OUR FAITH

PRAYER

Ever-generous God,

You inspired St Mary MacKillop to live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and constant in bringing hope and encouragement to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy. With confidence in your generous providence and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you grant our request….(name your request).

We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too, like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust, and openness.

Ever-generous God, hear our prayer.

We ask this through Jesus Christ.

Amen.

We pray ...

for..... all young men that some may hear the call of a priestly vocation, all students preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation, all HSC students preparing for and undertaking trails

LITURGY NEWS

Yesterday some of our Year 6 students had the opportunity to attend Reconciliation. Next Wednesday some of our Year 5 students will have the opportunity to attend Reconciliation and Year 2 will have a class visit with one of our Parish Priests. We thank Fr Chris and Fr Saji for their time and spiritual guidance.

FAMILY MASSES

A big thank you to all the families who came along to our Family Mass last Sunday. It was great to see some of our Year 6 students and their families as well as our Kindergarten students and their families. Thank you Fr Saji for presiding over the mass. Our next Family Mass for this term will be held Sunday 22nd September (Yr 1 & Yr 5 families) at St Nicholas Church at 9.30a.m.

These Masses are an opportunity for our School community to come together with our Parish Community to celebrate and to share a ‘cuppa ‘and morning tea afterwards.

ST MARY of the CROSS MACKILLOP FEAST DAY

St Mary of the Cross (Mary Mackillop) Feast – 8th August

August 8 marks the anniversary of the death of Mary MacKillop and the Feast Day of Australia's first Saint. Canonised by Pope John Paul II on 17th October 2010. Although her death occurred more than a century ago, she continues to inspire men, women and children whether Catholic or non-Catholic. Her Feast Day is a time to contemplate her remarkable life, her sense of social justice and her enormous contribution to education and as a champion of the poor, vulnerable and marginalized. The co-founder of the Josephites, the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, she was a tireless advocate of education and schools. At just 24 she established a school for children of the poor and underprivileged in Penola, SA, and under her guidance, her Order went on to found schools not only across SA but also in Victoria, NSW and eventually New Zealand. With her strength of faith in God, her vision of a better world for all, with patience, a forgiving heart and trust in God, she managed to overcome whatever obstacles were put her way.

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

The Sacrament of Confirmation will take place the weekend of 7th/8th September. Parents of eligible candidates should have already received a Compass notification with all the relevant information. Parents are reminded that ALL RELEVANT PAPERWORK NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 19TH AUGUST. Please keep our Confirmation Candidates in your prayers.

FATHER'S DAY LITURGY & CELEBRATIONS

Father’s Daliturgy – Advanced Notice

There will be a Father’s Day Liturgy on Friday 30th August commencing at 9.15am in the Holy Family Courtyard. Prior to the Liturgy we will host a Father's Day breakfast from 7.30am. We warmly welcome our Dads, Granddads, Pops and families to join us for this celebration.

HOPe OUTREACH

HOPe Outreach are looking for additional volunteers to join their team to assist in HOPe’s ministry to the Rural Fire Service. HOPe, will use our food truck to provide meals to fire fighters, support staff, incident controllers & evacuees in fire emergencies around the Diocese. Training in food handling and the operation of the truck is provided free of charge to volunteers.

In order to keep the skills required and build team spirit, we also make our truck available to serve food & coffee at parish functions & fetes around the Diocese. Contact us if you will like the HOPe truck to come to your parish or school function!

Can you assist as a volunteer? Many employers provide paid leave for staff who volunteer to assist the RFS & SES in times of crisis or you may have time to volunteer out of work hours remembering that emergencies are not 9 to 5 events! If you are interested in joining this amazing team, or to make an enquiry about the work of HOPe, please email your details to pmanvell@armidale.catholic.org.au and we will be in touch with you.

God Bless one and all.

Deacon Paul Manvell – Heart Of Peace