Religious Education News

In last Sunday’s Gospel Jesus asked his Disciples who they thought he was. It’s an odd question, asking a friend to tell you who they think you are! Their response was, at first, vague - the Disciples telling Jesus what everyone else thought. Jesus, however, wasn’t satisfied with this - he wanted them to tell him who they thought he was. Finally Peter tells Jesus what he thought - that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah.

This reading is important because it shows that the Disciples were in many respects the same as us - that sometimes we can be staring something in the face and not realise what we are looking at. Peter’s declaration that Jesus was in fact the Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for was a huge admission by the Disciples.

In our Religious Education lessons at O’Connor we work together to understand these truths. They might not be as earth-shattering as Peter’s declaration about Jesus, but that doesn’t mean that they are unimportant. For instance, Year 10 have been learning about Catholic Social Justice teachings, and how they helped shape the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Many people don’t realise how important the idea of social justice is within the Church, yet that has been the mission of the Church since its very first years. In the Acts of the Apostles it’s written that the Disciples shared all they had with the needy, and no-one went without. 

One of the many social justice actions that we get involved in at O’Connor is in supporting the work of Vinnies here in Armidale. Students regularly visit the elderly at Autumn Lodge, and every year we have our Winter and Christmas appeals. Not all of these activities are about raising money, but they are all about raising the awareness of the need for social action here in our own community. 

I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the Winter Appeal sleepout this year. We raised over $1500 which will go towards the work carried out at Freeman House in Armidale, providing rehabilitation services to people who are battling drug and alcohol addictions, as well as supporting their families. 

Next term we will celebrate World Mission Month in October. Students will be involved in a number of activities including a ‘Socktober challenge’. Stay tuned for more details!

Finally, a number of students have asked about receiving the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation here at the College. We are more than happy to help out and run these programs if you would like your child to receive these Sacraments. If you are interested, please contact me through the College or via email. 

Mr Andrew May

Religious Education Coordinator

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