St Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish Primary School Warrawong eNewsletter

Religious Education News

2024 Confirmation Program

Laudato Si’ Week

As noted in our last newsletter, Laudato Si' Week is a weeklong event from the 19th - 26th May, marking the anniversary of Pope Francis' publication of Laudato Si’, an encyclical on the care of creation. We have been highlighting Laudato Si’ Week through our morning prayer this week.

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.

Pentecost Sunday

Thank you to all those who attended our Pentecost celebrations last Sunday. Special thanks to those who had key roles during the Mass - our flag bearers, our readers, and those involved in the gospel procession. It was lovely to see some of our families at the multicultural lunch in the hall after Mass, too.

Our Lady Help of Christians

Tomorrow, 24 May, our school will be attending the 9 am parish Mass for the Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians - patroness of Australia and the Military Ordinariate. The early Church in Australia was mostly priestless and it was largely the Rosary that kept the faith alive. During the Opening Prayer on Friday, the Church will pray that through Our Lady’s intercession, God will “grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens”, so that “under her protection, Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace”. As always, all are welcome to join us at Mass on Friday.

National Sorry Day (26 May) & Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June)

Each year our country celebrates National Reconciliation Week from 27 May to 3 June. It is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2024 is ‘Now more than ever’ and it is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will - and must - continue.

Reconciliation Week follows National Sorry Day which is celebrated on the 26th May. National Sorry Day is a day to pause and remember the Stolen Generations of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples. On Monday morning, we will gather in the hall for a liturgy to commemorate Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. All are welcome to join us. Later in the day, Uncle Kev - a survivor of the Stolen Generations - will speak with the children.

Our School Values

As communicated in our previous newsletter, the value we have been focusing on this term is faith. At St Francis of Assisi, we value faith because the ethos of a Catholic school is centered on the person of Jesus and we want others to know Him. At our Principal and Values Award Assembly next Friday, the value award for faith will be presented to one student from each class.

The Feast of the Visitation

The Church celebrates the feast of the Visitation each year on May 31. As our Sisters are Daughters of Our Lady of the Visitation, this is their feast day, too. You may recall that around this time last year, Bishop Brian Mascord celebrated Mass at Warrawong as part of opening a Holy Year to mark the Centenary of their Congregation in Vietnam. Well, this year a special Mass will be celebrated in Vietnam to celebrate the closing of theirJubilee Year.
Sr Anna, Sr Lucy, Sr Mary, and Sr Elizabeth are already over in Vietnam, preparing to celebrate their convent’s 100-year anniversary. We thank the sisters for their vocation and service to our school and parish communities. Next week, Fr Damien, Deacon Lawrie, myself, and a group of parishioners from Berkeley and Warrawong will be heading over to Vietnam to join the sisters for their centenary celebrations. Please keep the sisters and all of those travelling to Vietnam in your prayers.

Upcoming Feasts - Trinity Sunday & Corpus Christi

This weekend, our Church will celebrate Trinity Sunday. Whilst the concept of a ‘3 in 1’ God is a bit of a ‘mystery’, the doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most fundamental in our Christian faith. We express our belief in a Trinitarian God every time we make the sign of the cross. It is important to note that we don’t believe in three gods but rather three “persons” or “forms” of the one God: Father, Son & Holy Spirit. The term ‘consubstantial’, which is used in the Nicene Creed, aims to express that all three “forms” come from the same source or substance. Perhaps one of the most useful analogies for this otherwise complex teaching could be to consider water, ice and steam. Whilst their forms are different, they are composed of the same substance. Regardless of our understanding of the Trinity, what really matters is that we have a God who loves us and desires to be in a relationship with us.

Next weekend, our Church will celebrate Corpus Christi. The name “Corpus Christi” is a Latin phrase that refers to the body of Christ. The Catholic Church teaches that the bread and wine offered on the altar at Mass, is transformed and really becomes Christ’s Body and Blood.
“Every year, the feast of Corpus Christi invites us to renew the wonder and joy for this wonderful gift of the Lord, which is the Eucharist.” - Pope Francis

Ms Marita Maloney
Religious Coordinator