Solemnity of St Peter & St Paul

Last weekend, our Church celebrated the Solemnity of Ss Peter and Paul, two apostles who, in their unique and powerful ways, shaped the early Church and continue to inspire us today. Peter, the rock upon whom Christ built His Church, and Paul, the zealous Apostle to the Gentiles, both dedicated their lives to spreading the Good News, often facing immense challenges and ultimately offering their lives as martyrs for Christ.

Both saints offer us an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be ‘Church’.  Both remind us that whilst a building can be a church, the Church is made up of people.  St Peter’s theology describes the Church as being composed of ‘living stones’.  ‘You are like living stones being built into a spiritual house.’ (1 Peter 2:5)  St Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, describes the Church as being ‘many parts making up the one body in Christ’.  ‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.’  (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

Whether you prefer to think of yourself as a living stone or a part that makes up the body of Christ, both saints remind us that our faith should be a living faith lived in relationship with others.

The other lesson we can take from these two saints from very different backgrounds is that we are all called to holiness.  As is noted below:

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal - Thank you!

Yesterday, our school community celebrated Pyjama Day as our way of supporting the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal.  
In exchange for the luxury and comfort of being able to stay in pyjamas all day, many people brought in donations of food and winter accessories to help support those affected by poverty in our local area.  What a generous community we have here at St Francis of Assisi!  Thank you for helping us bring the love of God to those in need.  

(Photos from Pyjama Day & Donations - not available ’til Wednesday)

NAIDOC Week Assembly

Thank you to each class for sharing your learning about First Nations’ culture this afternoon at our NAIDOC Week Assembly.  NAIDOC Week begins this Sunday and runs until July 13.  

Please refer to the City of Wollongong website for events you may like to attend: https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/community/people/aboriginal-culture-and-communities/community-events 

Farewell, Sr Anna!

This weekend, there are two opportunities to farewell Sr Anna before she returns to Vietnam to officially begin her new appointment as Superior General of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Visitation.  

• Saturday 5 July at St Mary’s Church, Berkeley: 4 pm Mass followed by dinner at Berkeley Sports.
• Sunday 6 July at St Francis of Assisi Church, Warrawong:  10:30 am Mass followed by morning tea in the hall.  This also coincides with the 30-year celebrations of St Francis’ church.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday - 6 July

This Sunday also marks Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday.  This year’s theme, “Sent Forth in Strength and Hope”, resonates deeply with the Jubilee Year of Hope’s overarching theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.”  The journey of hope is beautifully captured in the Dharawal Dreaming story of Wiritjiribin, the First Lyrebird below:

Grandparents Day - Friday Week 1, Term 3

When celebrating Grandparents Day, we aim to choose the date that coincides with the Feast of St Joachim and St Anne - the parents of Mary and therefore grandparents of Jesus - which the Church celebrates each year on July 26.  This year, the 26th falls on a Saturday, so we will be celebrating Grandparents Day on Friday July 25.

Everyone is warmly invited to join the parish community at 9 am for Mass.  Following Mass, we will have open classrooms, morning tea and the opportunity to visit the Book Fair.
Traditionally, as part of our celebrations, we put together a photo presentation of the students with their grandparents. If you would like to include a photo of your children with their grandparents, please send these in to your class teacher via SeeSaw by Tuesday, 22 July (first day of Term 3).

Ms Marita Maloney
REC Coordinator