RE News: Meaghan Younger
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Feast Celebrations
Last week our students thoroughly enjoyed creating artworks for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Feast Day celebrations. Check out the display in our church! There is a matching one in St Monica’s Church with some of our students’ work appearing there too. The students particularly enjoyed the opportunity to use newfound tech skills and share their work with a St Monica’s buddy class. It was exciting finding new ways to connect as a parish community.
It is with great excitement that we can introduce our new Parish Sacramental Coordinator, Sue Collins. Sue will be your first contact for families with children preparing to receive First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation. We welcome Sue and look forward to working with her as you prepare your children for these special events in their faith journey.
Sacraments 2020 Update
First Communion
COVID19 has certainly played havoc with everyone’s plans this year. Unfortunately we have been unable to run our parish preparation program for First Communion this year and those children will be provided with an opportunity to do this in Term One 2021. We realise this is disappointing for families and children but with gathering restrictions still in place we are not able to safely deliver this program this year.
Reconciliation
Children in Year 3 who are baptised Catholics and would like to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation are invited to take part in the Parish Preparation Program next term. An invitation from Father Loi is coming home this week (and is included further in this newsletter under Parish News). Please be sure to respond to the invitation and register via Qkr! app under the ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Help’ account (not the School account) to ensure your child is enrolled in this program.
There will be a virtual information session available via Zoom on Thursday 23 July at 6:00pm. The link for this will be included in the invitation coming home this week.
Books to assist with home preparation in your family will be sent home with your child in Week One of next term. You are asked to attend a Commitment Mass over the coming weeks. Please be sure to register online prior to attending Mass as numbers are limited to 75 people at St Michael’s Church and 90 people at St Monica’s Church per Mass. There will be a family formation evening on Thursday 27 August. At this stage this will probably be run through Zoom unless social distancing restrictions ease – we will let you know closer to the date. After the Information Evening families will be invited to make an appointment time for celebrating the First Rite of Reconciliation on either the 8, 9 or 10September. This booking will be made through the Parish Office.
Confirmation
As we were fortunate enough to already have permission for our own Father Loi to celebrate Confirmation this year we have been able to move the dates for this special sacrament to assist with gathering safely. More information will come out next term. At this stage the important dates to flag are:
Information evening / adult faith formation - Thursday 17th September 6-7:00pm
Retreat Day - Thursday 29October
Family Formation evening - 29October 6:00pm
Celebration of Confirmation - 10November (St Michael’s Church) 11 & 12 November (St Monica’s Church)