Religious Education

Year 1 Prayer in PJs & Mass

This is a reminder for the Year 1 family that the Prayer in PJs night will be held next Tuesday, October 22nd @ 5:30 pm. Students and families are encouraged to wear their pyjamas. The night will involve 4 activities built around the Gospel.

The Year 1 Family Mass (26th October) has been cancelled due to the unavailability of Father Ian.

2025 Sacrament of Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation for next year will be held at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, 5th October 2025, at 2 pm.

Bishop Tony Ireland has requested that all three schools in the Emmaus Parish (St Finbar’s, St Joan of Arc, and St James) come together to celebrate the Sacrament at the Cathedral, as 2025 marks a Jubilee year.

Gospel Reflection - Sunday, October 20th

Gospel Reading

Mark 10:35-45 (shorter form Mark 10:42-45)

Jesus teaches that those who wish to be great must be the servant of all.

Family Connection

In the daily routine of family life, power struggles seem unavoidable. Whenever two or more people live together, there will be occasions of disagreement and attempts to exert influence over each other. Today’s Gospel can be an invitation to consider how authority is exercised in your household. There is a temptation to exercise our authority in ways that show our power over others. Especially when conflicts emerge, many of us rely upon the power we believe our role gives to us. Jesus teaches us that there is a more persuasive form of leadership. In these daily challenges, we have the opportunity to practice and teach the kind of service and leadership Jesus modelled for us in his ministry and in his passion and death.

As you gather as a family, invite family members to participate in a role play in which family roles are reversed. For example, you might assign children the role of parents putting their children to bed with parents acting like the children. Or you may have them role play parents asking for cooperation from children to clean up the family room. When the role play is finished, ask if it was an accurate picture of how this situation usually plays out in your household. Does everyone cooperate when asked? What happens when someone doesn’t cooperate? How are the conflicts that emerge resolved? Observe that conflicts based on power struggles in situations such as these seem unavoidable in family life. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches how Christians are to show their authority over others. Read together today’s Gospel, Mark 10:35-45. After reading the Gospel, talk with your family about Jesus’ unique message to his disciples about how they are to exercise authority. Talk about ways in which you might apply Jesus’ words in your family life. Conclude by praying we may receive honour in God’s eyes by learning to serve others in love. 

Pray together the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis.

Steele Anderson

Deputy Principal / RE Leader