May: The Month of the Mary

For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside the entire month of Mary to honour Mary, Mother of God. This custom spans both centuries and cultures, with roots going back as far as the Ancient Greeks. The ways that we honour Mary varies greatly, however, one common practice during this month is to pray the rosary each day in May. The Rosary, also known as Mary's Prayer, features four mysteries which focus on stories of Mary and Jesus including stories about Jesus' Birth, his many miracles and events including the Annunciation and Assumption of Mary. During this month, you might like to pray the rosary with your children or participate in some activities to make their own set of rosary beads. Some useful resources and weblinks below will help you to pray the rosary with your own family and to honour Mary, Mother of God to recognise her importance in our faith story.

Resources for the Rosary:

- The Rosary Prayer Information PowerPoint

- How to Pray the Rosary Poster

- Activities and Crafts for Kids to learn about the Rosary

Laudato Si Week

This week marks Laudato Si’ Week which is held from 16-24 May 2022 in Australia. This celebration began as a way to celebrate the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ world-changing papal encyclical letter, “Laudato Si’: On Care For Our Common Home.” Since then, the annual celebration has become a way for all Catholics to unite and rejoice in the progress we’ve made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life and to commit ourselves to further prayer and action for our common home.This year, with the theme of “Listening and Journeying Together” Catholics on six continents will work on “bringing the human family together to protect our common home” (LS 13), which is the guiding Laudato Si’ quote for the weeklong celebration.Catholics across the globe will unite their communities in action and learn more about how Laudato Si’ offers a blueprint on how to tackle the climate crisis. Globally, Catholics will come together as one family in prayer and action.

Join us today in effort to create worldwide awareness on the importance of our environment with this prayer taken from Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si':

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may liveas brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,that we may protect the world and not prey on it,that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the heartsof those who look only for gainat the expense of the poor and the earth.Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,to be filled with awe and contemplation,to recognize that we are profoundly unitedwith every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.Encourage us, we pray, in our strugglefor justice, love and peace.

Miss Tiffany Martin

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