Prayer & Catholic Identity
National Reconciliation Week 27th May - 3rd June
During National Reconciliation Week, we are invited to engage in learning that builds understanding, respect and responsibility. It is an opportunity to explore Australia's shared history and to value the voices, cultures and experiences of First Nations peoples.
This year the theme is 'ALL IN FOR RECONCILIATION'. 'All In', makes clear that reconciliation is not a spectator sport and that all of us must step away from the sidelines and take action to make change.
Covenant Prayer with the Land
By Aunty Betty Pike
Today, we make a covenant with this land.
As a branch is grafted onto mature stock,
So we want to be grafted onto the ancient heritage of the land,
So that it's life may flow through us.
We commit ourselves to the land we live in and to all who belong to it,
Most particularly our Indigenous people
And also the newcomers to this country,
Who have bound themselves to this land.
We will care for it with gentleness, patience, simplicity and compassion,
Rather than merely something to be bought and sold.
We will see the land as a gift for which we are truly thankful,
And undertake the privileged duty of respecting and looking after it.
We thank God, the Great Creator Spirit, for all the earth provides:
Water, food, and all the riches above and below the ground.
We undertake to use them sparingly and thoughtfully.
As we enter more deeply into the Spirit of the land,
We see the land as a Sacrament and Icon of our mothering Creator Spirit.
Be Still.
Listen to the breath of the Spirit which has blown through it for ages past, Today, and always;
For this is : The Spirit of the Dreaming
First Eucharist and Confirmation Masses
On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May, sixteen children celebrated receiving the final sacraments of initiation into our Catholic community. They received the gift of the Holy Spirit and were welcomed to the Lord's table through the sacrament of Eucharist.
We congratulate these students, who committed themselves to our parish sacramental program, with the support of their families and helpers from our parish.
You all looked very smart and behaved so reverently!
We thank Fr. Vijay for celebrating the masses and offering guidance to the children during their final practice.
We also thank the combined parish and school choir, with the leadership of Jacqui Creamer for their beautiful singing, which added to the joyfulness of the celebration.
Catholic Identity Awards
We congratulate Ainslie S. and Bohdi C. for being our most recent recipients of our Catholic Identity Awards. Ainsley and Bodhi received the award for being wonderful examples of the principle of 'We are all responsible for each other. If you're not happy, I'm not happy'. They put this Catholic social teaching into action through kindness and consideration of others.
Catholic Social Teaching Principles
Our catholic social teaching focus until the end of week 9 is based on care of creation. It states 'We need to care for the earth and all life in it. It is a gift from God'.
We encourage the children to think about how they can care for the environment and what sort of world do we want to leave for the future. Then we ask them to put this into action by doing things such as:
- taking lunch wrappings home in their lunchbox
- picking rubbish up in their classroom and on the yard
- caring for nature, such as the trees and plants in our school grounds
- not wasting water
