Religious Education

Faith and Community at St Andrew’s: Our Journey Toward Easter

It has been a vibrant and prayerful start to the year at St Andrew’s. As a community, we have already shared many significant milestones, gathering in faith to support one another and our students. From the first bells of the term to our current Lenten journey, the Holy Spirit has been busy in our hallways!

Celebrating Our Beginnings

We kicked off the school year with our Beginning of Year Mass, a beautiful opportunity to entrust our learning and friendships to God. It was a joy to see the St Andrew's community in action and meet new members, particularly during our Prep Welcome Mass. Watching our youngest learners being formally welcomed into our faith community is always a highlight, reminding us that every child is a gift.

A Season of Reflection and Action

With the arrival of Ash Wednesday, we entered the solemn and grace-filled season of Lent. This year, we are "living through Lent" at St Andrew's not just as a countdown to a holiday, but as a genuine time of transformation in anticipation of Easter.

Our students have put their faith into action through our Classroom Caritas boxes. These small boxes represent a big commitment to social justice, helping our children understand the importance of almsgiving and supporting those in need globally. As we reflect on our service to others, we are reminded of the words from the Gospel of Matthew:

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." — Matthew 25:40

Walking with our Sacramental Candidates

It is a particularly special time for our students preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We have shared several foundational moments recently:

• Reconciliation Family Night: A wonderful evening of shared stories and learning between parents and children.
• Reconciliation Commitment Mass: Where our candidates stood before the parish to pledge their dedication to this spiritual step.

Looking Ahead: The journey continues shortly with our Reconciliation Reflection Day, a dedicated time for students to quiet their minds and prepare their hearts. This all leads to the Sacrament of Reconciliation itself, where our students will experience the healing power of God’s forgiveness and peace.

Joining Together for Holy Week

As we approach the end of the term, the atmosphere at St Andrew's shifts toward the profound events of Holy Week.

We warmly invite all families to join us for our daily liturgies during the final week of term. These moments of prayer allow us to walk alongside Jesus from Palm Sunday through to Good Friday. We look forward to welcoming the school community into our prayer spaces as we move together towards the joy of Easter.

An additional resource you may like to make use of is 'Journeying Together'.  Journeying Together covers the sacraments most commonly celebrated with primary-school-aged children - Reconciliation (Penance), Eucharist, and Confirmation. This resource will complement your child’s sacrament preparation at their Catholic primary school or in a parish catechetical setting.

Each sacrament module includes four sessions. Each session includes an invitation to explore and integrate the family’s lived experience with concepts from Scripture, the Church and the sacraments, along with oportunities to pray together.

We hope that by opening this opportunity, many will encounter Jesus and engage with their faith in a fresh and meaningful way.

Journeying Together link 

Sacramental Timetable for 2026

Holy Week Liturgies 

Families warmly welcomed 

All families are warmly welcomed to join us in the Hall at 8.50am for our Easter Liturgies.

Mrs Ange Walsh

Deputy Principal & REL

awalsh@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au