Faith Matters

at St Francis Xavier School 

Dear St Francis Xavier Families,

It's been quite an inspiring start to 2022 with regards to the faith teaching and learning in our school.  I know I have mentioned before that we endeavour to relate our beliefs and values to what the children are doing in other curriculum areas as well as enable them to see how the teachings of Jesus relate to our lives in the 21st century.  So over the next few weeks I'd like to share some of the ways in which our children are engaging in faith.

Yesterday we marked the beginning of Lent with the Year 1 - 6s attending a school Ash Wednesday Mass at the church. The Preps celebrated with their own special prayer service on site.  It was such a great feeling to once again participate in worship as a school and also to have a number of parents, grandparents, older and younger siblings join us.  The Year 4 children who are preparing for Reconciliation and First Communion made a commitment to their sacramental preparation and were given a blessing by Fr Chinua.

Our Year 1/2 classes have been learning some of our traditional Catholic prayers and this week invited me to view their mass behaviours and practises. One of the many things I love about our Juniors is their earnestness in being willing to set the example for others, which is exactly what they did in mass by utilising all they had learned.

Year 3/4 have been undertaking some interesting role play activities to try and understand what it is like to have a different perspective on a situation. and this links in with their faith learning about being forgiven and forgiving others. I recently spent some time in 3/4V who were very proud to show me they had created their own class morning prayer. The 3/4s are currently doing some research on creature habitats and this had clearly been on their minds.

Our 5/6s are currently doing an inquiry about inclusivity and groups of people within our society who may be marginalised. They are exploring innovative ways of understanding the  plights of these groups and how action can be taken to foster empathy leading to supportive actions.

Alana and Rosie found a prayer and created a slide to share with others.

Warmest wishes and blessings to you all.

Marion O'Brien

Education in Faith Leader