Religious Dimensions

Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of two sacraments of healing (the other being the Anointing of the Sick). Reconciliation is a sacrament of forgiveness and celebrates God’s love and mercy towards us. It is about acknowledging and naming those times when we know we have done wrong, and then making peace and restoring the relationships, with those who have been affected by our poor choices and with our God.

Our Grade 3 students have begun to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation later this term. School students will be prepared for Reconciliation during school hours as a part of Religious Education. Teachers will administer lessons that focus on:

• Making choices
• Forgiveness  
• Reconciliation in Scripture 
• Prayers of Sorrow 

Key dates

• Reconciliation Parent/Child Workshop – Thursday 24th March 7:30pm
• Sacrament of Reconciliation – 
  • Wednesday 6th April 6.30pm 
  • Wednesday 6th April 7.30pm
  • Thursday 7th April 6.30pm

Project Compassion

The season of Lent began last week on Ash Wednesday 2 March. This also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. All donations to Project Compassion allows Caritas Australia to work with communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. 

The theme of Project Compassion for 2022 is ‘For all future generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today will extend and affect generations to come. It encourages us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long term solutions to global issues. 

You can donate via the donation boxes that have been placed in each classroom, or online via the Caritas Australia website. 

Evelyn W and Alyssa T

Grade 6 Social Justice/MJR Leaders

Each week of Lent, the students will explore a different story from Caritas Australia about the work they have undertaken to make a difference in people’s lives. These stories will be incorporated into our weekly Lenten Prayer Services. 

First Week of Lent  

(Week beginning Monday 7th March)

We begin our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by learning about Anatercia, a 12-year-old girl living in a small village in southern Mozambique. She began to take on more and more adult responsibilities as her mother has chronic health issues. She did most of the household chores and had to travel up to five hours every day to collect clean water. Water scarcity also meant that harvests were poor and there was never enough to eat.

With your support, Caritas Australia’s local partner, Caritas Regional Chokwe, was able to help Anatercia’s family to irrigate their farm to improve their food security. They also improved water access for households in the village, delivered sustainable farming training, and provided Anatercia with essential school supplies. Anatercia’s health, education and quality of life have improved, along with the outlook of her whole community for all future generations.

Watch a short film about Anatercia’s story here.

During Lent at OLA, we also discuss how we can show our faith through acts of kindness and service by helping others. Here are some examples from our Prep students. 

Caitlan Taig

Religious Education Leader