From the Religious Education Coordinator

In our Church ……

THE FEAST OF JEANNE-MARIE CHAVOIN

June 30 marked the 167th anniversary of the death of Jeanne-Marie Chavoin, revered foundress of the Marist Sisters.

Born in the village of Coutouvre in central France in 1786 the young Jeanne-Marie followed the call of the Colin brothers at Cerdon to establish the first community of Marist Sisters. Mother St Joseph, as she was known, died in 1858 at Jarnosse, not far from her birthplace.

Jeanne-Marie Chavoin, Foundress of the Marist Sisters, was a woman who lived simply and, like Mary, was attentive to the needs of others. As we recall the anniversary of her death we pray that like her we might always “try to live in a great spirit of faith which will lead us to see God in everything” (CMJ 90.3).

She is remembered as a courageous, large-hearted and generous woman. Her deep faith in God and love of Mary enabled her to be always ready to render service to those in need.

God of creation,
we praise and thank you for the birth of Jeanne-Marie Chavoin,
our foundress, Mother St Joseph.

We thank you for her parents, Théodore and Jeanne, for their love, their courage, their acceptance of responsibility and all they taught Jeanne-Marie.
We thank you for our own parents, the families which prepared us for life.

May Jeanne-Marie Chavoin intercede for us today,
that we may present a Marian face in our world –
a face of compassion, understanding and love,
a face which accepts people as they are,
yet encourages them to grow in goodness.

With them, may we be brought forth to the life of grace.
We pray this in the name of Jesus your Son. 

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (27 June)

In Catholic churches and homes, one of the most popular images of Jesus is the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is the image of God’s love revealed in the pierced heart of His Son. It is the symbol of a love that conquers sin and transcends death, the symbol of the One who loved us to the end. 

The Friday that follows the Second Sunday in Time After Pentecost is the Feast of the Sacred Heart which brings to mind all the attributes of His Divine Heart mentioned above. Many Catholics prepare for this Feast by beginning a Novena to the Sacred Heart on the Feast of Corpus Christi, which is the Thursday of the week before. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart itself, we can gain a plenary indulgence by making an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart.

From the earliest days of the Church, “Christ’s open side and the mystery of blood and water were meditated upon, and the Church was beheld issuing from the side of Jesus, as Eve came forth from the side of Adam. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that we find the first unmistakable indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart. Through the wound in the side, the wound in the Heart was gradually reached, and the wound in the Heart symbolized the wound of love.” (Catholic Encyclopedia)

Prayers of Intercessions to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Open our hearts to receive your abundant gifts:

Make our hearts like yours. 

Open our hearts to welcome all our sisters and brothers as your beloved friends:

Take away from us all prejudice and hardness of heart.

Open our hearts to feel the pain of your suffering people: 

Turn our good intentions into acts of justice and mercy.

Open our hearts that we may speak for those whose voices are faint:

Give us the courage to challenge those systems and behaviours that compromise the dignity of people.

Open our hearts to forgive those who have caused us injury:

Let us grant forgiveness to others as God has granted forgiveness to us. 

This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2