R.E. News
By Sonia Costa
RE NEWS
By Sonia Costa
RE NEWS
By Sonia Costa
Dear Families,
Welcome back to Term 4. I can’t wait to see everyone back at St Kevin’s School in the next few weeks.
Below I have included some information about the Plenary Council which is currently meeting during October 3-10, 2021. I hope that you find this information interesting and informative.
Plenary Council 2021/22 journey :
Let us come together for our Church & make a difference.
What is a Plenary Council? A Plenary Council is the highest formal gathering of all local churches in a country. Our Plenary Council is being held so that we can dialogue about the future of the Catholic Church in Australia.
Last year, as a Parish and a school staff we successfully came together and worked on Phase 1 – “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?” Australian wide submissions resulted in 6 themes; established as focus areas to encourage the Bishops to discuss and make decisions for the Catholic Church of Australia.
Then along came Phase 2 – “How is God calling us to be a Christ-centred Church in Australia…” In St Kevin’s Parish writing groups were established for each of the 6 themes and then it was our turn to assist with the ‘How’. We were asked to contribute practical suggestions for how our church could move forward.
There are many reasons for having a Plenary Council for the Catholic Church in Australia: Pope Francis has invited the local Church to dialogue; the contemporary society of Australia has changed significantly; and the Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse has been a significant and influential event that requires deep consideration and response.
When the Australian Catholic Bishops announced the decision to hold a Plenary Council, Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge said that “the Church is not the presence in our society it once was. We need to take a measure of that and make decisions accordingly. The culture in which we have to proclaim the Gospel is very different to what it was even 20 or 30 years ago.”
The First General Assembly is taking place now. The Plenary Council website will provide daily livestreams of parts of the opening Plenary sessions and Masses.
https://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/assembly-1/
Click on the above link to access information about the Plenary Council.
Please Note:
Term 4 First Eucharist Celebrations have been postponed until Term 1 2022 - please check your emails for this information.
Prayer for the Safety of Returning to School in a Pandemic
Father please hear us when we tell You of our concerns of sending our children and staff back to school.
Know that we are striving to make all of the right decisions and need Your love and power to help us overcome any difficulties.
Please watch over everyone as times and routines are about to change once again.
We know that we can do anything through You, so please help us ensure health and semi-normalcy in the coming months.
We give our hearts to You, now and forever. Amen.
Sunday Gospel Readings
During Term 3 each class at St Kevin’s School is allocated the gospel reading for the following weekend’s mass. In Religious Education lessons the gospel is read and discussed with the students to unpack its meaning and message. Then each class designs a poster which reflects their understanding of this gospel. During the last week of Term 3 it was the Juniors turn to unpack the gospel for the coming weekend. Here is their response to the gospel.
Don't forget about the parish website which has fabulous articles and children’s activities. Also each week in the Family Page and Fun (scan QR code to go straight to page)
https://www.stkevinsparish.org.au/childrens-family-page/
section of the website there are links to that weekend's Gospel activities. There are two gospel links: one for the juniors and one for the seniors. These activities can be downloaded and printed or just viewed. These worksheets will help the children understand the gospel message for that particular reading.
PARISH LINK:
Please take a look at the Parish Newsletter too. There is lots of great information and inspiration in this document each week.