Faith News

Term Three

• Whole School Mary Mackillop Liturgy. Thursday, August 8th Leaders: Foundation staff and students. St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am. All are welcome. 
• Whole School Mass: The Feast of the Assumption Mary the Mother of Jesus.  Thursday, August 15th. Leaders: Year Three & Four staff and students. St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am.  All are welcome. 
• Whole School Mass for Fathers and Special Men in the Lives of the Children. Leaders: Year One & Two staff and students. St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am. All are welcome. 
• Whole School Mass: Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Those in Need Thursday, October 17th. St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am. Leaders: Year One & Two staff and students. All are welcome. 

Term Four

• Whole School Mass- The End of the 2024 School Year- Advent Week 1 Hope Thursday, December 5th. St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am. Leaders: Foundation staff and students. All are welcome. 
• Year Six Graduation Mass- Wednesday, December 11th, St Brendan’s Church, Somerville at 5:00 pm. Leaders: Year Five & Six staff and students

Confirmation 

All Year Six students were fortunate enough to participate in a retreat day on July 25th, with a focus on the gifts and fruits received in Confirmation. The day was facilitated by Gen Brant and her band members, Aaron and Jess. The day was a fantastic opportunity for our St Brendan’s students to meet and connect with students from the other two Westernport parish primary schools; St Joseph’s School, Crib Point and St Mary’s in Hastings. We thank the staff and students from both schools for their partnership, especially those from St Joseph's for their hospitality in welcoming all of the students to their beautiful school.

Bishop Tony Ireland visited the Confirmation Candidates on July 26th to speak about the importance of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the context of initiation into the Catholic Faith. Thank you to Bishop Tony and Fr Shymon for their warmth, gentle guidance, kindness and support of the Candidates, families, sponsors and staff throughout the Confirmation preparation, and Mass on Saturday, July 27th at St Brendan’s Church. Congratulations to the following students on affirming their Catholic faith as they became fully initiated through the Sacrament of Confirmation:

Social Justice Action Team (SJAT) News

Mini Vinnies Projects

Another way that student voice is actively supported here at St Brendan's is through the work of the SJAT. The SJAT is coordinating an ongoing donation drive into the foreseeable future, for items desperately needed by the Westernport Conference of St Vincent De Paul. Thank you to the families who have so generously donated grocery items. Please keep them coming, and please refer to the details below which are still urgently required:

St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal

Thank you to all of the families who were able to donate blankets, jumpers and jackets to support the St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal. These have all been delivered to Vinnies in Hastings and will assist those in need at this time. 

Thank you also to the St Brendan’s Staff who collectively raised $135.95 throughout the term on their ‘Staff Dress Code’ days. Can you guess what their dress code is this Thursday?

Whilst donations of blankets, jumpers and jackets are not being collected in the school office, families should feel very welcome to donate items in demand to their local Vinnies store.

Catholic Baptism

Did the disruption of the ‘COVID-19 years’ disrupt your plans to seek Catholic Baptism for your child?

Now is a great time for families considering The Sacrament of Catholic Baptism for their child/ren, to contact the Western Port Parish Centre on (03) 5979 4374. Should you make Baptism arrangements with the Parish, please inform me so that this special milestone for your child can be acknowledged within the school community. Please also forward a copy of your child’s Baptism Certificate to the school so that this can be reflected in the school records.

Families who wish for their children to receive any sacrament or The Rite of Reception through the parish have been requested by Fr Shymon to make timely arrangements, as adequate preparation is required. This is especially important when families wish to enroll in school sacramental preparation programs. 

Christian Initiation for Adults: RCIA

Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic or continuing the Catholic sacramental journey that you commenced as a child or younger adult? 

Adults who wish to begin or continue their faith journey through the reception of the Catholic sacraments are invited to contact the Western Port Parish Centre on (03) 5979 4374.

Catholic Care

For further information about the services offered by Catholic Care for those in need, please visit: https://www.ccam.org.au/

Western Port Parish News

Please follow this link to the Western Port Parish web page, and to find out more about parish happenings.

Access to Australian Catholics Online Magazine

Hard copies of the Australian Catholic Magazine will be distributed to all families whose eldest children are in Years 3-6 this year. Please look out for these throughout the year and have a read over a ‘cuppa’ to discover more about happenings in Catholic schools and parishes. 

ALL families have FREE access to the Australian Catholics online resource. To access this fabulous resource, please click here  and use the following login details to gain access:

Email: parents@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au 

NEW Password: acparents

Yours in faith & harmony.

Emma Chapple -Religious Education Leader -Performing Arts Classroom Specialist Teacher

echapple@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au