St Joseph’s Primary School - O'Connor
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Boronia Drive
O'Connor ACT 2602
Subscribe: https://sjpsoconnor.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: office.sjo@cg.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 6248 9818
Fax: 02 6247 1792

RE News

Mary Help of Christians

The feast day of Mary Help of Christians or sometimes known as Our Lady Help of Christians is celebrated worldwide on 24 May each year. This special feast day has been celebrated since the 17th century, and focuses on acknowledging Virgin Mary as both a mother and helper of the church. Mary is also seen as the model of the Church. In all of her actions she exemplifies the mission of the Church. She agreed to God's will to give birth to Jesus and supported and displayed her faith in her son throughout his ministry.

The feast day of Mary Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844 but the history to this day dates back to the start of the 1800s. The infant Church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Mary. In those early and mostly priestless days, it was largely the Rosary that kept the faith alive. Catholic Australia remained faithful to Mary, and was the first nation to choose her, under the title of Help of Christians, as Principal Patron.

This Marian Feast Day was celebrated at school on Monday, with each class coming together for prayer that was led by 2 Yellow. The beautiful artwork below is a representation of Mary holding the baby Jesus. You can see that she has been depicted with the Australian outback in the background, and she is standing under the Southern Cross. The original artwork hangs in St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, the church named after Our Lady.

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National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week commences tomorrow, Thursday 27 May and concludes on Thursday 3 June. Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. Next week, students will be immersed in a range of activities in class that acknowledge and create an understanding of why reconciliation is so important in Australia.

There are a number of events and activities being held that you can attend. For more information, please visit the National Reconciliation Week website: https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/

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St Joseph’s Sacramental Program

Sacrament of the Eucharist

Holy Communion is scheduled for Sunday 15 August. Enrolment in this Sacrament is for Year 4 students who have made their First Reconciliation, as well as any Year 5 or 6 students who were unable to make this Sacrament previously.

 

Date of Sacrament:                Sunday 15 August

Time:                                    12:00pm

Registrations:                         Opening online at the end of Term 2 on the Parish                                                    website:     

                                             https://www.stjosephsoconnor.org.au

Sacrament Retreat Day:          Tuesday 12 August (for all Year 4 students)

 

Sacrament of Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be held on Wednesday 28 October. Enrolment for this Sacrament is offered to students in Year 6, who have made their Reconciliation and Holy Communion. Further information regarding enrolments and preparation for this Sacrament will be provided in Term 3.

Date of Sacrament:                Thursday 28 October

Time:                                    5:30pm

Registrations:                         Opening online at the end of Term 3 on the Parish                                                    website: https://www.stjosephsoconnor.org.au

Sacrament Retreat Day:         TBA

All enrolments and payments must be done via the St Joseph’s Parish Website (not the school Qkr! account). Workbooks will be provided to each student enrolled and are to be completed at home, with their parents.

 

Combined School & Parish Mass

On Saturday 5 June, we will be celebrating Parish Mass as a whole school community. This will provide us the opportunity to come together as a St Joseph’s community, and celebrate.

There will be a number of opportunities for students to be actively involved in different aspects of the mass. If you are able to attend, and you would like your child to participate, could you please email me to let me know. We would love to see as many families at mass as possible.

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St Joseph’s Winter Appeal

This June, we invite you to donate non-perishable food items to our St Joseph's table. These donations will be distributed by St Vincent de Paul to families less fortunate within our local community. Food items can include: canned goods (tinned vegetables, legumes, beans), pasta, rice, long-life milk, biscuits, noodles, spreads & preserves, or cereal.

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Important Term 2 Dates:

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For further information or any questions regarding Religious Education and events, please feel free to contact me via email: michelle.vuli@cg.catholic.edu.au

 

Michelle Vuli

Religious Education Coordinator

michelle.vuli@cg.catholic.edu.au