Faith News

Faith News

Important Dates

•  Thursday, March 30th- Approaching Holy Week Mass to be led by the Year Five and Six students and teachers at 11:30 am in the church. All are welcome. 

Term Two

• Wednesday, April 26th- Whole School Alleluia Day: Liturgy 2pm St Brendan’s Church.

All are welcome.

• Thursday, May 11- Mass for Mothers and special women in the lives of the children- Whole School Mass- St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am Mass leaders: Foundation staff and students. All are welcome. 
• Wednesday, May 15- Early St Brendan’s Day celebrations and whole school liturgy-

St Brendan’s Church at 9:30 am. All are welcome. 

• Thursday, May 25th- Sorry Day & National Reconciliation Week whole school Mass- St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am Mass leaders: Year One and Two staff and students.
• Saturday, June 3- Year Six Confirmation Sacramental Mass St Brendan’s Church at 6:00 pm

(Families will be requested to respond to an Operoo notification to enrol their child in early Term Two)

• Thursday, June 22- First Eucharist Workshop Evening with the Gen Bryant Ministry Team- For first communicants and their parents or carers- St Brendan's Church at  6pm.

(Families will be requested to respond to an Operoo notification to enrol their child in Term Two)

Term Three

• Saturday, July 29- Year Four First Eucharist Sacramental Mass St Brendan’s Church at 6:00 pm

(Families will be requested to respond to an Operoo notification to enrol their child in Term Two)

First Reconciliation

The Sacrament of First Reconciliation for some Year Three students, took place on Thursday, March 16th at 11:30 am at St Brendan’s Church. This sacrament is in comparison to First Eucharist and Confirmation, a more reverent and reflective occasion. Therefore, the students attended a special workshop morning at school prior to receiving the sacrament on the same day, ensuring they were prepared and confident in approaching the sacrament. First Reconciliation was then celebrated at St  Brendan’s Church, by Fr Shymon, Fr Martin Jeremias (St Anne’s Parish, Seaford), the students receiving that sacrament and their teachers supporting them. Special thanks to Fr. Shymon and Fr. Martin for their support in providing the children with this important sacrament of healing. 

Congratulations to the following students:

Catholic Education Week Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral

On March, 17, the St Brendan's School and Vice School Captains celebrated Catholic Education Week Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral, with students and staff from 334 Catholic schools all over the Melbourne Archdiocese. It was a very special Mass, celebrated for the first time since 2019 due to Covid, and a wonderful reminder to all involved that the Catholic community is diverse and thriving in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. As spectacular as St Patrick’s Cathedral is, it was a great privilege to accompany Tyler, Paula, Grace and Ailbe to the Mass, followed by a live concert and lunch in the Treasury Gardens. It was a pleasure also to share the experience with our fellow student leaders and staff from St Mary's, Hastings and St Joseph’s, Crib Point too.  

Have you started your Easter shopping yet? 

For those looking to enjoy a slavery-free Easter, here is some important information out together by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools:

The Sweet and often Bitter truth about Easter Chocolate 

One indisputable truth. Chocolate is delicious. We know this because at Easter Australians spend millions of dollars buying hundreds of kilograms of chocolate to eat and give away. Another indisputable truth is that the cost of some chocolate is a child’s education, and sometimes his or her freedom. That’s because much of our chocolate is made using cocoa beans harvested by children, often in the West African region. So, as we move into Lent here’s a snapshot of chocolate

Chocolate tastes great. Slavery-free chocolate tastes even better. Purchase and eat slavery-free chocolate and be assured it has not been produced using the forced labour of children. Slavery-free chocolate is chocolate that is certified. Look for chocolate with one of these three logos on it – Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or UTZ Certified:

Fast Facts

• Australians will purchase over $200 million in chocolate this Easter. This figure comes from a 2018 report by IBISWorld which said Australia’s chocolate spend had risen by $26 million over the past five years (up to 2018).
• Much of this chocolate is produced using cocoa beans that are NOT certified slavery-free.
• Almost half of all 152 million children victims of child labour are aged 5-11 years, according to a 2017 report by the International Labour Organisation*. And a great many of these children are in the cocoa industry, picking the cocoa beans used to produce chocolate.
• It’s a fair bet that these children will not get to eat any chocolate at Easter.
• The Australian Modern Slavery Act (2018) requires that large companies report about their work to address the risk of slavery in their supply chains. This is a great start, but let’s not leave it to the big companies; we can all now ask for slavery-free goods.

https://resource-macs.com/2020/03/18/make-your-easter-slavery-free/

Caritas Project Compassion

Caritas Australia is a Catholic aid organisation, working to engage communities to advocate and act for equality and justice for all. The Caritas Project Compassion Campaign aligns perfectly with our teaching of the Catholic Social Teaching Principles and is supported by Catholic schools and churches nationally and internationally. Teachers will be using the Caritas appeal and its vast range of associated teaching and learning resources to promote the appeal and engage our students in the act of almsgiving during Lent. Almsgiving is a practice observed in the Catholic faith which involves giving to others, especially those in need. Please follow this link to donate and for more information about the 2021 Caritas Project Compassion Lenten Appeal.

Catholic Care

Many families continue to face challenges throughout these changeable and worrying times. Should families or individuals require support beyond that which can be offered within our St Brendan’s community, Catholic Care may be able to assist with financial and social services. For further information about the services offered by Catholic Care, please visit: https://www.ccam.org.au/

Catholic Baptism

For families with children who have not received the Sacrament of Catholic Baptism and are considering this sacrament for their child/ren, please contact the Western Port Parish Centre on (03) 5979 4374. Should you make Baptism arrangements with the Parish, please inform me so that this special milestone for your child can be acknowledged within the school community. Please also forward a copy of your child’s Baptism Certificate to the school so that this can be reflected in the school records.

Families who wish for their children to receive any sacrament or The Rite of Reception through the parish, have been requested by Fr Shymon to make timely arrangements, as adequate preparation is required. This is especially important when families wish to enroll in school sacramental preparation programs, such as First Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation. 

Christian Initiation for Adults: RCIA

Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic or continuing the Catholic sacramental journey which you commenced as a child or younger adult? 

Adults who wish to begin or continue their faith journey through the reception of the Catholic sacraments are also invited to contact the Western Port Parish Centre on (03) 5979 4374.

Western Port Parish News

Please follow this link to the Western Port Parish web page, and to find out more about parish happenings.

Access to Australian Catholics Online Magazine

Families, please remember that you have FREE access to the Australian Catholics online resource. To access this fabulous resource, please click here  and use the following login details to gain access:

Email: parents@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au 

Password: parents1

Enjoy these exciting first weeks of the new school year.

Yours in faith & harmony.

Emma Chapple

-Religious Education Leader

-Performing Arts Classroom Specialist Teacher

echapple@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au