Faith News
Religious Education News
Important Dates
Whole School End of Year Mass: Thursday, December 3 at 11:30 am.
At this stage, this Mass can only be attended by a small group of Year Five students and teachers due to current restrictions on numbers attending worship services.
Year Six Graduation Mass: Due to government restrictions, this celebration has been cancelled and alternative celebrations have been planned for the graduating students. See links in the newsletter for Graduation plans.
Sacraments
As the year draws quickly to a close, the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation will not proceed this year. Arrangements will hopefully be possible for students in Years Three and Four to receive the sacrament of First Eucharist in 2021 through the school sacramental program. Our Year Five students will also be prepared for the sacrament of First Reconciliation in 2021.
Families of students in Year Six who were enrolled to receive the sacrament of Confirmation are urged to make contact with their local Catholic parish or relevant Catholic secondary school staff to facilitate preparations for this sacrament. We wish these students every blessing as they work towards receiving the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of Confirmation in the future.
Approaching Advent: A Season for Giving
The First week of Advent falls on Sunday November 29 this year, although teachers may begin their discussions with their students a little earlier, to symbolise the four weeks of Advent, from November 23 until the end of the school year.
As we approach Advent, we reflect on the year that has been. Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year. This is especially topical this year, as many hope for and look forward to new beginnings in 2021. It is a time of year when we prepare to welcome The Lord Jesus into our lives and a time when we aim to share more generously with others through almsgiving. In the words of Pope Francis through his November 15 address:
“There is so much hunger, even in the heart of our cities; and many times we enter into that logic of indifference: the poor person is there, and we look the other way. Reach out your hand to the poor person: it is Christ.”
There are endless possibilities for giving to others this Advent, such as by supporting the work of Catholic Care and Caritas. Please follow the attached links for further information. In the meantime, please do enjoy this very special time of year with your families as you ’prepare the way of the Lord’ together.
Free Online Family Prayer & Liturgy Resource
A fabulous resource has been made available to families for engaging with prayer and liturgy at home. Please visit 'Ready,Set, Pray' here.
Access to Australian Catholics
Families, please remember that you now have FREE access to the Australian Catholics online resource. To access this fabulous resource, please click here and use the following login details to gain access:
Email: parents@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au
Password: parents1
Westernport Parish Online Masses
To access these Masses which are updated weekly, please visit the parish home page: https://westernportchurch.com.au/
Take care & yours in faith.
Ms Emma Chapple.
-Religious Education Leader
-Performing Arts Classroom Specialist Teacher