Socktober Day for Catholic Mission-Monday 27th October

Here is the speech our 5/6 RE Leaders gave at Monday's Assembly introducing what they have planned for Socktober Day for Catholic Mission which is on Monday 27th October.

Good morning Teachers and Students, as the RE Leaders of the school we would like to talk to you today about an organisation called Catholic Mission. Catholic Mission contributes funding and provides project support to critical church-run initiatives in Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America, as well as remote dioceses within Australia.

Grassroots needs are identified by Iocal Catholics to give people the opportunity for a full, enriched life - physically and spiritually - regardless of race, stigma, religion or gender.

They create opportunities for people to be formed in mission and respond through prayer, fundraising and action, inspiring them to reach out, and give life - within Australia and around the world. All of us engage in mission when we proclaim our faith through our words, actions and lives.

In Australia, October marks World Mission Month and the big event that Mission Australia promotes in schools is Socktober. Here is a short video introducing Socktober.

The video just asked if our school would like to be involved - and we were so confident that the answer would be yes, that we have already signed OHR up for Socktober for Mission Month.

Catholic Mission help people all over the world but this year as you saw in the video, their focus country is Zambia.

Our Socktober Event Day has been set for Monday 27th October which is in exactly one week. Here is what is going to happen on the day.

Firstly, instead of assembly next Monday morning, we will gather as a school in the Church for a Liturgy around the theme of Mission.

We will also work with our buddies to make sockballs on the day. To help with this we’re asking you to bring in to school, materials that can be used to make a sockball.

These materials include old socks or other clothes, plastic bags, bubble wrap, styrofoam, string, rubber bands and anything else used in this video which your classroom teacher will show you in class this week that explains how to make a sockball. You can bring these materials into your classroom any day leading up to the 27th of October. The more materials you bring in, the more sockballs you will be able to make.

Once your sockball is finished, we will have the handball target outside and have a marking on the ground for each level. For a dollar you can put the sockball you have made on the line for your year level and try to kick your sockball through the target. The higher your year level, the further back the target will be. If you manage to kick your sockball through the target your name will get added to a special list. The names on this list will get a free zooper dooper every time we sell them after school later this term. This will be at least 10 free zooper doopers for yourself.

You can have as many turns as you like, but each turn costs a dollar. All money raised will go to Catholic Mission to support their programs throughout the world.

Finally, to get us all in the theme of Socktober, Mr Dame has given you special permission to wear crazy socks to school that day just like we are wearing today.

So to summarise:

Bring in those materials to schools so we can make lots of sockballs.
Find some crazy socks to wear
Bring your money in to try and win lots of free zooper doopers for yourself.
Instead of an Assembly next Monday Morning (27th Oct) we will gather in the Church first thing in the morning for a Liturgy around the theme of 'Mission'

Thank you.

Family Led Sunday Mass

During 2025, the Parish in conjunction with the Parish Primary Schools, has planned Family led weekend Masses. These Masses will be celebrated once a term and be followed by hospitality. They will be a great opportunity for children and their families to be involved in a Mass within the parish community.

Family Masses will provide an opportunity for families to come together and to support each other in faith. They can particularly be important for families who are presenting their children for Sacraments throughout the year. There may be opportunities to reconnect with our own faith as adults. There may be opportunities to engage with parish life and learn more about the faith, for those who are not so familiar with our local worshiping community. All families are welcome at these family Masses no matter what your religious background or affiliation.

Family Masses scheduled for later this year are:

Sunday, 16th November at 10.30am (OHR Church) - Note Change of Date/Time

Prep, Year 1 & Year 2 and new families for 2026 are particularly invited to this Mass.

Nick Byrne

RE Leader

RE Learning in 3/4JH

In 3/4 JH, our learning focus for October has been The Month of Mary. Students have been exploring Mary’s special role in the life of Jesus and in the Church. They have learned about the significance of the Rosary as a form of prayer and reflection. Students have learnt that the Rosary is both a prayer and an object. The Rosary is a special string of beads used by Catholics to help them pray and think about important moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Each bead helps people keep track of their prayers.

Each student in 3/4 JH has created their own decade of Rosary beads, which we will be using during our daily class prayer for the final two weeks of October. Our prayer leaders have been guiding us through each day’s mystery, explaining its meaning and helping us reflect more deeply. This has been a important way for students to honour Mary and deepen their understanding of prayer and reflection.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else, ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Discussion Questions

1. In today’s gospel, who were the two people in Jesus’ story?

2. What did the Pharisee pray?

3. What did the tax collector pray?

4. What is the difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector?

5. Who was pleasing to God?

6. How can we be humble like the tax collector?

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