Religious Education – Advent

Advent is the first day of a new Liturgical (or church) calendar and begins a four-week period of preparation in anticipation of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas. 

The season of Advent is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ’s birth in the world as it is today.  It is a time for faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, special music, and good deeds what the true meaning of Jesus’ birth is. There are many different traditions associated with the four weeks of Advent. The Advent season invites us to step away from what can be a frenzied time of parties and shopping to consider how we commemorate the birth of Jesus, one of the holiest times in Christian faith. It is also a time to reflect on the triumphant return of Jesus at the second coming. May this year’s Advent season be one of hope, renewal and anticipation as we await the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving Mass

Last Wednesday we celebrated our end-of-year Thanksgiving Mass and farewell to our Year 4 students. The boys continued the much-loved tradition of dancing on Dom’s plot followed by a morning tea with all Year 4 parents.

Thank you to all the families that attended our final Mass, as always, the Chapel was filled with much joy and prayer and reflection on such a wonderful year together.

Meditation

Christian meditation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God. Christian meditation aims to heighten the personal relationship based on the love of God that marks Christian communion.

This year, our Year 3 students with the help of Sr Jill have been involved in meditation sessions in their classroom and as part of the Friday morning College meditation program.

We would like to thank Sr Jill for the time she has given to the students on the Primary Campus. Sr Jill visited classes each week and led the children through a short meditation.

Christmas Giving Appeal for 2022

As part of our Outreach activities this year we have collected non-perishable items for the House of Welcome at Granville, a community service supporting refugees and their families who are not permitted to work while they wait for their visas to be processed. We wanted to say a big ‘Thank you’ for your support with this worthwhile appeal. Your generosity has helped bring joy and comfort to our community this Christmas.

Finally, as we enter the holiday period, I just wanted to thank all our families for their support over the year. I hope that the holidays provide an opportunity for rest, rejuvenation and connection and I look forward to a wonderful 2023.

Tina Nicotina
Religious Education Coordinator, P-6 Pastoral Care Coordinator P-4