R.E. News

                               Religious Education News - Week 4 Term 3

Eucharist

• Thursday 22nd October - Reconciliation at 11:40am
• Friday 23rd October -  Eucharist Reflection Day
• Saturday 24th October - Sacrament of First Eucharist mass at 5pm
• Sunday 25th October - Sacrament of First Eucharist mass at 9:30am

Whole School Mass/Events

• Friday 6th November - St Francis Blessing of the animals service from 9am to 9:15am
• Tuesday 11th November - Remembrance Day service at 10:55am
• Thursday 10th December   - Year 6 Graduation at 6pm 
• Monday 15th December - End of School Mass at 9am - TBC

Sacrament of Confirmation

On Saturday 15th August, 30 children from St Mark’s received the Sacrament of Confirmation. It  was a very special occasion for our school and parish community, and

both Masses were beautiful celebrations of faith.

We would like to thank all the parents, families and sponsors who attended and supported the children as they took this important step in their faith journey. Your encouragement and involvement play such an important role in helping our children continue to grow in their relationship with God.

A very special thank you to our Year 5/6 teachers for the time, care and preparation they put into preparing the children to receive the Sacrament. We also sincerely thank the St Mark’s staff members who attended the Masses to support the children, their families and the Year 5/6 teachers. Your presence was greatly appreciated.

Most importantly, congratulations to all our Confirmation candidates. We pray that the Holy Spirit continues to guide and strengthen you and that you use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit throughout your lives.

Congratulations to the following children:

Summer, Quade, Shenan, Jaden, Nina, Jonathan, Jayden, Jemma ,Conrad,  Keegan, Levi, Charlotte, Josie, Ayla, Ethan, Ayden, Christian, Brayden, Ethan, Gabriella, Kendrick, Marcus, Natalia, Savannah, Leon, Morgan, Henry, Bosco, Giselle, Mason 

May God bless each of you as you continue your faith journey.

Year 1/2 Good Shepherd Family Night

On Tuesday 11th August, the school held our Year 1/2 Good Shepherd Family Night. It was wonderful to welcome the Year 1/2  families to learn more about how Religious Education is taught at St Mark’s and how we support the children in developing their faith.

Following a short introduction, families participated in a variety of fun, hands-on rotational activities based on the Good Shepherd story. These activities provided a lovely opportunity for parents and children to learn, reflect and enjoy spending time together.

It was a wonderful evening filled with fun, faith and family connection. A big thank you to all the families who were able to attend and for supporting the faith journey of their children.

Children’s Liturgy

Children's Liturgy at St Mark's Church is up running this term. It will be starting this weekend.

The Children's Liturgy provides a great opportunity for primary aged children to engage with the gospel in a way that is accessible and meaningful to them. It runs every Sunday at the St Mark's 9:30am mass during school terms. At the start of mass the Children’s Liturgy adult leaders take the primary school age children into the hall for a small lesson and activity about the gospel of the day. Parents are welcome to join the session if they would like. If any parents are interested in volunteering to help with the Sunday sessions, please email Andrew Davies - andrew@smdingley.catholic.edu.au

The overarching theme derived from today’s readings is the question of insider-outsider. We see here that the divisions and barriers that emerge out of human experience have been shattered by the graciousness of God. Jesus’ openness to ‘the other’ finds a precedent in the prophetic tradition. Isaiah spoke of a time when outsiders would join insiders in worshipping God, thus dissolving the categories of insider and outsider. He was, of course, referring to the age of eschatological fulfilment. This age dawned with the coming of Jesus. Jesus himself moved out of the constraints of his own cultural worldview, and he directs us to do the same. People are either excluded because of gender, culture or religious perspective, or included only because they are able and willing to conform to discriminatory standards. In the reign of God, this should not be the case. 

People are accepted along with their own cultural profiles.

God’s embrace first enclosed even those who rejected Jesus, and then God’s plan of salvation unfolded in a new way. An invitation to enter the kingdom was issued to the Gentiles, those who had been considered outsiders. If outsiders are now insiders, what has happened to the former insiders? Paul insists that they are still insiders. God has not simply shifted the identifying boundaries; God has dissolved them. In the interim between the dawning of the eschatological age and the end of time, the invitation to be included remains open to all.