Year 6 Confirmation

Family Faith Sharing Afternoon

On Tuesday afternoon, the Year 6s presented their learning on the Sacrament of Confirmation and participated in activities with their families, sharing their faith and understanding. The Sacrament of Confirmation is an important part of a child's spiritual life, completing their initiation into the Church, making an independent and free choice of faith to follow God.

During the afternoon students led us in prayer, scripture reading, reflection and learning on the Saints and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thank you to all families who attended to show their support and committment to nourishing their children's faith. We thank our Year 6 teachers especially for all their time and effort behind the scenes preparing the students for the Sacrament. We ask for prayers for the students and their families and they grow in their path of following Christ together.

Visit from the Bishop

The following day, on Wednesday afternoon our local Bishop Tony Ireland came to visit the Confirmation Candidates. The Bishop likes to make a visit before confirming the students to get to know them more, ask they about who they chose as their Saint and why and listen to all they have learnt about the Sacrament. We were also joined by students from the Parish Sacramental program who come from a range of local state schools. We look forward to celebrating together as a community next Friday evening.

For more information on the Sacraments see here

Important R.E. Dates for Term 3

Thursday August 22nd: Reconciliation available for Grade 6 during school

Tuesday August 20th @ 3.30 - 4.30pm: Confirmation Family Faith Sharing Afternoon

Wednesday August 21st: Bishop Ireland visits Confirmation students during school time

Tuesday August 27th @ 9:15am: Father’s Day Whole School Mass

Friday August 30th @ 5pm: Sacrament of Confirmation Mass

Upcoming Feast Days

Thursday August 22nd: The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Friday August 23rd: St Rose of Lima

Saturday August 24th: St Bartholomew

Tuesday August 27th: St Monica

Wednesday August 28th: St Augustine

Thursday August 29th: The Passion of St John the Baptist

Gospel

John 6:60 - 69

Peter confesses his faith that Jesus alone has the words of the eternal life.

Unpacking the Scriptures

Over the past few weeks, we have heard Jesus explain that he is the Bread of Life, given so that those who believe in him may have eternal life. Many of his followers find this teaching too hard to understand and believe and they turn away from.

This is a sad point, where many people stop believing in Jesus. He doesn’t change his teaching to please the crowd or win back people with lies. Jesus offers us the truth and gives us free choice to follow him. He doesn’t respond in anger, only love and continues invite people to follow him. At the response of the crowd turning away, he now turns to his close friends, the 12 apostles.

Peter’s response to Jesus’ question if they will leave him too is a profession of faith. Jesus is the only way to eternal life and though they still have many questions, they believe in him. We must each make our own decision on who Jesus is to us. Do we have the same courage and faith to respond to God’s call?

Let us pray for our confirmation candidates as they make that bold choice to say yes to God in their final Sacrament of initiation next week.

Family Connection

When a child is baptised, the parents speak on behalf of the child in professing the faith in which the child is to be baptised. Parents promise to teach their child this faith from their baptism so that they may one day accept this faith as their own. This is done at Confirmation when the child renews their baptismal promises of their own free will with full understanding of the committment to follow God their whole lives. In the example of Peter from the Gospel reading, we learn that each person must also make their own profession of faith in Jesus as the one sent by God to save us. We pray for all children as they mature in their faith that they may learn that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life and will choose to follow the way of Christian discipleship.

Pray

Gather together, light a candle and acknowledge that you are in the presence of God in a moment of silence. Read the Gospel John 6:60 - 69. Talk about promise that parents make at their child’s baptism to teach their child about Jesus and the faith of the Church. Talk about the importance of this promise to your family and about some of the things that you are doing to try to honor this commitment. Pray together that each person in your family will grow their faith to follow Jesus who alone has the words of eternal life.

Loving Jesus,

Help me to never forget that you love them more than I ever could. Thank you for your goodness and blessings in our family. Even when I don’t understand why, help me to trust your heart for me and my family. Teach us to walk in faith, peace, love and courage, even when its hard. Thank you for your for my friends and family and all those you have entrusted me with. In Jesus Name,

Amen.

God bless,

India Mitchell-Fletcher

Religious Education Leader

Parents and Friends Association

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