This Sunday is an important time in the Church - Pentecost Sunday. The Gospel comes from John 20:19-23. At Pentecost,’ says Pope Francis, ‘the Spirit made the apostles go forth from themselves and turned them into heralds of God’s wondrous deeds.’ The Pope mentions this in Evangelii Gaudium, his Apostolic Exhortation focused ‘on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world.’

In it, he points out that ‘Jesus wants evangelisers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence.’  Highlighting that we are called ‘to pray and work,’ the Pope is concerned to encourage Christians to joy-filled action. 

However important or useful our interior prayers and personal pieties might be, any authentic response to the Spirit should make us look beyond ourselves. ‘Mystical notions without a solid social and missionary outreach are of no help to evangelisation,’ the Pope suggests. We are not called to be passive receptacles, storing up fuzzy feelings. Action, therefore, is crucial for Christian living. While acknowledging the worthiness of initiatives like regular Eucharistic adoration, the Pope stresses that the Christian calling should never become ‘a privatised lifestyle.’ Our prayer should direct us to sharing the love of Christ with others, especially those in need. ‘In union with Jesus,’ the Pope says, ‘we seek what he seeks and love what he loves.’ So, at Pentecost we recall that having received the Spirit we are not meant to retreat from the world, but rather become Spirit-bearers to and in it.

We have begun our Confirmation program with the Parish. We look forward prayerfully to journeying with our 24 candidates as they prepare for this important step in their faith lives. Parents are reminded to complete the weekly home night tasks and to reach out to the Parish if you need any clarification. Our SCA students will make their Confirmation together on Wednesday 19^th June, with all in our community welcome to join us for Mass. We thank our Parish High School St Mary Mackillop College, who will provide music for the Mass.  

Thank you to all those Year 6 parents who have already responded to the Confirmation Retreat Day note on Compass. As per other years, all Year 6 students will attend this event. Along with this, parents of all students will need to submit their 'Hopes and Dreams' letter to their child's teacher by Friday 24^th May (next Friday). 

On Friday 7^th June, our Year 6 students and teachers will travel to the Junior Campus of St Mary Mackillop College (Wanniassa) to share in Mass to celebrate our Parish Feast Day. Parents are asked to complete the form on Compass to ensure their child can attend. Students will participate in Mass, followed by Youth Ministry games with our Parish schools, led by the SMMC CYSMA team. 

As the weather drops, we all become very aware of the warmth of our homes and food that we have at our avail. Unfortunately, not all in our community have the luxuries that we do - we know the cost-of-living crisis has impacted many. In the last 12months, our local Vinnies chapter has had one of the largest increases in calls for help in all of Australia. So - our donations are at their most needed and appreciated! Attached is the flyer for our Vinnies appeal this year. Students are asked to donate an item alongside their grade level but any and all donations are appreciated. We ask that all items are donated by Thursday Week 9 (27 June '24) so we can present to Vinnies in our End of Semester Mass. Thank you all for your generosity in advance!

Next week, Mrs Jo Reed and I are looking forward to attending the Currents of Grace conference on Monday and Tuesday. This conference is exploring ways that Catholic schools are centres of evangelisation and how we can continue this important work. I look forward to participating and thank Mr E for his support of this.