Religious Education News

All Saints and All Souls Days

In the Catholic tradition, November is traditionally a month of remembrance of the dead. The month begins with the Solemnity of All Saints on 1 November and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), on 2 November. Although these are no longer holy days of obligation in Australia, the Church has consistently encouraged prayers for the faithful departed and, during November, a list of the names of the dead is usually placed in the church so that the community can remember them in prayer. Last week the children took part in a liturgy for All Saints Day, where they reflected on how they can live a good life by imitating the Saints, as well as a class prayer for All Souls’ Day.

Let us take a moment to pray for all those who have died. 

Merciful Father,
Hear our prayer and console us.
As we renew our faith in Your Son,
who You raised from the dead,
strengthen our hope that all our departed.
brothers and sisters will share in His resurrection,
who lives and reigns with You,
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
AMEN

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them. 
May they rest in peace.

First Reconciliation 

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week some of the Year 3 students celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation. Students were very reverent during the liturgy and families enjoyed having the opportunity to witness their children make their first reconciliation. 

Reconciliation is officially called the Sacrament of Penance. In the past, it was also called Confession. These titles are all aspects of the meaning of the Sacrament. The Sacrament of Penance is a celebration of God’s love and mercy. It celebrates the call to repentance after a process of conversion of heart. This includes confessing our sins and receiving the forgiveness of God through the ministry of the priest. Through this process, a person is reconciled with the Church and continues to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Congratulations to our Year 3 students who received their First Reconciliation this week. 

Christmas Giving Appeal for 2023

Over the next two weeks, the students will take part in lessons to introduce our Christmas Giving Appeal for 2023. Over the next four weeks, we are asking every family to give non-perishable food donations to our Del Monte Christmas Appeal. The donations will go to 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. The House of Welcome provides holistic support that nurtures hope, advocates for justice and promotes self-reliance, whilst acknowledging the dignity and the rights of each individual. Donations can be sent to school with your children and placed in their classrooms. Our Year 4 teams will collect the donations each day.

Tina Nicotina
Religious Education Coordinator P-6
Acting Co-assistant to the Head of Primary Campus P- 4
Year 3 teacher