This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday

The Season of Easter concludes with the celebration of Pentecost at this weekend’s Mass. After His Ascension into heaven Jesus came to the disciples. He came to them at the time of their great fear of persecution. He breathed His Spirit into them and filled them with a deep peace and joy – a sense that through faith, hope and love of God, all was right with their world.

From that event the scared and uncertain apostles were transformed into courageous and passionate preachers. Through their steadfast faith in Jesus and the strength of his Spirit, they were able to stay true to their commitment and spread the WORD of God. 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 - the event that sparked the movement of believers to carry on Jesus’ our Lord and Saviour’s life-giving mission.

We pray in a special way for the Church – the people of God - spread throughout the world, to be open to the Spirit, so it can continue to be Jesus’ witness in the world of today; to bring love, hope, faith, justice, joy, peace. Jesus calls his disciples into mission. As a Catholic School we are called to be the 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

Mini Vinnies

It is up to every one of us – with the help of the Holy Spirit – to do our best to help others not to suffer, not to be afraid, not to have troubled hearts

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR WORLD by supporting our Mini Vinnies WINTER APPEAL

Donation of the following items would be greatly appreciated:

• New thick socks
• New gloves/mittens
• Coats and scarves
• Sleeping bags
• Blankets/doonas

We could all make a difference in our world!

Let us all answer Jesus’ call to carry on His mission of love.

Many thanks from St Mary’s Mini Vinnies

Year 4 Eucharist Retreat

Last Friday, 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 EUCHARIST, that the bread and wine are transubstantiated into Jesus. 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 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 students are eagerly preparing to receive the Eucharist for the first time early next month.