APRE & Curriculum News
This week let us also include in our prayers…..
- For our essential workers, that they continue to find strength to care for those in need and our most vulnerable;
- We pray too for those who have lost their lives bringing aid, care and support to those who are hurt, disadvantaged and need protection.
- Those travelling during this upcoming holiday period, that they travel safely. May all of our community enjoy a well deserved rest during this holiday period.
- For those who follow the example of Mary of the Cross Mackillop, that her legacy lives on in the hands of others;
May these prayers and all those we hold in our hearts, be felt by those who need them most.
Sunday’s Gospel- 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Please find shared in this week’s newsletter: the Sunday prayer at home which has some wonderful resources to unpack this week’s readings in a family friendly way.
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I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Father Dariusz’s homily at today’s service. This week’s readings are a reminder of the importance of forgiveness in our daily lives. It reminded me of words that I have recited and chanted since a young girl at a Catholic school, the Our Father. If I was paid a dollar every time I recited the Our Father, and we lived to a ripe old age, we’d end our lives with a great fortune amassed. So familiar and oft-recited are the words that they’re always in danger of becoming no more than a soothing sound. Is it true to say that if any of us prayed this prayer just once with all our heart and mind and soul and strength and meant every word of it we’d be ready for heaven? The Gospel reading from this week invites us to home in on just one petition: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”. This is a much-needed reminder of the importance of these words that we so readily recite! Let’s pause and think on this….. we constantly dare to ask for divine forgiveness only to the extent that we forgive others. The fact is that the more we resist letting go of resentment and anger from our hearts, the less room there is for us to welcome the gift of God’s mercy. The Gospel readings invite us to see that the forgiveness we are called to offer one another is on a minuscule scale compared with the boundless mercy we have received from God. Next time we recite the Our Father, let us take a moment to pause and reflect on the importance of not only seeking divine forgiveness for our sins but also to re-engage with being forgiving ourselves to others who may have wronged us. |
Year 6 Leadership Retreat & Mass
It was such a wonderful induction mass experienced by all on Friday. A special thank you to our Year 6 families for joining us as our Year 6 students took their leadership pledge to be servant leaders at St Joseph’s.
Future Minds STEM Session
This week our staff and students have the wonderful opportunity to engage in the Future Minds Sessions. This program is part of Rio Tinto’s investment in a four-year program targeted at school-age learners. The program aims to prepare young Australians for the digital future, help fast-track development of skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, automation, systems design and data analytics. All students will participate in activities ranging from building catapults, using Virtual Reality and game building programs. Our staff will also undertake professional development around how technologies can be used to engage students with learning and the neuroscience of imagination.
May St Joseph smile on you,
Meg Newell
APRE/CST