Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations and God's blessings to the Phoebe Farrant-Wills, Ricky Hird, Jorja Jamieson, Rosie Lee and Maddison Tetley who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation last Thursday evening. It was a reverent and holy occasion where family, children and staff gathered at St Brigid's Church for a Liturgy. Of special note, Maddison Tetley (Year 3) was officially welcomed into the Catholic Church.

Thank you to our Parish Catechists Luke Gunning and Helen Swain, our Parish Priest Father Vic and Assistant Priest Father Tuan, Mrs Bartholomew, St Brigid's Parish, St Joseph's Community, family and friends for all your prayers and support during the children's preparation for this Sacrament.

Reflection on the Gospel (Matthew 25: 1-13)

Last Sunday's Gospel is a timely reminder for us to 'be ready and prepared' . Jesus begins speaking with a very familiar phrase, ‘the kingdom of God is like…’ He tells the parable of the guests who were invited to the wedding. Five were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones brought their lamps but no oil. The wise brought both lamps and enough oil. When the groom was delayed they all fell asleep. On his arrival, the foolish ones had neither light nor oil for their lamps and the wise, when asked refused to share their oil with them. The foolish ones went to buy oil but on their return the wedding had started and they were turned away! They missed the feast and the celebration because they were neither ready nor prepared. Jesus finishes by saying, ‘Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’

There is an almost Advent message in this gospel! We are being reminded to stay awake and be ready at all times as we prepare to welcome Jesus when he returns. When this will happen we do not know. The call is to be like the wise guests who were ready and the danger is that we will be like the foolish ones who were unprepared.

Through our baptism we have been given the light of light and faith. It is our responsibility to do all we can to keep it burning brightly each and every day. We have received the Light of Christ in baptism, now it is our task to nourish and nurture it until we meet the Lord.

Let us do all we can to stay awake and be prepared as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Extract taken from: https://oblates.ie/sunday-november-8th-2020-read-br-michaels-gospel-reflection/

Remembrance Day

Tomorrow we pause to reflect on the sacrifices of those who fought for our country. At 10:45am, students and staff will gather under the sails for Remembrance Day. This will be led by our student leaders and Mrs Taylor.

Lest we forget.

God our Father, your Son Jesus gave up His life to free us from the power of sin and death. He showed us that the greatest love is in giving up one’s life for others. Today we remember those who fought and died for our freedom. We ask you to bless and console them together with their families. Help us to understand the sacrifices they made in leaving their loved ones to face the horrors of war. May we never forget their generosity. May your Holy Spirit give us the courage to resist evil in all its forms and show us how to be peacemakers through prayer and action, lest we forget those who fought, suffered and died that we might have the freedom and peace we enjoy today. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Vinnie's Christmas Hamper

The St Vincent de Paul Society assists people experiencing poverty and inequality and works to shape a more just and compassionate society.

This year we are inviting you to donate non-perishable items for a Christmas hamper. This will be presented to staff of Quirindi's local St Vincent de Paul organisation at the end of Week 7. Please send in canned and dried foods - for pets too! - to be placed in labelled baskets outside the front office for the next 3 weeks.

Your donation is very much appreciated.

Advanced Notice for Sacraments 2021

If you would like your child (or children) to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion (Year 3 and 4) or the Sacrament of Confirmation (Year 5 and 6) in 2021, notes will be sent home with those students - whom we are aware of - that are eligible to prepare for these, in the weeks ahead. Please indicate your interest and return notes before the end of the school year to allow for Parish Catechists and our teachers to make the necessary preparations to comply with restrictions.

Saturday Vigil 5pm

Sunday Mass 9:30am

No Mass during the week Sunday 8th - Friday 13th November as Fr Vic and Fr Tuan will be away on their Clergy Retreat.

Friday Mass: Infants (Odd Week)

Primary (Even Week)

God bless,

Mrs Wendy Rheinberger

Religious Education Coordinator

Joey’s Matters

Weekly Newsletter of St Joseph’s Primary School Quirindi

Week 5, Term 4, 2020 · 10 Nov 2020

In this issue