Enrolment Evening

Confirmation Enrolment Evening Wednesday 19th March  at 6pm, Cathedral

Lesson 1     Sunday - 30th March 9am Cathedral

Lesson 2     Sunday  - 6th April  9am Cathedral

(School Holidays)

Lesson 3     Sunday -  4th May  9am Cathedral

Lesson 4     Sunday - 11th May  9am Cathedral

Lesson 5    Sunday - 18th May  9am Cathedral

Lesson 6   Sunday - 25th May  9am Cathedral

Lesson 7    Practice  -Sunday 1 June  9am Cathedral

Pentecost Sunday  - 10am Mass 8 June

Year of Jubilee

2025 is a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church.

A Jubilee Year is traditionally proclaimed by the Universal Church every 25 years. It is a particular year set aside to encourage the faithful to embark on pilgrimages, to repent of their sins and forgive the sins of others, and to renew a focus on spiritual life.

The theme is Pilgrims of Hope. Pope Francis has invited Catholics to renew our hope and discover a vision that can "restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone". We are also invited to rediscover a spirituality of God's creation in which we understand ourselves as "pilgrims on the earth" rather than masters of the world.

You will see this logo often this year...

The logo symbolises unity and fraternity among all of humanity, with four stylised figures from different corners of the earth embracing each other. The leading figure holds a cross, representing faith and hope. The rough waves beneath the figures symbolise life's challenges, emphasising the need for hope in difficult times. The elongated lower part of the cross forms an anchor, a well-known symbol of hope. This image depicts the pilgrimage as a communal journey towards the cross, which reaches out dynamically to offer presence and hope. 

Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope   (Youtube)

The Jubilee Prayer

To pray and download the Prayer for the 2025 Jubilee, click here. Copies of the Jubilee Prayer are available in Braille. Please contact the Office of Deaf and Disabilities Ministry for a copy: specialneedsministry@adw.org or 301-853-4560.

The Jubilee Logo

To learn about the meaning of the logo for the 2025 Jubilee, click here.

Official Hymn for Jubilee

Click here to listen to the hymn.

CATHEDRAL PARISH OF SAINT MARY & JOSEPH ARMIDALE 

Administrator Father Damien Locke

armidaleparish@armidale.catholic.org.au

phone 67722218 

Mass Times

Saturday Vigil Mass 6 pm

Sunday 8 am, 10 am & 5:30 pm 

Diocesan Prayer Card