Religious Education

Advent

We are fast approaching Advent this weekend which is in fact the beginning the Church's liturgical year. Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

During the first week of Advent, we light the First Candle which signifies HOPE. It is also known as The Prophecy Candle. 

The Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ's birth in the world as it is today. It is a time for faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, special music, and good deeds what the true meaning of Jesus' birth is. This is prominent Catholic liturgical season we celebrate and embrace along with other faith events at this time of year that our student body are proud to share.

We enter dialogue with the students to allow them to understand and experience the real meaning of Advent leading up to Christ's birth and to go beyond the commercialisation of Christmas. Students and staff alike also engage in dialogue to recontextualise how Christmas might look from various lenses for various people. The staff were recently led by Father Joseph in prayer and dialogue about the importance of this liturgical event in our lives.

We also viewed contemporary artwork by Australian artist, Jan Hynes, who creates the Christmas narrative through a different lens, capturing how we may interpret the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We dialogued about what and how this may look for us and our students, making connections with our faith and our lived experience.

Please join us for the Advent Liturgies in the hall in the upcoming weeks:

• Week 1  Friday 1st December  at 9:05a.m led by Year 3
• Week 2  Friday 8th December at 9:05a.m led by Year 2
• Week 3  Thursday 14th December at 9:05a.m led by Year F/1
• Week 4  Monday 18th December at 9:05a.m led by Year 4

Please also join us for the End of Year Mass on Friday 15th December at 12:30p.m at St Agatha's Church.

Christmas Hampers 

It's that time of year again, when we prepare for the liturgical season of Advent and for the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

It is also a time when we reflect upon the all the things we need to do leading up to Christmas. It is easy to get 'caught up' in the busyness of this season as can often be seen with the early arrival of Christmas decorations and commercialisation in our shopping centres or even our neighbourhoods.

At St Therese's we take the time to dialogue with staff and our students about the importance of waiting and consideration of others during Advent. We discuss Christmas and the lead up to this special event, along with many others that may be celebrated during this time of the year. 

Our school community has always been one of giving so that others may enjoy in the celebration of Christmas. It is a challenging time for many in our community: bearing this in mind we invite those families who are able to assist to donate non-perishable food items or gifts so that we may give to our St Vincent de Paul Society, brightening the lives of those who may otherwise go without this Christmas.

Our Mini Vinnies will be leading this initiative with a letter being shared with families about our Christmas Hamper Appeal in the upcoming weeks.

We hope you can assist and thank you in advance for your generosity.

Sacramental Timetable 2024

The 2024 Sacramental Timetable is now available. Please take the time to view the attached timetable for next year's Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation scheduling.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Stay courageous.

Michelle Hinds