St Patrick of Ireland-

17th March

Saint Patrick’s Feast Day, is celebrated on March the 17th. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Roman times in the late 4th century, and at the age of 16 was taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned about 432 to convert the Irish to Christianity. By the time of his death on March 17, 461, he had established monasteries, churches, and schools. One of the symbols he used to explain the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) was the shamrock. A shamrock is a similar-appearing trifoliate plant—i.e., plants each of whose leaves is divided into three leaflets.

In this uncertain time, in the midst of a pandemic, let us remember the story of St. Patrick, and use hardship as an opportunity to live the gospel. Instead of fear, perhaps see opportunities to serve the poor, to help your neighbor. Especially today, is there something you can do that might seem small, but would keep those most vulnerable in your community just a little safer?

On this day when we could feel like giving up, keep the Prayer of St. Patrick in your heart.

St Patrick's Breastplate

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven

And through God’s strength to pilot me.

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ within me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through the mighty strength

Of the Lord of creation.

Amen.

Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting: The Three Pillars of Lent

In the Christian tradition, the forty-day fast originated with Jesus' forty days and nights in the wilderness.

Ever since, people have followed this in a variety of ways, giving up specific items or having meat-free days during Lent.

Giving something up is also a chance to make a positive difference. Give up something which is harmful to others, set aside time to reflect and pray, and unite your friends to support people experiencing poverty.

Pope Francis said in his Ash Wednesday homily, 'Lent is also a privileged time for prayer', He quoted St. Augustine, who described fasting and almsgiving as "the two wings of prayer," because they are signs of humility and charity.

Prayer offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, as it all began at our baptism. In our busy world, Prayer provides us with an opportunity to reflect. We should pray more deeply, ask for forgiveness for the times we may have not made the right choice, and to be generous to those in need.

Fasting is tied closely to almsgiving

Pope Francis says "Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else, if it helps us cultivate the style of the Good Samaritan, who bent down to his brother in need and took care of him." We too can take some time out this Lent to think about and pray for others.

This is a time as a Catholic community to pray for each other, for those suffering from the virus and for those whose work and livelihood have been affected. We ask for God’s blessing on those who are working to find a cure.

Project Compassion 2020

LET'S GO FURTHER, TOGETHER

Spanning through the six weeks of Lent each year, Project Compassion is an extraordinary, ongoing demonstration of the faith, love and generosity of Caritas Australia's caring supporters, all in the name of justice and peace. Millions of Australians come together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

Where will your money go? All proceeds will go to help those in need. People like Shirly and her family, Phany from Cambodia and Barry from Australia.

Read their stories

SHIRLEY FROM THE PHILIPPINES

Shirley, 36, is an indigenous Manide woman living in a remote province of the Philippines. She is a mother of four and the sole breadwinner of the family, as her husband is sick. But Shirley was struggling to support the whole family and keep her children in school. With Caritas Australia’s support, Shirley trained to become an indigenous health worker and a leader in her community. She has learned to supplement her income and is able to feed her family. The program has also helped Shirley’s children with school fees, uniforms, and supplies.

PHANY FROM CAMBODIA

Twenty-seven-year-old, Phany lives in a village in western Cambodia. Struggling to earn a living as a farmer, she was forced to leave her daughter behind in the village, to take up construction work in the city. In 2016, Phany joined the Upholding Community Dignity Together program, run by Caritas Australia, in partnership with the Environment Protection and Development Organisation (EPDO). Phany learned new farming techniques, such as a drip irrigation system, which enabled her to get a better yield from her vegetable crops, and to conserve water for drier periods.

SAKUN FROM INDIA

Sakun, 32, is a Gond indigenous woman living in a village in central-east India. She developed polio as a child and has difficulty walking. Until now, she has been isolated in her community, unable to earn a living and with no knowledge of support schemes that could help her. With Caritas Australia’s help, she learned how to access the disability support she’s entitled to and has set up her own thriving business. Her income is growing, along with her confidence. Sakun now participates in village decision-making, her progress motivating other community members to reach for their goals.

TAWONGA FROM MALAWI

Tawonga is a 10-year-old girl, living with a disability. She lives in a village in northern Malawi in a region plagued by food insecurity and poverty. For most of her life, her parents have struggled to put meals on the table. Tawonga often had to miss school because she was too sick from hunger. The family also faced discrimination in their community due to her disability. Since participating in a Caritas Australia supported program, Tawonga’s life has transformed. Her family now grows enough food to provide three meals a day, ending the struggle of malnutrition, and helping her thrive at school.

DOMINIC FROM PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Dominic, 47 is a father of six from Papua New Guinea. In 2016, he became involved with Caritas Australia’s partner, Centre of Hope, who runs safe house and family anonymous programs and turned a difficult life and an unhappy relationship around. Dominic lives in Madang province on the north coast of mainland Papua New Guinea with his wife and four of his children. His other two children live on the campus of their high school. The costs are high, and Dominic struggles to afford their expenses. Now a community trainer, he works with other men to help them to change their behaviour and build more harmonious family lives.

BARRY FROM AUSTRALIA

Father of four, Barry, embodies resilience and strength. Growing up in a tough environment, making mistakes and struggling as a young father, he had to look inside himself to make the right choices for him and his family. Thankfully, Barry and others like him were able to take part in Red Dust Healing – a cultural healing program, which encourages participants to examine their own personal hurt and allows them to heal from within. A 2018 evaluation of the program demonstrated that it improved participants' ability to express deep-seated emotions, to make better choices and consequently changes in their lives.

Please send your Project Compassion box and money to your child’s homeroom teacher in the first week back of Term Two or as soon as it hs been filled. Thank you for your continued support year after year.

Confirmation Masses Suspended

Late Sunday night we were informed that Archbishop Peter Comensoli has suspended all Confirmations Masses in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Our Year 6 children will not receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this Saturday 21st March. We have also canceled the Retreat Day planned for Friday 20th March.

We ask that all members of the community continue to keep our Confirmation Candidates and their families in their prayers.

First Eucharist for 2020

At this stage, the Sacrament of First Eucharist is scheduled for Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th of September 2020. With all going well the Sacramental children whose surname begins with A-K will receive their First Eucharist on Saturday night at 6pm. All Sacramental children whose name begins with L-Z will receive their First Eucharist on Sunday at 10.30 am. Both celebrations will occur during the weekend parish Masses.

Dates to Remember

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3