Mission and Religious Education

Mission and Religious Education

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Sunday 22 December is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. On the Fourth Sunday of Advent we light the fourth candle on the Advent Wreath, a purple candle which we call The Angels’ Candle reminding us of the role of the angels who announced peace on earth and goodwill for all people.

A white candle in the centre of the Advent Wreath is the Christmas Candle - representing the birth of Christ the Saviour which we celebrate on Christmas Day Wednesday 25 December.

Christmas

On Christmas Day, Wednesday 25 December we remember and celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus is the promised Saviour, the Son of God, who became human. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, may our hearts be filled with peace and joy and the blessings of the Holy Family be with us now and always.

Connecting With Our Parish

Weekend Mass Times

We encourage all of our families to celebrate Sunday Mass with our parish.

Manilla Parish Mass Times

1st Sunday of the month - Sunday 8.30am

2nd, 3rd & 4th Sunday of the month - Saturday 5.30pm

Attunga Mass Times

2nd, 4th & 5th Sunday of the month - Sunday 12 noon

Christmas Mass Times

Christmas Eve: Tuesday 24 December. Manilla 5.30pm and Barraba 8pm. 

Christmas Day: Wednesday 25 December, Attunga 9.00am.

Everyone is welcome.

Re-opening of the Cathedral

The official re-opening of the St Mary and St Joseph Cathedral in Armidale will be on Sunday 29 December, with Mass at 10am. Everyone is welcome.

Living Well, Learning Well - Pastoral Care and Wellbeing 

Service

Service is an important aspect of our Catholic Identity. At his last supper Jesus washed his disciples feet as a sign that they should love and serve one another. We continue to embody this message of love and service for one another and the wider community and provide our students with opportunities to engage in acts of service. 

I would like to take this opportunity at the end of the 2024 school year, to recognise and thank our three student volunteer groups - the C2S Committee, the Environmental Legends and the Little Doves, who give freely of their time to lead our integral justice approach in our school community. Most of the students in Years 1-6 volunteer their time in at least one of these groups.

C2S Committee

Our C2S Committee meets at the start of lunch each Monday to discuss current social justice and environmental issues happening in our school and the wider community. They plan charitable works and other initiatives to address these issues. It is great to see each of our students developing a strong moral compass and contributing positively to society.

Environmental Legends and Little Doves

Our Environmental Legends are volunteers in Years 3-6 who are answering Pope Francis' call to action in Laudato Si’ and Laudato Deum to hear and respond to the ‘Cry of the Earth’ and the ‘Cry of the Poor’. They are rostered on environmental tasks on a rotational basis over a number of weeks, to improve sustainability and build biodiversity within our school. They have done such an amazing job over the last few years and inspired the younger students so much that this year we had to start a new environmental group for students in Years 1 and 2 called the Little Doves.

In Class and the School Choir

Throughout the year each class and the School Choir also engage in acts of service. This is a particular focus for us in Week 7 of each term, as this is our Service Week, the week we focus on extra acts of service and kindness.

Great work everyone - we are very proud of you.

“Let Your Light Shine” support others to let their light shine and remember “We Shine Brighter Together”

Jacquelene Cronin

Assistant Principal - Mission