Happy Easter

It was wonderful to see some of our families at the parish Holy Week and Easter celebrations.  It was especially wonderful to have some children from our school volunteering to take an active role in these services, whether it was by serving at the altar, reading the crowd’s parts during the Passion narrative on Palm Sunday or having their feet washed on Holy Thursday. 
Fr Damien commented that on Palm Sunday he found it particularly inspiring when the children who had been shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” during the Passion narrative suddenly had a change of heart and welcomed Jesus’ presence on the altar with palm branches during the singing of the Holy Holy.
The Easter Season is celebrated in our church for seven weeks - Let’s see if your Easter egg supply lasts until Pentecost!

Holy Week at School

As part of our observance of Holy Week at school, classes visited the Church to reflect on the final moments of Jesus’ life through praying the Stations of the Cross. 

Our School Values

At St Francis of Assisi, we value honesty because it helps us build positive relationships based on the modelling of Jesus. 
At St Francis of Assisi, we show that we are a community that values honesty by:

• telling the truth
• owning our actions - positive and negative
• acknowledging when people have been honest with us
• doing the right thing even when no one is watching
• saying what you mean and meaning what you say

The value award for honesty will be presented at tomorrow afternoon’s assembly.  This assembly will also be an opportunity for Year 4 to showcase their learning with the school community and for the Cross Country awards to be presented.

Project Compassion Appeal - Thank You

Since the beginning of Lent, we have had Project Compassion boxes in our classroom prayer spaces to remind us to be ‘other’ focussed and prompt us to practise almsgiving.  This money goes towards supporting the work of Caritas Australia so it can continue to reach out to vulnerable communities across the world. 
This year, we were introduced to the story of three inspiring women - Ronita, Leaia, and Memory - whose lives have been transformed thanks to the generous support of others.  Today, they are creating a better world for their families, their communities and for all future generations.

In addition to the donations made to our Project Compassion boxes, our Year 4 Mini Vinnies children have been kept busy in the canteen over the last few weeks selling zooper doopers to raise extra funds for Caritas.  To our Year 4 Mini Vinnies volunteers:  thank you for giving up your play time for this good cause and to all those who purchased zooper doopers:  thank you for supporting our fundraising efforts.  At last count, we had raised $458.65 as a school community.

Caritas Australia would like to THANK YOU for supporting Project Compassion 2024.  Your generosity will empower the world’s most vulnerable communities to grow stronger and lift themselves out of poverty.  Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow, for all future generations.
Click here to watch the Project Compassion Thank You film. These notebooks are known today as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska and the words contained within are God's loving message of Divine Mercy.  Divine Mercy devotions such as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Divine Mercy image, and Divine Mercy Sunday were adopted worldwide as a result of Pope St John Paul II.
Though the message of Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness is not new to the teachings of the Church, Sr Faustina's Diary sparked a great movement and a significant focus on the mercy of Christ.  She reminds us to trust in Jesus' endless mercy and to live life mercifully toward others.
This Sunday, an additional Mass is being held at St Francis of Assisi church at 3 pm.  This Mass will include a blessing of the newly established Divine Mercy shrine which contains a first-class relic of St Faustina which has been gifted to Warrawong Parish.
As a reminder of the mercy of Jesus, the shrine is situated inside our church, opposite the confessional where people experience first-hand the mercy of God through the Sacrament of Penance.

2024 Confirmation Program

For those who have enrolled in this year’s parish preparation program for the Sacrament of Confirmation, please note that the parent information night is in Week 2, Term 2.