Religious Life of the School

This coming Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent and is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word meaning “rejoice.” This Sunday is so named because “Rejoice” is the first word in the entrance antiphon for the Mass taken from Philippians 4:4,5: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.” Some people mark this Sunday on their Advent wreath with a pink candle instead of a purple candle. This Sunday is a joyful reminder that our salvation is near.

Prayer and Worship 

Student Led Christian Prayer

Each Friday after first break, Year 6 lead classes in prayer with a focus on the Gospel for the coming Sunday.

Liturgical Season: Second Sunday of Advent, Year A

Liturgical Season Colour: Pink

This week the focus is on the Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11

While John the Baptist was in prison, he heard about the things that Jesus was doing and sent some of his followers to find Jesus. “Tell us, are you the one sent by God, that John told us about?” they asked.

Jesus said, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind can see, the lame can walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, and the dead are brought back to life. The Good News is being shared so that everyone can believe in me.”

As John’s friends hurried away to tell him what they had heard, Jesus said to the crowds, “God sent John to prepare for my coming. He is a truly great man and will be remembered for all time.”

At home, we invite you to read the upcoming Gospel as a family and discuss our focus questions for the week.

1. When John the Baptist’s friends found Jesus, what do they see and hear?
2. How do you think the people felt seeing these miracles?

God our Father,

As we look forward to Christmas,

The excitement is growing.

Just as the light from the Advent wreath grows brighter,

We pray that the light of Jesus

Will grow brighter in our lives too.

Amen

Celebrating Liturgy and Sacraments

Social Action & Justice

As Advent approaches, we think about how we will prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus? At St Joseph’s we have a 25 Days of Kindness calendar. The acts of kindness for Week 8 are:

Day 16: Make a thank you card or note for someone who has supported you this year.

Day 17: Visit or telephone someone special who you don’t see often.

Day 18: Offer to help an adult with one of their jobs.

Day 19: Donate food to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas appeal.

Day 20: Share something with somebody you know.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

When I walk into our front office I am filled with joy and gratitude for the great generosity of people in our community. Our Giving Tree is brimming with wrapped gifts and all gift tags have been taken. If you would still like to donate, simply write on your gift what age group and gender your gift is for. Our classroom hampers are also looking exciting and overflowing with delicious Christmas food. Thank you wholeheartedly for your generosity.

During the Offertory Procession at our Thanksgiving Mass on Friday a sample of our donations will be blessed by Father Paul. Donations will be collected by our O’Connor chapter members of St Vincent de Paul in Week 10.

Religious Identity and Culture

Ethos and Charism

Our strategic priority to deepen our St Joseph’s identity means to deepen our understanding of our Josephite Charism.  We can learn much about our Josephite Charism through quotes from Saint Mary Mackillop.

Evangelisation and Faith Formation

Faith Formation

St Joseph’s Parish has begun its annual Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).

If you are curious about God or the Catholic Church, were baptised as a child but did not receive Eucharist or Confirmation, visit the parish one Sunday and speak to Fr Paul.

If you have questions about the RCIA process, please email Alwyn Dantis on alwyndantis@yahoo.com or ring 0467 243 363.

Yours in Christ,

Melanie Stratford

Religious Education Coordinator

melanie.stratford@cg.catholic.edu.au

As Year 4 explore pioneers, these 'Green Action Heroes' have taken on a new frontier. After Josie Sill and her family discussed the excessive waste output made from berry punnets, these writers came together, sacrificing lunches, to assemble a series of letters holding supermarkets and berry farmers accountable.

Dear Driscolls,

Firstly we want to thank you for providing us with delicious berries. We are a group of Year 4’s at St Joseph’s Primary School and enjoy your berries for our fruit snacks in the morning. We saw on your website that you value sustainability, so we have some suggestions so that we can all continue eating your fruits without costing the environment.

We are concerned about the amount of plastic waste that you are using with your punnets. It has come to our concern that berry punnets aren’t reusable. If each Australian family is using 2 berry punnets a week, that leads to 96,220,000 blueberry punnets a year. The reason we need to change berry punnets is because they are a single-use plastic. Plastic is bad because it takes around a thousand years to fully break down. The plastic containers that don’t end up in the right bin could end up in our oceans. Plastic can release a harmful chemical into the ground that affects the ecosystem, which can then harm the animals that drink the polluted water. 

Although the punnets could be recycled, we believe that reducing our waste is always a better alternative.  You have stated in your website that we, “(You) are committed to making continual progress towards waste reduction and better care for the natural and social resources on which we depend.” This is an opportunity for you to prove that what you are saying is true.

We have some suggestions about how we could reuse the punnets and create less waste. Firstly, what about collecting the used punnets and re-supplying them to the farmers? We would be happy to help with creating collection stations, starting with our school. The idea of being pioneers in attacking this problem excites us, and we are prepared to help.

Finally, you could insist that people bring in their own reusable containers to fill with berries. People could use the berry punnets that they already have now, or other containers. This way, we aren’t producing more waste. 

Whatever option you choose, you would be making a huge difference and contribution to our future. Not choosing would have very negative consequences for all of us. 

Thank you. Please help us fight against this problem.

From Green Action Heroes

Juliana L, Hamish D, Ebenezer A, Josie S and Amy D.

"The future depends on what you do today." Mahatma Gandhi