Catholic Identity 

In this newsletter...

• Season of Lent

• Sacramental Program 2025

• Prayer for the Holy Father's health

• Pilgrim Image of Mary

• School Masses

• Community Masses 2025

Season of Lent

On Wednesday, we commemorated the start of the season of Lent by receiving ashes on our foreheads. This is a wonderful season. We are called to give more of our time to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In other words, to focus less on ourselves and focus more on God and others. 

• Prayer helps us to get closer to God and remember the promises made at our baptism.
• Fasting is where we give something up to show our love for God and to be more aware of those living in poverty.
• Almsgiving means to give to others to show we care about justice and are thankful for what God has given us. 

Lent gets us ready for Easter, the most important time in the Church. Through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we remember Jesus’s death and resurrection. Jesus brought the promise of hope to all people so that we may, “have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). 

Project Compassion, organised by Caritas Australia, asks us to Unite Against Poverty. How can we make a difference if we don’t work together? The world is experiencing many hardships: conflict, poverty, climate change, discrimination, and many others. Project Compassion shows us that we can make a big difference when we work together to build a world of justice, truth, hope, and love.

This year is a special year in the Catholic Church, it is a Year of Jubilee. The Jubilee theme is "pilgrims of hope.“ When we travel with others, with a focus on growing in faith, we become pilgrims. We set out with hope in our hearts. May that hope extend to the whole human family.

Sacramental Program 2025

First Reconciliation

Next Tuesday, First Reconciliation students will be participating in a full day retreat at school, to further prepare them for the sacrament. We ask all students to attend. That same evening, children and their families are invited to attend a family faith evening. 

The children below have indicated that they would like to receive the Sacrament of Penance, or First Reconciliation. If your child’s name is not on the list below and you believe it should be, please contact me as soon as possible. To receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, children must be baptised Catholic or have been welcomed into the Catholic Church. 

Dates to remember for those celebrating First Reconciliation:

First Eucharist

The children below have indicated that they would like to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist, or First Holy Communion. If your child’s name is not on the list below and you believe it should be, please contact me as soon as possible. To receive the Sacrament of Eucharist, children must be baptised Catholic or have been welcomed into the Catholic Church, and celebrate First Reconciliation.

If you believe your child should be celebrating the Sacrament of First Eucharist and their name is not on the list above, please contact me.

Dates to remember for those celebrating First Eucharist:

Prayer for the Holy Father's health

Pilgrim Image

During this Jubilee Year, we will once again be offering the opportunity to take home our 'Pilgrim Image' of Mary for a weekend during Semester 1. 

During your chosen weekend you can place the image in a special place of honour in your home and use it as a focus for your family prayer.  There will also be a booklet inside that has some prayers you may like to pray together as a family. There will also be blank pages on which you are invited to create a special family prayer to Mary. Other families may choose to pray your prayer also when they host the image in their homes.

Using the School Interviews link below, choose a Friday/Weekend that best suits you.

John, or your child's teacher, will give the carry bag, with the image and prayer booklet, to your child in the afternoon on the Friday of your booking. You will then take it home for the weekend.

Please return the carry bag, image and booklet to John or your child's teacher the following Monday morning.

BOOK AT:

https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/zzvgw

School Masses

Please find below all of the scheduled school Masses for 2025. These will begin at 9am this year, so we are hoping many more families can join us at this earlier time. All are welcome!

Community Masses in 2025

SAVE THE DATE - 2025 Community Mass Dates

Last Sunday, we had our first Community Mass of 2025. It was wonderful to have so many families attend. In addition, there were several people in attendance from the local community. We are hoping to see as many people, both from within the school community and beyond, in order to build up the congregation.

We encourage you to spread the word of our Community Masses and invite as many family, friends, neighbours and others to these celebrations. 

Follow and like the Wyndham Vale Catholic Community Facebook page to get updates and further information about Community Masses and other events. 

John Dini

jdini@olscwyn.catholic.edu.au 

Catholic Identity Leader