Religion and Parish News
A Prayer for Advent
Lord,
Please fill us with peace and acceptance so we can be more like Mary. Give us opportunities during advent that allow us to share your love by spreading joy and instilling hope.
Amen.
Advent
The season of Advent, which comes from the Latin word meaning "to come"—is the special liturgical season that begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. It is a time of waiting and hope, preparing us for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The season is marked by the Advent wreath. An Advent wreath is a circle of evergreens with four candles, symbolising God's endless love. Each Sunday leading up to Christmas, a new candle is lit, representing Hope (the prophets' candle), Peace (the Bethlehem candle), Joy (the shepherds' candle), and Love (the angel's candle). The wreath's circular shape represents eternity, and the evergreens signify everlasting life. The candles symbolise the light of Christ that dispels darkness and brings hope, peace, joy, and love. Purple is the colour for getting ready. It is the colour of Advent. Advent is a time for getting ready. It is a time of waiting for the most amazing event, the birth of Jesus.
1st Sunday of Advent (30th November) | 2nd Sunday of Advent (7th of November) | 3rd Sunday of Advent (14th of November) | 4th Sunday of Advent (21st of November) |
Hope Jesus is coming | Peace Prepare for the Way of The Lord. | Joy The Joy at the coming birth of Jesus. | Love Glory to God in the highest heavens and on earth peace to those he favours. |
Saint Francis Xavier Feast Day - December 3
Saint Francis Xavier was born in Spain and, together with Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founded the Jesuit society. This missionary preached and spread the Word of God in Africa, India, Japan, and the Philippines. Being Catholic in these countries was very difficult; however, Saint Francis never gave up. Wherever he was, he was a living reminder of how to remain faithful to the Lord, even in difficult scenarios.
On Wednesday, December 3, we will celebrate Saint Francis Xavier's Feast Day and our End-of-School Mass. The whole school will gather together in the Church at 9:15 a.m. Families and parishioners are more than welcome to join us.
Important Dates
St Francis Xavier Feast Day and End of Year Mass - 9:15 am, Wednesday the 3rd of December - St Joseph’s Church (families welcome to attend)
Year 6 Graduation Mass - 5:30pm, Wednesday 10th of December - St Joseph’s Church
Term 4 Infants Christmas Liturgy - 9:15am, Friday 12th of December - St Joseph’s Church (families welcome to attend)
Sacrament of Confirmation 2026
Next year the Sacrament of Confirmation will be on Saturday 28th of March at 9am. The reason for Confirmation happening on a Saturday is, the Bishop will be in Gunnedah Friday night to attend the Deb Ball and would like to be in his own parish on Sunday as it is Palm Sunday.
This year we are going to be collecting nonperishable festive goodies for our local St Vincent de Paul Society. These goodies will be used to fill hampers to bring the love, hope and joy of Christmas to those who are currently facing challenges in our local community. We will have baskets under our school Christmas tree (shared space towards the end of Week 8 and all of Week 9) where families can add their goodies. As a school we are also going to wear our favourite Christmas shirt on Friday 12th of December, with a gold coin donation. This will all be passed on to our local Vinnies volunteers.