Feast of the Visitation 31st May 2023  

(Luke 1: 39-45, NIV) 

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” 

Prayer 

Blessed be you, God of mercy and compassion, for you inspired Mary, the humble maiden of Nazareth, to visit her cousin Elizabeth and to assist her in her earthly needs.  

Help us, that by following Mary's example we may remain always open to the needs and sufferings of others.  

Strengthen us to walk gently with one another, and in times of need turn to you for help. 

We as this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Reconciliation Week  

Reconciliation means many different things to different people. In Australia, reconciliation usually means working to ensure everyone understands and values our culture and that we can learn, know and speak in many different ways. 

A large part of learning about and working towards reconciliation is learning about and respecting Australia’s First Peoples– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Through designing a RAP Icon, past students worked together to reflect on what Reconciliation means to them personally and to translate their ideas into a visible icon.  

After many round-the-table discussions, the students combined their ideas and came up with an icon which they believe represents what Reconciliation means for the St Joseph’s school community.  

The icon includes: 

Emu track- It is shaped like an arrow and represents the distinctive three toed footprint of an emu. The tracks show that we are all on a journey towards reconciliation, the black colour represents the land we walk on. 

Stars- Represent the Algnith people and the elders watching over us at all times. The stars guide us on our journey and remind us of our beautiful night skies. 

Rainbow Serpent- He is a guardian who protects and looks after us. He created the land and water and is forever moving, surrounding us with love. 

St Joseph’s school icon. It symbolises the Mission and Embley rivers crossing each other to make a fish. The cross reminds us that we are making our faith journey and bringing it to life in our daily actions. 

Dots- The dots inside the snake represent the art and traditions of the First Nations people and the arrows inside the fish icon represent that we are all on a journey, going in different directions and crossing paths.