OUR FAITH
PRAYER
Loving God, we thank you for this glad time of year, this Advent season which reminds us of so much, and which reveals so wonderfully the extent of your love. For your coming and coming again in Christ, we thank you in the glory of your name.
Amen
We pray ...
for ..... our Year 6 students who are in their final weeks of primary schooling, for our St Nicholas Community as we begin the journey through the season of Advent.
LITURGY NEWS
Reconciliation
Last week some of our Year 5 students had the opportunity to attend Reconciliation. We thank Fr Clarence for his spiritual guidance.
THE SEASON OF ADVENT – Began last Sunday
Last Sunday (30 November) marked the first week of Advent. Advent comes from the Latin word for an "arrival" or a "coming". Advent is the season when we remember the anticipation of Christ's first coming, and we pray for the return of Christ again.
With the beginning of the season of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. The Advent wreath is part of our long-standing Catholic tradition. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. Three candles are purple and one is rose. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; This is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming.
This weekend we light the second candle on the Advent wreath.
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8th Dec)
Our faith tells us that God gave to Mary, the Mother of his Son, “an entirely unique holiness,” which we call “the Immaculate Conception”. The familiar story of the Annunciation, which we hear in the reading from Luke, expresses the spiritual reality in a simple yet profound way. The angel Gabriel greets Mary with the familiar words, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Mary is favoured because God is with her: she is to be the dwelling-place of God in the flesh, and so she is born without the stain of original sin.
Reconciliation
Please consider taking the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Christmas. This is a means of preparing ourselves spiritually for Christmas, giving us peace of heart and mind and is particularly important for those with children who have just made their First Reconciliation recently or have already received this Sacrament. Please refer to the Parish bulletin or website for dates and times.
ST NICHOLAS FEAST DAY - END OF YEAR - WHOLE SCHOOL MASS
Friday 5th December. All parents, family members, and friends are invited to attend. At this Mass, we will formally acknowledge and farewell our Year 6 students.
Time: 9:30am
Where: St Nicholas School Undercroft
Uniform: Full School Summer Uniform for all students
BUPA RESIDENTS, MINI VINNIES & SCHOOL CHOIR
Last Friday our school had the pleasure of hosting 20 residents from BUPA. Students from Mini Vinnies and our school choir entertained and spoke with the residents. To begin our time together we had a game of heads and tails, followed by a great repitore of songs performed by our school chior lead by Mrs McGuirk, finishing with some interesting conversations around the past and the present. It was lovely to see the generations interacting with each other, listening intently and sharing stories. Early next year we hope to visit BUPA to continue our intergenerational relationship.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS APPEAL
A massive thank you to all our families who have donated items to our St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. We have had an over whelming amount of items which will now be given to our local St Vincent de Paul society. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
FAMILY MASSES
Our last Family Mass for the year will be celebrated on Sunday 7th December (Year 2 & Year 4 Families) at St Nicholas Church commencing at 9.30am.
Fr Chris is very keen to have some students read the Prayers of the Faithful at Sunday's mass. If your child is interested in reading could you please email me (rdunst@arm.catholic.edu.au) as soon as possible and I will send home a copy of the prayers tomorrow.
The St Nicholas Parish Christmas Party will be held on Sunday 7th December at McCarthy Catholic College beginning at 11am therefore there will be no morning tea after family mass. Everyone is welcome to attend the Parish Christmas Party.
ALTAR SERVERS - THANK YOU!
A huge thank you to all our altar servers and to their parents for supporting our school and parish masses for this past year. It is a massive commitment and a great act of service to our school and parish community. The Parish Office have contact details of those wishing to serve next year so keep an eye out for an Altar Serving Roster in 2026.