Catholic Identity
PRAYER
Last week St Valentine's Day was celebrated around the world. With the commercialisation of this Feast Day many people may not know why Valentine is an important saint to Catholics. St Valentine was a Catholic priest who lived in the 3rd Century in Rome, at a time when Christians were persecuted St. Valentine secretly married and ministered to couples, so the Roman soldiers would not find out. He put his life on the line for years, to help unite men and women in marriage, all hidden from the eye of Emperor Claudius. He was martyred for his faith in God and his body is believed to have been buried on February 14, which became his Feast Day in the 1800s. Below is a Prayer for married couples:
Lord Jesus,
Grant that all married couples
Have a true understanding and love
For each other
Grant that they are
Filled with faith and trust.
Amen
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM 2025
All baptised Catholic students in Year 3, 4 and 6 will be preparing to celebrate a Sacrament this year. Our Year 3s will be going to Confession for the first time later this term to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Students in Year 4 will receive their First Holy Communion in Term 2 and our Year 6 students will be Confirmed in Term 3.
An important aspect of preparing for any Sacrament is to attend Mass each weekend. Fr Albert is encouraging every child in the Parish of St Andrew’s who is preparing to celebrate a Sacrament this year, to attend Mass regularly, to receive God’s abundant graces.
We are asking every child preparing for a Sacrament to join us this Saturday 22nd February @ 5:00pm in the Hall for our first Community Mass of the year. At this Mass students will receive their Sacramental Journal and a list of the important dates. These Journals are given to all children in the Parish who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, their First Holy Communion or to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this year. The Journal is an easy way for families to record the Masses they attend throughout the year. Please remember to take a pen to Mass so the priest can sign your Journal for you at the end of Mass.
SACRAMENTAL DATES 2025
Below are our Sacramental Dates for this year. These dates are particularly important for Baptised Catholic students in Years 3, 4 & 6. Families need to be aware the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in March.
COMMUNITY MASSES 2025
Throughout the year we will be holding a number of Community Masses here in our school hall. These Masses are generally celebrated on the fourth Saturday of the month (excluding school holidays or where the weekend is next to a public holiday). A reminder that all students making a Sacrament this year are invited to attend our first Community Mass this weekend. These families will have received an Operoo last week to confirm their attendance. Below is a list of this year’s dates, we look forward to seeing many of our families there.
Saturday 22nd February
Saturday 22nd March
Saturday 24th May
Saturday 28th June
Saturday 26th July
Saturday 23rd August
Saturday 25th October
Saturday 22nd November
PARISH TAKE HOME SHEET