Faith News
Religious Education News
Whole School End of Year Mass
Thank you to Fr Michael for celebrating Mass for us and to the staff and students who contributed to this Mass. Although not all students were able to attend due to the current restrictions, students watched a livestream from their classrooms and were able to be a part of the proceedings for our school farewell for Fr Michael thanks to the technological expertise of Justin Barry. Thank you, Justin. We will miss Fr Michael a great deal, but we wish him every happiness in his retirement. The conclusion of the 2020 school year and the First Week of Advent were also celebrated at the Mass. Very special thanks to Loren Kondarios and the students in Foundation L for their beautiful illustrations to accompany Fr Michael’s proclamation of The Gospel. The Nativity Story featuring their outstanding work can be viewed here.
Advent Week Two: Peace
As Week Two of Advent is now upon us, we light the second purple or violet candle on the Advent wreath. This candle, the ‘peace’ candle, reminds us to seek and work for peace in our world in order to prepare our heart for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
As we continue to journey throughout the Advent season, some families may still find it difficult to attend Mass due to restrictions on attendance numbers. More Mass services are now on offer than during recent times. However, for those seeking liturgy resources for the home, please take a look at the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne 'Journeying Advent' resources here.
Christmas Masses
Please follow the latest information about Christmas Masses on the Western Port Catholic Parish website here. For those travelling further from home over the Christmas break, visit the webpage of your nearest Catholic Church for further information.
Sacraments
As the year draws quickly to a close, the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation will not proceed this year. Arrangements will hopefully be possible for students in Years Three and Four to receive the sacrament of First Eucharist in 2021 through the school sacramental program. Our Year Five students will also be prepared for the sacrament of First Reconciliation in 2021.
Families of students in Year Six who were enrolled to receive the sacrament of Confirmation are urged to make contact with their local Catholic parish or relevant Catholic secondary school staff to facilitate preparations for this sacrament. We wish these students every blessing as they work towards receiving the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of Confirmation in the future.
Free Online Family Prayer & Liturgy Resource
A fabulous resource has been made available to families for engaging with prayer and liturgy at home. Please visit 'Ready, Set, Pray' here.
Access to Australian Catholics
Families, please remember that you now have FREE access to the Australian Catholics online resource. To access this fabulous resource, please click here and use the following login details to gain access:
Email: parents@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au
Password: parents1
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and New Year.
May 2020 be filled with joy and blessings for all. Thank you also for your support throughout my first full year as Religious Education Leader at St Brendan's. Here’s to a fruitful and faith filled year ahead in 2020.
Take care & yours in faith.
Ms Emma Chapple.
Religious Education Leader
Performing Arts Classroom Specialist Teacher