Religious Education News
Holy Week Assembly
On the final day of Term 1, our school community gathered for a special assembly to reflect on the events of Holy Week. Each class presented what they had been learning about the events of Holy Week in their Religious Education lessons and Year Five shared insights into how the Church commemorates these events today.
Palm Sunday - Year 2
Holy Thursday - Jesus Washed the Disciples' Feet - Kindergarten
Holy Thursday - Last Supper / Institution of the Eucharist - Year 3
Holy Thursday - Garden of Gethsemane - Year 1
Good Friday - The Crucifixion of Jesus - Year 4 & Year 6
How the Church Commemorates Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday
and Good Friday Today - Year 5
2025 Sacramental Preparation
Please keep our Parish and School Reconciliation/Eucharist and Confirmation candidates in your prayers as they begin their preparation.
Requiescat in Pace (RIP), Pope Francis
On Easter Monday, less than 24 hours after we saw footage of him blessing the crowds that had gathered at St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday, we learnt of the passing of Pope Francis, the 266th Successor of St Peter Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
We pray for the repose of his soul, and entrust him to the mercy of God whom he served so faithfully:
O God, who in your wondrous providence
chose your servant Pope Francis to preside over your Church,
grant, we pray, that, having served as the Vicar of your Son on earth,
he may be welcomed by him into eternal glory.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
(The Roman Missal (2011), Prayers for the Dead – For A Pope (p. 1402))
For those interested in reading the homily that was given at Pope Francis’ funeral, it can be found below.
Conclave Begins! - Who will be our next Pope?
With the papal conclave beginning yesterday, our Bishop, Brian Mascord has encouraged all of us to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the cardinal electors with wisdom, unity, and discernment.
A Prayer for the Conclave
Heavenly Father, as the Church prepares
to choose the next successor of St Peter,
we lift up to you the cardinals who will gather in conclave.
Send forth your Holy Spirit upon them -
the spirit of wisdom, understanding and right judgement.
Guide their hearts and minds,
that they may discern not with human preference, but with divine inspiration.
May they seek a shepherd after your own heart -
a man of faith and courage, of humility and mercy,
who will lead the Church in truth, unity and holiness.
Grant peace and protection to the Church during this sacred time.
Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us.
St Peter, pray for us.
Amen.
To learn more about how a new Pope is elected, the following infographic may be helpful:
Busted Halo also has a video that explains the process:
How Do They Choose the Pope?
Our School Values
This term, we have been revisiting the value ‘faith’. At St Francis of Assisi, we value faith because the ethos of a Catholic school is centred on the person of Jesus and we want others to know Him.
At St Francis of Assisi, we show that we are a community that values faith by:
- welcoming others to share in our faith story
- listening and responding to the scriptures
- being Easter people - people of hope
- being prayerful people
- celebrating the liturgical life of our Church
- honouring our faith traditions and the traditions of others
The value award for faith will be presented at the Principal and Values Award Assembly in Week 5.
Celebrating the Month of Mary
The Church has long had a devotion to Mary, Mother of God. In fact, this devotion would be considered a hallmark of our Catholic identity. Whilst we hold Mary in high esteem all year round, traditionally, the Church dedicates the months of May and October to Mary. These months, along with the many other ways we honour her during the liturgical year, remind us to look to her as a model of faith and to reflect on her role in our salvation history.
As I have highlighted before, it is important to note that Catholics don’t worship Mary. Rather, we honour her. The Church honours Mary in many ways – through specific feast days, prayers, devotions, hymns, art and even recognising her as the Mother of the Church. As our spiritual mother, she is an example of faith and commitment to the will of God and therefore is an excellent example of discipleship for the rest of us.
A well-known devotion in our Catholic Tradition is the biblically-inspired prayer devotion, the Rosary, which invites us to draw closer to Jesus and Mary by reflecting on key moments in their lives. You may like to reflect on the mysteries of the Rosary at home. If you don’t have time to say a whole Rosary every day, you might like to focus on one set of Mysteries per week; reflecting on one story per day and praying the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be.
If you’d like to know more about the Rosary, Busted Halo has a 2 minute summary that you might find useful: The Rosary Explained
Ms Marita Maloney
REC Coordinator