Draft Sacramental Dates for 2020
Category: RE News
St Emilie’s farewell staff who are leaving us….
On Wednesday afternoon the staff gathered together to farewell our precious friends who will not be returning for 2019.
Here are a few photos of our farewell speeches.
Mrs Roberto entertained us with her version of ‘Hi my name is Jo’.
To finish off the afternoon the teachers enjoyed some Kris Kringle gift giving and fun.
On Thursday Father Tony Chiera shared his experiences with us about Faith, Spirituality and Wellbeing and encouraged our to further explore our own faith journey. It was a day filled with sharing our own faith experiences and engaging with God’s creation.
Year Three Community Mass
On Wednesday 27th June, the Year Three teachers were joined by St. Emilie’s staff, St. Emilie’s families, and the wider St. Emilie’s Parish community to offer thanksgiving at mass, for the school term. The significance of NAIDOC Week was also highlighted within the mass, and we were given an opportunity to share in a community prayer for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters. Harry had the important role of carrying the St. Emilie’s ‘message stick’ up to the alter, at the beginning of the mass. It was wonderful to share in the celebration of NAIDOC Week, together as a school and parish community.
2018 Parish Reconciliation
St Emilie’s Parish 2017 Sacramental Program Enrolments
I am pleased to inform parents who have children making either 1st Reconciliation, 1st Holy Communion or Confirmation in 2017 that Enrolment Forms are available in the church foyer for parents to enrol their children in the Parish Sacramental Program.
For your information dates and times of Commitment Masses are also on the Board. Please note there is no need to sign-up for a Commitment Mass, please come along to the mass you would usually attend or to the mass that best suits your family.
Forms can be collected after Mass, or during opening times of the Church as follows:
- Wednesday to Friday 5.30 pm – until after 6pm for Evening Mass.
- Wednesday mornings for 8.45 till after the 9am Mass
- Tuesday afternoon from 3.00pm till after the 6pm evening Mass.
- Weekend masses Sat. 6.30pm, Sun. 7.15am, 9am and 5pm. The church is open at least 1 hour prior to all weekend masses.
For enquiries phone 0404 325 900, or email lharkins@iinet.net.au.
Lyn Harkins, Co-ordinator St Emilie’s Parish Sacramental Program
THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT: JOY
This week we light the pink candle – this candle represents JOY.
Bright pink, pale pink, rose pink are all shades of pink painted into a sunrise. Like these different shades of pink, the way we express joy can be so different.
Joy can be exuberant when we experience God’s faithfulness in our lives. It can be a calm confidence in His power, or an absolute delight in His unconditional love.
Joy has many shades. It is not determined by how we feel, but on who our God is to us. The joy of the Lord can excite us – make us resolute in the secure knowledge of God’s presence. Jesus tells us “With God all things are possible.” This truth should help us be joyful each day.
Second Week of Advent – Peace
The theme for the second week of Advent is Peace. Too often our understanding of the word “peace” is limited to thinking only of worldly peace – the absence of war. But the word peace – as proclaimed by the angels to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus – has a much more spiritual significance.
We all have too many things in our lives that need to be maintained, repaired, insured, replaced, cleaned, used, worried about, etc. Too many people in our lives to deal with. Too many things to do.
To people who don’t have peace – everything seems to be noise. Everything seems to be urgent. Everything seems to be important. It becomes overwhelming.
We can be running around thinking things are getting done when they’re not and find ourselves tired and confused.
Therefore we need systems of thinking in place to deal with the things that come into our life. We need a filter to maintain peace.
Start by asking important questions. Do I really need this in my life? Is this person going to bring something positive to my life? What’s really important to do that will help me move forward with my goals?
It is wise to have routines that take care of the day to day activities of life – cooking, laundry, cleaning etc. so you can focus on the more important things.
If we can take a few minutes out every day to connect with ourselves and just be still, we will be able to gain perspective and feel comfortable—irrespective of the goings-on around us.
All this is necessary for finding peace in our life and when we have that peace, we are able to move forward, more good things start to happen, deeper peace is enjoyed, and a much more higher quality of life is experienced.
SVDP CHRISTMAS HAMPER
Christmas, the season of giving, provides us with a special opportunity to do something practical to Light Another’s Path.
By donating non-perishable food items to our local St Vincent de Paul Conference we hope to support their efforts to provide hampers for families facing a difficult Christmas Season.
This year we have been asked to make up hampers for 30 local families in need.
Please help us to help others by sending in the following items with your child/children between Friday 2 and Wednesday 7 December.
Ideally, a family trip to the shops to purchase hamper items is the best way to involve your child/children and will have far more of an impact on them than you purchasing the food items, yourself, and dropping them to your child’s classroom.
Kindy Gold: Large box/boxes of cereal
Kindy Blue: 2 Packets of biscuits (sweet/savoury)
Pre-Primary Gold: Pasta & pasta sauce
Pre-Primary Blue: rice & macaroni cheese (box/es)
Year One Gold: 2 x canned vegies/ tins of tomatoes
Year One Blue: 2 x canned fruit/instant dessert
Year Two Gold: 2 x tinned tuna/salmon (large)
Year Two Blue: 2 x tinned soup (large)
Year Three Gold: Large box of muesli type bars
Year Three Blue: 2 x Long-life milk
Year Four Gold: 3 x Baked beans/spaghetti
Year Four Blue: Large Plastic bottle of cordial
Year Five Gold: Multi-pack of 2 minute noodles
Year Five Blue: 2 x pancake mix
Year Six Gold: 2 x Packet chips/popcorn
Year Six Blue: 2 x Packet lollies/chocolates
Additional items families may wish to donate will be gratefully received.
Parish Reconciliation – Reminder
The Season of Advent
The four weeks before Christmas – known as Advent – is a time to prepare the way for Jesus in our hearts and in our homes. By taking on one or two traditions, families can engage richly in the seasons of Advent and Christmas. The following activities outline ways you and your family can live Advent and Christmas to the fullest.
The Advent Wreath:: The Advent wreath is probably the most recognized Advent custom. It is a wreath made of evergreens that are shaped into a circle. The wreath holds four equally spaced candles, the three purple ones lit on the penitential Sundays and a pink one for the joyful third Sunday in Advent.
The Empty Manger: Each child may have their own individual manger, but we suggest there should be one manger for the whole family. The idea is that when acts of service or kindness are made the child receives a piece of straw to put into the manger. On Christmas morning, Baby Jesus is placed in the manger. The challenge is to make Jesus ‘bed’ as comfortable as possible through doing ‘good’ and thinking of the needs of others more than our own.
The Jesse Tree: The Jesse tree tells about Jesus’ ancestry through symbols and relates Scripture to history, from creation to the birth of Christ. The tree can be made on a poster board with the symbols glued on, or on an actual tree. It is a highlight of the Advent season. Find more information at http://cathfamily.org/making-your-own-jesse-tree
Blessing of the Tree: More and more families are blessing their Christmas trees. There are many different stories that attempt to explain why we use a tree at Christmas. The fir tree is the wood of peace, the sign of an endless life with its evergreen branches. It points to heaven.
Blessing example…
Dear God, Two thousand years ago, you brought your son, Jesus into this world to teach us the power of love. As we bless this tree, we remember his birth and the meaning of his life for us. May this tree be a symbol of our celebration of Jesus’ birth and our gratitude for his sacrifice. May the joy this tree brings and the gifts we place under it remind us of the many gifts you have given us. We ask your blessings upon our family and all our loved ones, this day and always. Amen