Family and Faith
News from our Family Educator - Ms Tracey Bowler
Welcome Kindergarten Mass
A big thank you to the families who were able to celebrate the Welcome Kindergarten Families Mass at OLF Church a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful way to enjoy Healthy Friendship Week with many families connecting afterwards over a barista made coffee and snacks in the Church foyer. Here is Father Julian with Kindergarten student Cameron proudly holding his storybook of Fatima present from the school.
Shrove Tuesday
Last week we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with pancakes at home and at school. Thanks to the teachers who celebrated in their classrooms with prayer and pancakes to make this Christian tradition meaningful and relevant to our faith. Thank you to the parents who sent in photos of family celebrations.
The Lenten Season
Thank you so much for your generosity with the OLF Flood Relief Lenten Appeal. Almsgiving is an essential pillar of this season and OLF families have certainly ticked this box! Thanks for our energetic and keen Pastoral Care team members who assisted with this initiative and the Speer Family for coordinating the transportation of donated goods to affected areas in Northern NSW.
The Lenten Season is 40 days and then we have the Easter Season which begins on Easter Sunday. You may already be thinking of Easter holidays and celebrations and if you are considering purchasing chocolate eggs and products please read the following information about slavery free chocolate free and responsible shopping. These updated articles changed my mind and may change yours too.
Slavery - Free Easter
ACRATH - Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans is calling for everyone to consider the ethical dimensions of their purchases. We ask you to make sure your Easter chocolate is slavery-free. As Pope Francis says:
“Every person ought to have the awareness that purchasing is always a moral – and not simply an economic – act."
A 2020 Macquarie University report, Not so sweet: chocolate, slavery and complicit corporations, found that, “More than two million children under the age of 15 years old work in the cocoa industry in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Many are the children of farm labourers, but others are also sold to farms as bonded labourers from neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali”
A 2021 report by the International Labor Organisation (ILO) found that 152 million children (64 million girls and 88 million boys) are involved in child labour – that’s almost one in 10 of all children worldwide.
Where do I buy chocolate that is certified slavery-free?
Slavery-free chocolate is chocolate that is certified. Look for chocolate with one of the four logos (below) on it – Fairtrade, UTZ or Rainforest Alliance.
There are some slavery-free chocolates available in most large supermarkets. ALDI and Haighs have an extensive range of UTZ certified chocolates and even more leading up to Easter. Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand has a list of slavery-free certified chocolates. Find it at: Chocolate | Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand Products
Click on this link to read more about the not so sweet sometimes bitter truth about Easter Chocolate. https://acrath.org.au/take-action/slavery-free-easter/
Please note that we will not be giving out Easter eggs until we return
Stations of the Cross with Parents/Carers
Parents and carers will soon be invited to come into the school grounds and participate in praying the Stations of the Cross. As a Catholic tradition in our faith, this form of prayer grew out of the desire to imitate the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, which was thought to be the route taken by Jesus on the road to Calvary.
During Lent we are called to pray more and this certainly ticks this box. An invitation is coming your way next week.
Save the Date ! Parent/Carers Excursion - 29th March
On Tuesday, 29 March 2022 (10am - 11.30am) you are invited to participate in the Stations of the Cross at Woronora Memorial Park at Sutherland - one of the most important devotions of the Catholic faith set in a beautiful location. It will be a calm, reflective time and an opportunity to explore this beautiful area of the park. An invitation will be issued in the next few weeks - stay tuned!
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Prayers are requested for our Year 3 students who will be making their first Reconciliation this Friday afternoon and Saturday. As a leader of two groups I have no doubt that these children have been well prepared and are ready for this new chapter in their faith journey. We thank them for their commitment and dedication over the four week period in learning about their faith, restorative justice and the power and healing processes that forgiveness brings. Best wishes to all.
Fatima Friends (Toddler Tales renamed!)
Starting Term 2 parents/carers of babies, toddlers and pre school children are invited to a 30 minute teacher directed session including prayer, singing, dancing, art, craft, dancing, talking and listening, free play etc in Keller Hall. All you have to do is turn up with your child(ren) and join in the fun! This is a great opportunity to make new friends. This session will either be on a Monday or Friday at 9.15am after Morning Assembly. Email me your preference as the most popular day will be chosen.
Wishing you success in keeping your Lenten promises!
Ms Tracey Bowler | Family Educator