RE News with Laura Matchett

Gospel Reading Luke 13:1-9

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus refutes the notion that suffering and misfortune must be punishments from God for sins. This challenges us to resist simplistic judgements and embrace compassion. Instead, Jesus emphasises the universal call to repentance, a continuous process of self-examination and responding to God’s ever faithful love. The parable isn’t a veiled threat, but an invitation to transformation, crucial for all. The parable of the fig tree further highlights the urgency of bearing fruit. We are called to witness to the compassionate love of God’s love through faithful service and building the Kingdom. This demands humility, authenticity, and active discipleship.

We must recognise the urgency of our mission, while also cultivating patience and perseverance, nurturing growth in ourselves and others. We must be accountable for the fruit we bear, striving to reflect the Gospel in our actions and words, and lead lives that honor God and serve humanity.

Source: Catholic Leaders Formation Network

Our Lady of the Annunciation Feast Day

Tuesday 25th March marks the feast day of our Parish’s patron, Our Lady of the Annunciation. We will be attending Mass at St John Vianney’s Church at 9:30am along with the staff and students at St Jude’s. Parents and friends of the school are welcome to attend this Mass.  After the Mass has finished, students and staff from both schools will move to the playground for lunch (students are to bring lunch from home as normal), followed by free play time. The students from both schools will then participate in some rotation activities and games, before ending our time together with some Zooper Doopers. Our friends from St Jude’s will depart SJV between 12:30pm - 1pm. This is the third year our schools have come together to celebrate the Parish feast day, and we look forward to another fun-filled day together. Please pray for beautiful weather!

Easter Prayer Celebrations

We warmly welcome parents and friends of SJV to join us during week 10 for our Holy Week Prayer Celebrations. All celebrations will be held in the hall.

Palm Sunday - presented by Year 1 on Tuesday 8th April at 2:40pm

Holy Thursday - presented by Year 5/6 on Wednesday 9th April at 2:40pm

Stations of the Cross - presented by Year 5/6 on Thursday 10th April 2:10pm

Resurrection/Easter Sunday - presented by Kindergarten on Thursday 10th April 2:40pm

Project Compassion

Our fundraising for Caritas Australia’s 2025 Project Compassion campaign is well under way. This year’s theme is Unite Against Poverty this Lent. There are many Project Compassion boxes around the school, including in each classroom, and every student is encouraged to donate some money to this worthy cause. Project Compassion is Caritas Australia’s major fundraiser for the year, and much of the work they do in developing communities around the world, depends on our generosity. Even a donation as small as 50c a week during Lent can make a huge difference to our school’s overall total. Our classroom teachers will continue to promote Project Compassion throughout Lent, and we encourage our students to embrace this as the almsgiving part of their Lenten journey. We understand that times are difficult financially for many families at the moment, so please give what you can.

Our first school wide fundraising event for Project Compassion will be held next Thursday 27th March at first break. Our Youth Ministry team will be selling Zooper Doopers for 50 cents with all profits going to Project Compassion. Other school wide fundraisers will be announced in the coming weeks, and we thank you for your support.

Sacraments 2025

Registrations for Reconciliation for 2025 have now closed, however, registrations for First Eucharist and Confirmation remain open. Families of students who are eligible to make one of the Sacraments (Reconciliation, First Eucharist or Confirmation) this year are encouraged to visit the Parish website: https:/stjvwestoncreek.blogspot.com/ for information and registration details for each of the Sacraments. 

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.

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 

SPAR - Parents and Friends Prayer Group

Our SPAR Parents and Friends Prayer Group will be held regularly on Thursday mornings at 8:45am in the space between the canteen and the hall, and will run for 10 minutes. A reminder that the group is open to everyone regardless of faith background, practising or non-practising Catholics, those who pray regularly, those who haven’t prayed in a while, anyone considering becoming Catholic, anyone curious about how we pray here at school, or anyone who would like 10 minutes of peace and calm in their week! You don’t need to attend each week, it will always be open to anyone who wants to come along.

Parents and friends with younger children are welcome to bring them along where they will be watched by Year 6 students in the hall. The prayer group will focus on reflections on the forthcoming Sunday’s Gospel, Christian meditation, and significant events and feast days central to the Catholic faith. No one will be asked to share or verbally participate unless they feel comfortable to do so. I’d encourage you to consider whether this might be something you give a try this year. Please feel free to contact me: laura.matchett@cg.catholic.edu.au with any questions or feedback (particularly regarding the timing, if this is a barrier for you to attend). I hope to see you there.