Religious Education
Term 4 Events
Term 4 promises to be another busy on in the Religious Education space with many key events taking place. Please make note of the following important events:
Friday 6th October - Start of Term Mass @ 9:30am
Saturday 7th October - Confirmation Commitment Mass @ 5:30pm
Sunday 8th October - Confirmation Commitment Mass @ 9am & 11am
Tueaday 10th October - Confirmation Family Faith Night @ 5:30pm
Friday 13th October - Confirmation Reflection Day (all day)
Tuesday 17th October - Sacrament of Confirmation @ 5pm & 7pm
Saturday 21st October - Year 2 Family Mass @ 5:30pm
Saturday 28th October - Year 5 Family Mass @ 5:30pm
Thursday 7th December - Year 6 Graduation Mass
Friday 15th December - End of Year Mass @ 9:30am
Parish Consultation
In last weeks newsletter, Ms Hill updated the community on the Parish Consulation session the week prior.
Through many discussions at this consultation involving around 60 parishioners was the desire to have more of the students and families attend Church and be involved with Parish life. The Parishioners always speak about how excellent the students of St Finbar's are when they attend Masses during school time.
We would encourage all families to attend weekend Mass times with their children and get a feel for Mass outside of the school setting. If your child is interested in learning to become an alter server, please contact the school and we can arrange for this to happen.
Gospel Reflection - Sunday 17th September
Gospel Reading
Jesus teaches that we must forgive one another as God has forgiven us.
Family Connection
Children learn to trust God's mercy and forgiveness when they experience forgiveness from those closest to them. We hope that we model God's love and forgiveness within our family life. Today's Gospel reminds us that forgiveness is measured by its quality more than its quantity.
Invite your family to consider some recent times when family members sought the forgiveness of another. Ask if there were any statements made that put conditions on our forgiveness such as “I will play this game with you if you apologize for knocking over my blocks” or “I will accept your apology after you clean up your room.” Do we sometimes “keep count” or put conditions on our forgiveness of one another? This is something we may be doing without realizing it.
Read together today's Gospel, Matthew 18:21-35. Ask if we sometimes find ourselves sounding like Peter, concerning ourselves with quantity of forgiveness rather than offering forgiveness abundantly and unconditionally. Reflect upon the parable that Jesus tells. What does the servant do that makes the king so angry? He refuses to forgive his fellow servant the debt that he owes. Because we have all received God's forgiveness, God expects that we will also be forgiving toward others. Jesus' answer to Peter's question is found at the end of the parable. The number of times that we forgive one another is less important than the depth of our forgiveness. We must forgive one another from the heart.
Conclude in prayer together that God's love and forgiveness is evident in your family life.
Pray together today's psalm, Psalm 103, or the Lord's Prayer.
Steele Anderson
Deputy Principal / RE Leader