Principal Report
Swimming Carnival
Well done to all our years 3-6 students in their participation in the Swimming Carnival. The students from St Brendan Shaw College came and assisted in the day. It was great seeing these students participate as role models in the day. Thank you to Ms Kris Brown for organising the event. Students who qualify will compete in the North West Swimming Carnival next week.
Traffic in Noone Street
We are aware that the traffic in Noone St can get quite hectic at drop off and especially pick up time. We would like to remind parents and carers to obey traffic laws and to drive cautiously during these times. Please be courteous and keep an eye out for students and other drivers. Please also ensure that you do not double park, as this blocks other drivers in, holding the flow of traffic even more, or blocking driveways.
Gestures and Postures During Mass
Why do we make gestures and postures during Mass?
When we engage in the Liturgy with a keen sense that we are engaging with the risen Christ. Our attitude at every liturgical event is one of deep faith, sincere desire and profound reverence. Archbishop Julian Porteous offers some thoughts on gestures and postures so that we can participate more reverently at Mass.
Some of the key gestures:
Sign of the Cross: We make the Sign of the Cross whenever we are about to begin our prayer. Through the Sign of the Cross we both invoke the Holy Trinity - Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and our gesture of signing ourselves reminds us of the redeeming death of Christ on the cross. When we enter the church we have the custom of blessing ourselves with Holy Water.
Genuflection: We genuflect when we are about to take a seat in the church. It is an act of reverence towards the presence of Christ in the tabernacle.
Bow the Head: A Catholic custom has been to bow the head when the name of Jesus is said. Bowing your head is a simple sign of respect.
Postures carry meaning. Standing is a sign of respect. Sitting is a posture adopted to listen. Kneeling is a sign of reverence, contrition or intense prayer.
There are three key postures:
Standing: We stand for the entrance of the priest and remain standing until the end of the Opening Prayer. We stand at the Gospel Acclamation chant before the reading of the Gospel. We stand when the priest announces the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer
Sitting: We sit during the reading of the Gospel, for the homily, during the preparation of the offertory. People may kneel or sit after receiving Holy Communion.
Kneeling: In Australia it is our traditional practice to kneel from the end of the Sanctus until the Amen at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer. After the Lamb of God, we kneel in preparation for receiving Holy Communion.
Lent
Giving back during Lent
During the 40 days of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, Catholics around the world take part in fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
There is a long tradition of giving something up for Lent. In the Christian tradition, the forty days originated from Jesus’ forty days and nights in the wilderness. Ever since, people have followed this in a variety of ways, giving up specific items (abstaining) or having meat-free days during Lent.
What to give up for Lent
Giving something up is a simple way to combine the three Lenten pillars of fasting, prayer and almsgiving into one charitable activity. Some of the things that you can give up during Lent include:
- Junk food
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Single-use plastic
- Social media
- Watching TV
Want to give up something during Lent while also giving back to communities in need? You can start your own fundraiser and ask your family and friends to sponsor you. By turning your personal Lenten challenge into a fundraiser, you can help support vulnerable communities around the world to forge a path out of poverty.
Retrieved from Caritas Australia https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/lent/
Prayer for Lent
Heavenly Father, as we enter this Lenten season, change our hearts and help us to fast from those things that keep us far from you and feast on the things that draw us closer to you.
The response to our petitions is, ‘Lord, change our hearts.’
Lord, we ask your grace –
To fast from judging others and feast on what makes them special,
To fast from unkind words and feast on kindness,
To fast from getting angry and feast on being patient,
To fast from worry and feast on trusting God,
To fast from complaining and feast on gratitude,
To fast from conflict and feast on understanding,
To fast from selfishness and feast on helping others,
To fast from discouragement and feast on hope,
To fast from doubt and feast on faith,
To fast from a heart that is closed and feast on a heart that is open to you.
Have a great week
Carmen Aylott
Principal