Education in Faith 

Loving God,

we pray for all those preparing for Confirmation, 

and for the entire community that supports them. 

May we be instruments of your love and grace, 

and may our words and actions reflect your teachings. 

Help us to guide and encourage the Year Six children on their journey of faith. 

Amen

Celebrating Year 6 Retreat Day

As people of faith, our Year 6 learners were given the time and opportunity to engage in a Retreat Day. The purpose of this day was for our learners to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of the Sacrament of Confirmation.  As people of faith, we engaged in various learning opportunities to understand, discover and make connections about the Sacrament of Confirmation.  

The day began with our Year 6 children attending Mass, where they gathered in reverence to pray, reflect, and prepare for the sacrament of confirmation. This time allowed them to pause and centre themselves in faith.

Following Mass, the students gathered in the STEM space to meet with Bishop Rene Ramirez.  His visit was a highlight of the day, providing a meaningful opportunity for the Confirmation candidates to engage in conversation with him. Bishop Rene Ramirez shared insights about the Sacrament of Confirmation and explored with the children its significance in their lives as young people of faith.

The retreat continued with hands-on and reflective activities. The children carefully designed and created mosaic crosses personal symbols of their faith journeys. They also wrote heartfelt letters to their Confirmation sponsors, expressing why they had chosen them and sharing the unique gifts and qualities they bring to their faith journey.

A shared hot lunch brought everyone together, allowing for conversation and connection.

We concluded the day with a quiet reflection, considering what we had learned and experienced. The retreat provided the children with a deeper understanding of Confirmation and a sense of readiness and excitement as they prepare to receive this special sacrament.

During our visit with Bishop Rene I discovered a variety of things. I discovered that there is only 1 God and that God is made up of father (God), Son (Jesus), Spirit(Holy Spirit). The symbols that represent confirmation are fire, dove, chrism oil and holy water.  The connections that I made throughout the day is actually understanding confirmation and what it means and symbolises.  Confirmation means when you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  I can connect to that because next week I will receive the gift of the holy spirit by receiving the sacrament of Confirmation. Olivia.

On Friday the 1st of August all the year sixes and myself had our confirmation  retreat day.  We started off the day by celebrating mass with Father Brendan Reed.   After mass bishop Rene R visited our school and we had a conversation about our understanding of confirmation.  We learnt about the Holy Trinity.  The father (God), The son (Jesus) and the spirit (Holy Spirit).  We also learnt that there is only one God. He talked about the Baptisimal promises and what we have to do for our confirmation.  As the day continued we did mindful learning by making crosses with gemstones and we wrote a letter to our sponsors.  I also discovered that the Holy Trinity is also the sign of the cross. Samuel

Thank you to the Rocillo family

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Rocillo family (Julius) for their generous donation of delicious waffles for the children to enjoy during their Retreat Day lunch. The waffles were a big hit and truly appreciated by all. Thank you for your kindness and generosity—your support helped make the day extra special! They were absolutely delicious.  Thank you, much appreciated.

Confirmation Celebration

This Sunday, 10th August, our Year 6 Confirmation candidates will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation at 3:00pm at St Fidelis Church. Each family has been allocated a pew. We kindly ask that all families be seated in the church by 2:45pm to allow the celebration to begin on time.

A group photo will be taken at 2:50pm, prior to the start of the Mass. We kindly request that no personal photos be taken during the celebration to ensure a respectful and prayerful celebration.

Faith Formation Workshops for 2025 Year 1/2 Families

At St Fidelis, we recognise that parents are the first educators in their child’s faith journey. As a Catholic school, we support this by offering Parent/Child workshops and faith formation opportunities across all year levels. We are now hosting the 2nd faith formation evening for families that have children in 1/2NA and 1/2OB and also for families that were not able to attend our last faith formation night. More information will be sent home closer to the date. The workshop will be facilitated by Pauline Cicutto, a Religious Education Learning Consultant at MACS, who specialises in faith formation evenings for families. 

Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption:

The whole school will be celebrating the Feast of the Assumption by celebrating mass. We invite all parents and carers to celebrate this special event.  Mass will begin at 9.15am on Friday the 15th of August.  

God bless and have a great week,

Annette Gasbarro

Religious Education Leader.