Education in Faith

End of Term Mass - Friday 18th September

We will be having a Whole School Mass to celebrate the end of Term 3 on Friday week (18th September). This will be at 9.00am in the OHR Church and everybody is most welcome to join us.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Children

Next term, the parish is offering the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) for school-aged children who wish to be baptised and begin their journey in the Catholic faith. Details and dates for classes are in the flyer below.

RE Learning in 5/6CM

On Tuesday, the 1st of September many of our Year 6 students received the Sacrament of Confirmation. This was an important milestone in their faith journey as it completed their initiation into the Catholic Faith. Through prayer, preparation, and reflection, they deepened their understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their commitment to living as active members of the Catholic community. The sacrament was celebrated by the Most Reverend Thinh Nguyen at Our Lady of Victories Basilica and we congratulate all students and commend them for the reverence and dedication they showed throughout the process.

In class, the students have been studying the Gifts of the Spirit and researching Saints and Spirit Filled People. They have identified where the Gifts are visible in the lives of these inspirational people. Here are some examples.

St. Brigid showed understanding when she gave the poor man on the street the jeweled sword as she saw that he was homeless and was begging. This shows how Brigid showed understanding because she knew that the man and his family needed something to barter in order to get money to buy food. She did something to help them get that.

Anne E

A gift of the spirit Eddie Mabo showed was courage. He did what was right for the indigenous even when it was hard.

Arthur N

Alex Noble shows fortitude for always staying positive even in times like the very bad injury he had or when he found out that he could never ever play sports or properly move again.

Charlie C

Peter Lalor showed the gift of wisdom as he grew older and the gold rush days ended. After the great battle was over and the government realized the miners were right, things calmed down. Peter realized that fighting with guns was not the best way to fix things for a long time. He decided that the smartest way to make a real difference was to join the government and help make fair rules for everyone. Because he was so wise, he won a vote and the other government workers trusted him completely. Eventually, they picked him to be the leader of the  meetings, which was a very important job at the time. He used his clever thinking and smart mind to solve  arguments using words instead of fighting, showing everyone that he knew how to make good choices for the whole community.

Dilan R

Wonder and Awe is a gift of the spirit that Mary Mackillop demonstrated throughout her life. If you have the gift of wonder and awe then you recognise who god is, you are in awe of God and his presence and you are honouring and respecting God. When she started teaching she not only taught the basic subjects but helped the children learn about Jesus and the wonders of God. So Mary Mackillop not only showed the gift of Wonder and Awe but helped other people show it too.

Emily N

One of Jane Goodall’s most showed gifts is piety due to the fact that she was born in a Catholic family meant that she spent a lot of time praying and reading the bible. Jane likes to honor God by telling people to love one another like God loves you.

Estelle G

Understanding is a gift of the Holy Spirit that Moira Kelly shows when she helps others and puts other’s needs before herself. Kelly puts herself in other people’s shoes when she rescues the two conjoined twins. Her compassion and commitment towards the twins shows how much understanding she has for others. She doesn't care what nationality or background they are from but she offers to help anybody who needs it. Throughout her busy life, Moira has shown the gift of understanding to children and adults.

Hailey W

Fred Hollows showed the gift of wisdom for eyes. When he saw how the wide spread disease of blindness was caused by cataracts, he wanted to find a way to make the treatment cheaper to encourage more people to buy it.

Leo F

Along with the gift of Courage, Jane Goodall also displayed the gift of counsel. Also known as the ability to Choose Rightly, it is the ability to pick right over wrong and do the right thing, even if it’s hard. Jane went to a conference in 1986 in Chicago, and learnt about deforestation and cruelty towards chimpanzees in Africa. She knew after that conference that she needed to make a difference and hence became an activist. Jane Goodall said this: ‘I went to that conference as a scientist... But I left as an activist. I knew I had to do something.’

Mia H

While St Bartholomew was alive he showed the gift piety. He shows this when he tells people from around the globe about Jesus and his acts and miracles like him turning water to wine at a wedding.

Ollie F

Sunday Gospel

The liturgy of the Catholic Church provides a framework for reflection which is used by Catholics throughout the world. Each week in the Newsletter, you will find the Sunday Gospel as well as some discussion questions to have with your child/ren.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time,” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me”, he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said. “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

Discussion Questions

1. How much did the first official owe the king?

2. What was the king’s reaction when the official wouldn’t pay?

3. How did the king show mercy?

4. How much did the other person owe the official?

5. What did the official say when the other person couldn’t pay the debt?

6. What did the king do when he heard what the official had done?

7. Why was the official unfair?

8. What does Jesus mean when he tells us to forgive not seven but seventy-seven times?

We pray that we will forgive others just as we have been forgiven.