Religious Education & Pastoral Care 

Prayer

God our Father, hear our prayers for a truly fruitful Lent. May our efforts in prayer and our deeds of mercy lead us to renewal, reconciliation and Easter Joy. 

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen. 

Opening Mass/ Leadership Mass

Our Opening School & Year 6 Leadership  will be held TOMORROW 1st MARCH at 12 noon. 

Dates for Sacraments 2022

This year our Year 2 and Year 3 students will be involved in Sacramental Programs for Reconciliation and First Holy Communion  respectively. These are important events in the life of our students, School and Parish and we look forward to sharing these occasions with our children. 

First Reconciliation - Year 2 - Tuesday 24th May 2022

First Eucharist - Year 3 -  Sunday 5th June 2022

For new students who are baptised Catholic, are in Years 2 - 6 and are beginning at St Joseph's in 2022, if there is a Sacrament that they have missed receiving please contact Mrs Bearman as soon as possible.

Mission Statement

Over the past 2 years, the staff  have worked extremely hard to develop a new mission statement for our school community. Below is our new revised mission statement which will guide us in our work each day.  It also underpins the values encompassed in the Living Well, Learning Well Framework, which is a focus again this year. 

Ash Wednesday Liturgy Wednesday 2nd March 

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. 

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The practice of administering ashes on this day dates back to the Middle Ages. Ashes are intended to remind us of our human condition and that the things of this world are transitory. They are also a sign of repentance. The Ashes are made from burning the dry palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday and are placed on the foreheads in the sign of the cross with the words: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Project Compassion Boxes

Each family will be receiving a small Project Compassion box to keep in their home during Lent. The theme of Project Compassion 2022 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.

We are particularly encouraged during Lent to give greater attention those who might be in need. One way we are able to do this as a Catholic Community is by supporting Project Compassion run by CARITAS Australia and over the next forty days of Lent we should be looking to make monetary contributions (big or small) to these boxes.

Armidale Diocesan Men's Gathering

All men of our school community, Catholic or Other-than-Catholic, are invited to attend the ARMIDALE DIOCESAN MENS' GATHERING (ADMG) to be held at McCarthy Catholic College, Tamworth,  on Saturday morning, 19th March, starting over breakfast at 7.30am and finishing at lunchtime.  Those living distant from Tamworth are welcome to join on line, perhaps gathering with fellow local  participants in a 'hub". The morning will be built around faith & families. The principal speaker, Tim Davis, is a father of primary school children and pre-schoolers.

There will be an open forum with plenty of time for you to raise things that are important to you – perhaps mental health issues in children and families – perhaps how hard it is to be a man of faith today – perhaps helping children and teenagers navigate the on-line world in a safe way.

Saturday morning can be a busy time for kids and families with  sporting commitments etc. If you need to leave early that is OK.

You can register here.

It can be hard being a father today. Those who have heard Tim or who have attended similar gatherings throughout Australia  endorse the experience. 

Yourself, your family and our school community may benefit by your attendance.

Parish Mass Times

Please join our Parish to celebrate the Eucharist.  Our Parish offers three Mass times every weekend.

Saturday - 5.30pm

Sunday - 9.00am and 5.30pm

Living Well, Learning Well