St Brigid's Catholic Parish Primary School Gwynneville eNewsletter

NEWS FROM THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR'S DESK

CONFIRMATION

This week, the Year 6 students will present themselves to be confirmed by the Holy Spirit. Weeks of preparation and learning will culminate in the four Sacramental Masses, beginning Thursday night to Saturday evening.

And so we pray:

Lord, you send out Your Spirit to touch the hearts of all people, so that they may believe in You and in Jesus whom You sent. Look kindly on all candidates for Confirmation as they listen to Your voice. Open their hearts to Your Spirit and bring them to fulfilment the good work that You have begun in them. We pray this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

The work of Catholic Mission continues to be our focus for this October with Mission Month our fundraising effort.

This year we held a Crazy Sock Day and sold ice blocks.

Thank you to everyone for your generosity and compassion, because we have raised $366.00 for Catholic Mission, with the proceeds of the ice block sales to be counted. This will help the Arrupe Centre which provides vital care for those who would otherwise have limited opportunities or support to lead a fulfilling life.

RETURN and EARN

Another fabulous effort from our community with a total of 1,680 containers collected. The winning house for the Week 3 collection was RED house.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Remembrance Day, November 11, marks the end of World War 1 over a hundred years ago. Although it was a long time ago, it is an opportunity to remember all those who have died in wars and conflicts since then. We pray that we commit ourselves to creating peace in our world by recognising that peace begins in our own families, schools and communities, and it begins with us. Each one of us can make a peaceful world.

Let us pray:

Loving God, you call us to be people of peace. We are grateful to those who have given their lives in times of war and conflict, and we ask that you help us to make the world a better place by living in harmony, peace and unity.

May we treat others as we would like to be treated.

We make our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen

NAIDOC WEEK

This year's NAIDOC 2020 theme is Always Was, Always Will Be.

This theme recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

During NAIDOC, we remember in our thoughts and prayers the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of our country and celebrate their rich cultures and inspiring contributions to Australia. NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation's story didn't begin with documented European contact.

The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples.

SUNDAY REFLECTION:

Sunday 8 November 2020

32 SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME

The early Christians thought that all their questions about death had been answered with the resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, when loyal Christians began to die, not only did their old questions come back, but also they were plagued with new and difficult ones. Was it possible that those loyal Christians had not been loyal after all? Or worse, were the promises made by Jesus empty promises? No! Paul assures us. It is all true. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again, and all the faithful will be joined with him. How it will happen, we do not know. When it will happen, we do not know. That it will happen, we are sure.

The wisdom that we have culled from life becomes the treasury from which we draw the prudence and insight needed to negotiate life’s paradoxes. It throws light on our strengths and on our weaknesses; it enables us to discern what is important and what is not; it directs us to bring extra oil in our lamps. Life and the wisdom that we have acquired through it, have taught us that we can indeed trust the promises of God. They have been fulfilled in the past, and wisdom assures us that they will be fulfilled in the future. It is wisdom that cautions us to be vigilant, to be ready to adjust our plans. It is wisdom that prepares us for the night watches of life. It is wisdom that instructs us to be ready at all times.

Sunday 15 November 2020

33 SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME

It is not enough that we wait patiently. We are expected to be industrious as we await the advent of the reign of God. We have all been entrusted with talents that really belong to God, and we must use these talents to the best of our ability in the interim between the Lord’s departure and his final return. The ideal wisdom figure in the first reading is a model of such industriousness.

Fidelity to the reign of God requires that we be willing to take risks. We do not know the time of the Lord’s coming, and so there will have to be a kind of tentativeness to all of our plans. We will never be able to be certain that they will be brought to fruition. We must spend and be spent without the assurance that we will be able to reap the rewards of our investment. To refuse to risk is to refuse to trust.

If we have been wise and have industriously employed the Lord’s talents, which were entrusted to us, we will be richly rewarded. However, if we have not realised the potential that is possessed by our talents, and if we have not employed them as they were meant to be employed, we will be punished. The foolish man in the Gospel knew that the householder was exacting. He had some idea of what to expect. He made his choice and he had to accept the consequences of that choice.

PODCAST SERIES - RIPPLES

Ripples is a PODCAST developed for staff and parent's on-going spiritual formation. It seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation.

Practices like these create a ripple effect. They have the potential to impact the way we respond to family, friends, colleagues, to creation and to our loving God. Come and enjoy some Inspired Voices and Treasured Stillness.

The Ripples Podcast is now available

Ripples