Altar Serving - Welcome, Max!
We extend our congratulations to our newest altar server, Max, who served for the first time last weekend.  It was wonderful to see one of our newly confirmed children taking on an active role in the life of our church. Special mention must go to Tevita as well for guiding Max in this new ministry. Great teamwork, boys!

Reconciliation Program for 2022
Enrolments for this year’s Reconciliation program have now closed.  Please continue to keep in your prayers the children in our school and parish who are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Year Six Mass with Bishop Brian
Last week, Year Six travelled to St Joseph’s, Bulli with Mrs Davidson, Ms Maloney, and Mrs Logue to join Bishop Brian and other students from nearby Diocesan schools for a special celebration of the Eucharist.  We were very proud, not only of Lara and Tevita who had specific responsibilities during the ceremony but of the reverence demonstrated by all of our students. Thank you, Year Six, for being great ambassadors of our school!

Thanks, Fr Damien!
The teachers and students of Year Five & Year Six extend their gratitude to Fr Damien for making the time to join them during their recent excursion to Canberra.  Fr Damien gave them a guided tour of the ANZAC Memorial Chapel of St Paul and the Changi Chapel at Duntroon Royal Military College before showing them the grave of General Bridges and the impressive view of Canberra from Mount Pleasant.  He even met up with them again for their tour of Government House.  

Mary of the Cross MacKillop
On Monday, we gathered with our parish community to celebrate the Solemnity of Mary of the Cross MacKillop - Australia’s first recognised saint.  Eva, one of our Year Six students, chose Mary MacKillop as her Confirmation saint and has provided the following information about her.

Mary MacKillop who was born on the 15th of January, 1842, and grew up in Fitzroy, Melbourne.  She was the oldest of eight children and loved helping people.  In her small town, Mary MacKillop established a school called St Joseph's of the Sacred Heart, accompanied by other nuns.  This provided free education for kids in 1866.  Later on, in 2010, she became the first saint of Australia and we now celebrate her feast day on the 8th of August. 

I chose her to be my confirmation name because she is a huge inspiration to me. I love how whenever she saw a need, she always did something about it and I push myself to follow in her footsteps.

The Alpha Experience - For Adults
Earlier this year, our parish launched its first face-to-face Alpha Program, which was well received by those who attended.  Our parish is once again running the Alpha Program and you are warmly invited to participate.  

Alpha is an opportunity for adults to explore life, faith, and God in a friendly, open, and informal environment.  Participants gather once a week to share a meal, watch a short video around a certain theme and then gather in small groups for discussion.   Whether you’re an atheist, an agnostic, or a lifelong believer — everyone is welcome! 

As the date to RSVP was actually yesterday, please register with either Rebecca from the parish (details are below) or Ms Maloney (maloneymullerm01@dow.catholic.edu.au) ASAP.  

Solemnity of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On 15 August, our Church celebrates the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.  This feast is a celebration of God’s special love for Mary, who was so faithful to the will of God, that when her time on earth ended, she was received into heaven. 

Mary was an ordinary woman who, by placing her trust in God, was able to do the extraordinary.  She offers us such a good model for faith as through her life, we see the great blessings that can come to us when we maintain our trust in God and remain open to God’s will.  It is a reminder to each of us to put our trust in God, who promises to be with us as we journey through life. Like Mary, we are called to make room for God in our lives.

The whole school will be attending the 9 am parish Mass on Monday to mark this significant feast day, and as always, you are welcome to join us and our parish community.

Welcome to Owen Geddes
We welcome back to our parish Owen Geddes, who has just begun a 2.5 year pastoral placement here as part of his training to become an Army Chaplain.  We look forward to working with Owen and hope he enjoys his time here.

PARISH CHURCH OFFICE - Relocated
The Parish Church Office has relocated to Berkeley. The front office door is located at the rear of St Mary of the Rosary Church on the main car park side at 211 Northcliffe Drive, Berkeley. The phone number has not changed and is 4276 3565. The new email address is berkeleywarrawong@dow.org.auand new office hours are Tuesday to Friday 10.00 am to 1.30 pm.