Religious Education 

Welcome back everyone !

It was so lovely to see all the smiling faces on the students and parents over the last two weeks ! Great to hear the laughter and friendship building that was occurring before and after school and during the recess and lunch breaks as well !

Building our faith community

Last week Mrs Clay, Ms Bowler. Mrs Sammut and myself met with Fr Julian, Fr Anderson and Deacon Zeljko to have a conversation around the various ways that the School and Parish community can further build upon and strengthen the links between our Parish and School. It was an inspiring conversation that led to the setting of Sacramental dates for the year as well as finding opportunities for class visits by the Priests, Grade Masses, Grade Reconciliation and weekend Family Masses.

Confirmation

Confirmation will be the first major sacrament to be celebrated. The date for the Confirmation Mass is: 

Sunday 18th June :    12.00 noon and 2pm

Information evenings for Confirmation: 

Thursday 18th May  5.30-6.30 and Thursday 1st June 5.30-6.30

Opening School Year Mass

On Friday 17th February at 9.30am we will come together to celebrate the beginning of our new school year and to ask God’s blessing on the year that is to come. You are all invited to join us in this celebration!

At this Mass the new School and Vice Captains, Sports Captains and student SRC members will be commissioned. All students from K-6 will be attending … and YES… our new Kinder students will be there too!

Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) theme 2023

Each year, a theme is created for Sydney Catholic Schools that is centred on Pope Francis’

message for youth and the Church’s World Youth Day themes.

The scripture passage for the WYD theme for 2023 is connected to the Visitation. The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 1:39-56).

The above image features Mary and her Immaculate Heart. It depicts the importance of

Mary’s heart in the journey to the hill country; Mary journeys with purpose, her heart on fire with a commitment to share the Good News of Joy. When Mary learned of the Good News, she responded in a way that shows strength, courage, perseverance, and most of all - love.

The message is simply this …….Mary is leading us to joy and that joy needs to reside in our hearts; joy-filled news that Christ was to bring about the salvation of humanity.

Inspired by the words in the SCS theme, “Walking with the Holy Spirit...” we are called to relate to the third person of the Holy Trinity. It is with the Holy Spirit that we will carry on and learn to be Christ-like in a society that is changing. We need the Holy Spirit, to help guide us, to be faithful to Jesus Christ and his teachings. In the story of Fatima, the messages that flowed were enormous for the world at the time and still have an influence for us today. We need inspiration from the Immaculate Heart of Mary because she turns our hearts towards Christ. The image of the heart is significant as it fills us with confidence, knowing she said to one of the seers in the Fatima story, “In the end, my Immaculate heart will triumph”. 

This year may we all commit to ……..WALKING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR HEARTS

Have a fabulous week !

Mrs Cheryl Ross | Religious Education Coordinator