Religious Education

TRINITY SUNDAY

Each year, on the Sunday following Pentecost, we celebrate Trinity Sunday—a special feast day in the Church dedicated to one of the most central mysteries of our Catholic faith: the Holy Trinity. This day reminds us that God is One God in Three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This concept can be difficult, even for adults to comprehend and as Fr Joe mentioned in his weekend homily… “ ïf you think you understand the Trinity…you’ve got it wrong.” It is simply beyond our human understanding and that is why it is referred to as a mystery.

So how do we help our young students understand it?

A helpful way to start is by focusing on the word relationship. God is love, and love always exists in relationship. The Trinity is a perfect relationship—God the Father, who creates and loves us; God the Son, Jesus, who saves and walks with us; and God the Holy Spirit, who lives within us and helps us to grow in love and faith.

Like our patron, Saint Patrick who used a shamrock to explain the Trinity, we often use simple symbols to make this idea clearer for children.

In Prep a very simple and familiar object, an apple, was used to help students understand the concept of the Holy Trinity. The apple has 3 parts.

The skin – protects the apple (this can represent God the Father, our protector and creator).
The flesh – the part we eat (this can represent Jesus the Son, who became human and is with us).
The core with seeds – helps the apple give life to more apples (this can represent the Holy Spirit, who gives us spiritual life and helps us grow in faith).

Though the apple has three distinct parts, it is still one apple—just like the Holy Trinity is three Persons in one God. This visual and hands-on example helps young children grasp a very big idea in a concrete way.

At school when we pray and when we are in the church, we encourage students to make the Sign of the Cross mindfully, saying, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” as a way to remember the Trinity each day. We also help them reflect on how they see God's love in the world: in their families (like the love of the Father), in acts of kindness (reflecting Jesus), and in their hearts when they feel peace or courage (the Holy Spirit at work!).

Trinity Sunday is a time to celebrate that God is always with us in three beautiful ways. Through prayer, song, and stories, we aim to nurture a sense of awe and understanding in our students for this holy mystery—helping them grow in faith with hearts open to God's love.

Let us continue to walk with our children as they learn to know and love the Holy Trinity more deeply each day.

WINTER FOOD APPEAL

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful contributions you have already made to our Winter Food Appeal.

As we enter the final week of collections, I wanted to share a heartwarming story that truly captures the spirit of giving. One of our youngest students in Prep received his pocket money and immediately asked to be taken shopping—not for himself, but so he could personally choose food items to donate to those in need.

His simple yet powerful act of kindness reminds us all that generosity has no age limit. Thank you for continuing to support this important appeal.

Kathryn Ady

Religious Education Leader