Education in Faith

Prep Prayer in Pyjamas Family Faith Night

Last Thursday 9 March we had our Prep Prayer in Pyjamas Family Faith Night. We thank everyone who attended; this is always a lovely night to share with our community. We hope you walked away with a bit more of an understanding of prayer and Religious Education at OLA and even some resources and ideas of how you can incorporate prayer at home. Thank you for sharing this special night with us!

One of our Prep Level P&F reps wrote:

Thanks to everyone who attended our Prep Prayer in PJs family night.

We were treated to a SURPRISE singing performance from our Preps.

The night consisted of creative family activities to celebrate and encourage prayer. Families made prayer mats and bejewelled candles to take home.

A wonderful night for all and extra cosy! 

- Paulette Stutterd

St Patrick's Day

Today is St Patrick’s Day! Richard and the four Grade 6 School Captains represented OLA at the St Patrick's Day Mass for Schools as part of Catholic Education Week Celebrations.

About St Patrick...

St Patrick might be the patron saint of Ireland—but he didn’t always live in Ireland. Patrick was born in Britain in the fourth century and didn’t arrive in Ireland until he was 16 years old, when he was sent to work in the country. After he arrived, Patrick became interested in Christianity and started teaching others about the religion. He is said to have converted many of the country’s residents to Christians, and now St Patrick's Day is celebrated on the day Patrick supposedly died.

Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of two sacraments of healing (the other being the Anointing of the Sick). Reconciliation is a sacrament of forgiveness and celebrates God’s love and mercy towards us. It is about acknowledging and naming those times when we know we have done wrong, and then making peace and restoring the relationships, with those who have been affected by our poor choices and with our God.

We keep our Grade 3 students in our thoughts and prayers during this special preparation time.

Project Compassion

The season of Lent began last week on Ash Wednesday 22 February. This also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. All donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia to work with communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

The theme of Project Compassion for 2023 is ‘For all future generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today will extend and affect generations to come. It encourages us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long term solutions to global issues.

The Grade 6 Social Justice Leaders and Community Leaders have taken the lead in promoting this within our school, and we thank them for their work so far.

You can donate via the donation boxes that have been placed in each classroom, or online via the Caritas Australia website. 

Each week of Lent, the students will explore a different story from Caritas Australia about the work they have undertaken to make a difference in people’s lives. These stories will be incorporated into our weekly Lenten Prayer Services. 

Third Week of Lent

We are now in the third week of Lent with the Project Compassion story of Priscilla, who lives in the Hwange district in Zimbabwe with her husband, Charles, and two of their grandchildren. Climate change continues to bring unprecedented challenges for people living in the most vulnerable and remote communities in Zimbabwe. 

During times of intense drought and food shortages, Priscilla had to commute to the town centre and wait in long queues to collect food.   

With the support of Caritas Hwange, Priscilla learnt conservation farming skills to grow drought-resistant crops and started poultry farming to support her family during the current food crisis. Priscilla was able to produce a bumper harvest in her first year of practising in conservation farming. Priscilla also used the funds from her harvest to start poultry farming, which enabled her to sell eggs to pay for her grandchildren’s school fees, books and stationery. The poultry farming provides a safety net for Priscilla and her family during times of hardship, like the current drought.

Fourth Week of Lent

This week through Project Compassion we learn about Thu, who lives in Vietnam. When Thu was 12 years old, he stepped on an unexploded land mine and lost his leg. 

Living with a disability in rural Vietnam presented many challenges for Thu, who worked mainly as a rice farmer. Thu also took on the role of caring for his wife, Linh, after she suffered a stroke.

Determined to turn their lives around, Thu and Linh joined the Empowerment of People with Disabilities program, run by Caritas Australia’s local partner in Vietnam, the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD).    

For Thu, the greatest impact the program has had is enabling the change in Linh’s physical and mental wellbeing. With the support of a physiotherapist, Linh can now walk short distances with the aid of a walking stick.  

Caitlan Taig

RE Leader