Our Gospel Challenge this week is to: tell Jesus how we feel throughout the day.

Jesus was not some foreign, distant being with whom we share nothing in common. Rather, Jesus became one of us so that we might better know how to be fully human. When we are lonely, scared, and frustrated we can take comfort knowing that Jesus experienced the same feelings. Likewise, when we are overjoyed, hopeful and excited, we know that Jesus knew these feelings, too.

We grow in relationships with others through our shared experiences. Sometimes these experiences centre on similar interests, while other times these experiences are grounded in similar feelings. Either way, we become closer to the person or group of people through sharing. The same is true of our relationship with Jesus.

As we begin this season of Lent we have the opportunity to grow in relationship with the God who shares so much in common with us. One simple way to do this is to tell Jesus how and what you feel as you go through the day.

Some interesting facts about Lent:

• Lent is a forty-day period of special preparation for Easter. During this time, the whole church puts extra effort into three aspects: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

• There is evidence of Lenten preparation for Easter very early in the church’s history, but its practices became more regularised after the Council of Nicaea (325).

• In years gone by, Catholics did not eat meat on any Friday, and later, on Fridays in Lent. Today there are two days of the year when Catholics are expected to forgo meat—Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Last week the season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday, which also marked the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice. We are encouraging you to put your compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each family received a Project Compassion box for their donations. Each week students will be learning about individuals and communities throughout the world that Caritas Australia assists.

Around 2.8 million children in the Philippines do not go to school.

Shirley's Story

This week students are learning about the story of Shirley. Shirley was struggling to support her family and keep her children in school. She faced regular discrimination and disadvantage, limiting her family’s access to food, education, employment and healthcare. With Caritas Australia’s support, Shirley trained to become an indigenous health worker. She has learnt to supplement her income and is able to feed her family. The program has also empowered Shirley to send her children to school.

Let’s Go Further, Together!

https://lent.caritas.org.au/page/week-1#blank

Have an enjoyable week,

Monica

Important Dates to Remember

March

Thursday 12 First Eucharist Parent Information Night, 7:00pm

Tuesday 17 St Patrick's Day Annual School Mass (Year Six Leaders)

Thursday 19 First Reconciliation Ceremonies, 6:30pm & 7:30pm

Friday 20 Harmony Day

Saturday 21 First Eucharist Commitment Ceremony & Mass Book Presentation, 6:00pm Mass

Sunday 22 First Eucharist Commitment Ceremony & Mass Book Presentation, 9:45am Mass

Tuesday 31 Parish penitential Celebration, 7:00pm

Just Leadership Day

The Year Six Social Justice leaders and School Captains participated in a student social justice leadership day, facilitated by Megan Bourke from Caritas Australia. Students from four other local Catholic primary schools also attended. A major focus of the day was taking students beyond the headlines to look at the broader issues facing people around the world today.

The day also involved introducing them to some lesser-known leaders who have positively affected the world, such as Saint Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of El Salvador who was killed after speaking out against injustice, poverty and torture in his home country.

The Just Leadership Day was divided into three themes: ‘See’, ‘Judge’, and ‘Act’.

We started the day by recognising and exploring global injustices and seeing what is happening in the world. The ‘judge’ part of the day then looked at how we can critique the injustices happening in the world in light of Catholic social teaching – such as human dignity. In the final ‘Act’ stage of the day, students were given an opportunity to start to work out how they might respond as global citizens to the issues that were spoken about.

Physical Education

District Swimming