SAVE THE DATE!  The Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop 

A School Family Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady Help of Christians Church on Saturday 3rd August 2024 at 6.00pm. Students and families are invited to take on special roles for this Parish Mass.  Watch this space for further details.

Winter Appeal

During winter especially, material donations such as food is needed. This year students in the MacKillop Kids Group are organising this year’s Winter Appeal by collecting a variety of soup tins and packets. Take part in ‘Put the Warmth in Winter’ by gathering canned soup donations to help our local Narre Warren Conference to support those experiencing food insecurity this winter.

A few things to keep in mind: 

• To uphold the dignity of those receiving goods, please ensure that all food items are not due to expire for at least the next 6 months. 
• All items must be non-perishable and undamaged. 
• Your donations of tins/packets of soup can be placed in classroom collection boxes. Thank You for your support.

Celebrate the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on the 19th day after Pentecost (a Friday), and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary follows on the next day. If you’ve heard of devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary but aren’t quite sure what they’re all about, read on for a brief introduction and a few ideas for what your family might do.

Both of these feasts use the heart as a symbol of love.

In the case of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the emphasis is on God’s love and mercy. In fact, that love and mercy is so intense that the symbol of the sacred heart is a human heart encircled with a crown of thorns, crowned with a cross, and radiating flames: this is how much Christ loves us. This feast is a celebration of God’s great love for us.

Marian devotions flow from Mary’s privileged status not only as the Mother of God but also as the first fruit of the grace poured out by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. She is the model Christian; devotion to her Immaculate Heart not only calls upon her help, but provides a model for what our own hearts should look like.

Here are some ways to celebrate these feasts:

• Share the symbolism
• Encourage your children to always to turn to Jesus
• Choose a craft or recipe to do together eg: Sacred Heart pancakes
• Read a book or watch a video eg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKVMKfIm7HU or read Psalm 23
• Celebrate liturgically
• Learn a particular Sacred Heart prayer with your family