R.E. News

Religious Education News - Week 4 Term 4

Religious Education Dates for 2025

Whole School Mass/Events

• Friday 7th November - St Francis Blessing of the animals service from 8.50am to 9:10am
• Tuesday 11th November - Remembrance Day service at 10:55am
• Thursday 11th December   - Year 6 Graduation at 6pm 
• Monday 15th December - End of School Mass at 9am 

First Eucharist

On Saturday 25th October and Sunday 26th October the following children in Year 4 made their  First Eucharist. Congratulations to all these children.

Alex, Ella, Ethan, Christopher, Nathan, Henry, Jacob, Jacqueline, Lyliana, G’zelle, Archer, Angus, Alannah, Sienna, Zoe, Juliana, Cristian, Toby, Lennox, Louis, Ellarose, Naomi, Joseph, Campbel, Joshua, Luka, Sophia, Lachlan, Hamish, Ryan, Victoria, Kiarah, Jermey, Kayla, Jayden, Kendrick and Danica.

Isla and Lewis will be receiving their First Eucharist this weekend. Please keep these 2 children in your prayers and thoughts.

Blessing of the Animals

On Friday 7th November, a priest from the parish will be coming to the school and blessing all the pets in our school community. If you have a pet please bring it along. The service will be occurring at 8.50am in the undercover area. The service should go for 5-10 minutes. All pets are to go home after the service. We look forward to seeing your pets on Friday 7th November..

Gospel Reflection byFr Michael Tate

‘Indeed, I promise you: today you will be with me in Paradise.’

Today, many of us will visit the grave or plinth of a beloved member of the family or a friend. If you are like me, you will first tidy the area, prune any dead heads off the rose bush, place some fresh flowers and then pray.

The beautiful Catholic custom is that on this day especially – All Souls’ Day – we pray for those who have died. We prayed for them when they were with us on earth. Death is no barrier to continuing that prayer. We pray for them and for ourselves that one day, when every tear is wiped away, we may join them in heavenly bliss.

What grounds our hope? Nothing more, nothing less, than the victory of Jesus Christ over death. We pray that those we love even now are sharing in the benefits of that triumph.

For most, as I expect for me, that may involve a purging of those traits of personality which prevent the fullest participation in the bliss of Heaven. But that bliss is what God desires for each one of them and for me.

God prays for the fulfilment of that desire whilst souls are being purged (whatever that may involve). Our praying for the dead is simply our participation in this prayer of God, our privilege which we intentionally share in. Even those not intentionally sharing our faith often say R.I.P., rest in peace, and that is a prayer!

And so we pray with confident Christian hope:

‘Endless light shine on those we love, O Lord. May their souls and the souls of all those who have died, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.’

A quote from Pope Francis

Pope Francis often speaks of All Souls' Day as a time for both memory and hope, reflecting on those who have died while looking forward to the future hope of reunion in God's kingdom. He emphasizes that hope is an "everyday" virtue and a guiding light, like the Beatitudes, that helps us stay on the right path toward God's love. A key theme is to desire heaven above earthly achievements, as they will vanish while the soul is eternal

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,

may the faith you have given us

in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,

and the flame of charity enkindled

in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

reawaken in us the blessed hope

for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us

into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos

in the sure expectation

of a new heaven and a new earth,

when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,

your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee

reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,

a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May that same grace spread

the joy and peace of our Redeemer

throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed,

be glory and praise for ever.

Amen