Religious Education News

Term 2 has gotten off to a busy start as always. We have returned to school in the middle of the Easter season, which will last until the Feast of Pentecost on Sunday 24th May. Unlike Lent, which is a season of penance, reflection and repentance, Easter is a joyous time celebrating the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, as well as readying ourselves for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Last week we commemorated ANZAC Day with a whole school liturgy in the gym. A huge thank you to the student leaders who ran our service, as well as our guest speaker, Mr Chris Ferris who spoke about the enduring values of mateship and service during his speech.

There have been some significant changes in our school faith life this term. We have made a sad farewell to Fr Eli, who has been transferred to St Patrick’s parish, Walcha. Our loss will definitely be Walcha’s gain! Our regular Wednesday morning Masses have been temporarily suspended this term, with Fr Paul Chandler providing lessons to each year group during these times. Liturgies should recommence next term, with a return to year group Masses in Term 4. At this point in time Reconciliation is not being offered at school however we hope that it can be reinstituted in the near future. A huge thank you to Fr Eli for all you did in your capacity as school chaplain at O’Connor. 

This year marks the fourth year in which our Year 10 students have joined the Assistant Catechists program. Seventeen students have volunteered their time to work with adult Catechists presenting scripture lessons to students at Ben Venue and Newling Public schools. A huge thank you to all of the students who have put their hands up to provide this essential service to students in some of our feeder schools. This program will continue throughout this term and into next, enabling our young people to grow in their faith as well as essential leadership skills. 

This term will see our RE classes learning to pray The Angelus, a traditional daily Catholic prayer in honour of the Virgin Mary. All schools in the Diocese are reintroducing The Angelus as part of their daily routine and by Term 4 it will be a regular, daily occurrence in all Diocesan schools. 

What is my child learning this term in RE? 

Year 7

This term our Year 7 students are learning about the key sacred scriptures that underpin our faith. Students will explore both the Old and New Testaments, understanding the structure of the Bible and its most important themes. 

Year 8

Our Year 8 unit of work this term will focus on important Disciples, martyrs and witnesses to our faith. Students will learn about the nature of Discipleship, as well as the life stories of significant Catholics who sacrificed their lives in the service of the faith. 

Year 9

Year 9 are learning about how our faith helps us to make sense of the world. Students will explore some of the enduring questions of existence and what our Catholic faith teaches us in response to these questions.

Year 10

This term Year 10 are learning about the Sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders, the two ‘Sacraments of Communion’, and how they bring people together in community and service. 

As always, if you have any questions about our Religious Education and faith formation programs you are more than welcome to contact the school and speak to your child’s teacher. Many thanks for your ongoing support in our school faith life!

Mr Andrew May

Religious Education Coordinator

From O’Connor to Balgo: Bernie May Shares More from His Volunteering Journey

Three months down! Time flies when you’re having fun! 

Life and school in Balgo is very different to life and school in Armidale. For instance… 

…students in Armidale don’t bring metre long pythons to school. The community call this species of snake a Murntuny (Moon-doon with ‘oo’ being like ‘book’); a black-headed python. Highlight of my time here so far!

We are now coming into the dry season which means that I’ve been able to witness some incredibly clear night skies from both my house and from the lookout. Try to see if you can spot the Emu in the sky!

The sunsets have been pretty awesome as well!

Living in Balgo has also shown me that there are many different ways of celebrating events. For instance, Holy Week was celebrated throughout the entire community with the Stations of the Cross occurring at different camps and houses throughout the community. 

Like every Australian town we also held an ANZAC Day dawn service in the school grounds.

Whilst in Western Australia, we have also had the opportunity to explore other towns such as Kununurra. Roughly 10 hours North of Balgo, Kununurra has a population of 4,500 people and has many great springs, lakes and views! We were able to spend a day at one of these springs called Middle Springs. 

My time here in Balgo has been very interesting with a myriad of highs and lows. The community has been welcoming and supportive throughout this journey and I wholeheartedly support anybody who is interested in remote Australia and Lasallian Volunteering!

Bernie May

Lasallian Volunteer

Our Founders - St Angela Merici and St John Baptiste De La Salle

Saints Mary and Joseph Cathedral Parish

Keeping in touch with what is happening in the Cathedral Parish is easy through their website and Facebook pages.

With such a difficult year and a half it has been harder for parishioner's to give to the parish through the plates, particularly when the church is closed as it is at present. The Parish account details are available on the Parish bulletin. 

Cathedral Parish Website

Information about our founders

La Salle Website

Ursuline Sisters Website