From The Religious Education Coordinator

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.

Corpus Christi Feast Day

• Corpus Christi is a Catholic feast day celebrating and honouring Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist.
• The words Corpus Christi actually translate to “Body of Christ” in Latin.
• The feast of Corpus Christi reminds us of Jesus’ love and sacrifice as we remember how He gave His body and blood to save humanity. 
• But how did the Feast of Corpus Christi begin? 

It started with Saint Juliana of Liège, a nun who had a great love for the Eucharist. When she was 16 years old, she began having visions of a full moon with a dark stripe across it. Jesus revealed to her that the moon represented the Church, and the dark stripe meant that there was no special feast dedicated to honouring the Eucharist.

St Juliana kept these visions secret for about 20 years before slowly working to promote a feast day for the Eucharist. 

Then, in Italy, in 1263, there was a priest who stopped believing in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. One day while he was celebrating mass and during the words of consecration, where the priest says “This is my body and This is my blood” the actual Host began to bleed. An extraordinary miracle had happened!

Inspired by both St Juliana’s visions and the Eucharistic Miracle, Pope Urban the 4th officially established Corpus Christi as a feast for the entire Catholic Church in 1264. 

One of our favourite Eucharistic miracles was in Portugal where we visited the site of the Eucharistic Miracle of Santarém. We actually have a small replica of the miracle at home.

But, the story goes like this. In 1247, a woman was struggling with her marriage, she thought her husband was cheating on her. Desperate for answers, she went to a sorceress, who asked for a consecrated Host in return. The woman attended mass, removed the Host from her mouth after receiving Communion and hid it in her veil. As she left church the Host began to bleed, so heavily that others thought she had injured her hand. Terrified, she ran home and hid it in a wooden box. That night, a bright supernatural light came from the box, awakening both her and her husband. Feeling shocked and sorry, they went to the priest the next morning and confessed everything. 779 years later, that same host still remains intact till this day in Portugal which we were lucky enough to touch!!

Isn’t the Eucharist just amazing? A true miracle is happening every day on the altar, but we can easily take it for granted. 

By Sarah and Josephine Mourani

Event: Mass and Reception of the Relic of St Carlo Acutis

Date: 25 June 2026

Time: 5:30pm

Venue: St Mary’s Cathedral

General Information

The Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, and concelebrated by Bishop Richard Umbers, Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo (Assisi), and priests of the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Following the Mass, Monsignor Figueiredo will offer a time of catechesis, after which there will be an opportunity for veneration and prayer before the relic.

This is an open event, with SCS teachers, staff, students, and parents warmly invited to attend.

Given the significance of this occasion, it is expected to be well attended.

Attendees are therefore encouraged to arrive early to secure seating.

The Cathedral will remain open until 9:00pm.

Following the Mass on 25 June, the relic of St Carlo Acutis will commence a national tour across Australia.

We warmly welcome you to again join local community members and leaders in Martin Place at 6pm on Sunday 21 June for this year’s Homeless Person’s Memorial Service.

Each year on the night of the winter solstice, June 21, and the longest night of the year, the Sydney community comes together to remember, to name, and to honour all those people who have died homeless and unmourned in the past twelve months. The night allows the families and friends, carers, service providers and the wider community to come together to remember and commemorate all those who have died. 

We look forward to welcoming you on the night of the 21st of June.

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