Sacrament of First Eucharist

On Friday 12th June, the Year 4 Candidates for First Eucharist (and those Year 4 students supporting them in their preparation) will attend a retreat day at Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) Primary School alongside students from OLGC and Our Lady’s, Wattle Park as well as students in the parish attending non-Catholic schools.

The day is being facilitated by Gen Bryant and her team (https://genbryant.com). This day is a fundamental part of their preparation for First Eucharist. Each student will participate in group activities that explore many aspects of this important Sacrament.

Over the weeknd, the following students will be receiving the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time at one of the Parish Masses.

Arlo M, Atticus W, Evan M, Freddie H, Lauren S, Lizzie R, Lucy S, Summer L, Zac C

Please keep these students in your prayers. May this special day be filled with joy, grace and a deep love for Jesus as they welcome Him into their hearts.

CatholicCare Victoria's Asylum Seeker Support Program

Here is the presentation our RE Leaders gave at Assembly the other week.

As part of the Our Lady of Pentecost Parish, we are proud to support people in need through kindness, compassion and service. Today we would like to share a special way our school community can help others this term.

Our parish supports asylum seekers and refugees through the CatholicCare Victoria Asylum Seeker Support Program. This program helps individuals and families who have come to Australia seeking safety and a better life. Many families are waiting for important decisions about their visas and often have very little support.

The Asylum Seeker Support Program provides care, food and practical help to families during a very difficult time. It receives no government funding, so the generosity of communities like ours makes a real difference. During Refugee Week in June, we would like to help these families in a practical way.

Over the next few weeks, we invite all students and families to bring in any donations they are able to give. Some helpful items include cleaning products, toiletries, baby items such as nappies, basmati rice, tinned foods like tomatoes and chickpeas, and biscuits. Every donation, big or small, will help support refugee families in Dandenong. All donations will be stored at their warehouse and distributed to refugee families as they need it.

For just a little extra motivation, on Friday 19th June which is during Refugee Week, each class is going to create a line on the basketball court with all the items their class have brought in to donate. The class with the longest line will get an extra 20 minutes playtime.

Jesus teaches us to welcome and support people in need, and this is one way we can live out that message together as a school community. Thank you for your generosity and for helping us make a difference.

RE Learning in 3/4DG

Over the duration of Term Two, we have been learning about the Sacrament of Eucharist. Before learning about the Sacrament, we discussed what "Sharing a Meal" looked like in our homes, just like Jesus did with the disciples. This could include conversations about our day, quiet time, and also focusing on sharing this meal with the people we love the most.

Yesterday, we were fortunate enough to be given a tour of our Church by our Sacramental Coordinator, Katarina. Katarina shared with us a number of symbols and objects used in the mass. We have been learning about these objects and symbols by researching and finding their meanings. We were taken to see some special spaces in the Church which are not usually shown. We look forward to celebrating our classmates who will receive the Sacrament of Eucharist this weekend!

Sunday Gospel

The liturgy of the Catholic Church provides a framework for reflection which is used by Catholics throughout the world. Each week in the Newsletter, you will find the Sunday Gospel as well as some discussion questions to have with your child/ren.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to the Jews:

When Jesus saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’

He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:

‘Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’

Discussion Questions

1. Who has been on a farm?

2. What is it like at harvest time?

3. How is the crop gathered or picked?

4. Jesus says that we are like the workers at harvest time – he sends us into the field to announce the Good News. What is the Good News about Jesus?

5. What good things can we do in Jesus name?

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