Religious Education & Pastoral Care 

"Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence." — St. Augustine

Dear Parents, Students, and Families,

I extend a special welcome to you all to the 2026 school year. It was wonderful to meet you at our BBQ on Wednesday and see so many of you again at our opening school mass. The first few weeks are always a special time—filled with new faces, new books, and the shared excitement of the journey ahead. I trust this year will be a year of Hope and possibilities for our beautiful students and families of St Joseph's community.

In the spirit of St. Augustine, let us leave the worries of the past behind and step into this year with confidence in God's love. We look forward to a year of growth, community, and abundant blessings for every member of our school family.

School Masses

This year we extend our welcome to Fr Damien Locke who has been tasked to look after the Parish of St John's here in Barraba. He takes over the reins from Fr Curran who has now retired from being a Parish Priest. If you have any questions around Sacraments or church matters, Fr Damien can be reached on the St Michael's parish phone 6785 1094. 

Fr Damien will lead our school masses each fortnight, usually on a Friday however there are a few changes this term:

Week 2: Friday 6 February, 10am - Opening school mass

Week 4: Wednesday 18 February, 12 noon - Ash Wednesday mass

Week 6: Friday 6 March, 10am - school mass

Week 8: Thursday 19 March, 10am - St Joseph's feast day mass (on the front lawn)

Please note that everyone is most welcome to join us for masses. As a special treat, we encourage children to sit with their families during mass (if they have a job at mass we usually wait for this to be complete before sending them to you). 

Here are the classes that will help in the masses during Term 1:

• Week 2: Stage 3 and Kindergarten
• Week 4: Stage 2
• Week 6: Stage 1
• Week 8: Stage 3 

Sacraments

This year we will celebrate both Confirmation (stage 3) and First Holy Communion (Year 3). Please note these dates are yet to be confirmed, but at the moment are:

• Confirmation, Sunday 26 July at 10am
• First Holy Communion, Saturday 6 June at 5pm

More details will be sent out closer to these dates. 

If you have any questions regarding masses, Religion, or general queries please be in contact with me; no question is too small or too hard and I am only a phone call or email away! I am only too happy to try and be of he

God bless,

Deb