Religious Education News
Congratulations, Sr Anna!
Last Saturday, 31 May, on the feast of the Visitation, we received news from Vietnam that Sr Anna has been elected Superior General of The Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Visitation. Just as Mary carried Jesus inside her as she travelled to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, the sisters of this religious order strive to carry Jesus with them to everyone they meet. For those who have had anything to do with Sr Anna, you will know first-hand how beautifully she lives out this charism and how deserving she is of this appointment. She has asked everyone to please keep her and her congregation in your prayers.
Ascension Sunday
Last weekend, our Church celebrated the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven, which is commemorated 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection (Easter). We state our belief in the Ascension in both creeds used at Mass when we say, ‘He ascended into heaven’. Whilst the 40 day mark would technically be on a Thursday, the celebration of the Ascension is often observed on the seventh Sunday of Easter.
Each year, when we celebrate the Ascension, we are reminded that Jesus’ final words contained a promise and a directive. ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth’. May we continue to ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us so we can carry out the mission Jesus entrusted to us - to be witnesses of his love and truth in our homes, our school and indeed the world around us.
Our School Values
The values focus for the remainder of this term will be stewardship. At St Francis of Assisi, we value stewardship because we are guided by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and are called to “care for our common home”.
At St Francis of Assisi, we show that we are a community that values stewardship by:
- treating others with care, respect and kindness
- re-using and recycling to reduce waste
- considering how our actions affect others
- acting in ways that are good for us, each other and our common home
- being grateful for all of creation
World Environment Day - 5 June
Today, we celebrated World Environment Day which is a day for everyone around the world to take ownership of their environment and to actively engage in the protection of our earth. Thank you to everyone who came to school dressed as a farmer or gardener and brought a gold coin donation to go towards our environmental initiatives in the school.
During today’s liturgy, a representative from each class received a pot with soil and a packet of seeds. Classes then planted the seeds back in their classrooms and have been tasked with caring for these until they have sprouted and they are able to be planted into our gardens.
This year’s theme for World Environment Day is "Ending Plastic Pollution". Over the next few weeks, our student WEN (Wollongong Environmental Network) team will make time to visit each class to talk about our waste management bins and how we can reduce our use of plastics.
Pentecost Sunday
At Pentecost, we recall the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem: a critical event that marked the beginning of the Church, as it was the moment when the disciples gained clarity of purpose and felt empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit to continue the mission Jesus had left them when he ascended to heaven: to be his witnesses throughout the world.
The same Holy Spirit that transformed the apostles is still with us today. Just as Jesus instructed his disciples to go out and make his love known throughout the world, so too are we sent out with the same mission. Through Baptism, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us with the task of being disciples of Jesus. The challenge after Baptism is for us to continue to nurture our faith and attune our hearts to how the Holy Spirit is calling us to live in relationship with others.
2025 Sacramental Preparation
Please keep our Parish and School Reconciliation/Eucharist candidates in your prayers as they continue their preparation.
Please pray, also, for our Confirmation candidates who have now finished their period of preparation and will be confirmed on Tuesday night by Bishop Brian. We pray that they will use the gifts they receive from the Holy Spirit to make a positive difference in the lives of those around them. Special thanks to Mrs Briscoe for leading the Confirmation workshops this year.
Ms Marita Maloney
REC Coordinator