St Joseph the Worker Primary School

A Message from Father Manny

A Message for St. Joseph the Worker Primary School North Reservoir

 

Greetings to you all:  Maria, Leaders, Teachers and Staff, Students, Parents, Guardians, and families of our Saint Joseph the Worker Primary School, North Reservoir. 

 

Welcome back into this new year 2024 and I wish to thank you for your continuing dedication of teaching and learning and caring. A special welcome to the new teachers and staff and a special welcome to the prep students and new students and the new families. May we continue to work together in this year 2024 and may we continue to make Jesus Real by being always people of hope praying for one another. 

 

Pope Francis has decided that the year 2025 will be a year of Jubilee (Holy Year), something which happens every 25 years. The theme is “PILGRIMS OF HOPE”, a theme that according to Pope Francis reflects the life of every Christian: ‘The Christian is like Mary, a pilgrim of hope. The year of Jubilee 2025, will be a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and a Climate Crisis. To Prepare for the jubilee year Pope Francis called this year 2024 THE YEAR OF PRAYER, a time of ‘rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer, prayer in personal life, in the life of the church, prayer in the world. 

 

In his special message, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli suggested praying daily with the three simple prayers to help us enter into this time of preparation: Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory Be … Further on the Archbishop encouraged prayers reflected from the bible for example: the Gospels and the Psalms and he called the community to pray for those within our neighbourhoods. Our Parish Liturgy Team has presented this year’s white banner with the words: 

PILGRIMS OF HOPE IS THE MOTTO FOR THE 2025 JUBILEE YEAR WE PREPARE AND CALL THIS YEAR 2024 THE YEAR OF PRAYER

 

This year’s Ash Wednesday is on 14th February when we celebrate also the beginning of the school year mass and so we will give a start to the time of Lent, preparing ourselves for the feast of Easter. Lent will be a great time in this year of prayer to rediscover the value of prayer as well as doing our best to work for justice, peace, love and charity. With our Lenten prayer let us create unity and harmony with one another and be ready to deepen our sense of being true and sincere followers of Jesus Christ. Our prayers are expressions of trust in God who is with us always. May this year 2024 ‘The Year of Prayer’, help us to be a united community of believers and Pilgrims of Hope.

 

Blessings to you all

Manny Bonello