Mission and Religious Education

Mission and Religious Education

Baptism

We congratulate and keep Arthur in our prayers as he receives the Sacrament of Baptism this Saturday. Wishing you all the best for your special day Arthur.

First Reconciliation

Please keep Tommy, Darcy, Arthur and Kahlia in your prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Penance for the first time on Friday 30 May, 12.00pm.

Holy Week and Easter Sunday Liturgies

This term we have returned in the Easter Season and Year 2 led us prayerfully in our joyful Easter Sunday Liturgy. Thank you to all of our wonderful staff and students for your beautiful Holy Week and Easter Sunday Liturgies, helping us all to understand more fully and celebrate this important time in our faith story. Thank you to Father Curran who joined us for our Holy Week Liturgies.

Palm Sunday: Kindergarten and Year 1 led us in this happy celebration.

Holy Thursday: Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) led us in this important celebration.

Good Friday and Holy Saturday: Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6) led us in this more sombre commemoration.

Easter Sunday: Year 2. led us in this joyful celebration.

Mother's Day

We keep all of our wonderful Mums and mother figures in our prayers this Mother's Day. May this be a special day for them and their families filled with love and joy. We also remember and pray for all of the mothers who now lie in the loving embrace of our God, may they rest in peace.

C2S (Called to Shine) Committee News

Our C2S Committee is a team of volunteer students in Years 2-6 who work with Assistant Principals Cathy Shepherd and myself for ecological justice in our world. The Committee meets at the start of lunch each Monday and gives an authentic student voice to addressing social and ecological issues in our school and world. The C2S Committee leads charitable works and ecological initiatives at St Michael’s.

Week 2 Meeting - Monday 2 May

At our first meeting back this term the C2S Committee members discussed correspondence received about the Vinnies Winter Appeal. 

Caritas Australia - Project Compassion

In total this year we raised $125.40 for  Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. Thank you to everyone who contributed to helping us work with Caritas Australia to help overcome poverty and inequity in our world.

Environmental Legends and Little Doves

Our Environmental Legends are a team of volunteer students in Years 3-6 who work with the Little Doves, a team of volunteer students in K-2 and myself to lead environmental and sustainability initiatives within our school. Our work in this area is in response to Pope Francis’ call to action in Laudato Si’ to Care for the Earth Our Common Home and to hear and respond to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor.

Zucchinis

During the school holidays our zucchinis just kept on growing and growing and growing! Creating much excitement for everyone!

Legends of the Light Shine

Our Legends of the Light Shine Program is a program that runs across our school, led by students in Stage 3. This program focuses on Christian living, recognising and promoting Christian virtues and positive attributes.

This Fortnight’s Legends of the Light Shine Focus

Today we introduced our new Legends of the Light Shine focus for Weeks 3 and 4 of Term 2, ‘Joy’. We are now in the Liturgical Season of Easter, a time of great joy. It is important each day to focus on the people and things that bring us joy and making time for these in our lives.

Connecting With Our Parish

Weekend Mass Times

We encourage all of our families to celebrate Sunday Mass with our parish.

Manilla Parish Mass Times 

1st Sunday of the month - Sunday 8.30am

2nd, 3rd & 4th Sunday of the month - Saturday 5.00pm (5.30pm DST)

Attunga Mass Times 

2nd, 4th & 5th Sunday of the month - Sunday 12 noon

Pope Leo XIV

This morning we awoke to the news of a new pope, Pope Leo XIV. His first words to the world, “Peace be with all of you”. He spoke of the light of Christ and how the world needs this light. This message resonates with us here as St Michael’s, where each day we strive to live out our school motto “Let Your Light Shine” which comes from the Gospel of Matthew 5:16 where Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

Peace was a focus of his first address and Pope Leo XIV spoke of the Church walking in peace, charity and closeness, especially with those who suffer and asked for the special grace from Mary the Mother of Jesus who wants us to walk in peace and closeness to make this a reality.

We pray for Pope Leo XIV, that he may be granted the wisdom, strength and compassion he needs to guide us in the peace, light and love of Christ, throughout his papacy.

Vale Pope Francis

We keep in our prayers Pope Francis who died on 21 April 2025 aged 88 years. Pope Francis had a significant impact on the work we do here at St Michael’s School around caring for people and the environment. In his encyclical Laudato Si’ Pope Francis called us all to Hear the Cry of the Earth and to Hear the Cry of the Poor and act with an integral ecological approach as we recognise the connection between environmental and social justice. This call to action founded in the message and actions of Jesus continue to inspire and guide the work of our C2S Committee, Our Environmental Legends and Little Doves. May he rest in peace.

A Reflection on Pope Francis' Papacy (Reflection taken from Armidale Catholic Schools eBulletin)

Pope Francis didn’t lead the Church from a throne. He led from the streets. From refugee camps, prisons, slums, and soup kitchens. He walked with the poor. Sat with the broken. Listened to the young. He reminded the world that the Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners. That faith isn’t about being perfect – it’s about being real, being kind, being brave enough to care. During his first international trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for World Youth Day in July 2013 Pope Francis met with Argentine youth, telling them to hacer lío, which is Argentine slang that translates roughly as “make a mess”. This call to make a mess is a call to action. Not a reckless mess – but the kind that comes when you stir things up for justice. When you speak out for those no one listens to. When you live with purpose, not just for yourself, but for something greater.

Pope Francis didn’t just talk about hope and love – he lived it. For creation, for the forgotten, for our entire human family.

Let us remember Pope Francis and live out his call to hope:

"I invite everyone to renewed hope, for hope “speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our circumstances and historical conditioning. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfillment, a desire to achieve great things, things that fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love… Hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and it can open us up to grand ideals that make life more beautiful and worthwhile”. [52] Let us continue, then, to advance along the paths of hope."

Fratelli Tutti, encyclical letter, Vatican website, October 3, 2020, sec. 55

New Bishop

The Reverend Dr Peter Murphy from Wagga Wagga, was ordained as the Bishop of Armidale on Thursday 8 May at 6.30pm, in Saint Mary and Saint Joseph Cathedral, Armidale.

Year of Jubilee

2025 is a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church.

A Jubilee Year is traditionally proclaimed by the Universal Church every 25 years. It is a particular year set aside to encourage the faithful to embark on pilgrimages, to repent of their sins and forgive the sins of others, and to renew a focus on spiritual life.

The theme is Pilgrims of Hope. Pope Francis has invited Catholics to renew our hope and discover a vision that can "restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone". We are also invited to rediscover a spirituality of God's creation in which we understand ourselves as "pilgrims on the earth" rather than masters of the world.

You will see this logo often this year...

The logo symbolises unity and fraternity among all of humanity, with four stylised figures from different corners of the earth embracing each other. The leading figure holds a cross, representing faith and hope. The rough waves beneath the figures symbolise life's challenges, emphasising the need for hope in difficult times. The elongated lower part of the cross forms an anchor, a well-known symbol of hope. This image depicts the pilgrimage as a communal journey towards the cross, which reaches out dynamically to offer presence and hope. 

To learn about the meaning of the logo for the 2025 Jubilee, click here.

Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope   (Youtube)

The Jubilee Prayer

To pray and download the Prayer for the 2025 Jubilee, click here. Copies of the Jubilee Prayer are available in Braille. Please contact the Office of Deaf and Disabilities Ministry for a copy: specialneedsministry@adw.org or 301-853-4560.

Official Hymn for Jubilee

To listen to the Official Hymn for Jubilee, click here.

Living Well, Learning Well 

Living Well Learning Well is a student support framework for Catholic Schools in the Armidale Diocese. The framework is based on a universal and unconditional positive regard for children and young people and supports faith, learning, wellbeing and positive behaviour domains.

St Michael’s School Rules For Living

St Michael’s School Rules For Living encompass those in the Living Well Learning Well Framework.

Parents As Partners

St Michael’s works in partnership with the families in our school to achieve a high standard of education for the students in our care. Please be aware that the SchoolTV tab on our St Michael’s School Website provides parents and families with lots of wellbeing resources to support you with many of the challenging aspects of parenting.

Armidale Catholic Schools also work with Realtalk to offer families free premium access to resources to help navigate difficult areas children face, particularly in the digital world, from a catholic perspective in an increasingly complex world. SIGN UP FOR FREE ACCESS HERE

“Let Your Light Shine” support others to let their light shine and remember “We Shine Brighter Together”

Jacquelene Cronin

Assistant Principal - Mission