Religion and Parish News

Prayer:

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation:

In the darkness and in the light.

Blessed are you

In this food and in our sharing.

Blessed are you as we wait in joyful hope

For the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom, the power

And the glory are yours,

Now and forever.

Amen

Upcoming RE Dates

Please note the change of time and venue for the St Xavier’s End of Year Mass (Friday 2nd December) which will now be held in St Joseph’s Church at 9:30am.

Thursday 1st December: Stage 2 Sacrament of Reconciliation (Chapel)
Friday 2nd December: End of Year Mass, St Joseph’s Church, 9:30am
Thursday 8th December: Stage 3 Sacrament of Reconciliation (Chapel)
Thursday 8th December: Year 6 Graduation Mass, St Joseph’s Church, 5:30pm
Friday 9th December: Term 4 Teachers & Leaders Mass, St Joseph’s Church, 7am

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

With the new Church year beginning this Sunday (this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent) we will be commencing our Christmas Appeal on behalf of the Gunnedah St Vincent de Paul Society branch. Each year, many Gunnedah families go without on Christmas Day due to financial hardship. This year the stress of numerous major floods has added to the number of people who will be doing it tough this Christmas. The staff and students of St Xavier’s are aware of this and will be collecting donations of foodstuffs that can be used on Christmas Day. Each class will have a basket that your child can donate to. Our local Vinnies volunteers are asking for donations such as tinned fruits and vegetables, puddings, packets of chips/crackers, bottles of juice/soft drink, etc - foods that are festive and can be used by vulnerable families to experience joy this Christmas. Any food items you are able to donate are greatly appreciated.

End of Year Mass / Feast of St Francis Xavier

On Friday, 2nd of December (Week 8), the St Xavier’s community will be recognising the life and work of our school’s Patron Saint, St Francis Xavier, whose Feast Day is celebrated each year on the 3rd of December. St Francis Xavier was a Catholic missionary who was sent to Goa, India in 1542, tasked with the mission of formally representing the church there.

To mark his Feast Day, St Xavier’s staff and students will be celebrating an End of Year Mass, which will be held in St Joseph’s Church, starting at 9:30am. Whilst all families are welcome to attend, there is limited capacity in the Church during whole-school events, so seating for families will be limited to first-in, first-served basis. We apologise for any inconvenience or upset that this decision may cause.

News from the Parish

Here’s a link to the latest Parish Bulletin for Sunday 20th November.

Altar Server Roster for the upcoming fortnight:

Saturday 26th November: Jonathan & Katrina Martin

Sunday 27th November: Bianca & Abbey Bayliss