Faith News
Emma Chapple
Faith News
Important Dates
Term One
Year Three First Reconciliation parent and student evening workshop-
Wednesday, March 13th. St Brendan’s Church at 5:30-6:30 pm.
All First Reconciliation students and parents/guardians, please attend.
Year Three First Reconciliation Commitment Mass #1
Saturday, March 16th at St Brendan’s Church at 6:00 pm.(Parish Mass)
All First Reconciliation students and their parents/guardians are especially
invited to attend.
Holy Week & Harmony School Mass & First Reconciliation Commitment Mass #2 Thursday, March 21st- St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am
Mass leaders: Year Three & Four staff and students. All are welcome.
Year Three First Reconciliation Commitment Mass #3
Saturday, April 20th at St Brendan’s Church at 6:00 pm. (Parish Mass)
All First Reconciliation students and their parents/guardians are especially invited to attend.
Term Two
Alleluia Liturgy-
Monday, April 15th at 2pm- St Brendan’s Church
Liturgy Leaders: Year 1/2 staff and students. All are welcome.
Year Three First Reconciliation Sacramental Liturgy- 2:00-3:15 pm
Thursday May 2nd at St Brendan’s Church at 2:00 pm
Parents of the First Reconciliation students are also invited to attend.
First Eucharist parent and student evening workshop
Wednesday, May 8th. 5:30-6:30 pm- St Brendan’s Church.
First Eucharist students and parents/guardians, please attend.
St Brendan’s Day Mass, First Eucharist Commitment Mass #1 & Confirmation Commitment Mass #1
Thursday, May 16th- St Brendan’s Church
Leaders: Year Five & Six staff and students.
St Brendan’s Church at 11:30 am All are welcome.
First Eucharist Sacramental Mass
Saturday, June 1st, at St Brendan’s Church at 6:00 pm.
Confirmation parent & student evening workshop: Wednesday, June 5th. 5:30 pm- 6:30 pm St Brendan’s Church.
Confirmation students and parents/guardians, please attend.
Confirmation Parish Commitment Mass # 2 (Parish)
Saturday June 22nd 6:00 pm
Parish Mass at St Brendan’s.
All Confirmation students (candidates) and their parents/guardians are especially invited to attend.
Term Three
Confirmation Parish Commitment Mass # 3 (Parish)
Saturday, July 20 6:00 pm Parish Mass- St Brendan’s Church.
All Confirmation students (candidates) and their parents/guardians are especially invited to attend.
Year Six Confirmation Sacramental Mass
Saturday, July 27th at St Brendan’s. Church at 6:00 pm
**Enrolment details for First Eucharist and Confirmation coming soon.
The Sacrament of First Reconciliation
First Reconciliation for Year Three students and older students who are baptised in the Catholic faith and seek this sacrament, will be celebrated on Thursday, May 2nd. Our school sacramental program will prepare the students, and teach all students in Year 3/4 about this sacrament. Enrollment forms and have already posted on Operoo. Families, please ensure that the Operoo form is completed by close of business next Wednesday, March 6th. Please also remember to mark the relevant dates on Operoo (also listed above) in your family schedule.
Thank You
Thank you to the Year Five and Six staff and students for planning and preparing a beautiful Beginning of the 2024 School Year Mass last Thursday, February 22nd. Thank you also to the wonderful family members and friends of St Brendan;s who joined us in the celebration of this special Mass.
Social Justice Action Team (SJAT) News
Another way in which student voice is actively supported here at St Brendan's is through several leadership roles and responsibilities, including the newly selected SJAT. The first project for the SJAT will be coordinating the Project Compassion Lenten Appeal. In the coming weeks, all students will learn about the Catholic Christian tradition of ‘almsgiving’ throughout the Lenten Season, aligning beautifully with the Caritas Project Compassion Lenten Appeal.
The SJAT will promote and manage the Project Compassion donations made by students throughout Lent. Families are also encouraged to learn more about the work of Caritas, and contribute whatever they can electronically. To support Caritas or for more information, please visit the Caritas webpage here. Families may also wish to read and discuss the weekly Lenten reflections provided by Caritas. Please see the Lenten Reflections for Weeks Three and Four below.
The SJAT will also coordinate a donation drive into the foreseeable future, for items desperately needed by the Westernport Conference of St Vincent De Paul. Please refer to the details below.
Catholic Baptism
Did the disruption of the ‘Covid 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, such as First Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation. Please consider this advice in preparation for our future school sacramental programs.
Christian Initiation for Adults: RCIA
Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic or continuing the Catholic sacramental journey which 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 Year 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