Catholic Identity 

Catholic Identity Report

Shrove Tuesday Meet and Greet

As the sun rose on Sacred Heart Primary on on Tuesday of last week there was a smell in the air of sausages, coffee and most importantly pancakes. As a school community we had decided to combine Shrove Tuesday and our annual Meet and Greet. From 7.30 parents, children and other members of our community gathered in the quad to feast on the magnificent pancakes prepared by staff and the sausage sizzle generously cooked by the Tungamah Lions Club. It was a fabulous gathering with many, many families feasting on breakfast and having a walk through their child’s learning space. Our Year 6 Mercy Justice Leaders and helpers shook the Project Compassion boxes starting our fundraising efforts for 2025 Lenten Campaign.

Thanks to the generosity of our local Woolworths, Tungamah Lions Club, Yarrawonga Health and the staff of Sacred Heart. We are also very appreciative of the families that were able to join us.

Project Compassion

All families should have received a Project Compassion box last week. I will also be in touch with the fundraising ideas of our Justice team in the near future.

Ash Wednesday

Our Year 5 and 6 students joined the parish for Mass last Wednesday and the commencement of Lent while our Yr 1-4s participated in a liturgy here at school. All students were very well behaved and reverent.

Children’s Mass

Om Sunday March 23rd the 9am Sunday Mass will be a children’s Mass. All families are invited to join us. I am looking for children to read and participate in the Offertory so if you child will be attending Mass please email me on mmcinness001@shyarrawonga.catholic.edu.au.

Hope to see you there.

Baptism

For those families interested in having their child baptised please contact Amy at the Parish House on 57443030 to register your interest. An information meeting is held the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the Narthex.

Toefuata'iga - (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old primary school student from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result. Toefuata’iga’s school community struggled without reliable access to clean water, which impacted students’ education and hygiene. Teachers often had to leave the school to fetch water from nearby homes, disrupting lessons and adding strain to the community. When the water ran out at the school. students were sent home which meant they missed out on valuable learning time. Thanks to the support of Caritas Australia in partnership with Caritas Samoa, Toefuata’iga’s school now has a 10,000 L water tank through a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program. Teachers and students now have access to clean drinking water at their school and are able to focus on education. “Now that we have the water tank, things are so much better, we can stay at school all day, and I get to spend more time learning and playing with my friends. I’m happy that we don’t have to go home early anymore.” – said Toefuata'iga. This transformative story is just one example of how Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion creates waves of change around the world. Will you stand with students like Toefuata'iga this Lent?

You can support Project Compassion 2025 through the donation boxes, envelopes or by scanning the QR code above. Or online at: caritas.org.au/project-compassion Or by calling: 1800 024 413

Have a great week everyone,

Meegan McInness

CI Leader