From the Principal

• Reflection 
• Edmund Rice Icon
• Holy Week 
• P&F Cocktail Evening
• The 39 Steps Production
• Sport this weekend
• Enrolments 

Reflection

Dealing with Grief

Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed in Lent that being a Christian is about transforming oneself and becoming a ‘new’ person.  The Gospel readings have been about change, about becoming new.  The women at the well went from thirst to satisfaction while the blind man went from darkness to light.  The story of Lazarus brings about the change from death to life.  Though Mary and Martha experienced significant grief in the death of Lazarus they were comforted by their own faith and their understanding of the resurrection as explained by Jesus.

Grief comes to all of us at some stage. Remember physical death is not the only cause of grief.  We die when we lose our job.  We die when we cannot fulfil our life’s ambition. We die when a relationship ceases to exit. We die when someone diminishes us or someone we love is hurt.  I think you have the idea. Jesus understands our grief.  He knows our pain. Jesus loves us.  With the help of God, may we continue to transform ourselves, be comforted by Jesus with our grief and become the new person.

Blessed Edmund Rice - Pray for Us

St Pius X - Pray for Us

Live Jesus in our Hearts - Forever!

Blessed Edmund Rice Icon

‘Give to the poor in handfuls’

The great whirling spiral is a symbol for God as creator bringing everything into being and calling others to help in that creative process.

For thousands of years this has been the favourite way of the Celts to depict their sense of the Sacred. This great whirling spiral has an abundance of energy - something that Edmund was remarkable for even into his old age. The spiral is also in flames representing the action of the Holy Spirit which set Edmund on fire with love for all especially the poor. It acted like the fire which draws us to its warmth when everything about us is cold. 

Now imagine the vortex in the middle having no beginning but spiralling out to embrace everything. Edmund lived in that presence finding it in church, yes, but particularly among the poor. And in the way he put money to work for the poor he makes us realise that God is to be found in the world of business and finance as well. This is his special gift for our time.

So, the Icon of Edmund Rice celebrates, through symbolic pictures, the holiness of Edmund, and holds him up as someone we can imitate. It could be described as a love story into which are woven the joy and pain, the good and evil, the energy and stillness, the success and failure, the agony and ecstasy of Edmund’s journey in life. But this journey is permeated by the everyday, practical spirituality that was so characteristic of Edmund.

Holy Week – celebrating the mysteries of our faith

As we approach the holiest week of the Christian calendar, have you ever wondered why this week is called 'Holy Week’? 

This is the week in which the saving mysteries of our faith unfold in Jesus Christ, the man. The week begins with Palm Sunday, then moves towards the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil).

Each day is significant in our understanding of God’s love for us.

Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem as a King. We testify to how well people exalt Him and yet, as the scene unfolds into Friday, the true nature of human emotions would be revealed.  Who within the crowd would still stick by His side in the moment of crisis?

The Easter Triduum is one celebration of its nature in the Church’s Liturgical Year.  The sign of the cross is made at the beginning of the Mass of the Last Supper and no blessings until the final blessing at the Vigil Mass of the Resurrection.

I will continue my reflection of the Easter Triduum in next week's Woodchatta.

P & F Cocktail Evening was an outstanding success

It was great to see so many parents supporting the P&F Cocktail evening.  The atmosphere within the gym was so exciting and positive as people engaged with new and old friends.  Thank you to Sarah Gillard and the P&F committee for their exceptional organisation and hosting of this annual event.  I believe a fantastic evening was had by all. Thanks to all the parents who attended the event and I look forward to seeing many more families at the next P&F activity.

'The 39 Steps' production

After weeks and weeks of rehearsal, the performance nights have finally arrived.  The performers and musicians are ready and excited to entertain the St Pius X community.  If you have yet to reserve a seat, I would strongly encourage you to do so as there are only a few seats remaining for each night.  Looking forward to seeing the wide range of talent that will be on show at 'The 39 Steps' production.

Sport this weekend

We have trial games against St Aloysius this Saturday.  This is the first official trial for most teams.  Best wishes to all our teams as they commence the winter season.

Enrolments for Years 5, 6 & 7 2025 are now open

Enrolment application forms for St Pius X College are now open.  Please see the College website or visit the following link for details.  

The closing date for lodgement of 2025 applications is Friday 28 April 2023.

Live Jesus in our Hearts

Mr Michael Ronchetti - Principal