RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Caritas Project Compassion

Halima is raising her two children in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, while caring for her mother who has a disability. Widowed at 21, Halima fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, arriving at the camp with nothing.

Caritas Australia, through Caritas Bangladesh, helped Halima with shelter, cooking equipment, hygiene and sanitation training. She took on the role of community trainer herself, organising the cleaning of washrooms, wells and toilets. 

Halima aspired to “Be More” and is proud that she is able to earn a small income, while maintaining the health of her family and the cleanliness of the camp community.

In the Cox’s Bazar district, women and children make up 78% of the total refugee population where 52% of children are aged 0-17

Each class has a Project Compassion Box. Your donations are greatly appreciated during this final week of Lent.

Celebrating 200 Years

Faith in the Future of Catholic Education in Australia

Catholic Education is celebrating 200 years in Australia, marking the bicentenary of the first Catholic school established in Parramatta in October 1820.

First Catholic school

The first Catholic school in Australia was founded in October 1820 by Irish Catholic priest Fr John Therry and run by convict and lay person George Marley. The school, which Catholic historians believe was in Hunter Street, Parramatta, taught 31 students. By 1833, there were 10 Catholic schools in the colony.

About the logo

The Christian cross is the central element of the logo and represents the faith dimension of Catholic schools and our mission of service in Christ. The Southern Cross and outline of Australia represents the Great South Land of Australia. Dots are used as a key design element connecting to the traditional custodians of the land – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The colours – burnt red and yellow – represent the desert in the heart of the Australian outback, contrasting with the deep blue representing the Southern sky and ocean surrounding our continent.

About the banner

It is with pride that our School and  student representatives are featured on the main promotional banner celebrating 200 Years of Catholic Education in Australia.

To find more about Catholic Education in Australia visit https://200years.catholic.edu.au/about/

Earlier this week each family received a copy of the 200-Years-National-Prayer card. A copy is attached below:

First Eucharist Enrolment and Parent only workshop will be held on Wednesday 28th April and Thursday 6th May at 7.00pm in the Church. Parents are required to attend only one enrolment workshop. Attendance is mandatory if you wish to prepare your child for the Sacrament of First Eucharist. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we request only one parent attend the workshop. This is a parent only workshop and children are not required to attend. If for any reason you miss the enrolment night, or cannot make it to any other meeting/workshop, we request you to wait until the following year, as the parish is unable to offer any catch up workshops for those who are unable to attend. An enrolment levy of $50 is payable via CDFPay www.olhc.cdfpay.org.au which will be available from 18th April 2021. Please bring your receipt number to the enrolment night. For more information please refer to the Sacrament Program Booklet 2021 on the parish website www.olhc.org.au. 

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Mark 14:1—15:47 

Jesus is sentenced to death and crucified. The centurion who witnessed his death declared, “This man was the Son of God.”

This Sunday, called Palm or Passion Sunday, is the first day of Holy Week. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday are called the Triduum—three days that are the highlight of the Church year. There are two Gospels proclaimed at today’s Mass. The first Gospel, proclaimed before the procession with palms, tells of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Riding on a borrowed colt, Jesus was hailed by the crowds as they blessed God and shouted “Hosanna!” This event is reported in each of the four Gospels.

Next week is called Holy Week. At the end of next week, we will remember Jesus’ Last Supper, his death on the cross, and his Resurrection. When Jesus died on the cross, they put a sign above him that said “King of the Jews.” Most of the people misunderstood who Jesus was, but the soldier who watched him die said that Jesus was the Son of God. Because Jesus is the Son of God, he can forgive our sins.

Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Information

Mary MacKillop Primary School is one of the three Parish Primary Schools belonging to the Parish of Our Lady Help of Christians, Narre Warren within the Diocese of Sale. Fr Brendan Hogan is our Parish Priest and Fr Isuru Weliwatte is our Assistant Priest. We are grateful for their ongoing prayers, involvement and support of the students, families and staff of Mary MacKillop School. 

Click on the link for Mass times and to download the weekly newsletter Parish-Bulletin

WELLBEING

Webinar: Parenting Ideas

24 March 2021 8:00pm AEDT

Maggie Dent presents: Communicating with teenage boys

Adolescence has a way of transforming children’s brains that can make communication challenging, especially with teenage boys who often start articulating in monosyllabic grunts. These brain changes also make them more sensitive, volatile and critical of themselves, making the tween/teen years a high-risk window. In this webinar, Maggie Dent shows how using compassionate, empowering communication with teenage boys can better guide them across the bridge to healthy manhood to a place where they feel worthwhile and engaged in respectful relationships.

Key learning and discussion points include:

• communicating effectively
• giving feedback
• avoiding arguments
• helping teenage boys to problem solve
• letting our sons know we really hear them, and that they matter

Please see attached information handout to access webinar