Religious Education News 

HOLY WEEK

As we enter Holy Week we prepare to celebrate the world’s biggest miracle - Jesus, Son of God, who lived, died and rose, body and soul, from the dead!

On Thursday 6th April, our last day of Term, our students will present a liturgy pageant/play telling the story of what happened to Jesus in Holy Week. Please join us at 9:15am to see the story unfold on the Basketball Courts in our Main Campus. Our students have prepared lines from a script and songs for this occasion of prayer. 

Palm Sunday

This Sunday 2nd April is Palm Sunday. It marks the beginning of Holy Week - the week we commemorate Christ’s death and celebrate His Resurrection. This day is also called Passion Sunday because during the Mass we read the Passion story as told according to St Matthew. You might like to read through this account on this day: Matthew 26:14-27:66 and reflect on the love Christ showed by his sacrifice to save us. See Reflection Video

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday 6th April is the day when we remember the very first Eucharistic Feast - at Christ’s Last Supper/Passover. Christ washed His disciples feet, commanding us all to love one another as He has loved us. Then he gave his followers himself in body and blood. Catholics today believe in the transubstantiation - where the Eucharistic elements of Bread and Wine are transformed into Christ’s Body and Blood at consecration in Mass. This is to say that every time Mass is held this same Passover Feast is taking place as on this day. See Reflection Video

Good Friday

Good Friday 7th April is another day when we commemorate Christ’s death. Mass does not take place on this day but rather a memorial takes place. We read the Passion story as told according to St John. You might like to read through this account on this day: John 18:1-1:42. It is a day of fasting and abstinence - on which a tradition is to eat fish and/or refrain from eating meat. See Reflection Video

Easter Sunday

On Easter we celebrate the miracle of Christ’s rising from the Dead, body and soul, conquering sin. A joyful occasion filled with feasting, song and glory. Catholics believe that Christ died and was dead for three days before rising again. The chocolate eggs we eat on this day are symbols of rebirth and renewal. We also see our priest wear Gold or White on this day to symbolise this renewal. I strongly encourage families to discover the joy of this occasion by attending the Easter Vigil Mass where the Paschal Candle is lit from a fire and light shared among the congregation by candlelight - this passing on of light represents the light of Jesus in our lives. See Reflection Video

PROJECT COMPASSION 2023

Thank you for all your generous donations at school! Please keep putting aside some spare change for this cause and bring this box back to school in Term 2. To find out more about Project Compassion please go to: https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/

CHICKI-TAS

Every $7 we raise helps people in Zimbabwe by giving a chicken to a family so that they have a healthy source of protein through eggs for their meals! - Keep an eye on our office display to see how many chickens we can get!

LITURGIES THIS TERM

31 March 9:15am - Year 2 Mass

6 April 9:15am - Whole School Holy Week Liturgy (on the Basketball Court, Main Campus)

CELEBRATING EASTER SUSTAINABLY

Easter is an indulgent time for many of us, beautiful hot cross buns and yummy chocolate. It might be a good idea to consider how we might be sustainable this season.

Here are some ways you can both celebrate and be sustainable this Easter:

1. Good Friday Fish - source sustainably caught fish for your pescetarian meal. Read this sustainable seafood guide.
2. Plastic bags and Hot Cross Buns - when buying hot cross buns consider how you might reduce the amount of plastic wrapping by buying through a small business, opting to choose hot cross buns packed in paper bags, making your own hot cross buns. The convenience of a plastic bag doesn’t have to ruin the environment - see if you can save the plastic bag for soft plastics collection Melbourne.
3. Exchange plastic and paper craft activities for food based crafts - a growing trend in Melbourne among Catholics is to change up the catechetical craft routine. Instead of making a tomb scene out of plastic or paper you can make a chocolate empty tomb - which you can eat later! This activity can teach kids the true meaning of Easter whilst being extremely fun and yummy! For those that aren’t chocolate lovers there are other food ideas for making empty tomb cakes etc. Take a look on google or pinterest for ideas and inspiration.
4. Sustainable and Humanity Friendly Chocolate - Chocolate is delicious and people around the world know it. Every Easter Australians spend millions of dollars buying hundreds of kilograms of chocolate to eat and give away.  How do we buy ethically sourced chocolate this Easter? https://acrath.org.au/take-action/chocolate/
5. Recycle those foil wrappers - Our Easter eggs come wrapped in pretty foil wrappings which are recyclable - save up a big foil ‘tennis ball’ for your recycling!