From The REC
Dear God,
St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop, you dedicated your life to the education of children and the service of God.
We ask you to intercede for all educators. Bless them with your strength and courage to guide their students with wisdom, patience, and compassion. Help them to be models of faith and to inspire a love of learning in every child.
Amen
Feast of St Mary of The Cross MacKillop
On Friday 8th August, our school celebrated the special Feast Day of St Mary Of the Cross MacKillop. We participated in a Liturgy under the COLA led by Fr Paul with the assistance of three Stage 3 students.
This Feast day is celebrated annually to commemorate the life and work of Australia's first saint. It is a significant date for the Catholic Church in Australia, particularly for the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, the order founded by Mary MacKillop.
Jubilee 2025:
As part of the diocesan celebrations for the Jubilee of Hope 2025, the Travelling Miniature Cathedral and Jubilee Relic Cross were in the library at the school last week. During the week each class had the opportunity to view these and learn about the significance of each:
The miniature of Sts Mary & Joseph’s Cathedral—which is our “mother church” in Armidale; The cathedral is the mother church of a diocese because it is the principal church and houses the cathedra (the bishop’s chair, from which the word cathedral comes), the sign of the bishop’s role as head and shepherd of the local Church.
The Jubilee Reliquary Crucifix, which carries tiny relics of Jesus’ closest friends—the Apostles—and of five modern saints: St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Little Flower)
• Blessed Carlo Acutis (teen saint of the internet)
• St Mary of the Cross MacKillop (Australia’s first saint)
• Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (adventurous young man of charity)
• St Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
Family Mass ~ Save the Date!
We invite all families to celebrate our first Family Mass for Term 3. Students are invited to lead the readings, prayers and offertory at the Saturday evening Mass, 23rd August 6pm.
Altar Servers
If anyone is interested in being trained to be an Altar Server at school and weekend Mass, please contact the school.
Parish Mass Times
Please join our Parish to celebrate the Eucharist. Our Parish offers two Mass times every weekend.
Saturday - 6:00 pm
Sunday - 8:00 am
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.
New St Francis Xavier's Parish Website
St Francis Xavier's Parish has a new website which is now live in its beta version. You can visit the site on https://www.narrabricatholicchurch.au/
The site will make it easier for you to stay connected with the parish news regarding mass times, sacramental information and more.