Pentecost Sunday

The Season of Easter concludes with the celebration of Pentecost at this weekend’s Mass. After His death and Ascension into heaven Jesus appeared to the disciples. He came to them when they were terrified of being caught and persecuted for following Him. Jesus breathed His Spirit into them and filled them with a deep peace and joy – a sense that through faith, hope and the unconditional love of God, everything would be okay (even in the midst of their struggles).

With the help of the Holy Spirit, the scared and uncertain apostles became courageous and passionate preachers of God’s love for us. They continued to ‘GO OUT’ and continue the work Jesus began (spreading his message about peace, love and goodness) right up until it led to the martyrdom of every single one of them.

Pentecost is the birthday of the CHURCH - it sparked the movement of believers to carry on Jesus’ life-giving mission.

On Pentecost we pray in a special way for the Church – the people of God - throughout the world. We pray that Jesus’ Spirit may fill the hearts of all so that love, hope, faith, justice, joy, and peace may spread far and wide. As a Catholic School we are called to be Jesus’ Good News in our own place and time. When we allow ourselves to be open to the gifts of the Spirit, we can truly be GOOD NEWS for others.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are for all of us. We can all use these special gifts of the Holy Spirit to: bring us closer to God; fill our lives with a sense of meaning and purpose; guide us through life; help us make wise decisions; help us understand things and people better; give good advice, have courage in tough times

PLEASE HELP…singers needed

Some of our students will be making their First Holy Communion in two weeks at 9am Mass (Sunday 19 June). I would like to organise a choir to sing at this special celebration. Parents, friends and students welcome. We will practice over the next couple of weeks during school hours. Please let the school know if you are able to help.

Year 4 Eucharist Retreat

Yesterday, Goulburn Mission Youth Minister Gerard Tang, and a Catholic Youth Group of Trinity Catholic College students came to St Mary’s to run a Eucharist retreat for Year 4.  What a wonderful faith-filled experience it was for our children! They learnt about the ongoing daily presence of God in their lives and the positive difference this can make when they are open to recognising and accepting God’s Spirit. They also learnt about the meaning and importance of the EUCHARIST (Holy Communion) for Catholics.

Catholics believe that Jesus is fully present in the EUCARIST, that the bread and wine are transubstantiated into Jesus. Catholics believe when they receive the Eucharist at Mass, they are taking Jesus into themselves; they are filled with Jesus’ life and spirit to strengthen and sustain them in living in faith, hope and love.

Gerard and the Trinity students, through their enthusiasm, friendliness and openness about their personal faith journeys, made a beautiful impression on our Year 4 students, who were inspired to share their own faith experiences and questions about God and Jesus.

Some of our Year 4 and 5 students are eagerly preparing to receive the Eucharist for the first time in two weeks.