Feast of St Mary of the Cross (8th August)

Classes were to celebrate the feast of St Mary of the Cross with a special school liturgy on Friday 7th August. Unfortunately we were unable to go ahead with this.  Mary MacKillop and Julian Tension Woods founded the order of the Sisters of St Joseph (Josephites) that went on to establish many schools, including our own, in 1888.  Mary MacKillop is not only the first Australian to be recognised by the Church as a Saint, she is truly a very Australian saint. She characterises the spirit of the Australian mythology. She was a prodigious hard worker who put the needs of others before herself. She exhibited something of the larrikin spirit: constantly in dispute with authority but pressing on, regardless. She used the strengths of others but also didn’t tolerate those who were not genuine. Her commitment to the schooling of children from poor and rural communities established a model of Catholic education that continues today. A Saint for and of Australia! (Greg Sunter: liturgyhelp.com)

Feast of the Assumption, Holy Day of Obligation

On Sunday 15th August we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, a Holy Day of Obligation. On Friday 13th August we will hold a school liturgy to reflect on Mary’s life as a woman of faith and hope if school has re-opened.

Loving God, you chose Mary to be the mother of your son, Jesus

because of her faithful heart.

May we be inspired by her trust in you and walk in her footsteps

so that we may never forget that you are with us always.

We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

What is the Assumption?

August 15 is the day that Catholics have long celebrated what is called the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Assumption celebrates both the happy departure of Mary from this life by her natural death, and her assumption bodily into heaven. The Assumption is a principal feast of the Blessed Virgin and a Holy Day of Obligation -- one of the most important feasts of the Church year and why we attend Mass on this day. There is an important difference, of course, between the ascension of Jesus into Heaven after His Resurrection, and the assumption of Mary. The Assumption signals the end of Mary's earthly life and marks her return to heaven to be reunited with Jesus. While the bodies of both Jesus and Mary are now in heaven, there is a difference between the Assumption and the Resurrection. Where Jesus arose from the tomb and ascended into heaven by his own power, Mary's body was taken up to heaven by the power of her Son. For this reason, we use different words to describe each event. One is the Ascension of Christ and the other, the Assumption of Mary. The Assumption is a source of great hope for us, too, for it points the way for all followers of Christ who imitate her fidelity and obedience to God's will.

“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, your people, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Father's Day

Looking ahead to Father’s Day in September...

At school we would usually celebrate with a breakfast and beautiful liturgy celebrating all the dad’s and father figures in our lives. This year, as many restrictions are in place, it will be a little different.

We will not be able to have our breakfast in the hall this year. We will celebrate as a community over Zoom.

We are planning to do our Father’s Day liturgy live over Zoom at 2.10pm Friday 3rd September followed by Principal’s Awards We invite dad’s and families to join in at home or from your work desk over a break. This is a short opportunity to come together in community through prayer and to be present for some kind words of thankfulness for all you do as a fathers and caregivers.

Stay tuned for more details and the Zoom invitation link.

New Early Stage One Curriculum

Currently the Catholic Schools Office of Maitland-Newcastle is in the process of developing a new Religious Education curriculum, Kindergarten to Year 10, for all schools in our Diocese. The first stage of this new curriculum that will be implemented in Primary schools will be Early Stage One (Kindergarten) in 2022. As part of this process, they are piloting one module of the Kindergarten curriculum this term in selected schools. Our school is part of this pilot process with our very own Stephanie Colvin writing this exciting new section of the curriculum.

This pilot process provides a wonderful opportunity for Kindergarten children to engage in Religious Education in a new and exciting way. Through this experience it is hoped that they will encounter the Good News of Jesus Christ in a way that is relevant to their experience.

Religious Education lessons will continue as per usual during the school day. Kindergarten will participate in learning and assessment activities as they do within all subjects. Kindergarten teachers have participated in a two-day professional learning intensive to prepare them for this opportunity. Teachers will be providing feedback to the Catholic Schools Office throughout the term. The teachers’ experiences and the experiences of our children are invaluable to the Catholic Schools Office Religious Education Department in the development of this new curriculum.

The Kindergarten children are embracing the new module “Knowing God the Holy Spirit” and are really enjoying the new experiences and exploring and presenting feelings, thoughts, questions, and wonderings about God. They are participating in listening, conversation and encountering the mystery of God.

St Vincent de Paul Winter Sleepout

Mrs O’Neill came to speak to our whole school about the plight of the homeless people in Newcastle and the mission this winter of St Vincent de Paul.This inspired some Year 4 students and Isaac (Year 6 and his family) to spend some time outside on Friday night to experience, to some degree, the extent of the cold nights that these people are experiencing.

Sleep out

When I slept outside, I slept with one blanket, shorts and a ripped shirt that I accidentally ripped somewhere, and it felt really, really cold and I felt like I was homeless. I had nothing. I only felt warm when I got a shiver but overall I felt so cold that I only stayed out there for about 2 or 3 hours. It felt like I wasn't going to eat that night but then my mum said, Dinner is ready”,  so I ran inside and got some food. I really feel for all the people that are homeless and sleeping in the cold every night. Max L

My sleep out. On Friday night I slept outside in a sleeping bag! It was very, very cold and that’s just for 1 night! I can’t imagine how hard it would be to sleep outside on the rock hard ground every single night, especially through winter! After sleeping outside I have a lot of respect and sympathy for the homeless people. I’m glad the community can help and support the local people  that are struggling! We all can come  home and turn the heater on but homeless people can't and everyone takes that for granted but now I certainly won't! - Jack R

Isaac was really touched by Mrs O’Neill’s talk last week. We don’t have a backyard, so spent two hours outside last night on the hill overlooking Bar Beach. It was a humbling experience to be outside in the cold & we have no idea how people who are without a home cope. - The Flanagan family

My friend and I slept out in a tent on Friday night. It was 4C but we still gave it a go! We went outside in the night to see how cold it was. It was freezing so we went back to the tent and snuggled with the dogs. I hope that charity can help people in need so they don’t have to suffer. - Rosa Leonard

Caring For Our Common Home

Caring For Our Common Home

Parish News

Hey Gardeners!

Call out to all you wonderful gardeners! St Joseph’s at The Junction and St Mary’s on the Hill both need some serious garden love!!!! If you are interested in working with our parish lawn maintenance man and parish handyman in rejuvenating the gardens please email jade.simonsen@mn.catholic.org.au and we will organise a working group.

aMeN caMiNo 2022 Information Session

The aMeN caMiNo takes place over five consecutive days. The pilgrimage starts at St John’s Chapel, Maitland and concludes at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. Pilgrims will walk an average of 20km per day through the beautiful landscape of bush, beach and beyond which we are blessed to have in our backyard.

For those interested in finding out about the 2022 aMeN caMiNo experiences, we will be holding an online Information Session on Saturday 28 August at 2pm. Click here   for more information.

Please see the Parish Bulletin for more details and registration for Masses in our area - https://www.newcastlecatholic.org.au/weekly-bulletins/