Education in Faith

Sacrament of Eucharist - Parent Formation Evening - Thursday 8th May

A focus of the Parish Sacramental Program is the role of family in nurturing the developing faith of our young people.  In 2025, parents of Year 4 students from our three parish primary schools are invited to attend a Parent Formation Evening focussed on the Sacrament of Eucharist.  The evening will be held on Thursday 8th May at the OHR Church.

Project Compassion

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia's annual Lenten  fundraising and awareness-raising appeal. Millions of Australians come together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. The theme for this year’s appeal is Unite Against Poverty!

This year the RE Student Leaders  have again decided that they want to give you all a chance to see your teachers dunked with icy cold water. The challenge is to show some initiative and organise a fundraiser to raise as much money as you can for Project Compassion. You can do this by yourself, with your family or a group of friends. It might be as simple as asking family and friends for donations or a much bigger idea - whatever you like.

Last year, they set each class a target of $20 per student and if your class reached the target - you were able to dunk your teacher or teachers. This year, they have decided to encourage the whole school to work together. Therefore, for every $300 we raise as a school, another teacher will get dunked. So when we raise $300, the first teacher is added to the dunk list, when we get to $600 the next teacher goes on the list and so on. At the last Assembly of Term One, we randomly picked names out of a tub and the order of dunking is as follows:

We have created a website where you can go to make a donation and also see how close we are to dunking the next teacher. If you get cash donations, you might be able to give the cash to your parents and they donate that amount online. The link to donate is below and we have also put posters with a qr code up around the school. The last date to donate money has been extended by one day to Friday 25th April. This is ANZAC Day.

In solidarity, with people like Toefuata’iga from Samoa (whose Project Compassion video we watched at assembly), on Thursday 24th April all students at OHR undertook the Big Water Walk. This involves walking around our school while carrying large buckets of water - just like the people of Samoa sometimes need to do.

Whole School Masses

Thank you to everybody who helped with our Start of Term Mass yesterday. Gathering together as a school community for Mass provides many benefits including strengthening faith, fostering community, and promoting spiritual growth.

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 have been scheduled for the following dates this year:       

Saturday 15 March at 6.00 pm (OHR Church)

Special invitation to Year 3 & Year 5 students and families

Sunday, 18 May at 5.00 pm (OLGC Church)

Special invitation to Year 4 students and families (includes First Eucharist Commitment)

Sunday, 17 August at 5.00 pm (OLGC Church)

Special invitation to Year 6 students and families (includes Confirmation Commitment)

Saturday, 15 November at 6.00pm (OHR Church)

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

RE Learning in 1/2GK

This week in RE, the children explored the story of Jesus’ resurrection from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16. We learned that after Jesus gave His life on the cross, He rose again—reminding us that God’s love is always with us and that He offers us the chance to grow, begin again, and live with hope in our hearts.

We read how, in Mark 16, the women went to the tomb and were told, “He is not here; He has risen!” This joyful message helps Christians remember that Jesus is alive and that His love continues to shine in the world today.

To help us reflect on this message, we created crosses out of salt dough and decorated them. 

Here are some photos and a few of their lovely thoughts:

"The cross symbolises that Jesus is alive and is always with us."

"Jesus taught us how to live in peace." 

“The cross reminds us of Jesus and how He gave His life for us.”

"The cross is a symbol of love ."

"Jesus died on the cross so he can show us how to love." 

"The cross reminds us of everything  Jesus did for us." 

"Jesus taught us how to live and be kind to each other." 

"Jesus came back to life on Easter to show us how much He loves us."

"Jesus shows us how to forgive each other"  

“The cross reminds us that Jesus is God’s Son and that He taught us how to share peace with others.”

“Jesus died for us to take away our sins.”

“Jesus wasn’t in the tomb because He came back to life forever.”

“The cross is important because it helps us remember Jesus.”

Sunday Gospel

The liturgy of the Catholic Church provides a framework for reflection which is used by Catholics throughout the world. Each week in the Newsletter, you will find the Sunday Gospel as well as some discussion questions to have with your child/ren.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

‘As the Father sent me,

so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

‘Receive the Holy Spirit.

For those whose sins you forgive,

they are forgiven;

for those whose sins you retain,

they are retained.’

Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:

‘You believe because you can see me.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’

There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do some people like you or are your friends?

2. What are the good times you have had together?

3. Have there ever been times when things did not go so well?

4. Jesus shares with us his peace and shows forgiveness. How can we also share peace and show forgiveness?

5. What can we do this week to pass on the peace and forgiveness that Jesus shares with us?

Nick Byrne

RE Leader