RE News with Laura Matchett

Gospel Reflection John 12:20-33

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we encounter a poignant exchange between Jesus and some Greeks who seek to see him. Their simple request unfolds into a profound revelation about the purpose of Christ's mission and the essence of discipleship. As Jesus contemplates his impending crucifixion, he uses the metaphor of a grain of wheat to illustrate the transformative power of sacrifice and surrender. He explains that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. This metaphor holds a vital lesson for us as teachers, parents and for our children.

Just as a grain of wheat must undergo a process of dying to itself in order to produce fruit, so too must we, as followers of Christ, be willing to let go of our own desires, comforts, and self centeredness in order to bear fruit in our lives and in the lives of our children. This may involve sacrificing our time, resources, and even our own ambitions for the sake of others.

As teachers and parents parents, we have the sacred responsibility of nurturing our children's faith and guiding them on the path of discipleship. We must strive to model for them the selfless love, humility, and obedience exemplified by Jesus Christ. In doing so, we help them understand that true greatness lies not in personal achievement or recognition, but in serving others with compassion and humility.

Project Compassion

Ash Wednesday marked the official launch of our Project Compassion fundraising campaign for Caritas Australia. Caritas Australia has worked hand in hand with the most marginalised and remote communities in Australia and overseas to confront the challenges of poverty for over 60 years. The theme for this year’s fundraiser is ‘For All Future Generations.’ Some inspiring stories (suitable for primary school aged children to watch) about people Caritas has assisted, can be found here: https:/youtube/pquSO1uw4Zs?si=sP_aGmnRjL6AdoCM 

Each classroom has a Project Compassion donation box which we encourage all students to donate to throughout Lent. In classes, we have talked about how Lent is a time of fasting, prayer and almsgiving, as well as sacrifice. Donating to Project Compassion, even just a small amount, is a great way for children to embrace the spirit of the Lenten season. As part of our fundraising efforts, the school will be holding an Easter Egg Jar Guessing Competition. We will run this during the first break on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout Lent. The cost will be 50 cents per guess or 3 guesses for $1. The winners of the competition will be announced at our Easter Sunday Prayer Celebration on Tuesday 2nd April.

School Masses

As a school, we regularly attend the Wednesday morning 9:30 am Mass at St John Vianney’s Church. The choir sings at this Mass and sometimes our students have a role in other parts of the celebration. Parents and friends of our school are welcome to join us alongside parishioners at this Mass. Dates the school will be attending Mass this term are as follows:

Wednesday 20th March: Parish Mass at 9:30am (led by Year 4)

Monday 8th April: Annunciation Feast Day Mass, 9:30am, St Jude’s Church (Years 3-6)

Prayer Celebrations

To mark the significant events of Holy Week, classes will be leading our school community in Prayer Celebrations in the weeks surrounding Easter. The dates and times of these Prayer Celebrations are:

Friday 22nd March: Palm Sunday, 2:30pm, (led by Year 1)

Thursday 28th March: Holy Thursday, 9:15am (led by Year 5/6)

Thursday 28th March: Good Friday/Stations of the Cross, 2:40pm (led by Year 5/6)

Tuesday 2nd April: Easter Sunday, 2:40pm (led by Kindergarten)

All parents and friends of the school are warmly invited to join us for these Prayer Celebrations. They will be held in the school hall.

Reconciliation 2024

Congratulations to our students who made their first Reconciliation last week. We would like to thank the Parish Sacramental team for their work in coordinating the Sacrament, and acknowledge the hard work of both our students and their families in helping our candidates prepare to receive this Sacrament. Please keep our candidates in your prayers.

Sacraments 2024

Registrations for First Eucharist and Confirmation for 2024 are open and we encourage families who would like their child to receive these Sacraments this year to register as soon as possible via the ParishQkr! App. It is possible to receive more than one Sacrament in the same year, however, the Sacraments usually need to made in order (i.e. Reconciliation, followed by First Eucharist, then Confirmation). These questions and other general enquiries about the Sacramental program are best directed to the Parish Office via email: SacramentalOLA@cg.org.au 

Eligibility for each Sacrament is as follows:

Reconciliation - open to students who have been baptised Catholic and who are in Year 3 or above.

First Eucharist - open to baptised Catholic students who have made their Reconciliation and are in Year 4 or above.

Confirmation - open to baptised Catholic students who have received their First Eucharist and who are in Year 6 or above.

Key dates for each Sacrament are as follows:

First Eucharist

Tuesday 9th April: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Wednesday 10th April: First Eucharist registrations close

Tuesday 21st May: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Tuesday 28th May: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Saturday 1st June/Sunday 2nd June: Gathering Masses

Tuesday 4th June: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Saturday 15th June: Sacrament of First Eucharist, 5pm, St Jude’s Church

Sunday 16th June: Sacrament of First Eucharist, 9am, St John Vianney’s Church

Confirmation

Saturday 1st June/Sunday 2nd June: Gathering Masses

Tuesday 2nd July: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Tuesday 23rd July: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Wednesday 24th July: Confirmation registrations close

Tuesday 30th July: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Tuesday 6th August: Reflection Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Saturday 24th August/Sunday 25th August: Gathering Masses

Tuesday 27th August: Reflection Hour/Preparation Hour, 5:30pm, St John Vianney’s Church

Wednesday 28th August: Sacrament of Confirmation, 6pm, St John Vianney’s Church, (celebrated by Father Richard Thompson)