Religion and Parish News
Prayer
This fortnight’s prayer asks for St Mary of the Cross Mackillop’s intercession in an area of personal need. St Mary of the Cross Mackillop’s solemnity is this coming Monday, the 8th August.
Ever generous God,
You inspired Saint Mary MacKillop
To live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and through the intercession of Saint Mary MacKillop
We ask that you grant our request……………….
We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit
so that we too, like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust and openness.
Ever generous God hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross - August 8th
You may know St Mary of the Cross best as her birth name, Mary Mackillop. She was an Australian nun who, along with Fr Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on education for the poor, particularly in country areas. St Mary Mackillop was canonised on 17 October 2010 during a public ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican, and is the Patron saint of Australia, Brisbane and the Knights of the Southern Cross. She remains the only Australian to be recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as a saint. We celebrate her Solemnity each year on the 8th August.
Upcoming 2022 Sacramental Dates:
- Sacrament of First Reconciliation - 6pm, Tuesday 20th September, 2022 at St Joseph’s Church
If your baptised child is in Years 3-6 and has previously missed the Sacrament of First Reconciliation, they may be eligible to join in this term’s Sacramental Program. If you would like them to participate in this program, please contact Mal Frend as soon as possible at mfrend@arm.catholic.edu.au to discuss your options.
Key Dates for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation Program:
- Parent Information Night (compulsory) - Thursday 18th August, 6pm, at St Joseph’s Church (Week 5, Term 3)
- Rite of Enrolment - Saturday 20th August (6pm) OR Sunday 21st August (8:30pm), at St Joseph’s Church
- Retreat Day - Tuesday 20th September, St Xavier’s Primary School
Fr Samson’s Farewell
St Joseph’s Parish’s Assistant Priest, Fr Samson, will be leaving our Parish on Sunday 21st August after accepting the role of Parish Priest at St Mary’s Parish in Walgett. We will keep Fr Samson in our prayers as he makes the journey west to begin his ministry in this new role. The Walgett parishioners are very blessed to have Fr Samson as their new Parish Priest and we will miss seeing him around Gunnedah.
Class Mission Money
We would like to encourage your child to continue their wonderful almsgiving towards their class’ Mission Box. As you know, we have two major fundraising periods throughout the year - Lent (Project Compassion) and Mission Week (October). Outside of these periods, your child can still make donations to their class’ Mission Box, which are collected on a regular basis. If your child is unsure where their class’ Mission Box is, please encourage them to ask their teacher in order to show preferential option for the poor.
Altar Serving for St Joseph’s Parish
Altar Server training has commenced for some of our students. Once these children are vested at their Commissioning Mass on Sunday 21st August, they will appear on the parish roster and will be regularly involved in both Parish and School Masses.
Expressions of Interest for a second intake will be sent out in Term 4.
News from the Parish
Here’s a link to the latest Parish Bulletin for Sunday 31st July.