CELEBRATING OUR FAITH 

Year 10 2023

Our Year 10 students had a very busy, emotional and fun week last week with the Copeton Dam Retreat, their Graduation Mass and the Graduation Dinner Friday evening. 

It was a great week with so many highlights and the Year 10 students are to be commended for their participation, sharing and maturity. Congratulations to this great group of young adults and thank you to all the HTS staff who assist during the week. 

The Season of Advent

Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s new year and is a season of waiting and preparation. In fact, the season of Advent focuses on Christ’s threefold coming - past, present and future. We await and prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas. We hope and give thanks for Christ’s presence in us and in the Word and sacraments. We look to the future, waiting for Christ to come again.

The word ‘Advent’ means ‘coming’. Lighting the candles on the wreath symbolises the coming of light (Jesus) into the world. The first candle (violet) represents hope, the second (violet) peace, the third (rose) joy, and the fourth (violet) love. The central white candle is lit on Christmas Day and represents Christ. 

Caritas Australia have designed an interactive resource especially for students and families. It uses the See-Judge-Act-Pray model to guide daily reflection on Scripture, Advent themes, Caritas stories and with ideas for action and prayer.

Caritas Australia Advent Calendar

Festive Foods

Each year we support our local St Vincent de Paul Society by donating money collected from our annual Coin Drop, 13 December, and the Secondary Lap-A-Thon. We also give non-perishable festive food items donated by you, our generous families, to contribute to hampers given out by SVDP to families in our local community in need. We are asking for donations of non-perishable festive food items over the coming weeks. These will be given to SVDP at our Thanksgiving Mass on Thursday 14 December. Families are welcome to begin bringing in donations to their classes.

Parish Masses

6:00pm Saturday evening

9:00am Sunday morning

Term 4 2023

Thursday 7 December

- Reconciliation Year 3 to 9 at HTS

Friday 8 December

- Year 6 End of Year Mass 9:15 at SHC

Wednesday 13 December

- Coin Drop for SVDP

Thursday 14 December

- K-10 Thanksgiving Mass

- Festive Food given to SVDP

Have a great week, God Bless

Mary-Jane Guest

Religious Education Coordinator